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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-11-18 Minutes 1 MINUTES OF THE Regular Meeting of the Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, November 18, 2004 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Community Room MEMBERS PRESENT: Marie Thorpe, Jean White, Warren Plante, Joni Kelly Bennett, Les Wanninger MEMBERS ABSENT: Dean Dovolis, Fred Richards STAFF PRESENT: Wayne Houle, Steve Lillehaug, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order Acting Chair Wanninger called the meeting to order. II. New Business Bennett inquired about building renovations at 50th & France Avenue in the southwest corner. Houle said the Planning Dept. has not received plans for this area. Discussion ensued about how to fix the traffic problems in that area. Some ideas were to use the building renovation as an opportunity, though this is not the normal course of action to fix traffic issues; develop a partnership with the city of Minneapolis (there was a partnership some years ago that did not pan out); calibrate semaphores (three government agencies are responsible for semaphores); remove some parking spaces to create left turn lanes (parking is limited on the Minneapolis side, while Edina has parking ramp). The difference in adjacent land use to the Minneapolis side was noted, with one side being residential while the other is commercial. The consensus is that they need to find alternatives or solutions to the traffic problems that plague 50th & France. Working with the Southwest Neighborhood Association was suggested. Bennett said a resident has expressed frustrations with the project at Wooddale and Valley View Road because of the potential closure of the intersections of Oaklawn Ave., W. 62nd St. and Brookview Ave. and not being notified. Houle said the intersections are unsafe primarily for pedestrians and the city has not yet reached a decision about how best to rectify the situation. Consultants are still gathering information for a recommendation to the Council in December or January. Adjacent residents were notified and surveyed about the potential changes based on those most likely to be affected. Bennett also inquired about plans for redevelopment at the corner of Wooddale and Valley View. Houle said there are no definite plans that he’s aware of, but the Planning Dept. would know more. III. Old Business a. Traffic Control Device Policies and Procedures 2 Lillehaug discussed the traffic safety issues that staff receives complaints about on a daily basis from residents. The issues surround regulatory signing, warning signs, guide signs, pedestrian crosswalks, pedestrian/bicyclist, and traffic speed and volume. A part-time staff receives complaints, analyzes the situation and makes recommendation to the complainant. Boyd Tate was recently hired to fill this position. The Traffic Safety Advisory Board, made up of city staff (Engineering, Police, Planning and Public Works) reviews staff recommendations and in-turn makes recommendations to the Council on course of action. Lillehaug said some issues are deferred to the Police or Engineering Dept and some will now be deferred to the ETC. Some issues that the ETC can anticipate handling is finding traffic calming alternatives in lieu of requested stop signs that are not warranted, etc. Lillehaug reviewed stop sign policy, which includes the purpose of stop signs (all traffic policies are listed on the web). The policy was developed using the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTDC), which was developed from national guidelines and in authority with Minnesota statutes. Lillehaug said the purpose of stop signs is to assign right of way at intersection, not to slow traffic speed like most people believe. Bennett asked about the basket weave method. Lillehaug said if laid out properly it could be effective. He also reviewed the myths of stop signs. b. Sidewalk and Funding Policy and Master Plan Lillehaug reviewed the current Capital Improvement funds available compared to what is needed to fill in the missing segments of State Aid sidewalks. State Aid segments completed this summer are Wooddale Ave., and W. 51st & Halifax Ave.; W. 70th St. is scheduled for completion in 2005; W. 58th St. between Concord Ave. and Wooddale Ave., Blake Rd. from Parkwood Rd. to Interlachen Blvd., and Valley View Rd. from McCauley Tr. to Braemar Blvd are scheduled for 2005-06. Lillehaug said for safety reasons, boulevard style sidewalks are preferred over the curb style sidewalks because there is space between the street and the sidewalk. Wanninger stated that the school district is transporting students who live within the walking distance because there are no sidewalks so this may be a good time to revisit with them about installing sidewalks. Bennett said there are several issues to consider: the district is operating at a deficit, start times are staggered so students will leave and return home in the dark and crosswalks would be needed. A copy of Lillehaug’s presentations is available upon request. c. Systematic Development of Informed Consent (Management Training) Houle gave an overview of the basic principles of a management training seminar he and Lillehaug attended regarding building informed consent. The seminar, titled Citizen Participation: Building a Systematic Development of Informed Consent (SDIC), was developed and presented by the Institute for Participatory Management and Planning (IPMP). The emphasis is on getting project approval by building informed consent amongst stakeholders. A copy of Houle’s handout is available upon request. d. Edina Traffic Task Force Report Staff reviewed the six problem areas identified by the Edina Traffic Task Force in its 1999 report to the Council and the issues surrounding each area. The areas are as follow: 3  Northeast: W. 50th St. & France Ave., north to the city limits and France Ave. over to TH 100;  Northwest: Parkwood Knolls Area; Artic Way/Tamarac Ave Area; and Lincoln/Vernon Dr Area;  Edina High School & Valley View Middle School Area;  Community Center Area: Southview Ln and Concord Ave;  W. 70th Street: from TH 100 to France Ave. and the residential neighborhoods south of 70th St.;  France Avenue: the area between Crosstown and TH 494 bounded by France Ave. and York Ave.; Staff was directed to develop a plan using the draft policy to rectify the issues identified by the Task Force. Wanninger said this a test to see if the draft policy, as is, can address any of the issues. A copy of the presentation is available upon request. e. Legislative Policies, January 2005 Draft Handout (copy available upon request). Schedule of Upcoming Meetings December 7th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.: Joint Council/ETC in the Community Room December 9th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: Open House in the Council Chambers January 6th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: ETC consideration of public comments Lillehaug said the press release announcing the comment period did not appear in the Edina Sun as scheduled. Bennett said she is dismayed that the information has not been made available to the public already. IV. Approval of Minutes from October 28th Correction on page 2: last paragraph, delete repeated paragraph, sentence beginning with “Thorpe said…” and ending with “She said neighborhood versus…” Correction on page 4: 4th paragraph, delete “Bennett concerned…” and insert “Bennett is concerned that the method of publicity would not reach all residents.” Correction on page 5: delete 1st paragraph (repeated from page 4); 7th paragraph, delete “…instead of assessing property owners.” A motion was made by Plante to approve the minutes with the corrections as stated above. Seconded by Thorpe. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.