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CC 2013-01-08_11.a. On Street Bulb Out and Parking SpacesMEMORANDUM TO: CITY COUNCIL FROM: BY: TERESA McCLISH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR MIKE LINN, ASSISTANT CITY ENGINEER rfy SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF AN ON- STREET BULB-OUT AND PARKING SPACES ADJACENT TO 1172 EAST GRAND AVENUE DATE: JANUARY 8, 2013 RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended the City Council authorize the construction of the proposed concrete bulb-out, sidewalk "cut-outs" to provide additional on-street parking, and widening of the sidewalk, provided that the applicant grants a permanent easement to the City to widen the sidewalk onto the applicant's property. IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES: There are no fiscal impacts at this time. BACKGROUND: The 2011 Street Resurfacing Project included a microsurfacing application for East Grand Avenue between Halcyon Road and Oak Park Boulevard: The project scope of work included the incorporation of bike lanes on both sides of the roadway. During the initial layout of the new striping, the contractor determined that the roadway width for the westbound lanes at the existing traffic island near the Brisco intersection would not allow the placement of two westbound travel lanes; a bike lane and a parking lane (see Attachment No. 1 ). The majority of the curb along the westbound lanes were painted red with the exception of a loading zone and a singular parking space adjacent to 1172 East Grand Avenue. On October 24, 2011, the Traffic Commission advised the installation of 50 lineal feet of red paint to remove the singular parking space to enable the placement of the westbound bike lane. In May, 2012, John Pryor, an architect representing Orrin Cocks, approached staff about the possibility of adding a concrete bulb-out adjacent to the building at 1172 East Grand Avenue. The bulb-out design would match the bulb-outs previously constructed as a capital project by the City in 2005 for East Grand Avenue between Elm Street and Oak Park Boulevard. Mr. Pryor also requested the installation of parking spaces where the Traffic Commission had previously advised their removal. Staff informed Mr. Pryor of the advisement and that due to the presence of the permanent .median island, there Item 11.a. - Page 1 CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BULB-OUT AND PARKING SPACES ADJACENT TO 1172 EAST GRAND AVENUE JANUARY 8, 2013 PAGE 2 was inadequate width to support two vehicle lanes, a bike lane and a parking lane in the westbound direction. Staff also stressed that all permanent improvements within the right-of-way would require authorization by City Council and the construction costs would be borne by the applicant. Mr. Pryor and staff continued to discuss various possibilities through the month of July. During one on site meeting, Mr. Pryor suggested "cutting into" the existing sidewalk to create two parking spaces and an ADA parking space. On July 24, 2012, Mr. Pryor forwarded a letter to the Traffic Commission (see Attachment No. 2) formally requesting the construction of a concrete bulb-out and parking spaces to the Traffic Commission. ANALYSIS OF ISSUES: Staff has reviewed the July 24, 2012 proposal letter and has the following comments: • The existing parking lot for the building at 1172 East Grand Avenue provides the adequate number of off-site parking spaces in accordance with Municipal Code requirements. Tille parking lot is already equipped with two ADA spaces. • The proposed placement of an ADA parking space on the street does not meet CaiDAG (California Disabled Accessibility Guidebook) requirements (see Attachment No. 3). CaiDAG requires a minimum width of 14 feet (9 feet for the parking space and 5 feet for the access aisle). o The "cut-outs" into the sidewalk would decrease the width of the sidewalk from 10 feet to 7 feet. To ensure consistency throughout the shopping corridor, staff recommends the applicant widen the sidewalk into their property to provide the full 10 feet in sidewalk width (see Attachment No.4). • Although the current truck deliveries may temporarily disrupt access within the parking lot, it is not an unusual or unexpected activity. • Since the design of the concrete bulb-out is the same design as the previously installed East Grand Avenue bulb-outs, the plans do not have to be resubmitted to the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). On August 6, 2012, staff presented the request to the Traffic Commission. Staff stressed the concrete bulb-out to be a desirable feature, but recommended against the "cut-outs" to provide additional parking. The Traffic Commission agreed with the request for additional parking, but advised against the bulb-out and "cut-outs" into the sidewalk to construct the parking. Instead, the Traffic Commission advised that crews reinstall the two on-street parking spaces that were previously eliminated at their October 24, 2011 meeting. This will eliminate the bike lane at this location. On November 21, 2012, Orrin Cocks formally requested an appeal of the Traffic Commission's advisement (see Attachment No. 5). Since staff supports the proposal and City Council consideration is required for improvements to be constructed in the right-of-way, it is presented as a proposal rather than an appeal. Item 11.a. - Page 2 CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BULB-OUT AND PARKING SPACES ADJACENT TO 1172 EAST GRAND AVENUE JANUARY 8, 2013 PAGE 3 ALTERNATIVES: The following alternatives are provided for the City Council's consideration: 1. Authorize construction of the concrete bulb-out, the "cut-out" installation for additional parking spaces, and widening of the sidewalk; 2. Authorize construction of the concrete bulb-out, but deny the request for the "cut- out" installation for additional parking spaces; 3. Deny the request; or 4. Provide direction to staff. ADVANTAGES: The concrete bulb-out adds an aesthetic architectural feature that replicates the existing East Grand Avenue bulb-outs north of Elm Street, increases parking, and maintains a bike lane. DISADVANTAGES: The "cut-out" parking installation appears to be solely for the benefit of the adjacent property owner. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The project is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 (c). PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS: The Agenda was posted in front of City Hall on Thursday, January 3, 2013. The Agenda and report were posted on the City's website on Friday, January 4, 2013. No public comments were received. Attachments: 1. Photograph -1172 East Grand Avenue 2. 7/24/12 Letter-John Pryor to Traffic Commission 3. CaiDAG Excerpt-Single Parking Space Design 4. Revised Plan View w/ 10 ft. Wide Sidewalk 5. Letter-City of Arroyo Grande to Orrin Cocks Item 11.a. - Page 3 ,,· .-· ' .~-;; t .•• •. .~ ~ ' ~ \<-..,/'. 0 z 1--z LIJ -~ :I: u ~ <t Item 11.a. - Page 4 Attachment No. 2 July 24, 2012 (Tuesday) page 1 Arroyo Grande Traffic Commission c/o Michael Linn, Associate City Engineer Dear Traffic Commission, On behalf of Orrin Cocks, a co-owner of the Grand Avenue Professional Building, I am requesting a change to parking adjacent to Grand Avenue, which is currently a-no parking "RED" zone. Also, Orrin requests that a Planter/Bench Seat "Bulb-Out" be approved for this location, as has been approved for a number of other locations along Grand Avenue. Orrin and I have met several times at the property with Michael Linn, the Associate City Engineer. The issues we discussed included these topics: 1) Delivery Trucks block the (~m-site parking for the complex on a daily basis, 2) There is a lack of parking for HandiCapped or Disabled Persons giving direct access to the lowest level offices, 3) The concept of creating new parking at the Grand Avenue street frontage, by means of "cutting into" the existing 1 0 foot wide City Sidewalk for a 36" width, and 4) Orrin would like approval for placement of a City Designed Planter/Bench Seat "Bulb-Out" near the Brisco Road Intersection. Regarding Item 1) Currently, UPS and FEDEX delivery Trucks park behind cars parked in the most centrally located and prime marked parking stalls along the southerly parking lot area at the Building. Consequently some tenants, patrons and HandiCapped persons have been unable to leave the parking lot, or enter for that matter, until the delivery truck has made it's pick-ups and deliveries for the 10 offices in the complex. This is a daily occurrence 'and it is unacceptable to those who find themselves "trapped" for the 5 to 10 minutes that delivery trucks are parked in the driveway. These trucks typically measure up to 27 feet long, and their parking position varies a bit. There are usually 4 or 5 of the prime and highly used parking stalls are blocked. And there can be two or three different trucks each day. Item 11.a. - Page 5 Regarding Items 2) and 3) page 2 The City recently eliminated the 3 minute "White Zone" parking for patient loading , and unloading at the Street on Grand Avenue. This parking had been used by HandiCapped Persons in accessing the lowest level of the office complex. There is no other legal HandiCapped access to these units. The current Curtze Law Offices have HandiCapped clients and the vacant offices at this level previously were occupied by a Physician who made hourly use of that parking as access for many of his patients. IN FACT, THE ELIMINATION-OF THE WHITE ZONE PARKING CONTRIBUTED TO DR. PALCHAK'S DECISION TO VACATE THE PROPERTY. Another physician might indeed make the same use of new "cut-in" sidewalk parking as we are proposing. While meeting at the property Michael Linn indicated that he was agreeable to the concept of a "Blue" marked HandiCapped parking stall to access the street level offices, AND a Commercial Loading "Yellow" zone. Mr. Linn also felt that stall width requirements could be met by cutting 36" into the existing 10 foot wide City Sidewalk at Grand (see diagram on page 3). Regarding Item 4) And Mr. Linn was also supportive of placing one of the City's Planter/Bench Seat designs (as shown in the diagram on pages 4, 5 & 6) which would help in creating a more pedestrian scale to this part of the town. Similar placements along Grand Avenue are what insipred this request. Mr. Linn felt that such an improvement at this location would serve well to be a visual signal for traffic to reduce speeds at this precarious intersection and bend in the road. It is important to note the con~triction of lanes and elimination of any bike lane between Brisco and Elm, along Grand Avenue, as is evident in the accompanying aerial view of the intersection. Therefore, in presenting our proposal to the Traffic Commission, I am asking for your support by approving this most reasonable remedy to several issues of traffic and parking at the Grand Avenue Professional Building location. Thank you for your consideration of this request, and for your support! Respectfully, John Pryor Licensed California Architect P.O. Box 746 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 (805) 541-5130 Item 11.a. - Page 6 OPTION "B" REQUEST FOR PLANTER AND BENCH SEAT AND COMMERCIAL LOADING AND HC PARKING STREET IMPROVEMENTS AT GRAND AVENUE OFFICE CONDOMINIUMS ® NEWBENCH AND PLANTER WALL ® © NEW BENC!-1 WALL AND PLANTER 'BULB -our NEW CUT~NATSIDEWALK FOR HC PARKING'FOR AND COMMERCIAL LOAD liNG BR.IS·CO ROAD GEI'ITERUNE ____ n ___ _ page 3 . (/) ~ 0 :::J a: I- >-a: UJ .> _J UJ 0 0 N r---------· ' ' ' 42 ON..SITE PARKIN( OPTION "B" Item 11.a. - Page 7 Attachment No. 3 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS PARKING 4. SINGlE PARKING SPACE DESIGN ___ A. 18' minimum length of each parking space. 11298.3.1 4.6.3 Fig. 20 ___ B. 9' minimum width of each parking space. 11298.3.1 4.6.3 Fig. 20 ___ c. Minimum 18' x 5' access aisle (passenger side). 11298.3.1 4.6.3 Fig. 20 ___ 0. Surface of the parking space(s) and access aisle(s) does not exceed 1:50 gradient (2.0%) in any direction. 11298.3.4 4.6.3 Fig. 20 150 L~ INTERNATIONA SYMBOL or ACCESSIBILITY STALL EMBLE M L ... ,N ~ ACCESSIBLE ROUTE 1 --~ ~ ~ ~ II,."'" _J_,. MIN.J WHITE SYMBOL or ACCESSIBILITY TO BE 36" HIGH x 36" WIDE ON ·A BLUE BACI<GROUND. Fig. 20 ACCESSIBLE AISLE 18' MIN. WITHIN THE BLUE BORDER, HATCHED LINES THAT ARE A MAXIMUM OF 36" ON-CENTER ARE PAINTED WITH A COLOR THAT CONTRASTS WITH THE PARKING SURFACE. PREFERABLY BLUE OR WHITE. 36" MAX. ON CENTER SINGLE PARKING SPACE The CaiDAG -California Disabled Accessibility Guldebool< ©2011 MPG Publishing Co. .. ' 0 ., ,. ' ,. ' -' ... ~ -I _, . ... ~, ,. J 0 .. __ -:,. •"';} - ··;:,~ ,,., . .:·~ 0 ·' -.;." Item 11.a. - Page 8 REQUEST FOR PLANTER AND BENCH SEAT AND COMMERCIAL LOADING AND PARALLEL PARKING WITH 10FT SIDEWALK STREET IMPROVEMENTS AT GRAND AVENUE OFFICE CONDOMINIUMS ® ® NEWBENCH ~~NTEA WAU. ® NEWBENCH WALl.. AND PLANTER 'BULB ·OUT ' © NEW CUT ... AT SIDEWALl< FOR PARALJ..El PARKING FOR AND COWWERCIALLOADIING Attachment No. 4 BRISCO ROAD CEr.IT ERLII lE (_.! GRAND AVENUE PROFESSIONAL BUILDING 0 N ,. ........ . Item 11.a. - Page 9 November 21, 2012 Orrin Cocks 1457 Deer Canyon Road Arroyo G~ande CA 93420 Re:Appeal Fee Dear Mr. Cocks: Attachment No. 5 CITY OF RROYO NDE CALIFORNIA Enclosed is a refund of the $250.00 appeal fee you paid on September 10, 2012 for your proposal relating to E. Grand Avenue, which was considered by the Traffic Commission on August 6, 2012. Staff has determined that an appeal of your proposal is not required as the Traffic Commission is an advisory body to the City Council concerning these types of projects. Therefore, your proposal has been tentatively scheduled for consideration at the December 11, 2012 City Council meeting. If you have any questions, please contact Teresa McClish, Community Development Director, at 805-473-5420. Sincerely, Ke~e~ Director of Legislative and Information Servicesf:City Clerk encl: Refund check c: John Pryor, PO Box 7 46, San Luis Obispo C.A 93406 T. McClish, Community Development Director S. Adams, City Manager LEGISLATIVE AND INFORMATION SERVICES/CITY CLERK • 300 East Branch Street • Arroyo Grande, California 93420 Phone: {805) 4 7 3-5400 • FAX: {805) 4 7 3-0386 • E-mail: agcity@arroyogrande.org • Website: www.arroyogrande.org Item 11.a. - Page 10