Parking Commission.

411 West First Street City of Duluth Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Minutes Parking Commission. Friday, January 5, 2024 7:30 AM Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall ROLL CALL Members Present • Antonio Davis • Mike Mayou • Branden Robinson, Vice President • Brandon Van Tassel • Robert Woods, President • Mark Bauer, Ex Officio Guests Present • Matt Bolf, Project Manager – SEH, Inc. • Carl Crawford, Human Rights Officer – City of Duluth • Carmel Demaiorious, Owner – Dovetail Café and Duluth Folk School • Ari Eilola, Duluth Operations Manager – Interstate Parking Company • Adam Fulton, Deputy Director of Planning and Economic Development – City of Duluth • Jen Hanson, Director – Main Street Lincoln Park • Miles Hansen, Americorps/Vista Volunteer – City of Duluth • Joe Jurewicz, Senior Engineer – City of Duluth • Alex Popp, Project Engineer – City of Duluth • Jodi Slick, Chief Executive Officer – Eco3 APPROVAL OF MINUTES City of Duluth Parking Services Manager Mark Bauer presented the December 2023 Duluth Parking Commission meeting minutes for approval. Commission Vice President Branden Robinson motioned that the minutes be approved as presented. Commissioner Brandon Van Tassel seconded the motion, which was approved 5-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments in the initial public comments period. ON-STREET ACCESSIBLE PARKING ZONE REQUESTS Mr. Bauer presented two on-street accessible parking zone requests for approval. He stated that he had visited the sites and consulted with the applicants, as well as the City Commission on Disabilities, and recommended that both be approved. He stated that the request for 530 North 5th Avenue East, for St. Mark A.M.E. Church resulted in a recommendation for two accessible parking zones – one on City of Duluth Page 1 Parking Commission. Minutes January 5, 2024 the even side of 6th Street and another for the odd side of 5th Avenue East, both adjacent to the church. He stated that he and the applicant had agreed that this would provide access to both building doors while also accommodating the area’s alternate side parking configuration. Mr. Bauer stated that the request for 230 East Superior Street was submitted by the building owner, who had indicated that there was a dental clinic in the building that served many with accessibility needs. Mr. Bauer stated that the zone would be installed on the lower side of the far east end of the block, closest to the building. Commissioner Robinson motioned that the request for 530 North 5th Avenue East be approved. Commissioner Mike Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 5-0. Commissioner Antonio Davis motioned that the request for 230 East Superior Street be approved. Commissioner Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 5-0. WEST SUPERIOR STREET REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL Mr. Bauer introduced the continuation of the discussion on the parking portion of the proposed redesign of West Superior Street in Lincoln Park. City of Duluth Americorps/Vista Volunteer Miles Hansen described the process that resulted in the area’s recent parking study that was performed in relation to the project. He stated that the proposed new design would result in the elimination of 140 on-street public parking stalls. Commission President Robert Woods inquired whether the area’s future projected growth was taken into consideration during the development of the proposal. Mr. Hansen noted that the parking study had indicated that there was currently a surplus of public parking and inferred that this surplus would be able to sustain future growth. Commissioner Robinson noted the difficulty in the Commission’s recommendation on the item based on such a limited public survey response. Mr. Bauer inquired of Mr. Hansen whether the stalls shown in the reports as off-street parking were actually available on a daily basis to the public. Mr. Hansen stated that he did not know and offered a reduced number of publicly-available stalls than was first presented. Commissioner Woods noted that there had so far been a lack of public input at the Commission level, particularly from the area businesses. Dovetail Café and Duluth Folk School owner Carmel Demaiorious stated that she was supportive of the plan and added that her preference would be to eliminate all on-street parking. Eco3 Chief Executive Officer Jodi Slick also spoke in support of the proposal. Commissioner Robinson inquired into the scope of the studies that had performed by Eco3, specifically referencing the needs of visitors and residents of the area. Ms. Slick stated that not much study of that type had been performed and that most of the discussions thus far had been conceptual. Commissioner Robinson inquired into the timeline for such further studies to be conducted but did not receive an answer. Mr. Bauer inquired whether further studies and recommendations would be presented to the Parking Services Division and Commission for consideration. Ms. Slick stated that they would be provided. Commissioner Robinson expressed concern that the large reduction in on-street parking would be further complicated by the impending changes to the City’s Unified Development Code, which would eliminate off-street parking requirements related to new developments and place yet further pressure on the public parking areas. He inquired how much time remained for Commission consideration of the proposal. City of Duluth Project Engineer Alex Popp stated that all feedback would need to be gathered by the end of January. Commissioner Robinson motioned that the proposal be tabled and that discussion continue in a Parking Commission Special Session prior to the end of City of Duluth Page 2 Parking Commission. Minutes January 5, 2024 January. Commissioner Van Tassel seconded the motion, which was approved 4-1 (Commissioner Woods opposed). PROPOSAL TO CREATE A LOADING ZONE AT 2230 WEST 3RD STREET Mr. Bauer presented a proposal to install a new loading zone at 2230 West 3rd Street, adjacent to Johnson’s Bakery. He stated that the owner had submitted the request to allow designated space for delivery vehicles serving his business to park while loading. Commissioner Robinson motioned that the proposal be approved. Commissioner Van Tassel seconded the motion, which was approved 5-0. OFF-STREET PARKING UPDATE Interstate Parking Company Duluth Operations Manager Ari Eilola provided an update on off-street parking. He stated that new off-street parking rates had been implemented starting January 1, 2024, following the Commission’s recent approval of the rate structure. He stated that the installation of the new pedestrian access control system at Hart District Ramp was ongoing and had already resulted in a lower number of reported security incidents at the facility. Mr. Bauer provided an update on the installation of the access control systems at Technology Village and Medical District Ramps, noting that the City was projecting a summertime completion of these projects. He provided an update on calls for service at the three primary downtown facilities via a PowerPoint presentation, noting that incidents had increased as the weather grew colder but that they had very recently decreased at Hart District Ramp, related to the access system installation. He noted that incidents had recently increased at Medical District Ramp, likely a correlation with the decrease at Hart Ramp. ON-STREET PARKING UPDATE Mr. Bauer stated that there were no significant updates regarding on-street parking. PUBLIC COMMENTS FOLLOW-UP Ms. Slick invited the Commission and the public to visit Lincoln Park and to further explore the proposed plans for the area’s future. City of Duluth Page 3