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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2017.06.081 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, June 8, 2017 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:03 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBER PRESENT: Bush, Martos, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: Akers, Londer 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The May 11, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes will be reviewed and approved at the July 13, 2017 TSPC Meeting, along with the minutes from tonight’s meeting. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comments. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS Mr. Wong suggested to move item 6b forward on the agenda as the first item of discussion based on attendance and Chair Wettan and his fellow Commissioners agreed. The subsequent discussion items resumed in the order shown on the meeting agenda. a) TDA Article 3: Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Grant Opportunity Mr. Wong began with a presentation to the Commission which reviewed important background information, grant requirements, and potential projects. He indicated that 2 there is a total of $2,260,000 available in funding for all projects, with a maximum of $400,000 for capital projects and $100,000 for planning projects. Mr. Wong explained that capital projects may include PS&E and construction phases only and project level environmental, planning and right-of-way phases are ineligible for funding. Mr. Wong said that applicants can submit up to three applications. He said the earliest funds would be available is the end of the year, but more likely would be sometime in 2018. Mr. Wong indicated the application deadline is July 14, 2017. He then reviewed the following TDA grant requirements: • Design must be completed and meet Caltrans standards to be eligible for funding. • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) permits must be completed prior to receiving funding (as applicable) • The project must be included in a locally approved bicycle, pedestrian, transit, multimodal, complete streets or relevant plan. • Jurisdictions receiving TDA Article 3 funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects must have a Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). • Jurisdiction must provide at least a 50% match for planning projects. For capital projects, there is no minimum match. However, the local match will be scored on a sliding scale. • TDA Article 3 funds for FY 2017/2018 must be expended by no later than June 30, 2020 after allocations are made by MTC. Mr. Wong indicated that staff has come up with three potential projects. Those projects include a feasibility study for Phase II of the California Drive Complete Streets Project; restriping a Class II Bike Facility along Howard Avenue and other potential locations, which would be a brick and mortar project and exempt from CEQA as it would be improvements to existing facilities; and a Bicycle plan with a focus on residential streets in the northern City limits. Mr. Wong closed his presentation by explaining that the purpose of this item is for the Commission to review the potential projects suggested by staff, make any additional suggestions for other potential projects, and obtain letter(s) of support from the Commission to include in the grant applications. Chair Wettan opened public comment; no comments received. Chair Wettan, Vice-Chair Bush and Commissioner Martos engaged in an interactive discussion with Mr. Wong and based on the information shared, the following potential projects and comments have been summarized below. Vice Chair Bush offered the following suggestions for potential grant application projects. • Improvements associated with the California Drive Complete Streets Project: 3 o Construction funding for improvements on Murchison as part of Phase II of the California Drive Complete Streets Project. o Plan for a Broadway bicycle crossing at California Drive in conjunction with the Caltrain Grade Separation Project. Mr. Wong indicated he is unsure of the feasibility. • Update the 2004 Bicycle Plan to include new and updated priorities. Mr. Wong thought this would also be helpful when prioritizing projects for future grant applications. • Convert bicycle routes that are already established in the City’s Bicycle Plan and or maps into Bicycle Boulevards (i.e Howard Avenue) • Bike lane on Humboldt to create connection to Peninsula Avenue as there is a gap to reach the overpass (noted east side belongs to San Mateo). • Plan for bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Winchester Drive which would connect the Burlingame Caltrain Station, across US 101 to Winchester. Noted access to new development at the drive-in site. • Although he mentioned right-of-way challenges, he suggested an El Camino Real undercrossing near Burlingame Avenue. Mr. Wong said he would add it to the list but believes there will be too many challenges within the ECR corridor. • Bicycle and pedestrian signalization at Carolan Avenue and Cadillac Way. Bicycle and pedestrian signalization at Rollins Road and Cadillac Way was also suggested but Mr. Wong indicated that it is already in the works. Vice Chair Bush closed by saying he felt that California Drive is the most critical component for bike routes in Burlingame and updating the Bike Plan would be highly valuable to assist with the Bike Boulevard efforts. Chair Wettan noted that the Commission has discussed Carolan Avenue as a path to Burlingame Avenue but he would like to see a plan/design to get students safely to Carolan Avenue. He mentioned Carmelita Avenue as a potential pathway and felt there is plenty of room for a potential bike lane with one side of the street designated for parking during the commute hours. At the end of Carmelita Avenue, Chair Wettan said students can cross California Drive but there is no safe connection from the area near Maverick Jack’s. He felt the City has a great path to the High School, the problem is connecting students from the west side of town to the path on Carolan Avenue. Mr. Wong replied to indicate this would be a potential planning project opportunity. Commissioner Martos inquired about the projects under consideration that staff came up 4 with and he indicated there may be some items that could be considered unfinished business or where further improvements can be made. He mentioned additional studies and or improvements to the area surrounding Hoover Elementary School (Easton Drive) and the Floribunda (City Hall) Traffic Calming Project efforts. Commissioner Martos mentioned Chair Wettan’s desire for a plan for a defined bike and pedestrian path to connect students north of Broadway to Carolan Avenue. He felt there is no good path between California Drive and Carolan Avenue and suggested a study for a segment possibly at Morrell Avenue. Additionally, he questioned if there was more work to be done around Our Lady of Angels in regard to the traffic concerns on Hillside Drive. He also mentioned the recent concerns surrounding Roosevelt Elementary School. Mr. Wong responded to Commissioner Martos’ comments and indicated that Roosevelt Elementary and Our Lady of Angels have improvements scheduled for the near future. Mr. Wong also indicated that the City has obtained funding for the sidewalk study on Summit Drive near Hoover Elementary. Mr. Wong indicated there are significant right-of- way issues on Easton Drive that make it a difficult potential project for the upcoming TDA grant application. Mr. Wong also shared that the City Hall (Floribunda) Traffic Calming Project efforts are pending until the parking survey is completed by the residents. Lastly, Mr. Wong felt that by updating or creating a new Bike Plan we can address some of the unfinished business and enhance current efforts. Chair Wettan reiterated that it is very important from his perspective to carve out bike routes in particular places because we have many isolated routes with no plans to connect them to one other. He has heard similar thoughts from residents too and mentioned Carolan Avenue being a good example of that. Chair Wettan noted that an active BPAC is important during a time like this for practical feedback on bike routes. Mr. Wong shared that all interested potential BPAC members were notified of this evening’s discussion. Chair Wettan said he and Vice-Chair Bush will reach out and reengage with potential BPAC members to get something calendared. Mr. Wong told the Commission that he will take the list of potential projects they have suggested and review it with staff to narrow down this list and possibly expand on some of the ideas presented such as the Carolan Avenue hawk system. Chair W ettan encouraged Mr. Wong to refocus around Carolan Avenue since the City just invested a significant amount money into designing a bike route on Carolan Avenue and felt we should put a plan in place to create a safe connection to it from the west side of town. Chair Wettan then welcomed comments from a member in the audience. Leslie Beatty, a resident and avid bike rider said although she doesn’t have much historical background regarding the projects discussed, she felt it would be helpful to put some of the decisions in a larger context to understand how they fit in in terms of thinking about the system as whole. She used the bicycle connection to Carolan Avenue for Burlingame High School students as an example. Ms. Beatty felt it would be easier to put all the pieces 5 together and clarify what the City is trying to achieve. Vice-Chair Bush agreed completely and felt that is why the Bike Plan should be step one. At this point, a lengthy discussion occurred about how to provide a safe crossing over California Drive to connect to the new Carolan Avenue bike path and the Commissioners had varying opinions. Chair Wettan felt it is incumbent upon them to consider the younger rider’s needs, not just commuters. Vice-Chair Bush agreed but felt that California Drive provides a better route for riders to cross at Oak Grove. Chair Wettan was of the opinion that it would be safer to cross at Broadway where there is the most pedestrian traffic. Commissioner Martos shared that if he had to cross California Drive, he would feel safest at Morrell Avenue versus at Broadway or Oak Grove. Through the Chair, Mr. Wong confirmed with the Commissioners that it sounds like priority one is putting together a new plan or update to the 2004 Bike Plan. Chair Wettan asked Leslie Beatty, who lives north of Broadway, where she would tell her children to cross California Drive. Ms. Beatty shared a similar opinion to Chair Wettan and indicated she would have them cross where there is the most pedestrian traffic or at locations with controlled pedestrian crossings and stoplights. Ms. Beatty said she worries more on side streets where there is not a large volume of pedestrians which essentially decreases pedestrian visibility. Mr. Wong confirmed again that the first priority now will be to update or create a new Bike Plan, with the second priority being Phase II of the California Drive Complete Streets Project. He noted that the restriping of Howard Avenue to a Class II facility may fall off the list based on the evening’s discussion. In closing, Chair Wettan felt the discussion was good because the need for a strategy to work from (bike plan) surfaced. Vice-Chair Bush felt that a current bike plan may be a catalyst for mobilizing and revamping the BPAC as well. He also requested the BPAC subcommittee have an opportunity to review the TDA grant applications. Mr. Wong indicated the next TSPC meeting is July 13 and the applications are due the following day. He also informed the Commission that a motion was not necessary to designate someone to create letters of support. b) Downtown Parking Commissioner Martos indicated that after last month’s discussion regarding the downtown parking and resorting the data, he said the core lots seem to have no vacancy during the lunch hour and evenings, with one exception being Lot C on Saturday evenings. He said in contrast and comparison to the edge lots, after 6 p.m. there is plenty of parking available. Commissioner Martos said with this information and knowing City Council was discussing what to do with Lots F and N and a potential parking structure, they should be informed of this information because there was some debate about the size of a parking structure. In addition, he felt parking should be a consideration anytime a new structure is 6 proposed. Although he said some strategies can be employed to make marginal improvements, Commissioner Martos felt there are not a lot of options that remain to address the lack of parking. He went on to say it is difficult to determine the parking capacity needs, it is just clear we do not have adequate parking at certain times of the day. When Commissioner Martos met with Mayor Ortiz and Councilmember Colson to go over the requested report, he indicated they were more interested in the raw data. He said the brief executive summary and data was then discussed at a closed session prior to the City Council meeting on June 5. Commissioner Martos said the City Council and consultant acknowledged the value of the data but he did not want to provide a hard opinion to City Council as he did not want to speak on behalf of the Commission since they have not discussed it specifically as a group. What he did say is that if more construction and patrons utilize the downtown area, a parking structure should be considered given the available parking is already limited. Commissioner Martos attended the City Council meeting to observe the discussion regarding a potential parking structure. He said City Council debated on the size and capacity, more specifically how many levels it should be. Ideas such as car stackers and underground parking were considered per Commissioner Martos. He also said City Council was taking a hard look at how to increase the density with keeping the parking structure small. Based on the recent City Manager’s survey, Commissioner Martos said all members of City Council commented that the community wants more downtown parking. He shared that there are in-lieu funds that need to be spent on parking and there is $3.2 million dollars available. Commissioner Martos went on to say the developer indicated that in exchange for the land, they would pay for the parking structure (up to four stories), but anything more than four would need to be supplemented by City funds. He said the overall increase is potentially 195 spaces with a five story structure or approximately 100 spaces with a four stories. Commissioner Martos indicated that the last item City Council discussed was the EIR envelope and recommended they have a study session with the TSPC to prioritize how to spend the $3.2 million dollars of in-lieu funds. Chair Wettan added that you can observe in the data that the core lots are full as Commissioner Martos explained, but pointed out that the exterior edge lots show a significant decrease in capacity when comparing the data collected in March to October/November of 2016. He specifically pointed it out in the data for Lots G, H, O and Tuesdays for Lots K and L. Chair Wettan said in regards to the City Council meeting, a decision needs to be made in regards to the size of the proposed parking structure. He stated there were two key factors City Council was considering—one being the cost to the City if they opt for a five-story structure and two being the EIR envelope. Chair Wettan said at the end of the City Council discussion, the subject of sequencing was conveyed as a concern while the parking 7 structure is being constructed. He said they will lose all the parking spaces in Lots F and N and questioned what they can do to address that. Based on his interpretation, Chair Wettan thought City Council proposed to use some of the in-lieu funds to install a parking deck elsewhere prior to breaking ground in order to help with the reduction in lot parking during construction. He also noted that City Council discussed how else to spend the available in-lieu funds. Chair Wettan did confirm City Council’s suggestion for a joint study session with the TSPC. In his opinion, he felt it is very important to follow through with the study session with City Council especially regarding the timing and allocation around the City’s parking needs. He also thought the joint study session would be a good time to discuss the medium-term improvements that merit a lot of thought. To give an example, Chair Wettan stated he believed there to be over 70 spaces in the core lots dedicated to long-term parking and questioned whether that was a good or bad thing in the core lots. Chair Wettan continued and said Councilmember Beach indicated that at some point we will encounter a time when people opt to not own a vehicle. With that said, Chair Wettan thought the question was how soon and felt it was something the Commission could have some control over by discouraging employees to drive into work and encourage public transit by incentivizing employees. Chair Wettan said the parking capacity data indicates we are at crisis levels on Thursdays and Fridays during the lunch hour. Chair Wettan wrapped up his comments by stating he was in favor of a 5-story parking structure but regardless of the parking structure, short to medium-term conditions should be considered. Commissioner Martos mentioned that the housing development planned for Lot F will have 44 units. Vice-Chair Bush inquired about what the net increase of parking spots actually reflects and it was unclear to everyone if the loss of spaces in Lots F and N were factored into the total. Vice-Chair Bush continued and said he felt the parking project will drive a discussions about the overarching parking challenges too. He shared that he read an article about the high cost of free parking and went into his thoughts regarding the following potential short and medium-term mitigation parking strategies: • Traditionally the cost of parking has been out of the purview of TSPC but the possible joint study session presents an opportunity to make sure the cost is allocated in a way to encourage people to park in the inner or outer lots. • Vacancy rates in Lots F, N and the outer lots at off-peak times indicate workers are using these spaces. There is an opportunity to divert those people to other places such as Coyote Point which is typically busier on weekends. This could present an opportunity for an employee shuttle system. • The new Recreation Center parking lot underneath the tennis courts could 8 potentially be a place for long-term parking for downtown employees. • The Caltrain property being leased by various dealerships to store new vehicles might be worth exploring for potential long-term parking during the construction of the parking structure. Vice-Chair Bush indicated that he felt the proposed parking structure was in an undesirable location because it is outside the downtown area in the peripheral. He said unless there are price or capacity incentives, he views it as last resort for parking. He shared some of his thoughts about creating additional parking in the core for the higher turnover spots. Vice-Chair Bush suggested to look at side streets between Howard Avenue and Burlingame Avenue and convert to a one-way street with angled parking to increase the number of spaces, utilize stackers, and a valet system in some of the core parking. Chair Wettan recalled an employee survey was conducted about where employees were parking but feels the Commission should revisit it. He said based on the survey, it was rare that downtown employees parked in the core lots. With that said, he felt they should consider converting the 70 long-term spots in the core to short-term spots. He also reported that stackers were discussed at length by City Council and some Council Members were not enthusiastic about them for various reasons. Chair Wettan said that until a parking structure is built, they should look into how to incentivize employees to use public transportation to free up more parking and this will require more engagement with the downtown employers and employees. Prior to moving on to the next agenda item, Mr. Wong shared the parking spaces requested earlier in the discussion and are as follows: Lot N = 69 spaces; Lot F = 100 spaces; Proposed 4-Story Parking Structure = 313 spaces; Proposed 5-Story Parking Structure = 394; and Residential Development on Lot F = 145 spaces. Lastly, Chair Wettan asked to keep this item on the agenda so the joint study session stays on the radar. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • US101/Broadway Interchange Project – Stage 5 work is currently underway. Access to Crowne Plaza via Bayshore Highway, Airport Boulevard, and Broadway is now open. Crowne Plaza approach to grade with Airport/Bayshore/Broadway intersection. Contractor working on maintaining some access to the 9 bicycle/pedestrian OC, expect return to full access in June. Airport, Bayshore, and the US 101 SB on-ramps are currently open. Staff working with Caltrans and their contractor to improve signage within the project. • 2017 Street Resurfacing Program – Construction has started. Affected streets have been noticed for first phase of work by the contractor. • Larkspur/Linden Traffic Circle – The installation of the new pedestrian ramps is complete. This week the contractor has been working on the installation of the traffic circle. Staff has been available to the neighborhood for any questions or concerns on the project. • Peninsula Avenue Overcrossing – Both public meetings prior to the data count collection efforts have been completed. San Mateo’s consultant to collect the data and prepare a report on their findings. Commissioner Martos noted that the traffic counts were taken during Memorial Weekend and felt it may show lower traffic counts than usual. Mr. Wong said additional data points were gathered and indicated the data from Memorial Day should be omitted for a more accurate baseline, or at minimum, make note of the holiday in the results when presented. • Hoover School – Staff has been in contact with resident. Resident is currently out of town, returning in mid-June. Meeting to be scheduled upon their return. No additional City right-of-way (ROW) beyond the stone wall. Traffic beacon is on order to further highlight the entry restriction. Chair Wettan noted that he was contacted by the homeowner directly and suggested that he and Mr. Wong keep engaging with one other to make sure that their other suggestions were being considered (i.e. moving gate back on residential property). • California Drive Complete Streets – Staff presented all previously shown options to the City Council on May 15. Staff obtained direction with regards to Design Option 2b. Staff to work with design team to move toward 65% plans for the project. • TSPC Email Communications – No new communications. • TSPC Priority List (Updated June 2017): TSPC Led Effort 1 Downtown Modal Access 2 School Traffic Issues 5/11/17: Item 6a 3 California Complete Streets 4/13/17: Item 6a 4 B/PAC setup 5 Neighborhood Traffic Calming 6 SR2S Review 10 7 Broadway Parking 8 Public Shuttles/Transit 9 Grant Strategies 6/8/17: Item 6a 10 ECR Corridor (ECR Task Force) 11 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 5/11/17: Item 7a 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 6/8/17: Item 7a 3 Downtown Parking Strategies 4 City Hall Traffic Calming/Floribunda 4/13/17: Item 7a 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 6/8/17: Item 7a 10 Grant Opportunities 6/8/17: Item 7a 11 Grade Separation 5/11/17: Item 7a 12 San Mateo's Peninsula Ave OC 4/13/17: Item 7a 13 School Speed Limit Updates 3/9/17: Item 7a 14 Burlingame Point - Bay Trail 15 School Safety Improvements 3/9/17: Item 7a 16 California Complete Streets 5/11/17: Item 7a 17 California Drive parking restrictions 4/13/17: Item 6a 18 Traffic Brochure b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Shepley indicated that the Broadway pedestrian overcrossing is the best it has been. He said every day is a new challenge but he sees how well it will link up upon completion of the project. Sergeant Shepley felt that the Commissioners focus on children biking is the right focus. He indicated the vast majority of automobile vs. bicycle accidents are typically at the fault of the bicyclist or they are a minimum a contributing factor. Sergeant Shepley went into the accident report and indicated there was a total of 25 collisions and that hit and run accidents are on the higher end this month with nine. He said the good news is there was only one felony hit and run injury accident. Sergeant Shepley said there was only one major injury accident at El Camino Real and Sanchez involving a vehicle and bicyclist. The cause of the accident is unknown as it was reported late and there were discrepancies in the stories of those involved but Sergeant Shepley did say the biker was riding in the wrong place. He indicated there were no accidents reported at the intersection of Floribunda and El Camino Real during the current reporting period, but moreover there have been no accidents at that intersection since his tenure in January 2017. 11 Sergeant Shepley shared that this was a bad month on Broadway overpass and said the accidents that occurred at this location were caused by red-light runners and people competing for lanes. c) Farmer’s Market No discussion regarding Farmer’s Market with the absence of Commissioner Londer. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Commissioner Martos said he had a conversation with one of the owners of Nini’s located at Bayswater and Humboldt who was concerned with speeding. Sergeant Shepley noted that area is mostly under San Mateo’s jurisdiction. He also pointed out that the PD has received speeding complaints at Dwight between Bayswater and Peninsula, which is in that general area but advised Commissioner Martos to have the complainant contact San Mateo. Commissioner Martos then went over the Peninsula Interchange Overcrossing Meeting and said it was attended by three of the TSP Commissioners. Commissioner Martos shared that he was told by a San Mateo representative that it is too early to consider noise, pollution, aesthetics, property values and safety of the proposed overcrossing. San Mateo said benefits for the overpass include the fact that the Poplar ramps are outdated, unsafe, and cause queuing. Commissioner Martos said the safety of the Poplar area has been much improved. He also stated that San Mateo said if the Peninsula Overcrossing is constructed, they would close the entrance to US 101 at Poplar. Commissioner Martos conveyed the desire to leave the southbound ramp open and was hopeful they reconsider. Commissioner Martos indicated that many business owners on Rollins Road were very vocal about the potential interchange as well. Chair Wettan and Commissioner Bush both agreed that the big impact has already occurred to the residents near Poplar with the closure of a portion of Rollins Road. 8. COMMISSION & COMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) Discussed in item 6b. b) Broadway Parking (Wettan & Bush) Chair Wettan said he ran into John Kevranien and John shared with him the loss of his business on Broadway. He suggested reaching out to the Planning Commission regarding possible causes of turnover. 12 c) School Speed Limits (Londer & Akers) No update. d) Envision Burlingame (Martos & Londer) Commissioner Martos reported there was no meeting last month. e) El Camino Real Task Force (Wettan & Londer) Chair Wettan said there was an informational session regarding trees along the corridor including types, options for replacement, and spacing requirements. The next Task Force meeting will have an interactive process to begin working on a replacement plan that maintains the character of the grove. f) BPAC (Londer & Bush) Vice-Chair Bush mentioned an email from Councilmember Beach and recalled that Leslie Beatty volunteered to help organize the BPAC going forward. He mentioned other possible people of interest were Manito Velasco, Pat Giorni, Jeff DeMartini, and Jennifer Pfaff and that the subcommittee would engage with them. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Downtown Parking Study Session (Andy to confirm timing) Hoover School/Easton Drive alternative parking plan TDA Bike and Pedestrian Grant Application review 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:37 pm