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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-03-01 Work Session PacketIG-Z AGENDA EDINA CITY COUNCIL EDINA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION (ETC) WORK SESSION MARCH 1, 2011 5:00 P.M. — COMMUNITY ROOM ROLLCALL I. ETC INTRODUCTION —Chair Janovy a. Acknowledgment of Commission Members II. ETC PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS a. Greater Cornelia Area / West 70th Street Traffic Study b. Transportation Plan Update (Comprehensive Plan Update) III. CITY COUNCIL & ETC FUTURE INITIATIVES/ DISCUSSION ITEMS a. ETC Policy/ Establishment/ Purpose/ Duties b. Complete Streets Policy c. Walkability & Bike - ability within the City d. Funding for these programs/ projects IV. ADJOURNMENT Correspondence to -date for the ETC Workshop with City Council: A. Agenda input from Council Member Brindle B. Agenda input from ETC Chair Janovy C. Role of the ETC: Summary Review and Recommendation from ETC Chair Janovy D. Draft ETC Minutes of February 17, 2011 G: \Engineering \Infrastructure \Streets \Traffic \Transportation Commission \ Miscellaneous \20110301 Workshop with City Council \20110301 ETC and City Council Work Session Agenda.doc Agenda input from Mary Brindle. FYI Scott Neal, City Manager ® # € 952-826-04011 Fax 952 - 826 -0390 t sneal(oki.edina.mn.us I www.CitvofEdina.com ...For Living, Learning, Raising Families & Doing Business From: Mary Brindle [mailto:mbrindle @comcast.net] Sent: Monday, February 28, 20119:13 AM To: Scott Neal Subject: RE: Monday Morning, February 28 Hi Scott, The ETC was created as a reaction to a situation in the past. As I recall, the Country Club street reconstruction was met with residents concerned with traffic and cut through routes through their neighborhood. Of late, I think the role of the ETC is evolving and should be a forward- looking commission, advising us on what we should do going forward to make Edina more pedestrian friendly. Ideally, I would like to see the ETC come up with a set of standards that would be employed in any redevelopment or reconstruction in our city. Specifically, I would like the council to formally ask the ETC to take on Walkability in Edina as a project. I met previously with Jennifer Janovy about my work in this area so she is aware of it. As a council, we informally discussed walkability and the desire to ask the ETC to add it to their areas of interest. FYI. Mary Brindle 952 - 941 -7746 home 612- 270 -9887 cell From: Jennifer [mailto:rjmeyovy @comcast.net] Sent: Friday, February 25, 20113:42 PM To: Scott Neal Subject: Re: Work Session Agenda Yes, sounds reasonable. The topics that appear to be priorities now are: • ETC Policy and Establishment (1509.1) and Purpose and Duties (1509.02) • Sidewalks • Funding We had a preliminary discussion on ETC Purpose and Duties at our February meeting. Because nearly half of the commission members are new, we did not get very far along in formulating something to present formally to the Council. There are some clear themes, however: • a greater focus on multi - modal /complete streets /active transportation; • a focus on transportation planning and review of road reconstruction projects to ensure they meet policy goals; • improved sidewalk policies and funding; • improved positioning so Edina has a better chance when applying for grants and other sources of funding; • opportunity to review and advise on the "big" traffic /roadway issues in the city (such as 50th & France, Interlachen /Vernon, and Southdale area); • need for the TSC and /or TS coordinator to collect, map, and provide data on traffic complaints in the city so that this data can be used for transportation planning and project prioritization; • the need to review and revise the ETC Policy, NTMP, and traffic signs, crosswalks, and speed limits policies. The ETC voted to recommend that we hold one regularly scheduled meeting each quarter on camera and additional regular meetings on camera at the discretion of the chair. All meetings would be in the Council Chambers. Off camera meetings would be held around a table set up in the "audience" section of the room, similar to the set up used by the zoning ordinance update committee. Please let me know if there is anything else 1 can provide in preparation for this meeting. Have a great weekend! Jennifer On Feb 25, 2011, at 1:58 PM, Scott Neal wrote: Good Afternoon Jenifer- For the last two commission - Council joint meetings, the agenda for the meeting has also been a joint project. In terms of protocol, I would suggest that you, as the chair of the commission, take a stab at preparing an agenda that has the items that you feel the commission would like to discuss. When that's ready, you can email it to me. I will solicit feedback from Council and staff, and then merge all of that input into one compact coherent agenda. Sound reasonable? Scott Neal, City Manager <ima eOO1. If> 952-826-04011 Fax 952 -826 -0390 g g sneal @ci.edina.mn.us I www.CitvofEdina.com ...For Living, Learning, Raising Families & Doing Business - - - -- Original Message---- - From: Jennifer [mailto:rjmeyovy @comcast.net] Sent: Monday, February 28, 201112:59 PM To: Scott Neal Subject: ETC: Summary Overview and Recommendations Scott, The attached overview of ETC responsibilities and related recommendations was put together in preparation for the joint City Council -ETC meeting tomorrow. It has not been discussed by the ETC and should be viewed as my personal opinion. Please distribute to the City Council and appropriate staff. Please also let staff know that I am available to discuss if they have any concerns about any statements. The hope is to share this with the Council before the meeting so that it can inform but not be the focus of our discussions. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! Jennifer Janovy The Role of the ETC: Summary Review and Recommendations The Edina Transportation Commission (ETC) has been excluded from studying and commenting on nearly all matters related to traffic and transportation in Edina, except when explicitly directed to by the Council, or except when ETC involvement has little or no consequence. If the ETC is going to be an effective body, the following issues need to be addressed. The ETC has been excluded from reviewing and commenting on road reconstruction projects. The basis for this appears to be language in the ordinance: Advise the Council on matters relating to the operation of the local street system with respect to traffic volumes, congestion, and functional classification, but not maintenance activities of the City. Staff has interpreted road reconstructions to be maintenance activities and therefore outside the scope of ETC purpose and duties. This overlooks, however, the fact that road reconstruction projects now rarely put streets back exactly as they were. The operation of the street is altered in some way— whether with a narrowed intersection or realignment, installation of center island, or addition of a sidewalk —and these activities fall within the scope of the ETC to review. Further, early in each road reconstruction project, the City sends residents a survey and invites their comments on traffic management concerns. The survey cover letter says the ETC typically reviews traffic issues, implying that residents' comments will be forwarded to the ETC for consideration. The ETC has not been shown these comments, or been given the opportunity to review a feasibility study prior to it being presented to the Council. Although road reconstruction projects naturally provide an opportunity for the ETC to advise the Council on the operation of the local street system (all modes of transportation) and to evaluate and recommend speed and volume mitigation measures where appropriate, the ETC is not given this opportunity. The ETC needs to be included in the road reconstruction process. The ETC has been excluded from reviewing and commenting on resident traffic concerns. The basis for this appears to be staff's interpretation of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) as the only means by which the ETC is presented resident traffic concerns, and the only process by which the ETC addresses resident traffic concerns. The NTMP is the City's policy for how requests for traffic calming are handled. It provides a list of traffic calming measures, including realigned intersections, center islands, gateway treatments, pavement striping, and stop signs —all measures that, over the past few years, have been recommended and implemented as part of road reconstruction projects or upon the Council's approval of a traffic safety report. Yet, even though the ETC has an explicit role in evaluating and recommending traffic calming measures, none of these measures were presented to the ETC prior to staff presenting them to the Council for approval. None of the measures were implemented in accordance with the City's traffic calming policy. Staff has explained that, when a resident contacts them with a traffic concern, the traffic safety coordinator typically gathers data and then, depending on the specifics, presents the concern to the Traffic Safety Committee. The purpose and duties of the Traffic Safety Committee have not been formally defined. On the surface, their purpose is to review requests for crosswalks and regulatory signs. A review of traffic safety reports shows that, most often, when a resident requests a stop sign, for example, it is not because they want the City to assign vehicle right -of -way at an intersection (the regulatory purpose of a stop sign), but because they are concerned about speeds and volume on the street and believe a stop sign will deter vehicles or slow them down (the perceived traffic calming purpose of a stop sign). The Traffic Safety Committee, however, does not distinguish the requests. As a rule, stop sign requests are denied. In fact, a review of traffic safety reports shows that most resident requests for speed and volume mitigation that are funneled through the Traffic Safety Committee are denied. The problem, whether actual or perceived, remains. A significant number of these concerns are related to pedestrians' perception of safety. Staff has said that when a resident contacts them with a traffic safety concern, they advise the resident of the NTMP. Since the policy was adopted by the Council in 2005, no requests for speed or volume mitigation measures have been taken through the NTMP process. The NTMP requires objective data to support a concern; a defined level of agreement among residents within an impacted area of the problem and proposed solution; and multi -step involvement by the ETC and City Council through an open process. Under the NTMP, a center island narrowing, for example, can't be suggested by just one resident and then rolled into a street reconstruction project. Objective criteria must be satisfied. The NTMP allows any individual — including staff —to file an NTMP application. It is not necessary that residents do this themselves. When a resident contacts staff with a traffic concern, staff can fill out the NTMP application and complete a "preliminary review and priority ranking" (steps 1 and 2 in the NTMP process). The data that is gathered for a preliminary review is the type of data that the traffic safety coordinator gathers anyway. The ETC could then be informed of the traffic concern and a discussion held about whether the concern should go through the Traffic Safety Committee process or the NTMP. If likely to result in traffic calming, targeted enforcement, or a public education campaign, it is clear the Council has established the NTMP as the policy that should be followed. The ETC has been excluded from reviewing and participating in a timely and meaningful way on projects or studies for which the City has received grants or other special funding. For example, the ETC was not included in the Safe Routes to School study or its recommendations; the Transit for Livable Communities grant for bicycle facilities; the Interlachen trail; the proposed pedestrian bridge over France Avenue; and the France Avenue Corridor Study. 3 Information on some of these projects has not been shared with the ETC even though it has been requested, and no information has been shared to allow the ETC to participate through review or comment in a timely and meaningful way. If the ETC is to be an effective body, information must be shared with the ETC and the ETC must be given the opportunity to review and comment on major transportation projects within the City in a timely and meaningful way. Staff does include the ETC in projects when explicitly directed to by the Council. Examples are the Northeast Edina Transportation Study; the W. 70th Street Study; and the speed limit on W. 66th Street. The initial Country Club feasibility study, however, included traffic calming and came to the Council for approval without review by the ETC. The W. 66th Street speed limit came to the Council in a traffic safety committee report. It is unlikely the ETC would have been involved in any of these issues if the Council had not explicitly directed. The question is whether staff should require the Council's explicit direction before including the ETC, or whether this direction is implicit in the Council's establishment of the ETC and adoption of the NTMP policy. Although residents reasonably assume the ETC reviews road reconstruction projects, when the ETC has asked, at times, for information on upcoming projects, staff has directed the ETC to the road reconstruction map online. Although residents reasonably assume the ETC reviews resident traffic concerns, when the ETC asked for a copy of the cover letter and survey sent to residents in conjunction with road reconstruction projects (the one that says the ETC typically handles traffic concerns), copies were not provided and survey results have never been shared. When the ETC asked to review and be allowed to comment on traffic safety reports before they are sent to the Council, the request was denied. Allowing the ETC to comment would not have slowed the process. The resistance and lack of information has made it difficult for the ETC to be effective. A look at ETC agendas over the past few years shows our regular meetings have consisted primarily of presentations for informational purposes only —such as on Transit Link, MnPass, and the Mn /DOT rail plan —and opportunities to take action have been limited almost exclusively to in areas in which ETC involvement has little or no consequence. The ETC role in reviewing the transportation impacts of proposed developments is an example. Recently, the Planning Commission voted "to recommend that the Edina Transportation Commission be eliminated from the development review process." If this responsibility is removed from the ETC, the ETC will, essentially, have no business brought to it by staff other than informational presentations and those issues that staff is explicitly directed by the Council to bring. In this case, there is no reason for an ETC. The public education benefits of informational presentations can be achieved through other means. That said, it is clear there is a great deal of work that the ETC could, should, and is willing to do. The key to an effective ETC is not necessarily a rewritten ordinance or policies; the key is including the ETC in those activities that are and have always been within the commission's scope of responsibilities. 'CIA 1 ow e vA- a? 0 MINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, February 17, 2011 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Katherine Bass, Thomas Bonneville, Ann Braden, Sarah Jennifer Janovy, Paul Nelson, Bodhe Scheerer, Elin Schold p MEMBERS ABSENT: Jean White STAFF PRESENT: Jack Sullivan, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by chair.Juanovy. 11. Welcome New Members Chair Janovy welcomed new members Michafel Thompson, and Katherine Bass to the commission. 1111. Approval of M a. Regular M Commissioner Nels seconded by Commi The following correctabns being spry sent; show B attendance list; page 2,`4 "...four`Vth4ins a day eacj ROW maV be needed f approve min the Davis. , n, Nathan Franzen, �l Thompson Id Davis, Ann Braden to approve the minutes of November 18 and the motion was 5f,,4anuary 20, 2011`` ere made to the January 20 minutes: show Elin Schold Davis as e Scheerer as being absent; delete Nathan Franzen from the .,,. paragraph;; 5th line change "is" to was; 6th paragraph, 2nd line add direction "traveling...'; last line add "...in Edina, where additional construction of upgrades." Commissioner Bonneville moved to vrpctions and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Schold IV. Consent Agenda;; -, %' a. Traffic Safety Report for February 2, 2011 Commissioner Bonneville said it is too bad that the ETC cannot pick 2 -3 issues to be looked at such as France Avenue /Crosstown intersection to TH -494 stoplights that malfunctions often. He said there are many signals and you can either speed to miss them, or drive slow and stop at each one. He asked if the ETC should look into this. Mr. Sullivan said France Avenue is a county road and that the University of Minnesota recently completed a study and the county and has optimized the signals based on the study. Mr. Sullivan said he could get the report for the ETC. Commissioner Braden asked how issues are brought forward. Assistant City Engineer Sullivan explained that Boyd Tate, the City's Traffic Safety Coordinator (and a retired Minneapolis police officer) is contacted, looks at issues, gathers data, followed by a meeting of the Traffic Safety Committee (TSC) made up of himself, city engineer, police traffic supervisor, city planner, traffic safety coordinator and sign coordinator, to see if the issues are within policy or see if there are other ways to mitigate the concerns. The TSC makes its recommendation to the Council. He said issues such as crosswalks, no parking signs, and stop signs are considered regulatory type issues. V. Community Comment None. VI. New Business a. Review ad 1500); Chair Janovy said a roster will be available to they name, address, email and /or phone. She said tha number or email address are required. Both email ar commissioners may include both if they want to. She an give any changes or corrections to Ms. Allison . requested to have their cell phone numbersr..emoved Chair Janovy discussed the following: schedule (Section iblic that includes each commissioner's name, address and either ;a telephone telephone number are not- 'required, but sked,'cemmissioners to review the roster Jmmissioners Engbretson and Scheerer orn- roster. • Meeting schedule for the entire the yearn • Open meeting law uvh'rch she said app-l16d jo the ETC because they are advisory to the Council. She explained that communication should be one way only and emails should not reach a quorum because t en you've; had a meeting. She stated further that they should avoid discussions on Facebook or other social media where a quorum could be reached and also to. avoid 'serial meetings (communication with one to the next to the • Oi`dirance Section .x1500 the ETC is advisory only to the Council and does not direct • Attendance requirement;- can 'only miss 25% or three consecutive meetings. She said attendance at committee'of the whole meetings is optional. Commissioners are to contact Mr. Sullvan,if not able to'attend a meeting. • Bylaws shoo; d„be,;:corr ng which would be rules of procedures, dealing with working groups and how they`are formed, etc. Mr. Sullivan said the City Clerk did a draft for the ETC to review o"he next meeting. He said the ETC's draft was taken from the Energy Environment Commission's bylaws. • Park Board asked Council if they need to meet on camera every time and Council has asked each commission for a recommendation. After discussion, a motion was made by Commissioner Franzen for the ETC to meet on camera auarterly and that the chair would have discretion regarding other meetings. Commissioner Thompson amended the motion to add holding the meetings in the Council Chamber. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Braden. All voted ave. Motion passed. 2 Review ETC Purpose and Duties (Section 1509) Mr. Sullivan said each commission was asked to look at their purpose and duties. He said this discussion will set the table for the March 1 work session with the ETC and Council. Chair Janovy said the ordinance is already written but the Council will consider changes. She said there is awareness that the ETC may have outgrown its original purpose and duties and that the Council is not expecting all the changes on March 1. Mr. Sullivan suggested getting the draft minutes to the ETC and Council prior to March 1. Chair Janovy said this past summer, they began discussion on the ETC's scope and responsibilities and are now returning to this discussion. Sharing perspective from this past summer' discussions, Commissioner Franzen said he felt the purpose and scope of the ETC, as written, is narrow and that it should be expanded to incorporate a more multi -modal approach to transportation planning and review —for example, xrore of a focus on mass transit and becoming a walkable community rather than just ;focusing on traffic volumes and congestion. Chair Janovy suggested Mankato's ordinance as an eXam,ple. Commissioner Bonneville said they have a duty to look at the bigr pficture and referenced areas such as Southdale, 50t" & France, and the 50t" extension',",: o XJerry's area because Fthere are conflicts involved in these areas. Chair Janovy said most of these things :are currently handled by staff and asked if he's suggesting that the ETC handle them. Cornm 'issioner Bonneville said they could come from staff or the ETC. Chair Janovy asked i tie was suggesting they identify hot spots similar to what was done by the Local Traffic Task Fbrce, the precursor to the ETC. He said the Council could, Planning Commission (PC) could ror ask them to team up together. Commissioner Bass said she would prefer W ose_the modes as a lens to evaluate all traffic and how all modes serve the networks i e I pedestrJans, bike, transit, etc. Commissioner Braden aak6d' Af the ETC has tII discussed. She asked Jf.there are certain thing liked the idea of expanding to modebut mayb routes to school, and since they a* a citizen staff and consulting engineers. Chair: Janovy & the policies and that they area expectedao t Commissioner Braden asked if they are cones °i only m,ak %recom mend ations e chnical.expertise to evaluate what is being it a PE would do and not her. She said she -e of an advocate for complete streets, safe isory group, make a link between citizens, iey are advisory to Council, but do not write some degree of technical understanding. about liabilities. Chair Janovy said the ETC Commissioner Schold Davts;.suggested looking at demographic changes that are projected for Edina and ,how designs will affect pedestrians, older drivers, and other user groups. Commission" s "r Franzen suggested evaluating connections within the city based upon multi - modal routes He :,said the northwest area where he lives feels detached from Edina. Chair Janovy asked if a= iack`fot sidewalk may be the issue and if current sidewalk policy is not working should they create a funding source? Commissioner Thompson said he liked the discussion and suggested that staff could come to the ETC to show how Complete Streets is included in street reconstruction projects. Chair Janovy said the practice is generally not to involve the ETC with street reconstruction projects. She cited a questionnaire that is sent out to residents within project areas that asks about traffic issues and the result of the questionnaire is not shared with the ETC, so there are some issues that the ETC is not focusing on. Mr. Sullivan said project areas are compared with the Comp Plan. Chair Janovy asked if it is staff's opinion that the ETC's role is only with the NTMP and therefore no other involvement and Mr. Sullivan replied affirmatively. Chair Janovy said 3 staff does review how a proposed street reconstruction fits within the Comp Plan and Bike Plan, but suggested that if the questionnaire to resident says ETC handles traffic issues, the comments from residents should be given to the ETC. Commissioner Thompson suggested a level of review by the ETC for street reconstruction projects as a way to create connectivity with sidewalks so the decision is not made from neighborhood to neighborhood. Chair Janovy asked how they should handle daily traffic complaints. She said the NMTP has not worked well. She suggested making the TSC a formal process that would be transparent. Commissioner Nelson said the report that they were receiving recently that shows the types of calls that the traffic safety coordinator receives was helpful and hat whey should continue to receive that report. He said it at least would help them to identify patterns or trends. He also said getting regular traffic counts would be helpful. Chair Janovy�said they may not be able to mediate concerns but the data could be helpful. Comm issioner °BonneviIle suggested offering their assistance to the TSC when needed. Commissioner Bass suggested looking at the data in aggregate to help inform prioritization. Chair Janovy asked if the NTMP,should be enhanced to include education before engineering, and if so, v�ould'it be handled bytheTSC? a. Planning Commission's review o Chair Janovy said the Planning Commission (PC) has recommended that they fake over the ETC's responsibility of reviewing Traffic Impact Analy is,(TIN `usually done with developments. She said there is awareness that the,ETC does have rate as defined by the TIA policy and asked whether the ETC and Planning Cotnmission should have a joint meeting to pass on the responsibility. She also said the ETC could recommend thaf the .Planning Commission not take over review of TIAs. Commissioner Bonn ville sajd he is not comfortable giving responsibility to the PC. Commissioner Nelsor them for review as a conceptFpla would be there like the lie rack` these issues are taken care of as takes over, there W661d continue, there are problems With-,'.,the policy, he suaaested a meeting a v► RK recorr would concurred < that did nc id that tl e ley move `tF .0 be unme ird .with the Janovy_said one thresh6k n,;AUAk study is required. i cited the CVS rplan that was presented to J = ncluxde everything on the plan that they said Y had issuesrwith site circulation. He asked if ugh the process. Chair Janovy said if the PC eeds; she's suggested to the PC chair that ►de not calling for a transportation review and 'C: Establishing thresholds for review was iat the PC has recommended is that the ETC Eneegy,Environment Commission Chair Janovy said Edina is a;GreenStep Cities and that the chair of the Energy Environment Commission ;.,has asked if the ETC could do a review to see if they are meeting the requirements�through ordinances. Chair Janovy said she is not sure what they are expected to do and staff was also uncertain. Chair Janovy said she will follow -up to get clarification and Mr. Sullivan will check ,, Vith JJesse Struve, the staff liaison, and report back. VII. Bike Edina Task,!Force Update (Commissioner Janovy) Chair Janovy said the BETF voted to support NICE Ride in Edina at 44t" & France and 50t" & France as first priority. VIII. Staff Comments a. Work Session with Council on March 1, 2011 A work session is scheduled for 3/1, 5 -7 p.m. with the Council in the Community Room. IX. Commission Comments In r� Commissioner Nelson said there is an upcoming meeting for the SW LRT and he will give an update report at the next ETC meeting. Commissioner Engbretson said she's noticed signs around Lake Harvey area saying no to curb and gutter. Mr. Sullivan said a neighborhood project is planned to include curb & gutter and at the public hearing, the water quality of the pond was raised and approval of the project was postponed until staff could meet with the watershed district. A follow -up meeting with residents is scheduled for February 22. Mr. Sullivan said staff will still be recommending curb & gutter and it was determined that of the 34 acres around the lake, only 4 is owned by the City; therefore treatment options would need to be done by the residents on aheir private property. Commissioner Braden asked how is agendas put communicates with Mr. Sullivan and others can also send currently working on solicitina federal funds and Mr_ f imp Cor X. Mei Chair Janovy said she . She asked if the City is T no, staff is working to