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Minutes 2-09-05Richfield Transportation Committee Richfield City Hall, Council Chambers Meeting Minutes February 9, 2005 Committee members in attendance: Steve Lindgren (Co-Chair); Barbara Kritzman (Co-Chair); Gary Ness; Lezlie Vermillion; Council Member Suzanne Sandahl; Robert Shotwell; Council Member Bill Kilian; Don Anderson; Bob Elliott; and Todd Nollenberger. Others in attendance: John Suek, Jody Thiesfeld, Henry & June Lundquist, William Svoboda, Larry Wozniczka, Terri Drimel, Dale Klopp, Rob Townsend, Kim South, Keith Turnbull, Tim Teachout, Morris Nilsen, Bill Claflin, James Brown, Ken Severson, SEH, Inc. Staff: Mike Kotila and Ross Harris; City Staff: Kristin Asher, Bruce Nordquist Melissa Poehlman, and Tom Foley. S. Lindgren served as Chair for the meeting. At 7:00 p.m. S. Lindgren called the meeting to order. Motion to approve agenda made by T. Nollenberger, second by B. Elliott, motion passed unanimously. D. Anderson motioned to approve January 12, 2005 minutes, second by G. Ness, motion passed unanimously. Stop Sign Policy T. Foley reviewed stop sign data comparing controlled vs. uncontrolled stop signs in Richfield. He also recommended five (5) alternatives for the Committee to use in determining how to proceed with the policy discussion. B. Kritzman motioned to recommend that Richfield adopt a proactive policy that would allow sub-collectors with two-way stop signs at all residential intersections. Second was made by L. Vermillion. Motion was amended by T. Nollenberger to include monitoring of speeds will occur with implementation of the new policy. Discussion: B. Kritzman stated the safety and uniformity this option allows is desirable. T. Nollenberger was cautious because of the perception that the sub-collector system may increase speeds, he suggested we do speed monitoring after the signs are installed. B. Kilian stated he was in support of any of the proactive approaches. John Suek (6810 Pleasant) asked if existing signs would be modified to fit the new sub-collector system. T. Foley stated that any changes to existing signs would result after consultation with the neighborhood. Kent Severson (7316 Lyndale) commented that we may end up with a lot of 4-way stop signs. Dale Klopp (6735 Portland) had concerns with maintenance issues, braking at stop signs creates icy situations in the winter months. Final vote 8:1 in favor. T. Nollenberger was opposed. 66th Street and Portland Avenue Intersection Mike Kotila (consultant, SEH, Inc.) handed out updated Draft Goals and Objectives developed in previous Committee meetings. T. Nollenberger motioned to accept the Draft Goals and Objectives, second by L. Vermillion. Motion passed unanimously. Discussion began on developing a ranking system for the alternatives selected. M. Kotila presented the Committee with a draft three level ranking (poor, neutral, good). L. Vermillion suggested adjusting it to a five level including excellent and very poor. The Committee concurred. M. Kotila explained the alternative layouts and additional handouts. Comments/concerns from residents present were received and are attached for review. B. Nordquist discussed the need for the Committee to take the lead on the project and narrow down the transportation alternatives. It would not be productive to come up with nine land use options for all the transportation alternatives. Once alternatives are selected, the land use options will follow. The City of Richfield and the Richfield Housing and Redevelopment Authority have retained the services of an Ombudsperson, Aimee Gourlay, to listen to concerns of property owners who don’t feel comfortable discussing their concerns with City staff. Joint Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Meeting with Bloomington G. Ness motioned to recommend that due to severe design challenges (proximity to I-494 and narrow right of way) at 76th Street in Richfield that the discussion of a station location be deferred to Bloomington for further investigation of the 82nd Street BRT station location option. Second was made by R. Shotwell, motion passed unanimously. S. Lindgren suggested that the two committees meet again. Updates K. Asher distributed a bikeway survey that will be conducted in the next month. A Bikeway Task Force will meet to review the survey results and develop the best bikeway plan for the City. K. Asher and T. Foley reported that WSB and Associates have completed their CORSIM traffic analysis of the I-494 corridor and 77th Street/Lyndale Avenue intersection. There were three main findings from the analysis; 1) The collector-distributor road does function at an acceptable level with the addition of traffic from Lyndale Avenue. This access allows drivers entering from Lyndale access to I-35W. 2) Allowing this access from Lyndale creates a failure on the I-494 mainline near Penn Avenue due to the additional number of vehicles needing to merge onto the highway. 3) The intersection at 77th Street & Lyndale Avenue operates at a level of service (LOS) F with or without access to the collector-distributor road. WSB, City staff, and Mn/DOT staff met to discuss the results and it was determined that Mn/DOT will not allow weaving of that magnitude on their collector-distributor road regardless of what the CORSIM analysis results show because of operational and safety concerns. Staff will explore new alternatives to relieve the pressures at 77th Street and Lyndale Avenue. Upcoming Meetings A joint meeting with Edina’s Transportation Commission will be on Wedesday, March 16th at 6pm. Topics of discussion will include the upcoming Crosstown Reconstruction project, Mn/DOT will present their 2030 plan, and Edina’s Southdale Area Land Use and Transportation study. The meeting will be hosted by Edina, location to be determined. The Transportation Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at 7 p.m. Future Agenda Items Discussion of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was suggested as an upcoming agenda item. No other items were recommended. Motion to adjourn was made by B. Kritzman. Second by G. Ness. Meeting was adjourned at 9:02 p.m. 66th Street and Portland Avenue Discussion Comments received from residents February 9, 2005 Resident Suggestion/Comment/Concern  Ken Severson 7316 Lyndale All of the documents and alternatives being discussed are focused on long-term fixes (2006-7). What can we do now to make this intersection safer? Ken also expressed that he was fond of the roundabout option.  Terri Drimel 6617 Portland Will the closure of Nicollet put additional pressure on Portland? Please take into consideration when looking at future land redevelopment the subsequent pressures that will be put onto Portland. Is there anything in the Council’s 2020 vision or Comprehensive Plan that affects this intersection study?  Dale Trott?? Will there be increased traffic on 66th Street? How much will drive time be affected on 66th Street?  Calvin Vanderkrol 6630 Portland Not seeing any concern for the community. Please take the community into consideration. He is concerned for his children and safety in the area. How will the resale of my house be affected from this project?  Tim Teachout 601 E. 66th Street Would appreciate some land use information, how far out are the land use alternatives going to go? Looking for public safety numbers on crashes.