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TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
APPROVED
HELD ON AUGUST 18, 2009
TAB Members Present |
TAB Members Absent |
Others Present |
Ken Cole, Chairman |
Ron Barnes, Vice Chairman (excused) |
Alan Sanderson |
Ian Bennett |
Travis Cunningham (excused) |
Renate Ehm |
Nick Camillone |
Danny Martinez | |
Jerel Campbell |
Benny Rodriguez | |
Dawn Fortuna |
Derrick Bailey | |
Matt Tolman |
Randi Davis | |
Grady Van Noy |
Victoria Kerr | |
David Wier |
Mark Venti | |
Larry Woolf |
Melissa Randazzo | |
Dale Brunk | ||
Fred Rustam |
Brent Henderson
Glenn Gorke
Marc Ahlstrom
Rene Powell
Sgt. David Meicke
Chairman Ken Cole arrived late and Vice Chairman Ron Barnes was absent, so Boardmember Ian Bennett called the August 18, 2009 Transportation Advisory Board meeting to order at 5:32 pm.
Item 1. Approval of the minutes of the Transportation Advisory Board meeting held on July 21, 2009.
Larry Woolf moved to approve the minutes as written. Dawn Fortuna seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Item 2. Items from citizens present.
None.
Item 3. Hear staff update on the status of the alignment study for the Power Road Improvements from Pecos Road to the Loop 202 (Santan) Freeway.
At the July 21, 2009 Board meeting, the owner of multiple parcels of land at the northwest corner of Power Road and Williams Field Road requested that the Board table the vote on the preferred alignment until the August meeting. Fred Rustam reported that staff met with the affected property owners to discuss the preferred alignment and try to resolve their concerns, and to explore other options. Larry Woolf asked if it was one or more property owners; Mr. Rustam said there are two owners but they have multiple parcels. Mr. Rustam said that discussions are ongoing and staff is preparing more detailed exhibits and estimates, which they hope to bring before the Board at the September Board meeting.
Item 4. Discuss and take action on staff recommendation to approve the installation of speed cushions on Jensen Street between Power Road and Ivyglen Street.
Renate Ehm advised that every street that met the warranting criteria for the installation of speed cushions was able to be funded. She then presented a report detailing the level of support for the proposed installation of speed cushions on Jensen Street between Power Road and Ivyglen Street (where Jensen becomes Sterling) from affected property owners and from other road users. The majority of the affected property owners were in support of the speed cushions, and the majority of comments from respondents who did not live in the affected area opposed the installation of the speed cushions. This is a typical response to proposed traffic calming measures on collector streets.
Ian Bennett asked if staff used a formula to weight the affected property owners versus those who don’t live on the street; Ms. Ehm said no, staff uses established criteria and it is the Board’s job to weigh the issues. Larry Woolf asked about the school’s response. Ms. Ehm indicated they voted in support of the speed cushions. He also asked why there was a difference in cost compared to the next item, and Ms. Ehm said it was due to the difference in the widths of the streets. Nick Camillone asked if a study had been done to determine if the street is used as a cut through from Brown to Power. Ms. Ehm said no, but probably not as the counts are typical for that type of street.
Resident Rick Martin, who lives off Sterling and Jensen, said traffic is terrible and unsafe, and he showed a picture of a truck that had run into a house in the neighborhood within the last four months. He also stated, in response to those who claim speed cushions lower property values, that he asked several appraisers if the speed cushions lower property values and was told they do not. Resident Lynnea Padilla stated that she was the driver of the truck that ran into the house; the cause was an epileptic seizure and had nothing to do with speed, and she is opposed to the speed cushions. She asked whether the petitioner has to live in the affected area. Ms. Ehm said that Mr. Martin found someone who lives in the affected area to circulate the petition. Ms. Padilla said she feels the accident caused the residents to support speed cushions. Mr. Woolf asked why she is opposed to the speed cushions. Ms. Padilla said she is concerned about an increase in response time for a medical emergency. Chairman Cole explained that the fire trucks can straddle the speed cushions. Ms. Ehm added that ambulances cannot, but the fire department personnel are the first responders.
Resident Pat Millikan expressed concern that the speed cushions will not do that much good, and feels drivers should be able to drive at the posted speed of 30 mph (the advisory speed over speed cushions is 20 mph) without endangering their vehicles.
Ian Bennett asked why the recommended speed over the speed cushions is 20 mph when the speed limit is 30 mph. Alan Sanderson said that in an ideal world, everyone would be considerate and drive in all neighborhoods as if it were their own. The biggest complaint of residents is speeding in their neighborhoods. He explained different drivers with different vehicles will be comfortable going over the cushions at different speeds, but we post the advisory speed conservatively. He said there is no device that can act as a top speed governor for all vehicles. This is the first time the Fire Department has approved devices on fire routes. Ms. Millikan thinks more people should have been contacted. Resident Tamera Serrano also spoke out against the speed cushions. She said she wasn’t petitioned as an affected property owner, but will still be able to hear the noise from vehicles going over the speed cushions, and thinks a new study should be done now that the 202 is completed.
Chairman Cole moved to accept staff recommendation to approve the installation of speed cushions on Jensen Street between Power Road and Ivyglen Street. Mr. Woolf seconded and the motion passed eight to one, with Mr. Bennett voting nay.
Item 5. Discuss and take action on staff recommendation to approve the installation of speed cushions on Hermosa Vista Drive between 64th Street and Power Road.
Renate Ehm presented a report detailing the level of support for the proposed installation of speed cushions on Hermosa Vista Drive between 64th Street and Power Road from affected property owners and from other road users. The 85th percentile speed of 42 mph is the highest of the six streets studied. The majority of the affected property owners were in support of the speed cushions, and the majority of comments from respondents who did not live in the affected area opposed the installation of the speed cushions. This is a typical response to proposed traffic calming measures on collector streets.
Ms. Ehm read a comment by resident Sara Highland, who said if the speed cushions are anything like speed humps, she finds them annoying. Larry Woolf asked if there is a record of citations issued, and recommended that information be included in future reports. Ms. Ehm said that the traffic volumes are relatively low and therefore the number of citations written is likely low. Matt Tolman expressed concern about the potential shift of traffic onto Menlo; Ms. Ehm estimated it would be less than 10%. Dawn Fortuna pointed out that increasing police resources would exceed the installation cost of speed cushions very quickly. Nick Camillone asked when the counts were done. Ms. Ehm said two years ago. Mr. Camillone asked if staff could get more current information, and Ms. Ehm said new counts were not taken because the residents pay for the count collection. Mr. Woolf asked Sgt. Meicke how much money the City receives on a speeding citation for 17 mph over the limit and Sgt. Meicke said he could not answer that specifically.
Resident Chris White, who lives on Hermosa Vista, expressed his concern about storm water runoff issues. He said he lives where he does because there is no HOA, he believes the speed cushions will affect his vehicles, and he would not have bought there if speed cushions had already been installed.
Resident David Hyland expressed his concerns about the diversion of vehicles and juvenile drivers who will try to go around them. The City plans to put lots of signs in the dirt, which will cause the trash trucks and postal vehicles to go on and off the street, causing more tracking and dust. In addition, he runs Sun Devil Auto, and he drives over speed humps to locate the noises that vehicle owners complain about. He feels the speed humps do damage a vehicle’s suspension. Ian Bennett asked Mr. Hyland if, in his professional opinion, the wear and tear on a vehicle is caused by speed humps or by the type of driver, and Mr. Hyland repeated that he feels speed humps do cause damage. Chairman Cole asked Mr. Hyland if he felt there was a speeding problem, and Mr. Hyland said when classes get out, yes, there is. Dawn Fortuna asked if staff had a breakdown of how the residents on the south side of Hermosa Vista voted, and Ms. Ehm said we do not.
Resident Frank Mayher said he has lived on Hermosa Vista for 25 years, there have been no accidents since it has been paved, and he doesn’t see any problem with the way things are now. Resident Jerry Lawson said some residents have changed their minds, and some words were blacked out on the notice, so he thought the survey was only for residents actually on Hermosa Vista. He does not want signs and barricades along the dirt, and he has never seen anyone getting a citation or any accidents. He recommends doing the survey again, and the time of year it is done could be affected by the winter visitors.
Resident Wesley Cook said he supports the speed cushions. He thinks the average speed on the street is about 45 mph and he has seen 75 mph. He wants the traffic slowed down. Resident Tony Jutting said he took the petition around and there was no misleading of the residents. He also doesn’t particularly care about driving over bumps, but he wants traffic slowed down. However, he is not too pleased about the barricades, and the trash trucks do cause a lot of dust.
Mr. Mayher said he will still be able to hear the vehicles going over the speed cushions.
Chairman Cole asked how staff is going to handle the signs to keep people from driving around the speed cushions, and about drainage. Ms. Ehm said the signs would be similar to what is on Indigo Street. The water usually drains to the gutter side, and the gaps in the speed cushions help the drainage. Mr. Bennett asked if there have been studies done on erosion and dust. Alan Sanderson said there have been more than 600 speed hump installations and only two have had to be removed for drainage reasons. He also pointed out that this is not a typical street since it is only half built.
Mr. Bennett moved to accept staff recommendation to approve the installation of speed cushions on Hermosa Vista Drive between 64th Street and Power Road. Mr. Campbell seconded, and the motion failed six to three, with Mr. Bennett, Mr. Camillone, Mr. Tolman, Mr. Van Noy, Mr. Wier and Mr. Woolf voting nay.
Mr. Woolf suggested that more officers be deployed in that area. Mr. Campbell suggested that Environmental look at the dust issue caused by trash pickup and mail delivery.
Item 6. Discuss and take action on staff recommendation to approve the installation of speed cushions on Portobello Avenue between Los Altos and Dobson Road.
Renate Ehm presented a report detailing the level of support for the proposed installation of speed cushions on Portobello Avenue between Los Altos and Dobson Road from affected property owners and from other road users. The majority of the affected property owners were in support of the speed cushions, and the majority of comments from respondents who did not live in the affected area were also in support of the installation of the speed cushions.
David Wier moved to accept staff recommendation to approve the installation of speed cushions on Portobello Avenue between Los Altos and Dobson Road. Chairman Cole seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Item 7. Hear a presentation on the Downtown Vision and Concept Plan for Mesa.
Dave Wilson presented information on the update to the 1999 Downtown Mesa Concept Plan, produced by BRW Consultants and accepted by Mesa City Council in 2000. Downtown Mesa Association (DMA) agreed to facilitate the update in conjunction with the City. The report provides a summary of the initial input received and the community outreach efforts made by DMA. The timeframe for the update and approval is expected to be the end of 2009, at which time they will work on an implementation plan.
Mr. Wilson said the one word DMA would like to see describe downtown is “vibrant.” He outlined five vision elements and 10 transformative projects that would help achieve that.
Chairman Cole asked what the advantage of a Mesa Drive interchange on SR 202 would be. Mr. Wilson said there should be more than one access from the 202, and it would bring a lot of traffic.
Matt Tolman asked who the stakeholders are, the property owners or the businesses. Mr. Wilson said both, as well as residents and employees, but mostly businesses and property owners. Mr. Tolman said that growth should be natural and boundaries flexible and this plan doesn’t do it. He said we have plans but nothing changes, and we are spinning our wheels to redraft the plan just to redraft the plan. Mr. Tolman said there needs to be a focus on the retailers – they provide the reasons for people to come downtown. He said time limits on parking deter people from coming downtown. Mr. Tolman wants to make the merchants the primary focus – when the merchants are successful, the owners and others will be as well, and the merchants know what will make them successful.
Mr. Wilson pointed out that this is an update, not a complete rework, and is geared towards the merchants. He hears frequent comments that there needs to be more reasons to be downtown. Mr. Tolman said there is a lot of talk but no action, but the constant talk of change scares retailers because they don’t know what’s going to happen.
Dawn Fortuna said it has always seemed like Mesa had trouble defining what it wants to be, and she asked if DMA had talked to folks in other cities like Tempe or Glendale. Mr. Wilson said Tom Verploegen, DMA President, has extensive contact with other cities.
David Wier, a past President of DMA, said some of the problems are due to absentee ownership. Owners from California think their properties are worth more than they actually are, and it is a problem getting these properties to move. Other cities he has visited, such as Pasadena and Philadelphia, have a tremendous amount of city help, such as low interest loans. He feels the businesses need a lot of City support. Mr. Wier has spoken to many people in Mesa who have never been downtown. He encourages anyone who has ideas to go to these meetings and provide input. People do have good ideas, but it does take money and City involvement.
Nick Camillone said that businesses follow people. People need to be encouraged to live downtown. Mr. Wier emphasized live, work and play in downtown. He said we have some pieces of the puzzle in downtown, such as museums and the Arts Center, but Hohokam Stadium was built in a residential area across from the cemetery. He feels mistakes have been made, but we need to build a synergy.
Ian Bennett asked why walkability is a first priority, and what the benefit is. Shouldn’t getting people downtown be a higher priority? Mr. Wilson said it is so coming downtown is not a drive-by experience, and while it may not be the first priority, it is a high priority.
Mr. Wier said we haven’t told people what a tax generator downtown is; Mr. Wilson said there are $2 billion in district sales.
Jerel Campbell said if you bring people, then business will come. It seems to always come down to tax dollars – something that generates tax revenue is automatically good. Is an idea good because it generates tax revenue or because it creates a great area to be in? Everything shouldn’t hinge on the tax revenue benefit. Mr. Wier pointed out that the City needs to look at a property tax. Mesa is a town of half a million people and we need to start acting like a town of half a million people.
Mr. Camillone asked if there is anything in the vision to populate downtown – we need people permanently living there, and we need incentives for people to live there. Mr. Wilson said the plan advocates mixed use.
Mr. Bennett suggested pursuing the viability of an uptown and a downtown.
Item 8. Discuss and take action on staff recommendation to approve the alignment for the Southern Avenue and Mesa Drive Intersection Improvements.
Fred Rustam and Marc Ahlstrom presented an informational report on the recommended alignment for the Southern Avenue and Mesa Drive Intersection Improvements project. Two public meetings were held to allow input on the proposed alignment and, based on comments received, the alignment was modified to allow more access to the intersecting roadways on Mesa Drive south of Southern Avenue and minimize the need to acquire right of way from the adjacent properties. Right of way acquisition and design for the $21.5 million project is estimated to take two to two and a half years. Funding for this project is included in the approved Two-Year Streets Bond Program. The estimated cost for the street construction is $15 million, right of way acquisition $5 million, and utility relocations $1.5 million.
Larry Woolf asked how much of the cost is Prop 400 dollars and how much from issuing bonds. It was to be a 70-30 split but is now closer to 50-50. Mr. Woolf was concerned that there is no bus pullout shown for one of the corners. Alan Sanderson explained that it is a balancing act between moving it too far from the intersection, which can be a safety issue, and dollars. Mr. Woolf would like staff to explore some way to have a pullout, and Mr. Tolman concurred.
Dawn Fortuna said she is concerned about giving up room for bike traffic. The frontage road is too narrow for a bike lane and a traffic lane.
Resident Ann Nichols expressed her concern that she would have to back out of her driveway on to Mesa Drive and requested a side drive. Mr. Sanderson said the City fully intends to honor the commitment made at the public meeting for a side drive; the plans are not detailed enough at this stage to show that.
Mr. Woolf asked if the City will replace the trees and shrubs that will be taken out. Mr. Sanderson said that can be part of the negotiations with the affected property owners.
Mr. Tolman inquired about advance acquisitions. Mr. Ahlstrom said staff will talk to those property owners who will be severely impacted as soon as the project is approved to move ahead.
David Wier moved to accept staff recommendation to approve the alignment for the Southern Avenue and Mesa Drive Intersection Improvements. Nick Camillone seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Item 9. Discuss and take action on staff recommendation to approve the alignment and direct staff to proceed with detailed design for the Broadway Road Improvements from 70th Street to Hawes Road.
Brent Henderson presented an informational report on the recommended alignment for the Broadway Road Improvements from 70th Street to Hawes Road and conveyed information related to the public meeting held on July 7, 2009. The $15 million project will be funded by voter approved transportation bonds from the November 2008 City Bond Election. The recommended alternative is the most functional as well as being the lowest cost.
Dawn Fortuna asked about raised medians, and Fred Rustam said these would be striped medians.
David Wier moved to accept staff recommendation to approve the alignment and direct staff to proceed with detailed design for the Broadway Road Improvements from 70th Street to Hawes Road. Ms. Fortuna seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:34 pm.