Planning Commission Meeting

MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION Wednesday, June 29, 2011 6:30 - 10:00 p.m. CONFERENCE CENTER FERRANTE ROOM, 1 PORTOLA PLAZA MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: Widmar, Davis, Garden, McCrone, Osorio, Stites, Stocker Commissioners Absent: None Staff Members Present: Principal Planner Cole, Principal Planner Caraker, Recording Secretary Hanes CONSENT ITEMS On consent, the consent items were continued to the July 12, 2011 meeting. AYES: 7 COMMISSIONERS: Widmar, Davis, Garden, McCrone, Osorio, Stites, Stocker NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: None Approval of Minutes 1. June 14, 2011 ACTION: Continued to July 12, 2011 meeting. ***End of Consent Agenda*** PUBLIC COMMENTS None. PUBLIC APPEARANCE 2. Consider Transportation and Parking Alternatives. Staff Presentation/Commissioners Questions: Kim Cole and the Consultants presented the Transportation and Parking Study and answered Commissioners’ questions. Street Names Public Comments: Allison Shelling said the suggested solution is relatively inexpensive but time consuming and is an appropriate solution. Mike Brassfield said the directional indicators on Fremont need to be examined because they are confusing. Planning Commission Minutes Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Richard Ruccello said staff and the consultants should consider the fact that Fremont Street is the original El Camino Real which is historically significant to Monterey. Commissioner Comments: None. Downtown Public Comments: Allison Shelling said it should be clearer to visitors that Alvarado connects with the Wharf. Doug Wiele said two-way streets are shopper friendly and build a healthy business in the Downtown. Mike Brassfield questioned the concept of mixed use parking. The consultants answered indicating that all commercial is shared among commercial businesses and residential parking is kept separate. Mathew Sundt questioned how the changes will help the congestion problems created from the traffic from the Defense Language Institute (DLI). Mary Alice Fettis suggested implementing a slow moving lane of traffic that passes through the Custom House Plaza. Jerry Anderson said that part of the charm of the City is the uniqueness of the street names and suggested staff and the consultants attempt to retain this charm when considering the changes to the street names. He said closing pearl between Tyler and Alvarado could potentially pose problems, and suggested a relocation of the Transit Plaza. Commissioner Comments: None. Tyler Street Concept, access into Downtown from Del Monte Avenue Public Comments: Mathew Sundt questioned the possibility of adding roundabouts to the Downtown area. The consultant responded indicating that roundabouts in this particular area can cause a significant amount of congestion and could potentially cause significant problems with pedestrian traffic. Doug Wiele suggested removing parking at the Monterey Sports Center and expanding Washington Street for the transit center. Anthony Davi Sr. suggested incorporating a Visitors Center into the Transit Plaza. Mike Becker questioned the one-way couplet. The consultants responded indicating that a one-way couplet serves traffic more efficiently and will aid traffic in the tunnel going both directions. Henry Ruhnke said the alternative could offer more potential to see the Waterfront and offers more opportunity for development that may generate additional revenues. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June 29, 2011 2 Planning Commission Minutes Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Nelson Vega questioned the intended speed limit on Del Monte Avenue. The consultants answered indicating that the intended speed will be 25 miles per hour. Jerry Anderson suggested the historic train depot as a possible location if the Light Rail Transit comes to Monterey. Mary Alice Fettis questioned if the existing parking will be augmented with the addition of more development. The consultants answered indicating that if development increases, more parking would need to be analyzed. Frank Donangelo said the parking on the Waterfront is very valuable to the Wharf and should not be eliminated. Mary Lynch said having the Transit Center on the Waterfront might attract more users to take advantage of the Wharf businesses and will increase the volume of people in and around the Waterfront. Commissioner Comments: Commissioner Osorio said the Alvarado mall provides the only pedestrian experience for the Downtown and adding vehicular traffic would produce a lot of noise for the hotel. He said the intentions are to improve Portola Plaza and make it one of the core public spaces for the Downtown area and expressed concern that vehicular traffic will impact this project in a negatively. Lighthouse Area Public Comments: Michelle Knight expressed concern about the Modification 4-3 alternative because it will slow the egress, and supports the changes to the bicycle lane on Lighthouse. Anthony Davi Sr. said he is concerned that converting Lighthouse Avenue to a one-way street will be detrimental to the businesses and commercial districts need two-way traffic. Richard Ruccello said the bulb-outs would be a good change. Frank Donangelo said the businesses on Alvarado would benefit from two-way traffic and the sidewalks are larger than the pedestrian traffic that is generated. Douge Wiele expressed concern that shared parking will drive merchants away. The consultants responded indicating that shared parking arrangements are common and successful. Jerry Anderson questioned why the Cocos Restaurant and Nob Hill Shopping Center were not included in the concept plan. Kim Cole responded that the businesses were out of the planning area. Matt Baskin said conversion from a one-way street to a two-way will not improve the businesses and Lighthouse should remain unchanged. Commissioner Comments: None. Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June 29, 2011 3 Planning Commission Minutes Wednesday, June 29, 2011 North Fremont Public Comments: Mathew Sundt said it is important to have bicycle lanes where businesses are and should be emphasized on Lighthouse where many businesses are located. He suggested the addition of a bicycle infrastructure on Lighthouse Avenue. Mike Brassfield questioned if there are materials available that would eliminate the need for maintenance on the streets and also asked if the insertion of speed bumps would be beneficial. The consultants responded indicating that maintenance will need to be done on any materials used on the streets and speed bumps would be placed in cross walks and is not desirable for the project. Kelly Violini said Monterey Fairground events offer a free shuttle service from California State University of Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and it would be difficult to promote vendors if free parking was required. The consultants responded stating that the shuttle service is a good use and the cost could be included in the price of tickets that are purchased and new devices are available to the parking division that could aid the officers in determining how long a vehicle has been parked by the license number therefore allowing the officer to track a vehicle even if it had been moved to a new parking spot. Richard Ruccello said it is dangerous for pedestrians to cross the street and the speed limit changes from Monterey to Seaside causes major congestion. Mary Lynch said the bike path should be connected with Lighthouse to allow better access for both pedestrians and cyclists and north Fremont Street needs to have a bike lane to offer better transition for cyclists traveling from Seaside to Monterey. Jerry Anderson said the selection on minimum and maximum barking requirements will have a significant impact on re-development and should be considered further. Mathew Sundt said bike clubs have increased over the past 15 years partly as a result from the addition of CSUMB, and this additional cycling traffic should be considered. Commissioner Comments: None. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:03pm. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Kimberly Cole Chair Principal Planner Planning Commission Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, June 29, 2011 4