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HomeMy WebLinkAboutParking Advisory Board - Minutes - 07/09/2018MINUTES of the CITY OF FORT COLLINS PARKING ADVISORY BOARD July 9, 2018 5:30 p.m. 117 North Mason Street – Civic Center Conference Room Fort Collins, CO 80524 FOR REFERENCE: BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Bob Criswell, Chair Seth Lorson, Transit Planner Adam Eggleston, Vice Chair Katlyn DeMallie, Business Support Kayla Boos Eileen McCluskey Nora Hill Travis Anderson ABSENT: OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: Barbara Wilkins Indy Hart, Transportation Board Alexander Reuter 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair, Bob Criswell, calls the meeting to order at 5:31 pm. 2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS 3. AGENDA REVIEW The Recommendation for RP3 Nonresidential Policy Review will be moved to an Action Item on the Agenda. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Eggleston motions to approve the May minutes, Hill seconds. Minutes approved unanimously. 5. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT Council Liaison: Bob Overbeck Chair: Bob Criswell Vice Chair: Adam Eggleston Staff Liaison: Dean Klingner (970) 221-6386 Administrative Support: Katlyn DeMallie (970) 416-2020 None. 6. PUBLIC COMMENT None. 7. DISCUSSION/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS Downtown Parking Project Updates 1. Retrofit Parking structures with new technology 2. Maintenance on Parking Structures (sealant) 3. Installing parking sensors on street The Old Town Parking Structure and Civic Center Parking Structure are being retrofitted with pre-pay technology, like what is installed in the Firehouse Alley Parking Structure. Pay stations will be installed and the structures will be on the FC Parking App. Sensors with light and sign indicators will also be installed. Regular sealant maintenance will be completed at the same time. Parking space impact during the retrofit: • CCPS - Rolling closures of 75-100 spaces from July 16th to August 1st • OTPS - Full Closure from August 20th to September 2nd. It will close the Monday after CSU move in and open before Labor Day. • Permit holders will be accommodated in CCPS, FAPS, and the Oak/Remington Lot (400+ spaces) Eggleston: Will the FC app be updated to let people know about the closures? Lorson: That feature has not come online yet, currently we are only using the app for payment. Parking Sensors: The purpose of installing parking sensors is to provide occupancy and turnover data. The sensors will also communicate with the FC Parking App and show availability. Scope: ~3,000 on-street spaces 3 parking structures 3 parking lots The sensors are installed flush with the pavement surface, the hole depth is 5.3-5.5 inches and the diameter is 2.5 inches. The sensors will be installed August 13th through October 2018. Block faces will be closed for 24 hour increments during installation. Approximately 50 sensors will be installed per day. Gateways, which are used to collect the data from the sensors, will also need to be installed. They look like small solar panels and will be located on light polls. One gateway per 30-50 sensors is needed. The City has been communicating these changes to the public via: Weekly newsletters – sign up on Parking’s website Press releases Postcard mailers Presentations to DDA, DBA, Chamber of Commerce Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor Anderson: How soon after installation can we analyze data? Lorson: We first need to get the parking sensors installed, then move forward installing the Gateways in order to collect data. There is no set date as of now. Criswell: Are the Gateways wireless? Lorson: Yes. We chose to use solar, but there is an option to hardwire them into light polls. Hill: Does the sensor have a power source? Lorson: They are battery powered and it is in our contract to replace those when necessary. RP3 Nonresidential Permits Staff is requesting a recommendation from the Parking Advisory Board regarding the following elements of the RP3 nonresidential policy: 1. Allocation of permits 2. Location of parking 3. Cost of permits The purpose of the RP3 program was to mitigate spillover parking generated outside the neighborhood and to reduce unnecessary personal motor vehicle travel, and safeguard the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood. There has been enormous growth with the RP3 program. It has grown so much that the zones are encroaching on schools and nonresidential establishments. The biggest areas of concern right now are Centennial High School and Harris Bilingual Elementary. These historic existing nonresidential neighbors are being adversely affected by RP3 growth. The current program does not distinguish between a single-family house and a school or business. Before RP3, Harris Elementary had 40 staff members parking in the neighborhood. The current program has permit pricing and allocation made for residents, up to 5 permits; schools and businesses typically require more. The objective is to accommodate existing historic uses within neighborhoods and balance the needs. While we were creating the policy recommendation, we looked at the scope of the impact, completed a temporary pilot program, looked at peer communities, sent an RP3 satisfaction survey, and took stakeholder input and resident input. We found that there is not a large impact. We estimate that an additional 85 permits would be needed. During the pilot program with Harris Elementary and Young People’s Learning Center it was clear that the need for additional permits is legitimate. The RP3 questionnaire asked if residents thought that existing nonresidential uses should be accommodated with RP3 permits and 50% answered yes. We found that peer communities typically leave businesses and schools out of RP3 zones or have them purchase commuter permits. In our proposed policy we have chosen not to go in the direction of commuter permits. Currently, each residence in an RP3 zone gets one free permit, the second is $15, and the costs escalate form there up to $200 for the fifth vehicle. We are proposing to provide free permits to non-residential establishments equal to the number of lots they take up from the original platting of lots. Additional permits would cost $15 per permit per year. To illustrate, Harris Elementary is on 18 lots, so they would receive 18 free permits and pay for any additional ones. Additional management options would include controlling the amount of permits allocated, where the employees and park, and the cost of the permits. Staff Recommendation Our staff recommendation is to provide permits based on staffing needs, and allow parking within the zone with a good neighbor policy. Additional permits would cost $15/year after the allotment of free permits is issued based on property frontage. Criswell: Are you giving the permits to certain teachers? Lorson: The permits are assigned to specific license plates. We will ask Harris for a list of their teachers, and those on the list would come into Parking with their PSD employee badge and would be able to get their permits. Criswell: Would there be a cut off for how many additional permits the school or business could get beyond their free one(s). Lorson: Yes. Right now we are trying to get it back to how it was before RP3 minus the CSU spillover. Boos: I think the allocation makes sense. I agree with the recommendation. However, I think it is odd that PSD would be paying for all the parking. Lorson: We aren’t sure of that. I think we will be charging PSD and in turn they can charge their students or staff if they choose. Eggleston: I appreciate the ability to tighten it down if needed with area restrictions or cost. I think it is easier to tighten the belt rather than loosen it. Criswell: If the school’s staff grows, would the City accommodate that? Lorson: We will address their needs yearly. Hill moves to accept the policy recommendation for RP3 nonresidential permits, Anderson seconds. Unanimously approved. 8. REPORTS A. BOARD REPORT There is currently an open seat on the Parking Advisory Board. Recruitment for the position will being in August with Council interviews in October and November. B. STAFF LIAISON REPORT 9. OTHER BUSINESS 10. ADJOURN Eggleston motions to adjourn, McCluskey seconds. The meeting was concluded at 7:02 pm ______________________________ Chair