HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2014.01.091
The City of Burlingame
CALIFORNIA 94010-3997 www.burlingame.org
TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION
Meeting Minutes - Approved
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Commissioners Present: Jeff Londer
John Martos
Howard Wettan
Commissioners Absent: Nicklas Akers, Chair
Mark Noworolski, Commissioner
Staff Present: Augustine Chou, Engineering Programs Manager, Public Works
Andrew Wong, Transportation Engineer
Sergeant Jay Kiely, Police Department
Joanne Louie, Administrative Secretary
Syed Murtuza, Director of Public Works
Art Morimoto, Assistant Director of Public Works
Visitors: Molly Roff
Tom Halfhill
Sandra Lang
Brian Metzger
Eugene Zauber
Jack Kavanagh
Cris Perry
Mary Joe Power
Edward Lelchuk
Teresa Lelchuk
Alexa Abrishamari
Steve Sarver
Jay Penn
Tom Weisinger
Susan Castner-Paine
Louise Kappen
Brian Beswick
Justin McSharny
Ian Raset
Steve Pariani
Pat Giorni
William Kappen
George & Christine Tucker
Steve O’Connell
West Tait
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1. CALL TO ORDER. 7:00 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG.
3. ROLL CALL. 3 of 5 Commissioners present.
Chair Akers and Commissioner Noworolski absent.
4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
4.1 New Commissioner Welcome – John Martos
Acting Chair Londer acknowledged the presence of Mayor Brownrigg and
Councilmembers Keighran and Deal.
Acting Chair Londer also welcomed John Martos, a new TSPC Commissioner.
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES -
Motion: To accept the minutes of November 14, 2013 with the following corrections:
- Spelling of last name Martos under Visitors
- Adding % signs on Items 8.1.2 and 8.2.1
M/S/C: Howard/Londer; 3/0/2 (Chair Akers and Commissioner Noworolski absent)
6. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Acting Chair Londer opened the floor for public comment.
Phyllis Cox spoke regarding the need for traffic calming on Almer Road and Floribunda
Avenue.
Eugene Zauber expressed his concern for safety on Almer Road and Floribunda Avenue.
Mr. Zauber said there is a petition for traffic calming signed by the residents.
Stephen Hollman also expressed his concern for safety on Floribunda Avenue and Almer
Road.
Justin McSharny requested consideration of traffic calming also at Floribunda Avenue and
Almer Road and felt it was also attributed to the flow of traffic from Hillsborough.
Pat Giorni concurred that most of the traffic is coming from Hillsborough and recommended
making Floribunda Avenue a one-way street to El Camino Real, even as a temporary
measure to change behavior.
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Brian Metzger shared his support for the petition. He expressed his concern for the volume
and the speed of traffic on Floribunda Avenue and Almer Road.
John Root expressed his concern for speeding in the downtown area and the need for a
focus on pedestrian safety.
Cris Perry concurred with prior speakers and expressed her concern for safety due to
speeding vehicles and poor visibility. Ms. Perry would be interested in entertaining the
thought of making Floribunda Avenue a one-way street to El Camino Real.
Jennifer Pfaff recommended no longer allowing left-turns from El Camino Real southbound
onto Floribunda Avenue, making vehicles use Oak Grove Avenue. Ms. Pfaff also stated that
making Floribunda Avenue one-way to El Camino Real might work.
Commissioner Londer closed public the comment period.
7. CURRENT BUSINESS
7.1 Burlingame Downtown Parking Structure Discussion
Mr. Chou presented a Staff Report and made a presentation which provided
background and reviewed the CDM Smith Study. The issues for consideration was
parking structure location and defining the purpose of a new parking structure. The goal
of this evening’s discussion was to gather input.
Commissioner Londer opened the floor for public comment.
Laurie Simonson said in prior discussions, the CDM Smith study indicated that way-
finding signs could be very effective. Ms. Simonson asked that staff look into this and
also look into an analysis of where employees are parking, especially when there are
underutilized parking lots. Ms. Simonson suggested that we look at cheaper and shorter
term alternatives while analysis continues on a parking structure.
David Mendel suggested that the City consider parking structures at a couple of areas,
as opposed to one location due to the fact that customers do not want to walk.
Mark Hudak stated that the Downtown Specific Plan formed basic principles that did not
want support large structures. Mr. Hudak questioned the successfulness of first floor
retail due to over-commitment of retail spaces already in the downtown.
Stephen Hollman suggests the Caltrain lot (Lot O) as an alternative location for a
parking structure.
Laif Salma stated that it would be beneficial to have the structure be mixed-use and
preferred two structures versus one “monstrous” structure. Mr. Salma said that this
could be an opportunity to expand the downtown core.
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Pat Giorni expressed her feeling that Lot C would be the better choice. Ms. Giorni also
noted that office spaces, as per conditional use requirements, are on the second floors
and it would take an act of the Planning Commission and Council to revise that. Ms.
Giorni also thought the City could widen a good portion of Donnelly Avenue to better
accommodate a structure and the traffic.
Jennifer Pfaff stated that she had participated in a focus group on this matter. At that
time, the group was in favor of Lot J, but she was in favor of the Howard lots and Lot F.
Ms. Pfaff said that she believes that the discussion has lost sight of the Downtown
Specific Plan, and makes it appear as the City is going after money. Ms. Pfaff also
brought up valet as an alternative and did not support converging traffic into one single
lot, particularly Lot J.
Barbara Hewlitt suggested having parking on the bottom and office spaces on the top
floor.
Russ Cohen noted that the survey participants were visitors to the City; and, that they
do not have to live with a parking structure in the downtown. Mr. Cohen suggested that
the City look at other cities and their peripheral lots, because what is today’s peripheral
is not necessarily tomorrow’s peripheral. Mr. Cohen said the City needs to explore
urban planning by looking at best practices and what is trending. Mr. Cohen said the
City needed to educate ourselves on these disciplines – good place making, good City
planning and good parking lot design.
Julie Baird said that she would like to ensure that the City is thoughtfully considering the
need for a parking structure and echoed Mr. Cohen’s concerns that a parking structure
in the downtown area was not necessarily a positive thing, as it would draw more
vehicles to the core, as opposed to making the downtown more pedestrian/bicycle
friendly. Ms. Barrett also expressed the need to think globally as a City since the City is
considering expanding the Rec Center on California Drive; and, there have been
discussions about needing more parking for that facility also.
Mayor Brownrigg commented that he was looking forward to the advice from the
Commission; and, hoped that it was not limited to just a parking structure, as a holistic
set of advice would also be appreciated. He added that the City needed to consider how
to encourage employees to use the peripheral lots, and how to consider implementing
lower-scale interventions beforehand so that the City could better determine its parking
needs.
David Jackson stated he did not see handicap parking and elevators on the diagrams.
Mr. Jackson also congratulated the Streetscape Project.
Jay Penn asked for clarity on the timing of a parking structure because it seemed like
many things have not been clarified. Mr. Penn urged patience in the decision making
process.
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Syed Murtuza thanked everyone for their comments and clarified that there currently
was no funding for a project. Mr. Murtuza also addressed some of the concerns raised
earlier by previous speakers.
Vice Mayor Terry Nagel mentioned a smartphone “app” by Streetline, called “Parker”.
She stated that it aided in helping drivers find all of the City’s parking lots.
Pat Giorni reiterated that the downtown today might not be what it will be in the next 20
years.
Cris Perry stated that the lots are underutilized and that the stores don’t advertise that
there are other places to park. She said that the Chamber of Commerce should have
businesses inform their customers of the various parking lots.
Steve Sarver stated that he appreciated the City keeping the community involved and
did not feel that the Commission was close to making a recommendation to Council. Mr.
Sarver would be concerned about the amount of traffic if the structure were to be on
Donnelly Avenue. He added that he preferred the idea of two smaller lots, which would
be better for traffic congestion and closer proximity for customers.
Discussion occurred amongst the Commissioners. They asked for clarification of the
street survey, which was a spot check or “snapshot” in time of opinions. The sampling
was fairly small – 20 or 30 people.
Commissioner Wettan stated that he did not feel that the Commission had a lot of
information at this time; and, with the absence of two Commissioners he did not feel the
Commission could make a recommendation to Council at this point.
It was also felt that the need for a parking structure needed to be determined with fresh
data. Mr. Chou stated that he would work to see about programing in this additional
work, and if done would get this information to the Commission. Mr. Chou also stated
that he would provide the studies beginning from 1998 to the Commissioners.
Commissioner Wettan also commented that it was important that the criteria listed in the
presentation be prioritized; and, that perhaps staff could assist with this.
Mr. Murtuza stated that the Commission could take additional time to review the issue
before making recommendations.
(Item 8.1.3 advanced and discussed here)
8. Information/Discussion Items from Commission and Staff
8.1 Engineering Division Reports – Reports and/or updates on Public Works project and
activities
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8.1.1 Requests/comments/responses to public traffic concerns (stop signs, crosswalks,
speed control, parking)
- Electronic speed feedback display signs
Mr. Wong reported that two sets have been installed - one by Franklin School
on Trousdale Drive, and another on California Drive by Broadway. He said that
these signs have dynamic feedback with appropriate messages for the
conditions, such as “Too Fast – Slow Down”.
- Non-standard stop signs along Trousdale Drive
Mr. Wong stated that staff should be able to report on the warrant study results
at the next meeting.
- Adeline Drive/Cortez Avenue pedestrian crosswalk
Mr. Chou reported that current results warrant a pedestrian crosswalk at this
location and that installation would occur as soon as the work can be
scheduled, depending on temperature conditions.
- Streetline’s “Parker” App for Burlingame Parking Lots
Mr. Wong gave a demonstration of the Streetline Parker app. He explained
that Streetline identifies the parking lots in the downtown shopping districts
and provides information about the number of spaces, cost and hours of
operation in a given lot.
8.1.2 Construction and Design projects
Mr. Wong reported that the Streetscape Project was still at 40% complete due to
the downtown moratorium during the holidays. He added that during the past
week, half of the 1400 block of Burlingame Avenue was closed for construction.
Mr. Wong reported that all the striping for the Bike Route Improvement Project
was down on the ground, and that the contractors were ready to install the signs
once the City logo emblems were added to the signs.
Pat Giorni added that she spotted two bike lane logos on Bayshore Boulevard
that no longer belong there. Mr. Wong said that he would contact Caltrans to
discuss the removal.
8.1.3 School Traffic Issues
Commissioner Londer opened the floor for public comment.
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Tony Azalini stated that he did a brief survey to determine the number of students
crossing El Camino Real to go to BIS (Burlingame Intermediate School) or Lincoln
School and found that there are 63 students. Mr. Azalini and Steve Pariani
expressed their concern for children safety and inquired if a crossing guard could
be utilized. The Commission informed them to contact Rusty Hopewell of the
Burlingame School District, who is involved with Safe Routes to Schools.
Pat Giorni stated that the timing on the signals on El Camino Real at Ray
Drive/Rosedale Avenue was too short. Pat Giorni and Commissioner Londer
volunteered to do citizen traffic counts at these intersections.
8.2 Police Department Reports
8.2.1 General/Selective Traffic Enforcement Report
Sergeant Kiely will defer his report until next month.
8.3 Commissioners’ Comments and Concerns
None.
9. Communications
9.1 Eugene Zauber – Traffic Calming Petition for Floribunda Avenue
Mr. Wong stated that he has already spoken with Mr. Zauber and has plans to meet
with him to do a neighborhood walk-through.
9.2 Laurie Simonson – LAPD Bike Safety Training Video
9.3 Mary Kroll – Pedestrian Signals and Ped/Bike Safety Concerns
9.4 Manito Velasco – California Drive Bike Collision
9.5 Other Communications
10. Commission & Committee Reports
10.1 Burlingame Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (B/PAC)
Commissioner Wettan reported that B/PAC met earlier this evening and had a good
discussion about the alternative bike route from the Millbrae transit hub. He said
there was also discussion about a potential traffic circle at California Drive &
Bellevue Avenue.
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11. New Future Agenda Items
11.1 Howard Avenue Long-term and Short-term Parking (1400 block)
11.2 TSPC Areas of Emphasis for 2014
11.3 Electric Charging Stations
12. Elections – Chair and Vice-Chair Elections for 2014
Item postponed until next month.
13. Adjournment – 10:52 p.m.