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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2017.03.091 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, March 9, 2017 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:09 p.m. (Late start due to technical difficulties) 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBER PRESENT: Bush, Londer, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: Akers, Martos 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: To accept the minutes of February 9, 2017 with the following edit: • Item 6c, page 5 (Sub-Committee Organization) – Add language to reflect the addition of the El Camino Real Task Force and Burlingame Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to the various sub-committees of the Traffic, Safety and Parking Commission (TSPC). M/S/C: Londer/Bush; 3/0/2 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA Former Councilman John Root thanked Mr. Wong and Commissioner Londer for their ongoing efforts working with him over the years. He then made the following three suggestions to increase pedestrian safety by increased visibility: 1. Install crosswalk at Primrose Road and Fox Lane; 2. Removal of 24 minute parking spot on Primrose Road adjacent to Donnolly; and 3. Install stop sign northbound on Primrose Road at main entrance to Library. 2 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS Chair Wettan asked and received consensus from the Commission to move item 6b forward on the agenda as the first item of discussion. The subsequent discussion items resumed in the order shown on the meeting agenda. a) City Hall Traffic Calming In his presentation to the Commission, Mr. Wong incorporated the feedback from the previous discussion to remove the planters, relocate the pedestrian crossings further from the traffic circles, and work to minimize the loss of on-street parking. He indicated that Central County Fire reviewed the proposed design as requested by the Commission and they will be conducting field tests to confirm access. With the revised design, Mr. Wong reviewed additional key details for each of the following intersections: Floribunda & Ansel – maintains existing traffic island and landscaping; approximate loss of 9 on-street parking spaces; and no additional engineering would be required. Floribunda & Almer – maintains existing traffic island and landscaping; one crosswalk removed from proposed design due to confirmed gate closure; approximate loss of 4 on- street parking spaces; and no additional engineering would be required. Almer & Bellevue – maintains existing traffic island and landscaping but rubberized curbs impact existing inlet; approximate loss of 5 on-street parking spaces; and no additional engineering would be required. To help mitigate the on-street parking loss, Mr. Wong spoke about the expansion of the Residential Parking Permit Program (RPPP) and explained the process and required approvals. Chair Wettan opened public comment, to which the following four residents spoke. George Tucker of Floribunda Avenue inquired about the details of the RPPP, to which Mr. Wong explained that the parking program allows residents to park on-street beyond the two-hour parking restriction. Residents receive two permits for a fee of $54 and the program is administered through the Burlingame Police Department. Mr. Tucker also inquired about the possibility of a program for the employees in the area. Chair Wettan responded to convey that improving the downtown parking and tackling capacity challenges is a high priority of the Commission. Susan Louie of Ansel Road felt that the majority of those living on Ansel Road are renters and asked how the City will deal with the turnover of those renting who have obtained a parking permit. Mr. Wong responded by explaining that residents have to show a current 3 utility bill and their driver’s license. There are currently no additional triggers in place to deal with turnover other than the annual renewal process. Sergeant Shepley shared that all permits expire on December 31. Mr. Hollman sought additional clarification about the RPPP and associated two-hour parking restriction prior to providing his comments. He indicated that he is still very angry and claimed to be asking for traffic calming measures for a decade. Mr. Hollman provided historical handouts for the Commission to read. He said the priority was never beautification—but traffic, safety and parking. He said his request to the Commission at the previous meeting to ask the Police Department to conduct a survey of who is parking on Floribunda and it went unanswered. Mr. Hollman also expressed concern about missing the opportunity to include the improvements being discussed in the upcoming fiscal-year budget. Mr. Stevenson of Douglas indicated that due to the Downtown Specific Plan, new buildings do not require the same amount of parking spaces, which he felt would only make the parking challenges worse. Chair Wettan closed the public comment period and asked for feedback from his fellow Commissioners. Commissioner Londer thanked staff for their efforts to revise the design by eliminating the potted plants and relocating the crosswalks for increased safety. He expressed the desire to preserve as much parking as possible and indicated he is in favor of the RPPP. Commissioner Londer inquired about the rubberized curb height and Mr. Wong indicated they are six inches just like the rubberized curbs at the Larkspur/Linden traffic circle. Commissioner Londer’s questions regarding the RPPP opened up more dialog pertaining to the approval process which ultimately led to Director Murtuza reiterating the following steps: • TSPC makes recommendation to staff for RPPP; • Staff reviews recommendation and items such as the renters vs. owners’ turnover inquiry; • Staff to notify residents of proposed RPPP and present at TSPC meeting; • TSPC makes recommendation to Council (with or without recommendations); • Proposal goes to City Council as a Public Hearing item to allow for public feedback/comments; • If there are no major challenges, the proposal goes on the consent calendar for approval at the subsequent Council meeting; and • Program becomes effective 30 days after it is in the books. Director Murtuza also confirmed that there is no need to seek preliminary Council approval to include the City Hall Area within the allowable RPPP boundaries. He explained that 4 essentially areas identified near downtown where employee parking spills into the neighboring residential areas are already included and do not require additional approval by Council. Based on additional questions received from the Commission and audience, Public Works Director Syed Murtuza explained that 67% approval is required by the residents in order to include them in the RPPP. The specific area already meets the intent of the program. He went on to explain that staff will have some initial work to do to determine the number of allowable permits considering the neighborhood is a mix of single and multi-family homes. Director Murtuza said that each resident receives two permits for street parking and the concern is residents paying for the permits but not being able to utilize them. Sergeant Shepley responded to a question about turnover for residents who participate in the RPPP. Sergeant Shepley indicated that the permits are sold at a prorated amount at the Police Department. He said there are no specific triggers to initiate misuse of the permits but did not want to commit the resources to that effort. He went on to explain that residents are required to show their utility bill and driver’s license upon application of a permit. Vice-Chair Bush spoke and indicated that he liked the revised proposed safety improvements and aesthetics but felt the parking issue was being overshadowed by the safety measures. With that, Commissioner Bush asked if staff could consider making the circumference of the traffic circle smaller in order to save some of the parking. Commissioner Bush indicated he was concerned with permit rationing, similar to the challenges with the parking permits for Burlingame High School students. He reiterated that he does not want the proposed improvements to cause additional safety and parking challenges in the neighborhood. Chair Wettan shared that he was pleased with the improved design from last month and stated there is some inevitability for trading parking for increased safety. The sequencing and timing remained a concern for him and therefore he was hesitant to move straight into the near-term improvements. Chair Wettan explained that he is in favor of implementing the RPPP before moving forward with the improvements in order to determine how it impacts the parking challenges prior to removing any on-street spaces. He too, wanted to be mindful not to create additional safety and parking challenges with the proposed improvements. Commissioner Londer agreed with Chair Wettan’s sentiments to implement the RPPP prior to eliminating any parking spaces—he liked the phased approach. Vice-Chair Bush interjected to suggest that we keep the momentum by creating one trial intersection while efforts to implement the RPPP are underway. He indicated he is sensitive to causing additional circling because of critical parking loss. Vice-Chair Bush and Commissioner Londer both suggested the intersection of Floribunda and Almer for the trial period due to its obtuse shape and the fact that it was identified as the number one intersection of concern by residents. It is also the intersection with the least amount of proposed parking 5 loss. Chair Wettan then made the following motion: Move to recommend that staff pursue the work as proposed at the intersection and Floribunda and Almer and reach out to the residents of the affected area for all three intersections to determine interest of entry into the RPPP as soon as feasible in order to us to evaluate the other two intersections. M/S/C: Wettan/Londer 3/0/2 b) Community Quality of Life – Priorities and Local Needs Director Syed Murtuza thanked the Commission for switching the order of the discussion items and was very pleased and enlightened at the in-depth considerations made by the Commissioners regarding the City Hall traffic calming proposal. He felt the City will make great strides with parking and safety improvement efforts for the residents in the affected neighborhood. Director Murtuza moved on to the next agenda item and explained that staff members, including himself, the City Manager, Finance Director, Recreation and Parks Director, and Chief of Police, are going to various outlets and influential groups in Burlingame to present information on community quality of life priorities. He said the objective is to collect feedback from different perspectives in order to identity priorities for the upcoming budget. He also pointed out there is a form available to submit feedback regarding community quality of life priorities. Finance Director Carol Augustine explained the importance of collecting priorities from the perspective of our residents. She shared that while the City is prudent with financial planning efforts, Burlingame has one-hundred million dollars in unfunded infrastructure needs and the maintenance of City facilities and infrastructure is becoming more and more costly. Directors Augustine and Murtuza went over the following list of identified priorities to date: • Continued rapid response for emergency calls; • Maintain City streets and sidewalks; • Provide adequate park and recreation facilities; • Provide diverse housing options; • Maintain Recreation Programs and facilities for youth, teens and seniors; • Repair potholes; and • Reduce traffic congestion. Director Murtuza closed by explaining this will be an ongoing process as the City is looking beyond the upcoming budget year. The information gathered will be presented to City Council 6 to assist with budget decisions. Based on various questions by the Commission, Directors Murtuza and Augustine responded with the following information: • The City Manager proposed budget will go to City Council in May. There will be two additional meetings in June to provide an opportunity to review any changes from the proposed City Manager budget and gather feedback. The subsequent meeting is for budget adoption. • The Community Center is shovel-ready. It has been vetted with the community and a detailed conceptual plan with various options for parking has been completed. However, there is no funding available for design of the project plans or construction. • The maintenance costs associated with the City’s streets and sidewalks, along with other vital infrastructure maintenance, is not included in the one-hundred million dollar shortfall. The City spends roughly an additional 3-3.5 million annually to keep the streets and sidewalks to current standards. The City needs approximately five million dollars annually over the next five years to maintain the status-quo for all infrastructure. • The identified unfunded needs totaling one-hundred million is not over any particular time frame—it is just a snapshot of City needs. • Council established replenishment and replacement reserves which currently totals twenty million dollars, but the City hasn’t decided how it will get used. • The ability to utilize bonds would require some voter approval and others would require the City to wait for additional bond capacity. Chair Wettan then shared two thoughts he had which he indicated might be considered out- of-the-box thinking. He felt the affordable housing issue is important and he liked the idea of providing subsidized workforce housing to those that serve Burlingame. Additionally, Chair Wettan thought more transit options, such as employee shuttles, would be beneficial to the community and possibly help alleviate other issues such as the parking capacity challenges. Vice-Chair Bush indicated that he would like to see safe and available place to bike through the City, making the California Drive Bicycle Facility project a high priority. He also felt the Community Center is an important priority, partially for the reciprocal parking options. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • US101/Broadway Interchange Project – Stage 4 work is approaching its 7 completion in March or April due to the rain. Full closure of the Bicycle/Pedestrian OC anticipated for late-March. Vice-Chair Bush inquired about the clarity of signage as it already is a concern. Mr. Wong indicated staff will work with the hotels to provide additional signage. • 2016-2017 Street Resurfacing Program – Below is the list of streets which are part of the 2017 Annual Street Resurfacing Project. This list is still subject to change due to unforeseeable conditions encountered during the bid process as well as construction. STREET NAME From To CAPUCHINO AVE MILLS GROVE CLARENDON RD DWIGHT BURLINGAME DRAKE AVE CARMELITA SANCHEZ EL CAMINO FRONTAGE MURCHINSON DUFFERIN LAGUNA AVE MILLS GROVE LAUREL AVE PARK OAK GROVE NEWHALL RD SANCHEZ FORESTVIEW OGDEN DR MURCHINSON TROUSDALE PALOMA AVE MILLS GROVE PARK RD BURLINGAME HOWARD SANCHEZ AVE DRAKE EL CAMINO SEBASTIAN DR TROUSDALE ARGUELLO SEQUOIA AVE TROUSDALE CLARICE VERNON WAY BLOOMFIELD CLARENDON • California Drive Complete Streets – Second meeting for the project completed. Design team working on creating variations based on Concept 2. • Larkspur/Linden Traffic Circle – Kick-off meeting with contractor completed. Anticipating start of construction in April. • School Traffic concerns at Roosevelt School – City staff is reviewing implementation of a turn restriction from Carmelita onto northbound Vancouver during the drop-off and pick-up periods. • OLA School Update – Work orders have been issued to install 15 mph school speed limit signage along Cortez, and Cabrillo. Notices for the all-way stops at Hillside/Cortez pilot program have been placed at the intersection. Work to be done in late-March. • Hoover School Update – On March 9, the C/CAG Board will recommend funding the full $700k for the Hoover School Area Sidewalk Improvements. Estimated 8 project cost was $900k, and the City will provide the remaining $200k in matching funds. • School Speed Limits – Work order generated to install 15 mph school speed limit signage along Quesada. Additionally notices have been placed at Bayswater/Anita for an all-way stop pilot program adjacent to Washington Elementary. Work to be done in late-March. • Broadway TLC Grant (OBAG II) – The City’s OBAG application will be fully funded for $720k. The estimated project cost for this project is also $900k, with the City providing $180k in matching funds. • TSPC Email Communications – No new communications. • TSPC Priority List (Updated March 2017): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Modal Access 2 School Traffic Issues 3 California Complete Streets 4 B/PAC setup 5 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 6 SR2S Review 7 Broadway Parking 8 Public Shuttles/Transit 9 Grant Strategies 10 ECR Corridor (ECR Task Force) 11 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 12 Parking and traffic considerations w/Planning 13 Bay Trail 14 Intro to Paving 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 9 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 13 School Speed Limit Updates 14 Burlingame Point - Bay Trail 15 School Safety Improvements 16 California Complete Streets 17 California Drive parking restrictions 18 Traffic Brochure b) Police Department Reports Since the last TSPC meeting, Sergeant Shepley reported that there were 22 accidents since the previous report last month. Of the 22 accidents, there was one vehicle vs. pedestrian accident on California Drive north of Peninsula Drive. Additionally, Sergeant Shepley said there has been an uptick in hit and accidents with a total of nine, compared to four last month. Conversely, there have been no DUI crashes in the last three months. There were no accidents at the intersection of El Camino Real and Floribunda. c) Farmer’s Market The Commissioners agreed that they would not participate in the March Farmer’s Market due to availability. The next Farmer’s Market will take place at the end of April. Since the next TSPC meeting will occur prior to the Farmer’s Market, the Commissioners agreed to discuss their participation at the next meeting. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Commissioner Londer shared that he spoke to residents that live on the west side of El Camino and they were discussing crosswalks on Occidental and Chapin. Suggested to contact City staff for a formal request. Mr. Wong indicated there is a traffic counter currently out on Occidental and will review the data shortly. Commissioner Londer also shared that there will be a vacancy on the San Mateo County Transportation Authority Citizens Advisory Committee. 8. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) No update. b) Broadway Parking (Wettan & Bush) No update. 10 c) School Speed Limits (Londer & Akers) No update. d) Envision Burlingame (Martos & Londer) No update. e) El Camino Real Task Force (Wettan & Londer) The next meeting is scheduled for March 16, 2017. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Hoover / Roosevelt School 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:30 p.m.