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2012-02-07CITY OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES BOARD OR COMMISSION: Parking and Traffic Commission SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: February 7, 2012 LOCATION: City Hall Conference Room B, Third Floor MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Rich Benevento, Bill Bent, Tina Cassidy, Vice - Chairman Russ Rollins, Rich Hutchinson, Bill Fiore, John Somes MEMBERS ABSENT: OTHERS PRESENT: Councilors Scott Houseman and Brett Schetzsle, DPS Commissioner Mike Collins RECORDER: Tina Cassidy Benevento calls the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. and suggests taking agenda items out of order to accommodate late arrivals /early departures. 1. Discussion: Citizen's request to amend winter parking regulations by permitting parking on one side of certain streets during emergencies, and suspension of meter enforcement in municipal lots during snow emergencies / Ward 4 Councilor Scott Houseman Collins and Commission members discuss the reasons for the current policy and the difficulties that would arise if parking were allowed on one side of certain streets. The issues include the need for multiple days to clear roads of snow after a storm, and an additional 10' or so of snow removal for driveway owners on the sides of the roads where parking is permitted. Collins mentions that the City does allow parking on certain streets during snow emergencies. Houseman states that he provided the constituent with this information and he (the constituent) was very pleased - the streets on the list provide parking solutions for many who need them. Houseman asks if Colon Street could be added to the list, but both Collins and Rollins state they could not support that because the road is not really wide enough to accommodate it. With respect to parking lot enforcement, Rollins explains that enforcement does not occur while a storm is on- going, but at some point enforcement must resume in order to remove snow and return the lot to its intended use - parking for customers and employees of downtown establishments. 2. Discussion /recommendation to Planning Board: Site Plan Review #106 -12 and special permit request #130 -12: Razing of existing commercial building (Enterprise Rental location) and construction of new 45 unit apartment building and small commercial unit at 79 Rantoul Street / Rantoul Enterprise Realty Trust (aka Windover) Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 1 of 7 Next on the agenda is discussion and recommendation to the Planning Board on redevelopment of the current Enterprise Rental site. Attorney Miranda Gooding, Charlie Wear from Meridian Engineering and Lee Dellicker from Windover are present to explain the plans. Dellicker outlines the project. The existing building and uses will be eliminated and a new building constructed on the site which will contain 45 rental housing units on upper stories, and parking and one small commercial unit on the first floor. There will be a mix of eighteen 1- bedroom units with a den, nine 1- bedroom units and eighteen 2- bedroom units. A total of 47 parking spaces will be provided on site, which meets the requirements of the zoning ordinance. Benevento asks if members of the Commission have any questions. Members ask general questions about the proposal, including expected travel circulation, the layout of the interior parking area, and trash removal services. Fiore notes that trash receptacles are located inside the garage and asks how the developers expect it to be serviced. Dellicker says that the refuse carts will be wheeled from the interior space out of the building to the refuse truck. Fiore recommends that a condition be imposed that requires trash removal servicing to take place on /from Edwards Street, not from Fayette Street. Fayette is so narrow that if the trash truck stopped on the road to wait for the carts it would block roadway access entirely. There is no similar concern with Edwards Street. Dellicker indicates his willingness and ability to accept this condition. Members ask how customers of the retail establishment will access the interior parking spaces set aside for the commercial use. Dellicker and Gooding explain that the two parking spaces set aside for the commercial use will actually be used by the employees of the commercial establishment and not by its customers. Customers will be expected to park on the street if they have a car. Benevento asks if any members of the public would like to ask questions. Rosemary Maglio of Pleasant Street asks no questions but raises objections to the rezoning process conducted by the City Council in 2011 that changed several zoning provisions that affect this project. She states that the Parking and Traffic Commission was not asked to comment on the zoning changes and thinks they should have been. She also states her opinion that 47 spaces will not be enough to meet the actual demand. Audience member Jayne Pope of Beverly is concerned about the actual parking demand versus the number of spaces provided. She is worried that there will be a need for more parking than is going to be provided. Benevento explains the Commission's role and limitations when reviewing site plans, stating that if the Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 2 of 7 plans meet the parking requirements of the zoning ordinance, the issue of parking adequacy is not an issue the Commission can debate. The Commission does review projects as they are proposed and offers recommendations on changes that will improve the proposal from a safety or land use perspective. Bent states that it is unlikely 45 additional residences will create a major traffic problem during peak hours. He asks if the engineer has identified any sight distance issues on Rantoul Street with this project. Wear says no, there is between 250' and 500' of sight distance depending on which direction you are traveling. Members discuss the site plan generally and suggest that one recommendation would be to add pedestrian warning signalization on the building, to warn pedestrians of traffic exiting the under - building parking area. Dellicker states that they installed a similar device on Windover's Depot Crossing project and would readily accept such a condition here. Maglio asks where visitors to this project will park since there will only be 47 parking spaces provided. She questions whether the exit driveway onto Edwards Street is too close to the Rantoul Street intersection. Dellicker and Wear state that the requirement is to stay at least 20' from the corner and the plans show a distance of 30'. Dellicker also states that the parking spaces will not be assigned to specific tenants. Benevento asks if there are any other comments. There are none. Bent: motion to recommend to the Planning Board that approval of this project be conditioned on (a) the installation of a pedestrian warning sign on the Edwards Street building facade and (b) trash removal services being conducted only from Edwards Street, motion seconded by Cassidy. Hutchinson asks if an additional condition can be imposed, to require a stop sign to be erected at the driveway exit to remind exiting motorists to stop before proceeding across the public sidewalk. Members concur with and support this additional condition. Vote on the motion is unanimous and passes 7 -0. 3. Discussion and update: possible designation of truck exclusion route for Cole Street Rollins and Bent update the Board, stating that they conducted a site visit to the area and gathered some baseline information as to roadway widths, right of way features, etc. The next step in the process would be to perform actual traffic volume counts that include vehicle classification. Bent suggests that the counts be conducted for a 72 hour period, from a Monday to a Friday afternoon. This Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 3of7 information, along with a request and summary of roadway characteristics, would then be submitted to the State for review and consideration. Bent provides Cassidy with a similar request from another community as a template and will forward the field information he gathered to her so that the City's engineering department can review and confirm that information. Members ask if the City can provide members with reflective safety vests for use on site visits. Cassidy says she will investigate. 4. Discussion and update: Council Order #4: Conduct of traffic and parking study in the vicinity of the proposed commuter rail parking garage / Ward 2 Councilor Wes Slate Cassidy updates members, stating that she spoke with the garage's project manager and they are very willing to meet with the Commission and the City to discuss parking and traffic - related issues associated with the garage's construction. Topics for discussion at this meeting would include the garage as well as the proposed Route 1A /Rantoul Street reconstruction project that the City is currently designing. Cassidy asks the members who are interested in participating in this meeting to provide her with their schedules for the next few weeks. She will work after the meeting to finalize a date and time for the T /City meeting and will update members via email. Benevento says that the Commission will table further discussion on this Order until the next Commission meeting. S. Discussion: City Council Order #22: Parking and Traffic Commission study and recommendations on options to mitigate speed on Sunnyvale Street from Desmond Road / Ward 6 Councilor Brett Schetzsle Schetzsle explains that he received a complaint from a constituent on Sunnyvale Street about the speed of cars rounding the corner from Desmond Road, and is asking the Commission for its advice on possible solutions. Rollins states that this type of matter is often effectively addressed by his discussing the problem directly with the individuals involved. While involvement by the Parking and Traffic Commission is sometimes warranted or required, this issue may be solvable without direct Commission involvement. He agrees to review the matter with Schetzsle and to report back at the March meeting. Bent: motion to table this matter to the Commission's March meeting, seconded by Cassidy. All members in favor, motion carries 7 -0. Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 4of7 6. Discussion: City Council Order #12: Constituent traffic issues associated with uses at 726 -746 Hale Street / Councilor Brett Schetzsle Schetzsle and Jayne Pope, the constituent who contacted him, briefly outline the issues at hand. Pope says the conversion of a former dry cleaners into a convenience store last year has led to trucks blocking access to Pickett Street and the Pope's driveway, trucks parking on public sidewalks, parking within 20' of a curb, parking for hours in on- street spaces limited to 30 minutes, and delivery and customer vehicles parking on the street and creating safety issues. Members of the Commission discuss the matter briefly and ask Cassidy to send them a copy of the Order. They discuss conducting a site visit to the area but Pope says that there is no issue at this time of year. She states instead that the difficult times are during the summer and early fall. As a result of that, members agree to visit the site at their convenience over the next few months, and to formally table this matter to the Commission's June meeting, at which time a group site visit may be scheduled. 7. New or Other Business a. Proposed Walgreen's at the corner of Conant and Dodge Streets Councilor Martin is present but Cassidy explains that review of this proposed site plan has been tabled to the March meeting at the applicant's request. The applicants are pursuing the possibility of salvaging the building and needed time to consider /amend the plan to see if it can be done. Benevento states that he thinks classification /modification is needed. There are known conflict points and the internal site circulation should be analyzed in the "composite ", rather than as two separate parcels. He notes the long queues that exist on Dodge and Conant Streets at certain times now, and the possibility those queues will block the proposed driveway as well as the Route 128 on and off ramps. He also expresses his belief that the main driveway onto Dodge Street must be re- examined. Bent state that it appears the submitted traffic analysis may have failed to include one of the existing access drives from the site, and will raise that question next month. Cassidy states that she expects to receive revised site plans from the applicant prior to the Planning Board's February meeting and promises to send the revised plans to members once they're received. b. Update on status of roadway signage in the Chapman's Corner subdivision (follow up to December 2011 Order #194 regarding installation of stop sign at intersection of Birch Woods Drive and Spruce Runl Cassidy updates members, reminding them that since the last meeting the Assistant Planning Director contacted the developer and his engineer to Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 5 of 7 request that the signs be installed as required by the Planning Board's Subdivision Rules and Regulations. The developer's engineer met with planning and engineering staff to explain the current situation and issues. They were in fact using vehicles and construction materials to block off access to the unbuilt portion of the subdivision and now understand why that practice needs to stop. Rollins mentions that someone on a bike hit the obstructions left in the road and wants to avoid future problems. As a result, the developer agreed to install the signs immediately and Cassidy will update the Commission again at its March meeting. C. Schedule of upcoming meetings Members discuss the date of the next Commission meeting, given that March 6th is the date of preliminary elections in Beverly. Benevento reminds members that he will be addressing the City Council at its March 5th meeting and suggests the members consider holding the March monthly meeting that evening. Members concur and agree to schedule the next meeting for March 5, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. Benevento suggests that perhaps the May and October meetings could be evening meetings too. d. Election of chairman and vice - chairman Next on the agenda is election of chairman and vice chairman. Benevento asks if there are any nominations for the position of chairman. Cassidy: motion to nominate Rich Benevento as chairman of the Parking and Traffic Commission, seconded by Hutchinson. Benevento asks if there are any other nominations for chairman. There are none so nominations are closed. Benevento asks if there are any nominations for the position of vice - chairman. Bent: motion to nominate Russ Rollins as vice - chairman, seconded by Hutchinson. Benevento asks if there are any other nominations for vice - chairman. There are none so nominations are closed. Hutchinson: motion to approve the nominations of Richard Benevento and Russ Rollins as chairman and vice - chairman of the Parking and Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 6 of 7 Traffic Commission respectively, seconded by Bent. All members in favor, motion carries 7 -0. e. Intersection of Cabot and Balch Street / no right on red Hutchinson raises the issue of the existing "No Turn on Red" at the intersection of Balch and Cabot Streets. Cassidy states that this issue has been brought to the Commission in the past for discussion and although she cannot recall the exact details, knows the outcome was that the sign stayed in place. Hutchinson recalls that but would like the Commission to revisit the issue again. Cassidy states that she will forward minutes of previous Commission discussions to the members before the next meeting and put it on the upcoming agenda. 11. Approval of Minutes: January 10, 2012 meeting Benevento asks if there are any suggested edits to the draft minutes for the January meeting. Benevento asks that subparagraph e. under agenda item #3 be reworded to say: "Long queues on Dodge Street and inadequate gaps exiting off Route 128 southbound are of concern." There are no other amendments suggested. Hutchinson: motion to approve the minutes as amended, seconded by Fiore. All members in favor, motion carries 7 -0. Benevento asks if there is any other business for the Commission to discuss today. There is none. Hutchinson: motion to adjourn, seconded by Somes. All members in favor, notion carries 7 -0. The meeting is adjourned at 11:10 a.m. Final Parking and Traffic Commission minutes February 7, 2012 meeting Page 7 of 7