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Home My WebLink About2010-11-18 Meeting PacketAGENDA Regular Meeting of the Edina Transportation Commission 6:00 PM, Thursday, November 18, 2010 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers I. Call to Order II. Introduction of City Manager Scott Neal III. Approval of Minutes a. Regular Meeting of October 21, 2010 *+ IV. Consent Agenda a. Traffic Safety Report for October 6, 2010 *# b. Traffic Safety Report for November 3, 2010 # V. Community Comment VI. New Business Ka. Richfield Traffic Control Requese+ t,b1 Whole Foods Transportation Study*-E e)2e. Complete Street — Jack Broz* VII. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Schroeder) # VIII. Bike Edina Task Force Update (Commissioner Janovy) a. October 14, 2010 meeting minutes * IX. Commission Comments X. Adjournment * Attachment included + Item requiring action by the ETC # Item for information only During "Public Hearings," the Chair will ask for public comment after City staff members make their presentations. If you wish to speak on the topic, you are welcome to do so as long as your comments are relevant to the discussion. To ensure fairness to all speakers and to allow the efficient conduct of a public hearing, speakers must observe the following guidelines: Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes or less. The Chair will modify presentation times, as deemed necessary. Try not to repeat remarks or points of view made by prior speakers and limit comments to the matter under consideration. In order to maintain a comfortable environment for all those in attendance, the use of signs, clapping, cheering or booing or any other form of verbal or nonverbal communication is not allowed. During "Public Comments," the Chair will ask to hear from those in attendance who would like to speak about something not on the agenda. Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes or less and cannot speak to an issue for which a public hearing was previously held and closed or a matter scheduled for a future hearing. Individuals should not expect the [Board or Commission] to respond to their comments. Instead, the [Board or Commission] might direct the matter to staff for consideration at a future meeting. The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing amplification, an interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. GAEngineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Traffiffransportation CommissiorMgendas\2010 Agendas\20101118_agenda.docx :2:-/e/tA /1/. Q., VI MINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, October 21, 2010 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Jennifer Janovy, Michael Schroeder, Josh Sprague, Tom Bonneville, Nathan Franzen, Jean White, MEMBERS ABSENT: Geof Workinger, Paul Nelson, Sarah Engbretson STAFF PRESENT: Jack Sullivan, Sharon Allison I. Call to Order The meeting was called order by chair Janovy. II. Approval of Minutes a. Regular Meeting of September 16, 2010 Commissioner Schroeder moved to approve the minutes of September 16, with the following corrections: Item VII.a. Delete "...said Phase I if ETC wants to be informed about..." and add '...reported that construction of Phase I (bicycle route for which the City received a Transit for Livable Communities grant) is scheduled for 2011. She said the BETF would like to be kept informed and asked if the ETC should also have a role in receiving information about and/or commenting on this project.' The motion was seconded by Commissioner White. All voted aye. Ill. Consent Agenda a. Traffic Safety Report of September 1, 2010 Chair Janovy said clarity is needed in understanding the requirement for establishing bike lanes. She asked if it is with a resolution or ordinance and said W. 58th is being done using neither. Assistant city engineer Sullivan said W. 70th Street is the only other street that Council has approved for bike lanes and it was done with a resolution. Mr. Sullivan will get clarification and report back. Regarding the calls received from residents, chair Janovy asked how is traffic safety issues defined and when is an issue forwarded to the Traffic Safety Committee. Mr. Sullivan said Mr. Tate, traffic safety coordinator, being a retired police office is given some liberty in deciding what moves forward. He said Mr. Tate's first attempt is to educate callers. He said further that issues such as speeding are referred to the NTMP while regulatory-related issues go directly to the Traffic Safety Committee. Regarding the discussion about Xerxes Avenue, Commissioner Bonneville said he is interested in the ETC getting the ADT for the entire length of Xerxes and York Avenues from TH-494 to the crosstown to begin a long term analysis. Commissioner Schroeder moved to approve the Traffic Safety Report of September 1, 2010, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Franzen. All voted aye. IV. Community Comment None. <•t' r\ V. New Business ()) a. State Aid Road Reconstruction Planning Mr. Sullivan said similar to neighborhood street reconstruction, there is a schedule for State Aid streets. He said these streets are funded by gas tax funds and the City generally receives $1.2 million annually. He said residents are assessed 20% of the cost and the balance is paid by State Aid funds. State Aid streets scheduled for reconstruction in 2011 are W. 44th Street from France Avenue to TH-100, and W. 70th Street from France Avenue to TH-100. b. Truck Routes in Edina Chair Janovy said an email was received from a resident regarding truck traffic on Gleason Road which was handled by the Traffic Safety Committee and the Traffic Safety Report dated October 19 was approved by Council with minor correction. Mr. Sullivan said this issue is raised by residents quite often, and while the City can set truck routes, the preference is not to do so for various reasons, example, difficult to enforce, expensive for signage, impeding deliveries on non-truck routes and, most residents would not favor their street becoming a truck route. Additionally, trucks cannot be eliminated from State Aid roads such as Gleason Road. Discussion included when do you change or eliminate a code and Mr. Sullivan said when it comes to staff's attention; how influential is the City over County roads and Mr. Sullivan said staff has a good working relationship with the County and they do seek the City's input and recommendation; should the ETC be made aware, of the County's plans and Mr. Sullivan said they do have a similar plan like the City's; ETC looking at W. 76th Street to see if opportunities exist to sign it as a truck route; and spring load restrictions which is set by Mn/DOT and followed by the City. c. Xerxes Avenue Overview Mr. Sullivan said Mn/DOT is planning to replace the Xerxes Avenue Bridge over TH-494 and have solicited input from the cities of Bloomington, Edina and Richfield, and Hennepin County. He said replacing the bridge was approved as far back as 10 years ago as part of Mn/DOT's long range forecasting. Plans include a bike route but does not include on/off ramps because the intersection spacing criteria (both federal and state) does not allow the appropriate distance for the weaving of the ramps. Mr. Sullivan said the bridge is outside the City limits but Edina will be impacted by its traffic. Construction is expected to begin in 2011 at a cost of $16 million. ver c•cp 4f.,ktS %A*. During discussion Mr. Sullivan was asked about the France Avenue Bridgend he said the County should be in discussion with Mn/DOT over the winter. He was also asked about the process for public input on a decision that was made 10 years ago. Mr. Sullivan said planning probably began 15 years ago and moving forward, they should probably see what Mn/DOT's long range plan is for 20-30 years out. He said he is not aware of crosstown being on their radar. 2 d. W. 60th Street/France Avenue Chair Janovy said a resident is concerned that the restriping of France Avenue would cause cars traveling westbound on W. 60th Street and wanting to go southbound on France to cause cueing and that drivers would divert to W. 58th Street. Mr. Sullivan said W. 60th Street is a T-intersection that meets clear zone requirements and has had 18 accidents within the past 10 years, with five personal injuries; W. 58th Street he said is a 4-way intersection with 17,000 cars passing through and it has had 54 accidents within the past 10 years with 18 personal injuries. He said many of the accidents were associated with the 2-lanes being driven as 4-lanes and in the past 21/2 months since the restriping there have not been any accidents and the police department has even commented on how civil traffic has been. He said some drivers may choose to go to W. 58th Street and as a State Aid road, it is signalized to carry more traffic. Mr. Sullivan said it is hard to see how the intersection can be improved upon to change the W. 60th Street left movement without installing a traffic signal and neither the City nor the County is interested in putting in a signal. In the short term, Mr. Sullivan said the redesign appears to be working, and he suggested taking another look in one year. Commissioner Bonneville asked if the Traffic Safety Committee has looked at the possibility of removing the signal at W. 58th Street and changing it to a 4-way, and changing W. 60th Street to a 3-way because it feels like an extension of W. 50th Street. Mr. Sullivan said they have not but this would mirror Xerxes and W. 60th Street. e. Three Rivers Park District — ETC role in the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail Chair Janovy said after the Park Board meeting, she received several emails from people asking if the ETC was going to weigh-in on recommending a bike route and alignment. She said she would like the ETC to decide what their role should be. She said a public hearing is scheduled for December 7 for the Council to select an alignment (creek bed or road base) but they would not know for three years how the trail would interact with the road. During discussion, it was noted that the trail would be running close to backyards and chair Janovy said the focus should be on where the ETC has authority. She said when the alignment is chosen they will have an important role to play. Commissioner White motion that they not make a recommendation on the proposed trail alignment and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Sprague. All voted aye. VI. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Schroeder) Commissioner Schroeder said they continue to work on amendments to ordinances related to PUDs; conditional use permits related to a recent Supreme Court ruling, and driveway widths. VII. Bike Edina Task Force Update (Commissioner Janovy) Chair Janovy said their focus was on the Bicycle Friendly Community application which is a designation that cities can receive and the process is a useful tool to identify where the City can improve and have a long range vision. She said also that there is a sense that the BETF would like to be communicated with regarding biking infrastructure such as W. 58th Street. 3 VIII. Staff Liaison Comments a. 70th Street Reconstruction Update Mr. Sullivan said the preconstruction meeting took place today with the contractor. He said the work will be done from the west working easterly and that there would be some road closure in certain areas. He said the ETC will continue to receive updates. Mr. Sullivan said Commissioners should have received an invitation in their packet to attend a workhop. He said a reception is scheduled for the new city manager and that he will be attending the next meeting to introduce himself. IX. Commissioners Comments None. X. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. 4 Transportation Commission Jack Sullivan, PE Assistant City En November 18, 2010 Traffic Safety Report for Oct.19 And Nov. 3,2010 Agenda Item No.: IV.a and IV.b ACTION: Recommendation/Motion Discussion V Information To: From: Date: Subject: Item IV. A/13 Page 1 of 1 Edina Transportation Commission REGULAR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING REPORT/RECOMMENDATION Info/Background: This Traffic Safety Reports were submitted to the Edina City Council for action at their October 19th and November 3 rd regularly scheduled meeting. The Edina Transportation Commission has requested a copy of Traffic Safety Reports acted on by City Council. GAEngineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\Transportation Commission\Agendas\2010 R&R\20101118_Item.IV.AB_Traffic_Safety.docx Revised and approved by Council: Section B.1 — Staffs recommendation. REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: MAYOR AND COUNCIL Agenda Item Item No: IV.D. From: Boyd Tate Traffic Safety Coordinator X Action Discussion Date: October 19, 2010 Information Subject: Traffic Safety Report of October 6, 2010 ACTION REQUESTED: Review and approve Traffic Safety Staff Review of Wednesday, October 6, 2010. BACKGROUND: It is not anticipated that residents will be in attendance at the Council meeting regarding any of the attached issues. ATTACHMENTS: Traffic Safety Review for October 6, 2010. ....r74.sti-t I V TRAFFIC SAFETY STAFF REVIEW Wednesday, October 6, 2010 The staff review of traffic safety matters occurred on October 6, 2010. Staff present included the City Engineer, Assistant City Engineer, Assistant City Planner, Traffic Safety Coordinator, Sign Coordinator and Police Traffic Supervisor. From that review, the recommendations below are provided. On each of the items, persons involved have been contacted and the staff recommendation has been discussed with them. They were also informed that if they disagree with the recommendation or have additional facts to present, they can be included on the October 19, 2010, Council Agenda. SECTION A: Requests on which staff recommends approval of request: 1. Request to have Creek Valley Road east of Gleason Road designated as a "School Zone" roadway with reduced speed limit signs to modify the existing School Zone. Staff recommends approval of the request to have Creek Valley Road designated as a School Zone with reduced speed limit signs. See attached memorandum and map. 2. Request to remove the "Dead End" sign located on the center island at the intersection of Bruce Avenue and Bruce Place. This request comes from residents who feel the sign is no longer needed. Residents are in the process of planning a new look for this center island and feel the sign would be a distraction. The grass island (with curb) also has a street light and small tree. Staff feels that the sight lines are such that any motorist would immediately realize that this is a no-outlet street and see no reason to keep this sign on the center island. Staff recommends approval of the request to remove the "Dead End" sign from the center grass island at the intersection of Bruce Avenue and Bruce Place. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 1 of 4 October 6, 2010 5/5 SECTION B: Requests on which staff recommends denial of request: Request to ban large trucks from Gleason Road north of W. 78th Street. This request comes from a resident on the 7600 block of Gleason Road who is concerned with the volume of large trucks that use Gleason Road. The requestor states that she sees semi-tractors, car carriers, etc. using Gleason Road at various times of the day. This stretch of Gleason Road is a residential area. Requestor is asking that Gleason Road be posted "Not a Truck Route" and enforce this ban. Gleason Road, from West 78th Street north to Valley View Road is designated as a "Collector" street. As a result of this request, a traffic study was conducted for a period of seven full days and two half days. A total of 8,847 vehicles were counted during this period. The axel classification data showed that out of 8,847 vehicles, 24 were large trucks. Gleason Road has an average daily traffic count of 1,251 vehicles with an 85th-percentile speed of 35.0 mph. Four property damage traffic accidents have been reported on this stretch of Gleason Road since 2001. Edina Police informed staff that the City of Edina has no designated truck routes within the City. Gleason Road is also a designated "State Aid" street and trucks cannot be banned from such roadways. Staff recommends the denial of the request to ban all large trucks from Gleason Road north of West 78th Street because Gleason Road is a designated State Aid street. 2. Request from South View Middle School to have the City place mid-street pedestrian crossing signs in the two pedestrian crosswalks in front of their building or otherwise enhance these crosswalks to make them more visible. This request comes from the school as a result of a recent hit and run accident to a parked vehicle as well as concerns for the safety of students. In the past, the City has placed mid-street signs at these two locations. However, parking is also allowed at these crosswalks which make the driving lanes narrower. The signs are no longer placed at these two locations because they were continuously hit by school busses making turns from St. Andrews Avenue and Dalrymple road and were badly damaged. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 2 of 4 October 6, 2010 tv5 The crosswalks in question are the new in-lay design and are properly signed. There are also advanced warning signs alerting motorists in both directions. The City was forced to put up "Do Not Park in Crosswalk" signs due to the fact that parents were parking on the crosswalks while waiting to pick up their children. Staff has had discussions with school officials and suggested several alternatives to make sure students use these crosswalks and that motorists, most of them parents picking up students, yield to the pedestrians. Staff suggested a "Blitz" to educate parents and students alike by handing out flyers and contacting parents via e-mails, etc. It was suggested that more staff be present during start/end times and students who violated crossing rules be handed a "form" that had to be read and signed by both the student and parent and then returned. Staff has observed parents dropping off students in the middle of the block with the student crossing there and not going to the crosswalk. Staff feels that educating both the students and the parents would make crossing the street much safer. Staff feels that these crosswalks are well marked and signed and that signs placed in the middle of the street would continue to be damaged. The signs cost $265.00 each and weighs about 60 lbs. These bus/sign accidents also cause damage to the busses. Staff recommends the denial of the request for mid-street pedestrian signs for the above stated reasons. 3. Request to enhance the bus stop located in front of 4942 France Avenue by painting the curb yellow to prevent motorists from parking there. This request comes from an employee of the barber shop at the above location who states that motorists will frequently park at the bus stop and leave their vehicle unattended for a few minutes to use one of the businesses. If a bus comes along traffic is tied up while the bus uses the driving lane to pick up and drop off passengers. Requestor feels that a painted curb would make this no parking zone more visible. Hennepin County has always denied our requests for any changes to the 50th and France area. Staff is of the opinion that a painted curb would not prevent someone from parking their vehicle and that the paint would not be visible during the winter months. Also, painting this curb would not be consistent with other bus stops. Staff feels that strict enforcement at this bus stop would be a better solution. The EPD states it will make enforcement here a priority. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 3 of 4 October 6, 2010 Staff recommends the denial of the request to paint the curb at the bus stop in front of 4942 France Avenue for the above stated reasons. 4. Request to ban all bicycle traffic from City sidewalks. This request comes from a resident on Comanche Court who had a near miss with an adult on a bicycle while crossing Highway 62 on Gleason Road. He states the sidewalk narrows at the bridge over Highway 62 and a bicyclist almost hit him as he was walking on the sidewalk. The Edina Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Supervisor states that Edina does not have a City Ordinance that bans bicycle riders from sidewalks. In fact, he stated that officers would much rather see children riding on sidewalks, where provided, than in the streets. Staff recommends the denial of the request to ban bicycles from City sidewalks for lack of City Code. SECTION C: Requests that are deferred to a later date or referred to others. Request to enhance the four way stop signs on Maloney Avenue at Arthur Street to make them more visible. This street is scheduled for reconstruction. 2. Request for painted pedestrian crosswalks at all intersections on France Avenue that are controlled by traffic lights from West 50th Street to Highway 494. Consult with Hennepin County & City of Minneapolis. 3. Request for a "No Parking Here to Alley" sign to be placed adjacent to the alley just to the west of 4409 Country Club Road. Survey letter to be sent. 4. Request to do something about the high traffic volumes on Tracy Avenue at Valley View Road to make it easier to make left turns during peak hours. Further review and study. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 4 of 4 October 6, 2010 _:T---/e/". iv. REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: MAYOR AND COUNCIL Agenda Item Item No: 111.1. From: Boyd Tate Traffic Safety Coordinator X Action Discussion Information Date: November 16, 2010 Subject: Traffic Safety Report of November 3, 2010. ACTION REQUESTED: Review and approve Traffic Safety Staff Review of Wednesday, November 3, 2010. BACKGROUND: It is not anticipated that residents will be in attendance at the Council meeting regarding any of the attached issues. ATTACHMENTS: Traffic Safety Review for November 3, 2010. TRAFFIC SAFETY STAFF REVIEW Wednesday, November 3, 2010 The staff review of traffic safety matters occurred on November 3, 2010. Staff present included the City Engineer, Assistant City Engineer, City Planner, Traffic Safety Coordinator and Sign Coordinator. From that review, the recommendations below are provided. On each of the items, persons involved have been contacted and the staff recommendation has been discussed with them. They were also informed that if they disagree with the recommendation or have additional facts to present, they can be included on the November 16, 2010, Council Agenda. SECTION A: Requests on which staff recommends approval of request: 1. Request that all intersections within the City that are controlled by traffic signals also have marked and painted pedestrian crosswalks (C-agenda item from October 19, 2010). This request comes from an Edina resident who is concerned with the safety of pedestrians throughout the City. The total traffic signals within the City are 54. Ownership and maintenance are as follows: City of Edina — 14; City of Minneapolis — 6; Hennepin County — 26; MnDOT —8. Mn/DOT and Hennepin County have their own established policies regarding pedestrian crosswalks. Minneapolis traffic signals are in compliance with the request (8-inch line type markings). Almost all City owned traffic signals are currently in compliance, or will be in compliance with this request by November 16, 2010. Hennepin County's policy states "County not required to mark the crossing at intersections (signalized or unsignalized). If crossings are marked then the local agency (City) is required to pay for and maintain markings. Installation per MN MUTCD. Painted crosswalks are typically "zebra" style markings." Staff will continue working with Mn/DOT and Hennepin County on this issue. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 1 of 4 November 3, 2010 3/5 See Attachment A-1. Staff recommends approval for pedestrian crosswalks at all signalized intersections that are owned and maintained by the City of Edina because we are already, or will be, in compliance with this request by November 16, 2010. 2. Request to enhance the signs at W. 70th Street and Antrim Road that state "Traffic From Left/Right Does Not Stop" making them more visible to motorists. This request comes from a resident who had a near collision at this intersection recently. Requestor feels that the signs are not visible enough. W . 7e Street and Antrim Road is a four leg, three-way stop intersection. West bound 70th Street traffic is not required to stop. There are two advisory signs at the intersection. South bound Antrim Road traffic must stop at W. 70th Street. Directly under this stop sign is an advisory sign that states "Traffic From Left Does Not Stop." North bound Antrim Road traffic must stop at W. 70th Street. An advisory sign here states that "Traffic From Right Does Not Stop." These advisory signs are 24" x 12" and are attached to the stop sign post directly under the stop sign. W. 70th Street has an average Mon.-Fri. daily traffic count of 5,645 vehicles with an 85th-percentile speed of 28.1 mph. Antrim Road has a Mon.-Fri. daily traffic count of 4,104 with an 85th-percentile speed of 36.4 mph. There have been three property damage traffic accidents at this intersection from 2001-2009 (one rear end, one right angle and one not specified). The design of this intersection is due to a hill for west bound traffic and the fact that these are concrete streets. Concrete becomes slippery during the winter months and vehicles and school busses would have a difficult time negotiating this hill if west bound motorists were required to stop. Staff feels that these signs can be enhanced by adding a 24" x 4" bright orange highlight bar to the stop sign post. Staff recommends approval for the installation of a 24" x 4" bright orange highlight bar to the stop sign post, in both directions, to make these advisory signs more noticeable. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 2 of 4 November 3, 2010 3. Request to install "No Parking - Begin Loading/Unloading" and "No Parking - End Loading/Unloading" along the west side of France Avenue for approximately 60 feet near the pedestrian walkway between Salut Bar Americain and Edina Grill. This request comes from staff working with the 5e and France Business Association and their members to facilitate a temporary valet parking program. This trial program will run from November 17, 2010 to December 31, 2010. Staff recommends requesting Hennepin County to authorize the City of Edina to install the "No Parking — Begin Loading/Unloading Only" and "No Parking — End Loading/Unloading Only" signs along the west side of France Avenue near the pedestrian walkway. SECTION B: Requests on which staff recommends denial of request: 1. Request for a "No Parking Here to Alley" sign 30-feet west of the alley behind 4405 Country Club Road. This request comes from two residents that use this alley to access their driveways. Requestors state that a neighbor parks two SUV type vehicles next to the alley entrance/exit making it difficult to see cross traffic when exiting the alley. Country Club Road is currently restricted to "No Parking Anytime" on the north side of the street. Parking is permitted on the south side. The sign being requested would have to go on the south side of the street on property other than the requestors and would take away parking in front of 4901 Browndale Avenue. A letter was sent to the home owner of 4901 Browndale asking for input on this request. This resident does not want any additional parking restrictions in front of their home. This resident states that the two SUV type vehicles do not belong to them but to the family across the street. There are no clear view issues at this location. Cars legally parked do not pose a safety issue for a driver that uses due regard for safety when exiting this alley. Edina City Code 1400.10 sub 1-B states that "No vehicles shall park within five feet of the intersection of any public or private driveway or alley." Requestors have been advised to call police if a violation occurs. Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 3 of 4 November 3, 2010 5/5 Staff recommends the denial of the request for a "No Parking Here to Alley" sign at the above location due to the survey letter response from the affected home owner. 2. Request for a stop sign at the intersection of Limerick Lane and Brook Drive for east and west bound Brook Drive traffic. This request comes from a resident on Creek View Lane who recently witnessed an accident at the above intersection. As a result of this request, a traffic study was conducted from 10/10/2010- 10/25/2010 Limerick Lane had a Mon.-Fri. average daily traffic count of 324 vehicles with an 85th-percentile speed of 32.4 mph on the north leg of the intersection and a count of 433 vehicles with a speed of 30.5 mph on the south leg. Brook Drive had a Mon.-Fri. average daily count of 86 vehicles with a speed of 25.3 mph. on the west leg. The east leg of Brook Drive was not counted (this is a no outlet street). There has been one property damage accident reported from 2001-2009. Warrants are not met for stop signs at this location. Staff recommends the denial of the request for stop signs at the intersection of Limerick Lane and Brook Drive for lack of warrants. SECTION C: Requests that are deferred to a later date or referred to others. 1. Request for a traffic light at the intersection of York Avenue and Parklawn Avenue. (Contact Hennepin County). 2. Request for a "Yield" sign at the intersection of Johnson Drive and Ridge Park Road for west bound Ridge Park Road traffic. (Traffic study to be completed when weather permits). Traffic Safety Staff Review Page 4 of 4 November 3, 2010 Transportation Commission Jack Sullivan, PE Assistant City Engi November 18, 2010 Richfield Traffic Control Request — Xerxes Ave. at 74th and 75th Streets To: From: Date: Subject: Agenda Item No.: VIA ACTION: IX Recommendation/Motion Discussion Information Page 1 of 1 Item VI. A. Edina Transportation Commission REGULAR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING REPORT/RECOMMENDATION Info/Background: The City of Richfield contacted Edina in August to request a stop sign at the west leg of the intersection of 75th Street and Xerxes Avenue and a yield sign at the west leg of 74th Street and Xerxes Avenue. Both signs would be located within the City of Edina as shown in the attached map. This request is in response to a stop sign study and revised Stop Sign Policy enacted in January of 2008. See the graphic titled "Proposed Installation of Stop Sign -2008 -2010" for sign locations in Richfield. The residential stop sign policy assigns right of way to all intersections in town by creating sub-collectors. The Traffic Safety Committee reviewed and denied this request at the September 2010 meeting based on lack of vehicle volume warrants (see attached Edina Stop Sign Policy). This section of Xerxes Avenue has fewer than 250 vehicles per day and no reported crashes. These volumes are substantially lower than the City of Edina warrants. It was requested at the September 25, 2010 City Council meeting that the Edina Transportation Commission review the request. Jeff Pearson from the City of Richfield will make a short presentation outlining the rationale for the request and to show how these signs coordinate with the City's Stop Sign Policy and the pedestrian/bicycling infrastructure in the area. GAEngineering\ Infrastructure\ Streets\Traffiarransportation Commission\Agendas\2010 R&R\20101118_Item.VI.A_Richfield_Stop_Sign_75th.docx Proposed Yield Sign , wvAr-41-±lisT, ..4 - 7 ,, .. , 00 . , 74o9 .. 7408 , .. , -4-'4. ' - - , ' .741"•1.• e) ... ....:4. . ...,..,...:,;:, J - , • , 725 1 i \ wizir '4 , , - - .. _ .. ' 1 .,77429 '1 'i • - --- 7434. , L\ --'-"7":! A ' . ---'i ' ' 7433 7438' ( . Al Proposed Stop Sign City of Edina Proposed Signs WE Engineering Dept September, 2010 31..1 1 II h E- cC .\\\ 0,2lid 1 6:3r d 64t h •-• 77. = ;77 .77 f_ F-7 -7 ▪ I ce-tv— AV- 4 1 - - 777:. .111, 77.),•0= (;41h oo o 0 o ----- _.e ire 0,0 o o o o o 0 ,z,LtrtbLcp_o0o0o0 L2":)0000 C. (1 lit ii th -• -46- 65th %°0°0--)00 `e°--. tr2b • t Alt= -0 "17 10-49' -ORD- c ), • • © %lee. • 1 '10 Oth 7 1st • -• c•• °es •• •• _ VD, :7 t h C 416 0 0 0 0 -.7 0 (3 0 ' • sic ••••••_%16,0 S. S. ..-• -0 • •--• ••__• • - -••••••••-••=1P•040%•••••••n V 0-00-04•••-•• 47. 00 0000 00 0000 00 dp e•••••AP.40-16-4111- 4110.411b 040-411•41,0 • ezDA-40.-)0 • IP- e 01:P 41. OA 1 0 li 1 1.41 . se. le-e qvireVetit % IC % olheeeasoe_isoe. 0 • • - 000000o• 0 00000eS© 4be OP cC- E S EEFE Fi] CC 3 77, II 1 1 11 1 1 50 0 01, 1110 R I I 250 0 Proposed Installation of Stop Sign - 2008-2010 CC E- C.7 SI L E R ID A N 7.4 z ?". E- z 7-7 L4 C. 22 z GA RF I E L D L74 77,1 CC P IL L SB UR Y WE N T WO l f r Fl CC = — r7, 0 o- tt ,,___0_,___ ___,In so, r '1_0 c?) 00D 00 0000 0 _,-,- - 'I 0 L:-. 00003 0 1 0000 a -7 — ,s--.(4,7kira mt1i c - cb°0 cb 00 0 E© 0. 0 _0 0 It r c - 145 © © C 6r10 igt c ©00cC gLiPo p 0 0 0 33 3 0 00 0 0 7 h —0 - • - -0 0 • m_ • Ab Al `-e” • • 00 Q00 00060 g 0t1 1 VE fk•—____0...irta &_•0 "; 6th tIE 1.7 7th Y7,1i77--7 Legend TrafficSignals 0 proposed location-08 • proposed location-09 • proposed location-10 EEESEEE§EEE = f. MULTIWAY STOP SIGNS TRAFFIC POLICY Revised September 1, 2010 City of Edina PURPOSE: The purpose of the multiway stop sign policy is to provide fair and uniform treatment of all requests for multiway, all way, and 4-way stop signs. Multiway stop signs can be an effective safety measure if properly warranted. However, they should not be installed inappropriately where they may be ignored by drivers, needlessly interrupt traffic flow, and negatively affect fuel consumption, the environment, or cause needless noise. A consistent application of the policy serves both the motorist and resident within the City. PROCESS: Your traffic safety concern or request will be formalized by the staff member you have contacted. That person will work with you and gather the pertinent facts and help clearly define the problem and seek a solution. Those facts will be reviewed by the City Engineer, the Police Chief, and the Assistant City Manager. That group will Make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the matter. The staff safety review recommendation will be shared with you. If you disagree with the recommendation or can bring forth additional information and/or facts that are persuasive as related to the City warrants/policies for the requested issue, you can appear at the second Council meeting of the month and present your viewpoint. We suggest you alert any interested parties to attend the meeting with you. In all cases the City Council is the final authority on traffic safety matters. Any subsequent review of the same or similar request is at the discretion of the City Council. POLICY: 1. The provisions of the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) shall be followed. 2. Relevant speed, volumes, accident records and sight obstructions shall be reviewed when considering the installation of a stop sign. 3. Absent engineering data which clearly indicates the need for a multiway stop sign, control devices at an intersection will remain unchanged. G:\Engineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\policies\multi way stop.docx ATTACHMENT G MULTIWAY STOP SIGN POLICY (CONTINUED) 4. Any of the following conditions may warrant a multiway stop sign installation: a. Where traffic control signals are justified, the multiway Stop is an interim measure that can be installed quickly to control traffic while arrangements are being made for the installation of the traffic control signal. b. A crash problem, as indicated by 5 or more reported crashes in a 12-month period that are susceptible to correction by a multi-way stop installation. Such crashes include right- and left-turn collisions as well as right-angle collisions. c. Minimum volumes: 1. The vehicular volume entering the intersection from the major street approaches (total of both approaches) averages at least 300 vehicles per hour for any 8 hours of an average day, and 2. The combined vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle volume entering the intersection from the minor street approaches (total of both approaches) averages at least 200 units per hour for the same 8 hours, with an average delay to minor-street vehicular traffic of at least 30 seconds per vehicle during the highest hour, but 3. If the 85th-percentile approach speed of the major street traffic exceeds 40 mph, the minimum vehicular volume warrants are 70 percent of the above values. d. Where no single criterion is satisfied, but where Criteria B, C.1, and C.2 are all satisfied to 80 percent of the minimum values. Criterion C.3 is excluded from this condition. 5. Multiway stop signs shall not be installed in an attempt to control speed. 6. Multiway stop signs shall not be installed in an attempt to control volume. GAEngineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Traffic\policies\multi way stop.docx TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS Whole Foods Centennial Lakes City of Edina November 10, 2010 Prepared By: W Prepared For: .4 AL/1N MID-AMERICA ESTATE MINNESoTA, Centennial Lakes Plaza, LLC II • • • • • • Id • • • • II Westwood TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS Whole Foods Centennial Lakes City of Edina, Minnesota November 10, 2010 Prepared for City of Edina Mid-America Real Estate-Minnesota, LLC Centennial Lakes Plaza, LLC Prepared by Westwood Professional Services, Inc. Project No. 20101178 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page i November 10, 2010 TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS Whole Foods Centennial Lakes City of Edina, Minnesota REPORT CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that this report was prepared by me or under my direct supervision and that I am a duly Licensed Professional Engineer under the laws of the State of Minnesota. 11 / 10 / 2010 Nicholas J. Erpelding, P.E., PTO Date License No. 44582 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page ii November 10, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vi 1. BACKGROUND 1 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS 4 Traffic Volumes 4 Roadway Geometry and Traffic Control 7 Traffic Operations 10 3. NO-BUILD SCENARIO 15 Traffic Volumes 15 Traffic Operations 19 4. BUILD SCENARIO 22 Trip Generation 22 Trip Distribution 24 Trip Assignment 24 Traffic Volumes 24 Traffic Operations 30 5. TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT 34 Pedestrian 34 Bicycle 34 Transit 36 TDM Strategies 37 6. RECOMMENDATIONS 38 6. APPENDIX 39 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page iii November 10, 2010 FIGURES Figure 1-1. Location Map 1 Figure 1-2. Site Plan 3 Figure 2-1. 2010 Existing PM Traffic Volumes 5 Figure 2-2. 2010 Existing Saturday Traffic Volumes 6 Figure 2-3. 2010 Existing Lane Geometry 9 Figure 2-4. 2010 Existing PM Operational Analysis Detailed Summary 13 Figure 2-5. 2010 Existing Saturday Operational Analysis Detailed Summary 14 Figure 3-1. France Avenue Historical ADT Volumes 15 Figure 3-2. 2013 No-Build PM Traffic Volumes 17 Figure 3-3. 2013 No-Build Saturday Traffic Volumes 18 Figure 3-4. 2013 No-Build PM Operational Analysis Detailed Summary 20 Figure 3-5. 2013 No-Build Saturday Operational Analysis Detailed Summary 21 Figure 4-1. Trip Distribution 25 Figure 4-2. PM Trip Assignment 26 Figure 4-3. Saturday Trip Assignment 27 Figure 4-4. 2013 Build PM Traffic Volumes 28 Figure 4-5. 2013 Build Saturday Traffic Volumes 29 Figure 4-6. 2013 Build PM Operational Analysis Detailed Summary 32 Figure 4-7. 2013 Build Saturday Operational Analysis Detailed Summary 32 Figure 5-1. Pedestrian Connectivity Plan 35 Figure 5-2. Existing Bus Routes and Stops 36 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page iv November 10, 2010 TABLES Table 2-1. 2010 Existing Traffic Operations 11 Table 3-1. Trip Generation Estimates — Infill of Centennial Lakes Existing Vacancies — Gross Trips 16 Table 3-2. Trip Generation Estimates — Infill of Centennial Lakes Existing Vacancies — Gross, Driveway and Net New Trips 16 Table 3-3. 2013 No-Build Traffic Operations 19 Table 4-1. Trip Generation Estimates — Existing Land Uses to be Removed — Gross Trips 22 Table 4-2. Trip Generation Estimates — Proposed Land Use — Gross Trips 22 Table 4-3. Trip Generation Estimates — Existing Land Uses to be Removed + Proposed Land Use — Gross, Driveway and Net New Trips 23 Table 4-4. 2013 Build Traffic Operations 30 Table 4-5. Traffic Operations — Three Scenario Comparison 31 Page v November 10, 2010 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The proposed Whole Foods redevelopment will result in a net decrease in square footage of approximately 2,700 square feet. The nature of the land use, retail, will remain unchanged. The proposed new land use, a Whole Foods grocery store, is likely to generate more traffic per square foot than the existing land uses (Thomasville Furniture and Storables, a general merchandise retailer). However, the magnitude of this increase is small, at 145 new trip ends (78 in, 67 out) during the weekday PM peak hour and 133 new trip ends (69 in, 64 out) during the Saturday Midday peak hour — roughly one additional car entering and exiting per minute. The City's Synchro/SimTraffic traffic model was calibrated to mirror existing conditions before being used to assess future (2013) traffic conditions. Under existing conditions the model showed that the intersections around the perimeter of the Centennial Lakes shopping center (the "study area") operate within acceptable thresholds during both the weekday PM peak hour (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.) and Saturday Midday peak hour (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.). In the future, the model shows that after accounting for potential background growth in area traffic at a rate of 0.5% per year, potential traffic growth associated with infilling of vacancies elsewhere in Centennial Lakes, and additional traffic generated by the proposed Whole Foods redevelopment, traffic operations throughout the study area will remain within acceptable thresholds. No mitigation to accommodate the additional traffic is necessary. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page vi November 10, 2010 W 7711, St Er6ntmo0a11 Pool, Ia W 70111St (.1 Rs A.01,0 Lants01 Tn% H.tek4 1,, ;1 § 'W 70th St Andover Rsi le 1 I Borlare In 0 Co.°" i 1 So School Park I tt a (7 toI 00 W COOS Ott 0 4 -.... <9 5 ! 4.4eor10 Or 2 P P • Fonaell Or S t Gatard Cr 05000 Dr - . vos!',4, Lake EderkPruk Project i Location !, W 760 St tn W 70th St g7- W 70/111 11251 • 715t st Unkedcm e H4 W 71st 102 St W 781h St 47. 0 W 701h St W 766 St W W 701h St 11 Mavere 178,1‘ Hsancn Rd 2 to 01 anao.,‘ -4kAftaw 1.41nnesoIa Do 0 UP -n 3 § .t. —.-- '' t en ip * 4,,, N S,Ali, en WN a Am (C) j 1 14' Z .2 ‘77 4 d P. I o a tg i 1 y.,13101 SI 5 ,57 : . sri W 02nd tot E E W 81st S, 411114` s2nd St 1. BACKGROUND Mid-America Real Estate-Minnesota, LLC and Centennial Lakes Plaza, LLC are proposing to redevelop a portion of the Centennial Lakes retail center in Edina, Minnesota. This site is located on the east side of France Avenue between Parklawn Avenue and West 76th Street. Figure 1-1 Location Map Source: Google Maps Centennial Lakes houses an assortment of approximately 30 retail tenants, ranging in size from 1,000 to 30,000 square feet (leasable area) with an overall total square footage of roughly 200,000 s.f. The proposed redevelopment plan calls for the removal of two of the land uses currently in operation: the roughly 25,700 0: Storables general merchandise store and the approximately 9,300 s.f. Thomasville furniture store. In their place an approximately 32,300 s.f Whole Foods grocery store is to be constructed. The resulting change in site square footage will be a net decrease of 2,700 s.f. Construction is to proceed in one phase, with completion in 2012. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 1 November 10, 2010 Access to and from the site will remain unchanged. Three accesses currently serve the Centennial lakes site, one each from France Avenue, Parklawn Avenue, and West 76th Street. The France Avenue access is limited to right-in/right-out movements only by a median along France Avenue, while the remaining two accesses serve all movements. Intersection control at the France Avenue and Parklawn Avenue driveways is side-street stop control, while the West 761h Street driveway is controlled via traffic signal. Plaza Drive, the east/west driveway accessing France Avenue, divides the site roughly in half. Two drive aisles, termed West Site Drive and East Site Drive for the purposes of this study, intersect Plaza Drive, providing access to parking. The concept site plan, Figure 1-2, details the access locations and site layout in general. The objectives of this study are as follows: 1. Document traffic operations under existing operating conditions. 2. Assess future traffic conditions if the project does not proceed (No-Build scenario). 3. Analyze future operations if the redevelopment proceeds as planned (Build scenario). 4. Assess the impact of the redevelopment and recommend mitigation measures if needed. Working together with City staff, a set of base assumptions for this study was developed. The first base assumption made was to designate 2013 as the future design year for this study to coincide with one year after build-out. Next, the PM and Saturday Midday peak hours were agreed upon as the time periods to be studied, as these are typically the busiest times for retail land uses. The following list of seven intersections was identified as the study area in concert with City staff: • France Avenue and Parklawn Avenue • France Avenue and West 76th Street • Parklawn Avenue and Site Access • West 76th Street and Site Access • France Avenue and Plaza Drive • Plaza Drive and West Site Drive • Plaza Drive and East Site Drive Additional assumptions made in cooperation with City staff are described throughout this report. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 2 November 10, 2010 Figure 1-2 Concept Site Plan 111 nsvoo, A 161 SPACES EXISTING RETAIL BUILDING LEASEABLE TOTAL s33.600 SF FF 847.0 FF 848.0 ARCHITECTURAL CONSORTIUM L.L.C. 901 No. Third Street, Sulle 220 012436-4030 Minneapolis, MN 55401 Fax 612-692.9960 Mark Rawson / Issue Dale StA. LtMZ FF 851.0 PROPOSED WHOLE FOODS MARKET BLDG FOOTPRINT 32.340 SF 1±1,500 SF DEDUCT) .840.0 SITE PLAN SCALE: 1" =50'-0" C<M11. 711MM tamale. lo-toog-lo 15900 DAM 091.S/10 URN. BY, 10 alr.C.J., A1 -J Architectural Consortium, L.L.C. 201( I Nrsts UPI, Nat Y. p.....aelLcatart co' repel ram praptecte by me xmle• 1.4 Olts4t +upon...anti that an a stui., Lkstase AreAltoct tretar lam at ins 'Mots ot PrIttati Not. Katy L tereloreen 94,taaw.e. Pats, WHOLE FOODS CENTENNIAL LAKES PLAZA EDINA, MN OVERALL SITE PARKING DATA 194,626- 12,000 (EDINA MAINT DEDUCT) = 182,626 SF 182,626- 16,660 (B, C & D STOR. & TOILETS DEDUCT) = 165,966 SF 165,966 - 1,500 (A DOCK, STOR. & TOILETS DEDUCT) TOTAL = 164,466 SF OVERALL TOTAL STALLS 60950 OVERALL SITE PARKING RATIO = 5.8/1000 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS Traffic Volumes Manual PM and Saturday Midday turning movement counts were conducted under Westwood's direction at each of the seven site intersections. On direction received from City staff, the counts were conducted from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 6, and 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, October 9,2010. Based on the data collected, the weekday PM and Saturday midday peak travel hours occur from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., respectively. Figures 2-1 and 2-2 show the existing peak hour turning movement volumes for the study area. Detailed traffic count information is available in the appendix. Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) volumes, as reported on the Mn/DOT website for year 2009, are as follows: • France Avenue (south of 69th Street, north of 494): 28,500 • Parklawn Avenue (East of Site): 3,500 • West 76th Street (East of Site): 9,100 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 4 November 10, 2010 Parklawn Ave -122 <-41 72 ka\l‘in ve CP p, C5) 115 43--> 89-y w e \ ‘') 38 1 Plaza Dr T 'sr 234 476- 265- i( W 76th St 0 cr) W 76th St cc?, (53 122 <-40 cc?, „ 21 ,) 25 T 4 1.0 c\I co 46 28-i 17 -i o 0 Turning Movement Volumes 2010 Existing - PM Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Westwood 10/27/2010 Not to Scale Figure 2-1 Parklawn Ave <-23 22 87 T paridawn N Cr) LO i() 78- Cl) LL pie Fr a n c e Av e S c) 160 ) 26 46—> U) <-43 160 65 ;;2„ 25 L) T 25 c) ma) (O C) CI 42 1 43 2 Plaza Dr "a5 - w N I. w 76th st 9 61 61Th 74 /98 6 W 76th St CO Figure 2-2 Turning Movement Volumes 2010 Existing - Saturday 73 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale Roadway Geometry and Traffic Control Roadway geometry was verified through an inventory conducted October 12, 2010, by Westwood staff. Signal timing data was provided by Hennepin County staff. General characteristics of the site include a suburban setting with wide intersection radii and turn lanes at major intersections. Sidewalks/paths are typically provided on at least one side of each roadway. On-street parking is generally prohibited, and the topography of the area is relatively flat. France Avenue (Hennepin County State Aid Highway 17) is a 6-lane arterial roadway running north/south adjacent to the site. The posted speed limit in the vicinity of the site is 40 mph. Parklawn Avenue and West 76th Street are 4-lane divided collectors. Speeds are 30 mph. The signalized intersection of France Avenue with Parklawn Avenue operates in standard 8-phase fashion, with protected signal phasing for mainline lefts and protected/permissive phasing for side street lefts. Storage for the westbound left turn bay is fairly short, at approximately 120 feet plus taper. Pedestrians are accommodated via pushbutton actuation and are permitted to cross all four legs of the intersection. France Avenue and West 76th Street, also 8-phase, provides protected-only phasing for all four left turn movements. Dual left turn lanes are in place for the side street left turn movements. Storage bay length for the westbound left turn movement is limited, measuring only 150 feet plus taper, constrained by virtue of lining up end-to- end with the left turn lane for the site access intersection to the east. Charmelization is provided for all right turn movements, which are all yield-controlled. The northbound approach has a fourth through lane, which eventually drops as a right turn lane at Parklawn Avenue. Peds are accommodated on all four legs via pushbuttons. Left turn phasing (of the protected/permissive variety) is provided only for the mainline movements at the intersection of West 76" Street and Site Access. Storage bay lengths for these two movements are minimal, measuring only approximately 50 feet plus taper. The southbound side street approach (exiting Centennial Lakes) is two-lane, providing a dedicated right turn lane in addition to a shared through/left turn lane. The northbound side street approach features only one lane. Peds are prohibited from crossing West 76th Street via posted signs. Ped pushbuttons are provided to facilitate crossing the side street legs. The side-street stop controlled intersection of Parklawn Avenue and Site Access is similar in geometric configuration to the West 76th Street access, with short 50-foot mainline lefts and 2 northbound approach lanes. France Avenue and Plaza Drive is controlled via stop sign on the minor leg. One westbound lane, limited to right turns, is provided. The northbound right turn lane Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 7 November 10, 2010 functions as a shared through/right turn lane, ending as a right turn lane at Parklawn Drive. The westerly internal intersection on Plaza Drive is controlled via 3-way stop, with inbound (eastbound) traffic being the approach not required to stop. One lane is provided for each approach. The geometric configuration for the easterly internal intersection is similar. The only operational difference between the two is that the lower-volume east intersection operates as an uncontrolled intersection with no stop or yield signs on any of the approaches. Figure 2-3 illustrates the roadway geometry described above. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 8 November 10, 2010 Fr a nc e A v e S Parklawn Ave W 76th St Figure 2-3 Lane Geometry 2010 Existing Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale Traffic Operations Traffic operational analyses were conducted using the industry-current Synchro/ SimTraffic 7 software package. Synchro/SimTraffic uses the data and methodology published by the Transportation Research Board in the year 2000 version of their Highway Capacity Manual. Results from the SimTraffic portion of the Synchro/SimTraffic software package are reported unless otherwise noted. SimTraffic results were reported to fully account for the capacity-limiting effects caused by the close spacing of the study area intersections and existence of short turn pockets at several locations. Traffic operations are primarily rated by Level of Service (LOS), a grade ranging from "A" (best) to "F" (worst). Generally, Level of Service D represents the threshold for acceptable overall intersection operating conditions during a peak hour in the Twin Cities metro area, while LOS E is considered acceptable for individual movements. At side-street stop controlled intersections, delay is primarily incurred only on the side street approaches. It can be typical for a side-street stop controlled intersection to have good overall LOS and poor side-street LOS during peak periods. Overall LOS is reported along with the LOS of the worst individual movement or movements for all unsignalized intersections. Traffic operations can also be measured by looking at queuing. A queue is a line of vehicles waiting to pass through an intersection. Where queues from a congested intersection extend through upstream intersections or driveways, operations and safety can be impacted. The 95th percentile queue, or the length of queue with a 5% chance of occurring during the peak hour, is considered a standard for design purposes. For year 2010 conditions, the Synchro/SimTraffic model was calibrated to match field-observed conditions as closely as possible. In order to more accurately model the coordinated traffic signal control conditions along the France Avenue corridor, the immediately adjacent intersections on France Avenue (Gallagher Avenue to the north and Minnesota Drive to the south) were included in the model. Turning movement count estimates for these intersections were completed using the 2010 count data in combination with 2007 count data provided by the County. Details on these estimates are provided in the appendix. Table 2-1 provides an overview of the study area LOS results for the 2010 Existing conditions analysis. Figures 2-4 and 2-5 provide more detailed summaries for the weekday PM and Saturday Midday peak hours, respectively. Complete Synchro and SimTraffic printouts are available in the appendix. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 10 November 10, 2010 Table 2-1 2010 Existina Traffic 0 erations Intersection PM Saturday LOS Delay LOS Delay France Ave. & Parklawn Poe. C 24 B 18 France Abe. & W. 76th St. C 29 B 15 Parklawn Ave. & Site Access* A/B 2 A/A 2 W. 76th St. & Site Access A 8 A 6 France Ave. & Plaza Dr.* NC 4 A/B 3 Plaza Dr. & Westerly Internal Dr.* A/A 3 A/A 4 Plaza Dr. & Easterly Internal Dr.* A/A 1 A/A 1 Notes: * Indicates unsignalized intersection. Overall LOS / worst movement LOS reported. Delay = Average delay per whicle, in seconds. PM Peak Hour Operations for the PM peak hour under existing conditions fall within acceptable thresholds according to the model. All study area intersections operate at acceptable Level of Service D or better. All movements operate at acceptable LOS E or better. Two of the study area intersections experience 95111 percentile queues longer than available turn lane storage bays: France Avenue & West 76th Street The 95th percentile queue on the eastbound left turn movement is estimated by SimTraffic at 207 feet, roughly two car lengths beyond the available storage bay. West 76th Street & Site Access The 95th percentile queue for the eastbound left turn movement is 80 feet, roughly one car length beyond the available storage bay. Operations at the internal site intersections on Plaza Drive are also noteworthy: Internal Site Intersections Operations at the two internal site intersections are very efficient, with delays under 10 seconds per vehicle (LOS A) and 95th percentile queues three vehicles in length or less. Saturday Peak Hour Acceptable operations are also shown throughout the model for existing Saturday Midday peak hour conditions. All study area intersections are at LOS D or better, while all movements report at LOS E or better. One 95th percentile queue extends beyond the available turn bay: Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 11 November 10, 2010 West 76111 Street & Site Access SimTraffic projects the 95th percentile queue for the eastbound left turn movement at 72 feet, one car length beyond the available storage bay. Internal Site Intersections Similar to the weekday PM peak hour, operations at the two internal site intersections are very efficient, with delays under 10 seconds per vehicle (LOS A) and 95' percentile queues two to three vehicles in length. Page 12 November 10, 2010 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis 2010 Existing PM Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Node Intersection Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Overall 77 Parklawn Ave & France Ave (Signal zed) Lanes E- Is> '1' 4 tti` 4 <- TTT> Volume 115 43 89 72 41 122 54 1315 41 149 1182 85 SimTraffic Delay 41.5 44.8 19.4 40.6 42.4 14.0 54.9 20.6 2.3 48.9 22.1 22.2 24.2 SimTraffic LOS D D B D D B D C A D C C C Storage 120 325 410 SimTraffic 95th Queue 140 132 94 76 84 93 386 39 193 330 82 W 76th St & France Ave (Signalized) Lanes <-. '1`1` 4 <-<- TT 4 TTTT E TTT 4 Volume 234 476 265 213 178 237 79 916 100 141 1080 125 SimTraffic Delay 70.4 56.1 10.0 59.8 47.2 2.5 42.2 9.4 1.9 68.2 26.3 2.7 29.3 SimTraffic LOS E E A i D A D A A E C A C Storage 170 200 160 80 80 310 SimTraffic 95th Queue 207 289 143 148 131 46 137 113 217 324 101 Parklawn Ave & Site Access (Unsignalized) Lanes <-- tt> <- tt> <ii` 4 <11` 4 Volume 26 110 81 17 107 7 36 2 21 46 5 80 SimTraffic Delay 3.0 1.2 1.3 3.8 0.1 6.3 11.2 2.6 5.5 7.7 2.9 2.2 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A B A A A A A Storage 50 50 120** SimTraffic 95th Queue 19 3 20 3 45 32 43 45 102 W 76th St & Site Access (Signalized) Lanes 11`t> <- tt> <1'> E- t> Volume 84 609 10 10 493 66 56 2 47 34 2 81 SimTraffic Delay 10.5 7.6 8.3 9.6 6.0 2.4 20.6 21.4 8.9 19.0 24.4 4.0 7.6 SimTraffic LOS B A A A A A C C A B C A A Storage 50 50 170** SimTraffic 95th Queue 80 197 12 95 84 51 57 103 Plaza Dr & France Ave (Unsignalized) Lanes 4 tttt> tttt Volume 122 1287 97 1345 SimTraffic Delay 16.4 2.8 1.8 3.2 3.5 SimTraffic LOS C A A A A Storage 190** SimTraffic 95th Queue I 94 4 15 104 Plaza Dr & West Site Dr (3 way stop) Lanes <11`> <it> <t> <t> Volume 25 43 28 21 40 15 56 24 30 30 41 23 SimTraffic Delay 0.3 0.3 0.2 4.6 5.0 2.8 4.1 5.2 3.2 4.4 5.5 2.9 3.3 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 47 60 56 105 Plaza Dr & East Site Dr (Unsignalized) Lanes <t> <t> <t> <t> Volume 40 46 17 1 38 1 8 1 1 1 1 30 SimTraffic Delay 1.6 0.5 0.3 1.1 0.3 0.1 1.5 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.7 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 16 3 10 7 ** = distance to first drive aisle Figure 2-4 Operational Analysis Results Westwood Professional Services Page 1 of 1 11/8/2010 2010 Existing Saturday Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Figure 2-5 Operational Analysis Results Node Intersection Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Overall 77 1 Parklawn Ave & France Ave (Signal zed) Lanes 11`> 11` 4 i`TT 4 4- TTT> Volume 87 14 78 22 23 65 52 1174 53 114 938 38 SimTraffic Delay 45.4 39.8 10.9 41.2 51.5 9.8 45.7 19.5 2.7 52.1 9.6 8.3 18.4 SimTraffic LOS D D B D D A D B A D A A B Storage 120 325 410 SimTraffic 95th Queue 130 83 46 42 50 75 350 44 159 159 82 W 76th St & France Ave (Signalized) Lanes tt 4 4-4- TT 4 TTTT 4 +- TTT 4 Volume 95 61 61 160 43 93 42 1054 129 132 863 43 SimTraffic Delay 49.9 53.6 5.1 45.6 41.0 1.8 38.3 8.3 2.0 54.2 7.4 1.8 14.8 SimTraffic LOS D D A D D A D A A D A A B Storage 170 200 160 80 80 310 SimTraffic 95th Queue 89 68 108 58 74 119 171 168 101 Parklawn Ave & Site Access (Unsignalized) Lanes <- /Pt> <- tt> <1` 4 <1` 4 Volume 11 72 78 20 70 2 30 3 25 2 2 6 SimTraffic Delay 2.7 1.0 1.2 3.1 0.1 5.7 7.3 2.3 5.5 7.8 2.3 1.6 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage 50 50 120** SimTraffic 95th Queue 11 8 15 42 44 14 18 102 W 76th St & Site Access (Signalized) Lanes 4- tt> 4- tt> <t> <- T> Volume 138 175 10 6 198 74 5 1 5 62 2 97 SimTraffic Delay 7.2 5.3 3.5 6.8 6.8 2.4 12.0 15.6 3.3 15.4 5.9 2.6 6.2 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A B B A B A A A Storage 50 50 170** SimTraffic 95th Queue 72 53 6 43 24 61 56 103 Plaza Dr & France Ave (Unsignalized) Lanes ---> tttt> Ti`tt Volume 160 1123 113 1040 SimTraffic Delay 12.8 2.3 1.8 2.0 2.8 SimTraffic LOS B A A A A Storage 190** SimTraffic 95th Queue 105 104 Plaza Dr & West Site Dr (3 way stop) Lanes <t> <t> <T> <t> Volume 26 46 41 25 65 9 60 39 26 30 44 31 SimTraffic Delay 0.3 0.5 0.2 4.4 5.6 3.1 5.0 5.8 3.5 4.4 5.9 3.3 3.6 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 6 57 76 58 105 Plaza Dr & East Site Dr (Unsignalized) Lanes <t> <11`> <T> <t> Volume 25 42 32 2 43 1 13 1 1 1 1 43 SimTraffic Delay 1.8 0.6 0.4 1.1 0.3 0.5 1.7 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 15 14 9 ** = distance to first drive aisle Westwood Professional Services Page 1 of 1 11/8/2010 Year 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 *--1 • ----r•-r -- 3. NO-BUILD SCENARIO Traffic Volumes No-Build traffic volumes for the 2013 design year were forecast by factoring up existing counts by a background growth rate of 0.5% annually. This growth rate was established in cooperation with City staff. Factors impacting the choice of background growth rate included two items. The first was a review of historical ADT volumes on France Avenue dating back to 1999. This data shows a downward trend in traffic volumes of roughly 0.7% annually, as shown in Figure 3-1. Figure 3-1 France Avenue Historical ADT Volumes Source: MnDOT Website The second item considered in the establishment of an appropriate background growth rate was the County-wide State Aid traffic forecast. For Hennepin County, Mn/DOT State Aid's 20-year traffic projection factor of 1.1 yields an annual growth rate of just under 0.5%. To provide for a worst-case scenario, City staff stipulated use of the 0.5% positive annual rate for the study. Also typically considered in background growth forecasts are planned nearby developments. In this case, City staff was aware of no such developments. The final item considered in estimating future background traffic volumes for the study area was potential filling of vacant space within the remainder of the Centennial Lakes shopping center itself. A review of current vacancies for Centennial Lakes indicated total vacant square footage of 13,400, for a vacancy rate of 7%. According to the owner, this rate is lower than the 10% rate typically assumed by bankers and investors as average for this type of retail setting. Again, looking to provide for a worst-case scenario, City staff specified that full (100%) occupancy be assumed for the No-Build scenario. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 15 November 10, 2010 The trip generation potential of the vacant retail space was estimated using Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) data and methodologies, discussed further in Section 4, Build Scenario. Tables 3-1 and 3-2 show the number of trips generated associated with infill of current Centennial Lakes vacancies. Complete details are available in the appendix. Table 3-1 Trip Generation Estimates — lnfill of Centennial Lakes Existing Vacancies Gross Trips Land Use ITE Code Size Weekday PM Peak Saturday Saturday Peak Enter Exit Enter Exit Enter Exit Enter Exit Specialty Retail 814 13,400 s.f. 297 297 16 20 282 282 28 28 Table 3-2 Trip Generation Estimates — Infill of Centennial Lakes Existing Vacancies Gross, Driveway and Net New Trips Land Use I Weekday PM Peak Saturday Saturday Peak Enter 1 Exit Enter I Exit Enter I Exit Enter I Exit Gross Trips Specialty Retail I 297 I 297 I 16 I Driveway Trips (New Trips + Pass-By Trips) Specialty Retail I 282 1 282 I 15 1 Net New Trips Specialty Retail I 254 I 254 I 13 I 20 I 282 I 282 I 28 I 28 19 I 268 1 268 I 27 I 27 17 I 241 I 241 i 24 I 24 The anticipated 2013 No-Build scenario volumes, developed by incorporating the 0.5% background growth rate plus the infill of existing Centennial Lakes vacancies, are shown on Figures 3-2 and 3-3 for the Weekday PM and Saturday Midday peak hours, respectively. The projected No-Build ADT volumes (and change vs. Existing), are as follows: • France Avenue (North of Site): 29,080 (+580 / +2.0%) • France Avenue (South of Site): 29,130 (+630 1+2.2%) • Parklawn Avenue (East of Site): 3,590 (+90 / +2.6%) • West 76th Street (East of Site): 9,300 (+200 / +2.2%) Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 16 November 10, 2010 Fr a n c e A v e S Parklawn Ave (0 -15 CD CO .— CO N 0 41 (7)„ cvNi- co 130 ) sl, 21 ) 1 -39 1 Plaza Dr 28 T r 41 T ( 0 Nr Co 44 (s) (..., co 47 31-a 17- 0 0 a) a) in Fo ... Til as - w --241 <-182 223 0 I cc W 76th St op m o cr) , to cv cl-.) v- W 76th St 238 483- 269m 117 44- 90-% (I) a) a) > < a) 0 c co U- 7, w e CP I') CP 0 fr (C) aro a \ n n p,ve U). o 7 o cp al " --124 4-42 75 Figure 3-2 Turning Movement Volumes 2013 No-Build - PM Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale Parklavvn Ave <-24 25 Nn t ? aroa co co .1- Lc) LO Co ins Lo 66 CC) 171 25 T 26 co Lo 31 Lo 0 co co C\1 47 •zr 43 46—a 32-s a a a) a) ca (C u) N- 98 62 62—y 88 15—> 79—y 172 W 76th St 0 I 7 6 W 76th St a) <>C' a) n3 U- N-C) N—N— 2 Plaza Dr Figure 3-3 Turning Movement Volumes 2013 No-Build - Saturday Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Westwood 10/27/2010 Not to Scale Traffic Operations Traffic operational analyses were conducted for the Weekday PM and Saturday Midday peak hour conditions for the 2013 No-Build scenario. Table 3-3 summarizes the overall results. Table 3-3 2013 No-Build Traffic Operations Intersection PM Saturday LOS Delay LOS Delay France Abe. & Parklawn Ave. MEM 25 B 19 France Aw. & W. 76th St. C 29 B MEM Parklawn Ave. & Site Access* A/B 2 A/A NEN W. 76th St. & Site Access A 7 A Milli France AN/e. & Plaza Dr.* A/B 4 A/B 3 Plaza Dr. & Westerly Internal Dr.* A/A A/A 4 Plaza Dr. & Easterly Internal Dr. NA 1 A/A Notes: * Indicates unsignalized intersection. Overall LOS / worst movement LOS reported. Delay = Average delay per vehicle, in seconds. PM Peak Hour Overall intersection and movement-by-movement LOS is acceptable throughout the study area. Changes from Existing conditions are very minor. No movements with oversize 95 th percentile queues other than the two movements noted under Existing conditions are anticipated. No change in queuing for these two movements is forecast. 95 th percentile queues at the internal site intersections remain at three vehicles or less. Saturday Peak Hour LOS throughout the study area remains within acceptable thresholds, with little change from Existing conditions. No change in 95 th percentile queuing at the movement noted under Existing conditions is forecast. No additional movements experience oversize 95th percentile queues. 95th percentile queues at the internal site intersections remain stable at three vehicles or less. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 19 November 10, 2010 2013 No-Build PM Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Figure 3-4 Operational Analysis Results Node Intersection Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Overall 77 Parklawn Ave & France Ave (Signal zed) Lanes 1'> <- t 4 4"M'' 1 4 ttt> Volume 117 44 90 75 42 124 55 1339 42 156 1199 86 SimTraffic Delay 44.8 46.8 27.4 41.4 47.9 13.6 50.3 20.1 2.9 49.1 22.7 25.3 24.7 SimTraffic LOS D D C D D B D C A D C C C Storage 120 325 410 SimTraffic 95th Queue 138 164 101 71 87 91 362 42 187 348 82 W 76th St & France Ave (Signalized) Lanes <-<- tit` 4 TT 4 <-- TTTT 4 <- TTT 4 Volume 238 483 269 223 182 241 80 934 103 144 1097 127 SimTraffic Delay 68.5 56.6 9.5 60.7 45.7 2.4 40.0 9.4 2.0 77.9 25.7 2.8 29.4 SimTraffic LOS E E A E D A D A A E C A C Storage 170 200 160 80 80 310 SimTraffic 95th Queue 185 283 132 171 128 29 125 106 239 330 83 101 Parklawn Ave & Site Access (Unsignalized) Lanes k- tt> 1`t> <1' 4 <1' 4 Volume 26 112 87 18 109 7 39 2 23 47 5 81 SimTraffic Delay 3.0 1.3 1.3 2.8 0.2 0.2 6.4 13.0 2.5 5.6 7.9 2.9 2.2 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A B A A A A A Storage 50 50 120** SimTraffic 95th Queue 19 6 21 45 33 48 47 102 W 76th St & Site Access (Signalized) Lanes ÷. 1`1`> l't> <t> <- 1`> Volume 87 618 10 10 500 69 57 2 48 37 2 90 SimTraffic Delay 10.5 6.8 4.4 12.3 6.3 3.2 23.3 18.9 8.1 20.3 15.1 4.2 7.4 SimTraffic LOS B A A B A A C B A C B A A Storage 50 50 170** SimTraffic 95th Queue 80 180 10 101 84 53 62 103 Plaza Dr & France Ave (Unsignalized) Lanes 4 4'1'1'4'> 1'1'1'1' Volume 130 1305 104 1366 SimTraffic Delay 14.4 2.7 1.9 3.3 3.5 SimTraffic LOS B A A A A Storage 190** SimTraffic 95th Queue 97 18 104 Plaza Dr & West Site Dr (3 way stop) Lanes <'1'> <1`> <Is> <t> Volume 28 44 31 21 41 15 60 24 30 30 42 26 SimTraffic Delay 0.3 0.4 0.1 4.8 5.3 3.0 4.6 5.7 3.2 4.6 5.6 3.3 3.3 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 4 50 58 60 105 Plaza Dr & East Site Dr (Unsignalized) Lanes <4'> <t> <4'> <t> Volume 41 47 17 1 39 1 8 1 1 1 1 31 SimTraffic Delay 1.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.1 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.7 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 15 10 7 ** = distance to first drive aisle Westwood Professional Services Page 1 of 1 11/8/2010 2013 No-Build Saturday Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Figure 3-5 Operational Analysis Results Node Intersection I Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Overall 77 Parklawn Ave & France Ave (Signal zed) Lanes F T> F 1‘ 4 F T T T 4 F t 'M`> Volume 88 15 79 25 24 67 53 1198 54 124 951 39 SimTraffic Delay 47.5 47.2 12.9 41.6 46.7 9.6 54.4 20.2 2.9 50.6 9.6 8.2 19.1 SimTraffic LOS D D B D D A D C A D A A B Storage 120 325 410 SimTraffic 95th Queue 115 93 61 48 47 98 352 72 182 143 82 W 76th St & France Ave (Signalized) Lanes FE- TT -> FF tt 4 F TtTT 4 F TTT -> Volume 98 62 62 172 45 94 43 1077 133 135 876 44 SimTraffic Delay 49.5 52.3 5.2 48.8 47.4 1.9 39.8 8.7 2.1 49.4 7.5 1.8 15.4 SimTraffic LOS D D A D D A D A A D A A B Storage 170 200 160 80 80 310 SimTraffic 95th Queue 90 63 120 62 77 123 177 170 101 Parklawn Ave & Site Access (Unsignalized) Lanes 4- tt> 4- l'i'> <t -> <1' 4 Volume 11 73 88 22 71 2 34 3 27 2 2 6 SimTraffic Delay 2.6 1.0 1.3 2.7 0.1 5.8 5.3 2.3 5.2 5.5 2.6 1.8 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage 50 50 120** SimTraffic 95th Queue 11 3 16 45 36 20 22 102 W 76th St & Site Access (Signalized) Lanes F TT> F TT> <t> E- T> Volume 144 178 10 6 201 78 5 1 5 66 2 109 SimTraffic Delay 7.9 5.6 3.3 7.7 8.5 2.7 15.8 7.4 2.4 16.1 18.0 2.7 7.1 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A B A A B B A A Storage 50 50 170** SimTraffic 95th Queue 75 61 4 52 26 65 53 103 Plaza Dr & France Ave (Unsignalized) Lanes 4 TTTt> TTTT Volume 171 1138 125 1057 SimTraffic Delay 13.2 2.3 1.9 1.9 2.9 SimTraffic LOS B A A A A Storage 190** SimTraffic 95th Queue 107 3 10 104 Plaza Dr & West Site Dr (3 way stop) Lanes <t> <t> <t> <t> Volume 31 47 46 25 66 9 65 40 26 30 45 36 SimTraffic Delay 0.3 0.5 0.2 5.0 5.4 3.6 4.9 5.8 3.3 4.4 6.0 3.3 3.7 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 6 52 67 63 105 Plaza Dr & East Site Dr (Unsignalized) Lanes <t> <t> <t> <t> Volume 26 43 32 2 44 1 13 1 1 1 1 44 SimTraffic Delay 1.8 0.5 0.3 1.3 0.3 0.1 1.5 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.2 0.6 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 14 12 8 ** = distance to first drive aisle VVestwood Professional Services Page 1 of 1 11/8/2010 4. BUILD SCENARIO Traffic volumes with the proposed Whole Foods in operation were developed using a traditional multi-step traffic forecast and analysis process. The steps in this process include: • Estimating the volume of new site-generated traffic (Trip Generation) • Anticipating the origin and destination of site-generated traffic (Trip Distribution) • Assigning site-generated traffic to the surrounding roadway network (Trip Assignment) • Adding the assigned site-generated traffic to the No-Build traffic volumes developed earlier to determine Build traffic volumes Trip Generation The trip generation rates utilized in this study are based on those documented in Trip Generation, 8th Edition, published by ITE. Trip Generation, 8th Edition is considered the standard text in the traffic engineering profession for estimating gross trip generation potential. The overall change in trip generation potential of the site was forecast by subtracting the trip generation potential of the existing land uses to be removed from the trip generation potential of the proposed land use. Table 4-1 summarizes the estimated trip generation potential of the land uses to be removed as part of the redevelopment. Table 4-2 covers the trip generation potential of the proposed land use. Table 4-1 Trip Generation Estimates — Existing Land Uses to be Removed Gross Trips Land Use ITE Code Size Weekday PM Peak Saturday Saturday Peak Enter Exit Enter Exit Enter Exit , Enter Exit Furniture Store 890 9,300 s.f. 24 24 2 2 23 23 5 4 Specialty Retail 814 25,700 s.f. 570 , 570 31 39 540 540 54 54 Total 594 594 33 41 _ 563 563 59 58 Table 4-2 Trip Generation Estimates — Proposed Land Use Gross Trips Land Use ITE Code Size Weekday PM Peak Saturday Saturday Peak Enter Exit , Enter Exit Enter Exit Enter Exit Supermarket 850 32,300 s.f. 1,651 1,651 173 ' 166 2,868 2,868 179 172 Internal and pass-by trips were estimated using data from ITE's Trip Generation Handbook, 2thl Edition, to the extent possible. Trip Generation Handbook, 2thi Edition, is a companion text to Trip Generation, and is considered the standard text in Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 22 November 10, 2010 the traffic engineering profession for estimating internal and pass-by trips. Consistent, conservative assumptions were made where the Handbook data was incomplete. These assumptions were reviewed by City staff prior to initiation of the analysis. Full details are available in the appendix. Table 4-3 summarizes the trip generation estimates of the redevelopment after accounting for internal and pass-by trip reductions. For the purposes of this study, internal trips are trips made from one Centennial Lakes land use to another that do not use the external roadway network. Pass-by trips are made by drivers that are already using the external roadway network, but choose to divert to the site (to pick up some groceries, for example) before continuing on their original route. Table 4-3 includes three components: Gross, Driveway, and Net New trips: Gross trips reflect the baseline totals from Tables 4-1 and 4-2, before internal or pass-by trip reductions. Driveway trips reflect the amount of traffic actually using the site driveways (after the internal trip reduction). Because driveway trip totals include both pass-by and new trips, they are the totals used to develop the Build volume forecasts which are used for operational analysis. Net new trips reflect the amount of new traffic actually generated on nearby roads associated with the redevelopment. Table 4-3 Trip Generation Estimates Existing Land Uses to be Removed + Proposed Land Use Gross, Driveway and Net New Trips Land Use Weekday PM Peak Saturday Saturday Peak I Enter I Exit Enter I Exit Enter I Exit Enter I Exit Gross Trips Furniture Store -24 -24 -2 -2 -23 -23 -5 -4 Specialty Retail -570 -570 -31 -39 -540 -540 -54 -54 Supermarket 1,651 1,651 173 166 2,868 2,868 179 172 Total 1,057 1,057 140 125 2,305 2,305 120 114 Driveway Trips (New Trips + Pass-By Trips) Furniture Store -23 -23 -2 -2 -22 -22 -5 -4 Specialty Retail -541 -541 -29 -37 -513 -513 -51 -51 Supermarket 1,568 1,568 164 158 2,725 , 2,725 , 170 163 Total 1,004 1,004 133 119 2,190 2,190 114 108 Net New Trips Furniture Store -21 -21 -1 -1 -20 -20 -4 -4 Specialty Retail -487 -487 -26 -33 -462 -462 -46 -46 Supermarket 1,098 1,098 105 101 1,907 1,907 119 114 Total _ 590 590 78 67 1,425 1,425 69 64 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 23 November 10, 2010 Trip Distribution The assumed trip distribution for new site-generated traffic is shown on Figure 4-1. This distribution pattern was developed together with City staff based on observation of traffic patterns near the site, review of existing turning movement volumes, and knowledge of the approximate market area of the proposed land use. All pass-by trips were assumed to initiate from France Avenue. The directional split of these trips was based on existing traffic volumes: 50% northbound, 50% southbound for both the weekday PM and Saturday midday peak hours. Trip Assignment Site-generated traffic, distributed accordingly, was assigned to the roadway network. Figures 4-2 and 4-3, for the weekday PM and Saturday Midday peak hours, respectively, detail the change in turning movement volumes anticipated with redevelopment of the site. Negative numbers indicate a decrease in volume associated with pass-by trips. Pass-by trips were split between the Parklawn, Plaza Drive, and West 76th Street driveways. All trips were primarily assigned to the driveway that provided the shortest trip and/or most direct route. Further details on routing assumptions are available in the appendix. Traffic Volumes The peak hour turning movement volumes for the Build scenario developed by adding the trip assignment volumes to the No-Build volumes discussed in Section 3 are presented on Figures 4-4 and 4-5, for the weekday PM and Saturday Midday peak hours, respectively. Projected changes in ADT volumes, Build vs. No-Build, are as follows: • France Avenue (North of Site): +350 / +1.2% • France Avenue (South of Site): +470 / +1.6% • Parklawn Avenue (East of Site): +90 / +2.5% • West 76th Street (East of Site): +140 / +1.5% The resulting Build ADT volumes (and change compared with Existing conditions) are as follows: • France Avenue (North of Site): 29,430 (+930 / +3.3%) • France Avenue (South of Site): 29,600 (+1,100 / +3.9%) • Parklawn Avenue (East of Site): 3,680 (+180 / +5.1%) • West 76 th Street (East of Site): 9,440 (+340 / +2.2%) Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 24 November 10, 2010 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Figure 4-1 Trip Distribution 1 Westwood 10/12/2010 an c e A v e S Parklawn Ave sx) 1)3 LI' 15 0 (1 parwon'" CV CO 0 2-3 0-y cn U) a) C-) 63 T Plaza Dr ,7 2 0—> 0 U) 0 g' W 76th St W 76th St u_ Figure 4-2 PM Trip Assignment Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale Fr a n c e Av e S Figure 4-3 Saturday Trip Assignment Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale Fr a nc e A v e S Parklawn Ave 39 1 Plaza Dr W 76th St Figure 4-4 Turning Movement Volumes 2013 Build - PM Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale ctcl -69 <-24 37 n me Parklawn Ave 1 ..44 2 Plaza Dr I.– .1- o r– N 0 •-213 Y•T `'' 4, ) 0) (I) co - w iT) Fr a n c e A v e S LO u d d' In N— LO CV V- 66 25 1;12 CTO Cr: ......, N 85 48- 46-i 0 27 43-> 32- a &) a) c)c) a) 0) 207 ``j j1- ...(\i k 8 1(..') __.6 c-,207 co i( W 76th st i 6 ..1- a (-() ,- ,- ,- 102 62- 62-s W 76th St Figure 4-5 Turning Movement Volumes 2013 Build - Saturday Whole Foods Centennial Lakes 10/27/2010 Westwood Not to Scale Traffic Operations Traffic operational analyses were conducted for the weekday PM and Saturday Midday peak hour conditions for the Build scenario, similar to process for the No- Build scenario. Overall results of the analysis are shown in Table 4-4. A comparison with the Existing and No-Build scenarios is provided in Table 4-5. Further details on Build operational analysis results are provided in Figures 4-6, 4-7, and the appendix. Table 4-4 2013 Build Traffic 0 erations Intersection PM Saturday LOS Delay LOS Delay France Ave. & Parklawn Ave. C 26 C 21 France Ave. & W. 76th St. C 30 B 16 Parklawn Ave. & Site Access* A/A 2 A/A 2 W. 76th St. & Site Access A 8 A 7 France Ave. & Plaza Dr.* NC 4 A/C 4 Plaza Dr. & Westerly Internal Dr.* A/A 4 A/A 5 Plaza Dr. & Easterly Internal Dr.* A/A 1 A/A 1 Notes: * Indicates unsignalized intersection. Overall LOS / worst mowment LOS reported. Delay = Average delay per vehicle, in seconds. PM Peak Hour Overall intersection LOS remains acceptable throughout the study area for Build conditions, with little change from No-Build conditions. The two movements with oversize 95th percentile queues noted under Existing conditions remain the only two movements in the study area with oversize queues. No significant change in the length of these queues is forecast. 95th percentile queues at the internal site intersections remain at three vehicles or less. Saturday Peak Hour LOS throughout the study area remains acceptable. The oversize 95th percentile queues at the movement noted under existing conditions remain stable. No additional movements experience oversize 95th percentile queuing. Similar to the PM peak hour, vp --th queues at the internal site intersections remain at three vehicles or less. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 30 November 10, 2010 Table 4-5 Traffic 0 erations — Three Scenario Comparison Intersection 2010 Existing 2013 No-Build 2013 Build PM Saturday PM Saturday PM Saturday LOS Delay, LOS Delay LOS Delay LOS Delay LOS Delay LOS Delay France Ave. & Parklawn Ave. C 24 B 18 C 25 B 19 C 26 C 21 France Ave. & W. 76th St. C 29 B 15 C 29 B 15 C 30 B 16 Parklawn Ave. & Site Access* A/B 2 A/A 2 A/B 2 NA 2 A/A 2 A/A 2 W. 76th St. & Site Access A 8 A 6 A 7 A 7 A 8 A 7 France Ave. & Plaza Dr.* A/C 4 A/B 3 A/B 4 A/B 3 A/C 4 A/C 4 Plaza Dr. & Westerly Internal Dr.* A/A 3 A/A 4 A/A 3 A/A 4 A/A 4 A/A 5 Plaza Dr. & Easterly Internal Dr.* A/A 1 A/A 1 A/A 1 A/A 1 A/A 1 NA 1 Notes: * Indicates unsignalized intersection. °wren LOS / worst movement LOS reported. Delay = Average delay per vehicle, in seconds. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 31 November 10, 2010 Node Intersection Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Overall 77 1 Parklawn Ave & France Ave (Signal zed) Lanes t> 1' 4 E- 1`tt 4 <- TTT> Volume 117 46 90 90 42 126 57 1358 42 207 1172 86 SimTraffic Delay 37.6 47.6 21.5 41.8 45.9 13.9 55.8 23.6 3.0 48.8 22.8 23.5 26.3 SimTraffic LOS D D C D D B E C A D C C C Storage 120 325 410 SimTraffic 95th Queue 140 146 107 59 86 95 416 146 242 333 82 W 76th St & France Ave (Signalized) Lanes E-E- 1'1' 4 <-<- 4"1` -> TTTI` -> f' TTT 4 Volume 244 483 269 263 186 241 80 965 103 144 1083 128 SimTraffic Delay 70.9 60.0 10.0 61.7 44.7 2.6 39.6 8.8 1.9 73.3 24.4 2.6 29.5 SimTraffic LOS E E A E D A D A A E C A C Storage 170 200 160 80 80 310 SimTraffic 95th Queue 218 307 183 188 127 59 135 103 216 315 58 101 Parklawn Ave & Site Access (Unsignalized) Lanes /1`1`> <- 1`1'> <1` 4 <1' 4 Volume 26 112 140 25 109 7 56 2 28 47 5 81 SimTraffic Delay 2.8 1.3 1.5 3.9 0.2 6.6 8.0 2.6 6.0 7.0 3.0 2.4 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage 50 50 120** SimTraffic 95th Queue 18 9 30 48 38 47 47 102 W 76th St & Site Access (Signalized) Lanes tt> tt> <t> E- 1`> Volume 87 618 10 10 500 78 57 2 48 45 2 134 SimTraffic Delay 11.5 8.1 7.3 9.0 7.3 3.9 20.6 22.8 9.1 20.3 25.2 5.0 8.4 SimTraffic LOS B A A A A A C C A C C A A Storage 50 50 170** SimTraffic 95th Queue 84 204 11 109 88 61 76 103 Plaza Dr & France Ave (Unsignalized) Lanes 4 ttli`t> tti't Volume 177 1278 168 1354 SimTraffic Delay 18.2 2.9 2.1 3.3 3.9 SimTraffic LOS C A A A A Storage 190** SimTraffic 95th Queue 128 8 104 Plaza Dr & West Site Dr (3 way stop) Lanes <t> <1`> <t> <11`> Volume 91 45 31 21 41 15 60 34 30 30 94 74 SimTraffic Delay 0.3 0.4 0.2 4.8 5.9 3.5 5.5 5.9 3.5 5.4 6.8 4.4 3.9 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 8 51 69 80 105 Plaza Dr & East Site Dr (Unsignalized) Lanes <t> <t> <t> <t> Volume 42 47 17 1 39 1 8 1 1 1 1 31 SimTraffic Delay 1.5 0.6 0.3 1.3 0.3 0.1 1.2 0.1 0.1 1.1 0.1 0.2 0.6 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 18 10 9 ** = distance to first drive aisle 2013 Build PM Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Figure 4-6 Operational Analysis Results Westwood Professional Services Page 1 of 1 11/8/2010 2013 Build Saturday Node Intersection Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound Overall 77 Parklawn Ave & France Ave (Signal zed) Lanes 4- '1`> 4- T 4 4-- TTT 4 f. ttt> Volume 88 17 79 37 24 69 55 1215 54 167 929 39 SimTraffic Delay 43.6 44.5 12.2 41.2 46.9 10.9 57.7 23.1 3.1 52.9 9.2 8.4 20.9 SimTraffic LOS D D B D D B E C A D A A C Storage 120 325 410 SimTraffic 95th Queue 117 91 54 49 54 89 354 42 226 145 82 W 76th St & France Ave (Signalized) Lanes 4-4- TT 4 4-4- tt 4 <- TTTI` 4 <- TT T 4 Volume 102 62 62 207 49 94 43 1105 133 135 866 45 SimTraffic Delay 47.6 53.7 5.2 47.3 46.8 1.7 38.3 9.0 2.1 52.8 8.2 1.8 16.1 SimTraffic LOS D D A D D A D A A D A A B Storage 170 200 160 80 80 310 SimTraffic 95th Queue 95 61 133 63 84 123 177 153 101 Parklawn Ave & Site Access (Unsignalized) Lanes TT> TT> <11` 4 <1` 4 Volume 11 73 133 28 71 2 48 3 32 2 2 6 SimTraffic Delay 2.7 1.0 1.5 3.9 0.1 5.6 8.4 2.4 4.1 6.1 2.2 1.9 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage 50 50 120** SimTraffic 95th Queue 12 6 28 47 38 21 18 102 W 76th St & Site Access (Signalized) Lanes TT> 4- TT> <t> T> Volume 144 178 10 6 201 86 5 1 5 73 2 149 SimTraffic Delay 8.1 6.5 3.4 5.9 8.9 2.3 17.5 8.1 2.1 16.0 26.8 3.0 7.1 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A B A A B C A A Storage 50 50 170** SimTraffic 95th Queue 77 56 6 53 21 70 62 103 Plaza Dr & France Ave (Unsignalized) Lanes 4 tttT> TTTt Volume 213 1116 180 1047 SimTraffic Delay 16.6 3.5 2.2 1.9 3.8 SimTraffic LOS C A A A A Storage 190** SimTraffic 95th Queue 133 83 104 Plaza Dr & West Site Dr (3 way stop) Lanes <1`> <'1'> <t> <'1'> Volume 85 48 46 25 66 9 65 48 26 30 92 77 SimTraffic Delay 0.4 0.6 0.2 6.9 7.1 4.0 8.5 6.1 4.9 6.0 7.7 5.3 4.9 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 14 62 78 88 105 Plaza Dr & East Site Dr (Unsignalized) Lanes <t> <t> <t> <'1'> Volume 27 43 32 2 44 1 13 1 1 1 1 44 SimTraffic Delay 1.7 0.6 0.4 1.9 0.3 0.1 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.6 SimTraffic LOS A A A A A A A A A A A A A Storage SimTraffic 95th Queue 13 14 7 ** = distance to first drive aisle Figure 4-7 Operational Analysis Results Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Westwood Professional Services Page 1 of 1 11/8/2010 5. TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT The goal of Travel Demand Management (TDM) is to reduce the peak hour traffic demand generated by the site by managing and minimizing the vehicle trips generated by the development. This section covers aspects of the site that will help foster travel demand management in three categories, Pedestrian, Bicycle and Transit. This section also notes specific travel demand management strategies that could be implemented by the owner/end user/property manager/etc. of the site to further reduce peak hour travel demand. Pedestrian Situated in the heart of Edina's Southdale commerical district, the site location is primarily automobile-focused. Those choosing to access the site via the pedestrian mode are likely to originate from the multi-family housing land uses located immediately east of the site. Despite the low volume of pedestrian trips anticipated, the site has been designed to fully accommodate accessibility by pedestrians. Sidewalk access is currently available from all corners of the site. This connectivity will be preserved and enhanced as shown on the Pedestrian Connectivity Plan, Figure 5-1. Bicycle Both employees and customers are able to access shops within the Centennial Lakes shopping center by bicycle. In addition to the pedestrian sidewalk system, the addition of bike racks at one or more convenient locations on site is suggested to accommodate bicycle users. Figure 5-1 notes one such potential location. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 34 November 10, 2010 J11111111,4111111111 PARKLAWN AVENUE RR ll lllll 1.0 „/CrIC ..7.2 WHOLE FOODS MARKET 32,340 SF FF 6443.0 Hi l lO S 31 1N 3 A V 3 ON V POSSIBLE BIKE RACK LOCATION &zyz'A' FIGURE 5-1 PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION 11111111111 _/-1411t LEGEND EXISTING PROPOSED llllll 1 lllll I II III! 76TH STREET N T. S Westwood -=amol 539 578 Whole Foods Redevelopment Site Transit Existing bus service to the Site is provided by Metro Transit Route 6. Route 6 provides local all-day service seven days per week along France Avenue between Downtown Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota (Downtown), the site, and parts of Bloomington to the south. Route 6 is characterized as a "Hi-Frequency" route by Metro Transit; busses run every 5-10 minutes during peak periods with service every 30 minutes off-peak. Four additional bus routes provide service within a three-block radius, Routes 539, 540, 578, and 587. These routes all provide limited weekday only service. Figure 5-2 shows the path of these routes near the site. The location of three the bus stops available on the perimeter of the site are highlighted. Figure 5-2 Existing Bus Routes and Stops Source: Metro Transit Strategies suggested to encourage transit use by employees are outlined below. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 36 November 10, 2010 TDM Strategies This section provides suggestions for specific travel demand management strategies that could be implemented by the end of the site. In choosing the implement and maintain these strategies, the end user would be assisting Edina in achieving their goal of enhancing the local transportation system by lowering peak hour travel demand, helping to achieve a balance in the needs of all users of the transportation system. General 1. Minimize truck and/or service deliveries during Monday — Friday peak hour traffic times. 2. Provide schedule flexibility to allow employees to coordinate their shifts with the appropriate transit schedule. 3. Include alternative transportation mode information in new employee orientation materials. Pedestrian I. Rebuild sidewalks impacted by construction with ADA-compliant tactile truncated dome curb ramps, facilitating use by all pedestrians. 2. Maintain clear and well-lit sidewalks along the site perimeter. Bicycle 1. Provide conveniently located bicycle racks for customer and employee use. 2. Promote employee bicycle use by posting and regularly maps of the regional bike trail system on an employee common space bulletin board. Transit 1. Include in a display of commuter information in employee common areas. Include information on Metro Transit schedules and stop locations for routes serving the nearby area. 2. Consider offering employees the ability to purchase transit passes through a payroll deduction system. Page 37 November 10, 2010 Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis 6. RECOMMENDATIONS • Two movements experience 95th percentile queues longer than available storage bay lengths under existing conditions (eastbound left at France/Parklawn and eastbound left at West 76th/Site Access). The magnitude by which these queues exceed the available storage bays is small at roughly one to two car lengths. The addition of traffic due to background growth, infill of existing Centennial Lakes vacancies and proposed Whole Foods redevelopment does not increase queuing on these movements. Extension of turn bays to accommodate 1 to 2 additional vehicles is not practical from a cost/benefit perspective; therefore no mitigation is recommended. • The Travel Demand Management (TDM) strategies covered in Section 5 should be implemented and maintained to provide ongoing reduction in the amount of peak hour traffic generated by the site. Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 38 November 10, 2010 6. APPENDIX A. Traffic Count Data 1. Year 2010 PM and Saturday Turning Movement Counts 2. Year 2007 Weekday Midday and PM Turning Movement Counts 3. Estimate of 2010 Turning Movements at Gallagher and Minnesota B. Traffic Estimate Details 1. Trip Generation Estimate Details — Full Occupancy of Centennial Lakes 2. Trip Generation Estimate Details — Existing Uses to Be Removed 3. Trip Generation Estimate Details — Proposed Uses 4. Trip Assignment — Full Occupancy of Centennial Lakes Only 5. Trip Assignment — Existing Uses to Be Removed Only 6. Trip Assignment — Proposed Uses Only 7. Roster of Existing Centennial Lakes Vacancies C. Synchro and SimTraffic Operational Analysis Result Worksheets 1. 2010 Existing PM Peak Hour 2. 2010 Existing Saturday Midday Peak Hour 3. 2013 No-Build PM Peak Hour 4. 2013 No-Build Saturday Midday Peak Hour 5. 2013 Build PM Peak Hour 6. 2013 Build Saturday Midday Peak Hour Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Page 39 November 10, 2010 Page 1 of 1 Item VI.B. Edina Transportation Commission REGULAR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: Transportation Commission Agenda Item No.: VI.B From: Jack Sullivan, PEE, ACTION: Assistant City En eer Recommendation/Motion Date: November 18, 2010 Discussion Subject: Whole Foods — Transportation Information Impact Analysis; Centennial Lakes Recommendation: Review the attached transportation impact analysis submitted by Westwood Professional Services on November 10, 2010. Include for review are memos from WSB and Associates, dated November 4111 /1 0th, 2010, memos from Westwood Professional Services dated November 8111 /10th and the following staff report. Staff and WSB have reviewed the Transportation Impact Analysis and subsequent memos, from Westwood Professional Services for the Whole Food store in Centennial Lakes dated November 10, 2010, and believe the development team has met the requirements of the City's Transportation Impact Analysis. If so desired by the Transportation Commission t adoptil motion recommending that the traffic as demonstrated in the transportationW4 for Whole Foods- Centennial Lakes does not adversely affect to the adjacent transportation system. Info/Background: The Development Team is proposing to raze the Storables and Thomasville Furniture stores, which account for approximately 35,000 square feet of retail, and build a 32,000 square foot Whole Foods Grocery store northwest corner of the Centennial Lakes Shopping Center. GAEngineering\Infrastructure\Streets\TrafficUransportation Commission\Agendas\2010 R&R\20101118 Jtem.VI.B_Whole_Foods.docx A WSB A•nn Infrastructure u Engineering u Planning Construction 701 Xenia Avenue South & Associates, Inc. Suite #300 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Tel: 763 541-4800 Fax: 763 541-1700 Memorandum To: Wayne Houle, PE, Public Works Director/City Engineer Jack Sullivan, PE, Assistant City Engineer City of Edina From: Chuck Rickart, PE, PTOE Transportation Engineer WSB & Associates, Inc. Date: November 4, 2010 Re: Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Traffic Impact Analysis Review City of Edina WSB Project No. 1686-02 As requested, we have reviewed the Traffic Impact Analysis prepared by Westwood for the proposed Whole Foods grocery store at the Centennial Lakes retail center. The proposed redevelopment is located on the east side of France Avenue between West 76th Street and Parklawn Avenue. The proposed redevelopment includes: • Removal of 35,000 SF of existing land use. • Addition of a 32,300 SF Whole Foods grocery store. Based on our review of the Traffic Impact Analysis dated October 2010, the following questions and comments should be considered. 1. We are assuming that the existing land uses are still / or were opened when the traffic counts were conducted. This should be verified. 2. Traffic counts were conducted during the PM Peak and Saturday Peak hours. How was it determined that the Saturday late AM was the peak period? 3. The operational analysis results shown in the appendix does not include available storage lengths for all approaches at each intersection. This information should be provided. Specifically how do the queues on each of the site driveway interact with the traffic in the parking lots? 4. The operational tables in the appendix show a summary of the Synchro and SimTraffic analysis. The actual modeling worksheets should be provided. CAWSMEdina \MEMO-110410 mbolcfoods.doc Wayne Houle and Jack Sullivan City of Edina November 4, 2010 Page 2 of 2 5. The text indicates historical ADT volumes for France Avenue have been decreasing. What location was this analysis taken at? Is the downward trend consistent throughout the corridor or just at this one location? 6. Table 3-1 shows the estimated traffic generation for the vacant shops within the Centennial Lakes retail center. a. It appears that this table shows the "Net New Trips" from this additional development and Tables 4-1 and 4-2 show the "Gross Trips" from the proposed development. These tables should be consistent. b. It is unclear what was used for the analysis, "New trips" or "Driveway trips"? This should be clarified. c. Were these trips distributed the same way as the proposed development traffic? 7. Internal and Pass-by trip reductions were assumed as part of the analysis. These terms should be defined and documented in general in the main report. The details are ok in the appendix. This discussion should also explain why the 2nd addition of the Trip Generation Handbook was used for the internal and pass-by trips and the 8th addition used for the actual generated trips. 8. It appears that all the pass-by trips where assumed going through the Parklawn Avenue intersection. Is this correct? Was this also the same assumption for the infill development? This assumption should be documented in the report. 9. Summaries of the Traffic operation analysis are shown in Tables 2-1, 3-2 and 4-4. One additional table would be helpful showing the comparison of all three analyses together. In addition, it would be helpful to see not only the overall LOS and delay but each approach and movement in the tables in the main portion of the report. 10. Although the report indicates that the queue lengths do not increase significantly. A table showing a comparison of the queue lengths for each operations analysis should be provided in main portion of the report. 11. The report does not address any Travel Demand Management (TDM) options for the site. A discussion on what transit, pedestrian / bike facilities and other TDM strategies are currently in place and what would be included as part of this proposed development needs to be included. Based on these comments and my general review of the site configuration and the Traffic Impact Analysis report, additional information and analysis should be provided before any approval recommendation can be made. Westwood MEMORANDUM Date: November 8, 2010 W PHONE 952-937-5150 FAX 952-937-5822 TOLL FREE 888-937-5150 www.westwoodps.com 7699 Anagram Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Re: Response to City/WSB comments on October Whole Foods Draft TIA File 2010-1178 To: Jack Sullivan, P.E., City of Edina From: Nick Erpelding, P.E., PTOE Jack— In response to the City's November 4th comments, and November 8th email comment on the October Draft of the Whole Foods Traffic Impact Analysis, please find the attached updated TIA and responses below. Nick 1. We are assuming that the existing land uses are still/or were opened when the traffic counts were conducted. This should be verified. The two land uses slated for removal as part of the redevelopment, Storables and Thomasville Furniture, remain in operation today. 2. Traffic counts were conducted during the PM Peak and Saturday Peak hours. How was it determined that the Saturday late AM was the peak period? Two of the tables in the draft TIA (No-Build and Build operational analysis results; Tables 3-2 and 4-4) were labeled incorrectly as AM and PM. These tables have been corrected in the attached revised TIA. The peak hours studied for the analysis, as agreed with you in our initial scoping meeting on September 16, 2010, were the weekday PM peak hour and Saturday midday peak hour. As evidenced in the operational analysis results tables in the report, the weekday PM peak hour is the more critical of the two peak hours studied. 3. The operational analysis results shown in the appendix does not include available storage lengths for all approaches at each intersection. This information should be provided. Specifically how do the queues on each of the site driveway interact with the traffic in the parking lots? Land and Energy DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS 1 11 Li • • • • • • • • • • November 8, 2010 Page 2 The distance to the first drive aisle at the site driveway intersections has been added to the operational analysis result tables. As shown in these tables (all scenarios) the 95th percentile queues on these approaches are less than the distance to the first drive aisle. No operational impacts are anticipated. 4. The operational tables in the appendix show a summary of the Synchro and SimTraffic analysis. The actual modeling worksheets should be provided. The complete Synchro and SimTraffic worksheets are now included in the appendix. 5. The text indicates historical ADT volumes for France Avenue have been decreasing. What location was this analysis taken at? Is the downward trend consistent throughout the corridor or just at this one location? ADT information available through the MnDOT website indicates that these ADT volumes were collected somewhere south of 69th Street within the City of Edina. Presumably they were collected north of Minnesota Drive. Centennial Lakes is located within this roadway segment. Because further breakdown of the ADT count data on this segment is not available from MnDOT, no conclusions can be drawn as to trends within smaller segments. The attached revised TIA has been updated to better indicate the location of the MnDOT ADT counts. 6. Table 3-1 shows the estimated traffic generation for the vacant shops within the Centennial Lakes retail center. a. It appears that this table shows the "Net New Trips" from this additional development and Tables 4-1 and 4-2 show the "Gross Trips" from the proposed development. These tables should be consistent. b. It is unclear what was used for the analysis, "New trips" or "Driveway trips"? This should be clarified. c. Were these trips distributed the same way as the proposed development traffic? These tables have been updated to be consistent with the Tables for Build traffic. Language has been added to the TIA noting that driveway trips, which include new and pass-by trips, were used to develop the Build traffic volumes used in the operational analysis. Infill trips for the No-Build scenario were subject to the same distribution pattern as the trips added under the Build scenario. Due to the location of vacant shops within Centennial Lakes, the assignment patterns for No-Build varied slightly from Build. Appendices B-4, B-5, and B-6 detail these differences. 7. Internal and Pass-by trip reductions were assumed as part of the analysis. These terms should be defined and documented in general in the main report. The details are ok in the appendix. This discussion should also explain why the 211d addition of the Trip November 8, 2010 Page 3 Generation Handbook was used for the internal and pass-by trips and the 8" addition used for the actual generated trips. The following text has been inserted into the revised TIA to clarify the first of these comments: For the purposes of this study, internal trips are trips made from one Centennial Lakes land use to another that do not use the external roadway network. Pass-by trips are made by drivers that are already using the external roadway network, but choose to divert to the site (to pick up some groceries, for example) before continuing on their original route. The paragraphs discussing trip generation have been revised to address the second of these comments as follows: The trip generation rates utilized in this study are based on those documented in Trip Generation, 8th Edition, published by ITE. Trip Generation, 8" Edition is considered the standard text in the traffic engineering profession for estimating gross trip generation potential. Internal and pass-by trips were estimated using data from ITE 's Trip Generation Handbook, 2'1 Edition, to the extent possible. Trip Generation Handbook, 2nd Edition, is a companion text to Trip Generation, and is considered the standard text in the traffic engineering profession for estimating internal and pass-by trips. Consistent, conservative assumptions were made where the Handbook data was incomplete. These assumptions were reviewed by City staff prior prior to initiation of the analysis. Full details are available in the appendix. 8. It appears that all the pass-by trips where assumed going through the Parklawn Avenue intersection. Is this correct? Was this also the same assumption for the infill development? This assumption should be documented in the report. That is not quite correct. The following text was added to address this comment: All pass-by trips were assumed to initiate from France Avenue. The directional split of these trips was based on existing traffic volumes: 50% northbound, 50% southbound for both the weekday PM and Saturday midday peak hours. Pass-by trips were split between the Parklawn, Plaza Drive, and West 76" Street driveways. All trips were primarily assigned to the driveway that provided the shortest trip and/or most direct route. Further details on routing assumptions are available in the appendix. Similar to new trips, pass-by trips were primarily assigned to the driveway most convenient to their intended destination. Because Plaza Drive is limited to right- in/right-out movements only, no southbound pass-by trips were assigned to this driveway. Because Whole Foods, Storables and Thomasville Furniture are situated in the northern half of the site, traffic exiting the site from these uses destined southbound November 8, 2010 Page 4 was assigned to favor Parklawn over West 76th. For the infill (No-Build) scenario added pass-by trips, because the vacant parcels were distributed more evenly across the site, a more balanced usage of Parklawn and West 76th was assumed. Appendices B-4, B-5, and B-6 detail trip assignment differences among the scenarios. 9. Summaries of the Traffic operation analysis are shown in Tables 2-1, 3-2 and 4-4. One additional table would be helpful showing the comparison of all three analyses together. In addition, it would be helpful to see not only the overall LOS and delay but each approach and movement in the tables in the main portion of the report. Tables have been added to the body of the report to address both of these comments. 10. Although the report indicates that the queue lengths do not increase significantly. A table showing a comparison of the queue lengths for each operations analysis should be provided in main portion of the report. Tables have been added to the body of the report to address this comment. 11. The report does not address any Travel Demand Management (TDM) options for the site. A discussion on what transit, pedestrian /bike facilities and other TDM strategies are currently in place and what would be included as part of this proposed development needs to be included. A chapter has been added to the report to address TDM concerns. The chapter notes existing pedestrian, bike, and transit amenities and provides suggestions for TDM measures that could be adopted to foster continued reductions in peak hour traffic generation by the redeveloped Whole Foods. 12. Follow-up comment received via email on November 8, 2010: Whole Foods Team, It was brought to our attention that there is a discrepancy between the square footage shown in the transportation study and that of the preliminary plan sheet (42.1). The study has 32,300 and plan sheet has 36,692 (33,340+3352 in the mezzanine office area. I realize these numbers may seems relatively similar but the additional space can have impacts on the transportation study. Please include in your response a clarification or adjustment of the traffic study. Regards, Jack November 8, 2010 Page 5 The TIA as published assumes a 32,300 s.f. footprint for Whole Foods. This square footage does not include a 1,000 s.f. heated/cooled cart corral storage area or 3,352 s.f. mezzanine office area. The cart corral storage area was considered exterior to the building for the purposes of trip generation. The mezzanine office space, if considered part of the store for trip generation estimate purposes, would add roughly 30 peak hour trip ends (15 in 15 out). If considered a separatist office use for trip generation purposes, this 3,352 s.f. space would generate less than 10 peak hour trip ends. The ITE rates in Trip Generation are nationwide averages. In reviewing the data plots for land use 850, Supermarket, it is evident that that a change of plus or minus 30 peak hour trips falls well within the error range of this dataset. Added to the fact that operations throughout the study area operate acceptably, this discrepancy does not impact our conclusion that no mitigation is necessary to provide for the safe and efficient movement of traffic associated with the Whole Foods redevelopment. WSB Infrastructure ei Engineering ri Planning • Construction 701 Xenia Avenue South & Associates, Inc Suite #300 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Tel: 763 541-4800 Fax: 763 541-1700 Memorandum To: Wayne Houle, PE, Public Works Director/City Engineer Jack Sullivan, PE, Assistant City Engineer City of Edina From: Chuck Rickart, PE, PTOE Transportation Engineer WSB & Associates, Inc. Date: November 10, 2010 Re: Whole Foods Centennial Lakes Final Traffic Impact Analysis Review City of Edina WSB Project No. 1686-02 We have reviewed the Final Traffic Impact Analysis prepared by Westwood for the proposed Whole Foods grocery store at the Centennial Lakes retail center. The Final Report includes addressing the review comments from November 4, 2010. Based on our review of the Final Traffic Impact Analysis the following additional questions and comments should be discussed during the presentation at the Edina Transportation Commission meeting on November 18th. 1. One of the comments requested that information on how the peak Saturday hour was determined. The information in the appendix just indicates that traffic counts were conducted on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The question is how it was determined that this time frame was the peak period. Please verify how this was determined. 2. The actual Synchro and SimTraffic modeling worksheets are now provided in the appendix. Should the development be approved please submitted electronic copies of these files. 3. The report now includes a section on Travel Demand Management (TDM) options for the site. The text indicates on page 34 in the Bicycle section that a list of bike racks was included. This information was not shown in the report and should be provided. The report references the overall site plan for showing the sidewalk and pedestrian facilities. This is had to follow. A separate map should be provided showing all the existing pedestrian, bike and transit facilities and what will be added as part of the development. Based on these comments and my review of the Final Traffic Impact Analysis it can be concluded that the Whole Foods proposed development will not have a significant impact on existing or future traffic operations adjacent to the site. It is therefore my recommendation that the Traffic Impact Analysis be approved with the minor clarifications discussed above. Westwood MEMORANDUM Date: November 10, 2010 W PHONE 952-937-5150 FAX 952-937-5822 TOLL FREE 888-937-5150 www.westwoodps.com 7699 Anagram Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Re: Response to City/WSB Additional Comments on November 8th Whole Foods Draft TIA File 2010-1178 To: Jack Sullivan, P.E., City of Edina From: Nick Erpelding, P.E., PTOE Jack— In response to the City's additional comments on the November 8th draft of the Whole Foods Traffic Impact Analysis, please find the attached final signed TIA and responses below. Nick 1. One of the comments requested that information on how the peak Saturday hour was determined. The information in the appendix just indicates that traffic counts were conducted on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The question is how it was determined that this time frame was the peak period. Please verify how this was determined. As noted in our original response, the peak hours studied for the analysis, as agreed with you in our initial scoping meeting on September 16, 2010, were the weekday PM peak hour and Saturday midday peak hour. Counts were conducted from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on a typical weekday and 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on a typical Saturday as agreed upon in that meeting. These time periods typically substantially encompass the associated peak hours. The traffic count data collected for this project did show that the Saturday Midday peak hour occurred within this 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. timeframe, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The traffic count data further showed that traffic volumes are approximately 15% higher during the weekday PM peak hour compared with the Saturday Midday peak hour. Based on ITE data in Trip Generation, 8th Edition (page 1498, Tables 1 and 2) the maximum variation in hourly shopping center traffic volumes across a typical Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. is roughly 4%. For shopping centers under 300,000 s.f., Land and Energy DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS 11•••••••••••• November 10, 2010 Page 2 such as Centennial Lakes, the variation is even less. The conclusion that can be drawn from this information is that Weekday PM peak hour remains the critical peak hour for analysis purposes, and the findings from the study remain intact. 2. The actual Synchro and SimTraffic modeling worksheets are now provided in the appendix. Should the development be approved please submitted electronic copies of these files. Comment noted. The electronic Synchro and SimTraffic modeling files will be submitted to the City upon development approval. 3. The report now includes a section on Travel Demand Management (TDM) options for the site. The text indicates on page 34 in the Bicycle section that a list of bike racks was included. This information was not shown in the report and should be provided. The report references the overall site plan for showing the sidewalk and pedestrian facilities. This is had to follow. A separate map should be provided showing all the existing pedestrian, bike and transit facilities and what will be added as part of the development. Figure 5-1, a Pedestrian Connectivity Plan has been added to the TIA to more clearly depict existing and proposed pedestrian connections. A potential location for a bicycle rack near the proposed Whole Foods building is called out. Coll 48 Hours before digging: GOPHER STATE ONE CALL Twin al), kee 651-454-0002 Mn. Toll Free 1-800-252-H66 Site Notes 0 4" TRAFFIC WHITE LANE STRIPE (1W.) 4, MARE YELLOW LANE STRIPE (TIP.) 4- YELLOW DIAGONAL STRIPE 4' %HITE DIAGONAL STRIPE GRIND/REMOVE CONCRETE FOR 5' RADIUS MATCH EMSTING CURB k GUTTER MATCH EMSITNG PAVEMENT MATCH EXISTING CONCRETE (WALK OR ERNE) EXISTING CONCRETE OMB PLANTED AREA EXISTING MONUMENT SIGH CONCRETE SIDEWALK AND JOINTING (REFER 0004. PLANS) CONCRETE PAVEMENT (SEE STRUCTURAL PLANS) IV CURS TRANSITION 70 FLUSH STEPS AND HANDRAIL (SEE ARCH. PLANS) RETAINING WALL (SEE STRUCTURAL PLANS) SCREEN WALL (SEE STRUCTURAL PLANS) CASTING STAIRWELL OVERHEAD CLEARANCE BAR (SEE ARCH. PLANS) EASRNG COLORED SIDEWALK EXISTING CONCRETE PAVEMENT TRANSFORMER A IS a V S. LOADING DOCK FF 852.2 144.1mes Prepared fon Weave., mh. slew sm.... mtsmasrmlorne rdan SSW 11-04£ SA-137313, .-3,7301 Tal. 1-.97•510 nwomererxdpuos I ,...,arety 114 &ay. ynpr..1 by ea et sae .7 Ala rya* 1.n • at, 11....11.3roscettl. Soya 30123/10 ,„„ 10919 Centennial Lakes Plaza, LLC \ Mid-America Real Estate-Minnesota, LLC 5553 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 650 Ikumeapolis, Minnesota 55415 *2010 Westwood Protessfono1 Services Inc. .. . PARKLAWN AVENUE General Site Notes I. BACKGROUND SURVEY INFORMATION FOR THIS PROJECT PROVIDED BY YESTIVOGO FIELD SURVEY INFORMATION DATED 8/26/2010. 2. LOCATIONS AND ELEVATIONS OF EXISTING TOPOGRAPHY AND UTIUDES AS SHOW ON THIS PLAN ARE APPROXIMATE. CONTRACTOR SHALL FIELD VERIFY WE CONDITIONS AND UTILITY LOCATIONS PRIOR TO EXCAVATION/CONSTRUCTION. IF ANY DISCREPANOES ARE FCLINO, THE ENGINEER WOULD BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY. 3. REFER 70 BOUNDARY SURVEY FOR LOT BEARINGS. DIMENSIONS AND AREAS. 4. ALL DIMENSIONS ARE TO FACE OF CURB OR EXTERIOR FACE OF BUILDING UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. 5. REFER 70 ARCHITECTURAL PLANS FOR EXACT BUILDING EMJENSONS AND LocAncNs cc DOTS RAMPS, AND TRUCK DOCKS 6. ALL CURB RADII SHALL DE 3.0 FEET (TO FACE OF CURB) UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. 7. ALL CURD AND GUTTER SHALL RE 6612 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. N. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL BE RESPONSIS_E FOR PROVIDING AND NM/MAI-RING TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES SUCH AS BARRICADES, WARNING SIGNS. DIRECTIONAL SIGNS, FLASHERS AND UGHTS TO CONTROL SHE MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC MERE NECESSARY. PLACEMENT OF INEZ DEVICES SHALL BE APPROVES BY THE OTT AND ENGINEER PRIOR TO PLACEMENT. TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES SHALL CONFORM TO APPROPRIATE AINDOT STANDARDS U. BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT AND CONCRETE SECTIONS TO RE IN ACCORDANCE MR THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER. IX. CONTRACTOR SHALL MAINTAIN FULL ACCESS TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES DURING CONSTRUCTION AND TAKE ALL PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY TO AVONI PROPERTY DAMAGE TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES. 11. WE LIGHTING SHOW ON PLAN IS FOR REFERENCE ONLY. REFER TO UGHTING PLAN PREPAREO BY OTHERS FOR SIC LIGHTING DETAILS AND PHOTOMETRICS. WHOLE FOODS MARKET 32,340 SF FF 846.0 EDC - H1 ( 10 Site Legend M Site Details ERCE1501. PROPERTY ONE 1 5612 CURB & GUTTER 4 0418 CURB & CUTTER 6 INTEGRAL CURS AND WALK 7 CONCRETE CROSS CUTTER 11 ACCESSBLE DROPPED PEDESTRIAN RAMP 12 CROSS WALK STRIPING 14 TRAFFIC ARROW 15 PAINTED STOP BAR AND STOP SCR POST NATE 16 HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE SIGNAGE AND STRIPING 19 BOLLARD 20 STANDARD DUTY PAVEMENT 21 HEAVY DUTY PAVEMENT 22 CONCRETE WALK 23 CONCRETE PAVEMENT 25 BITUMINOUS OIL AND OVERLAY LOT USE SETBACK ONE EASEMENT ONE CURB AND GUTTER 11P OUT CURB AND CUTTER POND NORMAL WATER LEVEL RETAINING WALL FENCE CONCRETE PAVEMENT n CONCRETE SIDEWALK HEAVY DUTY BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT STANDARD DUTY BITUMINOUS PAVEMENT . I r • RI NUMBER OF PARKING STALLS 100050060E0 SITE liCHTING TRAFFIC SCR POWER POLE BOLLARD / POST k,ARK1N pE1BA Signage and Striping Notes Sign Legend I. ALL TRAFFIC SIGNS. PAVEMENT MARKINGS, AND OTHER TRAFFIC CONTROL FEFFRENCF Ra SMOOT DESIGNATION DEVICES SHALL CONFORM TO THE STANDAROS OF THE FHA MANUAL ON S.1 STOP SON 30' 030' 01-1 UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES (MUTED). 5.2 HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE 12' X 18' R7-154 2. PARIONG LOT STRIPING SHALL BE 4' WIDE COLOR WHITE, IWO COATS OF S.3 FIRE LANE / NO PARKING 12' X 12' R8-38 • PAINT. CONTRACTOR SHALL PAINT ANT/ALL DIRECTIONAL TRAFFIC ARROWS 5.12 24' X 24' 0-12 NO TRUCKS SOS AS SHOW IN 011170 (TWO COATS). 3. ACCESSIBLE PARKING PROVIDED PER ADA CEDE. CONTRACTOR WALL PAINT THE INTERNATIONAL SYMEICI. OF ACCESSBUTY IN EACH DESGNATED ACCESSEILE STALL IN BLUE BACKGROUND WITH MOTE BORDER (IWO COATS OF PAINT). CONTRACTOR SHALL PAINT THE WORDS 'NO PARKING' IN EACH ACCESSIBIE ISLE ADJACENT TO AN ACCESSBLE SPACE IN WHITE LETTERS MINIMUM 12' IN HEIGHT. 4. ALL SIGNS SHALL INCLUDE POST. CONCRETE FOoTING AND CASING WERE REQUIRED, CONCRETE COONS REQUIRED el LOCATIONS WHERE POST IS NOT PROTECTED BY CURB. S. ALL STOP SCRS SHALL INCLUDE A 24- WOE PANTED STOP BAR IN WHITE PAINT (TWO COATS) PLACED AT THE STOP SON LOCATION. A MINOAN OF 4' FROM CROSSWALK. AU_ STOP BARS SHALL EXTEND FROOJ DIRECTIONAL TRANSTION BETWEEN LANES TO THE CURB. U. ALL SIGNS SHALL BE BE PLACED 18' BEHNO THE BACK OF CURB UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. Sheet Index Cl CIVIL SITE PLAN C2 EXISTING CONDITIONS C3 GRADING & DRAINAGE PL„....A C4 UTILITY PLAN 0,0 \ Ll TREE INVENTa tbERVATION PLAN L2 LANDSCM El SITE L%inG PLAN ()TO 0 14 10/29/10„nV ‘1.,A'''Cim"OP '76" , Whole Foods 09nk tellnecsota 7 0* 30' 60. DIY NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION rir CIO To: Transportation Commission From: Jack Sullivan, PE Assistant City Engin ro• Date: November 18, 2010 Subject: Complete Streets Presentation Agenda Item Na: VI.0 ACTION: Recommendation/Motion Discussion Information Page 1 of 1 Item VI. C. Edina Transportation Commission REGULAR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING REPORT/RECOMMENDATION Info/Background: Jack Broz of Howard R. Green will be presenting some information on the topic of Complete Streets. Mr. Broz was a member of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Complete Streets External Advisory Group. To supplement his discussion I have included the Complete Streets Local Government Toolkit, the new state law and the Complete Streets resolution passed by the Edina City Council in January 2010. Some additional website with information pertaining to the Complete Streets topic are: MnDOT http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/completestreets/index.html Complete Streets http://www.completestreets.org/ Currently there is a Committee formed by the City Engineers Association of Minnesota (CEAM) to review, evaluate and suggest flexibility in the State Aid rules. This committee will be forwarding their conclusions to the Department of Transportation in early 2011 for further discussion. These proposed rule changes could have significant impact on our State Aid Street reconstruction in the coming years. Staff will present more information on this topic in February 2011 when their ideas are presented at the annual CEAM conference. GAEngineering\Infrastructure\Streets\Trafficgransportation Commission\Agendas\2010 R&R\20101118_Item.VI.C_Complete_Streets.docx REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: Mayor & City Council Agenda Item # IV. K. From: Wayne D. Houle, PE Consent Public Works Director/ City Information Only Engineer Date: January 19, 2010 Mgr. Recommends To HRA To Council Subject: Complete Streets Action Motion Resolution 2010-21 Resolution Ordinance Discussion Recommendation: If so desired by the Council, adopt the attached Complete Streets Policy Resolution 2010-21 expressing support of a statewide Complete Streets Policy. Info/Background: The Edina Transportation Commission at their December 17, 2009 meeting recommended the City Council adopt the attached resolution; see also the attached draft Transportation Commission minutes and the ETC staff report. "Complete streets" are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across a complete street. Communities across the country, including Hennepin County, have created complete street resolutions and policies. These resolutions and policies are varied in complexity and legal ramifications. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) at the direction of the Minnesota State Legislature has convened a Complete Streets Study Committee and Technical Advisory Panel to gather information and feedback about what a Complete Streets Policy would mean for Minnesota. The study focused on identifying the benefits, costs and feasibility of adopting a "complete streets" policy in Minnesota. The Complete Streets Final Report can be found at the following website, htt • ://www.dot.state. mn. us/a lannin • /com • letestreets/le • islation.html There is a movement by various agencies to pass a statewide Complete Streets law in 2010 which would direct the Minnesota Department of Transportation to adopt and implement a complete streets policy on all transportation projects to provide a full menu of transportation options to meet the needs of everyone using the roads. The Minnesota State Legislature reconvenes February 4, 2010 to discuss the Complete Streets Report The City of Edina Engineering Staff has reviewed the Complete Streets Report and found that we practice many of the recommendations discussed in the report such as Context Sensitive Solutions and also our recent update to the Comprehensive Plan. The 2008 Comprehensive Plan including Character Streets (Chapter 4, Land Use and Community Design), enhancements to the Transportation Chapter (Chapter 7) and the Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan (Chapter 7) are all consistent with the philosophy of Complete Streets. Engineering and Public Works staff will continually apply "Complete Street" concepts in Edina street reconstruction projects. Page 2 of 2 RESOLUTION NO. 2010-21 EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF A STATEWIDE COMPLETE STREETS POLICY Whereas, the "Complete Streets" concept promotes streets that are safe and convenient for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motor vehicle drivers of all ages and abilities; and Whereas, the October 2009 public draft of the Minnesota Department of Transportation Complete Streets Report includes the recommendation: "Mn/DOT should build on existing Context Sensitive Solution practices and develop and implement a statewide Complete Streets policy..."; and Whereas, the Edina City Council recognizes the importance of complete streets, as shown in its 2008 Comprehensive Plan update; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Edina encourages the Minnesota legislature, with input and guidance from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, to authorize the development of a statewide Complete Streets program, which would provide for the development of a balanced transportation system, through appropriate planning, that integrates multiple transportation modes, where appropriate, for transportation users of all types, ages and abilities. ADOPTED this 19th day of January, 2010. Attest: Debra A. Mangen, City Clerk James B. Hovland, Mayor STATE OF MINNESOTA) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) SS CITY OF EDINA CERTIFICATE OF CITY CLERK I, the undersigned duly appointed and acting City Clerk for the City of Edina do hereby certify that the attached and foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the Edina City Council at its Regular Meeting of January 1 9tn, 2010, and as recorded in the Minutes of said Regular Meeting. WITNESS my hand and seal of said City this day of , 20 . City Clerk MINUTES OF THE Edina Transportation Commission Thursday, December 17, 2009 Edina City Hall 4801 West 50th Street Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Geof Workinger, Jennifer Janovy, Tom Bonneville, Jean White, Usha Abramovitz, Michael Schroeder MEMBERS ABSENT: Julie Sierks, Marc Usem, Warren Plante STAFF PRESENT: Jack Sullivan I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by chair Workinger. II. Comments a. Chairman Comments Chair Workinger noted that the Star Tribune did a story on the West 701h Street Traffic Study titled "City agrees to take action to calm traffic on W. 70th Street." He said this project was recently approved by Council for implementation. b. Community Comments None. Ill. Old Business None. IV. New Business a. Election of Vice-Chair Chair Workinger said the responsibilities include being available to chair the meetings in the absence of the chair. Commissioner Janovy nominated herself and nomination was seconded by Commissioner Schroeder. All voted aye. b. Complete Streets Resolution Assistant City Engineer Sullivan explained that Mn/DOT has completed their study which was mandated by the legislators in 2008 to determine costs, benefits and feasibility of implementing a Complete Streets Policy. Mn/DOT's purpose of a Complete Streets Policy, Mr. Sullivan said is to provide a transportation network that promotes physical activity, accessibility, environmental quality, safety and mobility. Mr. Sullivan explained further that while the City does not have a Complete Streets Policy, the practices of the engineering and planning departments are consistent with the Complete Streets philosophy as documented in the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Update and when planning for redevelopments and neighborhood reconstruction, etc. Mr. Sullivan said a resolution was before the Commissioner for approval showing support of a Complete Streets Policy statewide. After discussion, Commissioner White motioned to approve the resolution as modified by Commissioner Janovy, deleting the last paragraph from the December 17th resolution and replacing it with the last paragraph from an earlier version which reads as follow: NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Edina encourages the Minnesota legislature, with input and guidance from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, to authorize the development of a statewide Complete Streets program, which would provide for the development of a balanced transportation system, through appropriate planning, that integrates multiple transportation modes, where appropriate, for transportation users of a// types, ages and abilities. And recommend approval to the Council. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Bonneville. All voted aye. V. Approval of Minutes a. Regular Meeting of October 15, 2009 Approval was deferred until next meeting. VI. Planning Commission Update (Commissioner Schroeder) Commissioner Schroeder said they are working on developing a process for dealing with Small Area Planning as a result of updates in the Comprehensive Plan that identifies several commercial neighborhoods for redevelopment. He said there are no current statutes; therefore, the Planning Commission has recommended to the Council that a citizen advisory team, including an ETC member, be formed to formulate a process. He said the Small Area Planning Process would be used on areas such as the old public works site, beginning as early as April. He suggested adding this to the next meeting's agenda for a broader explanation of the general process that the Planning Commission is proposing. Secondly, he said they are in the process of updating the Zoning Ordinances and looking at the development review process. While taking input from the community and others, Mr. Schroeder said it is clear that they are seeking clarity in the development review process and a question was raised regarding the role of the ETC. He said generally, the ETC and the Planning Commission does not hold public hearings or provide notices. He said the ETC reviews traffic studies internally and then makes recommendation to the Council which eliminates the public hearing/input process. Mr. Schroeder said the Zoning Ordinances Update Committee, which is essentially the Planning Commission in a committee role, is considering taking over the role of reviewing traffic studies. He said a review of the Planning Commission ordinance shows that this fits with their role of project related issues, where the ETC is more system-wide rather than project related. 2 Chair Workinger asked that discussion be held over for the next ETC meeting so that the Commissioners can think about the value of having traffic concerns on development projects handled by the Planning Commission and not by the ETC and changing their focus to system- wide issues. Commissioner Schroeder suggested including the minutes from the Zoning Ordinances Update Committee's meeting in the next packet of information to the ETC. VII. Bike Edina Task Force Update (Commissioner Janovy) a. Bike meeting minutes (November 12, 2009 Commissioner Janovy said December's meeting was cancelled. VIII. Staff Liaison Comments (Sullivan) a. City is accepting applications for ETC positions. Mr. Sullivan said the City is soliciting applications until January 23rd for all the boards and commissions, including two positions for the ETC. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Janovy reminded staff that part of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan (NTMP) process is to notify residents of the deadline to submit applications. Commissioner Bonneville suggested looking ahead at the end of each year to identify issue areas to be worked on so that they are not dependent on redevelopments. Meeting adjourned. 3 Page 1 of 2 Item IV. B. Edina Transportation Commission REGULAR TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING REPORT/RECOMMENDATION To: Transportation Commission Agenda Item No.: IV.B From: Jack Sullivan, PE ACTION: Assistant City Engineer Recommendation/Motion Date: December 17, 2009 Discussion Subject: Complete Streets Information Resolution Recommendation: If so desired by the Transportation Commission, recommend that the City Council adopt the attached Complete Streets Policy resolution supporting a statewide Complete Streets law. Info/Background: MnDOT has completed the draft Complete Streets Report dated October 2009. The report was available for comment by the public thru November 9, 2009. In early to mid-December MnDOT Complete Streets Policy Review Commissioner Sorel will present the report to the State Legislature. There is a movement by various agencies to pass a statewide Complete Streets law in 2010 which would direct the Minnesota Department of Transportation to adopt and implement a complete streets policy on all transportation projects to provide a full menu of transportation options to meet the needs of everyone using the roads. The City of Edina Engineering Staff has reviewed the Complete Streets Report and found that we practice many of the recommendations discussed in the report such as Context Sensitive Solutions. Recent updates to the 2008 Comprehensive Plan including Character Streets (Chapter 4, Land Use and Community Design), enhancements to the Transportation Chapter (Chapter 7) and the Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan (Chapter 7) all are consistent with the philosophy of Complete Streets. GAEtiginecring\Infrastructure\Strects\TraMarransportalion Commission\Agendas\2009 It&12\20091217_Complete_StrceIs_Revisions.doc Page 2 of 2 Item IV. B. Edina Transportation Commission From the October 15, 2009 ETC Update "Complete streets" are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across a complete street. Communities across the country, including Hennepin County, have created complete street resolutions and policies. These resolutions and policies are varied in complexity and legal ramifications. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) at the direction of the Minnesota State Legislature has convened a Complete Streets Study Committee and Technical Advisory Panel to gather information and feedback about what a Complete Streets Policy would mean for Minnesota. The study will focus on identifying the benefits, costs and feasibility of adopting a "complete streets" policy in Minnesota. Engineering and Public Works staff continually apply "Complete Street" concepts in Edina street reconstruction projects. MnDOT will present the final report to the Legislature in December 2009. Engineering staff will be attending a Public Works conference in mid November where a status update will be provided. An update to the Edina Transportation Commission will be given at the November meeting. Staff recommends waiting until the MnDOT report is completed and comments have been made by the State Legislature. It seems premature to create a City policy without knowing the breadth and depth of the State's recommendation and potential mandates. We expect to revisit and evaluate the MnDOT report and make a staff recommendation at that time. GAEngineering\InfrastructureAStreeisUraftiffransportation Commission \Agendas\2009 R&12120091217Complete_Strects_Revisions.doe MN Complete Streets Law From Chapter 351 of 2010 Session Lawl signed May 15, 2010 by Governor Tim Pawlenty Note: Additions to Minnesota law are underlined, while other text is existing statute. Sec. 11. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 162.02, subdivision 3a, is amended to read: Subd. 3a. Variances from rules and engineering standards. (a) The commissioner may grant variances from the rules and from the engineering standards developed pursuant to section 162.021 or 162.07, subdivision 2. A political subdivision in which a county state-aid highway is located or is proposed to be located may submit a written request to the commissioner for a variance for that highway. The commissioner shall comply with section 174.75, subdivision 5, in evaluating a variance request related to a complete streets project. (b) The commissioner shall publish notice of the request in the State Register and give notice to all persons known to the commissioner to have an interest in the matter. The commissioner may grant or deny the variance within 30 days of providing notice of the request. If a written objection to the request is received within seven days of providing notice, the variance shall be granted or denied only after a contested case hearing has been held on the request. If no timely objection is received and the variance is denied without hearing, the political subdivision may request, within 30 days of receiving notice of denial, and shall be granted a contested case hearing. f_cl For purposes of this subdivision, "political subdivision" includes (1) an agency of a political subdivision which has jurisdiction over parks, and (2) a regional park authority. Sec. 12. Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 162.09, subdivision 3a, is amended to read: Subd. 3a. Variances from rules and engineering standards. (a) The commissioner may grant variances from the rules and from the engineering standards developed pursuant to section 162.13, subdivision 2. A political subdivision in which a municipal state-aid street is located or is proposed to be located may submit a written request to the commissioner for a variance for that street. The commissioner shall comply with section 174.75, subdivision 5 in evaluating a variance request related to a complete streets project. (b) The commissioner shall publish notice of the request in the State Register and give notice to all persons known to the commissioner to have an interest in the matter. The commissioner may grant or deny the variance within 30 days of providing notice of the request. If a written objection to the request is received within seven days of providing notice, the variance shall be granted or denied only after a contested case hearing has been held on the request. If no timely objection is received and the variance is denied without hearing, the political subdivision may request, within 30 days of receiving notice of denial, and shall be granted a contested case hearing. (c) For purposes of this subdivision, "political subdivision" includes (1) an agency of a political subdivision which has jurisdiction over parks, and (2) a regional park authority. Sec. 52.1174.75] COMPLETE STREETS. Subdivision 1. Definition. "Complete streets" is the planning, scoping, design, implementation, operation, and maintenance of roads in order to reasonably address the safety and accessibility needs of users of all ages and abilities. Complete streets considers the needs of motorists, pedestrians, transit users and vehicles, bicyclists, and commercial and emergency vehicles moving along and across roads, intersections, and crossings in a manner that is sensitive to the local context and recognizes that the needs vary in urban, suburban, and rural settings. Subd. 2. Implementation. The commissioner shall implement a complete streets policy after consultation with stakeholders state and regional agencies, local governments, and road authorities. The commissioner, after such consultation, shall address relevant protocols, guidance, standards, requirements, and training, and shall integrate related principles of context-sensitive solutions. Subd. 3. Report. Beginning in 2011, the commissioner shall report on the implementation of the complete streets policy in the agency's biennial budget submission under section 174.02. Subd. 4. Local road authorities. Local road authorities are encouraged, but not required, to create and adopt complete streets policies for their roads that reflect local context and goals. Nothing in this section may be construed to prohibit a local road authority from adopting a complete streets policy that incorporates or exceeds statutory complete streets principles. Subd. 5. Variances from engineering standards. (a) When evaluating a request for a variance from the engineering standards for state-aid projects under chapter 162 in which the variance request is related to complete streets, the commissioner shall consider the latest edition of: (1) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; and (2) for projects in urban areas, the Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities, from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. (b) If the commissioner denies a variance request related to complete streets, the commissioner shall provide written reasons for the denial to the political subdivision that submitted the request. Sec. 72. COMPLETE STREETS REPORTS. The commissioner of transportation shall submit to the chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate committees with jurisdiction over transportationi)olicy and finance reports that: (1) by January 15, 2011, summarize the department's complete streets initiatives, summarize steps taken to expedite and improve the transparency of the state-aid variance process related to complete streets, outline plans to develop and implement a complete streets policy, and identify any statutory barriers to complete streets implementation; (2) by January 15, 2012, summarize the results of the collaboration under Minnesota Statutes, section 174.75, subdivision 3; identify modifications made to or recommended for protocols, guidance, standards, or other requirements to facilitate complete streets implementation; report status of development of complete streets performance indicators: outline other work planned related to the complete streets policy; and identify statutory recommendations to facilitate complete streets policy implementation; and (3) by January 15, 2014, overview the department's implementation of complete streets policy; note updates to protocols, guidance, standards, or requirements; identify any recommendations for supporting local complete streets implementation under the state-aid standards variance process; and identify statutory recommendations to facilitate complete streets policy implementation. The reports in clauses (1), (2), and (3) must be made available electronically and made available in print only upon request. Complete Streets Supporting safe and accessible roads for everyone Local toolkit Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition The photos in this toolkit show some of the many creative ways communities are moving toward Complete Streets that work for all users. TRANSIT for Fresh Energy OF MINNESOTA livable Communities Table of Contents Introduction 2 Benefits of Complete Streets 3 Steps to creating, adopting, and implementing a local Complete Streets policy 5 Elements of a Complete Streets resolution and policy 7 Frequently asked questions 8 Sample Complete Streets resolution (Hennepin County) 12 Talking about Complete Streets 13 Sample letter to the editor 15 Sample opinion piece/editorial 16 Sample opinion piece/editorial for elected officials 17 Links to additional resources 18 Coalition members 19 Nearly every Complete Streets policy begins with a single champion - whether an elected official, a staff person, or an advocate. Consider becoming that champion in your community! Introduction Transportation has broad impacts. At the most basic level, our trans- portation system impacts our ability to get around, but it also has a big impact on safety, economic development, quality of life, the environment and public health. "Complete Streets" recognizes and maximizes the benefits of all aspects of our transportation system. For the past 50 years, most road design has focused primarily on one goal—moving as many cars as possible, as quickly as possible. This has often meant that the safety and accessibility needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders are forgotten or addressed at the end of a road project if there is street right-of-way space and money left. Too often, the road-building process has also neglected to fully consider the impact on local residents and businesses along a road—with a focus on cars moving through the area rather than on how a road can contribute to a successful and vibrant community. Not surprisingly, this paradigm has resulted in roads that move cars fairly well but often are not safe for seniors, children, people with disabilities, and others walking, biking, or taking transit. Because many people don't feel safe, they drive to their destinations rather than use other options. Complete Streets seeks to change this paradigm so that pedestrian, bicycle, and transit accommodations are no longer seen as "amenities" to be included when "possible," but rather as core elements of road design and imple- mentation, left out only if there is a truly compelling reason. Complete Streets is about making sure our kids can safely walk to school, seniors have time to cross the street safely, and parents feel comfortable bicycling to a nearby park or grocery store. Complete Streets is not a one-size-fits-all solution and will not lead to sidewalks in cornfields or bike lanes on every street—it is about making sure that our transportation and road building systems work for everyone. Complete Streets is a growing movement in Minnesota and across the country. In 2010, Governor Tim Pawlenty signed a Complete Streets law for Minnesota which directs a supportive Minnesota Department of Transportation to transition to Complete Streets. Local resolutions or policies have also been adopted in Rochester, Hennepin County, St. Paul, Albert Lea, Bloomington, Duluth, and Independence. Numerous other cities and counties are moving to support Complete Streets. Nationally, more than 120 communities and states are supporting Complete Streets. This toolkit will help you understand the value of Complete Streets and how you can help make Complete Streets part of your Minnesota community. Much of the information is condensed and localized for Minnesota. There are links to the best of many national resources on Complete Streets. This is the first version of this toolkit, and it will be updated regularly. We anticipate adding technical information in Fall 2010. If you have unanswered questions, comments, or ideas, please contact Vayong Moua at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota at vayong_moua@bluecrossmn.com. This toolkit was created by the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition, which includes more than 65 organizations promoting safer roads for everyone. Special thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Fresh Energy, and the Minnesota Department of Health for creating most of the content and design. Benefits of Complete Streets A local Complete Streets policy can help a community set the path to a transportation system that provides safer access for all road users by articulating the benefits of Complete Streets and providing political support for moving in that direction. By discussing and collaborating on Complete Streets as part of policy discussions, a community can learn to look beyond the current pavement and think about the many impacts of our transportation system. Some of the many benefits of Complete Streets include: 0 Safety. The core reason for Complete Streets is to improve safety for all road users. In the past decade, more than 500 pedestrians and bicyclists have been killed on Minnesota roads and more than 20,000 have been injured. We can and must do better. number of pedestrians and bicyclists injured or killed in Minnesota in the past decade 0 Public health. More than 60 percent of Minnesotans are overweight or obese and at risk for serious illness, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. If left unchecked, obesity will add another $3.7 billion in health care expenses for Minnesotans by 2020 (Obesity and Future Health Care Costs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health, 2008). By building roads that help support more walking and biking, communities can help create opportunities for people to be more physically active, while improving public health and reducing health care costs. percent of Minnesotans who are overweight 0 Access and transportation equity. About 40 percent of Minnesotans do not drive, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who cannot afford a car. Complete Streets helps to ensure that everyone has safe access to lead active and independent lives, while ensuring full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Whether you live in the city, countryside, suburbs, or reservation, Complete Streets supports the ability of all people in their local context to have viable transportation choices. percent of all Minnesotans who don't drive 0 Affordable transportation choices. Rising and erratic gas prices are taking a larger part of family budgets — money that goes nearly entirely out of the local economy. Complete Streets helps support options that make communities more resilient to gas price spikes and keeps more money in the local community. 0 Economic development. "Complete" streets are built to fit a community's context to attract people and encourage business by making sure that our roads are places that people want to be. - Designir, -3,aC1S with all u:-...: li-l. rnia., a from the fl iy saves coctl ,_,E-of --i:.; 0 Environment. Transportation accounts for more than 70 percent of our oil consumption, 25 percent of global warming pollution, and a large portion of local air pollution, like ozone and particulate matter that lead to "air quality alert" days, increased rates of asthma, and even cancer. Complete Streets supports many transportation options that help lessen dependence on oil and promote cleaner air. 0 Cost effectiveness. Road networks typically make up about 30 percent of the land area of cities and account for a significant portion of local budgets. Complete Streets helps ensure an efficiently planned transportation system that reduces gaps, improves traffic flow, and maximizes the investment while also ensuring that we build roads right the first time, rather than having to come back later for costly retrofits. 0 Quality of life. Complete Streets can help calm traffic on residential streets, create walkable neighborhoods, and increase community interaction. Steps to creating, adopting, and implementing a local Complete Streets policy While every community has a different context and different needs and concerns that can be addressed by a Complete Streets policy several general steps are applicable anywhere. The most important thing to remember when crafting a Complete Streets policy is that the goal is to work collaboratively to shift the focus of road design from "moving cars quickly" to "providing safe mobility for all modes of transit." Redefining the problem this way frees engineers to use their skill and talent to imagine creative solutions that a narrower focus precludes. To ensure broad support, it's important to invite the contributions of a wide range of stakeholders, including engineers, other relevant city staff, elected officials, and the public. A municipality can pass, or begin implementing, Complete Streets as a stand-alone initiative or as part of a comprehensive plan, transportation plan, or an update of subdivision requirements. 0 Research how your community can benefit from Complete Streets. Official action toward Complete Streets requires a compelling impetus, so start with a general and basic evaluation of the problems that Complete Streets can help solve. This might include statistics related to safety concerns on a major road, local obesity and chronic disease rates, public health care costs, or rates of walking and biking to school. Begin to collect and understand personal stories of barriers that come from "incomplete" streets or the positives that have resulted from existing well-designed "complete" streets. This initial scan of problems may also provide an opportunity to find and reach out to potential allies across many different fields. 0 Decide who should be involved in creating and implementing a Complete Streets policy, and determine how and when to engage the public. Common participants include elected officials, planning, public works, and public health staff, community stakeholders, and the public. Most communities begin the process with a relatively small task force and then seek broader input at different stages. It is important to ensure an authentic and transparent public process. 0 Determine a process for moving forward with Complete Streets. Some communities, fueled by a tragic event or a strong champion, move very quickly while others take a more deliberative approach. Some communities require local council or board action, while a few have created and implemented a Complete Streets policy solely through work performed at the staff level. A more engaged and collaborative approach that includes as many stakeholders and implementers as possible tends to be more broadly supported. Complete Streets is about supporting a culture change in road building and that takes leadership, time, patience, listening, understanding, and compromise. The most common process in Minnesota has included the following steps: • A small task force of city staff, elected officials, and community stakeholders drafts a Complete Streets resolution for consideration by the local council or board. • The council or board approves the resolution, which confirms the community's intent to support Complete Streets, and directs city staff to craft a full Complete Streets policy and implementation plan. • Local government staff members from all relevant departments work with stakeholders to create a proposal for a Complete Streets policy that includes concrete implementation steps and accountability. • The council or board approves the Complete Streets policy and implementation plan. • Local government staff members implement the policy on transportation projects in the community, evaluate implementation, and report on progress. O Articulate how Complete Streets relates to your community's vision (and pass a resolution). Connecting Complete Streets to the core values of your community helps build community ownership and commitment and deepen understanding of the diverse impacts of road building. Creating a vision for Complete Streets can be done by the public, policy makers, staff or, ideally, a combination of interested stakeholders. Many communities have already defined their vision as part of comprehensive planning or through various sub-area or neighborhood plans. The Complete Streets process should build on information shared in these processes while also allowing for a separate discussion about the vision solely in the context of Complete Streets. A common outcome of the Complete Streets visioning is a set of "whereas" statements that makes the case for Complete Streets in a resolution. It is often at this point that a community drafts and passes a council or board resolution in support of Complete Streets. 0 Determine steps your community can take to support Complete Streets. Once your community commits to Complete Streets, the focus of discussion shifts to specific elements of a policy and its implementation. Each community has different opportunities for and barriers to Complete Streets, which often include technical engineering policies and funding allocations. Given the technical nature of implementing Complete Streets, this stage should include considerable input from Public Works staff as well as an examination of best practices. Complete Streets policies are normally implemented by providing greater flexibility in road design as new roads are built and existing roads are rebuilt or repaved, and by allocating more capital improvement dollars toward features that support Complete Streets, such as sidewalks, bike lanes and trails, accessible curb ramps, and transit stops. Complete Streets policies provide a unified purpose for these investments so that residents can see, for example, that the sidewalk in front of their house contributes to a growing and connected system and serves a broad public purpose. Complete Streets should also address staff training and ongoing community outreach to ensure that engineers and planners have the implementation tools they need and communities understand what Complete Streets may mean for them. Initial steps typically focus on the numerous cost-neutral, low-cost, or cost-saving steps that communities can take toward Complete Streets. Work with engineers and planners to find underutilized 4-lane roads that could be converted to 3-lane roads with the extra space going toward bike lanes or sidewalks. Reevaluate standard lane widths—narrower lanes can help reduce speeding, save money, and provide space for sidewalks or bike lanes. For more information on technical ideas, see the Institute of Transportation Engineers guide Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach. (See link in Resources section) 0 Decide how you'll evaluate progress on Complete Streets and ensure implementation. An often overlooked part of a successful Complete Streets policy process is a discussion about feedback loops and check-in points to measure progress. These can include reports to elected officials and the public, as well as performance measures or other strategies. Evaluation creates a sense of ongoing purpose and accountability, while also providing an opportunity to update the policy as a community learns from its implementation efforts. No comprehensive plan is a static document, and no Complete Streets policy is, either. Elements of a Complete Streets resolution and policy Complete Streets resolutions and policies come in many forms and contexts. Some communities, like Rochester, created and passed a resolution and policy in one package while others, like Hennepin County, passed a resolution first and a policy later. Still others, like Albert Lea, jumped straight to the policy While most communities in Minnesota have taken a significant amount of time to create Complete Streets resolutions or policies, Bloomington and many other communities around the country moved quickly to craft and adopt a policy, confinn an existing policy direction, or begin the shift to Complete Streets. Similarly, there is variety in the ways communities implement Complete Streets. Marty aim for a comprehensive approach that covers all aspects of road building, while others focus simply on future subdivisions, a comprehensive plan, or street rebuilding and repaving. Below are a few broad elements and some sample language to help in your community. Complete Streets resolution A Complete Streets resolution is often used as a City Council's first official action in support of the concept and lays the ground for future work. Typically, resolutions 1) define Complete Streets; 2) cover the reasons that the community supports Complete Streets; 3) declare support for Complete Streets; and 4) direct next steps for work on Complete Streets. A sample resolution for Hennepin County is included in the Resources section of this toolkit. Complete Streets policy A Complete Streets policy specifies how work will proceed on Complete Streets. A policy can range from a simple declaration to provide accommodations for all modes of transit as part of every future transportation project to a total reworking of transportation planning and design manuals. The National Complete Streets Coalition has identified ten elements of an ideal Complete Streets policy (more details available at http://www.completestreets.org/ changing-policy/policy-elements/): 0 Includes a vision for how and why the community wants to complete its streets 0 Specifies that "all users" includes pedestrians, bicyclists and transit passengers of all ages and abilities, as well as trucks, buses and automobiles 0 Encourages street connectivity and aims to create a comprehensive, integrated, connected network for all modes 0 Is adoptable by all agencies to cover all roads Applies to both new and retrofit projects, including design, planning, maintenance, and operations, for the entire right of way 0 Makes any exceptions specific and sets a clear procedure that requires high-level approval of exceptions 0 Directs the use of the latest and best design criteria and guidelines while recognizing the need for flexibility in balancing user needs 0 Directs that complete streets solutions will complement the context of the community 0 Establishes performance standards with measurable outcomes 0 Includes specific next steps for implementation of the policy Frequently asked questions How much will it cost to create and implement a Complete Streets policy? A Complete Streets policy is about maximizing public return on investment. It is not about spending more money, but allocating money differently to support broader transportation outcomes. In some cases, Complete Streets may mean that an individual project costs more money. On some Complete Streets projects, a community can save money by right-sizing the automobile accommodations on a road, building a more connected system, and planning a road to fit into the local context. On all Complete Streets projects, valuable long-term public benefits can be gained from reduced health care costs and increased property values. Complete Streets also provides a process that helps ensure that we build roads right the first time, rather than fixing them after a tragedy occurs or a problem emerges, when the costs will be much greater. Complete Streets applies to projects as they come through the normal funding process, providing an opportunity to improve safety; rather than focusing on costly retrofits. Complete Streets is not about creating more process, it is about implementing a better process. Complete Streets will help speed project delivery—which reduces costs— by thinking about local context and needs throughout the process, rather than at the end when it becomes more costly to make changes. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has prepared a report on Complete Streets. The report recommends implementing a state Complete Streets policy because the Department found, after engaging many experts and stakeholders, that "the general consensus is that the benefits of Complete Streets offset the incremental costs." The report also recognizes that Complete Streets fits in very well with other efforts the Department is taking to maximize the value of transportation investments by making sure that projects are built for local contexts and needs. What impact will this have on drivers and truck access? Implementation of a Complete Streets policy will help improve safety for everyone, including drivers. It will also help support more transportation options and reduce congestion. A Complete Streets policy should also help ensure a connected system for trucks and include that as part of the ongoing consideration of road design. Why do we need a local Complete Streets policy? Minnesota's state law on Complete Streets is a key step toward safer roads for all modes and users. The state law applies only to Mn/DOT-owned and -funded roads. The need for local Complete Streets policies still exists for local transportation authorities so that city and county roads belong to a Complete Streets network. In many Minnesota communities, people do not feel safe walking or biking in their neighborhoods or letting their kids walk to school. Too often, roads are built primarily to faciliate the movement of motor vehicles, and the needs of children, seniors, and others are overlooked. This can result in roads that are simply unsafe for pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers themselves. It can also result in roads that harm the economic vitality of main streets and the quality of life that draws people to our communities. Everyone is impacted by unsafe roads, which can lead to more injuries and fatalities — very real barriers in our transportation system and disincentives for walking, bicycling, and transit use. A Complete Streets policy can help identify solutions to help communities move forward with a balanced approach to transportation investments that maximize total public benefit. While many communities are moving in a Complete Streets direction without a specific policy, a formal policy supports progress locally and across the state. What are the impacts of Complete Streets for rural areas? Local context is a key consideration with Complete Streets. Complete Streets will help us provide safe access where it is needed and in ways that are reasonable and cost effective. The new statewide legislation specifically recognizes that needs may vary in urban, suburban, and rural contexts. In many rural areas, there is not as much need for pedestrian or bicycle facilities, or there is so little traffic that people feel safe walking or bicycling. In these cases, the existing road is a "complete" street already. Other rural roads serve as key connecting points for regional centers or pedestrian and bicycle trails, and people want to be able to walk or bike on those roads. In these cases, a paved shoulder may be warranted to provide safe access, depending on the context. Complete Streets is very important for small towns, which are often bisected by a state highway. A Complete Streets policy will help ensure that the state highway can still serve as the vital main street that helps a small town thrive. It will also help ensure that children have the opportunity to safely walk or bike to their small-town school. Streets that work for everyone "Complete streets" are different in every community, but all are designed to balance safety and convienence for everyone using the road. Clear signage is welcoming Streetlight on raised median Raised median at right Clear bike lane allows to pedestrians. makes intersection safer for turn lane slows traffic and room for cyclists. walkers. Raised median protects pedestrians. creates a pedestrian refuge. Street allows for multiple Well-marked crosswalk Narrow lanes slow traffic. On-street parking modes of transit: light rail, creates a space for slows traffic. bus, cars and bicycles. pedestrians. Sample Complete Streets resolution (Hennepin County) WHEREAS, Complete Streets are designed and operated to assure safety and accessibility for all the users of our roads, trails and transit systems, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, commercial and emergency vehicles and for people of all ages and of all abilities; and WHEREAS, Complete Streets reduce congestion by providing safe travel choices that encourage non-motorized transportation options, increasing the overall capacity of the transportation network as well as decreasing consumer transportation costs; and WHEREAS, Complete Streets will help Hennepin County achieve our Cool Counties goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as more people choose an alternative to the single occupant vehicle, thereby improving air quality and alleviating public health concerns such as asthma; and WHEREAS, Complete Streets support economic growth and community stability by providing accessible and efficient connections between home, school, work, recreation and retail destinations by improving the pedestrian and vehicular environments throughout communities; and WHEREAS, Complete Streets enhance safe walking and bicycling options for school-age children, in recognition of the objectives of the national Safe Routes to School program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Physical Activity Guidelines; and WHEREAS, Complete Streets can help reduce crashes and injuries and their costs; and WHEREAS, Complete Streets is consistent with the Board- approved principles of Active Living Hennepin County, to promote the integration of physical activity into the daily lives of Hennepin County residents; and WHEREAS, Active Living Hennepin County, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, and the Hennepin County Transportation Department sponsored a Complete Streets workshop on December 5, 2008, where national experts met with key county, city and state leaders and our Active Living partners; therefore BE IT RESOLVED, that in order to develop and maintain a safe, efficient, balanced and environmentally sound County transportation system for people of all ages and abilities, transportation and development projects shall incorporate a Complete Streets philosophy that expands transportation choices; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in keeping with the County's Active Living principles, the Board directs the Active Living Interdepartmental Workgroup, along with other key staff as selected by the county administrator, to develop a County Complete Streets policy and report back annually to the County Board on how the policy will be implemented into all types and phases of Hennepin County's transportation and development projects; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners encourages cities, counties, and the state to work together to make Complete Streets a reality throughout Minnesota. Talking about Complete Streets Because the new Complete Streets policy is about community and helping to assure the safety of Minnesota's residents, actively communicating the benefits of the new law is critical in order to get public and policymaker buy-in and support for implementing the new law. One way to do that is to seek earned media (newspaper, radio, etc.) and general communications opportunities (conversations, community discussions, etc.). This will initiate a dialogue that will help the public and policy- makers understand the new law and its importance to local communities. Before you embark on a public communications effort it's important to understand the best ways to talk about the new law. Through polling and message-testing, we have found that the best way to talk about Complete Streets is from the standpoint of safety, and especially the safety of seniors and children — two populations especially impacted by road design. While other benefits of Complete Streets (health benefits, positive fiscal impacts, etc.) can and should be discussed, every communications effort should emphasize safety. To help you communicate the benefits of Complete Streets, we've developed a set of messages: Lead messages 0 Safety. Currently, too many Minnesotans do not feel safe walking or biking in their neighborhoods or letting their kids walk to school. Too often, Minnesota roads have been built primarily for vehicles, and the needs of children, seniors, and others have not been seriously considered. This can result in roads that simply aren't safe for pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers themselves. Supporting fact: In the last decade, more than 500 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed, and another 20,000 injured on Minnesota's roads. 0 Choices, accessibility, and equity. All Minnesotans deserve roads that help them get around their community safely and independently. Complete Streets will help remove transportation barriers for seniors, children, and people with disabilities, and give people cheaper transportation choices. Supporting fact: 40 percent of Minnesotans do not drive because they are too young, too old, cannot afford a car, have a disability, or choose not to drive. 0 Health. Roads designed strictly to move vehicles have created disincentives for physical activity, a critical component of the effort to reduce the obesity epidemic that Minnesota, like many other states, is facing. Complete Streets will help to assure that Minnesota's roads, highways and streets are safer for pedestrians and other non-motorized users and thereby encourage increased physical activity by people of all ages. Supporting fact: If left unchecked, the obesity epidemic is projected to add $3.7 billion to Minnesota's total annual health care spending by 2020. Supporting messages C Cost effectiveness. Complete Streets is a commonsense process that uses taxpayer money more efficiently by better responding to local needs and making sure we build roads right the first time, rather than fix them after a tragedy occurs, when the costs will be much greater. Supporting fact: In De Pere, Wisconsin, the county highway department saved money by building a narrower major street with roundabouts and bicycle facilities in place of the initially planned four-lane street with traffic signals at two intersections. The changes saved the county $347,515 (16.5 percent) off the original project estimate. 0 Community development. Roads designed strictly for cars hurt the economic vitality of many small towns and cities. Everyone is impacted by unsafe roads, which lead to more injuries and fatalities and disincentives for walking, bicycling, and transit use — key components of attractive and livable communities that help support vibrant and profitable businesses and attracts tourism and investment. Supporting fact: There are countless examples in small towns all across Minnesota where a busy state highway bisects a community. 0 Community engagement. Complete Streets encourages community participation in developing transportation systems that best meet local safety, health, and community needs. Supporting fact: Before the implementation of the Complete Streets law, local communities often faced many state-created barriers to designing roads through their towns in a way that served their residents best — barriers that were difficult and often impossible to overcome. 0 Environment. Complete Streets will support more walking and bicycling, clean transportation choices that reduce our dependence on costly energy sources and help protect Minnesota's rivers, lakes, and air quality. Supporting fact: 70 percent of oil consumption is used for transportation, and automobiles are the number one source of many local air pollutants that increase rates of childhood asthma and cancer. General tips for talking about Complete Streets 0 Broaden the name. The general public does not know about Complete Streets, so connect it immediately with safety. A statement like "Complete Streets: Mak- ing roads safer for all Minnesotans" gets the message across in positive manner. 0 Stay positive. You know that Complete Streets will help your community, and recent polling shows that most Minnesotans agree. The Minnesota Department of Transportation agrees as well and has begun work on Complete Streets. 0 Connect with seniors and children. Complete Streets will have a big impact on these groups that everyone cares about. Key messengers 0 Law enforcement officers are ideal for messages about public safety 0 Individual seniors can offer compelling personal stories 0 School principals drive home the need for more walking and biking to school 0 Doctors and nurses can urge action to support more physical activity About Minnesota's law 0 In 2010, the Minnesota Legislature passed and Governor Pawlenty signed into law a measure known as Complete Streets. The law took effect on August 1. 0 Complete Streets requires that Minnesota roads and highways are planned and designed to be safe and accessible for drivers, pedestrians, transit riders, and bicyclists — for all users, regardless of age or ability. 0 Specifically, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is required to consider local community needs and all likely road users when designing roadways, and to work with engineers and planners across the state to implement this process. The law applies to new construction, reconstruction, and repaving projects for Mn/DOT. NOTE: The new state law applies specifically to roads owned or funded by Ann/DOT. The law can support the efforts of communities to extend the reach of Complete Streets to city, county, and other roads not covered by the law It is helpful to raise public awareness of Complete Streets through letters to the editor or opinion/editorial pieces in the local newspaper. The samples that follow are provided to help you reach out to the public and the media. Sample letter to the editor Dear Editor: One of the more positive accomplishments of the 2010 Minnesota Legislature was the bipartisan passage of Complete Streets legislation. This new law, which took effect August 1, requires the Minnesota Department of Transportation to consider the needs of all transportation users when they design and build roads and highways. What that means is that instead of building roads for the sole purpose of moving cars as quickly as possible, they will be built with the safety of all users in mind including walkers, bicyclists and even drivers. The law also encourages local communities to adopt their own Complete Streets policies, such as Rochester, Duluth and St. Paul have already done, That will give our community more flexibility to integrate the needs of all road users in the future planning and building of our roads and highways. For years, state roads and highways were designed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Lost in that process were the safety needs of those who walk and bicycle—especially seniors and children. It was very difficult, if not nearly impossible, for a local community like ours to change that process to make it about something more than just automobiles. Now, with the new law, that will change. The one-size-fits-all, top-down approach will be replaced with a process that gives local communities more say in integrating the needs of all road users in the planning and building of roads and highways. We should take advantage of it for all of our residents. Sincerely, Sample opinion piece/editorial One of the more significant laws to go into effect this year is a change to how the State of Minnesota approaches road building and reconstruction. Specifically, the law, which was approved by a bipartisan majority of the Minnesota Legislature, requires that the safety needs of pedestrians, bicyclists and others be considered when roads are built or rebuilt. Known as Complete Streets, the law is a significant departure from how Minnesota historically did road building. In the past, roads were designed with a one-size-fits-all mentality and the primary outcome of the design was to move cars and truCks as quickly as possible. Lost in the process were the needs of walkers and bicyclists, many of them kids and senior citizens, and the desire of towns and cities to have roads that suited the needs of community members. The result of this past way of building roads was a staggering automobile/pedestrian fatality and injury rate. In the last decade, more than 500 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed, and another 20,000 injured on Minnesota's roads. So too, many communities became less livable as they were bisected by four lanes of traffic. Everyone is impacted by unsafe roads, which result in disincentives for walking, bicycling, and transit use — key components of attractive and livable communities that help support vibrant and profitable businesses and attract tourism and investment. Thanks to the new law, opportunities to change the old way of road building now exist, including many right here in [name of town]. Now, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is required to consider local community needs and all likely users of the road when designing roadways, and to work with engineers and planners across the state to implement this process. It applies to new construction, reconstruction, and repaving projects for Nin/DOT. And while the new law addresses state highways and roads, it encourages local communities to adopt their own Complete Streets policies, such as Rochester, Duluth and St. Paul have already done. One of the more significant aspects of the new law is cost. It isn't necessarily a new transportation spending program. Rather, it is a new way of doing business within an existing transportation program. In fact, examples exist where complete streets actually saved taxpayers money by preventing future costly retrofits when roads weren't built safe the first time. Thanks to the new Complete Streets law, Minnesota and its communities will become safer, more vibrant and more active. We should look for opportunities in our community to implement the law as fully as possible and thereby share in these benefits. Sample opinion piece/editorial for elected officials Creation of Complete Streets law will bring broad benefits to Minnesota communities As an [elected official — include specific title], one of my key priorities, in addition to managing the day-to-day workings of local government, is to help assure the health and welfare of our citizens. When it comes to the safety of those citizens who walk and bike, unfortunately, that has been a challenge in the past. The fatality statistics from the last decade point out the problem clearer than words can describe — a staggering 500 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed and another 20,000 were injured on Minnesota's roads. That's why our city has taken steps to create more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly roads. We have done so not only because we want to make our community safer for those modes of transportation, but also because we recognize that making walking and biking easier choices helps to improve the health and fitness of residents, along with increasing the vitality of the community. Fortunately for other cities and towns throughout Min- nesota, the legislature's passage of Complete Streets legislation this year will help them do the same. Complete Streets, which had broad bipartisan support in the legislature, and the vocal support of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, will create greater flexibility for Minnesota communities to incorporate the transportation and safety needs of their citizens in the development of state road projects. It ends the top- down, one-size-fits-all approach to state road building by simplifying and removing the existing barriers to safe, community-based road design. The policy is an essential first step for elected officials because state standards and requirements sometimes limit the ability of cities and towns to assure that roads are built safely for all users. And from the standpoint of public safety at the local level, that's critical. Too often Minnesota roads have been built primarily for driving as quickly as possible, and the needs of children, seniors, and others have not been seriously considered whether for travel along a roadway or to cross it. This can result in roads that simply aren't safe for pedestrians, people with disabilities, bicyclists, transit riders, and drivers themselves. The old way of road building has created other problems as well. It has resulted in roads that hurt the economic vitality of main streets and harm the quality of life that draws individuals, families and businesses to Minnesota. Everyone is impacted by unsafe roads, which not only lead to more injuries and fatalities, but also create disincentives for walking, bicycling, and transit use — elements that are critical to vibrant, living communities and a healthy citizenry. Fortunately, the legislature's passage of complete streets legislation spells a new day for Minnesota. Whether you are an elected official, a parent, a senior citizen, a student or a main street business owner, you can know that, in the future, when highways and roadways through your community are built or reconstructed, they'll be done with an eye toward helping to assure your safety. We are very proud that by implementing Complete Streets policies on our own, our community will be better for it. Thanks to the new law that took effect on August 1st, other community leaders will have the opportunity to share in that pride by being able to implement their own policies. Resources o Resources from the Public Health Law Center • Minnesota's Complete Streets Policy http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/ files/resources/ship-fs-cstree tpolicy-2010.pdf A summary of Minnesota's statewide Complete Streets policy • Understanding Road Design in Minnesota http lipubfichealthlawcenter.org/sites/clefault/ tes/resources/ship-fs-rdd esign-2010.pdf A guide to the classification system for roads in Minnesota, how road classification affects what government entity controls the project, and process for approvals organized by type of road • Bike/Pedestrian Fact Sheet http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/ files/resources/ship-fs-bikepeds-2010.pnf Traffic rules for bicycles and pedestrians O Introduction to Complete Streets http://mncompletestreets.org/gfx/NINComplete Streetsintrapptx Overview of Complete Streets frame principles and practices developed by the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition O American Heart Association (AHA) Fact Sheet http://www.mncompletestreets.org/gfx/AHA%20 -%20Complete%20Streets%20Pact%20Sheet%20-%20 %2.8MN%29.pcIf Supports Complete Streets policies as having great potential to increase the overall activity level of Americans and in turn reduce the risk of overweight and obesity. The AHA advocates for passage of Complete Streets policies that will in turn increase physical activity and improve the health status of all Americans. 0 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Fact Sheet htt p ://vvww.mnco mpletestre et s.o rg/gfx/Blue%20 Cross%20Complete%20Streets%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf Outlines current attitudes of Minnesotans around the built environment and its influence on physical activity It also illustrates the number of rural and urban Minnesotans engaged in physical activity for transportation and their level of support for policies that support biking and walking, such as Complete Streets o National Complete Streets Coalition www.completestreets.org o Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition www.mncompletestreets.org O Complete Streets: Best Policy and Implementation Practices. 2010. American Planning Association. Available for purchase: http://www.planning.org/ apastore/Search/Delaultaspx?p=4060 O Minnesota Department of Transportation's Complete Streets page http://w-vvw.dot.state.mn.usfplanning/ completestreets/ o Minnesota Case Studies From the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition http://vvww.mncompletestreets.org/gfx/ Complete%20Streets%20Case%20Studies.pdf O Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach. 2010. Institute of Transportation Engineers. Available for free: http://www.ite.org/ernodules/scriptcontent/Orders/ ProductDetail.cfm?pc=RP-036A-E">http://www.ite. org/emodules/scriptcontent/Orders/ProductDetail . cfm?pc-RP-036A4 Photo credits Cover: www.pedbikeimages.org/Jennifer Campos, wwwpedbikeimages.org/Andy Hamilton Inside front cover: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden, www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden Page 4: www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden, www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden Page 9: www.pedbikeimages.org/CarlSundstrom, David Gonzalez — Mn/Dot photographer Page 10: www.pedbikeimages.org/Laura Sandt Coalition Members The following organizations and local elected officials have joined the Minnesota Complete Streets Coalition: AARP Alliance for Metropolitan Stability Alliance for Sustainability American Cancer Society Midwest Division American Council of the Blind of Minnesota American Heart Association Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota BLEND: Better Living Exercise & Nutrition Daily Bloomington Councilmember Steve Elkins Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Blue Zones — Dan Buettner Catalyst Cedar Ave United City of Rochester City of Saint Paul Conservation Minnesota Dero Bike Rack Company Driftless Region Bicycle Coalition First Witness Child Abuse Resource Center Fit City Duluth Fresh Energy Friends of Washington County Get Fit Itasca Growth and Justice Havefunbiking.com HealthPartners Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin Howard R. Green Company Joe Urban, Inc. Kimley-Hom and Associates, Inc. Laura Baker Services Association Local Initiatives Support Corporation Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota Minnesota Association of Small Cities Minneapolis Electric Bicycle Company Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Minnesota Environmental Partnership Minnesota Public Interest Research Group Minnesota Public Health Association Minnesota Public Transit Association Minnesotans for Healthy Kids Coalition National Multiple Sclerosis Society Minnesota Chapter Northfield Nonmotorized Transportation Task Force Now Bikes and Fitness Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota Pates Planning and Design Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Red Wing Housing and Redevelopment Authority Saint Paul Councilmember Russ Stark Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation Shifting Gears Bicycles Sierra Club North Star Chapter St. Paul Smart Trips The Arc of Minnesota The Corduroy Studio, Inc. The Cornerstone Group Transit for Livable Communities Transportation for America's Minnesota Coalition Twin Cities Bicycling Club Twin Cities Streets for People Urban Land Institute Minnesota 1000 Friends of Minnesota Local governments with a local Complete Streets resolution or policy City of Albert Lea City of Bloomington City of Duluth City of Independence City of Rochester City of St. Paul Hennepin County Local governments with resolutions in support of state Complete Streets policy City of Bloomington City of Brooklyn Park City of Eagan City of Edina City of Falcon Heights City of Lake Elmo City of Richfield City of Rochester City of Rosemount City of St. Louis Park City of St. Paul City of Savage City of Woodbury Ramsey County BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota An independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association C1987A (8/10) wil, Jack Sullivan From: kirkjohnsonster@gmail.com on behalf of Kirk Johnson <Kirk.Johnson@LoganLogic.com> Sent: Friday, October 22, 20102:10 PM To: Ann Swenson; James Hovland; Joni Bennett; Mary Brindle; Scot Housh; Jack Sullivan; John Keprios; Phil Larsen; Wayne Houle; Alex Dirr; Alice Hulbert; Bob Fried; Carl Follstad, home; Carl Gulbronson; Donald Eyberg; Ellen Jones; Jennifer Janovy; Kirk Johnson; Larry Olson; Richard Griffith; Rob Erickson; Sally Dunn; Amanda Simons; Andrew Heyer; Marty Mathis; Peter Kelley; Schaeppi, Brad; Robyn Wiesman; Surya lyer; Nick Mason Subject: Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) Meeting Minutes (October 14th, 2010) Please contact me if any questions. Thanks for your contributions and interest. Bike Edina Task Force: News & Meeting Outcomes October 14, 2010 Purpose: The Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) meets to serve citizens and partner with City staff and elected officials to promote bicycle improvements in Edina for education, encouragement, infrastructure, enforcement, and ongoing assessment. We support implementation of the approved City of Edina Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan that serves all levels of bicyclists, connects key destinations including safe routes to schools, and integrates with the Twin Cities' regional bike network. Our vision is a progressive bicycle-friendly community where citizens can integrate cycling into their daily lives. Time & Location: The Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. in the Mayor's Conference Room at Edina City Hall. For questions contact Kirk Johnson, Chair. Guests are welcome. Distribution: BETF, guests, City Manager, City Engineer, Edina Police BETF Liaison Sgt. Phil Larsen, SHIP contact Robyn Wiesman, and Mayor & City Council. Also, Jack Sullivan to forward to the Edina Transportation Commission, and Surya lyer to post for the Edina Energy and Environment Commission. 9 Online source: Source link here (http://tcstreetsforpeople.org/node/1282) • Present: Alex Dirr, Alice Hulbert, Bob Fried, Carl Gulbronson, Kirk Johnson, Larry Olson, Richard Griffith, Rob Erickson • Guests: Nick Mason, Marty Mathis, Andrew Heyer, Peter Kelley, Dan Atkins, Amanda Simons • Absent: Carl Follstad, Jennifer Janovy, Ellen Jones, Sally Dunn, Donald Eyberg • Recorded by: Kirk Johnson 1. Introductions 2. Follow-up to September meeting 3. Action Plan review with the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN). a. Nick Mason visited from BikeMN and provided an overview of his organization (PowerPoint link, Nick?) b. Recommendation results were recorded in our meeting notes source. 1 cW1 10( i. Several action items will be owned by Kirk Johnson and covered at the first meeting with the new City Manager, Engineering Director, and Park & Recreation Director (to be scheduled. ii. Nick Mason to follow-up specifically on sending to Kirk Johnson some sample city bicycle parking and facility regulations to cover items 11 & 15. 4. Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail a. Upcoming Dates — these may change. i. Tue Nov 9 - Park Board to make recommendation to City Council. Recommendation will be published. Tue Dec 7 - City Council to hold a public hearing and make its final vote. BETF members and contacts, please attend this meeting to voice your opinion: iii. All in attendance expressed interest to attend. b. Voting on preferred route: Alice Hulbert briefed the group on the October 12th Park Board recommendation for a creek-based route, plus the Edina Energy and Environment presentation which also supports the same. The BETF voted in favor of a motion recommending a creek- based route, all in favor. c. Alice Hulbert will complete final editing for the BETF position and this will be published and ser to the attention of various stakeholders. [As a follow-up, Kirk Johnson will send the BETF position and rationale to Edina Council members, John Keprios, Wayne Houle, and Kelly Grissman/Jonathan Vlaming on Monday, October 26th .1 5. Other topics b. Thank you from Gordon Hughes — Kirk Johnson passed along his gratitude for the messenger bag, which he is using for his bike trips. c. Art mosaics — These are done and installation decisions are still pending — likely spring of 2011. 6. Agenda for upcoming meetings November's meeting will include a visit from Bill Dossett, Executive Director from Nice Ride Minnesota to talk about expansions in and near Edina for the bike share program. a. Special meeting Dec 7 (see above). b. No regular December meeting in lieu of Dec 7. Kirk Johnson Bike Edina Task Force, Chair 2 c e Jack Sullivan Subject: FW: Light Rail for the Southern Suburbs From: David Davison <dd01@annben.us> Date: November 15, 2010 6:18:51 AM CST To: edinamail@ci.edina.mn.us Subject: Light Rail for the Southern Suburbs Please notify members of the City Council of the following issue that should be of current interest. I would attend the Tuesday meeting to discuss the issue, but I will be out of town. I plan, instead, to attend and make public comment at the Transportation Commission meeting on Thursday. I live in Edina and recently completed a review of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's (DoT's) 2030 plan for freight and passenger rail: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/railplan Phase I of the plan calls for completion of a commuter rail system in Minnesota, including Twin Cities-Mankato Corridor, one of ten corridors considered. According to the plan, the heavy commuter trains will run at 80 miles per hour, with significant hazard to the surrounding properties in case of derailment. Stations will be five miles or more apart. The Twin Cities-Mankato Corridor has a fork at Savage. The routes of the two forks are as follows: - A western ["CP Line" or "MN&S"] fork from the Twin Cities to Savage via Saint Louis Park, Edina, and Bloomington; and - A southern fork from the Twin Cities to Savage. Distances by either fork are approximately the same, so inclusion of both forks is an extravagance. My preliminary analysis indicates that deletion of the MN&S fork from the Twin Cities-Mankato Corridor will significantly improve the economics of the corridor, and it will provide an opportunity for consideration of light rail, instead of heavy, fast commuter rail, along the fork. 1 A light rail line would serve Saint Louis Park, Edina, Bloomington, and Savage with several stations and with lighter trains moving somewhat slowly. By comparison to the commuter rail in the 2030 plan, light rail has the following advantages: - Much smaller potential for damage in the case of derailment; - Greater access for local residents to public transit; - Coexistence with planned recreational trails; and - Promotion of business growth along the line. In the Rail Forum of 8 November, the MN DoT solicited comments on its cost-benefit analysis. The cutoff date for comments to the DoT is 23 December. I am requesting that someone in an official capacity (e.g., Transportation Commission or City Council) respond to the call for comments as follows: That MN DoT examine the cost and other benefits of including light rail as an alternative to commuter rail along the MN&S fork of the Twin Cities-Mankato Corridor. David Davison (dd01@annben.us) 952-944-7549 2 70 00 W 20 20 AO 50 GO Posted Speed Limit (mph) Freyre 6. 85th percentile speed versus posted speedfor NCHRP, Texas, and FRIGI data. OfiRCeeen Source: NCHRP Repoli 504 ri ? RGreen November 2010 5 Coin lete Streets Accommodating A odes Florida, 1993-1996; pedestrians in single-vehicle crashes FPPFIGrecn UK: Department of Environment, Transport, and the Regions, (DETR) i SERVING ALL fRPIRCeueen A New Balance for Transportation • Interstate System L=FFGreel j?•-f 11. rall:C1,7-r- • • • Most design standards were developed during the delivery of the Interstate era • "Wider, faster, flatter, straighter... • and cost was not an issue! IEHRGreeru A 0 Rural Menet s o Sad Arterials U Sill Collectors = SH Local , 3 — J/- Pk Eriod LJT of Results in "open streets" for non-peak periods. P(=-,Tic),(1. Et--,74 of SP-Infice, Results in poor pedestrian crossings. etleGto -J i (--5;Td. (31:' Results in no room for bus stops. 8 Routes! Shelter , Best HQ Diversion routes past TWO schools! _ Shelter Results in no space allocated for bicycles. Complete Streets Accommodating All Modes REZEW%.141 1•:•2 "..A1 RGreen November 2010 5 Safe access for all users of all ages and abilities ... motorists, transit users, pedestrians and bicyclists can move safely along and across complete streets. WHRGreen c *NEPA • Environmental Justice *Wetland Conservation Act • Complete Streets • Report • Policy 0.1-IRGreen Complete Streets Re -3-±sa Accommodating All Modes BVID17(.7_ gUiC11,1:_cl by f..-Ee± paEt„ • No "unlimited funding" in the future • Stakeholder requirements restate historical needs • Over-designed vehicle space • Speeding a common issue o How can we add better functionality and reduce costs? .How can we improve public trust in transportation to improve funding [i rif(-frc T;f- • Safety for all modes • Mobility and access • Health • Transportation capacity • Reduced Construction Costs • Economic activity and property values • Quality of life FWIRGreen November 2010 5 • Pedestrians • Bicyclists • Vehicles • Trucks • Cars • Transit Vehicles • Transit Users • Parking PrIaGreen 2010 IlpOway Papaw, mann! 311 'FIEr Frequency/loadings Pedestrian & bicycle access Safety and personal security Lighting Near and farside stops Signal preemption Shelter design and maintenance top t 0 I - -- A cldims-E. fiTE 1 r • All users should receive attention in the design process for all projects • Many decisions must be made early in the planning and design process • Understand Mobility vs. Speed • Travel, Circulation and Access Ueda 5.101I 03.V0001 ADVAINTAGFOUS 103111.7 Ima) MOBILITY & COMPLETE STREETS P.HRGrar • But, many detailed design issues arise later in the design process OHRGreen 91-1FiGreen , , _e_rir: • - JUiffe.. rant, --Ibitilted.....16.14-iighrvw, Alai:Mr-Arterial= Lotal _Robd Wim'Immi 21 =I 40 _...) ,f) Peak Perad LOS Malady htobrdy end Peak Perim! LOS local Meese 4 Ouposs Crossngs Shedder Om...A Scrod.'"":071 Sideuelks --_-- 51-oukler Operations Pork-a-Ride Lots Buz Shelter Buz Stop - -- ' C.••-+Pa. Cr."'"9s Shadder Operatims or TraA Oa-Sheet Bke laws or Multklha Troi Shwa tia Rood G'ck S'P'''''''' At- 6raie or Greek Soparetbo A, Grade or Gm& Sepwatim AT- Grade PHaryeen • Wider lanes: • encourage higher speeds • reduce lane departure crashes • Narrower lanes: • Improved safety • reduce right-of-way needs • lessen pedestrian crossing time RGreen November 2010 5 Figure 5. SpaUal dimensions for people with disabilities (4). eLlsiGien) Comp ete Streets 'Accommodating All Modes .1 F Jkii '1.(JJ IL‘)T • Older people • Children • Persons with disabilities • Physical • Wheelchair (manual, mototizec or scooters) • Walkers, crutches, canes • Visual • Low vision • Blind (cane or guide dog) • Hearing • Cognitive L•HRGiren RGreen rr/ November 2010 5 • 4-lane, undivided converted to a 3- lane roadway. (Center lane is a two-way left turn lane.) • Less than 15,000 vehicles per day • Can reduce crashes up to 37% • Reduce speeds 71-FiGreen Complete Streets Accommodating All Modes r_31_11(11 Tr, JI"'J PI-R&Ter, Avg. Speed Delay Travel Time AM . ..Before 25.4 _ 36 -. 213 - I- After 24.8 41 ' -220 - Change -2% _ -14%._ 3% ..-e..., _ Noon , Before u - 56 238 After 229 57 236 Change 2% -1% PM Before 23.8 49 227 After 69 247 21.9 i Change -8% 41% 9% in r--, :ill LiyjThi.E.:. , ) Ingersoll Avenue - ML King to Polk Blvd Reported Crash History Time Period May-August Crashes Total Annual Crashes* Total Crashes 2005-2009 Average 21 49 2010 9 21* No. Injuries 2005-2009 Average 10 22 2010 4 9* • Cakulated number based. 2005-2009 percentages RGreen November 2010 5 Accommodating All Modes • u foot lanes - no shoulders • 35 mph • Turn lanes store 2 vehicles • Tapers 10:1 on turn lanes; 5a for parking bays • Crash reduction over 55% Gre.en oLocal restaurant desires a sidewalk café along with the ADA requirements evs. Right-turn lane iGle.n RGreen November 2010 5 Complete Streets Accommodating All Modes Ili Li ID -E1:1:A...-110 ' sohitial rrliGreen John "jack" Broz, P.E. Transportation Group Leader HR Green jbroz@hrgreen.corn rei RGreen November 2010 5 Jack Sullivan From: kirkjohnsonster@gmail.com on behalf of Kirk Johnson <Kirk.Johnson@LoganLogic.com > Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 7:12 AM To: Alex Dim Alice Hulbert; Bob Fried; Carl Follstad, home; Carl Gulbronson; Donald Eyberg; Ellen Jones; Jennifer Janovy; Kirk Johnson; Larry Olson; Richard Griffith; Rob Erickson; Sally Dunn; Jack Sullivan; John Keprios; Phil Larsen; Scott Neal; Wayne Houle; Ann Swenson; James Hovland; Joni Bennett; Mary Brindle; Scot Housh; Amanda Simons; Andrew Heyer; Marty Mathis; Peter Kelley; Schaeppi, Brad; Dan Atkins; Robyn Wiesman; Surya Iyer; bdossett@niceridemn.org Subject: Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) Meeting Minutes (November 11th, 2010) Bike Edina Task Force: News & Meeting Outcomes November 11, 2010 Purpose: The Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) meets to serve citizens and partner with City staff and elected officials to promote bicycle improvements in Edina for education, encouragement, infrastructure, enforcement, and ongoing assessment. We support implementation of the approved City of Edina Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan that serves all levels of bicyclists, connects key destinations including safe routes to schools, and integrates with the Twin Cities' regional bike network. Our vision is a progressive bicycle-friendly community where citizens can integrate cycling into their daily lives. Time & Location: The Bike Edina Task Force (BETF) meets monthly on the 2' Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. in the Mayor's Conference Room at Edina City Hall. For questions contact Kirk Johnson, Chair. Guests are welcome. Distribution: BETF, guests, City Manager, City Engineer, Edina Police BETF Liaison Sgt. Phil Larsen, SHIP contact Robyn Wiesman, and Mayor & City Council. Also, Jack Sullivan to forward to the Edina Transportation Commission, and Surya lyer to post for the Edina Energy and Environment Commission. • Online source: Source link here (http://tcstreetsforpeople.org/node/1290) • Present: Alice Hulbert, Carl Follstad, Carl Gulbronson, Donald Eyberg, Jennifer Janovy, Ellen Jones, Kirk Johnson, Larry Olson, Rob Erickson • Guests: Peter Kelley, Dan Atkins, Brad Schaeppi, Andrew Heyer, Amanda Simons, David Simons, Councilmember Mary Brindle, Mayor James Hovland, Bill Dossett • Absent: Alex Dirr, Bob Fried, Richard Griffith, Sally Dunn • Recorded by: Kirk Johnson 1 1. Introduction and any October meeting note discussions: No changes or questions from the group. 2. Bylaw updates a. Carl Follstad summarized updates to the Bylaws, including definitions of at-large membership, new positions, and other updates. b. Carl Follstad will be sending the BETF the revised version and will take comments via email so that we can have revised bylaws for our 2011 workshop. 3. Tour de Edina a. Mary Brindle delivered a presentation (link) for the 2011 event. See the link for the mission, approach, and other related information. b. The BETF made a motion to approve supporting the event and exploring options for next steps, all approved. c. Mary Brindle will connect volunteers from the group with some of the Rotary members. Kirk Johnson will discuss City leadership opportunities with Scott Neal, Edina City Manager. Volunteers from the group included Carl Gulbronson, Amanda Simons, and Andrew Heyer. 4. Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail -- recent news and upcoming Council meeting a. Alice Hulbert offered a reminder about the December 7th meeting. b. Reminder to review the BETF recommendations for a creek-based alignment. 5. ETC Update a. Jennifer Janovy would like to be re-appointed to Chairperson of the Edina Transportation Commission (ETC). Favorable comments were made regarding Jennifer's leadership and service so far. b. The BETF made a motion to support Jennifer's re-appointment. All voted in favor. 6. Bike Share Locations, Edina & area a. Bill Dossett, Executive Director of Nice Ride Minnesota delivered a presentation (link). b. Top choices, previously submitted to Nice Ride MN on behalf of BETF and Mayor Hovland, include 44th and France and 50th and France. Other ideas were submitted also including Southdale, libraries, Centennial Lakes area, and others. This message was sent September 9th, 2010. c. The BETF made a motion to support expansion into Edina, including the preparation of a formal letter of support to the Nice Ride MN program. All voted in favor. d. Kirk Johnson will prepare that and seek to send it on behalf of BETF, the City Manager, and City Mayor. e. Kirk Johnson volunteered to contact the 44th & France association for business and also the 50th & France Business Association and find the right people for Bill Dossett's connections. 2 Reminder: December 7th City Council meeting (all BETF to attend). No regular December meeting. Kirk Logan Johnson, MBA, PMP Bike Edina Task Force, Chair Kirkjohnson@LoganLogic.com (612) 916-9966 (Cell) 3 Jack Sullivan From: David Davison <dd01@annben.us> 3ent: Saturday, November 13, 2010 4:28 PM To: Jack Sullivan Cc: Jennifer Janovy; Joni Bennett Subject: Potential for Light Rail in Edina Jack, I recently completed a review of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's (DoT's) draft 2030 plan for freight and passenger rail: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/railplan I noted that the DoT plan for the use of the MN&S line would see opposition in Edina and other communities along the route because of its hazard and its limited access. The MN&S line runs through Edina from Saint Louis Park to Savage. Jennifer Janovy suggested that I contact you regarding the opportunity to influence the DoT in its planning for the use of the MN&S line. The cutoff date for comments to the DoT is 23 December. I am requesting that someone in an official capacity in Edina (e.g., Transportation Commission or City Council) request that MN DoT include light rail as an alternative to commuter rail along the MN&S fork of the Twin Cities- Mankato Corridor. The draft 2030 plan calls for completion of a commuter rail system and increased freight usage along the tracks, with heavy trains running at 80 miles per hour. The tracks through Edina are part of the Twin Cities- Mankato Corridor, one of ten corridors that were the focus of Phase I of the 2030 plan. The Twin Cities-Mankato Corridor has a fork at Savage, with tracks also running through Saint Paul; accordingly, the MN&S fork is a superfluous component of the corridor. Another, more acceptable, use of the MN&S railbed is a light rail system that will serve Edina, Saint Louis Park, Bloomington, and Savage with several stations and with lighter trains moving more slowly. Light rail has much smaller potential for damage in the case of derailment; it will provide local residents with greater access to public transit; and it will promote business growth along the line. I intend to make comments at the meeting of the Transporta- tion Commission on 18 November. Janovy suggested that you may be interested in discussing the topic further at the meeting of 16 December. Please note that I will be traveling on the 16th and 17th of November and will return mid-day on the 18th. David Davison (dd01@annben.us) 952-944-7549