Parking Commission.

411 West First Street City of Duluth Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Minutes Parking Commission. Friday, February 2, 2024 7:30 AM Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall ROLL CALL Members Present • Mike Mayou • Branden Robinson, Vice President • Brandon Van Tassel • Robert Woods, President • Mark Bauer, Ex Officio Members Absent • Antonio Davis Guests Present • Kevin Anderson II, Owner - Duluthish • 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 • Jen Hanson, Director – Main Street Lincoln Park • Joe Jurewicz, Senior Engineer – City of Duluth • Stepahanie LaFleur, Co-Owner – The Caddy Shack Duluth • Alex Popp, Project Engineer – City of Duluth • Mike Rasmusson, Duluth resident • Jodi Slick, Chief Executive Officer – Eco3 APPROVAL OF MINUTES City of Duluth Parking Services Manager Mark Bauer presented the January 2024 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 4-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments in the initial public comments period. ON-STREET ACCESSIBLE PARKING ZONE REQUESTS Mr. Bauer presented three on-street accessible parking zone requests for approval. He stated that he had visited the sites and consulted with the applicants and recommended that all be approved. Commissioner Robinson City of Duluth Page 1 Parking Commission. Minutes February 2, 2024 motioned that the request for 219 South 60th Avenue West be approved. Commissioner Van Tassel seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. Commissioner Mike Mayou motioned that the request for 223 East 6th Street be approved. Commissioner Robinson seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. Commissioner Van Tassel motioned that the request for 15 North 23rd Avenue West be approved. Commissioner Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. CONTINUATION OF DISCUSSION ON WEST SUPERIOR STREET REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT Mr. Bauer introduced the continuation of the discussion on the parking portion of the proposed redesign of West Superior Street in Lincoln Park. He stated that concerns expressed by some of the area stakeholders had prompted City Administration to request a review of and adjustments to the proposal to accommodate these concerns. City of Duluth Project Engineer Alex Popp described the changes to the plan that had been incorporated since the previous Commission meeting, which had resulted in no projected on-street parking loss in the core area of the project zone, from approximately Garfield Avenue to 22nd Avenue West, but a moderate amount of parking loss outside of that area, primarily to the west. Commissioner Robinson inquired whether the concerns expressed by area stakeholders had been addressed. Mr. Popp stated that the concerns had been taken into consideration when creating the updated design. Stephanie LaFleur, co-owner of The Caddy Shack, indicated support for the revised proposal and stated the importance of keeping the project moving forward. Carmel Demaiorious, owner of Dovetail and Duluth Folk School, stated that she did not support the revised plan and that she would prefer a design that included no on-street parking at all. Kevin Anderson II, owner of Duluthish, stated that visitors to the area should be challenged to walk further. Eco3 Chief Executive Officer Jodi Slick indicated that she was unhappy about parking being added back into the plan. Commission Mayou inquired whether the Commission’s vote was binding or advisory. Mr. Bauer stated that the vote would likely be considered advisory, as it is part of the larger scope of the project, but also that the current vote should be the final one so that the project could move forward. Commissioner Robinson stated that it appeared that the project had received much careful thought and that an effort had been made to achieve a balance between the various concerns of the area stakeholders. Commissioner Mayou stated that he would like further public feedback on the project and expressed concern that the project would not be discussed at the City Council level. He inquired how the increased number of parking stalls would affect the planned sidewalk amenities space. Mr. Popp stated that the amenities space would decrease in overall width but would still include items such as trees. He stated that the revised plan would still meet the requirements of the project in relation to the funding source that was to be utilized, and added that the design alterations met the goals of finding a balance between the stakeholders’ preferences. Commission President Robert Woods inquired whether consideration was given in the plan to the needs of people with accessibility challenges. Mr. Popp stated that these elements would be incorporated into the final design. Mr. Bauer expressed the Parking Services Division’s support for the revised plan. Commissioner Robinson motion that the revised plan be approved. Commissioner Woods seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. OFF-STREET PARKING UPDATE City of Duluth Page 2 Parking Commission. Minutes February 2, 2024 Interstate Parking Company Duluth Operations Manager Ari Eilola provided an update on off-street parking. He stated that installation of the pedestrian access control system at Hart District Ramp was in progress. He stated that there would soon be equipment installed at Medical District Ramp that would bring the facility’s pedestrian doors up to current accessibility standards. Mr. Eilola stated that the City, Interstate, and a contracted structural engineering firm were in the planning stage of 2024’s parking facility maintenance repairs, as well as other ramp improvements. He also stated that implementation of the new revenue control system at Hart District Ramp was in progress, which would provide gateless parking service at the facility and would next be implemented at the other facilities. ON-STREET PARKING UPDATE Mr. Bauer stated that there were no significant updates regarding on-street parking. Commissioner Woods noted that the accessible parking stickers on the City’s single-space parking meters needed to be refreshed. Mr. Bauer stated that upgrades to the stickers were being considered. ANNUAL ELECTION OF COMMISSION OFFICERS Commissioner Robinson motioned that Robert Woods be elected to a second term as Commission President. Commissioner Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. Commissioner Woods motioned that Branden Robinson be elected to a second term as Commission Vice President. Commissioner Van Tassel seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS FOLLOW-UP There were no additional comments from the public. City of Duluth Page 3