City Council Community Planning and Transportation Committee Meeting

COUNCIL COMMUNITY PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MINUTES September 29, 2016 The City Council Community Planning and Transportation Committee of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, met at 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room on the 29th day of September, 2016, and notice and agenda of the meeting were posted in the Municipal Building at 201 West Gray and the Norman Public Library at 225 North Webster 48 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. PRESENT: Councilmember Allison, Clark, Hickman, Karjala, and Chairman Holman ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Mayor Lynne Miller Ms. Brenda Hall, City Clerk Ms. Sara Kaplan, Retail Marketing Coordinator Mr. Steve Lewis, City Manager Mr. Angelo Lombardo, Transportation Traffic Engineer Mr. Shawn O’Leary, Director of Public Works Lt. Jeff Robertson, Police Department Lt. Marcus Smallwood, Police Department Ms. Jeanne Snider, Assistant City Attorney Item 1, being: CLEVELAND AREA RAPID TRANSIT (CART) RIDERSHIP REPORT INCLUDING SAFERIDE AND EXTENDED SERVICE FOR THE MONTHS OF MAY, JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST, 2016. Mr. Taylor Johnson, Planning Intern with Cleveland Area Rapid Transit (CART), highlighted CART Ridership Reports for May, June, July, and August 2016, and said ridership continues to grow with a 16% increase from last year. He said year-to-date (July – August) ridership is 128,676 passengers and CART attributes this increase to added service on Main Street, Alameda Street, route adjustments to the Research Center on Highway 9 (providing lunchtime rides to Campus Corner), and encouragement to use the Park and Ride locations at Sooner Mall, Bethel Baptist Church, and Lloyd Noble Center. CARTaccess ridership has increased 19% year-to-date and CART approved 11 new applications in August; however, CART continues to encourage riders who are able to ride the fixed route free of charge. CART participated in a Rehabilitation Resource Fair at the Norman Public Library on July 28, 2016, and answered questions regarding the bus system as well as distributed pens, rider guides, and t-shirts. He said Mr. Doug Myers, CART Director, and Councilmember Clark will participate in a “Read and Ride” event on October 22, 2016, where Councilmember Clark will read out loud to children while riding the Alameda/East Norman route at 10:00 a.m. CART also participated in Bike to Work Day in May where they showed off their “Share the Road” advertising bus wrap that reminds people to allow three feet between their vehicle and bicycles on roads. Mr. Johnson said there have been some temporary route changes due to ongoing construction on Lindsey Street and the Imhoff Creek Bridge. He said temporary bus stops have been located west of Berry Road Community Planning and Transportation Committee Minutes September 29, 2016 Page 2 Item 1, continued: until the construction projects have been completed. He thanked City Staff for their continued communication with CART regarding the construction projects. Ms. Karleen Smith, Marketing Specialist for CART, said last year CARTaccess ridership only increased by 1%; however, within the last two months, Zone 2, which is in rural Norman and outside of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required service area, has increased by 12% and CART is monitoring that to try to figure out what exactly is happening on that route. Item 1, continued: Ms. Smith said the University of Oklahoma (OU) wanted CART to start a safe ride route for students. This route will serve fraternities, sororities, and student housing areas with one stop at Campus Corner and Downtown Norman at James Garner Boulevard near Coach’s Brewhouse. That route will run between 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., on Friday and Saturday. Councilmember Clark asked if students are using the service and Ms. Smith said yes, but ridership is not as high as anticipated. The ridership figures will be added to the monthly report provided to CPTC. Ms. Smith said benches have been added to bus stops at Webster Avenue/Main Street and Webster Avenue/Apache Street. A new bus stop and bench has been installed at the Hastings location on Main Street and 24th Avenue S.W. She said another marked bus stop, without a bench, will be located at Iowa Street and Berry Road. Chairman Holman asked for an update on the vending machines that were proposed to be installed at the Brooks Street Transfer Station and Ms. Smith said there has been a delay because the electrical circuits are currently overloaded so that needs to be addressed before vending machines can be installed. CART has requested a cost estimate to determine if adding vending machines will be feasible/cost effective. Ms. Smith said people can bring their own drinks on the bus as long as the beverage is in an enclosed container. Ms. Smith said Bike Share Program Request for Proposals (RFPs) are being reviewed and CART should have more information on that at the next meeting. Councilmember Hickman asked her to elaborate on the Program and Ms. Smith said the Bike Share Program is proposed to be ten pick- up/return stations with 50 bicycles. Councilmember Hickman asked what it would take to expand that Program citywide and Ms. Smith said CART and the City have discussed the Program and the City is interested in being a part of the program eventually, but they requested that OU initiate the Program for the campus area to gauge the response. Councilmember Clark asked the cost to rent a bike and Ms. Smith said the five proposals received are being reviewed and they all have different elements. Councilmember Hickman asked if CART would bring information at the next meeting and Ms. Smith said once OU has an approved proposal, CART will provide the City with all the details. Councilmember Hickman asked if there is a bus stop on the Porter Corridor between Robinson Street and Lindsey Street and Ms. Smith said no, the route that travels from Robinson Street to Peters Street to University Boulevard is the closest route. She said the problem with a route on Porter Avenue is traffic congestion. Councilmember Holman said CART’s long range plan has a route that travels along Porter Avenue and the Porter Corridor Study recommended cut-outs for buses. Community Planning and Transportation Committee Minutes September 29, 2016 Page 3 Item 1, continued: Items submitted for the record 1. Cleveland Area Rapid Transit Ridership Totals for the Month of May, June, July, and August, 2016 2. Cleveland Area Rapid Transit Monthly Report for May 2016, with Attachment 1, photos of “Share the Road” advertising bus wrap and bicycle rack and Attachment 2, CART Route 12 – Lindsey West Stops with Ridership Counts and Construction Phases 3. Cleveland Area Rapid Transit Monthly Report for June 2016, with Attachment 1, Lindsey West Stops Construction Phases, and Attachment 2, Lindsey West (12) Temporary Stops Imhoff Creek Bridge Construction and Hail the Driver for a Ride 4. Cleveland Area Rapid Transit Monthly Report for July 2016, with Attachment 1, Lindsey West Stops Construction Phases, and Attachment 2, Lindsey West (12) Temporary Stops Imhoff Creek Bridge Construction and Hail the Driver for a Ride 5. Cleveland Area Rapid Transit Monthly Report for August 2016, with Attachment 1, Lindsey West Stops Construction Phases, and Attachment 2, Lindsey West (12) Temporary Stops Imhoff Creek Bridge Construction and Hail the Driver for a Ride ***** Item 2, being: DISCUSSION REGARDING COMMERCIAL LOADING ZONES IN THE CAMPUS CORNER AREA. Ms. Jeanne Snider, Assistant City Attorney, said in 1975, Council approved the conversion of Asp Avenue, between White Street and Boyd Street, from two-way to one-way traffic in the southbound direction. The action was prompted by requests from area merchants interested in improving traffic flow and safety along a segment of roadway, which at that time had the highest vehicular accident rates in the city. In 2002, Council approved the designation of Asp Avenue to a two-way street from White Street to Boyd Street even though Staff raised concerns that converting the street to two-way could create safety and congestion problems especially with commercial deliveries. She said delivery trucks often block one of the driving lanes as merchandise and/or products are unloaded and delivered. As a two-lane street, drivers are not able to safely drive around the delivery vehicle and are tempted to cross a double yellow center line with oncoming traffic causing side-swipes or head-on collisions. On July 23, 2013, City Council adopted Resolution R-1314-19 creating the Campus Corner Parking Management Business Plan detailing strategies and payment options available to customers and visitors parking in the 159 public parking spaces along Boyd Street, Asp Avenue, Buchanan Street, University Boulevard, and White Street. In addition, it formalized the use of commercial loading zones, but in spite of good will efforts of Campus Corner Merchants and property owners, the problem with commercial vehicles parking on one of the Asp Avenue traffic lanes and blocking traffic flow is rampant. For this reason, merchants have asked the City to establish an enforceable restriction that will require an amendment to Section 20-807(6) of the Code of Ordinances, which currently makes it legal to park on the traffic lane. City Staff has worked with area merchants and property owners to identify, establish, and manage freight loading and unloading zones. Three zones were identified and agreed upon with the largest and only zone capable of handling large vehicle deliveries being along the east side of Asp Avenue immediately north of Boyd Street and consists of fifteen metered spaces that are reserved for commercial loading between the Community Planning and Transportation Committee Minutes September 29, 2016 Page 4 Item 2, continued: hours of 3:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. After 10:00 a.m. these spaces become regular on-street metered spaces available to the general public. Large delivery trucks loading and unloading between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. are discouraged through self-enforcement efforts by various Campus Corner property owners and merchants. Violations are commonplace and difficult to manage by the City’s Parking Enforcement Authorities. The other two zones are along the west side of Buchanan Avenue and are significantly smaller and can only accommodate single unit trucks. One zone is located halfway between Boyd Street and White Street and includes two parallel parking spaces available between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and the second zone is located immediately south of White Street and includes a single parallel parking space that is in effect 24 hours per day. If City Council chooses to move forward with an ordinance amendment, a commercial truck delivery restriction can be established with regulatory signs that would prohibit truck deliveries between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. The current ordinance allows parking in the roadway for loading and unloading, but not to exceed ten minutes. Ms. Snider said Edmond; Stillwater; Lawrence, Kansas; Manhattan, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Austin, Texas, all have ordinances that allows loading and unloading not to exceed thirty minutes. She said Austin, Texas, issues a permit for loading and unloading; however, even without a permit the time period is thirty minutes. Ms. Snider said Norman has five Parking Service Officers with two working from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and two working from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in different areas of the City including Campus Corner. The fifth Parking Service Officer was recently hired that will work Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. strictly on Campus Corner including Saturdays. However, one of the most experienced, long- term Parking Service Officers has medical issues and will be off for a few months leaving four Parking Service Officers. Lt. Marcus Smallwood, Parking Service Supervisor, said the new Parking Service Officer will be dedicated to Campus Corner while the other three will enforce overlapping zones. Ms. Snider said there have been issues on Campus Corner where new delivery drivers are unaware there are rules in place for loading and unloading and have received a citation. She asked Lt. Smallwood to explain how citations are issued and he said Parking Service Officers use a Brazos Electronic Citation device that is about the size of an iPhone to type in license information and a citation is issued to the registered owner, not the driver. He said Parking Service Officers use their own discretion on citations because they want the Campus Corner businesses to have return customers and want deliveries to take place, but at the same time, safety must be maintained. Ms. Snider said everyone understands that deliveries are important to all the businesses on Campus Corner whether that business is a restaurant, bar, clothing store, salon, etc. She said the City wants to balance everybody’s interests, which can make enforcement challenging. Mr. Angelo Lombardo, Transportation Traffic Engineer, said in a perfect world delivery trucks would park in the assigned lanes and we would not be having this discussion. He said there is capacity to accommodate commercial parking, but the deliveries do not always happen at the times in which the parking spaces are reserved for that purpose. He said the delivery trucks also park in non-commercial loading zones facing the opposite direction of travel. When Asp Avenue was one-way it was possible for delivery trucks to park in the traffic lane and traffic would still be able to get around them safely. He said traffic is currently two-way and drivers attempt to drive around the trucks rather than wait, but they are driving into oncoming traffic making it extremely dangerous. That is what the merchants and City Staff are trying to address with the ordinance amendment. He said the City could install signs restricting deliveries to specific times of the day when commercial loading zones on Asp Avenue are not available; Community Planning and Transportation Committee Minutes September 29, 2016 Page 5 Item 2, continued: however, this may not work with merchants who have no control over the times when deliveries are made, but this is the best idea so far. Councilmember Hickman asked if the alley behind Asp Avenue could be used for deliveries and Lt. Jeff Robertson, Norman Police Department, said it can be utilized but it is very narrow and there are residences whose driveways access off the alley. He said if a truck is blocking the alley the residents cannot get out to get to work or school, which would generate complaints from the occupants of the residences. Ms. Aisha Ali, owner of King Copy, and the current President of the Campus Corner Association, said a petition was distributed among the Campus Corner businesses regarding delivery loading zone locations, times, and signage and many of the merchants were in favor of that, but a few were opposed and their voices are important as well. She talks to people every day, who say their main goal is to stay away from Campus Corner, but Campus Corner merchants are hurting and businesses close every month because they cannot make rent. She said these are amazing businesses and need to be supported. She said she has tried to make contact with some of the delivery companies to see what can be done in working together to keep trucks from blocking the traffic lane, but she has not had any response. The Campus Corner Association would love to come up with alternatives that are not costly and vendors are not going to stop their deliveries. She said she understands the frustration of drivers because she has been blocked behind trucks unloading making her late in getting her kids to school or wherever she was going. She said if she did not work on Campus Corner she would not come there and that is what she hears from people all the time. Councilmember Hickman asked if other communities had prohibitions similar to what is being proposed and Ms. Ali said yes, Bricktown and Automobile Alley in Oklahoma City. She said those businesses installed keypads at a cost of $50 to $60 that allows vendors to enter businesses for deliveries before 10:00 a.m. Mr. Rainey Powell, Campus Corner property owner, said the merchants’ primary purpose is to improve the customer experience. Other communities limit delivery locations and times so it is not that unique. In the French Quarter in New Orleans you do not see delivery trucks during the day and some communities do not allow deliveries after 9:00 a.m. On Campus Corner, about 90% of the merchant’s leases state that deliveries must be completed by 10:00 a.m. Most of the delivery companies are national, e.g., Sysco Foods, Ben E. Keith, Budweiser, Coors, etc., so the proposed rules will not surprise them because other communities have similar rules. He said the problem is with the delivery route manager who determines what time of day that truck is going to be on Campus Corner and that route manager makes decisions based on the most cost effective way of getting the deliveries completed. He said the new rules will help impact the route manager’s decisions on how the deliveries are going to be made. Many merchants have UPS deliveries throughout the day, but those trucks are not a problem since those trucks are narrower than 6 1/2 feet, plus they are quick and do not block the lane for an extended period of time. The bigger trucks block access to parking and frustrate the customers who sometimes back up through an intersection, which is hazardous. Mr. Powell said if a vendor shows up at noon, the only option the merchant has is to refuse the delivery, but in some cases, tonight’s dinner is on that truck and if they refuse the delivery they are out of business that night. The best way to solve the problem is to impact the decisions of the route managers. He Community Planning and Transportation Committee Minutes September 29, 2016 Page 6 Item 2, continued: suggested the signage have a width limit (6 1/2 feet) and be placed on the north and south ends of the alley. Councilmember Hickman asked if UPS and FedEx would be exempt from the regulations and Mr. Powell said he was not sure about FedEx because it takes them a little longer in their deliveries, but the problem is getting around the delivery vehicle. He said the wider vehicles are the ones they want out of the area by 10:00 a.m. Mr. Jeff Stewart, owner of O’Connell’s, said he receives deliveries at least ten times a week from semi- trucks and there just needs to be communication to the truck companies or perhaps a permit that allows them to park and deliver after 10:00 a.m. Many communities require these types of permits so the merchant can inform the delivery company what times they can deliver. He said communication is the problem because there are multiple drivers with multiple companies that change frequently. As far as where they deliver and where they drop off, that is done by having a zone dedicated to commercial delivery or zones that prohibit deliveries completely. Councilmember Hickman asked the City Manager if the City could craft a letter to the delivery companies informing them about the new rules and Mr. Steve Lewis, City Manager, asked if Councilmember Hickman was speaking about communication or a permit and Councilmember Hickman said either one. Mr. Lewis said Staff would like to gather more information on a permit, but a letter to communicate the new rules would be doable and could include an effective date. Mr. Powell suggested the City simply issue warning notices to vendors prior to taking action and Ms. Ali agreed and said that was discussed at meetings and many of the merchants liked that idea. She said the Campus Corner Association will do whatever it needs to do to support whatever communication is needed. Lt. Robertson said anytime a new ordinance is enacted there is a certain grace period of warnings so there is a protocol for that. Councilmember Hickman said he is leaning towards allowing an exemption to UPS and FedEx trucks because the safety issue is worse when the vehicle is longer and wider than a normal car, truck, or van. A semi-truck blocks a lot more cars and blocks the view around it for vehicular and bicycle traffic and someone going around it is at a greater risk for an accident. He said UPS and FedEx trucks are generally gone within ten minutes while semis can be unloading for longer periods of time. He suggested incremental steps beginning with enforcement of semi-trucks. Chairman Holman said he was in favor of moving forward with Staff’s recommendations. Councilmember Hickman suggested permitting trucks to park in parking spaces other than loading zones and Ms. Snider said the Police Department has a parking variance for construction projects, which would work for this issue. She said the City also issues off-site construction permits through the Building Permit Department. Lt. Robertson agreed and said a construction project on White Street has a parking variance for three spaces so they can park construction vehicles in the spaces. Ms. Ali said she would like a clear idea of what steps the City will be taking moving forward so the merchants will know what to expect because several ideas have been discussed tonight. Councilmember Allison said it seems the Committee is in support of Staff’s recommendations and more research needs to be done on any type of permitting process. He said the City currently has various permits where permit costs do not sufficiently cover the cost for Staff to issue those permits. He said the quickest way to resolve the issue today is to move forward with the amended ordinance as presented. Ms. Snider said there are some defects in the ordinance as presented because it is a rough draft and needs to be tweaked. Community Planning and Transportation Committee Minutes September 29, 2016 Page 7 Item 2, continued: Chairman Holman said everyone seems to believe the signs are a good idea with added language that width cannot exceed 6 1/2 feet. He said notification to the vendors could be done as well. Mr. Lombardo said it is hard to enforce a 6 1/2 foot width and asked if the signage could just prohibit semi-trucks instead of stating a width and Mr. Powell said there are box vans that are just as wide as semis and width is the issue. Councilmember Hickman asked about height and Mr. Powell said he does not care about height. Lt. Robertson said adding height would mean Parking Service Officers would have to carry a tape measure to see if a vehicle is in violation of the ordinance. Ms. Snider asked if the Committee wants to see the ordinance after the changes have been made or should it move forward to full Council and the Committee agreed it should move forward to full Council in a Study Session or Conference. Councilmember Hickman asked Staff to research the standard width of semis and box trucks and provide that information at the next meeting. He would also like some examples of the types of vehicles that would be prohibited. Lt. Robertson said many times when police enforce ordinances, they can get trapped in the legalese of it and the more complicated the ordinance the more difficult it is to enforce. He suggested Council settle on very basic terminology when it comes to who the City is going to enforce this on so action can be taken when necessary. Committee members agreed the ordinance needs to be kept simple. Lt. Smallwood agreed and said Police cannot cite their way out of a problem, but administration solutions can be implemented, such as staging points for deliveries similar to what is done on football game days. Items submitted for the record 1. Memorandum dated September 22, 2016, from Jeanne Snider, Assistant City Attorney, through Jeff Harley Bryant, City Attorney, to the Community Transportation and Planning Committee 2. Norman Code of Ordinance Section 20-807. – Parking, stopping and standing prohibited in other areas. 3. Campus Corner Merchants approval and opposition list for proposed City Ordinance 4. Campus Corner Parking Management Business Plan 5. Memorandum dated September 21, 2016, from Angelo A. Lombardo, Transportation Engineer, to Jeanne Snider, Assistant City Attorney 6. Map of proposed Campus Corner Commercial Loading Zones ***** The meeting adjourned at 6:14 p.m. ATTEST: __________________________________ ___________________________________ City Clerk Mayor