Council votes to limit access to road to Sun City for 60 days
GEORGETOWN— After a tense public hearing, the Georgetown City Council decided to temporarily limit access to a road to Sun City.
The entire intersection at West Majestic Oak and Apache Mountain lanes will be closed for 60 days in early July after construction is finished on Rocky Hollow Creek Drive, which will provide an alternate route to the retirement community of Sun City.
Officials are hoping that after 60 days, drivers will have changed their routes and will use the new street instead of West Majestic Oak Lane to get to Williams Drive.
More than 150 people filled the council chambers Tuesday night to listen to speakers who yelled, cried and spoke for and against closing the intersection. The debate pitted county residents concerned about the safety of children in their neighborhood against Georgetown residents in Sun City concerned about their access to emergency care.
West Majestic Oak Lane opened in April 2014 and provides a route for Sun City residents to get to nearby businesses on Williams Drive more quickly. It feeds into the county street of Woodland Park before drivers reach Williams Drive.
Residents of the Woodland Park subdivision, which has about 230 homes, had asked the council in August to close West Majestic Oak because of safety concerns.
Don Scott, who lives in Woodland Park, showed pictures of an Easter egg hunt for the 40 children in his neighborhood. “Which one of these children’s safety is worth a couple of extra minutes getting to Wal-Mart?” he said.
On the other side of the debate, Sun City resident Mike Hausman said if he had health trouble, it would take emergency workers three minutes longer to reach his house if the road was closed. “I’m afraid that would be fatal for me,” said Hausman, who previously had heart surgery.
According to a traffic count done by the city, 1,383 vehicles traveled daily in October between Sun City and Woodland Park. More than 800 ve- hicles on such a road is not appropriate under design guidelines, said Jim Briggs, Georgetown’s interim city manager.
The council voted 5-2 Tuesday to approve the temporary closure except to emergency vehicles. City Council Member Rachael Jonrowe said she voted against it because she wanted the intersection closed immediately for the safety of the children instead of waiting until early July.
The city of Georgetown only owns the part of West Majestic Oak Lane at its intersection with Apache Mountain Lane. The rest of the street is a county road. Under state law, Williamson County cannot close a subdivision road that is less than three years old.