HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.5.13 Downtown Parking & Circulation MinutesASHLAND DOWNTOWN PARKING & MULTI-MODAL COMMITTEE
December 5, 2013
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December 5, 2013
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Stromberg called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. in the Siskiyou Room at 51 Winburn
Way.
Regular members present: Lisa Beam, Michael Dawkins, Rich Kaplan, Dave Young, Craig Anderson, John
Williams, Emile Amarotico (arrived at 11:10), Joe Collonge, Pam Hammond, Liz Murphy, John Fields (arrived at
11:10), Cynthia Rider
Regular members absent: Marie Donovan
Ex officio (non voting) members present: Sandra Slattery, Katharine Flanagan, Bill Molnar, Mike Faught, Lee
Tuneberg, Dennis Slattery, Rich Rosenthal, Dave Kanner, Tami De Mille-Campos
Ex officio (non voting) members absent: Mike Gardiner
University of Oregon members present: Bob Parker, Nicholas Meltzer
INTRODUCTIONS
Mayor Stromberg briefly spoke to the Council’s recent decision to keep the existing 3-lane configuration (road diet)
and within just a few days we are now kicking off this important ad hoc committee to address key issues in the
downtown core. He stated that this ad hoc committee provides more engagement between the City Council & assists
in decision making. He noted that he is very excited for what comes out of this process.
Each member present introduced themselves to the committee.
DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE OVERVIEW
Mike Faught, Public Works Director
Faught addressed the City of Ashland’s municipal code section 2.04 & 2.10 which were included in the meeting
packet. He read over sections 2.10.025, 2.10.050, scope of work, council goals, 2.10.080, 2.10.085, 2.10.105.
The committee discussed the scheduling of future meetings. The committee will be meeting at least every other
month and then maybe more often as we progress. The meeting frequency could change as we move along with the
process. David Young pointed out that due to his employment as a substitute teacher he would prefer meetings at
3:30 pm or later. The committee agreed with the time and future meetings were tentatively set for the 1st Wednesday
of each month from 3:30-5:30 pm.
Bob Parker, Director of the Community Service Center at the University of Oregon
Nicholas Meltzer, Project Coordinator with the Community Service Center at the University of Oregon
Parker went over the project advisory committee roles:
Identify and prioritize community issues, goals and concerns
Provide direction and overview on project
Determine reasonable and appropriate policy directions to pursue
Act as conduit between staff, the project team, the community and decision-makers
Chair elections and rules/regulations
Parker stated that the graduate student team will be starting up in January and they have things they will begin
working on prior to the February meeting.
Parking was identified as an issue in several previous studies:
2001 Downtown plan
2011 Downtown plan white paper
o Improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists;
o Manage parking supplies;
ASHLAND DOWNTOWN PARKING & MULTI-MODAL COMMITTEE
December 5, 2013
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o Improve the street scape; and
o Promote appropriate infill development.
2013 Transportation Systems Plan
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Parker covered the following areas: Study area (see attached), Scope of Work, Process, Timeline, Inter-related
Policy Issues, Key Policy Considerations of Parking Management Programs.
Scope of Work:
Phase I- Parking Supply and Demand
The study will evaluate the effectiveness of existing downtown parking management, and truck and bus
loading zones.
Phase II- Travel Demand Management
The study will evaluate the effectiveness of travel demand management strategies to increase overall
accessibility to downtown for tourists, citizens, students and employees.
Phase III- Multi-modal Analysis
The study will also evaluate alternatives generated during the Transportation System Plan update analysis
phase which included bicycle lanes and wider sidewalks on East Main Street through the downtown
corridor.
Process:
Parking Inventory
Parking Utilization
Traffic/Pedestrian/Bike Count
Community & Business survey
Community Engagement
Policy Evaluation
Timeline:
January-March will include case studies, data collection, business surveys, and community surveys.
April-May will include interviews, community engagement, and policy option identification.
June-August will include council presentation, and policy development.
Inter-related Policy Issues:
Parking management decisions are policy decisions (affects land use, zoning, economic development,
tourism, traffic congestion, carbon emissions)
Planners use data to inform policy decisions
Objective and comprehensive data collection required
Robust public process also necessary
Key Policy Considerations of Parking Management Programs:
Increase Capacity
Manage Demand
PRELIMINARY MONITORING
First stage of monitoring completed Labor Day weekend (August 30-31)
Parking inventory & utilization
Bicycle and pedestrian user & facility counts
Parking Inventory:
ASHLAND DOWNTOWN PARKING & MULTI-MODAL COMMITTEE
December 5, 2013
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Downtown area outlined by Ashland City Staff
Occupancy measured between 8:00 am – 5:30 pm (completed every two hours)
Time limited, non-limited, short term & loading, bus & authorized
Data presented using Excel and ArcGIS
1917 spaces in study area
The Study Area was presented (see attached)
Parking Inventory:
Limited – 522 spaces
Short Term & Loading – 70 spaces
Bus & Authorized – 13 spaces
Moto & Disabled – 33 spaces
No Limit – 1279 spaces
Rich Rosenthal & Dennis Slattery left at 12:00 pm
Parker asked the committee to provide examples of when they would like future parking studies to be completed by
emailing Tami.
Parking Occupancy (see attached):
Data is from Labor Day Weekend, which is most likely one of the busiest times of the year (the committee
had a discussion on this and pointed out to the two U of O representatives that it isn’t necessarily a
representation of the busiest but more likely a representation of a typical Summer day)
Occupancy rates increased throughout the day until midday, and remained high for the rest of the day
Short-term parking, loading zones, disabled parking and bus parking never achieved an occupancy rate
greater than 55 percent (indicates underused capacity
4-hour spaces had the highest occupancy levels (drivers needed to park in longer-term spaces to conduct
their business downtown)
Parking spaces closest to downtown’s core filled faster than the spaces further from the core
The committee pointed out a few things to Parker and Meltzer:
The time limit spots are changed after the Oregon Shakespeare Festival closes for the season.
During the weekend the bank parking lots are often used for public parking.
The beginning of June through the end of September the Hargadine parking garage is generally full.
There are no bicycle lanes through downtown which could affect the capacity results.
Bicycle Facilities:
Total capacity study area 327 spaces (largest occupancy rate was 36% Saturday afternoon/lowest
occupancy rate was seen on Friday morning)
During the times surveyed, the capacity of bike parking was rarely exceeded
Bike occupancy rates grew gradually as the day progressed, peaking around 2-6 pm
Occupancy rates highest in close proximity to important amenities (Food Co-op market and OSF)
Majority of bike parking in good condition and provided ample security for locking
Low traffic of bicycle commuters observed, in tandem with low demand on bike parking, current capacity
sufficient
o Counts were conducted three times daily in three locations (Oak and Lithia, Pioneer and Main and
A and 2nd Street)
o A relatively low traffic flow of bicyclists was observed in all three locations
o Main and Pioneer, and Oak and Lithia experienced peaks of pedestrian traffic around 12-2 pm
GOALS, ISSUES, OPPORTUNITIES
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The committee brainstormed what they want to see, what they don’t want to see and what their afraid might happen.
The results are:
Wants -
Long range plan (i.e. 20 years) with intermittent goals and funding options for each
A vibrant, active, safe downtown
Case studies of similar sized cities with tourist based economies
Actionable recommendations by city council
Have the committee come out in full support of the plan (i.e. everyone agrees)
Create a BOLD vision for the future—the current system works well, however attitudes and perceptions are
shifting and multi-modal needs to be incorporated
Develop public-private partnerships
Analyze how far people are willing to walk, while understanding the needs of those with mobility issues
Analyze truck loading zones more in-depth
Research paid parking impacts on businesses and traffic patterns
Understand user base (i.e. different needs of residents, visitors, etc.)
Recognize that downtown parking issues have more broad affects than downtown and the development of a
downtown circulator (bus or trolley) could be effective
Look at work previously done
Fears -
Loss of parking when bike lanes are installed
Ban on deliveries
Needs of businesses are neglected
A plan that’s too expensive
Reach impasse as a committee
“Us against them” mentality/options
Inequity in action items
Not understanding the historical context
Negatively impact downtown
City council doesn’t support goals
The committee is close-minded
Parking structures
CLOSING/NEXT STEPS
It was noted that the Transportation System Plan will be updated with this when it is completed/approved.
Craig Anderson left at 12:50 pm.
The committee was reminded that the next meeting is scheduled for February 5, 2014 at 3:30 and the committee will
be notified of the location.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 1:00 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Tami De Mille-Campos, Administrative Assistant
Study
Area