BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council will consider permanently installing four-way stop signs at the intersection of 22nd Avenue South and 32nd Street South, which is located at the southeast corner of Dakota Nature Park.

The item is listed under the consent agenda for the council’s meeting Tuesday. A study session begins at 5 p.m. with the regular meeting starting at 6 p.m. at the Brookings City & County Government Center.

“The city installed temporary four-way stop signs at the intersection of 22nd Avenue South and 32nd Street South during the Sixth Street construction project to facilitate detour traffic,” according to an attachment to the agenda available on the city’s website. “The city engineering staff performed a recent traffic study on the intersection to determine if the four-way stop signs should remain permanently at the intersection.”

The north side of the intersection is in City of Brookings jurisdiction, and the south side is in Brookings County jurisdiction. Evergreen trees in the northeast corner create visibility problems for some drivers. 

“A typical vehicle approaching the intersection southbound is required to drive ahead of the stop sign to have better visibility to the east,” the attachment adds.

The Brookings County Commission will also have a public hearing to approve the installation of the four-way stop signs.

In other business Tuesday, the Affordable Housing Task Force will present a 23-page report during the study session, which starts at 5 p.m.

The city council created the Brookings Affordable Housing Task Force on Nov. 24, 2015. Members are Chairperson Patty Bacon, Kelan Bludorn, Angie Boersma, Connie Bridges, Al Heuton, Ryan Krogman, Mike Lockrem, Jacob Mills and Mary Jo Minor. 

Brookings residents need safe and affordable housing to succeed in life, says the executive summary of the task force’s report. The market can not always meet that need and the governments need to step in to help.

“The city’s shortage of affordable housing has reached a breaking point. Much of the housing in the city is not affordable to low- and moderate-income households and working families who are oftentimes cost burdened by 30 percent or more in their housing costs,” the report said.

The BAHTF focuses on the status and interaction of four fundamental conditions within the community:

• The rental and homeowner housing market;

• Economic trends, specifically in terms of household income;

• The provision of financial assistance for dwellings; and

• Public policies and actions affecting affordable housing.

The report offers both short- and long-term recommendations. There is no easy or quick answer, the report concludes.

“What started out as a task force simply trying to address affordable housing opportunities in Brookings, morphed into a much larger, more complex issue than intended. Affordable housing has a different meaning for different individuals, thus emphasizing the need to look at the issue from a wholistic perspective,” the report said.

In the lone second reading item scheduled for next week, the council will consider a special assessment for uncollected weed removal fees totaling $645.

Under contracts/change orders, the council plans to award bids on the Airport Taxilane project to Bowes Construction.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.