City Council

314 Mill Street PO BOX 195 TOWN OF OCCOQUAN Occoquan, VA 22125 (703) 491-1918 Circa 1734 ● Chartered 1804 ● Incorporated 1874 www.OccoquanVA.gov info@occoquanva.gov Occoquan Town Council Work Session Meeting February 20, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Regular Items a. FYE 2017 Financial Audit Presentation b. FY 2019 Budget Work Session c. Virginia Building Maintenance Code Enforcement d. Town Election Newsletter Mailing e. Parking and Traffic Study Recommendations – Next Steps 3. Adjournment Portions of this meeting may be held in closed session pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. A copy of this agenda with supporting documents is available online at www.occoquanva.gov.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 2. Work Session Regular Agenda Meeting Date: February 20, 2018 2 A: FYE 2017 Financial Audit Presentation Explanation and Summary: The review of the FYE 2017 financials has been completed and a representative from Robinson, Farmer, Cox & Associates will provide a presentation of the audit during the work session. This is an opportunity for Council to be briefed on the status of the report and have any questions addressed. The Town Council vote to accept the FYE June 30, 2017 Financial Report will be at the March 6, 2018 Regular Town Council meeting. Attachments: None. Documentation will be provided at the meeting.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 2. Work Session Regular Agenda Meeting Date: February 20, 2018 2 B: FY 2019 Budget Work Session Explanation and Summary: This is the second of three scheduled work sessions to discuss the proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Budget and Capital Improvement Plan. The proposed budget will be published by March 23, 2018, a public hearing on the budget will be held on April 3, 2018, and a public hearing on the proposed tax rates will be on April 24, 2018. The budget and tax rates are scheduled for adoption during the May 2, 2018 Town Council meeting*. BUDGET SCHEDULE Town Council Budget Work Tuesday, January 16, 2018 7:00 p.m. Session Town Council Budget Work Tuesday, February 20, 2018 7:00 p.m. Session Town Council Budget Work After Regular Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Session (if needed) Meeting Proposed FY19 Budget Submitted Friday, March 23, 2018 COB to Council, Available to Public Public Hearing: Proposed FY19 Tuesday, April 3, 2018 7:00 p.m. Budget Public Hearing: Proposed FY19 Tax Tuesday, April 24, 2018 7:00 p.m. Rates Adoption of FY19 Tax Rates and Wednesday, May 2, 2018 7:00 p.m. Budget Previous presentation materials are available on the Town’s website at www.occoquanva.gov. *The regular May meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 instead of Tuesday, May 1, as the first Tuesday in May is the Town Election Day. Attachments: None. Documentation to be provided at the work session.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 2. Work Session Regular Agenda Meeting Date: February 20, 2018 2 C: Virginia Building Maintenance Code Enforcement Explanation and Summary: Since November 20, 2017, Prince William County has served as the Town’s Building Official and enforces the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC) within the Town to ensure buildings within the community are safe. A part of VUSBC includes the Virginia Building Maintenance Code (VMC), which addresses property maintenance issues of existing buildings. The County has advised that in their opinion, the enabling legislation is not clear on whether or not the County is mandated to enforce the VMC on behalf of the Town. Should the Town Council desire to enforce VMC within the Town, the County stated that a Memorandum of Understanding between the Town and County would be needed to grant authority to Prince William County to enforce VMC within the Town of Occoquan. The Prince William County Department of Neighborhood Services handles property code enforcement within the County. The Occoquan Town Code, Chapter 10, Section 10-4, Adoption of Virginia Statewide Building Code (a) that …”the Building Official for the Town of Occoquan shall enforce the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, including the Virginia Maintenance Code dealing with property maintenance, as it may be amended from time to time by the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development.” This is an opportunity for the Town Council to discuss this issue and provide guidance to staff on how to proceed. Town staff recommends enforcement of the VMC within the town and entering into an MOU with Prince William County to grant the County authority to enforce the VMC within the Town of Occoquan. Attachments: (1) Town Code of Occoquan, Chapter 10, Building and Building Regulations  Chapter 10 BUILDINGS AND BUILDING REGULATIONS* Sec. 10-1. Department of building inspection; building/code official. Sec. 10-2. Deputy. Sec. 10-3. Inspections. Sec. 10-4. Adoption of Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. Sec. 10-5. Definitions. Sec. 10-6. When permit is required. Sec. 10-7. Applicant for permit defined. Sec. 10-8. Application for permit. Sec. 10-9. Rules and regulations established by building/code official. Sec. 10-10. Fees. Sec. 10-11. Appeals. Sec. 10-12. Report to council. Sec. 10-13. Penalties. *Charter reference(s)--Building regulations, §§ 17, 21. Cross reference(s)--Environment, ch. 18; fire prevention and protection, ch. 22; floods, ch. 26; health and sanitation, ch. 30; signs and advertising, ch. 42; site plan, ch. 46; streets, sidewalks and other public places, ch. 50; subdivisions, ch. 54; zoning, ch. 66; Old and Historic Occoquan District, § 66-220 et. seq. State law reference(s)--Access to and use of buildings by handicapped, Code of Virginia, § 2.1- 517; limitation of prosecutions of building code violations, Code of Virginia, § 19.2-8; Virginia Industrialized Building Safety Law, Code of Virginia, § 36-70 et seq.; Uniform Statewide Building Code, Code of Virginia, § 36-97 et seq.; effect of building code on other building regulations, Code of Virginia, § 36-98; enforcement of building code, appeals from decisions of local building department, inspection of buildings, Code of Virginia, § 36-105; voluntary apprenticeship, Code of Virginia, § 40.1-117 et seq.; contractors, Code of Virginia, § 54.1-1100 et seq.; local licensing of certain contractors, Code of Virginia, § 54.1-1117. CD10:1 § 10-? OCCOQUAN CODE CD10:2  BUILDINGS AND BUILDING REGULATIONS §10-4 Sec. 10-1. Department of building inspection; building/code official. The department of building inspection is hereby created, and the executive official in charge of the department shall be known as the building/code official. (Code 1981, § 18-1; Ord. O-2004-13, § 10-1) Cross reference(s)—Administration, ch. 2. Sec. 10-2. Deputy. The town council may appoint a deputy who shall perform such duties as assigned and exercise all the powers of the building/code official during the temporary absence or disability of the building/code official. (Code 1981, § 18-2; Ord. O-2004-13, § 10-2) Sec. 10-3. Inspections. The building/code official shall make all of the required inspections, or the building/code official shall accept reports of inspection by approved agencies or individuals in accordance with section 113.2.1 of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. All reports of such inspections shall be in writing and be certified by a responsible officer of such approved agency or by the responsible individual. The building/code official is authorized to engage such expert opinion as deemed necessary to report upon unusual technical issues that arise, subject to the approval of the mayor. (Code 1981, § 18-4) Sec. 10-4. Adoption of Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. (a) Pursuant to authority granted in the Code of Virginia, Section 36-105, as amended, it is hereby expressly provided that the Building Official for the Town of Occoquan shall enforce the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (VUSBC), including the Virginia Maintenance Code dealing with property maintenance, as it may be amended from time to time by the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development (VBHCD). To the extent provided by law, the Building Official for the Town of Occoquan may inspect existing buildings and structures, permanent or temporary, whether occupied or not, and their associated equipment after completion of construction to ensure that the buildings and structures are maintained in accordance with those provisions of the VUSBC regulations. (b) Nothing in this section shall be held to preclude compliance with any zoning, health, safety, sanitation or other provisions of the Code of the Town of Occoquan heretofore or hereafter adopted. (Code 1981, § 18-5; Ord. O-2008-04, § 10-4) CD10:3 § 10-5 OCCOQUAN CODE Sec. 10-5. Definitions. Whenever the following words or terms are used in the building code adopted in this chapter, they shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section: Building/code official means the building/code official for the Town of Occoquan, Virginia. Gasfitter means a person who holds himself out to the public to do gasfitting work and accepts compensation for his services in doing such work. Legal counsel means the town attorney for the Town of Occoquan, Virginia. Municipality means the Town of Occoquan, Virginia. Plumber means a person who holds himself out to the public to do plumbing work and accepts compensation for his services in doing such work. (Code 1981, § 18-6) Cross reference(s)—Definitions generally, § 1-2. Sec. 10-6. When permit is required. Except as provided in section 107.1 of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, written application shall be made to the building/code official when a construction permit is required. A permit shall be issued by the building/code official before any of the following actions subject to the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code may be commenced: (1) Constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing or demolishing a building or structure. (2) Changing the use of a building either within the same use group or to a different use group when the new use requires greater degrees of structural strength, fire protection, exit facilities, ventilation or sanitary provisions. (3) Installing or altering any equipment which is regulated by the building code. (4) Removing or disturbing any asbestos-containing materials during demolition, alteration, renovation of or additions to buildings or structures. (Code 1981, §§ 18-7, 18-11) Sec. 10-7. Applicant for permit defined. As used in this chapter, the term "applicant" shall include any person who shall be the owner of record of any real property upon which is contemplated or undertaken any erection, alteration, CD10:4  BUILDINGS AND BUILDING REGULATIONS §10-8 demolition or repair of or any addition to any building or other structure of any nature or kind, and shall further include any person who undertakes to perform or performs on behalf of the owner of record such erection, alteration, demolition, repair or addition. (Code 1981, § 18-8) Cross reference(s)—Definitions generally, § 1-2. Sec. 10-8. Application for permit. No permit shall be issued by the building/code official for the erection, alteration, demolition or repair of or for the addition to any structure until the following conditions shall have first been satisfied: (1) The applicant shall have executed, under oath, and on a form provided by the building/code official or by the town clerk an application for a building permit, which application shall fully disclose the estimated cost of such erection, alteration, demolition, repair or addition, and shall state explicitly the location, purpose, dimensions, distance from street lines, character and composition of walls, coverings and other information relative to such erection, alteration, demolition, repair or addition as the building/code official shall require, including but not limited to scale drawings, lists or bills of materials, textual information, etc.; (2) The applicant shall have supplied to the building/code official, or to the town clerk, three copies of a correct site drainage or grading plan, which shall bear the name and authority of the firm or individual who shall have prepared the plan; this site drainage or grading plan requirement may be waived at the discretion of the building/code official except that no such waiver may be granted when an application has been made for erection of or substantial addition to any commercial structure; (3) The applicant shall have provided to the building/code official written authorization from the county health department for the installation of a well and septic system, or in lieu of such authorization, a permit from the Prince William County Service Authority allowing connection by applicant to water and sewer systems; (4) The applicant shall have provided a certificate signed by the chairman of the planning commission that the applicant has complied with the land use or zoning provisions of this Code; (5) The applicant shall provide to the building/code official evidence which, in the discretion of the building/code official, establishes that in any construction or development by the applicant, satisfactory water runoff control measures shall be taken by the applicant to ensure that the amount of water running off the site will not exceed the level of water running from the site prior to the construction or development; and CD10:5 § 10-8 OCCOQUAN CODE (6) The applicant shall have paid to the town clerk all fees required by section 10-10. (Code 1981, § 18-9) Sec. 10-9. Rules and regulations established by building/code official. Whenever necessary to the just and efficient administration of the provisions of this chapter, and unless inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter, the building/code official may promulgate rules and regulations relating to the subject matter of this chapter; and such rules and regulations shall be available from the town clerk as official public records of the town. (Code 1981, § 18-10) Sec. 10-10. Fees. Fees required under this chapter shall be as provided in a fee schedule adopted pursuant to section 112.0 of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code. (Code 1981, § 18-12) Sec. 10-11. Appeals. Pursuant to an agreement between the town and Prince William County, appeals from decisions of the building/code official may be made to the Prince William County Board of Building Code Appeals upon the payment by the appellant of a fee of $300.00 for each application. (Ord. O-2002-08, § 10-11) Sec. 10-12. Report to council. At each regular meeting of the town council, the building/code official shall report to the council the number of applications for permits that have been received by him since the last regular meeting of the council, the number of permits that have been issued, and the number of applications that have been denied. (Code 1981, § 18-13) Sec. 10-13. Penalties. Any person violating a provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $2,500.00. Each day during which erection, alteration, repair or demolition shall occur in violation of the provisions of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense. (Code 1981, § 18-14) State law reference(s)—Authority for above section, Code of Virginia, § 36-106. CD10:6  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 2. Work Session Regular Agenda Meeting Date: February 20, 2018 2 D: Town Election Newsletter Mailing Explanation and Summary: In 2016, Town staff produced a special mailing related to the 2016 Town Election. The mailing was produced in an effort to providing information to town residents on the election including absentee voting dates and procedures, sample ballot information, where to vote, and how to register to vote. In addition, all candidates were invited to provide a photo and a brief bio to be included in the pamphlet in an effort to inform residents on who was on the ballot. The cost of the mailing was $215. 79. At the time, the Town Council requested to discuss the candidate information pamphlet prior to the next Town Election in 2018. Town staff recommends producing and providing this informational document ahead of the 2018 Town Election and once again provide an equal opportunity to all candidates to provide a brief bio and photo in an effort to educate voters on who is on the ballot. The document will be mailed to Town residents by April 6, 2018, and included on the Town’s website. Historical Election Information Town Council Mayor Total # of Total # of Year Votes candidates Votes candidates 2016 1,093 8 264 2 2014 544 6 134 1 2012 410 5 93 1 2010 494 6 115 1 2008 534 6 129 1 2006 886 7 2004 626 8 101 1 2002 596 6 118 1 2000 641 5 192 2 # of Registered Voter Election Year Voters Voters Turnout Newsletter 2016 257 754 34% Yes 2014 143 716 20% No 2012 96 673 14% No 2010 120 629 19% No Attachments: None.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 2. Work Session Regular Agenda Meeting Date: February 20, 2018 2 E: Parking and Traffic Study Recommendations – Next Steps Explanation and Summary: The Town Council reviewed the final Parking and Traffic Study report presented by JMT at their November 21, 2017 work session. The report, which was based on data collected from August to September 2017 and reviewed various documents including the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and previous studies produced by and for the town over the years, includes several recommendations to improve parking opportunities within the town and begin to address cut-through traffic concerns. This is an opportunity for the Town Council to review the recommendations and provide direction to staff on how to proceed. Staff recommends referring the document to the Planning Commission for review and to provide a recommendation to the Town Council on how to proceed with the recommendations, to include evaluation and prioritization of the recommendations in accordance with the 2016 Comprehensive Plan’s Action Plan. About the Study The Town worked with JMT in the fall of 2017 to perform a parking and traffic study within the Town of Occoquan. The study focused on identifying and analyzing parking issues within the study area, which includes the Historic Business District, and also included data collection on cut-through traffic during weekday morning and evening hours, and a review of stall widths and the potential impacts of two-way traffic on parking capacity. Attachments: (1) FINAL Parking and Traffic Study Report Final Report Town of Occoquan, Virginia PARKING STUDY November, 2017 1  Overview Introduc on and Background The Town of Occoquan, Virginia has partnered with Johnson, customers to businesses and parking spaces. Mirmiran and Thompson, Inc. (JMT) to conduct a town‐wide The purpose of this study is to analyze the parking challenges parking study to address the Town’s concerns with parking and causes facing the Town of Occoquan and iden fy availability and safety. implementable solu ons for the Town to pursue to alleviate The Town is looking for ways to maintain its vibrant it’s parking challenges. Downtown Historic Business District as a regional des na on. Study Area They plan to achieve this by, among other things, developing The study area has been iden fied as roughly the same appropriate parking plans and policies that will meet the boundary line as the Historic District of Occoquan (Yellow current needs while maintaining the historic downtown outlined areas in Figure 1). The parking areas iden fied by the character, as well as sustaining economic growth and high Town for analysis include: quality of life for residents and visitors. On‐Street Public Parking Parking has been iden fied by both business owners and Off‐Street Town‐Owned Parking residents as a very important challenge facing their Private Lots, Mostly Residen al community. Many business owners and residents feel that Private Lots, Mostly Commercial there is not an adequate amount of parking available in the Historic Business District. There is also concern regarding effec ve wayfinding signage linking visitors and poten al Figure 1: Study Area 2 Study Methodology Data Collec on Parking Demand Analysis Using spreadsheets and maps created by JMT, Town staff The parking inventory and occupancy data was broken into collected an exis ng inventory and occupancy count for the three overall ini al categories for analysis: following parking areas defined in the project area Weekday (Appendix A): Weekend On‐Street Public Parking (A Lots) Special Event Weekend (Saturday) Off‐Street Town‐Owned Parking (B Lots) The data was then further compiled into the following four Private, Mostly Residen al (C Lots) hourly meframes for each category: Private, Mostly Commercial (D Lots) 7:00 AM—11:00 AM Businesses are beginning to open and employees have The data was collected on an hourly basis from 7AM‐8PM, mostly arrived to work on a Wednesday (weekday data) and Saturday (weekend 11:00 AM—2:00 PM data) during sunny August days in 2017. Addi onal Peak lunch ac vity at restaurants inventory and occupancy counts were also collected during 2:00 PM—5:00 PM a special event Saturday from 2PM—8PM for the public on‐ Lunch peak is over and people have returned to their street parking and Town‐owned off‐street parking areas. homes, place of work, or are enjoying other ac vi es 5:00 PM—8:00 PM The Town provided the raw data to JMT for analysis. Many retail businesses have closed and restaurant/ entertainment uses are ac ve. Occupancy Maps GIS so ware was used to understand and analyze the rela onships of the spa al loca ons of parking areas and the results of the inventory and occupancy count data. Overlaying this informa on illustrates parking occupancy and iden fies areas that are near or over capacity as well as highlights parking areas that are underu lized. Analyzing this informa on based on day of the week and me of day is vital to understanding how the Town’s parking pa erns change and shi throughout the day and week. Using GIS, a total of 10 parking occupancy maps were generated for analysis purposes. These maps illustrate the various parking challenges and opportuni es as they occur throughout the Historic District. The full index of occupancy maps is located in Appendix B. 3 Public Input Recommenda ons From Town Council Public input was iden fied as a crucial component to the The Town Council Work Session on October 17th focused on study method for this project. Not only is public input vital to the results of the Parking Study. Recommenda ons were pre‐ understanding the Town’s parking challenges, it is also key to sented to the Town Council for input and concurrence as pre‐ include the public in the decision making process so that sented within this Study. As with all Town Council Work Ses‐ when solu ons are implemented they are supported by the sions, this mee ng was recorded for pubic record. public. The Town hosted a Community Input Mee ng on September 27th, 2017, which was a ended by approximately 26 residents and members of the business community. During this mee ng, representa ves from the Town and JMT provided an overview of the study process, and a endees were encouraged to ask ques ons and provide insight on their experiences or issues with parking in the Town . As part of the public input process, the Town and JMT prepared two online surveys (one which was community focused and one which was business focused) which were distributed electronically to the public as a way to provide input outside of the public mee ng. Addi onal hard copies of the survey were made available at the Community Input Mee ng. The informa on gathered from the public mee ng and the two online surveys was used to supplement the parking data and to help inform and guide the analysis process. 4 Review of Data & Exis ng Town Plans How Did We Get Here? Occoquan is a small town, with a popula on of approximately sites were iden fied as feasible for structured parking: 1) 1,049 people according to the 2015 American Community the West Garage (2 parcels owned by Fairfax County Water Survey (ACS) Census data. The streets of Occoquan were first Authority located at the northwestern‐most corner of the laid out in 1804 before the boom of the automobile. This is border of Town), and; 2) the East Garage (exis ng Town‐ evident in the narrow, o en one‐way streets, and close Owned parking lot and por on of private parcel owned by building setback lines throughout the Town. The Town also Maude Williams, located at the corner of Mill Street & enjoys the scenic and recrea onal benefits of having its Poplar Alley). The West Garage (est. cost = $3.2 million) Historic Business District located along the Occoquan River, would provide 211 new parking spaces. The East Garage with many establishments capitalizing on this riverfront (est. cost = $2.1 million) would provide a total of 137 new property. This type of layout can be very conducive to parking spaces. These 2007 cost es mates equate to slightly a rac ng commercial ac vity, however along with that over $15,000/space for each garage. commercial ac vity parking concerns can become a persistent The previously proposed West Garage loca on is now the nuisance to residents and a challenge for Town Staff. River Mill Park. The previously proposed East Garage The Town is considered a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is loca on has since been further developed. located in Prince William County, Virginia. The loca on of the Town in rela on to these more populated areas provides an opportunity for visitors from the DC metro‐region to visit Comprehensive Plan Vision 2026 Occoquan and enjoy the small town pleasures. These visitors The Town of Occoquan adopted it’s “Comprehensive Plan create a posi ve economic impact that can be capitalized on Vision 2026” in 2016. The purpose of this plan is to provide by local commercial establishments. a vision for how Occoquan should grow into the future, The Town has been facing parking challenges for many years. maintain public facili es and programs in response to A Charre e was held in 1998 to focus on the issue of parking growth, and successfully manage new development and as well as other important issues that were facing the Town at redevelopment ac ons . the me. From this effort a range of poten al ac ons was This plan touches on a range of topics and ac ons with suggested such as; a parking management program, on‐street parking iden fied as an ongoing challenge facing the parking restric ons, parking permits, and forma on of a Downtown and surrounding residen al areas. A Town Business Improvement District (BID). To date, none of these parking study was iden fied as a recommended ac on item recommenda ons has been put into place due to a variety of to address the parking challenges facing the town and begin reasons, leading to increased parking concerns. to chart a plan for how to address the Town’s current and future parking needs. Structured Parking Feasibility Report (2007) Town of Occoquan Parking Study (2017) In October 2007, the Town of Occoquan hired a consultant to This current parking study was built upon this previous work perform a feasibility study for installing structured parking on as well as extended to include recent data and input from four specific parcels within Occoquan. From this study, two the public. 5 Public Surveys The Town published two public surveys to gather and document public input regarding Town parking condi ons. The two surveys consisted of a general public survey which could be filled out by any member of the general public, and a business survey for business owners within the study area. The public survey yielded 90 responses and the business survey yielded 44 responses. The community survey was taken by a mix of residents (51%), SOURCE: Google Maps 2016 visitors (40%), and other members of the public. Both surveys indicated that there is a general consensus that solving Exis ng Condi ons Assessment parking issues is a high priority facing the Town. Both surveys JMT staff conducted a field assessment of the exis ng parking included support for addressing the parking issues associated condi ons. They advised that improved signage direc ng with the post office and suggested me‐limited parking at this people to available parking upon entering town, and loca on. Improved parking wayfinding and signage as well as con nuing consistent signage through Town to available dedicated employee parking areas were common parking could be a poten al solu on to spreading out the recommenda ons received through both surveys. parking usage across exis ng public parking areas. Sidewalk The Community Survey responses included recommenda ons condi ons, overall walkability, and ADA accessibility were also for parking limits/meters, permits for residents, and increased iden fied as needing improvement, which may alleviate some parking enforcement. The Business Survey responses included of the parking issues the Town is experiencing. Improving the recommenda ons for pedestrian safety improvements, walkability of the Town could be a catalyst to improved highligh ng the lot under the Route 123 Bridge. There were parking as people are more willing to walk further to their also recommenda ons to consider shared parking in private des na on. lots, and general recommenda on to increase parking availability. Complete survey results are located in Appendix C. 6 Cut‐Through Traffic Study The cut through percentages and volumes on these routes As part of this study, JMT conducted a weekday peak period exceeds the minimum thresholds required for considera on of cut‐through traffic survey between the Route 123/ a formal cut‐through study under VDOT’s Residen al Cut‐ Commerce Street intersec on at the east edge of the Town Through Traffic Policy. JMT was asked by the Town and ci zens and the Old Bridge Road/Tanyard Hill Road intersec on to to assess the poten al parking impacts of conver ng 1‐way the southwest of Town. Specifically, the survey assessed AM streets to 2‐way streets in the Town (specifically Mill Street, peak period cut through volumes traveling from the Old Union Street, Commerce Street, and Washington Street), with a Bridge Road/Tanyard Hill Road intersec on to the Route primary goal of reducing the level of PM cut‐through traffic 123/Commerce Street intersec on from 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM along westbound Mill Street. Based on an ini al review of and in the reverse direc on (by way of Mill Street) from traffic volumes, cut‐through pa erns, and overall traffic 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. The survey was conducted in late circula on pa erns in the Historic Business District, JMT offers September 2017 using a combina on of manual and the following preliminary findings with respect to the 1‐way to 2 automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology. The ‐way conversion: results of the survey indicated the following: Mill Street – the exis ng 45 on‐street parking spaces 871 vehicles cut‐through from Old Bridge Road to along the 1‐way sec on of Mill Street (Lots A6, 7 and 8) Route 123 (by way of Commerce Street) during the should be able to be recaptured en rely by restriping 3‐hour AM period, which equates to 86% of the IN‐ both sides of Mill Street for parallel on‐street parking direc onal traffic on Tanyard Hill Road and 69% of (similar to the exis ng westernmost 2‐way segment of the direc onal traffic on Commerce Street Mill Street) 596 vehicles cut through from Route 123 to Old Union Street – the 36’ pavement width could allow for Bridge Road (by way of Mill Street and Tanyard Hill two (2) 11’ travel lanes and parallel parking (7’ wide) Road) during the 2‐hour PM period, which equates on both sides of the road, which should result in 100% to 50% of the direc onal traffic on Commerce recovery of the 22 exis ng on‐street public spaces in Street and 71% of the direc onal traffic on Tanyard Lot A14 Hill Road Ellico Street – 7 public on‐street parking spaces (Lot Each cut‐through route experienced between 250‐ A4) would be lost with 2‐way conversion 300 cut‐through vehicles/hour on average Commerce Street  Washington Street to Union Street – 8 of the public on‐street parking spaces in Lot 13 would be lost with 2‐way conversion  Union Street to Ellico Street – approximately half of the 31 public on‐street parking spaces in Lot A3 would be lost, while the remaining could be recovered by conver ng to parallel parking (1 side only) with 2‐way conversion, resul ng in a loss of 15‐16 public on‐street spaces Total Net Loss of Public On‐Street Parking with 1‐way SOURCE: Google Maps 2016 to 2‐way conversion of all street segments listed above = approximately 30 spaces, which represents approximately 3% of the Town’s total public parking inventory and over 5% of Town’s public on‐street parking inventory. From a prac cal standpoint, the roadway link that appears to offer the greatest posi ve impact for traffic opera ons and safety through 1‐way to 2‐way conversion is Commerce Street between Washington and Union Streets. Conver ng this link to 2‐way opera on would eliminate the need for PM cut‐through traffic to divert along Mill Street, which has high parking turnover and pedestrian ac vity. This would likely remove 7 between 600 to 1,000 cut‐through vehicles from Mill Street in the busy weekday a ernoon/evening hours, greatly improving parking opera ons and pedestrian mobility in this sec on of the HBD. However, this conversion would result in the loss of 8 spaces from Lot A13 along Commerce Street. These spaces were observed to be used frequently by residents as de facto residen al parking. Recommenda ons – Near Term The Town should present the cut‐through data to VDOT and pe on VDOT to conduct a formal cut‐through study for the routes between the Old Bridge Road/Tanyard Hill Road intersec on and the Route 123/Commerce Street intersec on. Recommenda ons – Medium/Long Term The Town should consider conver ng the segment of Commerce Street between Washington and Union Streets to 2‐way opera ons in the future. This recommenda on assumes that the eight (8) lost public on‐street parking spaces along Commerce Street that would result from the 2‐ way conversion could be replaced or otherwise accounted for nearby, for the benefit of the Commerce Street residents who rely upon those spaces as de facto residen al parking. 8 Review & Summary of Parking Demand Analysis Parking Supply The parking areas were categorized into the following weekend, s ll shows significant numbers of vehicles lot types: parking in the Historic Business District, much higher than weekday occupancy rates . On‐Street Public Parking (A Lots) Off‐Street Town‐Owned Parking (B Lots) During weekdays the peak parking occupancy occurs Private, Mostly Residen al (C Lots) from 11:00 AM—2:00 PM, then again from 5:00 PM— Private, Mostly Commercial (D Lots) 8:00 PM. See Appendix A for study area parking loca on maps. Figures 4—7 on page 8 illustrate the parking occupancy The parking data collec on revealed a total parking by lot type. The public parking lots are more u lized inventory of 880 spaces located within the project study during peak demand, whereas the private lots show less area. As a general rule, public parking supply should of a change in occupancy throughout the day. Overall, account for at least 50 percent of the total parking none of the lot types as a whole reach total capacity, with supply in a business district. In Occoquan, public parking the greatest availability of spaces in the C and D Lots. (435 spaces) accounts for 49 percent, while private parking (445 spaces) accounts for 51 percent. As illustrated in Figure 2, the largest por ons of parking fall within the On‐Street Public A Lots (264 spaces) and Private, Mostly Commercial D Lots (272 spaces). The supply of spaces in each of these parking lot groups is rela vely evenly distributed throughout the Town’s Historic District. Private, Mostly Residen al C Lot parking is also distributed rela vely evenly across the study area, while Off‐Street Town‐Owned B Lot parking is located at/beyond the Historic District perimeter, with nearly 70% of the spaces located near or under the Route 123 Bridge (completely outside the Historic District). Parking Occupancy & Peak Demand As illustrated in Figure 3, parking occupancy is highest on weekends beginning at 11:00 AM and las ng through 8:00 PM. The peak me occurs during the midday on the weekend, with the peak beginning around 11:00 AM and las ng un l 5:00 PM, with ul mate peak occupancy from 2:00 PM—5:00 PM (1,613 parked vehicles). The 5:00 PM—8:00 PM meframe, although not considered the peak of the 9 Figure 4: All On‐Street Public Parking (A Lots) ‐ Parking Occupancy Count All A Lots: Total Capacity = 264 Total Max Capacity = 86% # of Vehicles Parked 7AM‐8AM 8AM‐9AM 9AM‐10AM 10AM‐11AM 11AM‐12PM 12PM –1PM 1PM‐2PM 2PM‐3PM 3PM‐4PM 4PM‐5PM 5PM‐6PM 6PM‐7PM 7PM‐8PM Weekday Weekend Special Event Weekend All B Lots: Figure 5: All Off‐Street Town‐Owned Parking (B Lots) ‐ Parking Occupancy Count Total Capacity = 171 Total Max Capacity = 96% # of Vehicles Parked 7AM‐8AM 8AM‐9AM 9AM‐10AM 10AM‐11AM 11AM‐12PM 12PM –1PM 1PM‐2PM 2PM‐3PM 3PM‐4PM 4PM‐5PM 5PM‐6PM 6PM‐7PM 7PM‐8PM Weekday Weekend Special Event Weekend Figure 6: All Private, Mostly Residen al (C Lots) ‐ Parking Occupancy Count All C Lots: Total Capacity = 173 # of Vehicles Parked Total Max Capacity = 50% 7AM‐8AM 8AM‐9AM 9AM‐10AM 10AM‐11AM 11AM‐12PM 12PM –1PM 1PM‐2PM 2PM‐3PM 3PM‐4PM 4PM‐5PM 5PM‐6PM 6PM‐7PM 7PM‐8PM Weekday Weekend Figure 7: All Private, Mostly Commercial (D Lots) ‐ Parking Occupancy Count All D Lots: Total Capacity = 272 # of Vehicles Parked Total Max Capacity = 38% 7AM‐8AM 8AM‐9AM 9AM‐10AM 10AM‐11AM 11AM‐12PM 12PM –1PM 1PM‐2PM 2PM‐3PM 3PM‐4PM 4PM‐5PM 5PM‐6PM 6PM‐7PM 7PM‐8PM Weekday Weekend Special Event Weekend 10 Parking Dura on and Turnover Parking dura on and turnover rate was studied for the 7AM – 8PM. Addi onal hourly data was collected during a following parking areas: special weekend event (Saturday) from 2PM – 8PM. Parking dura on was measured by recording the last three characters of  A Lots – On‐Street Public Parking license plates for vehicles parked in each parking space in the  B Lots – Off‐Street Town‐Owned Parking study area to determine the length of their stay.  D Lots – Private, Mostly Commercial (select lots*) *Includes lots closest to the busy Mill Street area (D5, D8, D9, and D18) Figure 8 is the result of this evalua on: it depicts the percentage of vehicles that parked for a total of 1 hour, 2 hours, These lots were chosen for study because they represent etc. throughout the day for each type of lot. On average, of the loca ons where visitors park. It is important to understand total vehicles accounted for, 53 percent stay for 1 hour or less, the current opera on and u liza on of these spaces to and 22 percent stay between 1 – 2 hours. Cumula vely, this IN accounts for 75 percent of all vehicles parking in the Town of develop implementable solu ons that will best serve the interests of both visitors and business owners in the area. Occoquan. On average, vehicle parking dura on is 2.2 hours. Shorter parking dura ons allow for a higher turnover rate, which is preferable for on‐street parking near businesses. This translates to a higher volume of unique customers per day, which promotes economic vitality in a downtown area. Longer parking dura ons and lower turnover rates are best served by off‐street parking lots. Parking Dura on Parking dura on is the length of me a vehicle is parked in a given space. For this study, each parking lot in the study area was observed on an hourly basis for a typical weekday and typical weekend day (Saturday) between the hours of Figure 8: Parking Dura on by Lot 11  Figure 9: Parking Turnover Rate Parking Turnover Parking turnover represents the number of different vehicles that Lot Weekday Weekend park in the same space over a period of me. This parking A 2.4 3.2 turnover rate is calculated based on the following rela onship: B 1.5 3.1 D 1.0 1.4 Total 1.8 2.7 The results of the turnover analysis are shown in Figure 9 for all lots in the study area. All public lot types have an average turnover Figure 10: Vehicles Parked 8+ Hours rate of greater than 1.0, which indicates that vehicles are, in fact, Lots Weekday Weekend turning over throughout the day. These parking turnover rates, in combina on with the high percentage of vehicles found to be All 48 23 parking for a dura on of 2 hours or less, indicate a good overall A Mill Street 15 9 turnover condi on in the Town. Commerce Street 18 8 As illustrated in Figure 8, a number of vehicles in each parking area B 29 26 were observed to occupy a parking space for an extended period D 13 9 of me (8+ hours). Figure 10 summarizes the number of these vehicles per lot type. The on‐street parking in the Town (A Lots) showed the overall highest prevalence of vehicles parking for an extended period of me. 12 Results and Recommenda ons Crea ng a walkable Town is fundamental to the future plans and vision of the Town Of Occoquan. Walk Occoquan (Medium Term Improvement, 1‐5 Years / Long Term Improvement 5–10 Years) A walkable environment will allow residents to commute to the Downtown by foot, likewise visitors can park their vehicle one me and stroll to several des na ons comfortably on foot before returning to their vehicle. Increasing walkability means not only upda ng sidewalk facili es to current ADA standards but also means adequate pedestrian ligh ng, well maintained sidewalks, and invi ng streetscapes and pedestrian ameni es. Also crucial to walkability is safe pedestrian street crossings. The Town should consider striping two addi onal crosswalks across Mill Street, one at Ellico Street and another at Washington Street. The use of high visibility crosswalks or raised crosswalks should be considered to increase pedestrian visibility and safety at crossings. Strategic pedestrian connec ons and upgrades should also be priori zed, such as new sidewalks along the west side of Mill Street from the Town‐Owned parking lot to Downtown, and safety ligh ng in the parking area under the Route 123 Bridge. The following recommenda ons are also offered to make be er use of the available parking supply and to strategically plan how and where new parking areas will be developed. US Bike Route 1 Bike Occoquan (Medium Term Improvement, 1‐5 Years)  Capitalize on the loca on of the various exis ng and proposed regional bike trails intersec ng Occoquan (US Bike Route 1, East Coast Greenway, and the proposed Occoquan Greenway Trail) by marke ng Occoquan as a bicycle tourism des na on and providing addi onal, strategically‐located bicycle ameni es for day trip and overnight riders.  Incorporate addi onal public bicycle parking into exis ng parking inventory to encourage residents to make more trips by bicycle. Further analysis is needed to iden fy ideal on‐street parking spots for conversion to bicycle parking. The bike parking On‐Street Parking Space Converted to Bike Parking should be branded to match the iden ty of the en re parking system and Downton Occoquan. Wayfinding & Signage (Medium Term Improvement, 1‐5 Years)  The parking system should be branded and incorporate the Downtown iden ty  Install consistent direc onal wayfinding signage to direct those unfamiliar with the system to public parking  Private parking lots for businesses, par cularly SOURCE: San Francisco Municipal Transporta on Agency along Mill Street, should be consistently and clearly 13  marked with wayfinding that is compa ble with the  Modify pull‐in angle parking spaces on Mill Street branding of the public parking wayfinding to be back‐in angle parking spaces. This configura on eliminates the difficulty that drivers,  Signage should clearly define the uses of each par cularly older drivers, have when backing into public parking lot moving traffic. Also increases the ease of loading and unloading cargo and helping children in and  Develop online parking resources, such as a parking out of car seats, and protec on as the open car map, with prominent links on the Town’s website door now directs passengers unloading from vehicles back to the sidewalk rather than out into Shared Parking the street. (Medium Term Improvement, 1‐5 Years) Back‐In Angle Parking  Discourage new private parking lots, excluding residen al uses which do not typically share parking for public use  Establish and maintain at least 50 percent of parking supply for public use  Explore opportuni es for agreements to share public parking with under‐u lized private commercial lots  Incen vize property owners to share unused parking areas SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sen nel Encourage Turnover of On‐Street Parking (Medium Term Improvement, 1‐5 Years) Work with Developers  Inves gate partnering with under‐u lized private (Short Term Improvement, 1 Year) lot owners to provide addi onal long‐term parking  As development plans are finalized, the Town in off‐street lots, preserving the high‐demand should coordinate with developers to ensure that on‐street spaces for shorter trips adequate parking and pedestrian accommoda ons are included in any new  Work with business owners to ensure that development or redevelopment plans in or near employees are parking in appropriate long‐term the Downtown. parking lots in lieu of on‐street spaces in front of businesses. Parking Enforcement (Ongoing) Residen al Parking Permits  As these recommenda ons are implemented, (Medium Term Improvement, 1‐5 Years) considera ons need to be given to how police  Consider implemen ng residen al parking permits staff will be able to effec vely manage parking enforcement.  Sign specific on‐street parking areas that have limited off‐street residen al parking as permit parking only On‐Street Parking Modifica ons (Long Term Improvement, 5‐10 Years)  Remove the horizontal white pavement striping lines between parallel parking spaces on the west end of Mill Street to encourage vehicles to park closer together increasing overall capacity 14 Implementa on Plan The implementa on plan is illustrated on the following page and provides general meframes for the study, planning, design, and construc on for each of the proposed recommenda ons. The Program Cost provided includes the total cost, in current dollars, for all of the components of each recommenda on. Wayfinding & Signage It is recommended that the Branding / Marke ng campaign, as associated with the wayfinding recommenda on, be completed as an ini al ac vity. This will determine any branding for the Town of Occoquan to be used for addi onal elements of any improvements proposed for the Town, whether through these projects, or through any developer improvements to be provided. Walk Occoquan The Walk Occoquan recommenda on has been broken into two components, one for the ini al crosswalks at either end of Mill Street to provide immediate pedestrian connec vity. The remaining component of Walk Occoquan requires a full pedestrian study to be completed to determine sidewalk feasibility and full ADA compliancy. These studies will review not only the pedestrian path, but also obstacles and poten al solu ons such as iden fying u lity loca on and right‐of‐way requirements. Addi onal improvements can be programmed as funds and grants are available. 15 16 Other Considera ons Several addi onal recommenda ons were evaluated for Time‐Limited Parking Time‐limited parking is not recommended at this me. considera on and informa onal purposes for the Town of However, it could be a considera on in the future based on Occoquan Parking Study. These recommenda ons are not customer / employee behaviors, par cularly along dense included in this plan for implementa on based on their conflict commercial streets or near the Post Office to enhance with other recommenda ons that highlight greater poten al turnover for customers. improvement, or based on not being feasible at this me. These are: One‐Way to Two‐Way Conversion: Commerce Street Structured Parking JMT evaluated the impact from the number of parking Providing public (Town‐owned) structured parking is not spaces, for the conversion of Commerce Street from one‐ recommended. A planning level cost es mate for building a way to two‐way. This recommenda on was proposed as one new structured parking facility is $25,000 per space, and can poten al solu on for minimizing the current cut‐thru traffic. increase from there based on incorporated technologies and Commerce Street from Ellico Street to Union Street is architectural features for the garage. This cost does not approximately 36’ wide. This sec on of roadway currently account for the ongoing maintenance and opera on for the provides 31 parking spaces within the Historic Business facility. In addi on, with the current development pa erns, District. Commerce Street from Union Street to Washington there is no open space remaining to accommodate the size Street is approximately 24’ wide. This sec on of roadway needed for the structure, access, and other considera ons currently provides 11 parking spaces, for a total parking necessary for the implementa on of a parking garage as a town space count along Commerce Street of 42. ‐owned facility. Conver ng the exis ng one‐way street to a two‐way street Parking Space Width would result in returning Commerce Street to a similar Angled parking space widths were evaluated along Mill Street, configura on as in the early 2000’s with one lane in either specifically lots A6, A7, and A8, to understand the impact of direc on and limited parallel parking for the block of widening the exis ng stall space from 8.5’ to 9’. By restriping Commerce Street between Ellico Street to Union Street. these three areas evaluated, there would be a total loss of Angled parking would not be able to be provided along three spaces along Mill Street. In considera on of the length of Commerce Street, even at 30 degrees, based on the Mill Street, this would represent a 3% reduc on of parking constrained width. The angled parking requires at least 16’‐ spaces, which is not consistent with the goal to maintain at 8” from the curb, leaving less than 20’ remaining for both least 50% public parking spaces for the Historic Business travel lanes, which is not permissible for this roadway. This District. Properly restriping parking spaces to ensure the conversion would result in a parking loss of approximately 26 aesthe c for the area would require milling and overlay of the parking spaces which is not consistent with the goal to pavement as well as the actual restriping. With the proposed maintain at least 50% public parking spaces for the Historic improvement of reverse angled parking to promote safety and Business District. efficiency, this improvement is not recommended now. 17 One‐Way to Two‐Way Conversion: All Streets in Downtown Historic Business District JMT evaluated the impact on the number of parking spaces if all the one‐way streets in the Downton Historic Business District were converted to two‐way streets. The purposes of this evalua on was to understand an order of magnitude impact to public parking for each street conversion. The results of this evalua on is located in Figure 11. Figure 11: One‐Way to Two‐Way Street Conversion (All Streets) Spaces Remaining Street Name Width Exis ng Spaces A er One‐Way Difference Conversion* Mill St from Washington St to Ellico St 38’ 45 25 ‐20 Commerce St from Ellico St to Union St 38’ 31 14 ‐17 Commerce St from Union St to Washington St 31’ 11 3 ‐8 22’ Washington St from Commerce St to Mill St 40’ 21 15 ‐6 Union St from Mill St to Commerce St 36’ 22 10 ‐12 Ellico St from Mill St to Commerce St 25’ 7 0 ‐7 TOTAL SPACES 137 67 ‐70 *Assumes 11’ minimum lane width. 18  Richmond, Virginia Office 9201 Arboretum Parkway Suite 310 Richmond, VA 23236 P. (804) 323‐9900 jmt.com Offices strategically located throughout the United States 19