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MINUTES COMPLETE STREETS ADVISORY GROUP MEETING MARCH 19, 2014 MEMBERS/ATTENDEES Linda Barbeau City of Farmington Downtown Association & MRA Commission Judy Castleberry San Juan College Enterprise Center Larry Hathaway San Juan County & Alternate on MPO Technical Committee Lopez City of Farmington & MPO Technical Committee Gayla McCulloch City of Farmington Councilor & MPO Policy Committee Elizabeth McNally Animas Environmental Services Rev. Rebecca Morgan Namaste House Assisted Living Center Christa Romme Four Corners Economic Development Anngela Wakan Safe Routes to School Coordinator Joe Delmagori MPO Planner Duane Wakan MPO Associate Planner June Markle MPO Administrative Aide This meeting was held in the East Classroom Complex at San Juan College to be able to use their computer lab facilities. WELCOME Mr. Delmagori welcomed the members and thanked them for participating in today’s Complete Streets meeting. Mr. Delmagori said the meeting would focus on using the Street Mix software to continue the development of the Complete Streets design guidelines. FEBRUARY 19, 2014 MEETING Mr. Delmagori said that at the February meeting, there had been an overview presentation that explained that the Advisory Group would look at the Complete Streets design guidelines more conceptually. Those would then be turned over to the entities for them to address the specifics such as dimensions and rights-of-way. Complete Streets for the MPO is on a more regional level to ensure all four entities are being served. Mr. Delmagori stated that having spatial cross-sections developed by the Advisory Group would be the best way to present Complete Streets to the entities. Mr. Delmagori asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the February 19, 2014 meeting. Ms. Lopez moved to approve the minutes. Rev. Morgan seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. ---PAGE BREAK--- COMPLETE STREETS DESIGN GUIDELINES Mr. Wakan reviewed the four document themes for developing the design guidelines. They were: • Adoptable – the desire to have the document eventually adopted by all the local entities; • Resourceful – provide a usable resource to the entities, developers, and others; • Flexible – provide for multiple options for developers and entity staff; • Simple – develop principles and guidelines that are easy to navigate and understand. Mr. Wakan explained again how the choropleth spectrum diagrams could help determine possible outcomes in the development of the Complete Streets document and design guidelines. The spectrums ranged from very complex to very simple and from prescriptive to interpretive. This mix would provide outcomes on the adoption of Complete Streets that ranged from unfavorable to favorable. Mr. Wakan said that MPO Staff recommended that the design guidelines be kept more simple and interpretative. Mr. Wakan said that the North Main extension in the City of Aztec is looking at implementing some Complete Streets designs. He also commented on how communities are looking to implement green infrastructure where water from the road and sidewalks is diverted, filtered, and then reused on the green areas. Mr. Wakan showed how the guidelines developed by PennDOT, North Carolina DOT (NCDOT), and the cities of Charlotte and Johannesburg, South Africa differed. He noted that the PennDOT guidelines were very prescriptive while the NCDOT document was simple and interpretive and identified several zones along with some general ---PAGE BREAK--- dimensions and notes. The City of Johannesburg showed a simple plan diagram and perspective cross-section with simple dimensions. Mr. Wakan said that as the Advisory Group began to work on the cross-sections in Street Mix, to consider the road typologies and land use context areas that were already identified. Mr. Wakan also noted that incorporating flexibility into the Complete Streets document was important so that different options would eventually be developed for each cross-section. Mr. Wakan showed how a cross-section of a main street in a central business district might look with two different options. Mr. Wakan reviewed the matrix of road typologies and land use context areas for four entities as discussed in previous meetings. Each of the other entities has a mix of 32- 35 road typologies and context areas while the MPO mix is currently at 72 possible design guidelines. Mr. Wakan said that Staff recommended that the Advisory Group should consider scaling back and/or consolidating the number of road types and land use context areas in order to simplify the design guidelines and overall final document. He commented that starting with a large number of road types and land uses got the process started and ensured that all ideas were initially captured. Rev. Morgan asked how these other cities had gone about clustering their road types and land uses. She did not think the MPO area was so different from these other cities ---PAGE BREAK--- and thought there must be similarities to the road types and land uses identified by, say, Roanoke. Mr. Wakan said Staff was working on a comparison of MPO land uses and road type titles and definitions to those created by other cities. These will be presented at a future meeting so the Advisory Group can consider how they might “cross-pollinate” or incorporate ideas from these other cities. Mr. Wakan said there might be some local terminology that is preferred by the Advisory Group to that used by these other cities. Rev. Morgan asked if the Advisory Group was looking at information from cities that were of a similar size to the MPO area. Mr. Wakan said that ideally Complete Streets comparisons would be done regionally with other cities in the west, but the leading cities receiving national recognition for their Complete Streets efforts were in the east. Mr. Wakan said that generally the MPO would likely not be that different from other cities unless it chose to be. Rev. Morgan said that the MPO might set an example for Complete Streets for a community of this size. INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE – STREET MIX Mr. Delmagori showed some of the cross-section images that Advisory Group members had created during the February meeting. He stated that Staff had taken the cross- sections drawn on paper and re-created them in Street Mix. Mr. Delmagori explained to the group how to log into Street Mix. He encouraged the Advisory Group to put together any combination of road type and land use context areas and to create a cross-section. These ideas would then be loaded onto a flash drive so, that before the end of the meeting, the members could explain and comment on each of the ideas. Mr. Delmagori said it was hoped that some similarities would begin to be developed as the members worked on the cross-sections. Those would then become the preferred option for that particular combination of road type and context area. He noted that one example could actually apply to two or three different combinations. To assist the thought process, Mr. Delmagori showed some examples developed by Staff of a road type and how it transitions through the different land use context areas. He demonstrated how a Commercial Arterial in a rural area might have two lanes, and wide shoulders for bikes and pedestrians. As it transitioned into a Suburban Neighborhood the roadway widens to incorporate bike lanes, sidewalks, and buffer zones. Then as it moves into a Commercial Zone the roadway narrows again with a median or two-way left turn lane and with wider sidewalks and buffers. Mr. Wakan also showed some bicycle crash data for the MPO area. He noted that the map currently reflected two years of data (2010 and 2011), but that an application for funding under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) would accept five years of data. The additional data provided a much more accurate picture of the area concerns. Mr. Wakan said that HSIP applications will now be accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed by a committee every three months. The Advisory Group spent the next 30-40 minutes developing their cross-sections diagrams using Street Mix. ---PAGE BREAK--- GROUP DISCUSSION The Advisory Group reviewed each of the cross-section diagrams developed. The author discussed their thoughts and ideas as they designed the cross-section and any limitations with Street Mix and what they wanted to portray were noted. Created By: Christa Road Typology Community Arterial Land Use Context Area • One lane in each direction • Median would be raised and serve left turns • ROW would allow for bike lanes and wider sidewalks Mr. Wakan noted that having buffered bicycle lanes was a trending concept that addressed safety and space conflicts with motorists. It would also eliminate rage from motorists who have been known to throw debris at the bicycle community despite having dedicated bike lanes. It was noted that many motorists believe bicyclists intentionally move themselves closer to traffic despite having dedicated bike lanes. One reason might be the lack of “milling” where the curb/gutter meets the asphalt creating a dangerous lip for a bicyclist. This leads to a wider “shy” zone where bicyclists ride closer to the lanes of traffic for personal safety. Ms. Romme commented that the median would provide a safe zone for pedestrians trying to cross the roadway. ---PAGE BREAK--- Created By: Beth Road Typology Community Arterial Land Use Context Area City Commercial • One lane in each direction • Median would be raised and also would serve left turns • Buffered sidewalks • Combine bike lane and right-turn lane - allows for turning where needed Created By: Rebecca Road Typology Neighborhood Local Land Use Context Area Local or Suburban Neighborhood • Space that is shown next to the bus shelter would serve as a two-lane buffered path for golf carts and as a pull-in/pull-out for buses to reach the stop. • Bike lane was meant to be placed adjacent to the parking lane • Wide sidewalk on each side Rev. Morgan said this would be a development for an elder population. The residents would be using mostly golf carts, bicycles, and/or transit. She commented that villages in Florida often have more golf carts than cars. ---PAGE BREAK--- Created By: Cindy Road Typology Commercial Collector Land Use Context Area Central Business District/Downtown • Median (landscaped) would be raised and also would serve left turns • Protected bike lane in each direction • Buffers in each direction between bike lane and travel lanes Ms. Lopez commented that this diagram allowed for parking on both sides of the street with one lane of traffic in each direction. This example would also keep bicycles away from the travel lanes. She added that in a more local neighborhood setting, bicycles could share the roadway with vehicles because the traffic is moving slower. Mr. Delmagori noted that a trend was developing in that many of the diagrams depicted bike lanes that were buffered from the travel lanes and/or the sidewalks. Created By: Cindy Road Typology Commercial Collector Land Use Context Area City Commercial • Two travel lanes in each direction to provide capacity for higher volumes (20th St. or East Main St.) ---PAGE BREAK--- • Areas shown with grass would also include parking with landscaping buffer along the street • Median would be raised and also would serve left turns • Protected bike lane in each direction • Sidewalks would be typical 5’ or 6’ Mr. Delmagori commented that roads with two lanes of traffic in each direction are needed for regional mobility. He noted that the buffers are included to separate the modes of travel, but they were all still incorporated into the available right-of-way. Created By: Judy Road Typology Land Use Context Area Central Business District/Downtown • One travel lane in each direction • Two-way left turn lane present • Parklet space should would also include parallel parking • Bike lane in one direction and use of a sharrow in the other direction • Wide sidewalks Ms. Castleberry said that were a restaurant to move into this downtown district, it would likely select the side of the street that included that parklet. She also noted that there was parking behind the blue building on the left in the diagram above. Ms. Castleberry added that bike traffic downtown could move in one direction and then in the opposite direction on Broadway or Arrington. ---PAGE BREAK--- Created By: Anngela Road Typology Neighborhood Collector Land Use Context Area Traditional Neighborhood • One travel lane in each direction • Two-way left turn lane present • If ROW allows, have a buffered sidewalk • This was demonstrated as a retrofit example – restripe the street (e.g. Dustin from 20th to 30th ) to accommodate bike lanes in each direction Created By: Anngela and Councilor McCulloch Road Typology Commercial Collector Land Use Context Area City Commercial • One lane in each direction • Median would be raised and also would serve left turns • Buffered sidewalks • This was demonstrated as a retrofit example – buffered sidewalk with an expanded sidewalk to serve a bus stop/shelter (e.g. Farmington Ave. from 20th to 30th ) ---PAGE BREAK--- Created By: Anngela Road Typology Neighborhood Collector Land Use Context Area Suburban Neighborhood • One lane in each direction • Median would be raised and also would serve left turns • Buffered sidewalks Mrs. Wakan and Councilor McCulloch said they were thinking of Foothills with this diagram. Mr. Delmagori noted this was a hybrid of on-street and off-street multi-modal. Created By: Larry Road Typology Commercial Collector Land Use Context Area Central Business District/Downtown • Parklet space would also be used for parallel parking • Wide sidewalks • Bike lane was intended to be between parklet and travel lane • Road diet; slower traffic ---PAGE BREAK--- Created By: Christa Road Typology Commercial Collector Land Use Context Area Central Business District/Downtown • Parklet space would also be used for parallel parking • Wide sidewalks • Buffer bicycles from traffic • Similar to previous CBD/downtown idea Ms. Romme said this cross-section would allow a lot of room for pedestrians to interact with the downtown district. Mr. Delmagori said that this cross-section was similar to another downtown area depicted. Created By: Christa Road Typology Neighborhood Local Land Use Context Area Traditional Neighborhood • Road serves as shared space for cars and bikes; • Buffered sidewalks provided for safety & ADA compliance ---PAGE BREAK--- Mr. Delmagori explained that a “sharrow” symbol alerted drivers to the roadway being shared with bicycles. This is often used for narrow rights-of-way where a separate bike lane is not feasible as well as where low volumes and slower speeds occur. Mr. Wakan reported on two neighborhoods in Salt Lake City that were developed at the same time: one with narrow roads and shared easements for the driveways and the other neighborhood was built in a more suburban style with wider roads and private driveway access. Mr. Wakan later compared how these two neighborhoods had grown. Despite similar housing in each neighborhood, market values in the neighborhood with the narrow roadways were substantially higher than the neighboring suburban-style area. The discussion of the cross-section designs was completed. Mrs. Wakan stated that she was frustrated to see that Dustin Avenue had just been repainted and that no bike lanes were included although there seemed to be sufficient right-of-way for bike lanes. Mr. Delmagori said this would have been a good example for a retrofit that would have only required simple restriping. Ms. Barbeau asked how the Advisory Group could help the community transition and change their mindset to adopting Complete Streets designs rather than just moving forward with the same plans and repairs. She asked how the Advisory Group might get the conversations started with the entities without waiting for all the Complete Streets design guidelines to be developed. Mr. Delmagori suggested the Advisory Group begin to share the concepts with the MPO Technical and Policy Committees and with the cities’ planning and public works departments. He said that Staff could also convey these ideas to Steve Krest since his crews are the ones that do the striping for the City of Farmington. Ms. Barbeau said it was important to start moving in that direction even though everything is not yet spelled out. Ms. Lopez said all these types of changes would come under the direction of the new Public Works Director, David Sypher. She said the new sidewalk project on 20th Street was discussed with him and she recommended continued ongoing discussions so that each restriping or other project is considered with Complete Streets concepts in mind. Ms. Lopez said that if Mr. Sypher can be brought on board, he could begin to trickle down Complete Streets concepts to those in his department. Ms. McNally asked if the sidewalk on Farmington Avenue from 20th to 30th Streets was still being designed. Ms. Lopez thought this project had already been designed. Ms. McNally said that as a citizen she was frustrated because it seemed that public input and public meetings were being set aside. She did not remember any public meetings being held for this sidewalk design. She added that because there is no public input, projects get designed that do not necessarily reflect the values of the community. Ms. Lopez said that the Advisory Group and its work was part of the public process. She thought that having discussions with Mr. Sypher could encourage more public input be sought by the Public Works Department. Mr. Hathaway added that Mr. David Keck with San Juan County was a MPO Technical Committee member and aware of the Complete Streets work being done by the Advisory Group. He noted that, unfortunately, there were limited opportunities for public input at the county level. ---PAGE BREAK--- Ms. Lopez said she thought that getting buy-in from the public works departments would help get Complete Streets implemented and also help meet the need to seek public input since the Advisory Group is part of the public input process. She added that once the guidelines are in place and are being implemented, that would help meet the requirement for a public process. Mr. Delmagori commented that the public meetings recently held to discuss the Foothills project is what should always be done to involve a neighborhood in the decisions that will affect them. Ms. Lopez noted that the residents of a neighborhood live there and they know what might help solve their ongoing street issues. Councilor McCulloch stated that the public meetings also bring issues to the attention of City Council that they might not otherwise be aware of. Mr. Wakan said that in Spokane, WA and Salt Lake City, UT where he has lived previously they had neighborhood councils to provide input to the city on any street or development affecting their neighborhood. Approval at the neighborhood council level was first required before any issue was submitted to the city council for consideration. Mr. Wakan noted that this was a level of political democracy not found in this area. Ms. Lopez commented that Albuquerque does have neighborhood associations that function in much the same way. She thought that when repairs or street reconstruction occurs, the impacted neighborhood should be involved in the decision making process. CONCLUSION Mr. Delmagori said that Staff would take the Advisory Group comments to the Policy and Technical Committees which both meet later in the month. He encouraged any interested Advisory Group member to attend these meetings and stated the Committees appreciated hearing comments from others outside of staff. Mr. Delmagori said that Staff would send out some information and instructions on an FTP site that the MPO established. This will more easily allow for the sharing of files and information among the Advisory Group. Councilor McCulloch stated that Complete Streets designs and concepts needed to be encouraged and pushed at the state level. The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, April 16 at 10:00 a.m. at the MPO Office. Mr. Delmagori reported that the Advisory Group meeting for May will be held on Monday, May 12 at 10:00 a.m. at the MPO Office. Mr. Dan Burden with the Walkable & Livable Communities Institute (WALC) will be here to lead the meeting and offer his assessment on the progress of the design guidelines. Mr. Delmagori said that an invitation would be sent out to all the Advisory Group members and encouraged their attendance and participation for this exciting presentation. He noted that the April meeting would be the last meeting to get items ready for Mr. Burden’s review and feedback. Mr. Delmagori announced to the group that he had resigned from the City of Farmington to accept a senior transportation planner position with the MPO in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His last day with the MPO will be April 10. The Advisory Group thanked Mr. Delmagori for his work with the group and the Complete Streets effort. The meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m.