The east entrance to TwispWorks has been temporarily closed.
TwispWorks has temporarily closed the informal third entrance to its campus off of Methow Street, after neighbors raised concerns about traffic generated by the access point.
TwispWorks recently fenced off the opening between the welding shop and the eqpd building, on the east side of the campus, preventing vehicle access from the Fifth Avenue/Methow Street intersection. A gap in the fencing allows pedestrian access to TwispWorks’ garbage and recycling area for its tenants.
Vehicle access to the campus is still available through the formal entrances off of South Glover Street, and at Fifth Avenue and Lincoln Street.
The closure came after discussions with the Town of Twisp about neighbors’ concerns and about zoning issues that likely won’t be resolved until TwispWorks updates its Master Plan. The decision to close the entrance was made by TwispWorks, and was not required by the town.
In a memo to TwispWorks partners, Director of Campus Operations Tori Karpenko called the closure “a significant compromise” that will allow TwispWorks to move forward with several construction projects. Meanwhile, Karpenko said, TwispWorks is in the process of updating its Master Plan, which must then be approved by the town. “Because the [zoning] code is outdated and unrestricted traffic flow on to Methow street is a primary concern of our neighbors, we have agreed to temporarily close the Methow street entrance/exit to vehicular traffic,” he said.
“We are continuing our work to be good neighbors while also addressing the many needs of our TwispWorks partners and greater Methow community and visitors who enjoy campus,” TwispWorks’ Executive Director Sarah Brown said in an email.
The decision did not sit well with eqpd owner Jonathan Baker, whose manufacturing business is most directly affected by the closure. At last week’s Town Council meeting, Baker called the closure a “super inconvenience” that affects creates traffic issues for deliveries and for his employees.
“As a hard-working business, it’s really frustrating,” Baker said. He questioned the need for the closure.
Mayor Soo Ing-Moody said the closure had “been in the works quite a while” as TwispWorks and the town discussed TwispWorks’ need for an updated master plan and its request for an administrative permit to allow Methow Street access to continue. “It was not our jurisdiction to close it [the entrance],” Ing-Moody said. The mayor said the closure was TwispWorks’ “suggested remedy.”
No estimate was provided as to when the closure might end.
