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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2018.02.081 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Unapproved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, February 8, 2018 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Bush, Israelit, Londer, Martos, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: To accept the minutes of January 11, 2018 as submitted. M/S/C: Londer/Wettan; 4/0/1 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Former Councilmember John Root requested the consideration of a stop-sign northbound on Primrose Road near the Library due to the speed in which cars travel. He felt this is long overdue and is hopeful the need is passed on to the City Council for approval. Mr. Mendell with Kern’s Jewelers located at 214 Lorton said he has noticed with all the construction going on that construction workers are parking their vehicles in the parking lot between Howard and Bayswater early in the mornings. As a result, he stated that the employees of the jewelry store do not have an opportunity to park there anymore. Mr. Mendell requested that the proposed parking structure be built prior to the proposed housing project. He also shared that he has called the Police Department to mark tires for those vehicles parked in the lot all day and it only occurred once. Mr. Mendell said that customers have not showed for appointments because there is no place to park and it is hurting the business. 2 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Proclamation for Former Commissioner Nick Akers Chair Martos read the proclamation for Nick Akers aloud to honor him for his patience, knowledge, and service to the TSP Commission and then presented to him. Mr. Akers thanked the Commission and said it was a pleasure to work with everyone. He said one of the wonderful things about Burlingame is that government is there with great staff and citizen commissioners who are courageous and willing to speak their minds. Mr. Akers encouraged the Commission to continue speaking the truth, being good colleagues to each other, and showing kindness and respect to the community. Councilmember Beach thanked former Commissioner Akers for his service. She said he is a great example of a public servant. Councilmember Beach felt that former Commissioner Akers has been a smart, level-headed, and thoughtful leader that treated the public and fellow Commissioners with respect. She went on to say that he is a great listener and colleague—someone who can look at all sides of an issue and make the best decision possible. She closed by thanking all the Commissioners for their hard work. Commissioner Wettan said it was a great honor and pleasure to serve with Mr. Akers. He referred to Mr. Akers as his brother in arms, always willing to listen and be team player. Commissioner Wettan stated he learned a lot from Mr. Akers and he will really miss his presence. Commissioner Londer echoed what Commissioner Wettan stated. He recalled the first time he met Mr. Akers at Mercy High School—he pulled up in VW and Commissioner Londer thought he had to be cool (for a lawyer) if he drives a VW. He said his initial thought turned out to be true as Mr. Akers is an intelligent, thoughtful and kind person. Commissioner Londer appreciated working with, and learning from former Commissioner Akers. Vice-Chair Bush said he started attending the Commission meetings in 2013 when Mr. Akers was chair and he was impressed by his level of presence as he conducted the meetings and crisply articulated the agenda. He said this was his first experience with the Commission and part of what caused him to want to be a part of this Commission. Vice- Chair Bush stated he always appreciated the way Mr. Akers captured and crafted motions. He said it was a great honor to serve together, see him in action, and hear his perspectives. Vice-Chair Bush said he would be missed. Chair Martos stated he saw former Commissioner Akers as chair before joining the Commission and he so eloquently handled the issues, prompting him to join. He said Mr. Akers was a great member of the Commission who helped find the best possible outcome on City issues. He said his presence will be missed and wished him the best of luck in the future. Chair Martos closed by saying he is hopeful their paths will cross again and that 3 Mr. Akers is always welcomed back. b) Downtown Parking Mr. Wong began with a presentation to provide the public and Commission with some background on downtown parking such as parking lot hours, rates, and number of spaces. Mr. Wong identified the following potential strategies to improve short-term parking from the Subcommittee: • Only have short-term parking in core lots; • Try to better incentivize employees to commute rather than drive; • Incentivize employees to park in the outer lots; • Access to private lots during certain hours; • Extend the parking restriction hours; and • Alter the meter rates to increase parking turnover. Mr. Wong said the goal is to obtain input on the proposed strategies and the Downtown Parking Subcommittee would then make any additional edits and ultimately provide a recommendation to the City Council. Chair Martos opened public comment. Mr. Mendell stated people are concerned with turnover—the ability for people to come and go; he felt that is what helps make the downtown area so vibrant. Mr. Mendell proposed the City start marking tires in an effort to eliminate the option to feed the meter, ticket vehicles after two hours and every hour thereafter while increasing the fine. He also suggested looking into the City of Santa Cruz parking program as they run their parking meters until 8 p.m. Commissioner Wettan shared the difficulty in measuring the manner in which employees get to work, what location they are coming from, and where they choose to park , and utilized the opportunity to ask Mr. Mendell for some background on the Jewelry Store employee’s transportation preferences. Commissioner Wettan also inquired about any possible interest in a shuttle program for employees or public transit subsidies. Mr. Mendell shared that all 14 employees drive in from the east bay or San Francisco to Burlingame due to the high cost of living. He indicated the employee’s park in the outer lots for three dollars per day. Mr. Mendell did not believe the shuttle idea would work for downtown Burlingame employees but felt the concept may work for construction workers and suggested parking guidelines for construction workers be part of the City’s conditions of approval. Vice-Chair Bush liked the shuttle idea and inquired to Mr. Mendell if he thought a similar system would work for his employees being shuttled in from a location such as Coyote 4 Point. Mr. Mendell stated the shuttle frequency would be the deciding factor. Jeff Silverman from UK Hair on Burlingame Avenue said he and his team utilize the one dollar lot off El Camino Real. He felt people are not informed about parking permits and suggested it be encouraged a little more and suggested communicating through DBID. Mr. Silverman said he encourages his clients not to park on Burlingame Avenue although some insist on doing so. He indicated he liked the idea of increasing the cost to park on Burlingame Avenue and extending the parking meters to 8 p.m. Mr. Silverman suggested that parking maps/informational brochures be available around Burlingame, not just at City Hall. Commissioner Wettan asked the same question to Mr. Silverman that he did to Mr. Mendell regarding employee transit preferences and demographics. Mr. Silverman indicated that none of the twenty employees at the salon live in Burlingame; they all drive in from the east bay, South San Francisco, or San Carlos at varying times. He did not think the employee shuttle option would work due to their sporadic schedules. Chair Martos stated Lot O is underutilized but was pleased Mr. Mendell and Mr. Silverman’s employees utilize Lot H—the one dollar parking lot. Former Councilmember John Root inquired if Commute.org has reviewed the parking concerns. Mr. Wong indicated staff has recently been talking with Commute.org regarding City Council’s desire to apply for an east/west shuttle program to assist residents in the Hillside area. He said other discussions with Commute.org include extending the existing shuttle service from the Millbrae transit hub to Burlingame Point and creating a shuttle that runs between Burlingame Point and Burlingame Avenue. Mr. Root commented regarding construction workers parking in the area and also felt parking guidelines should be included in the conditions of approval similar to what was required during the Peninsula Hospital construction. Chair Martos closed public comment and stated for the public that the Commission gathered parking lot and street parking capacity at particular times throughout the day over a period of several months. He stated that the core downtown parking lots are still saturated after 6 p.m. and it is the reason they are considering strategies to alleviate the parking problem such as changing some of the 10-hour spaces to two or four hour spaces. Chair Martos said even with the plans for a parking structure on Lot N, they can still employ some of their ideas to alleviate some of the parking congestion. Commissioner Londer said he appreciated all the work of the Subcommittee and suggestions from the audience. He did not think the employee shuttle concept would be a practical option due to the various employee schedules but he did like the idea of a shuttle service similar to the hotel trolley which could allow employees to park more remotely. Commissioner Londer was in favor of placing parking maps in various locations in the downtown area. He was not in favor of mixing the parking space hours within a lot and would prefer designated short, medium, and long-term lots. Commissioner Londer 5 suggested designating colors for the short, medium, and long-term lots, as well as the parking meters. He stated he would like to see short-term lots in the core with the longer term parking in the peripheral. Commissioner Londer said he is hopeful the City Council is moving forward with a parking garage south of Howard towards California Drive as that would create several hundred additional parking spots. He also felt the parking rate structure could be reevaluated to encourage people to move their vehicles. Lastly, Commissioner Londer said he likes the employee parking program because of the convenience of in-and-out privileges and the fixed cost. He suggested additional program outreach to employees through the City and DBID. Chair Martos confirmed with Mr. Wong that the average monthly employee parking permits issued in 2017 was 480 but if the permits issued to Apple employees were factored in for the entire year, the average would increase to over 500. Commissioner Wettan pointed out there is a precipitous difference in the parking capacity between earlier in the week versus Thursdays and Fridays, and as commerce picks up it will only become more strained. He said ultimately they need to reduce the number of employees parking downtown. He stated he was in favor of removing the long-term parking in Lots C and W. Commissioner Wettan said that based on discussions he has had with the public there are a lot of employees, especially those that are part-time, that are not willing to pay $60 for a monthly parking pass. He suggested off-site parking options or incentives for downtown employees that are able to utilize public transit such as a discounted pass or subsidy option to deter driving to work on Thursdays and Fridays. Commissioner Israelit felt if the goal is to increase short-term parking in the downtown area, there should not be any long-term parking in the core lots. She said Lot C should be all 2-hour parking and it is not an onerous expectation for employees to walk a block or two to their place of employment. Commissioner Israelit stated that the underlying transit systems from areas such as San Francisco and the east bay do not tie in with other lots they can access and the timing concerns make it prohibitive; therefore she felt an employee shuttle option would not work. She agreed the issue of construction workers parking in the downtown lots should be addressed and was in favor of a shuttle option for construction workers due to their predictable schedules. As shopper and resident of Burlingame, Commissioner Israelit did not think increasing the parking rates would incentivize turnover and felt they should not discourage spending additional time and money on Burlingame Avenue. Lastly, Commissioner Israelit suggested the consideration of additional parking in underutilized locations such as church lots that sit empty during the day, or the vacant post office parking lot. Vice-Chair Bush thanked everyone for coming and for their helpful suggestions. He said it is important to utilize parking efficiently and effectively with strong turnover in the core areas. Vice-Chair Bush was concerned with having a set time limit people are allowed to park downtown but liked the gradual rate increase concept. He felt it was not under the purview of the Commission to increase revenue but it was there responsibility to find ways to increase circulation. Vice-Chair Bush said if parking rates are increased, the City should 6 provide subsidies to those that are negatively impacted by an increase. He said he also noticed the construction workers parking in the downtown lots and the strain it has on the available parking. Vice-Chair Bush said the construction workers are the easiest population to propose a shuttle option due to their work schedules. He suggested speaking with the Planning Department about what we would like to require for downtown construction projects in regards to parking. Vice-Chair Bush said he also noticed Lot C (10-hour parking) is full by 7:30 a.m. as is the first row of Lot A (9-hour parking). He suggested the first level of Lot A should be more towards short-term parking and the top floor for long-term spaces. Vice-Chair Bush felt that Chapin street parking is underutilized and suggested Lot B1 as a candidate for long-term parking. In addition, he said Highland Avenue is free parking and full by the early morning hours and it doesn’t appear vehicles move during the day. He pointed out the west side of Lorton, east side of Park, and left side of Primrose are also free parking zones and it would make sense to use some of those streets for additional long-term parking especially given the proposal to remove long-term parking from the core lots. Lastly, Vice-Chair Bush communicated his desire to utilize the 400 plus parking spaces at Coyote Point as a possible shuttle staging area. The Commissioner’s continued to have interactive dialog to clarify conditions of approval, discuss the economics associated with a parking space, subsidy offers, partnership opportunities, additional parking capacity data, and additional traffic as a product of the lack of available parking. Chair Martos shared his thoughts on parking lot capacity and suggested those lots in the core such as C and W be made all short-term spaces and likewise with Lot A3. He also suggested Lot A for possible short-term parking with an exception for Library employees. Chair Martos echoed Vice-Chair Bush’s sentiments in regards to using streets such as Chapin to make up for the elimination of some of the long-term parking options in the downtown parking lots. He also conveyed he is in favor of investigating the option to move construction workers out of the downtown lots and shuttled in from an area outside of the core. Chair Martos also reminded the Commission to be mindful of Lot N when Lots F and N are under construction as it will present additional parking challenges. He stated he was hopeful the City Council would opt to build the parking structure first and not simultaneously with the housing project. Additional interactive dialog continued among the Commissioners in regards the employee parking permit program and lot capacity data before the Commission entered into a discussion to prioritize the proposed downtown parking strategies mentioned in Mr. Wong’s opening presentation. All the Commissioners were in agreeance and identified lots C, D, J, E, W, M, A, A-3 as the core lots but suggested to start with lots C and W in order to be incremental with their efforts. The Commission also was in agreeance to convert some of the underutilized street parking for long-term spaces. Chair Martos indicated there will be no motion; the Subcommittee will review the priorities and suggestions discussed and return to the Commission with a more refined proposal based on tonight’s discussion. 7 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports Mr. Wong provided updates on the following Public Works – Engineering projects and activities: • Carolan Avenue Complete Streets – Project is almost complete; remaining work includes landscaping rain gardens, and installation of the pedestrian beacon on Morrell. Commissioner Wettan commented that he was able to ride his bike on the improved Carolan Avenue but noted there are only two choices to get to the overpass—ride on the sidewalk along Broadway, which is not optimal, or go up Cadillac Way. Commissioner Wettan wanted to point out there is no means to cross at Cadillac Way and Carolan Avenue. Mr. Wong shared that there is an uncontrolled left-turn pocket on southbound Carolan Avenue at Cadillac Way. • South Rollins Utility Improvement Project – W ork on sewer and water mainline improvements is currently in progress. Project completion is anticipated for the end of February 2018. The project area will continue with single-lane traffic control during construction activities. • California Drive Complete Streets – Phase I – Designer working on addressing City and Community B/PAC comments. • Lime Bike – Full launch with 200 bicycles took place in January and Lime Bike recently added motorized bicycles to the pool of bikes available to rent. Some of the Commissioners pointed out that they’ve seen complaints regarding the Lime Bikes via Nextdoor.com. Mr. Wong shared that staff has been working with Lime Bike to improve their turnaround time on bicycle pick-ups and public response. Commissioner Israelit noted that for areas with no cell service, Lime Bike is unable to see the bicycles left in that area. Vice-Chair Bush inquired about daily usage reports and the possibility to track the progress of the program to which Mr. Wong indicated he would check with the project manager. • Broadway Grade Separation – City staff met with the JPB for an update. The JPB are working with their consultant to draft preliminary plans. City staff is looking to provide an update to City Council sometime in the summer. Vice-Chair Bush inquired if bicycle facilities would be included in the plans. Mr. Wong stated he was unsure as the preliminary plans are to determine the true feasibility of 8 the project and construction impacts. He did indicate staff has conveyed the huge need for a bicycle facility on Broadway. • TSPC Email Communications – No new communications. Mr. Wong pointed out that due to the See, Click, Fix application, they have not been receiving as may traffic safety requests directly through the Commission. • TSPC Priority List (Updated February 2018): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Parking Strategies 2/8/18: Item 6b 2 Downtown Modal Access 3 Grant Opportunities 4 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 5 SR2S Review 6 School Traffic Issues 7 California Complete Streets 8 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 9 Broadway Parking 10 Public Shuttles/Transit 11 ECR Corridor (ECR Task Force) 12 Bay Trail 13 Intro to Paving 14 Halloween Traffic Impacts (July) 15 Parking and traffic considerations w/Planning Staff Update via Report 1 Caltrans’ ECR/Floribunda 2 Hoover School Update 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 5 California Roundabout 6 General Plan – Circulation Element 7 Bike\Ped Plan Update: fwd to BPAC 8 Rec Center Parking 9 Carolan Complete Streets Update 10 Grant Opportunities 11 Grade Separation 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 13 School Speed Limit Updates 14 Burlingame Point - Bay Trail 9 15 School Safety Improvements 16 California Complete Streets 17 Traffic Brochure (one outstanding) b) Police Department Reports Corporal Orloff stated that since the last meeting there was a slight increase of reported collisions and to keep in mind many property-related collisions are never reported. Of the 20 reported collisions, he stated seven were minor-injury accidents, including a felony hit-and-run involving a vehicle and pedestrian at the intersection of Murchison and California Drive. Corporal Orloff said there was one major-injury accident at the intersection of Chapin Avenue and El Camino Real in which a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle, citing the sun/lack of visibility as the collision factor. He indicated there were four DUI collisions but no fatal accidents this reporting period. With the legalization of marijuana, Chair Martos inquired how the Police Department determines if someone is over the legal limit. Corporal Orloff stated there is currently no roadside test for marijuana but there are many studies looking into that very issue and the possibility of a screening device similar to the breathalyzer. He said the Police Department is currently utilizing the standard field sobriety tests for people suspected of being under the influence of marijuana. Vice-Chair Bush inquired about the number of parked cars being hit and if that was a trend as he found the numbers concerning. Corporal Orloff explained that it could be a combination of the high instances of hit-and-run and DUI collisions. He felt there was no rhyme or reason and that the statistics appeared to be normal. c) Farmers Market Commissioner Londer indicated the Commission participated in last month’s Farmer’s Market and did not receive any feedback from the public. He said the next Farmer’s Market is a week from this Sunday from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Commissioner Londer indicated he would be present. Chair Martos volunteered to attend from 9 – 10:30 a.m. and Commissioner Wettan agreed to volunteer from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Chair Martos stated he attended the City Council goal setting session and reported that the public requested to the City Council for improved pedestrian facilities a quarter of mile from all schools and parks, end-to-end bike routes, routes to BART and BHS, safe routes to school, and funding to update the pedestrian plan from 2004. He said Measure I was discussed—specifically how the City will utilize the funds. Chair Martos shared that one million annually would go to the community center, $575,000 to streets and sidewalks and $200,000 for an additional police officer. In addition, Chair Martos said that the big debate was whether the City keeps or sells the land where Lots F & N are located, to 10 which Commissioner Londer said the City plans to keep control of the property. Commissioner Londer confirmed the parking structure will be five levels, with four being covered and also indicated the housing and parking project would be completed simultaneously. Commissioner Londer requested a table or other mechanism in the Engineer’s Report that captures the Commission’s action items and where they stand. Commissioner Wettan felt it would be an enormously helpful tool. Mr. Wong indicated he would provide something within the Engineer’s Report similar to the project updates. Chair Martos indicated he spoke to Mayor Brownrigg regarding a TSPC/City Council study session to obtain feedback from City Council regarding TSPC priorities but was informed that all study sessions for City Council are booked. Chair Martos said Mayor Brownrigg requested he provide an update at the next City Council meeting on February 20. Vice-Chair Bush stated the principal from Washington Elementary School expressed concerns about the pick-up circulation on Anita Road and explained cars are double parking to drop off their children. He said the principal witnessed a vehicle come very close to striking a child because of the visibility problem the double parked cars are creating. Vice-Chair Bush suggested the School Safety Subcommittee reach out to the principal and he would provide the contact information to them. 8. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) No update; discussed in item 6b. b) Broadway Parking (Bush & Wettan) No update. c) School Speed Limits (Israelit & Londer) No update. d) El Camino Real Task Force (Londer & Wettan) Commission Londer stated there will be a Study Session with City Council on February 26. He said the Task Force’s work is largely complete and they would be seeking community input next. Commissioner Wettan said it was worth noting that in the last meeting Caltrans indicated that 83% of the trees are incompatible with any construction and therefore would be removed. Commissioner Wettan also shared that the tree assessment conducted by Caltrans is currently out for peer review. The Commissioners 11 then discussed their thoughts regarding the proposed improvements, timeline, constraints, and trade-offs associated with the El Camino Real corridor. Commissioner Londer inquired about the standing B/PAC agenda item and Chair Martos indicated the B/PAC updates would be provided during public comment. Commissioners Londer and Wettan pointed out that the Commissioners cannot discuss items provided during public comment. The Commission agreed to place the B/PAC Subcommittee back on the agenda as a standing item. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Downtown parking • Landlord Parking Ordinance • Revisit California Drive, north of Broadway improvements • Shuttles (priorities 2 and 10) • Upcoming grant opportunities 10. ADJOURNMENT 10:00 p.m.