UP City Council Returns Rosedale to One-Way Street

The University Park City Council repealed an ordinance that opened Rosedale Avenue between Snider Plaza and Dickens Avenue to two-way traffic during its Dec. 17 meeting. 

The city designated the previously one-way section of Rosedale as a two-way street in October. It made the change at the request of merchants who wanted to improve access to Snider Plaza during construction. At the same time, the city restricted parking on the north side of Rosedale.

The new rules were slated to remain in place until the completion of the Snider Plaza project at the end of 2025, according to an Oct. 1 agenda memo presented to the council.

But residents petitioned the council to reverse the changes, citing a lack of notice and concerns about traffic and safety.

Rosedale property owner Matt Dixon presented the petition, which was then signed by about 30 residents, to the council at its Oct. 15 meeting. 

“There was no prior notice, there was no prior information, there was no notification, there was no input from the residents here,” he said at that meeting.

Rosedale resident Anna Shinkaruk told the council in November that she discovered the new parking restriction when she woke up to find a ticket on her car, which she had parked in front of her door the night before. 

She was also concerned about the visibility of pedestrians on the busy street, and the safety of her 2-and 4-year-olds when they played in front of her home.

Director of Public Works Keegan Littrell explained at the Dec. 17 meeting that, because work on Rankin Avenue and around Daniel Avenue is complete, traffic can move more freely and the two-way designation of Rosedale is no longer necessary.

Dixon thanked the council for listening to residents’ concerns.

“University Park, once again, sets a gold standard for municipal consideration from our public servants and our elected officials,” he said.

Also during the Dec. 17 meeting, the city council approved a resolution to join a settlement with Kroger recently negotiated by the Texas Attorney General’s Office in connection with the distribution of opioids. University Park will receive just over $3,800 from the settlement, which city manager Robbie Corder said would be used to support the middle school’s DARE program.