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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-07-09 Minutes MINUTES OF CITY OF EDINA, MINNESOTA SPECIAL MEETING OF TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION EDINA PUBLIC WORKS & PARK MAINTENANCE FACILITY JULY 9, 2012 7: 00 P. M. ROLLCALL Answering roll call was Members Bass, Braden, Janovy, LaForce, Nelson, and Whited. APPROVE OF MEETING AGENDA Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Braden to approve the agenda. Member LaForce asked if the meeting format would be the same as last time. Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member LaForce to go straight to discussion. All voted aye. Motion carried. REPORTS/ RECOMMENDATIONS France Avenue Intersection Enhancements Member Janovy asked how the project went from $2m to $ 10.3m. Consultant Chuck Rickart of WSB & Associates, said something closer to option 3 was assumed in the cost of the funding application which requires minimal right- of-way (ROW), bike boulevard, etc. He said option 1, the most expensive, includes significant intersection work and twice the amount of ROW which tripled the cost. Mr. Rickart described option 1 has having an off-street bike lane from W. 76th to Crosstown, with the exception of the Macy' s and Byerly' s location that will have a share -the -road until future redevelopment happens, separated by landscaped boulevard, a 2-foot buffer and a 7-foot walkway. Discussion: Member Janovy asked where the bike plan came from. Mr. Rickart said it was part of the rescoping and city engineer Houle said based on feedback from the first meeting, it sounded like people liked it. He said it would also be a natural connection the planned trail. Is there a funding source? Mr. Houle said there is the Centennial Lakes TIF funding. He said city manager Neal mentioned setting up a special funding district which would be special assessment but the earliest that a public hearing could be scheduled would be September. Member LaForce said he did not feel comfortable forwarding option 1 to the City Council if there wasn' t a definite funding source. Member Janovy said there are many who are interested in the TIF funds and she cannot advocate for an extra $7m. Mr. Rickart said the direction from last meeting was option 1. Member Braden said they did not know the cost then and asked if they should scale back. Mr. Houle they should scale back. Mr. Rickart said he did not have all the cost ready for the other options. Chair Nelson said the original scope includes sidewalk on the eastside, improving access to transit, and getting people across safely. Member Janovy said she does not recall a dedicated bike lane in the original scope. She said in her research, she has found some items (cycle track, left turn and colored lanes) that are being proposed are recommended by FHWA International Program for further evaluation and she asked if this was a concern. Mr. Rickart said while they need approval from MnDOT, he is not concerned because these treatments are currently being used in other communities. Member Janovy said Councilmember Sprague wanted to know what makes this specific design better for pedestrians. Mr. Rickart said the crossings are shorter and if needed, there is a refuge. The cycle track does not go all the way through on the west side because it is cost prohibitive (only at the intersections). Mr. Houle said other intersections would be completed at a later date (Hazelton, Gallagher, etc.). Member LaForce asked if they are deciding the future of these other intersections now and Mr. Houle said yes. Mr. Houle said the proposed design is to have trees closer to traffic, then bikers, and a planter between bikers and pedestrians and this cannot be changed very much based on feedback from Hennepin County. Landscape architect Craig Churchward said he may want the planter to be 5' high because this is better for plantings. Member Janovy asked if the County has given any feedback yet and Mr. Houle said no. Mr. Houle said they may want to consider a different option and change the schedule so that they go to City Council for approval in August instead of July 17. Mr. Houle was asked about bike parking options at bus stops and Nice Ride. He said they did not discuss parking with Metro Transit and regarding bus shelters, Metro Transit will install them if they have 25 boarding passengers per day. He said Nice Ride identified 50th & France as a location but they are currently out of funding. The commission was asked if they would like to move the curb over another 5 foot and eliminate the bike lane. Member LaForce said this is incomplete but there is no funding for option 1. Mr. Houle said option 3 has bike lanes only at the intersections and they could reserve space for a future bike boulevard. Member Janovy asked if the sidewalk could be made wider to accommodate bikers also. She said she thinks the City Council was asking for sidewalk, benches, pedestrian lights, and planters. Chair Nelson asked if the intent was to have a north/ south connection to the Promenade. Mr. Rickart said W. 66th and W. 70th are the City' s Comp Plan bike crossings. Chair Nelson asked if the goal was crossing safely. Mr. Churchward said he thought the bigger goal was to not have the orientation towards cars on the corridor. Chair Nelson said he liked option 1, if they had the money, but he does not want to change the design and then do a redo later. Mr. Churchward said if the north/ south movement is no longer the desire and east/ west is, then they can relook at the design. Chair Nelson said there is a bike lane on W. 70th that ends at the last roundabout and suggested continuing this to France Ave to connect with the Promenade. Mr. Rickart said whatever is done needs to accommodate crossings at W. 66th and all other primary bike routes. Mr. Churchward said he feels responsible for creating the grand vision. He said he had Grand Ave, St. Paul, in mind but instead the bikers will remain secondary, while cars are primary on the corridor if his understanding is correct. Member LaForce said France Ave is not the same as Grand Ave because Southdale is set further back. It likely will be residents and employees who will be on France Ave so it should be made enjoyable and safe for them. Member Bass said this could be a catalyst for rezoning. She said option 1 is bold and she liked it. She said they do not have a shared vision for France Ave and that there also isn't a community vision. Member Whited asked if the businesses have been told that they are to get closer to France Ave and Mr. Houle said no. Mr. Churchward said ideally, they would bring the sidewalk closer to the businesses and this would be part of a vision of having a tree -lined boulevard. This would be done during redevelopments. Mr. Houle said Southdale is willing work on a sidewalk around their perimeter. Member Janovy said there is a vision for France Ave in the Living Streets Policy and for other streets. She believes, however, that there will be resistance to spending $10.3m and this will make it difficult to get other bike lanes approved. Member LaForce said they need to reach a consensus on elements and he would like to see finished connections or connection to something that already exist (unlike the one block of sidewalk on Interlachen Blvd). Member Bass said the system is not perfect but it has to be built out bit by bit. Member LaForce said there is no plan for future connection. ember Bass asked what they could do that could set them up for a five-year plan. Member Janovy asked how they could reduce speed limit on France and if a speed study could be included. Mr. Rickart said they could request a speed study from the County but it would add additional cost. Continuing with his elements, member LaForce suggested a sidewalk on the eastside that would be done correctly to avoid a redo later on, wide boulevard, refuge, free right turns, etc. Chair Nelson liked the idea of a sidewalk becoming a bike lane in the future. Mr. Rickart said 8 foot is the federal required width for a 2 -way, multi -use path. Mr. Churchward said this is the right size for three people. He said any wider would look like a lot of concrete based on today' s usage. He said if they can reduce speed it will help, otherwise trees will help. He said he prefers 10 foot of soil area between the curb and sidewalk because of less maintenance to tree roots. He said 66th & Lyndale in Richfield does have large trees in smaller areas so it can be done but it would require good soil, sprinkler, etc. Member Janovy asked if there are innovate ways to use runoff water to feed the trees and he said yes. Member Janovy asked about brand identify and how do you know what is right. Mr. Churchward said they need to know what the roadway is going to be for the next 30 years. Mr. Houle suggested leaving space for the monuments and creating a task force to work on branding. Chair Nelson said they should make crossings safe and easier, add sidewalk and make it as wide as possible and plant boulevard trees. He said even this is going to be more than $2m and the bridge was estimated at $6- 8m so it was known that additional funding would be needed. Member Whited suggested talking to businesses about sponsoring benches along the corridor. Member Janovy asked if the special assessment district would only be for beautification and Mr. Houle said he did not know the details but whatever is done has to show benefit to the properties. Member Braden suggested improving the three intersections, east/ west crossings and continuing the W. 70th bike lane from the roundabout to France. Member LaForce asked if people would stroll on France Ave. Member Bass said maybe not now but hopes that the City will pursue zoning that brings building closer to the street. She said this would encourage strolling. She said also that land use and transportation are inextricably intertwined and she believes there should be formal collaboration between the ETC and the Planning Commission. Member LaForce asked Mr. Houle to repeat to them what he had heard. Mr. Houle said the elements are finish the connections for the sidewalks and bikeways, design the 8-foot sidewalks so they do not need to be reconstructed in the future, put in as much boulevard as possible, provide pedestrian level lighting, provide safe cross -walk markings, remove free rights from the travel lanes, enlarge the medians to provide refuge areas, and provide space for monuments. Member Janovy asked about pedestrian level lighting and Mr. Rickart said they will need to look into this. Regarding the monuments, Mr. Churchward said they need to be dramatic and look like a destination. Member Bass said there is one at Cahill and. W. 701h that is a good example. She said it should also signal to drivers immediately that they have entered a different space. Mr. Churchward mentioned Fairview as a gateway playing of off this for the rest of the corridor. Member Braden asked Mr. Houle who much more he is comfortable spending and he said between $1- 2M. He said there may be State Aid money available for ROW acquisitions. Motion was made by member Janovy and seconded by member Bass to not recommend forwarding the current feasibility study to Council and to incorporate an alternative design for consideration at their August 6 meeting. All voted aye. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9 p. m.