City Council

City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting/Workshop Wednesday, May 23, 2007 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2007 2:00 P.M. PRESENT : Valerie Keehn, Mayor Commissioner John Franck, Accounts Commissioner Ron Kim, DPS Commissioner Matthew McCabe, Finance Commissioner Thomas McTygue, DPW OTHERS PRESENT: Downtown Transportation Committee Members Lew Benton, Planning Board Geoff Bornemann, City Planner Andrew Brindisi, DBA Georges Jacquemart, Consultant Colin Klepetar Jeanette Kado Marino Debra Stacey, CDTC Tina Willard, SCOIL DOWNTOWN TRANSPORTATION PLAN DISCUSSION Lew Benton said that the previous Council sought funds from CDTC to initiate the Downtown Transportation Plan. He said this plan gives the City the opportunity to prepare a comprehensive plan that allows the development community to bring forth projects without requiring them to go through individual traffic analysis. He said normally each developer is required to perform an independent traffic impact analysis and then mitigation is negotiated. However, with this comprehensive plan, a generic EIS will be completed. This plan was funded through $40,000 from CDTC, $40,000 from the development community and $5,000 from in-kind services from the City. Once the funding was received, a committee was established. The final draft study has been endorsed by the committee and forwarded to the Council for review. Lew Benton said that from a planning perspective, the City needs to do something and this plan is a significant step. He said the City has been talking about parking and transportation for years and has done nothing about it. Since 2001 there have been five separate parking initiatives. The Mayor has taken the recommendations from those five plans and collapsed them into a parking proposal that overlays on the downtown transportation plan. If downtown development continues at the current rate, it could result in the need of between 2300 and 3000 additional parking spaces. At this time the zoning ordinance does not require developers to provide parking spaces in the downtown area, however, under this proposal, they will be required to provide their own off street parking, work with other developers to share their resources or contribute to the downtown parking fund which would be used for downtown parking. This plan benefits the City and the development community by speeding up the process, streamlining and reducing costs. Lew Benton said there were some proposals in this plan such as round abouts but they have been deleted. He asked that everyone not focus on the specific controversial improvements. He said this plan needs to move forward. He said the City needs to do something about the City Center parking. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that the City has done something about parking by constructing two parking structures with little pressure on the taxpayers. Those structures added more than 200 parking spaces. He also noted that there have been three proposals for parking here in the City and those proposals are still sitting around City Hall. He said that Lew Benton should not be saying that the City has done nothing about parking. Lew Benton said that is not what he said. 1 of 5 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting/Workshop Wednesday, May 23, 2007 Georges Jacquemart said if the City develops a list of improvements to be made in the downtown area, then the fair share mitigation contribution methodology needs to be established. In order to do that, the SEQR needs to be approved. The amounts and level of contributions need to be determined. This pot of money will allow the City to leverage it for other funding. All of the improvements will still require approval by the Council, subject to the funds being in place. This is a good plan. Saratoga Springs has tremendous potential for future mixed land uses. The downtown area will see more pedestrians and the new chip plant to be constructed in Malta will make Saratoga Springs more desirable. He suggested that Council members read the book “The High Cost of Free Parking”. Commissioner John Franck reviewed his concerns as follows: Channelization/signal improvements & flush medians: He did not support any plan that has less than four lanes of traffic along Broadway. He reminded everyone of the congestion along South Broadway. Neckdowns/bulbouts: He suggested countdown lights. Sidewalk improvements: $200,000 might be too low. Traffic signal: There might be too many lights proposed in some areas. Geoff Bornemann said that there is a pot of money for downtown improvements and the Parillo project contributed to that fund Bike Lane: He suggested that the bike lane be taken off of Broadway and go through Railroad Run, West Circular Street, South General Street, Williams Street, Hamilton Street, Congress Street to Congress Park and then to Putnam Street out to Excelsior Avenue. Park and Walk signs: The dollar amount seemed low Bus Shelter & Bus Stop Signs: He was okay with these recommendations Pedestrian Connections: John Franck asked if there would need to be some eminent domain procedures. Lew Benton said the Planning Board thought that opportunities would be made available when developers bring projects forward. Street Connections/upgrade South Broadway//Circular Street: John Franck asked about the dollar amount. Geoff Bornemann explained that the intersection at South Broadway and Circular Street will fail at some point. Parking Spaces: There was agreement that the City needed more parking spaces. John Franck said that with a couple of changes to this proposal, the total cost could be brought down by three or four million dollars. He said though that he was very concerned with reducing the lanes of traffic from four to two. He suggested that the Council work together to find consensus on this project. Jeannette Kado Marino said this downtown transportation plan is about alternative modes of transportation. They were not talking about recreational biking. This plan is geared towards pedestrians, bus routes, bike route, etc. Another consideration is the air emissions, noise and the desire to keep traffic moving. She said the existing four lanes are not functioning. Many cars are trying to turn left and then there are the double parked cars. This creates cars weaving in and out of lanes. At this time the traffic is creating the flow of traffic. John Franck said he was not saying that bikes are prohibited on Broadway, but from a risk standpoint there is a higher risk of riding bikes on Broadway than on a side street. Jeannette Kado Marino said the purpose of this plan is to create a safer environment for bike riders and to revitalize the area. John Franck said the City is already revitalized. He said he could not understand how reducing the lanes of traffic would improve the flow. Commissioner Ron Kim agreed looking at the individual items was a good idea with a couple of caveats. His department is responsible for traffic and pedestrian safety. He said the Council needs to listen to the experts. They have important information on statistical models, traffic studies and safety. He said he had no problem in moving this forward as long as the experts were included. It is important that the City plan for the future. He relayed a story about how drunk drivers used to be viewed in the public eye, however, that has changed and they are now seen as criminals. He said the perception that riding a bike along Broadway is a risk is the 2 of 5 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting/Workshop Wednesday, May 23, 2007 current perception, however, in 10 or 15 years that could change. There could be a time when riding bikes is a more predominant mode of transportation. He was in Philadelphia about a month ago and every street had a bike lane. The City needs to keep an open mind on this matter. The neck down and bulbouts might be a consideration because the seniors have a difficult time in getting across Broadway. It would make crossing the street easier and should be considered. He is supportive of this plan and the Council needs to keep an open mind. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there is opposition to this proposal. He suggested that the Council consider experimenting with some of these recommendations on a temporary basis. He said that with flush medians, the trucks will simply park in them to make their deliveries. The Council needs to have a public hearing on this matter to get their opinion. There are a lot of people who do not support this proposal. He again suggested that we experiment. The Council should buy one of the special pedestrian crossing lights. (Commissioner Thomas McTygue left at 3:00 p.m.) Commissioner John Franck said he did not want to see the four lanes of traffic reduced to two. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said the goal was to get a plan in place that would allow the City to collect funds for these improvements. Perhaps the City could do the first two options through local legislation – developers creating their own off street parking and sharing their resources – while the third option of creating a fund for money needs to have a plan in place. He said the City needs to find a way to implement some of these changes sooner rather than later. Once a plan is in place, it can be modified. There is a compromise and it needs to be found so that the City can collect funds. Georges Jacquemart said it is incorrect to say that the City has four functioning lanes at this time. Because of the left turns and the double parking, traffic continues to weave in and out along Broadway – so it is wrong to say that the traffic capacity would be diminished by 50 percent. There is on average one traffic accident every two weeks along Broadway. The proposal provides for a much safer environment and they estimate that accidents will decrease by 25 percent. Speeding would be reduced. Traffic capacity would be impacted minimally. The City wants the cars to move slower but that does not mean congestion. (Jeannette Kado Marino left: 3:05 p.m.) George Jacquemart said that bikes should be encouraged along Broadway. With the forecasted land use changes, there will be an emphasis on pedestrian and bikers. It will be a complimentary mode of transportation. There will still be conflicts, however, this plan will allow for safer conflicts. Commissioner John Frank agreed that experimentation should be done and suggested that cones be placed along Broadway to make it two lanes of traffic. It was noted that it is not as easy as simply placing cones along Broadway. There are signal considerations and turning lane considerations that need to be taken into account. Commissioner John Franck said there is a lot of traffic in this town and it will continue. He did not see any harm in riding and parking bikes one block offof Broadway. The City needs to discourage those who are using Broadway to use alternative routes. He said that many of these recommendations were meant for communities that did not have vibrant downtowns. Saratoga Springs has a vibrant downtown. He asked where some of these recommendations came from. Debra Stacy said some came from Albany and Schenectady – items such as parking management and meters. Andrew Brindisi said the mindset of residents needs to be changed. He noted that when parking in New York City, people walk eight blocks, however, in Saratoga Springs, people want to park on Broadway. He agreed that the controversial matters could be taken out, discussed and perhaps a smaller version of the plan brought back. He said though that we need to listen to the experts. Commissioner Ron Kim said the Council was not going to come to agreement on the controversial items, therefore, they should find the things that they could agree on. He said if the Council had a plan for the east side public safety facility with developers contributing to a fund, then that project could be funded. He said that was a good example of why this plan needs to be adopted. The Council cannot be irresponsible. Colin Klepetar arrived: 3:10 p.m. 3 of 5 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting/Workshop Wednesday, May 23, 2007 Tina Willard reminded everyone that this plan and its recommendations will not happen overnight. This is a plan for the future. Some of the things may come to fruition, while others may not. This plan also requires that it be reviewed every five years. This is a plan for the future and to tomorrow. Commissioner Matthew McCabe suggested that the proposal be scaled back to allow for compromise. He said the funding mechanism needed to be set in place. Once the plan is in place, the priorities could be sorted out later. He said that the truck matter has been discussed many, many times and it is unlikely that it will be resolved until the state, county and city can agree on the matter. Georges Jacquemart said the Council needs to adopt a generic EIS that establishes a funding mechanism. Commissioner John Franck said he did not want to throw this document away. There are a lot of good items in this document. Mayor Valerie Keehn said that it seemed as though the lane configuration and the flush medians were the most controversial. She said that each successive Council will be able to modify this plan. Flexibility is the key. The Planning Board needs to work with the developers. She said perhaps the plan could move forward while the Council continues to talk about the controversial issues. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked if slowing traffic down created more pollution. Georges Jacquemart said it is complicated, but what is detrimental to the environment is the delay at the traffic lights. Speed is not a factor. Commissioner Matthew McCabe asked if the Council could adopt portions of this plan and then figure out the formula later. He asked if developers would be required to contribute for new construction, rehabilitation or expansion. Geoff Bornemann said developers would be required to contribute if their project created new traffic. He said there needs to be a plan in place with the fees established. He said the formula needs to be identified. Commissioner Ron Kim asked if the budget had been inflated for future years. Geoff Bornemann said yes. Debra Stacy said that the Council needs to seriously considering adopting something now. If the Council does not do it now, it will miss the opportunity to gain funds from developers, which could ultimately make the share larger for developers down the road. Commissioner John Franck asked if there was a “fudge” factor with the text of the recommendations. Perhaps the list of recommendations could be more vague. Commissioner Ron Kim said that to his knowledge the City has not paid for traffic signals along Broadway. They have been installed through grants and developers mitigation fees. Mayor Valerie Keehn asked if the language could be written to be more flexible. Georges Jacquemart saidyes. He said broader terms could be used. Geoff Bornemann asked if the Council wanted to consider scaling back the plan. He said the City has been aggressive in seeking grants and has been successful. Commissioner Matthew McCabe asked if the inflation schedule will be built in. Geoff Bornemann said yes. He also said that the Council would adopt a fee schedule every three years. Commissioner John Franck asked if all developers would pay these fees. Geoff Bornemann said yes including not-for-profits. Each project that creates additional traffic would be required to pay the fee. Debra Stacy said the product, as produced by the consultant, cannot be changed regardless of what the Council chooses to do. The consultant will not go back and change his recommendations. She said this is the technical document but it was up to the Council to determine how it would react to the recommendations. Council members agreed that all of the recommendations within the proposal would need Council approval. There also needs to be approval by the Council to expend the funds under these recommendations. Mayor Valerie Keehn summed up the meeting by saying that there is the possibility of making the language more broad. It appears as though the two more controversial items could be made less controversial by modifying the language. Geoff Bornemann said he was surprised with the concern on the channelization because it is simply traffic signal improvements. It would tighten up the Congress Park intersection. There was no agreement that $8 million was a good figure. There was some discussion that number should be reduced. Geoff Bornemann said the proposal at this time is for the developers to pay 25 percent, the City pays 4 of 5 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting/Workshop Wednesday, May 23, 2007 25 percent and the remaining 50 percent comes from elsewhere. Georges Jacquemart said there could be some consideration to shifting the fees among those parties. He explained that for residential development there was a number that would then double for hotel development and quadruple for office/retail to max out at $1,900 per square foot. The developers on the committee did not think that number was unreasonable. Geoff Bornemann said the developers wanted credit for creating parking spaces and other traffic mitigation measures. Lew Benton said the integrity and the methodology of the study is what was important and not the details. This is a well thought out plan. He suggested that he and Geoff Bornemann craft a memo summarizing this discussion and get it out to Council members within the next few days. He said he wanted to make everyone fairly comfortable with the plan. He reminded everyone that grants are available through the TIP program, albeit it sometimes takes many years to get them. He said it took nearly 12 years for the West Avenue project to come to fruition. They would also address the $8 million number in the memo. (Commissioner Ron Kim left: 3:50 p.m.) Colin Klepetar said this plan is for alternative transportation. There is nothing in the plan that says that the bike lanes must be on Broadway. However, there needs to be consideration for bike lanes. It is an alternative mode of transportation. Many communities have bike lanes. It is dangerous to bike around the City without designated bike lanes. There needs to be funding included for alternative modes of transportation and the City needs to be proactive. Commissioner John Franck said his concern was for risk and safety. He then reviewed his thoughts for a bike route. He said though that there are two very different mindsets on whether bikes belong on Broadway or elsewhere. Mayor Valerie Keehn thanked everyone for attending today. She said it was a good meeting that helped the Council members to gain a better perspective on this matter. She said that there will be some forthcoming recommendations based on today’s conversations. The workshop adjourned at 4:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk Approved: 5 of 5