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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMin - TSP - 2021.10.141 TRAFFIC, SAFETY AND PARKING COMMISSION Approved Minutes Regular Meeting of Thursday, October 14, 2021 1. CALL TO ORDER 7:02 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG 3. ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Leigh, Israelit (arrived after item 6.a), Martos, Wettan MEMBERS ABSENT: Rebelos 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (Occurred after item 6.d) a) August 12, 2021 Meeting Minutes Motion: To accept the August 12, 2021 Meeting Minutes as submitted. M/S/C; Leigh/Israelit, 3/1/1 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS – NON-AGENDA No public comments received. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS a) Community B/PAC Update (Informational Item Only) B/PAC Chair Leslie Beatty said they noticed with the street repaving project, that Garden Drive was repaved but crosswalks were not added, which is near a number of schools. Additionally, she said they wanted to highlight this as they thought as part of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, this type of crosswalk should be painted automatically as it was prioritized in a pedestrian zone and it is near schools. Ms. Beatty inquired about the City’s process for standard repaving projects in light of the work done as part of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. She stated this is an item of interest for B/PAC to discuss in 2 the future. b) EV Progress Update Sigalle Michael, the City’s Sustainability Coordinator, went through a presentation regarding Burlingame’s EV Action Plan and overall progress. Ms. Michael stated that the EV Action Plan aligns with state targets and indicated all new vehicles in California have to be zero emission by 2035. She explained that the work occurring now is in anticipation for future EV growth. Ms. Michael said the City is slowly electrifying its municipal fleet and noted that some employees are currently driving hybrid City vehicles. Additionally, she stated the plan prioritizes areas for public EV chargers and charging access to residents. Ms. Michael shared the Plan goals by 2030 include 100 charging ports, 5,000 registered EVs, and transitioning 10% of the municipal fleet to be EVs. Ms. Michael noted that progress to date includes adoption of a reach code to require all new development to have EV charging, streamlined permitting process, a curbside charging pilot program to restart again as it was put on hold during the pandemic, a $300k grant awarded from CALeVIP for the charging station project at the Library, and technical assistance from Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), which will enable the City to easily and quickly apply for grant opportunities in the future. Specifically for multifamily buildings, which pose more of a challenge, Ms. Michael said the City is educating residents about EV charging available in the neighborhood; requiring multifamily buildings to offer charging access for all units (reach code); exploring offering incentives for multifamily EV charging; looking into grant opportunities, partnerships, and pilot efforts; engaging with property owners; and considering other e-mobility options such as scooters and bikes. In closing, Ms. Michael shared the link to the EV Action Plan and indicated it is meant to be a working document: https://www.burlingame.org/departments/sustainability/ev_charging_stations.php. Commissioner Leigh inquired how the City is encouraging or putting in bike and scooter charging abilities and asked how many charging stations are planned around the Broadway/Carmelita area as there are a lot of old multifamily buildings in the vicinity. Ms. Michael responded to say there are six fast charging stations near Broadway, which are not heavily used. Ms. Michael stated she is looking into a postcard campaign to inform the residents in the area. For bike and scooter charging, Ms. Michael said they can be charged using a standard outlet. Commissioner Israelit asked if the City has completed any kind of survey of residents to find out how many people have an electric car or for those that plan to purchase one in the future. She also asked if the City has looked at the ability to install chargers between the curb and street, as many people do not use their garages for vehicle storage/charging 3 or could potentially be used to charge a second electric vehicle. Ms. Michael said the City conducted a survey and received about 200 responses. She stated she would share the survey with Mr. Wong who could then distribute it to the Commissioners. As for the possibility of charging on the street, Ms. Michael said she has not heard of a private curbside charging station but said she would look into it. Vice-Chair Martos clarified the new reach code to require all new developments to provide EV chargers is already in effect. He requested Ms. Michael to explain the requirement to provide charging stations to all units in a multifamily building. Ms. Michael provided an example, with 100 units, 10% or 10 spaces must have level 2 charging that is open to all residents but each remaining parking spot (90) need to have one standard outlet. Chair Wettan inquired about whether staff has talked to any landlords, particularly those with older buildings. Ms. Michael said they have primarily focused on new development but is something she is very much interested in doing. He asked if Ms. Michael has talked to other cities in regards to the challenge of providing adequate charging stations to which Ms. Michael said PCE has been engaging with property owners in other cities. Ms. Michael said she was happy to reach out to the landlords but would need to obtain contact information first. Chair Wettan asked about the permitting process to install EV chargers for multifamily buildings and whether the process was streamlined for them—not just homeowners. Based on communication with the Building Department, Ms. Michael said she is not aware of any multifamily permits for EV chargers or the challenges they may face but thought it would depend on the age of the building and the electric system. Chair Wettan continued to ask clarifying questions and provide suggestions for engagement with property owners before moving on to item 6.c. No public comments were received for this item. Vice-Chair Martos quickly confirmed with Ms. Michael that only new vehicles need to be electric by 2030 and existing vehicles can still be gas powered. c) Old Bayshore Highway Feasibility Update Mr. Wong stated this item was presented to TSPC back in August and indicated as part of the feedback received, the consultants are providing another update which reflects the entire corridor. Mr. Wong stated the project is a feasibility study and with it they hope to provide the developers with guidelines, as well as what we want the area to look like. He said there is currently no funding to expand to final design but with this effort, the City will be able to go after grant funding. Mr. Wong then turned it over to Brian Fletcher with Callandar Associates and Jason Mansfield with BKF to lead the presentation. Mr. Fletcher stated they are presenting the preferred alternative plan this evening that includes more detail and they will use additional input from tonight’s meeting for the final report, which will have general guidelines for the development of the corridor, and ultimately be presented to City Council. After going over the process to date, including 4 outreach efforts, Mr. Fletcher reviewed the three alternatives considered, with the preferred alternative being Alternative 2. He said Alternative 2 includes one lane in both directions with a center turn lane. Mr. Fletcher said other basic concepts for Alternative 2 include center medians for additional landscaping where feasible, green infrastructure in medians and planter strips, bus pull outs, vertical connections to the Bay Trail, and ways to address Sea Level Rise. He then reviewed the entire corridor in more detail, with identified lane configurations, locations of medians, gateway signs, and connection points. For specific details, please refer to the presentation. Chair Wettan requested Commissioner questions before opening the public comment period. Mr. Hutar, a resident of Burlingame and CEO of San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, applauded the plan. He said m aking the north side of Old Bayshore complimentary to what we have to the south is a win-win. Mr. Hutar felt that making the Bay Trail a continuous and complete system would be paramount from a visitor’s perspective. He stated the plan complements the overall vision and allows for more micro mobility. Mr. Hutar then inquired about a feasible timeline, stating it has become apparent that the corporate market will remain shuttered for a foreseeable period of time and the sooner they see improvements for the leisure-oriented traveler, the better it will be for hotel occupancy. Lisa Kershner, a resident of Burlingame and General Manager of the SFO Marriott said 5 she had nothing but praise and conveyed her excitement. She stated it will be an improvement for the visitors they hope will be returning to Burlingame very soon. Ms. Kershner also stated that prior to the pandemic, they were very lucky to enjoy occupancies over 90%. She said the attraction and appeal to Old Bayshore and the Bay Trail is very important to visitors and residents. Ms. Kershner indicated she is all for everything that has been presented and suggested the consideration of wayfinding for both residents and visitors (how to get to downtown Burlingame, Broadway, BART, etc.). She explained the Marriott maintains a little over 9 acres, including the Trail in front of their property, but there is a lot of trash and dog waste on the Bay Trail, such as in the vicinity of the Elephant Bar. Ms. Kershner said it can be messy and embarrassing and suggested plentiful trash bins and dog waste stations in an effort to encourage cleanliness. Additionally, she suggested mile markers along the Bay Trail for those walking and running. In closing she pointed out the importance of safety at night and was happy about the lighting discussion, but suggested lighting on the path too and the importance of clearly marked pedestrian crossways. Chair Wettan closed the public comment period. Commissioner Israelit said she was really happy to see the vertical connections and felt it will be an amazing improvement to the area. She thanked the consultants for doing such a great job. Commissioner Leigh shared a story about visitors from France and their experience walking from the Hyatt to Downtown Broadway. She described them walking north on the sidewalk along the Hyatt, then they ran past the Hwy 101 entrance, crossed Broadway and made their way to Downtown. Commissioner Leigh stated this issue needs to be addressed as people will walk the shortest route to their destination. Vice-Chair Martos did not have any additional comments. Chair Wettan said he felt this was one of the most thoughtful plans he has seen come before the TSPC and he had very little questions. He closed by stating the plan was very thoughtful and will be great for our City and hotels, which is an important part of our economy. d) Transportation Development Act Article 3 Grant Update Mr. Wong went over a presentation regarding the recent Call for Projects for the Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 Program. He provided the Commission with an overview of the program, eligible projects, funding, schedule, and project selection before going over the proposed project to submit for grant funding. Mr. Wong indicated the area of focus for this Call for Projects will be quick-build improvements in the area of Davis Drive, Trousdale Drive, and Murchison Drive. 6 He said for Murchison Drive, the proposal is to have a separated bikeway. For Trousdale Drive, he stated the proposal is for a road diet and striping improvements. Mr. Wong explained there are no improvements identified for Davis Drive, but the intent would be to outreach the community for improvements on Davis Drive if awarded the grant funds. He said the hope is that the Commission will provide a letter of support or suggest other projects for the grant opportunity, keeping in mind the deadline to submit the application is November 15. Commissioner Leigh stated she was pleased with the three choices, as two are called out in the Bike and Ped Plan, and the other is near a school. Commissioner Israelit said she agreed with Commissioner Leigh in that the proposed improvements sound great. Vice-Chair Martos indicated he agreed with his fellow Commissioners. He then asked Mr. Wong about the priority of the three locations and how we would rank/allocate funds between the three locations. Mr. Wong explained they should be able to fund the quick- build improvements at all three locations. Chair Wettan stated Davis Drive overlaps the study they are doing related to BIS Safe Routes to School and wondered if that would be the strongest opportunity by aligning improvement strategies to alleviate the BIS situation. Mr. Wong reiterated there is no concept for Davis Drive but they would outreach the school and community for those improvements if awarded the grant. He also reminded the Commission they would be requesting a letter of support from TSPC and B/PAC. Commissioner Leigh confirmed that B/PAC would be happy to provide a letter of support for the proposed projects. Chair Wettan opened the public comment period. B/PAC Chair Lesley Beatty provided the following email which was read for the record by the Commission Secretary. Hi, Sorry to email this BPAC comment, I needed to jump off. The BPAC is supportive of the bike lanes proposed for the 3 streets - Murchison, Trousdale and Davis. All of these areas are very important with respect to schools, the Millbrae Caltrain Station, and shopping centers. Davis was recently identified as a priority for bike facilities in the BIS walk audit. BPAC thinks it's a smart proposal for this grant application, assuming that we are talking about bike lanes on all 3 streets. We also think that the designs are straightforward enough and we are far enough along talking about them that Burlingame can present designs that are beyond the initial concepts, which will enhance our chances of winning this grant. We will be happy 7 to write a letter of support for this project pending details. Thanks, Lesley 7. INFORMATION ITEMS a) Engineering Division Reports • Broadway Grade Separation Project – Staff to provide the City Council a project update at an upcoming meeting. • Broadway Pedestrian Street Lighting Improvements – Contractor has started project. Construction will not impact Broadway businesses during upcoming holiday season. • Highland Parking Garage Update – Garage ribbon cutting held on October 14, 2021 at 11 am. Chair Wettan and Vice-Chair Martos were present for the event. Commissioner Leigh inquired about the details of the Broadway Pedestrian Street Lighting Improvements Project to which Mr. Wong explained the majority of it is replacement of streetlights, but it also includes some minimal sidewalk work as a result of the streetlight replacements. b) Police Department Reports Sergeant Perna reviewed the Collision Report and noted there were 17 documented collisions. He pointed out there was a vehicle/bicycle collision on Rollins Road. Sergeant Perna stated there were no pedestrian-related collisions. Commissioner Leigh requested the details surrounding the bicycle collision on Rollins Road. Sergeant Perna said it appeared the driver did not provide enough space for the bicyclist, which is a vehicle code violation. He explained they were both traveling northbound and the bicyclist did not see or hear the vehicle approaching from the rear. Chair Wettan inquired about the collisions on El Camino Real at Carmelita Avenue and Oak Grove Avenue. Sergeant Perna said the collision at Carmelita Avenue was due to a failure to yield, more specifically he shared the vehicle was traveling northbound on Carmelita and made a left turn on to westbound Carmelita and hit the vehicle with the right-of-way traveling southbound on Carmelita. For the accident at the intersection of El Camino Real and Oak Grove Avenue, Sergeant Perna said the driver at fault was traveling southbound on El Camino Real and turned left onto eastbound Oak Grove Avenue and did not yield to the motorist traveling northbound. 8 c) Farmer’s Market Chair Wettan indicated he has not yet reached out and has nothing to report this month. d) TSPC Chair/Commissioner’s Communications Chair Wettan stated he has received a lot of low-grade complaints about items the Commission is currently addressing—southbound California Drive north of Broadway and current conditions surrounding BIS. 8. COMMISSION & SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a) Downtown Parking (Martos & Wettan) Chair Wettan stated the subcommittee met up today at the Highland Parking Garage Ribbon Cutting. He said downtown parking patterns are still TBD and inquired about upcoming updates pertaining to the restaurant parklets. b) Broadway Parking/Traffic Issues (Israelit & Leigh) Commissioner Leigh inquired about how staff is doing with the recommendations that were submitted back in May. Mr. Wong said they are well aware of the list, which has been provided to the Traffic Engineer as well. Commissioner Israelit asked Mr. Wong to remind them when TSPC would receive another presentation regarding California Drive north of Broadway. Mr. Wong responded to say the item would be brought back to TSPC next month. c) School Traffic (Israelit & Wettan) No update; discussed earlier as part of discussion item 6.d. d) Citywide Transportation Alternatives (Rebelos & Wettan) No update. e) Community Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory (Leigh & Rebelos) No update. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • California Drive • TDA Article 3 Grant • AB43 – Local authority over speed limits 9 • BIS walk audit – next steps • Former Commissioner Bush acknowledgement 10. ADJOURNMENT 9:50 p.m.