Parking Advisory Board

City of Coral Gables 405 Biltmore Way Coral Gables, FL 33134 www.coralgables.com Meeting Minutes Parking Advisory Board Chairperson Javier Betancourt Vice Chair Gordon Sokoloff Board Member Ada Holian Board Member Vicky Rua Board Member Carlos Xiques Wednesday, October 27, 2021 5:30 PM Joint meeting with the Transportation Advisory Board Public Safety Building Community Meeting Room 2151 Salzedo St. Coral Gables FL 33134 GUESTS City Engineer: Melissa DeZayas Gensler Firm Team: Carmen Olazabal, Shamim Ahmadzadegan, Sergio Bakas Transportation Advisory Board: Chair Sue Kawalerski, Oscar Sosa, Deborah Swain, Roberta Neway ROLL CALL Present: 4 - Vice Chairperson Sokoloff,Board Member Rua,Board Member Xiques and Chairperson Betancourt Excused: 1 - Board Member Holian CALL TO ORDER The PAB began at 05:38 P.M. Introduction of all members present. 1 PUBLIC COMMENTS •No Public Comments 2 UPDATE ON SATURDAY TROLLEY OPERATIONS •Parking Director Kinney updated members on Trolley ridership for new extended Saturday service. The service began with a soft opening on October 2, 2021, with 543 passengers, and has steadily increased to 818 passengers riding on October 23, 2021. The service will be promoted to increase public awareness of new route and aims to reach fifty percent of weekday ridership (approx. 1600 passengers). •TAB Member Neway praised the trolley service. •PAB Chair Betancourt asked to discuss how the city will be promoting Trolley Saturday service at the November meeting. City of Coral Gables Page 1 Parking Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 27, 2021 3 PRESENTATION ON MOBILITY HUB DESIGN AND PROGRAMING •Parking Director Kinney introduced Gensler Team to present the future Mobility Hub concept as per attached presentation. •Mr. Shamim Ahmadzadegan defined Mobility Hub as a multifunctional, state-of-the-art space, where people will come to charge their electric vehicles or devices and connect as a community. The Hub aims to work as an activator for business on Miracle Mile and the rest of the city. •TAB Chair Kawalerski inquired about covered parking for bicycles and scooters on the ground floor. Gensler responded the design includes two micro-mobility areas on the ground floor, but the design is still in development. •PAB Chair Betancourt asked if there were certain parameters Gensler had to work with in terms of how much leasable storefront space and how many parking spaces, etc. Parking Director Kinney responded the initial plan was to have 750 parking spaces, but once design began the number was reduced to 626 spaces to manage building height and limit encroachment into the ROW. The plan is to build a gateless facility with one lane entry/exit to assure less backup. Garage 4 will remain open until a mode shift in transportation occurs. In addition, there was a certain amount of commercial space that had to be accommodated as requested by the city’s Economic Development Department. •TAB Chair Kawalerski asked if there were going to be showers for commuter cyclists included as part of the design to be more inclusive and referred to an all-glass bicycle facility built at the Union Station in Washington D.C. that is used as bike storage for commuters with bike shop repair stations for self-repair gear etc. Gensler responded there has been discussion about it but has not been conceptualized as part of the design at this stage. •TAB Member Neway, Member Swain and PAB Chair Betancourt commented the current design of the garage conceptualizes a “car storage” facility not a “mobility” hub. •Vice Chair Sokoloff feels this initial design is not activating business area around Miracle Mile; nor is it compatible with the Mediterranean architecture of Coral Gables. •Parking Director Kinney reiterated that the PAB and TAB are tasked with reviewing improvement of parking and transportation flow within the city. He also mentioned the bike facility may be an opportunity and will ensure the design allows for that to happen should the city decide to develop it in partnership with a private vendor. •TAB Member Swain said she would like to see more Electronic Vehicle charging stations installed in the Hub. Parking Director Kinney responded they are currently thirty-two (32) free EV-charge points around the city and the number may increase as the number of electronic vehicles continue to ramp up and there will be EV-charge stations in every level of the garage. However, there may be a cost involved with the increase of usage. •TAB Chair Kawalerski asked how many spaces will be reserved for City of Coral Gables Page 2 Parking Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 27, 2021 developers with no parking in accordance with the Remote Parking Ordinance; and if the city will limit how much remote parking will be available for developers versus the public. Parking Director Kinney said there will not be any reserved spaces or guaranteed parking for developers. Permit spaces will be available but not reserved. The facility will be managed to ensure there is sufficient short-term parking for customers. TAB Chair Kawalerski asked if the number of disable parking spaces has been cleared with the city’s Disability Board. Parking Director Kinney said he will show them the design and make sure they are comfortable with the number. •PAB Member Rua asked what the width of the parking spaces are. Gensler said the spaces will be per code 8’6” FT wide. •TAB Chair Kawalerski opened discussion to the Public and asked for comments: oMs. Sheryl Gold (via Zoom [01:31-01:33]) - City of Coral Gables Resident Comment: Mrs. Gold mentioned this is the second time she watched this presentation (first was at Commission meeting) and said design firm has use three words to describe Hub as "aspirational, harmonious and sustainable" and asked what market research was done to guide this aspirational project that shows that this is what the public wants and will use. Her second question was about the playground on the rooftop that isn't shaded and wondered how it will be used during the day with rising temperatures. She asked what would happen if the power grid went down in the Garage. Her last comment was “I'm really very troubled by the fact that this is massive. It's not particularly harmonious with the scale of the buildings around it and there's no tree canopy that I can see it's just a lot of hard space, a lot of concrete, but these little green things hanging out of in between the levels, really doesn’t do anything for CO2 emissions. I guess I have totally different kinds of concerns that have been expressed and I wondered if you could address them. Thank you.” ØParking Director Kinney responded: 1. The Tree Canopy-- trees on Andalusia will be part of the design. It has been a concern that even the Commission raised as they want to see additional canopy along Andalusia. 2. Public Space on the roof--Parks and Recreation Dept and the Parks and Recreation Board is working with Gensler on the design of the park space. 3. Power grid--there will be solar panels on the roof and battery storage to alleviate the demand for quick EV charging. 4. Market studies are being conducted to inform city on where transportation and mobility is going. Furthermore, the number one priority for us is flexibility moving into the future. 4 DISCUSSION RELATED TO TROLLEY OPERATIONS AND REPORTING •Chair Betancourt addressed the TAB and summarized the reason for joint City of Coral Gables Page 3 Parking Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 27, 2021 meeting. He said the issue sparked when the PAB asked the city Commission to change its name to the Parking and Transit Services Advisory Board because Parking oversees Coral Gables Trolley and Freebee operational services. He added that Vice Chair Sokoloff suggested at one meeting that maybe that shouldn't be within the PAB’s purview should be handed over to the TAB. •Parking Director Kinney mentioned how the PAB and TAB have regularly worked together in items such as the Trolley Master Plan etc. and would appreciate further input from the TAB on future expansion, service development and operational issues. •TAB Chair Kawalerski explained to members that the way the Transportation Advisory Board has added to its purview duties was by going through resolutions approved by city Commission. She requested similar resolutions involving the PAB and was told there are none other than a resolution from the year 1987 which states the department purview is over parking and nothing else. In 2005, there was a commission resolution which gave the TAB the authority to be the Oversight Committee for transportation related projects which include the Coral Gables Trolley System and the municipal Transportation Improvement Program. •TAB Chair Kawalerski believes this item should go to Commission to legalize the overview of the two Boards. •PAB Member Rua asked if the Trolley is operated under the Parking Department, shouldn’t it stay in Parking and be under the purview of the PAB. •Parking Director Kinney said he agrees with TAB Chair Kawalerski this item should go to Commission. The Trolley and Freebee were put under the Parking Dept. because of Budget Resolutions. A new Parking and Mobility Master Plan is part of the City’s Strategic Plan both Boards should be involved in reviewing this item. •TAB Chair Kawalerski suggested each member is provided with a copy of the 1987 Resolution for the PAB, the 2005 TAB - Trolley Resolution, and the mission of each board off the Coral Gables website. •TAB Member Swain said she would like the TAB to be kept in the loop for general operation of the Trolley and other mobility services the city is offering. •(01:53:40 zoom video mark) Chair Betancourt entertained a motion to extend the meeting by ten (10) minutes. Vice Chair Sokoloff moved, and Member Rua seconded. The PAB and TAB unanimously voted to extend the meeting by ten (10) minutes. •Parking Director Kinney reiterated that the reason Trolley, Freebee and Block by Block were put under Parking’s purview was because some funds came from parking. However, presently Trolley is mostly funded by Miami Dade County Half Penny Tax. In 2009, it was a directive to take over Trolley from Public Works. Trolley has been successful under the Parking Dept for twelve years. The Parking and Mobility Master Plan will involve different aspects including ride sharing, bike sharing, trolley, parking etc. City of Coral Gables Page 4 Parking Advisory Board Meeting Minutes October 27, 2021 •Chair Betancourt told the TAB by law they should be overseeing Trolley and Freebee. •TAB Chair Kawalerski said they should have joint meetings on a quarterly basis and suggested TAB should make recommendations about mobility services. •Parking Director Kinney said he can communicate issues related to Trolley or Freebee to City Engineer DeZayas to present to the TAB. Significant issues as grants and new routes would be presented by the Parking Director Kinney at the TAB meetings. •TAB Chair Kawalerski asked if the PAB-TAB would want to form a joint resolution to present to the commission asking to be part of the Development Review Process. In 2019, the TAB presented a resolution to Commission (tabled) requesting authorization to sit on the DRC and ask questions to Developers and City Staff about new development projects that affect transportation (such as lack of parking garages) and believes the PAB should also sit at these meetings so they can jointly decide if that project meets the traffic and parking needs of city residents. •Parking Director Kinney said there could not be a vote on this at the current meeting because the item was not on the agenda. 5 PARKING ENFORCEMENT - COMPLIMENT •Parking Director Kinney reviewed a compliment posted on social media from an elderly resident who was helped by Parking Enforcement staff. 6 OPEN DISCUSSION •No more comments ADJOURNMENT The PAB adjourned at 07:47 P.M. NOTE Members of the public may join the Parking Advisory Board meeting in person or via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88988422772. In addition, a dedicated phone line will be available to listen in the meeting by dialing: (305) 461-6769 Meeting ID: 88988422772. City of Coral Gables Page 5