onvoe carro WELDON, HUSTON & KEYSER, L.L.P.
owano O77 76 NORTH MULBERRY STREET
compe noon MANSFIELD, OHIO 44902
pon
earto@whkmansfield.com
April 16, 2019
City Council
City of Mansfield
30 North Diamond Street
Mansfield, Ohio 44902
Re: Mulberry Street Conversion
Bill # 19-072
Dear Members of Council,
Please accept this letter on behalf of Belcat Properties, Ltd. and Weldon, Huston &
Keyser, LLP, the owner and occupant, respectively, of the premises and historic building located
at 76 North Mulberry Street, on the southeast comer of the Fourth Street intersection. We wish to
express our views with respect to the proposal under consideration to convert Mulberry Street
from a one-way street southbound to a two-way street between Fifth Street and Second Street. It
is our understanding that the proposed conversion would create three traffic lanes, with two lanes
dedicated to southbound traffic. The creation of three lanes instead of two would require the
widening of the roadway and a significant reduction of on-street parking spaces. It would also
involve the creation of parking “bump-outs” on the east side of Mulberry, the removal and
relocation of utility poles and a significant narrowing of the sidewalk along the east side (north
bound lane) of Mulberry Street. The narrowing of the sidewalk would be particularly acute in the
vicinity of our building’s front entrance steps.
While we strongly approve of converting Mulberry Street to a two-way street, we oppose
the plan to widen the roadway to create three lanes. We do not believe that maintaining the two
southbound lanes would do anything to relieve traffic congestion on Main Street, even if Main
Street were to also be converted to two-way traffic in the future. Moreover, the significant loss of
on-street parking spaces on both sides of Mulberry Street would cause great inconvenience to the
‘customers and patrons of the various businesses and government offices along Mulberry Street,
as well as Fourth Street, especially between Fourth Street and Park Avenue West. The growth in