Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation

CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (CACT) Wednesday, May 12, 2021, Virtual Meeting via Microsoft Teams, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. DRAFT MINUTES 1. Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm 2. Reading of Virtual Meeting Notice: This meeting was held via electronic communications using ‘Microsoft Teams.’ This meeting was held pursuant to and in compliance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Section 2.2-3708.2 and state and local legislation adopted to allow for continued government operation during the COVID-19 declared emergency. Roll Call: • CACT Members: Dave Gustafson (Chair), Jason Garman (Vice Chair), Arthur Agin, Shaun Dakin, Jessica Hegenbart, Andrew Olesen • City Staff: Jeff Sikes (CACT Staff Liaison), Cameron Gahres, Ana Mazidi • City Council Liaison: Councilman David Snyder • Planning Commission Liaison: Melissa Teates • Student Representative: Katie Teague • Public: None 3. Public Comment: Jeff reported that no public comments were received in writing, and no members of the public offered comment during the meeting. 4. City Council and PC Liaison Updates: Councilman Snyder provided updates on funding amounts from federal programs and impact on transportation priorities as well as on discussions about free bus service. Melissa provided brief updates on the Smartscale Application for S Washington St, and noted that the West End, Founders Row II, and One City Center projects are in between reviews at this stage. 5. April Meeting Minutes: No further comment received on April 2021 meeting minutes. 6. Action Item: Safer Bike Routes to Middle and High School Recommendations: Andrew presented comprehensive options for connecting bike routes from the W&OD trail to MEHMS and GMHS. All options have potential roadblocks, many involving the need for private property easements. A number of ideas and items were brought up for discussion and inclusion, including: • Art suggested exploring a bridge option over Haycock Road; Dave concurred but as a longer-term solution, and suggested that the committee split recommendations into short- and long-term for Council • Jess asked about access to schools from the south, and the potential long-term redevelopment of industrial area. Melissa said that the number of landowners in the area complicates redevelopment but that it may be in the 5- to 10-year horizon. • Art mentioned the realignment of Chestnut St and the addition of a traffic signal at the intersection with Broad St as a possible opportunity for pedestrian and bike connections to the schools from the south; Jeff and Melissa concur. Dave suggested a future walking meeting in these areas to get a better feel for them. • Jeff stated that Staff discussed with Falls Plaza owners the possibility of bike routes through the plaza, and they were not interested; easements are generally very difficult to obtain in most circumstances. Jason suggested recommendation to contact FRIT and Falls Plaza condos formally to have documented response to either keep or rule out those route options, and Jeff suggested keeping  options on the table as positions may change over time. Dave suggested contacting tenants of FRIT to gauge interest. • Dave motions to amend the recommendations to add the formal approach to property owners for easement discussion, the Chestnut St realignment as opportunity for pedestrian/bike connections, and the investigation of a Haycock Road bridge as a long-term option. Motion passes 5-0. 7. Action Item: Greening Lincoln Ave – Next Steps/Recommendations: Andrew led off with the history of the Lincoln Ave proposals and the current letter from Lincoln Ave residents. The road is slated for reconstruction in FY23. The goal is to implement tactical urbanism solutions in advance of the reconstruction to test traffic calming measures on a temporary basis to assess which to potentially include in a larger permanent infrastructure solution. • Jess asked about prior projects; Art responded with explanation of past Lincoln Ave / Great Falls improvements. Jeff added that light solutions were implemented in 2017 and that a site survey was also conducted then that may be useful for future work. Jeff is also going to invite the Arlington Complete Streets director to the July meeting to discuss tactics utilized there. • Andrew discussed potential next steps, reiterating that tactical urbanism options should be explored/implemented. He suggested asking neighbors for their willingness to participate, and engaging DPW for participation as well as asking that Staff/Council formally engage community. • Art suggested looking into a Residential Speed Zone and asks that the City conduct more speed enforcement in the area, particularly with cut-through trips expected to grow as I-66 tolls increase with traffic returning. • Jeff to follow up in Staff NTC meeting about potential funding. Art asked about potential new funding and Dave mentioned that Council may be amenable to a small funding request. • Jess asked about process regarding resident buy-in, etc. Jeff suggested a petition of interest with a lower response % than NTC. Dave added that a collaborative drawing platform that residents can comment on plans could help with engagement. Jess suggested that this could be used as a test case for ways in which the NTC process could be streamlined. 8. Action Item: Sidewalk and Accessibility Program Recommendations: Dave and Andrew presented a draft memo for potential Council submittal including the evaluation matrix. • Art suggests establishing baseline requirements before a project is evaluated, with items such as ADA compliance, no obstructions (utilities, etc.), and proximity of plants/preventing overgrowth. • Jess requested that prioritization be given to sidewalks on school routes and otherwise connecting to schools. • Jeff stated that $150,000 in funding is in CIP next fiscal year (July 1), with the initial focus going to short missing links, and in the future would look more towards larger projects (full missing sidewalks, etc.). 9. Neighborhood Traffic Calming Updates: Jeff gave brief updates on two NTC projects: • Great Falls/Little Falls: Columbia/Little Falls has resident approval percentage cleared while Great Falls/Little Falls is close, with more letters going out next week. This is anticipated to be an action item for CACT in June if all goes well. Construction by the City’s on-call contractor is targeted for this summer. • Greenway Downs: Grant of about $600k from federal government, with traffic engineer and contractor on board. Traffic counts are planned for before school is out for the summer. There has been good representation from residents on the working group. Jess will be a CACT representative for this project with the potential for one additional representative. 10. CACT Tracking Sheet: Brief review in Doug’s absence; no action taken. 11. Staff Report: Jeff updated the committee on the Grove Avenue speed humps that are included as part of the Founders Row development, and on the City’s non-participation (formally) in providing a pit stop for Bike to Work Day. 12. Member Reports: • Jess reported on a soft paint project on Seaton / Timber that she has discussed with Zak/DPW. • Dave discussed the Route 29 letter of support for the Smartscale application. Minor edits suggested to directness of request and include reference to divide the road has caused historically and the improvement of connectivity can start to mend. Jason motions to adopt, Jess seconds, motion passes 5-0. 13. Adjourn: Jess motions to adjourn, Andrew seconds, motion passes 5-0 at 10:05pm.