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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-23 Minutes 1 MINUTES OF CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION COUNCIL CHAMBERS OCTOBER 23, 2014 6:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Answering roll call were members Bass, Campbell, Iyer, Janovy, Nelson, Olson, Rummel, Spanhake and Whited. ABSENT Members Boettge and LaForce. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Spanhake to approve the meeting agenda. All voted aye. Motion carried. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 Motion was made by member Nelson and seconded by member Olson to approve the minutes of September 18, 2014. All voted aye. Motion carried. COMMUNITY COMMENT - None. REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS Arden Park D Neighborhood Draft Engineering Report City engineer Millner said the Arden Park D project was initiated by staff primarily due to needed utility repairs and this made it a good fit to implement elements of Living Streets policy. He said on Aug. 19, the City Council removed the proposed sidewalks from Juanita Ave and Indianola Ave based on feedback from residents and because they did not meet warrants. Mr. Millner said Arden Park D would be coordinated with the W. 54th St. project and bid together to take advantage of economies of scale. He turned over the presentation to Mr. Toby Muse, consulting engineer with SEH who is designing and managing both the Arden Park D and W. 54th St. projects. Mr. Muse described current conditions and stated that most streets are 30 ft. wide; ADT varies, for example, on Juanita it is low, and high on Halifax; the 85th percentile speed is 25-32 mph with the highest speed on Halifax due to cut thru traffic avoiding the 50th & France area; the only alley has three different type of materials (pavement/dirt/gravel), it is 10-12 ft. wide and Public Works perform maintenance at least three times annually; and all but three streetlights are owned by Xcel Energy. Mr. Muse said proposed improvements include new pavement and curb and gutter; elements of Living Streets such as reducing streets width to 24 ft. with one parking lane, and boulevard-style sidewalks. He said the sidewalk layout proposed by staff was redesigned based on existing tree locations and feedback from residents and is now proposed to be 4 ft. with a 3 ft. boulevard. He said sidewalks will be on Arden (east side), 52nd St. (south side), Minnehaha Blvd (west side) and a small section by the church on Indianola. The Minnehaha Blvd sidewalk will be 8 ft. because it is next to the park and is expected to have more users. Streets without sidewalks will be 26 ft. wide except for Minnehaha Blvd which will be 27 ft. wide to accommodate future parking demands if needed. Crosswalks will be striped at 52nd & Halifax and also on Minnehaha Blvd. The intersection at 51st & Halifax will have a 6 ft. island to help reduce traffic speeds; the island at Bruce Ave & Bruce Pl will increase in size; and the cul-de-sacs at Bruce Ave and Gorgas Ave will be reduced. The gravel section of the alley will be paved. New streetlights will be added and residents will be surveyed to see which of the four lighting styles they prefer. Mr. Millner said two informational meetings were held for residents and input was also sought from the Park Board, Police, Fire, and Public Works. 2 Discussion Member Janovy said the 4 ft. sidewalk does not match the change being made to the Comprehensive Plan and Living Streets. Mr. Millner explained that the change was made because residents felt the 5 ft. design did not fit the character of the neighborhood and existing sidewalks in the neighborhood are 4 ft. wide. She suggested a 5 ft. sidewalk with a 2 ft. boulevard like she’s seen in other places. She asked if there was any concern from the school district with the median because she thought they were concerned with the ones in the Cornelia neighborhood. Mr. Millner said feedback was not sought from the school district but he would contact the transportation supervisor. She asked if the crosswalks meet the crosswalk policy and he said he did not look at pedestrian counts but they should with the many park users. Member Olson asked about replacement of the entire curb and gutter and Mr. Millner explained that because the project is driven by utility repairs all existing curb and gutter would have to be removed and replaced. Chair Bass asked if the island would be planted with flowers and Mr. Millner said he’s not sure because the island is unique in that it was installed at the request of a resident and is maintained by the resident. Member Nelson asked what the Park Board’s feedback was and Mr. Millner said they are in favor of the 8 ft. sidewalk along the park. Mr. Millner will check to see if it is possible to design the median at 51st & Halifax to have a crossing refuge; however, he does not believe it is necessary because of the width of the street. Member Spanhake asked if there were any major concerns from residents and Mr. Millner said yes, they were not in favor of the sidewalks on Juanita and Indianola, concerned with loss of parking, and still some not in favor of sidewalks anywhere. Member Janovy asked about the width of the travel lanes at the median and Mr. Millner said they are 14 ft. wide. She said there were concerns with the ones in the Cornelia neighborhood that the space was reduced when there was snow, cars and bikes. Member Olson said he likes them because they force bikes to be car-like and cars slow down because of them. She asked if the PACS fund pays for streetlights and planner Nolan said it pays for pedestrian safety lights not decorative streetlights. Regarding curb and gutter, member Janovy said she is concerned with the inconsistency of curb and gutter replacement. Mr. Millner explained that the storm sewer fund would be quickly depleted if they were to automatically replace all curb and gutter. She said the Living Streets policy was written to include exceptions so this may require bigger discussion. She said there are different ways to look at the costs. She said this keeps coming up as an issue that different neighborhoods are treated differently. She said it reduces the meaning of the Living Streets policy. Chair Bass said she understood the frustration of not applying the policy uniformly but they must also be pragmatic about infrastructure improvements and there will be some inconsistencies because of this. She said the City Council has to weigh all desires and options and be fiscally conservative at the same time. Member Janovy said they haven’t seen a comparison of what the cost is to residents who are assessed for an additional 6 ft. of pavement and maintenance over 50 years. She said there are different ways to approach this challenge. Member Iyer said he agreed with member Janovy’s global point on curb and gutter replacement. He said there should be consistency. Mr. Millner said most streets are 27 ft. and they are not putting in any new streets that are 30 ft. if the curb and gutter are taken out. Chair Bass said she visited the neighborhood and it was teaming with pedestrians, joggers and park users so she was pleased to see that sidewalks were proposed. 3 2015 Neighborhood Reconstruction Project Draft Engineering Reports Planner Nolan said last month assistant city engineer Wrase presented the 2015 projects and tonight he would take feedback to bring back to staff. Discussion – Countryside H Chair Bass asked if the school district commented on the sidewalk. Planner Nolan said both Millner and Wrase has been meeting with the school district and has a verbal agreement for an easement for the sidewalk and they’re also talking about an ADA compliant access where the steps are in exchange for the sidewalk that was going to go in on the Benton Ave side. Member Olson asked what would be the additional cost for replacing the entire curb and gutter if residents were willing to pay for it instead of replacing sections and having it look like patchwork. Member Janovy noted that the streets width is 30 ft. and they are choosing to leave the curb and not reduce the streets to 27 ft. She said this is inconsistent. Planner Nolan said this is a cost issue and how much of the utility fund they would be able to use or is willing to put towards curb and gutter. He said further that there probably should be language in the Living Streets plan to address exceptions like this and that the policy talks about being sensitive to context and one may be fiscal context. Member Janovy asked if lighting was reviewed for the sidewalk. Additionally, member Spanhake said it looks like a couple places could be very dark and ask how the decision is made to add streetlights. Discussion – Prospect Knolls B Member Spanhake said it was noted on the questionnaire that people run the stop signs at Gleason & Schey and asked if this was the intersection they discussed last month and decided that a broader discussion on traffic calming was needed. Chair Bass said yes, but Gleason is not a part of this project. At the same intersection, Chair Bass said in the questionnaire, a resident requested a wheelchair ramp and asked if there was a curb ramp there now. Planner Nolan does not believe there is one now but said staff is working on an ADA compliant policy that would address this and he would see if this could be fit in with the project. Under proposed improvements – sidewalks, Member Janovy suggested deleting the current language and replace or add this to it - ‘Sidewalks are not shown on the approved sidewalk map.’ The suggestion is the same for Dewey Hill G. Discussion - Dewey Hill G – see above. 2015 Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety (PACS) Fund Projects Planner Nolan said $600,000 is rolling over from 2014 for a total of $1.7m for 2015 projects. He said most of the projects listed are in neighborhood roadway reconstruction project areas. Discussion Member Janovy asked if Cornelia Drive (66th to 70th) sidewalk could be added and planner Nolan said it could be considered. Member Iyer said the pedestrian/bike bridge over Hwy. 62 should be added too. Planner Nolan agreed but said the cost is $2-3m and this will require partnering with an agency like MNDOT. Chair Bass said it was included in the ARTS plan and having it there would also help with funding. Planner Nolan said staff is researching ways to make it safe on Valley View Rd under Hwy. 62. Member Whited asked about Xerxes between 56th & 60th and planner Nolan said it is high on the priority list but it is also expensive. He said he applied for funding from Hennepin County but was not successful. Member Iyer said Valley View & France (69th) has a missing link of sidewalk. 4 Chair Bass asked how would staff evaluate what gets funded with the miscellaneous funds and planner Nolan said they will look at what gives the biggest bang for the buck including is the preliminary design done, etc. Traffic Safety Committee Report of October 1, 2014 A2. Member Iyer believes this is a school bus stop and said the same could apply to all the other intersection nearby. He said a sidewalk on the other side of the street would be most helpful. A3. Member Whited asked if it was typical to cite old data, 2005 in this case. Planner Nolan said it is typically based on staff’s availability to collect the data and the most recent data was 2005 which seemed justifiable. B2. Traffic increase was because of the closure of TH-169. B3. Member Janovy noted warrant was not met and asked how it could when it is an unsafe crossing. She suggested that they consider context also. Planner Nolan said they had a similar situation where warrant was under by one but they decided to install crosswalks because it was next to a park. Member Whited added that the sidewalk is not very wide, has lose gravel and tilts to the side making you feel like you are going to slide into traffic. D4. Police is investigating said Planner Nolan. Member Olson asked what was the cost of the flashing rapid beacons and planner Nolan said between $3,000-$5,000. Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Olson to forward the Oct. 1, 2014, report to the City Council. All voted aye. Motion carried. Updates Student Members Member Rummel asked about the intersection at Benton and Tracy because drivers seem to be confused and asked if signs would help. Member Nelson said there was a proposal to make it into a roundabout not too long but they decided to leave it as is because it forced drivers to stop and figure out what they should be doing where the roundabout near a school would allow free flowing traffic while pedestrians were crossing. Chair Bass clarified that it was not because they felt roundabouts are unsafe but in addition, this one would have been large and required a significant amount of private land. Bike Edina Working Group – None. Living Streets Working Group – None. Communications Committee – None. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS Members were invited to participate in Vision Edina and to consider hosting a meeting for groups of 10 or more. CHAIR AND COMMISSION MEMBER COMMENTS Member Nelson requested again that 66th Street down to Ridgeview Drive, west of TH-100, be considered for a sidewalk because it is active with pedestrians and next to a park. He also requested a crosswalk from the Brookview Heights neighborhood to Normandale Park. Additionally, member Nelson said an Olinger Road resident wanted to know if there was any flexibility in the placement of signs because currently, he has a hydrant, utility box and a stop sign in his yard, and recently, a bike sign was added. Planner Nolan said there are some restrictions on placement of signs but he would check with staff. 5 Member Whited reported that a traffic signal at 58th & France looks like it is going to fall. This will be reported. Following up on member Nelson’s request for a crosswalk to Normandale Park, member Iyer said he thought an exception was made for adding crosswalks to access parks even if warrants were not met. Planner Nolan said they do not have a policy that states this but instead rely on engineering judgment. Chair Bass said she has been following the conversation about sidewalks on Speak Up Edina and asked how staff was taking suggestions into account. Planner Nolan said staff is listening and will take into account criteria for sidewalk on each street. Chair Bass said a resident talked about the lack of sidewalk on Valley View Road where the 2015 Birchcrest project will end and asked when the next phase would be completed. Planner Nolan said it is at least more than five years out. Additionally, chair Bass said they’re talked about right-of-ways and how to educate residents about what they can or cannot do within the right-of-way. Planner Nolan suggested working on this over the winter. Member Olson asked if the City has ever asked private companies to consider infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks that abut their property while doing their property improvements and he mentioned Fairview Hospital as an example that is currently under construction and there is a missing link of sidewalk along their property on France Ave. Planner Nolan said he was not aware if the City had ever made such a request. Chair Bass noted that businesses also pay into the PACS Fund that pays for sidewalks and asked if it is on the plan. Planner Nolan said it is included and added that staff is in discussion with MNDOT and Hennepin County about improving the area of France Ave and TH-62 when the bridge is redecked in 2-3 years and the improvements could extend down to the sidewalk. Member Janovy said there is a City code that can require businesses to provide sidewalks. She reported that a resident on Olinger Road mentioned to her that there is overgrown vegetation; this will be reported to the appropriate staff. She said also that she noticed a roundabout listed in the CIP for Valley View Lane and Tracy Avenue that the ETC has not discussed. In reference to a comment on Speak Up Edina about the Sidewalk Facilities Plan, she asked if the City could use utility easement for transportation; planner Nolan will check with the attorney. Member Campbell said there is a lot of speeding on 66th Street late at nights and drivers often miss the crosswalk. Planner Nolan said this will be reported to the police for enforcement and added that recently, push button lights were installed at two locations on 66th Street to draw attention to the crosswalks. STAFF COMMENTS  Valley View Road project was approved by City Council as recommended by staff;  Sidewalk Facilities Plan was approved by Planning Commission and forwarded to City Council for a public hearing on Nov. 3;  Neighborhood roadway reconstruction projects are completed except for Morningside B;  France Avenue Corridor Pedestrian Improvements – little striping to be completed; light poles to be installed in Dec.; staff and member Janovy met onsite with Hennepin County staff regarding painting traffic signals and they said they were out of funding; City staff will continue the conversation with Hennepin County staff;  2014 Sidewalk Improvements – all three sidewalks are completed; finishing up the retaining wall on Valley View Road;  Olinger Blvd mill and overlay is almost completed;  Xerxes Avenue at TH-62 – the Mayor has been receiving feedback from residents in the Chowen Park and Strachauer Park neighborhoods and he plans to meet with Hennepin County to discuss the possibility of aesthetic improvements to the new bumpouts; ETC meeting schedule – Planner Nolan explained that the ETC has consistently changed their meeting date in October from the 3rd to the 4th Thursday because of the MEA holiday and suggested that they consider making this a permanent change. Motion was made by member Nelson and seconded by member Janovy to permanently change their October meeting 6 date to the 4th Thursday, as long it does not conflict with a religious holiday. All voted aye. Motion carried. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned. ATTENDANCE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE - 2014 NAME TERM J F* M A M J J A S O N D SM 2/27 SM 3/10 WS 3/18 # of Mtgs Attendance % Meetings/Work Sessions 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 11 Bass, Katherine 2/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 82% Boettge, Emily 2/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 91% Campbell, Jack student 1 1 2 18% Iyer, Surya 2/1/2015 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 82% Janovy, Jennifer 2/1/2017 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 100% LaForce, Tom 2/1/2015 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 91% Nelson, Paul 2/1/2016 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 91% Olson, Larry 2/1/2016 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 100% Rummel, Anna student 1 1 2 18% Sierks, Caroline student 1 1 1 3 27% Spanhake, Dawn 2/1/2016 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 78% Van Dyke, Jackson student 1 1 2 18% Whited, Courtney 2/1/2015 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9 82% *Cancelled due to weather Respectfully submitted, Sharon Allison, Secretary