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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-02-14 TAC MINUTES• • • City of Englewood, Colorado ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes of February 14, 2002 The regular meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order at 6:30 p.m. in the City of Englewood Commu nity Room by Director of Public Works, Ken Ross. Members Present: David Anderson Joe Christie Gary Dounay Betty Goosman Barbara Hodge Cinda Losee (Alternate Member) A quorum was present. Members Absent: None Also Present: Ken Ross, Director of Public Works Ladd Vostry, Traffic Engineer Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary John Voboril , Planner I, Community Development Dave Woolfall, Carter and Burgess Bill Fox, Transplan Associates, working with Carter and Burgess See attached sign-in sheet Director Ross welcomed everyone to the first regular meeting of the Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee, more commonly referred to as ETAC. Director Ross then reviewed the proposed meeting agenda. The Committee con cu rred. Director Ross introduced himself, explaining that he is acting as temporary Chair this evening until a chairperson is selected by the Committee in the near future. Introductions of meeting attendees were made. Director Ross asked if there were any additions or corrections to the Outcome Agenda of the Introductory meeting of February 4, 2002. There being none, a motion was made and seconded to approve the Outcome Agenda as presented. The motion passed. The Committee briefly discussed some organizational matters. Director Ross stated that he will refer to the City Attorney's office for some guidelines regarding the cans and can'ts pertaining to orders of discussion and other functions of the Committee, etc. It was noted that the Committee was created by City Council to act as an advisory body, and to conduct meetings open to the public. Director Ross introduced representatives from Carter and Burgess, Dave Woolfall and Bill Fox. Mr. Woolfall distributed copies of the dra ft 2001 Englewood Transportation Plan. Mr. Woolfall encouraged Committee members with any comments and questions regarding the Plan to forward them to him directly or through Director Ross so that they can be discussed at the March ETAC meeting . Mr. Woolfall summarized public informational meetings that were held in 2001 at elementary schools and other locations in six neighborhoods to gather initial input from the citizens. There were also three public meetings held at the Englewood Civic Center . Additionally, other meetings were held with emergency services and business groups. Presentations have been made to City Council to keep them updated on the • outcome and initial results of the public meetings. Using a slide presentation, Mr. Woolfall discussed the draft Transportation Plan in detail, and specifically asked for input from the Committee regarding Section 5, Recommended Transportation Plan. Mr. Woolfall noted that when this process began approximately one year ago, it appeared that there would be heavy emphasis on traffic calming options, however, comments from the various meetings seem to indicate that other approaches may be more appropriate. Committee's input was solicited pertaining to traffic calming material that should be included in the Recommendations Plan or perhaps only saved in an appendi x . The publ ic opinion survey that was conducted in 2000 indicated that the Plan should address collector streets alternatives, and include the goals of the City's Comprehensive Plan process. Planner I Voboril stated that the Transportation section of the Comprehensive Plan contains goals and objectives that were derived from comments and issues that came out of the neighborhood meetings held in 2001. Some of the issues from those meetings, i.e., keeping transportation flowing on the main arterials and off of the collector streets, traffic calming, etc., were used along with issues from the Comprehensive Plan , such as ne ighborhood pedestrian and bicycle paths , to develop the goals and objectives for the Transportation sect ion of the Comprehens iv e Plan. Director Ross inquired about certain aspects of the Comprehensive Plan 's Transportation section as they may relate to the draft Transportation Plan. Mr. Voboril responded that the Comprehensive Plan is not a legal document, but is merely a policy guide to assist in City Council's decision making process. He invited Committee members to contact him with any comments they may have regarding the goals and objectives pertaining to the Comprehensive Plan Transportation section. Committee Member Dounay inquired about the defin ition of a transportation system. Mr. Voboril responded that a transportation system encompasses all the elements of transportation, including automobile, bus, light rail , pedestrian, bicycle, and freight. At Alternate Member Losee's inquiry, there was brief discussion regarding the current City ordinance pertaining to noise. Director Ross advised that the ordinance outlaws certain noise decibels generated at certain hours of the day by certain types of users, but it does not address noise generated by traffic. Mr. Ross stated that a noise abatement mitigation policy has been created which allows citizens, when the required criteria is met, to apply for City participation in constructing a sound wall in their neighborhood. Mr. Woolfall asserted that the travel demand increase over the next 20 years will be accommodated through handling more travel, longer rush hours, longer peak periods, more use of light rail and bus transit and more use of the collector roadways. The dilemma is how to best balance and direct the growth in travel to the most feasible source, which, he added, is probably the light rail transit system. The Transportation Action Plan, which will develop out of the Englewood Transportation Plan, will list specific projects that might be achieved by the City in the near term and be pursued in the long term. Near term, the 5-10 year range, needs could address the collector roadways , possibly using traffic calming as a viable alternative, especially around the schools, to address future travel impacts. Long term, 20+ years, alternatives focus on transit and multi-modal improvements to achieve the least impact for residents . 2 • Mr. Woolfall noted that City Council is taking the direction of determining whether or not traffic calming • is, in fact, the appropriate and most cost effective course of action to take on the collector roadways. • • Mr. Woolfall indicated that once the Committee's concerns are addressed, a public display at Civic Center of the summary elements of the proposed Englewood Transportation Plan will be made available for people to peruse, perhaps followed by an evening session to allow for questions and answers. The City Planning and Zoning Commission will then review the document, and ETAC will have a final review prior to presentation to, and adoption by, City Council. At Director Ross' inquiry, the Committee concurred with this schedule. Updating the Committee on Traffic Engineering issues, Director Ross explained that the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is the organization that oversees the planning and spending of federal monies in the Denver metro area for transportation improvements. Every two years, DRCOG has a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which offers the opportunity for the near fifty agencies in the DRCOG region to submit applications for federal assistance with their upcoming transportation needs. Mr. Ross explained that Public Works staff made a presentation to City Counc il for approval of improvement programs needed in Englewood. As a result, City Council approved the resubmittal of applications for •construction of sidewalk on the west side of University Blvd. from S.H. 285 to the north city limit line, and for •sidewalk construction on the north side of Belleview Avenue from Federal to Lowell. Mr. Ross explained that these two sidewalk projects have been previously approved by DRCOG, however, the monies will not be allocated to the City until 2004, and, as this is a new TIP cycle, resubmittal of the applications is required. City Council also approved submitting a •joint application with the City of Littleton and the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District for construction of the Big Dry Creek Trail west of Broadway to, and just beyond, Lehow Avenue. If approved by DRCOG, Englewood's match for the trail construction would be $50,000. Additionally, City Council authorized application for •sidewalk construction on the north side of S.H. 285 from Clarkson Street east to Old Hampden Avenue. Mr. Ross noted that 400 feet of this stretch (the section from Lafayette to Old Hampden) is in Cherry Hills Village, for which he will be making a presentation to the ir City Council offering them the opportunity to jointly apply with Englewood for DRCOG assistance. He noted that if Cherry Hills declines, Englewood will apply only for the section from Clarkson Street to Lafayette Street. Mr. Ross stated that •application will also be made, for the third time, for assistance with the South Broadway Streetscape Project (Chenango to Tufts), although DRCOG does not hold the same urgency for landscaping projects as for capacity improvements, pedestrian connections, safety improvements, etc. There was some brief discussion pertaining to the intent of Broadway landscape improvements. Director Ross indicated that, at this time, TIP project funding applications will not be submitted for the Santa Fe Drive Landscaping, the Englewood Parkway Reconstruction, and the Little Dry Creek Trail, but could be considered for future TIP cycles. Alternate Member Losee inquired about inflation costs of TIP projects that are not realized for a period of years following application. Director Ross stated that in these instances, he will need to apply to City 3 Council for approval of additional funding to account for inflation costs. Mr. Ross noted that additional funds will be sought to cover installation of street lighting that was not originally included in the application for • sidewalk installation along University Blvd. Traffic Engineer Vostry further explained that when applications are resubmitted, the dollar amount of the application cannot be altered, otherwise the TIP funding will be lost and you will be competing again with the other agencies. Director Ross reported that a group of citizens has ex pressed interest for installing all-way stops at intersections around school facilities to increase the safety for children going to and from school. Mr. Ross explained that, recently , the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) has been revised to relax the sect ion pertaining to all-way stops in school zones. Because of the revised standard, City Counc il has directed staff to make all-way stops available adjacent to Englewood Schools. Mr. Ross, along with Traffic Engineer Vostry, then presented this opportunity to the School Safety Committee at their December meeting, requesting they bring their requests to the February School Safety Committee meeting for consideration. It is staff's intent to install the all-way stops where crosswalks currently ex ist. Mr. Ross expressed concern that, historically, drivers don 't strictly adhere to ne ighborhood stop signs, and in those cases, serious accidents cou ld result. Diminished parking spaces in these areas was also discussed. Director Ross updated Comm ittee Members on plans for traffic signal improvements at Chenango and Broadway and at Kenyon and Broadway which will better accommodate middle school students who must cross the main arterial going to and from school. Traffic Engineer Vostry explained that not all students actually use t he pedestrian w alk option to facilitate the ir walk across Broadway. He stated that the new signal equipment will include a "countdown" indication show ing the number of seconds remaining before the opposing traffic light turns green. The cost of this "countdown" feature runs approxi mately $4,000 for each intersection. There was brie f d iscuss ion regarding includin g beeper or ch irping indicators along with the walk indicators. Mr. Vostry noted that the Blind Federation has emphasized the importance of the ability to negotiate the ir crossing maneuvers by adhering to traffic noises rather than walk indicator sounds. Committee Member Dounay inquired about the length of time allowed for crossing at the Broadway and Kenyon /Chenango intersect ions . He stated that he has ob served students who proceed across Broadway without pushing the button or waiting for the walk indication. Discussion ensued regarding traffic flow on Broadway, timing of walk signals, and traffic build-up. Referr ing to traffic accident data, Traffic Engineer Vostry observed that in the last three years, there has been only one pedestrian accident at these two intersections. Mr. Vostry emphasized that a longer than standard crossing time on Broadway has been implemented for pedestrians at these two locations. Director Ross noted, too, that Englewood has a history of working cooperatively with DRCOG to maintain a consistent traffic progression from Denver, through Englewood and Littleton . At Council Member Grazulis' prompting, Director Ross commented that the Alive at 25 Program on residential streets is included in the draft Transportation Plan. He stated that the general consensus at the • public meetings was that 30 miles per hour is too fast on residential streets . As a result of these comments, • the speed lim it will be lowered to 25 mph on residential streets. 4 Director Ross informed the Committee that he will be addressing City Council regarding a petition from • residents living in the northwest portion of Englewood to vacate the alley between Tejon Street and Raritan Street and Iliff Avenue on the south and Baltic Avenue on the north. Mr. Ross noted that staff's recommendation will be neutral, however, because of the layout of the alley, it has been very difficult to maintain, and residents are displeased with the constant build-up of trash and icy conditions in winter. One property owner, with a garage facing the alley, objects to the vacation. Mr. Ross noted that, initially, this alley had been dedicated but never used nor maintained as an alley until about four years ago when it was opened up by the City at the request of the property owner whose garage faces the alley. When the alley was opened, it was graded about 7 feet farther to the north than the actual dedicated right-of-way, so, if approval is given to vacate the alley, steps will be taken to determine the actual right-of-way to facilitate determining property lines. Director Ross reported that the Kent Village Homeowners Assoc iation has applied for, and met the criteria set forth by the City, for construction of a sound wall to curb the no ise along S.H. 285 adjacent to their property . City Council approved $75,000 in the 2002 budget to assist with this construction; Kent Village will pay the remainder of construction costs. It is estimated that the sound wall selected by Kent Village will cost $162.00 per lineal foot, or an estimated total of $162,000. Construction is expected to beg in in the next fe w months. Director Ross reported that, at staff's recommendation, City Council authorized installation of left turn • signals from Broadway to eastbound and westbound Oxford Avenue. Traffic Engineer Vostry stated that the entire signal will be reconstructed, including mast arms, wiring, conduits, larger signal heads. Replacement will take place in late summer or early fall, at a cost of $150,000 . • Traffic Engineer Vostry discussed plans that are being made for a Broadway Entry Port into Englewood. Mr. Vostry explained that the Traffic Division was asked by Community Development to be involved with the design of this feature because of the proposed location for installation. With the aid of diagrams, Mr. Vostry pinpointed the proposed location to be on the median on Broadway at Yale Avenue as you enter Englewood sout hbound . Discussion ensued regarding the height, material, concept, other options, etc. of the proposed feature. Director Ross suggested inviting Planning Analyst Dannemiller, along with the architect, to attend a future ETAC meeting to discuss the proposed structure. The Comm ittee concurred. Under Committee Members' Choice, Committee Member Anderson said it would be helpful to him, as he is becoming acquainted with other members of the Committee and the role of the Committee, for staff to prov ide a roster of Committee members, as well as a street map of the City of Englewood, and a list of the Englewood sidewalk missing links . Discussion ensued regarding the Committee's preparation for discussion of issues and conducting meetings with public input, etc. Director Ross explained that, typically, citizen concerns will come through staff, who will then attempt to address their needs; however, there may be instances when the topic will need to be addressed by the Committee should the citizen disagree with staff's recommendation or determination. Committee will then make a recommendation to City Council. Comm ittee Member Hodge inquired about the possibility of an article from the Committee being placed in the Englewood Herald as a tool for informing the public of the Committee and its role as an advisory body 5 to City Council. Director Ross stated he will compose a letter and suggested it be run in the Englewood Citizen. Committee Member Dounay reiterated his concern for reasonable pedestrian crossing timing at intersections along Broadway. Committee Member Hodge suggested that perhaps the Committee seating arrangement could be altered to allow better hearing and visibility among Committee members. A pentagon shape was suggested. Director Ross reiterated that the next regular meeting of Englewood Transportation Advisory Committee will be held on Thursday, March 14, 2002, meeting first at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Works Conference Room on the 3'd floor for brief discussion and a light dinner, and then adjourning to the Community Room for the regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Ross stated that Carter and Burgess will again be attending the regular meeting for follow up discussion on the Transportation Plan, and Committee members will make recommendations to approve or amend the Plan. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Linda Wilks, Recording Secretary 6 • • • City of Eng lewood Page l ENGLEWOOD TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE VISITOR SIGN-UP SHEET Meeting of 02/14/2002 NAME ADDRESS PHONE ~<. l ,, L(~ \ ... ;\.. \.L tA V'vL1 11 Cu\S. • •