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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/05/2016 - Minutes - Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory BoardCyr( C)z'Cor,.u• ESiiruy> Home of 1ix.0 A< b1 f bdirrfi:y% MINUTES BICYCLE, PEDESTRIAN, AND GREENWAYS ADVISORY BOARD Tuesday July 5, 2016 3:00 PM College Station City Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room 1 1101 Texas Avenue College Station, Texas, 77840 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Blanche Brick, Brandon Boatcallie, Jon Denton, Tina Evans, Molly Fierro, Phillip Lasley, Andrew Middleton STAFF PRESENT: Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Senior Program Manager Venessa Garza, Director of Parks and Recreation David Schmitz, Public Works Engineer Susan Monnat, Public Works Traffic Engineer James Robertson, Graduate Traffic Engineer Leslie Rivas, Board Secretary Amber Johnson AGENDA ITEM NO. 1: Call to Order. Chairman Brick called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 2: Hear Visitors Mr. Ted Hamilton of 2110 Rolling Rock Place, College Station, Texas, gave an introduction to the board and expressed interest in contributing towards the efforts of the board. AGENDA ITEM NO. 3: Consideration, discussion, and possible action to approve meeting Minutes. Board Member Middleton motioned to approve the meeting minutes from April 4, 2016. The motion was seconded by Board Member Denton and was approved (5-0). AGENDA ITEM NO. 4: Presentation and discussion regarding an update on the following item(s): The Retreat at College Station Rezoning, University Drive Pedestrian Improvements Project, and the Holleman Drive South Widening Project. Senior Program Manager Venessa Garza presented this item to the Board. Ms. Garza provided an update to the Board regarding the three items previously discussed. Ms. Garza stated that there has been no action on The Retreat at College Station Rezoning. The next step would be for the item to go to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then the City Council. The applicant has not requested a date to go to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Board Member Lasley joined the meeting at approximately 3:10 p.m. A public meeting was held on Monday, June 6, 2016 regarding the University Drive Pedestrian Improvements Project. This project includes the widening of sidewalks and the addition of raised medians from College Main to South College Avenue. It will also include a signal change that will move from Spence Street to Church Avenue. Board Member Lasley asked if there was going to be a barrier in the median. Ms. Garza stated that there will not be a barrier. Engineer James Robertson stated that the barrier is not currently planned as it becomes an object for motorists to collide with and that the inclusion of the barrier will not prevent the behavior of people crossing mid -block. Mr. Lasley asked if any landscaping was planned. Mr. Robertson stated that there will be landscaping on the Texas A&M campus side of the project. Ms. Garza stated that there will also be landscaping on the other side as areas redevelop. Mr. Lasley asked how the project would be expanded onto South College towards Bryan. Ms. Garza stated the scope of the project is the intersection though there is a transition being considered for those that decide to bike on the roadway. Also, the free right-hand turns will be removed. Mr. Lasley stated he was inquiring whether an off-street trail that is north coming south would be in the right-of-way of the Century Square project. Ms. Garza stated that there is a trail proposed in the right-of-way on the east side that will connect to the trail being constructed by the City of Bryan. A sidewalk will also be built with the Culpepper Plaza redevelopment on the west side. The extension of that sidewalk will be added as a proposed segment in the BPG Master Plan to connect a proposed sidewalk in the City of Bryan. Ms. Garza stated that this is an important corridor and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has allocated funding for the trail proposed along this corridor for 2017 or 2018. Chairman Brick asked if there had been any discussion regarding development in Hensel Park. Ms. Garza stated that the City of Bryan received a grant that is allowing them to add a 12 foot wide shared use path along Brookside Dr. to Inlow Blvd. which will run in front of Hensel Park. A public meeting was held on Wednesday, June 29 regarding the Holleman Drive South Widening Project from North Dowling to Rock Prairie Road. Input was requested from citizens in regards to two cross sections: Option 1 - bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides or Option 2 - a 12 foot multi -use path on one side and a sidewalk on the other. Chairman Brick asked what type of feedback was received regarding the project. Ms. Garza stated that at the meeting the feedback that was received was mixed. Email communications that were received have preferred the bike lane option. Mr. Lasley asked if any other form of public engagement has been looked into. Specifically the student demographic as they are a large portion of the population in that area. Public Works Engineer Susan Monnat stated that they are looking at other options to include those other demographics specifically in the Barracks subdivision. Board Member Tina Evans asked how it is decided which side of the road that the sidewalk or multi -use path is constructed. Ms. Garza stated that multi -use path is currently on the east side so the plan was to continue it on that side of the roadway. However, the proposed school in the area may affect which side of the roadway the path is located on. Ms. Monnat stated that it would still be beneficial to leave the multi -use on the side by the Barracks subdivision and would line up with the existing pathway. The Mission Ranch development and the proposed school appear to have an alternate route that will not necessitate the widening of the path on that side of the roadway on Holleman Drive. The board held a general discussion regarding the location of the proposed school. Ms. Garza stated that the project is still in design and staff is still seeking input. Ms. Evans asked if staff has a design preference. Ms. Monnat stated that the staff is hoping to design something that will be the most utilized. However, Option 2 allows them more flexibility and takes up Tess of the right-of-way that will be easier to perform grade upgrades. Ms. Garza stated again that the email input that has been received thus far has favored the bike lanes in Option 1. Mr. Robertson stated that one of the difficulties they have run into is the cross sections were designed for a 115 foot right-of-way but the roadway is only 100 foot. Ms. Garza stated that staff still has some opportunities to consider with the review of the design. Board Member Boatcallie stated that in either option different types of users may use the travel lane regardless of the presence of bike lanes. Less experienced users may favor sidewalks or multi -use paths. Feedback from the users will be essential in determining the most appropriate design. Mr. Lasley stated that as Holleman Drive South is a high -traffic roadway more separation with a multi -use path would be favorable. If Option 1 is selected some sort of separation could be considered such a cycle track. Board Member Denton stated that he is in favor of Option 2. Mr. Boatcallie added that he is also in favor of option 2 which has more separation between the bicyclists and vehicle traffic. Board Member Middleton stated that educating the user is key in the use of the multi -use path and sidewalk. Chairman Brick stated that the board majority seems to favor option 2. AGENDA ITEM NO. 5: Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding Parkland Dedication funds and trails. Ms. Garza stated that the Board requested a discussion on this item a few months ago. The board had inquired if parkland dedication funds could be used to fund trails. Director of Parks and Recreation David Schmitz presented this item to the Board. Mr. Schmitz stated that he spoke with the Assistant City Attorney, Mary Ann Powell, who stated that parkland dedication funds could be utilized for trail development or redevelopment. On some of the new developments such as Campus Village the developer was able to use parkland dedication funds to build a trail that connected to an existing trail and a park. The funds may be used for trail development or redevelopment as long as they are for a recreational purpose. It also has to be determined if it serves a neighborhood or community need as parkland dedication is collected separately by type. Parkland funds that are collected must be used within the zone in which they originated. There are currently 29 neighborhood park zones and 4 community park zones. Ms. Garza stated that staff would have to look at priorities and what the needs are for Parks and Recreation and what has already been programmed for those funds. Mr. Denton asked what the uses would be for the funds for recreational purposes other than connecting parks. Mr. Schmitz stated that classification would need to be determined by staff, this Board, and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Mr. Lasley asked if the trail in itself could be recreational. Mr. Schmitz stated that would need to be determined on a case by case basis. Ms. Garza added that for a previous rezoning one of the requirements from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board of the developer was to install exercise equipment which met the recreational component. Board Member Fierro joined the meeting at approximately 3:37 p.m. Mr. Boatcallie asked if there was anything on the current list of priorities that would meet this criteria. Ms. Garza stated that they have not had the opportunity to sit down and discuss which of the priorities may be an option. The Board held a general discussion regarding areas that may potentially meet the criteria to be able to utilize parkland dedication funds. AGENDA ITEM NO. 6: Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding Bike Boxes. Senior Program Manager Venessa Garza presented this item to the Board. Bike boxes are used at the intersection of a roadway to increase safety and accommodate bicyclists. The use of bike boxes is being considered at certain intersections around the perimeter of Texas A&M University campus since it is a major destination with a large number of bicyclists. They are still considered experimental so any city who wishes to implement them must conduct research to show that the use will be effective and useful. Mr. Robertson stated that another goal of bike boxes is to keep the bicycles out of the pedestrian crosswalks. The board held a general discussion regarding the use of bike boxes and were in favor of them. AGENDA ITEM NO. 7: Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding Crowdsourcing. Board Member Molly Fierro presented this item to the Board. Crowdsourcing is a resource that can be used to collect information from the community and encourage participation. Competitions or online surveys could be utilized to gather data. The Board held a general discussion regarding potential crowdsourcing opportunities. Ms. Evans stated that it would be beneficial to involve the Public Communications department. Chairman Brick agreed that it would be good to involve the Public Communications department regarding some specific crowdsourcing ideas in the future. AGENDA ITEM NO. 8: Presentation and discussion regarding the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board calendar of upcoming meetings. • July 7, 2016 — Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting — City Hall, Council Chambers N 6:00 p.m. • July 21, 2016 — Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting ^' City Hall, Council Chambers — 6:00 p.m. • July 26, 2016 N Citizen Volunteer Appreciation Dinner N 6:00 p.m. • August 1, 2016 N Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting — City Hall, Council Chambers — 3:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM NO. 9: Possible action and discussion on future agenda items — A Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board Member may inquire about a subject for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting. Chairman Brick stated that a future agenda item would be more discussion regarding Crowdsourcing. AGENDA ITEM NO. 10: Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 4:09 p.m. APPROVED: .141},k) Blanche Brick, ehairma 0/7// ATTEST: A Amber Johnson, yard Secretary