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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-30-1995 TRAFFIC COMMISSION MINUTES TRANSPORTATION WORKSHOP January 30, 1995 7:00 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers Council Present: Rita Earl, Jack Raymond, Elaine Carpenter, Garret Nancolas, Chuck Houchins, Jerry Langan, and Mayor Richard Winder. Planning and Zoning Commission Present: Rick Wells, Terry McConnell, Dorothy Davidson, and Sonia Huyck. Staff Present: Dennis Crooks, Gordon Law, Bruce Allcott, Doug Law, Gary Maybon and Jim Reames. The meeting was called to order by the Mayor at 7:05 p.m. He thanked the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Council for being there. He stated that transportation in Caldwell is becoming more complex and there are issues that must be solved quickly, efficiently and with the least amount of funds as possible. Dennis Crooks stated that the need for this workshop originated from the Planning and Zoning Commission as they have seen many projects and requests before them that have brought to the surface a number of transportation problems. The Commission felt that they needed more policy direction and long term goals of the City when hearing an item that would impact a neighborhood with additional traffic. Dennis further stated that Caldwell could be on the threshold of explosive growth and that many have recognized and are frustrated about the inadequacy of the present transpartation system. � Rita Earl stated that this workshop is an opportunity to brainstorm ideas to solve some of the current transportation problems. She further stated that there will probably be several workshops to narrow the plan for the future. Dennis stated that he felt many have expressed a need to review how to plan, finance and construct roadway improvements. The growth in Caldwell is increasing and major business prospects may cause that growth to increase at a quicker rate and the need to evaluate transportation issues is immediate. He stated that currently there are a variety of tools used in transportation planning which include the Comprehensive Plan Transpiration Component which was extensively updated approximately two years ago with reclassification of the street system and identification some of the community needs. The Capital Improvement Program is another tool used for small street improvement projects along with annual requests to the State for larger projects. Gordon Law stated the Urban Development Fund contributes approximately $160,000 annually for projects within the City providing a match of those funds. Gordon stated that there are two components to any transportation project. 1. How you pay for it; and 2. Ownership of the right-of-way. Other sources of funding include: dedicated street levy, sales t� from the State, gas tax, road and bridge ta�ces, the City's street department budget, State Transportation Department funds, and Federal Highway funds. The City has very little control over any of these funds. Dennis stated that the Planning Commission feels that they do not have a clear vision of the future of some streets and roadways as they are making decisions on projects that come before them. The Comprehensive Plan map identifies a particular classification of a street but that classification is broad and the Commission does not have a clear picture of what the City is planning for a particular street improvement in the future. The Commission needs to have a concrete plan for a specific street so they an make a decision about a project with the most information available. Garret stated that he feels street improvements need to be viewed as not just cosmetic and making the intersection more pleasing to the eye but upgraded to the point of making the traffic flow better. When you improve an area without solving the traffic flow problem, it only creates more problems. Dennis stated that once a need is identified, a concept plan must then be developed to solve that need and then work together to implement that plan. Rick Wells stated that he feels the Commission/City is acting only upon those items that are presented before them, not an overall long term picture of the community. The Commission is asking for more direction from the Council as to long term planning. Dennis outlined four basic steps in transportation planning. L Identify the need - The Comprehensive Plan Transportation Component, classifies the streets and roadways, lists the objectives of the entire community and specific roads and streets. 2. Transform those needs into a clear vision and provide a concept or preliminary design so that all are headed in the same direction for an area or project. 3. Final design and secure funding. 4. Implementation or construction Dennis stated that he feels the "clear vision" step is what is lacking in the process at this time. Even though some areas or streets are planned for improvements, each department or individual has a different view of the final project results. An example would be Marble Front Road. This particular street is on the Capital Improvement project list but every group or individual may have a different vision of exactly what improvements will be made and what the street will look like when the improveinents are complete. Therefore it makes it very difficult for the Planning Commission to act on issues before them in that surrounding area. Dennis stated that he has done some research with the regional Transportation and State Transportation agencies and reported that the State of Idaho receives $120 million annually in transportation funds, primarily through gas taxes. Idaho is considered a"recipient" State which means that every dollar of contributing gas tax funds that goes into the program, the State of Idaho receives back $1.85. Other states are considered "donor" states, which receive 60-80 cents of return for every dollar they contribute. There is a strong movement in Congress to change the funding formula to a more equitable amount of return for every dollar contributed. If this change is made, the State of Idaho transportation funds would drop significantly. Local allocations would then be lowered accordingly. With more growth, more demands on the system we need to address various methods and strategies of funding road improvements. Dennis further stated that Ada County, in addition to its 2.5 million dollar share of State funds, received $5.5 million in impact fee revenues which went primarily to the local street improvements. This option, or something similar to it, is one that Caldwell should consider as a funding option. Rick asked Dennis if there is any specific revenue source for planning. Dennis responded that the Federal system has a certain percentage of funds targeted for planning that would provide for traffic studies, etc. But those types of funds go to the larger cities and metropolitan areas. Chuck Houchins commented that he felt when the Council is asked to make a decision on a particular project, they have not been using all of the resources available prior to making that decision. He asked if they could ask for police reports of accidents at a certain intersection, etc. before making a decision. Dennis stated that the Council and the Commission has the right to request any information that would help them rnake a more informed decision on a project or request before them. There are some traffic counts available that date approximately 10-15 years ago. Dennis further stated that the developer can be asked to provide a transportation analysis as part of the preliminary plat or other project. Another possibility is to have a traffic study done from an outside agency. Dennis also stated that the developer can be required to provide off-site improvements when the development will greatly impact the nearby transportation system. Rita Earl stated that she feels there should be a written policy clearly stating some of these issues. Then the Planning and Zoning Commission, the City Council and the developer will have a clear picture of what is expected of them. Dennis stated that if there is a preliminary design for a particular intersection, the Commission could then make a more informed decision about a project and how it will impact the community in the future. . Jack Raymond stated that even old traffic counts identify problem areas. He asked to transform the knowledge of a problem into an action that addresses the problem. Could this be done in the budgeting process? He further stated that a design plan must be developed before the City can require anything from the developer. Chuck stated that they need to know the cost of some of these improvements before they can effectively require something of this nature from the developer. Jack asked Gordon Law what the cost of putting in a turn lane would be. Gordon stated several different costs, depending on number of feet, curb and gutter, etc. Gordon further stated that again he would like to state that the only two things to consider in street improvement is right-of-way and funding. He stated that the funds may be there, but if the right-of-way is not allocated, it cannot be done. �� Dennis stated that if there was a concept design of a particular intersection, he could request certain improvements from the developer at the time the project is approved. Without a concept design of the intersection to show the developer, it is difficult to request or require the developer to make any improvements. Bruce stated that it was his understanding that when a street is classified, the classification and/or definition dictates what kind of traffic system there should be on that particular street. Dennis stated that the definition is flexible to allow variables according to needs. � Terry McConnell stated that when a request or project is placed before them the have to consider both Police, Fire, safety and hope that they are making a decision that will be beneficial in the future also. He stated that the Commission would like to work more closely with the Council to achieve some kind of future goal. Dorothy asked if the City must work with the County in the outlying areas. Dennis stated that the City must work with both the County and Highway District. He further stated that since the area of impact has been expanded the City is beginning to negotiate the administration of those areas and must address such things as lot splits and development of areas in the County. It would be easier if those areas are in the City so that when they are developed it could be reviewed by the Commission and the Council and they could address right-of-ways, etc. But when the property is in the County, the City hasn't got much control. He stated that they are attempting to develop a good working relationship with the County on this issue. He further sated that those areas should be brought into the City at the proper time so those issues could be addressed. Elaine stated that when they were at the intersection of Linden and lOth earlier in the day, one of the questions raised was where the vehicles were going and if another route would divert the traffic from a problem area. She stated that it may be beneficial to the City to . have professionals do a study in Caldwell and give an opinion of the best way to address some of the major concern areas. Garret stated that he felt the City could possibly create a"short term fix" but professionals could look at the entire picture and the future needs. One of the problems that he sees is the miscommunication between the Commission and the Council and other groups. He feels that a policy should be developed that helps all to understand what the "vision" is. He suggested that a small group of individuals be put together to address these issues and create a policy. This would be a beginning to the solution of this large problem. He stated that each intersection could be taken one at a time, the problem identified and a vision put down as to what the City would like that intersection to be in the future. Dennis stated that the Transportation Component needs to be updated also because the area of impact has been expanded. This committee could take this task on also. Rita stated that all the departments and individuals involved in any project in the City should realize that the Comprehensive Plan should be looked at when making decisions regarding their own issues, that it is not just a plan for the Planning Department but a plan for all departments and the entire City. Gordon stated that the map must be updated before any decisions can be made. There are two types of streets on the map, those that we have not planned for (future growth) and those that are there with problems to address. Those that are existing problems can be put on a five year plan. Jack stated that he felt a policy must be in place for the Commission and the Council to understand what is planned for particular problem areas. Dennis stated that there is a great deal of fle�bility within each street classification and the vision of each project must be clarified. For example, Marble Front and Logan are both collector type streets. However, there are different in many respects, the amount of traffic, � patterns of land use, traffic generated and level of service at nearby intersections. Terry McConnell stated that he would be willing to work on the sub-committee to start solving this problem. Rita asked Mayor Winder if a sub-committee could be set up at this meeting. Mayor Winder stated that a sub-committee could be set up immediately. He further stated that the State, County, and City are all involved in this problem and they must all be involved in this process. Rick stated that his goals for this meeting was to agree that a study must be done and to put a plan together to begin solving the problems. He further stated that he feels a plan in place would help market the City for future business and growth. Jerry Langan stated that he didn't see how the City Council could visualize the final results of any project without a pictorial view of what it is going to look like. He feels that a professional group doing a study may help attain that vision. Dennis stated that he feels the sub-committee study is a good idea as a first step. This would enable the updating of the map with the impact area, begin discussion about alternative sources of funding and develop a concept policy to be brought back to the Council for approval. He stated that he thought 2 Council members, 2 Commissioners, Planning and Zoning Department, City Engineer, Fire, Police, and Mayor's Office would be able to begin brainstorming. This committee could then decide if an outside consultant is necessary. Dennis stated that a long range transportation study can predict traffic flow in the future which is very useful in planning but the sub-committee is a good tool to begin with. Dennis summarized some other issues of concern, such as off-site street improvements in the impact areas, and right-of-way improvements. Garret stated that when street improvements or right-of-way improvements are deferred to a later date, the cost at the time the improvements are made is higher. Dennis stated that there are times when deferring the improvements is a good decision but there are ways to defer the improvements and still require the developer to fund them in the future. One way of doing that is to have the developer pay for the improvements and put the funds in a separate account specified for that street. Mayor Winder stated that another option is compulsory LID's. Dennis stated that the status of the Traffic Commission is non-operational. The general consensus is that this body's functions began to exceed its mission. This Commission was not designated to approve preliminary plats, etc. He further stated that other cities have Traffic Commissions and the function is generally to focus on the operational characteristics of the existing system, stop signs, safe use of public right-of-way, speed limits, lights at intersections, parking issues, etc. Traffiic Commissions do not approve or take action on plats or get involved in transportation issues independently. Currently the staff is designated to handle some of the issues that the Traffic Commission was handling. The requests first are presented to the City Engineer and if he can make a decision without calling a meeting, he does so. If he feels that the issue needs some more discussion, the committee is called together and the issue is reviewed. Jack stated that he is being approached by many citizens about the traffic lights downtown and their inefficient timing. Mayor Winder stated that those belong to the State and City Hall has also been receiving many complaints. Jack stated that he feels this issue should be discussed publicly in a Council meeting to inform the public what the problems re and what is being done. � . Bruce stated that he had been talking to the State and was informed that there are no detectors on the Cleveland side of the lights. The detectors are on the cross-streets. Bruce further stated that the Fire Department has requested not to go to flashing red in the evening hours. This would eliminate their ability to change the light when the fire trucks need the intersection cleared. Dennis summarized the outline presented at the beginning of the meeting. A sub-committee has been set up and they will begin expanding the lines on the map to include the area of impact recently adopted. The intersection at Linden will be analyzed more closely by this committee. Mayor Winder stated that the intersection of Linden should be a priority for this committee. Elaine stated that something to remember is that the Airport is updating the Master Plan �� and that should be considered when considering some intersections. Dennis stated that the school system should also be considered when making decisions. The � School District is working on their 20 year facility plan with some additional facilities and changes in traffic flow. Rita suggested that the School District be involved in the sub-committee. Garret stated that he can represent the School District. They have asked him to chair the committee for their 20 plan. With no further discussion the workshop session was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, � �fo� Sue Brown, � Recording Secretary