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Minutes 02-06-08Richfield Transportation Commission Wednesday, February 6, 2008 7:00 p.m. Richfield City Hall, Council Chambers DRAFT Minutes Commission members in attendance: Bob Elliott (Chair); Martin Kirsch (Vice-Chair); Bob Shotwell; Steve Lindgren; Pat Sorensen Jay Hermann; Sara Nutter; Peter Easterlund; Maureen Scaglia; Gary Ness; and, Council Member Bill Kilian. Others in attendance: William Svoboda; Joe Hoover; John Vlaming of Three Rivers Park District; and Jack Broz of H.R. Green Company; and, City Staff: Tom Foley and Kristin Asher. Excused absence: Barbara Kritzman; and, Council Member Sue Sandahl. B. Elliott called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Agenda was approved in a motion moved by P. Sorensen; and seconded by J. Hermann. Motion passed unanimously. Motion amend the minutes of January 2, 2008 meeting to show that Gary Ness was in attendance was made by M. Kirsch, seconded by P. Sorensen. Motion passed unanimously. Stop Sign Policy Tom Foley of Richfield staff reported that the City Council unanimously approved the Transportation Commission’s recommendation for a new stop sign policy. The policy will be implemented over the next three years by neighborhood moving from north to south through the city. 75th/76th Streetscape Plan Kristin Asher of Richfield staff introduced Jack Broz of H.R. Green Company who is preparing the 75th Street/76th Streetscape Design. She explained that the concept design recommended by the Transportation Commission will be used by the design team as a guide in preparing the detailed plans. J. Broz reviewed the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation’s Bikeway Design Guidelines as they relate to several design issues that were raised since the last Transportation Commission meeting by the Community Services Commission and by residents at the January 30, 2008 Open House. The first issue was whether or not to allow on-street parking along Donaldson Park on the north side of 75th Avenue. If cars were prohibited from on-street parking on the north side of 75th Street, bike lanes would be painted on 75th Street. The south side of 75th Street would not have on-street parking. The fact that Donaldson Park did not have many driveways or cross streets that bikes may have to cross would make bikers more likely to use an off-street bike trail. The trail would offer design continuity from the 35W frontage road (Humboldt Avenue) to Sheridan Avenue. Safety for bikers and trail users would not be compromised. G. Ness favored park users parking close to the park. Motion by G. Ness to accommodate parking along Donaldson Park, on the north side of 75th Street from Logan Avenue to Humboldt Avenue, as part of the design. Seconded by P. Sorensen. Motion passed unanimously. The second issue was the preferred cross-section for 75th Street between Sheridan Avenue and Xerxes Avenue. J. Broz again referred to the Mn/DOT Bikeway Design Guidelines on the need for painted bike lanes and the trade-offs for boulevard width, the width of the off-street trail and traffic calming. On a street with very low traffic volumes a shared roadway is acceptable without painted bike lanes. The posted speed limit for 75th Street is 30 miles per hour. There are closely spaced driveways and cross streets that lead bikers to prefer riding on the street. Commissioners debated whether or not to have painted bike lanes on 75th Street. They discussed the width of the off-street trail which was shown as 10’ wide as preferred by the Three Rivers Park District. Motion by M. Kirsch to recommend that 75th Street from Xerxes Avenue to Sheridan Avenue have signs posted to “Share the Road” and do not paint stripes for on-street bike lanes. The motion failed for lack of a second. Motion by M. Kirsch, second by J. Hermann to recommend Alternative C, including on-street bike lanes, for 75th Street between Xerxes Avenue to Sheridan Avenue. The motion passed unanimously. The third issue presented by J. Broz involved the width of sidewalk and the width of the boulevard on the south side of 76th Street. Mr. Broz reviewed Alternative B for 76th Street that was modified slightly to show a five foot wide sidewalk and a 6’ wide boulevard on the south side of 76th Street. He reduced the width of the on-street bike lanes from 6’ to 5’.These refinements to Alternative B produced a 5’ wide sidewalk that could be maintained by City staff and create a boulevard that is wide enough to plant trees that can provide a canopy over the street. The width of the off-street trail on the north side of 76th Street would be 8’. The north side boulevard is 6.5 feet wide. S. Lindgren asked if comments by the Mathews at 7601 5th Avenue about a south side sidewalk becoming icy in the winter need to be addressed. Commissioners were informed that collector streets in Richfield, according to city policy, only provide a sidewalk on one side of the street. Also, 76th Street will not be losing parking except on Sundays. Motion by M. Kirsch, second by M. Scaglia recommending Alternative B for 76th Street including a 5’ sidewalk on the south side of the road. Motion passed unanimously. J. Broz mentioned that he will explore options for parking for a few homes that face 76th Street on the south side of 76th Street and adjacent to Roosevelt Park. Bikeway Plan T. Foley discussed the possibility of modifying the draft Bikeway Plan in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Minneapolis Bikeway Planning staff advised that Richfield should identify all deficient freeway crossings in its plan. These spot problems are the biggest obstacles to bike travel between Richfield and surrounding communities. The suggestion was made to add the 77th Street Underpass as a deficient freeway crossing. Commissioners agreed that freeway crossings are dangerous for bikers and pedestrians. P. Easterlund wondered where bikes would go if no bike trails are shown connecting to the freeway crossings. T. Foley explained that additional bike paths are possible and will be discussed as part of the upcoming Arterials Design Study that the City is planning to do. P. Sorensen asked that coordination occur between Richfield and its neighboring cities to be sure that our bike plans match with theirs. Motion by S. Lindgren, second by B. Shotwell to approve adding deficient freeway crossings as spot locations on the draft Bikeway Plan as needing improvement. Motion passed unanimously. T. Foley also mentioned the difficulty of showing an east-west bike route on or parallel to 66th Street. There are barriers that can’t be easily overcome in the short term. He thought that the upcoming Arterials Study might help us determine a good bike route for the 66th Street corridor. Updates T. Foley reported that the City is making offers on land needed for the Lyndale Avenue Bridge. Access to the Hampton Inn from Lyndale Avenue is still an unresolved issue. The City is receiving four consultant proposals on the Arterials Design Study to be reviewed by staff. The next funding cycle for Federal Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program will begin in late February. Richfield is considering a request for extending the Richfield Parkway north of 66th Street to connect to Bloomington Avenue near 62nd Street. Future Agenda Items The Arterials Study will be discussed at future meetings. Upcoming Meetings The City Council will hold a Work Session on February 12th at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the 75th/76th Streetscape Design Project. The City Council will consider the Commission’s recommendation on the 75th/76th Streetscape Design Project at its regular Council meeting on February 26th at the Richfield High School at 7:00 p.m. Training on parliamentary procedures will occur in March but no date has been set. The next Transportation Commission meeting will be held on March 5th at 7:00 p.m. at the Richfield City Hall. Other Business City staff was directed to prepare a thank you letter for the Chair’s signature thanking Jackie Heinen for serving on the Commission. Adjournment Motion to adjourn by J. Hermann, second by M. Kirsch and passed. Meeting was adjourned at 8:58 p.m.