Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

Citizen Advisory Committee on Transportation Wednesday, February 11, 2015, 7:00 pm to 9:15 pm Meeting Minutes Attendance CACT Members City Staff Member Present 1. Captain Rick Campbell Paul Baldino (Chair) Yes 2. Heather Scharfetter Hal Morgan (Vice-Chair) Yes 3. Paul Stoddard Andrea Caumont Yes 4. Stephanie Taylor Doug Devereux Yes Addison Heard Yes Steve Knight Yes Kent Taylor No Liaisons Liaison Present Karen Oliver Yes (City Council) Russ Wodiska No (Planning Commission) Ian Reusch Yes (Youth Representative) Agenda 1. Resident Petitions 2. Meeting Minutes Approval a. ACTION approve January 2015 minutes 3. Election of Officers a. ACTION elect Chair and Vice-Chair 4. Park Avenue, Great Streets Concept 5. CACT 2015 Priorities 6. Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Program Update a. Neighborhood Working Group and Representative b. Application Waiting Period c. Example light and heavy solutions d. Neighborhood Approval of Heavy Solutions e. Case Prioritization f. ACTION recommendation to City Council 7. Correspondence 1. Resident Petitions There were no resident petitions. 2. Meeting Minutes Approval The group approved the January 2015 Minutes by unanimous vote (6-0), with minor corrections and edits. 3. Election of Officers Mr. Stoddard noted that one seat on the CACT are currently open for reappointment and/or a new member. The CACT did not want to further delay election of new officers and agreed that having 6 of 7 members seated was sufficient to make a decision on officers for the next year. The CACT updated its rules of procedure to allow a fourth consecutive term by a Chair by unanimous vote (6-0). The CACT voted for Mr. Baldino and Mr. Morgan to service as Chair and Vice-Chair respectively by unanimous vote (6-0). 4. Park Avenue, Great Streets Concept Ms. Scharfetter presented Park Avenue as a Civic Great Street with conceptual designs, encompassing three blocks from Virginia Avenue to North Washington Street. These conceptual designs are the beginning efforts to complete action items within the Comprehensive Plan, to develop Park Avenue as a civic “Great Street,” and develop streetscapes along Park Avenue that reflect community image and pride. Staff noted these concept plans need to be presented to all stakeholders including EDA, Parks and Recreation, Planning Commission, and City Council. Further work on the project is contingent upon funding in the approved City budget. The CACT was supportive of the concept designs and had some questions. Staff responses are included below. • Will all of Park Avenue become a Great Street? o The comprehensive Plan calls for all of Park Avenue to be treated. These concept designs focus on the three eastern most blocks, from N Virginia to N Washington. • Will Park Avenue work as a Great Street without retail? o Adjacent land use is a critical aspect of great streets. Already there is interest in infill development along Park Ave. For example, the Odd Fellows Hall on N Maple was recently renovated by an architecture firm and Cloverdale House at the intersection of N Maple & Park Ave is being reviewed for conversion to a restaurant. The adopted Downtown small area plan calls for similar infill development in the 100 and 200 blocks of Broad Street, including the Park Ave facing sides of the blocks. • Concept of City Hall Plaza is a good idea to move forward. o Development of a plaza to better connect City Hall and Park Avenue has been considered since 1967. This project could provide a means for making that connection.  • Concept of closing off Maple Avenue during specific hours for a Farmer’s market is also promising. o This idea came out a student project performed by architects working on an American Institute of Architects (AIA) project. The streets would be closed during particular hours on the weekends to provide more space for community events. 5. CACT 2015 Priorities Mr. Baldino introduced a tracking sheet for the CACT’s adopted 2015 priorities. He requested that it be included in future packages. The tracking sheet records progress and responsible parties. TDM Plan The CACT asked about whether development of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Template for new development projects should be developed by staff or the CACT. Mr. Stoddard responded that staff would like to collaborate in development of such a template with the CACT, but that the bulk of the work would likely have to be done by staff because of the research involved. 6. Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Program Update The CACT discussed the latest draft materials for the updated NTC Program. The group discussed the following elements: • Neighborhood Working Group and Representative, • Application Waiting Period, • Example Light and Heavy Solutions, • Neighborhood Approval of Heavy Solutions, • Calculating Risk/Case Prioritization, and • Traffic Calming Toolbox. The CACT agreed with the most recent changes and agreed that they reflected the consensus of the group made during their previous meeting. ACTION Recommendation to City Council The CACT voted unanimously (6-0) recommending Council approval of the updated draft NTC Program with the following motion: WHEREAS: The City’s existing Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) Program requires several procedural and substantive updates to effectively respond to the growing number of requests for neighborhood traffic calming; and WHEREAS: The City’s Mobility for all Modes Plan, the Transportation Chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, explicitly calls for an update to the City’s existing NTC Program to better address the needs and desires of the community; and WHEREAS: The draft Program update was developed through extensive engagement, including two work sessions with City Council, one work session with the Planning Commission, and nine work sessions with the Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation (CACT), all of which were advertised and open to public; and WHEREAS: Progress on the draft Program was regularly made available on the project website; and WHEREAS: the draft updated Program was developed through an extensive review of best practices and addresses the identified issues with the existing Program. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the CACT of the City of Falls Church, Virginia recommends City Council adopt the updated NTC Program, titled “Neighborhood Traffic Calming: Responding to Neighborhoods” as a replacement to the City’s existing Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program, last revised in November 2011. 7. Correspondence There were no correspondence items.