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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-08-20 MinutesCity Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 1 of 15 Member Aldermen Mayor Dan Coody Ward 1 Position l — Brenda Thiel V10 Ward 2 Position 2 — Nancy Allen CityAttorney Kit Williams � 1 Ward 3 Position 2—Robert Ferrell Ward 4 Position 2 — Lioneld Jordan City Clerk Sondra Smith ARKANSAS City of Fayetteville Arkansas City Council Street Committee Meeting Minutes August 20, 2007 A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council Street Committee was held on August 20, 2007 at 4:30 p.m. in Room 219 of the City Administration Building located at 113 West Mountain Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas. MEMBERS PRESENT: Alderman Lioneld Jordan, Chair; Alderwoman Nancy Allen, Alderman Robert Ferrell, Alderwoman Brenda Thiel Staff Present: Ron Petrie, Chris Brown, Tim Conklin, Gary Dumas, Mayor Dan Coolly 1. Call to Order Chairman Lioneld Jordan called the meeting to order. 2. Approval of the minutes from the August 6, 2007 Street Committee meeting Alderwoman Thiel moved that the minutes of the Street Committee meeting held on August 6, 2007 be approved as submitted. Alderwoman Allen seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 3. Transportation Bond Program Items: A. Presentation of the comments from the August 2, 2007 public meeting for the Cato Springs Road Improvement Project and discussion of authorization to proceed with final design and right-of-way acquisition. This item was tabled at the August 2, 2007 Street Committee meeting for further discussion. Ron Petrie said they were able to take the comments from last Street Committee meeting (from both Committee members and audience) and create some graphics on a few proposed revisions. He said Frank McIllwain from Garver Engineers is here to run through these proposals. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 2 of 15 Frank MCIflWaln said at the last meeting there were many comments about revisions, particularly to the sidewalk on the north side. Many comments focused on how to separate the road improvements from existing structures and houses. He presented five slides, each depicting the plan as it was at the last meeting and what is now being proposed. The first slide was of an area between the railroad tracks and Razorback Road. He said on this stretch of the road the original plan called for a six-foot greenspace and a ten -foot sidewalk on the north side. The separations from the three existing houses ranged from thirteen feet to sixteen feet. What is now proposed is moving the pavement south about four or five feet. Also proposed is eliminating the northern four feet of the ten -foot sidewalk adding an additional ten feet between the sidewalk and the houses. Alderman Jordan said to summarize, we are now looking at about twenty-three feet between the sidewalk and the house that was closest to Razorback Road. There will be twenty-seven and twenty-six foot distances between the sidewalk and the other two houses. Alderwoman Thiel asked if we are putting four -foot sidewalks anywhere else in town. Frank McIllwain said it will be a six-foot sidewalk rather than a four -foot sidewalk. The next slide he presented was of the area near Garland. He said the changes are similar in this area. Before there was a ten -foot sidewalk and a six-foot greenspace on the north side. The only change proposed is for a reduction of the sidewalk to six feet. The six-foot greenspace will remain. Another thing that has changed is that they are now proposing no right-of-way acquisition. With the reduction in the width of the sidewalk, the sidewalk will fit within the existing right-of-way. Alderwoman Thiel asked about the curb and if this sidewalk will be accessible. Frank McIllwain said that portions will be depressed for a handicapped ramp. He pointed out the area on the slide that would be depressed. He said accessibility will be adequate. The next slide exhibited an area on the west side of the bridge, adjacent to the creek. The plan was for a ten -foot wide sidewalk for the entire length of this area. They are proposing to reduce that sidewalk to six feet. That will add another four feet to the distance between the sidewalk and the existing structures. He said they had a little bit of an issue trying to tie into the pedestrian bridge which is a fixed structure but they made that transition all on City property. In response to a question from Alderwoman Thiel, Ron Petrie said the City owns a lot in this area but it is probably unbuildable due to the floodway. Frank McIllwain continued with the fourth slide. This slide depicted the area around Cline Avenue. Originally proposed was a ten -foot sidewalk and a six-foot greenspace. These widths have not changed in the new proposal. What has changed is that there will be no property acquisition necessary. It has been discovered that the dedicated right-of-way for the Bungalows is sufficient for the sidewalk and greenspace. He said one thing he did not point out at the last 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 3 of 15 meeting is that on the Watson property they were proposing a ten -foot sidewalk adjacent to back of curb and they are not proposing anything different now. He said he thinks it was assumed at the last meeting that there would be a ten -foot sidewalk and six-foot greenspace in this area but that is not the case. Alderwoman Thiel asked about a squared off jog on the slide and if that area could be more smoothly transitioned. She believes that people will just walk across the grass instead of following the angle of the sidewalk. Frank McIllwain said that could be done. The fifth slide showed the east end of the project near School St. The former proposal was for a ten -foot greenspace and a ten -foot sidewalk. That has been revised to propose eliminating the greenspace and maintain a ten -foot sidewalk along property that is owned by private individuals. He said that allowed for an increase to the separation between sidewalk and buildings of ten feet. Alderwoman Thiel said this looks good. It looks like all concerns have been addressed. And it will be an improvement over what is there now. Maybe in the future it can be lined up like the University has in mind but at this point that cannot be. Alderman Jordan opened the floor for public comment. He asked that each slide be discussed individually, beginning with the first slide. John Fields said he is very happy with these proposals. He said his mother planted some beautiful pine trees in her front yard and he wondered if the City would be reimbursing them for all the trees they would have to take out or if they would replant other trees. Alderman Jordan said it is his understanding that the City would reimburse for trees if they are not in our right-of-way. Ron Petrie said the City certainly wants to look at replanting wherever we can, regardless of whether or not the trees are in City right-of-way. Alderwoman Allen asked if there would be the possibility of the sidewalk "meandering" in that area. Ron Petrie said yes, in all these instances where we have a group of trees or a substantial tree we will generally go around it. He added that this is not guaranteed with the other utilities. Dawn Sparks said she likes this proposal a lot better than the one discussed at the last meeting. She said there is a 50 -year old hedgerow in front of her house and she wondered when that is replanted who would have to do the upkeep. Alderman Jordan said if it is on private property the City doesn't maintain it. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 4 of 15 Dawn Sparks asked who takes care of green space. Alderman Jordan said he understands the green space is the responsibility of the property owner. Halley Hoggat said he is much more pleased with this outcome. He feels like the City heard what he had to say a couple of weeks ago and he appreciates it. He said he looks forward to working with the engineers once they've passed this on to the utility companies so they will have some input with how the utilities get pressed back as well. He said there is a really new sidewalk in front of the apartments (depicted on the 2 n slide) and he wondered if there is a reason to put a new sidewalk in. Ron Petrie said that is a good point and something he also had considered. He said he hasn't done any type of inspection on it to see what condition it is in. It is something that the City will look at to see if the present sidewalk can be kept. Marion Doss said he is very happy with this proposal. He wondered at what point driveway cuts and that sort of thing would be addressed. Ron Petrie said this is a good time to mention it. Marion Doss said he is looking at adding an additional driveway or widening the present drive to gain access to a garage. Alderman Jordan said we will make a note of that. Jeff Mincy thanked the Committee and staff for the compromise and the professionalism everyone has shown. He said he noticed on the slide that on the west side of the bridge which is more residential there is a six-foot sidewalk and on the east side where there is limited residential there is a ten -foot sidewalk. He wondered why this is. Alderman Jordan said a lot of that was to accommodate property owners on the west side because their houses were right up on the sidewalk. Jeff Mincy said his main concern is that the ten -foot sidewalk will probably get a lot of traffic from scooters, mopeds and bicycles. He thinks a six-foot sidewalk would be every bit as pedestrian friendly as a ten -foot sidewalk. There being no further public comment, Alderman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Committee. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 5 of 15 Alderwoman Allen said she wanted to commend the engineers. She said though the design isn't perfect, we've made wonderful strides. She said she thinks it is important to make sure we straighten out the sidewalks in those few places where they jog and she hopes we will be able to do some of the meandering sidewalks, not only to avoid losing trees but to make it more aesthetically pleasing. She gave cudos to the engineers. Alderwoman Thiel said she thinks the engineers have done a great job of getting this worked out so we're pretty much getting what we need there and still accommodating the residents. Alderwoman Thiel moved to recommend approval of this design. Alderman Ferrell seconded the motion. Ron Petrie said this will allow the staff to begin the full engineering design on the project and begin acquisition of easements. The Committee will see the plans in a more final state at a later date. Alderman Jordan told everyone we will all see this again. He believes everyone is on board with this plan. With a motion and second on the table, the Committee voted unanimously to approve the project. B. Discussion of the intersection of Vandeventer Avenue and Cleburn Street Ron Petrie said at the last Street Committee meeting we had a comment from the public about a specific issue with one of the new landscaped islands at the corner of Vandeventer and Cleburn. Mr. Petrie said he has met with the property owner who lives at the northwest corner of this intersection. He said this is really a sight distance problem. It was a problem that existed before there was an island and of course still remains. Since then Mr. Hill (the property owner) has done some trimming on the hedges. He has also had a professional come out and look at what more can be done. Mr. Petrie said he appreciates these efforts. At this point he recommends that members of the Committee go out and take a look at the situation. He doesn't think it is perfect and would like to see the hedge cut back more. But he also recognizes that there are probably ten different intersections in this neighborhood that are the same. These streets have lots of vegetation around each corner. He doesn't want to be unfair to this particular property owner and make them do something that we're not going to require others to do. He said he still thinks more trimming should be done and if that does not help, we could look at possibly placing a "yield" sign on one particular leg of the intersection. He said a stop sign isn't recommended because it defeats the purpose here. Hopefully with the traffic calming efforts we have slowed traffic down enough for vehicles to have the opportunity to see another vehicle coming out at this intersection. Alderwoman Allen asked what the red stake on the property indicates. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 6 of 15 Ron Petrie said it is a right-of-way stake that the City puts out. Alderwoman Allen asked Mr. Hill if he could tell the Committee when the trimming took place and to make any comments he wished to make on the situation. Jimmy Hill said he has lived at this residence for seven years. He said the first time this became an issue was when the staff was out meeting with Mr. Axtel. He said Mr. Axtel had never mentioned it to him. He said since the first day he met with Chris Brown and Sid Norbash (staff) he has trimmed the hedge back four times. He said he had a professional look at it and they said this is not the time to trim because of the heat. He said these are rose bushes and not really a hedge. He said if he felt like this was a danger, he would be the first to cut it down or do whatever was needed. But the actual roundabout has worked great and even helps this situation because now people are more cautious coming down Vandeventer. He said he doesn't think this is a problem. He said the only time it was ever mentioned to him was the Friday before the last Committee meeting. At that time he met with Mr. Axtel and suggested they try to figure it out, to which Mr. Axtel agreed. He said he wants to continue to work with staff on this. He said he gets many positive comments on the roses. Alderwoman Allen asked if the hedge or rose garden is on the sidewalk or if a pedestrian would have to walk around it when walking on the sidewalk. Jimmy Hill said it has been cut back so nobody gets pricked by the bushes. He said at the last meeting it was stated that on -coming traffic could not see a car pulling out onto Vandeventer. He said he parked his car at the intersection, behind the sidewalk, and walked up Vanderventer. He measured 1424.3 feet up the street and he could still see the front end of his car. Alderwoman Thiel said she just returned from a trip to Boulder, Colorado and they use the traffic circles a lot out there. The circles seem to be very successful at slowing the traffic down. Alderman Ferrell said he drove by today and was looking around. He said he found himself almost coming to a stop and he wondered if a lot of people do that. Jimmy Hill said that is not unusual at all. Alderman Ferrell said he looked at the right-of-way line. He said with Mr. Hill's cooperative spirit he believes this can be worked out. Alderman Jordan opened the,/loor to public comment. There being none, he brought the discussion back to the Committee. Ron Petrie said staff will continue to monitor the situation and see if we can improve the situation wherever they can. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 7 of 15 4. Discussion of the Downtown Square Sidewalk Rehabilitation Droiect and the possible future conversion of East Avenue, Center Street, Mountain Street and Block Avenue from one-way to two-way as recommended by Dover -Kohl in the Downtown Master Plan. Ron Petrie said the City Parks division is currently working on a design for the sidewalk replacements around the square. We have known for some time the recommendation from the Downtown Master Plan is to convert all the streets that enter into the square from one-way to two-way. A couple of meetings ago, the Committee discussed a portion of East Street (just north of the square) and it was decided that block would remain one lane, one-way going north. He said if we decide to look at converting to two-way some day, it affects the design of the sidewalks. If we want to think about making these streets two-way in the future, staff should probably draw up some options and present them to the Street Committee because it is going to take some fairly significant changes to the curb lines that exist today. If we want to replace the sidewalks, we're going to need that decision fairly soon in order to get those plans moving forward. About three years ago staff had drawn up some conceptual plans to make these streets two-way. Staff is very concerned about the awkward configurations and movements it would take to make that happen. He asked for the Committee to give staff direction as to whether they want staff to study the option of converting these streets to two-way. Alderwoman Thiel said she has lived here all her life. She doesn't remember when Center Street was converted but it was one way for many years. She said she sees some major logistical problems (with converting to two-way). One way has worked well because it took congestion off College right in front of the courthouse. She said it a pretty busy intersection with northbound traffic trying to turn left. If you complicate that by adding traffic trying to leave Center Street you will create an issue there. The same is the case on Mountain Street if you add traffic going the other direction. She understands some of the logic behind making it two-way but she thinks there is logic in one-way streets around dense downtown areas. It just makes the traffic flow better. She thinks we would spend a lot of money and lose a lot of on -street parking. She is not in favor of moving forward with this plan. Alderman Ferrell asked what Dover Kohl's main objective was in recommending the traffic be two-way going onto the square. Tim Conklin said when Dover Kohl was here in 2004 they were looking at the ability to bring back the two-way streets and whether or not it was necessary to have two lanes of traffic heading in the same direction. He said the Street Committee changed Highland Avenue, Church Street and Spring Street to two-way a couple of years ago and that allows people to move about the downtown a lot easier. With regard to the streets that were coming into the square, two years ago we made a recommendation not to consider that due to the fact that Mountain Inn project is happening and at this time Mountain Street was closed. Overall the consideration was is it necessary to have two lanes of traffic going in one direction on some of these streets that have 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 8 of 15 very low volumes and if the streets are wide enough whether it is possible to bring them back to two ways to allow more choices and flexibility Alderman Ferrell said he understands that. He said Mr. Kohl told him that we could move more traffic on one lane on College Avenue than on two (which Mr. Ferrell disputed). He asked if the business owners on the square have voiced any preferences other than when the downtown master plan was being developed. Ron Petrie said we haven't had any separate meetings regarding this. This is the really the beginning of this discussion. Mayor Coolly said we want to do a lot of infrastructure work and clean up some curbs on the square. The Dover Kohl idea of making these streets two-way sounded good but the more we have looked at it and worked around it, it creates more problems that it solves. He said staffs recommendation would be to maintain the one way status of the streets around the square but convert some of the streets with two lanes going one way to one lane. The streets (such as East Street) aren't wide enough to really have two lanes and it would be safer and less confusing if they were converted to one lane. That would allow for more parking and other features on the sides. Staff is now looking for such a recommendation from the Committee. That will give them the freedom to begin the design of the work around the square. Alderman Jordan opened the floor to public comment. Jeff Jeffus, publisher of the Northwest Arkansas Times and general manager of the Democrat Gazette, said from a safety standpoint he hopes the committee strongly considers keeping the streets one-way. He said they have 150 to 175 employees negotiating East Avenue out of their parking lot with another hundred carriers at night. He thinks it is more feasible to keep the street one way from a safety standpoint. With two-way traffic he can see a lot of congestion off Dickson and we would lose parking. Alderman Ferrell said he agrees with Mr. Jeffus. He asked if Mr. Jeffus thinks there will be a problem with one lane of traffic on East Street once you get down to Dickson and try to make a turn. Jeff Jeffus said he thinks it would be good to keep two turn lanes onto Dickson so you can go either left or right. He thinks traffic will back up if you don't have that option. John Nock said he supports the idea of one lane, especially on East Avenue and Block Ave. He said there are some challenges on Mountain Street (as well as Center Street) between College and the square. He said one of the failings of the old Mountain Inn was that the only way into it was very awkward. Also it was difficult to bring in deliveries. He said his group has gone through the past many months relocating all the utilities and setting up the alley between the Bank of America and the project site as a main entrance into the parking deck, two-way from 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 9 of 15 Mountain Street and one-way from Center Street. When they submitted the plan as a PZD, the discussion came up about whether the City would follow the recommendation of Dover Kohl on these two streets, slowing the traffic, allowing for drop off and valet on both Center Street and Mountain. They designed accordingly. If Mountain stays one way, the challenge will be that the semi trucks will have to come around the square to get into the docking area. Also, anticipating two-way streets on both Mountain and Center, the project is designed so that the primary vehicular access in on Mountain and the primary pedestrian access is on Center through the old historic arcade. If the streets are to remain one way, it will be a real challenge to this project. It is their proposal that these streets be two-way in these particular areas. Not only are they considering the hotel tower and parking deck, but also the Bank of America and those sidewalks as well as the redevelopment of all the sidewalks along Center Street on the south side between the Bank of America and College. They are very much in favor of getting this all redone but want to make sure it is done the right way. They are in the process of renovating the old McRoy McNair building, called the Cravens Building as well as the buildings that house Taste of Thai and Hoffbrau. All of that is being redone and all of that has very much to do with it being two- lane. They are hoping that what they designed and what Dover Kohl suggested can happen on those two streets. Richard Alexander said with respect to the block on which the Mountain Inn and Bank of America sit, he thinks the PZD that was approved was showing a two-way street. Looking at the traffic patterns, he thinks you could leave East Avenue one way and have two lanes in from College (on Mountain) to the alley. He explained how the streets were designed on the PZD. He said two lanes from College would correct one of the big flaws of the old Mountain Inn which was that it was impossible to get to from College. You had to go all the way around the square to park at the parking deck. Having Mountain two lanes here would let you come in off College or come in off the square to park in the parking deck. It would also allow for valet service in front of the hotel. With respect to East and Block, he is in favor of leaving them one way and he is in favor of one way around the square. He doesn't have an opinion on the other streets. He is just concerned about Center and Mountain and how they service the hotel and the deliveries that will take place there. Kit Williams said he had an office in the Mountain Inn for fourteen years before he became City Attorney. He is familiar with Center Street and the old Mountain Inn. He used to park there. He said he always pulled in directly off College which was not a safe entrance. He agrees with the staff and Alderman Thiel that Center and Mountain should remain one way. It is much safer from a pedestrian point of view when you are on the square and you don't have to look in too many different directions. He hopes we can continue with the one-way streets. He said he is speaking as a private citizen and he would much rather see the one-way streets remain immediately around the square. He said he doesn't think the City was committed on any PZD to have to change streets to make them two-way. He thinks it is still a decision the City Council can make with the recommendations of the staff. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 10 of 15 There being no further public comment, Alderman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Street Committee. Alderwoman Thiel said she won't support asking staff to continue with this study. She thinks we should leave it as it is now. Alderman Ferrell asked Mr. Alexander if Center Street and Mountain Street were one way, if there is any way to accommodate the ingress and egress for the heavier stuff that comes in and out. Richard Alexander said Center Street is probably less important because it is not the main delivery route. He said they designed the whole structure so you could fix the problem of the old Mountain Inn. The most important street from his perspective is Mountain Street and you could leave it one way going out from the square as long as it is two way going up to the alley. This would let the trucks get in and unload. For a major hotel you're going to have semi's unloading food and product. The hotel is designed with the loading dock, elevators, etc. right there off of Mountain St. Alderwoman Thiel asked Mr. Alexander if they will have ample tum around space for the trucks. Richard Alexander said that trucks will tum in off Mountain Street and go into the parking deck. There's enough room for the semi then to back up to the loading dock. Then they'll go back out (the same way). Alderwoman Thiel asked staff if there is going to be an additional turn lane (on College). She is concerned that if there are trucks turning left onto Mountain then you're going to have people backed up all the way to Rock Street into that curve. She said this is the only section that doesn't have a separate turn lane. Richard Alexander said we had talked about making that a boulevard with turn lanes but he doesn't know where that stands. Ron Petrie said the conceptual plans that were presented to the Street Committee showed a four - lane street in that area. That is what we recommended to move forward for public comment. Alderwoman Thiel said she thinks we forfeited some of the right-of-way in front of the hotel that would have allowed for more width. Richard Alexander said they (the developers of the hotel) actually gave right-of-way on College to make College wider. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 11 of 15 Ron Petrie said Alderman Thiel is correct that College was designated as a principle arterial which would have required fifty-five feet of right-of-way to be dedicated Gary Dumas said however that we did not give up right-of-way. We gave up the planned future right-of-way. We did not require an additional dedication. Richard Alexander said that they gave up right-of-way to College to make it wider because it was so narrow that we didn't have a sidewalk. Gary Dumas said as Mr. Alexander indicated, they probably do need access into their facility from Mountain Street. He thinks there is a way to accommodate a two-way movement on a portion of Mountain, either to the entry of the garage or to the alley. This would accommodate their needs and keep the truck traffic off the square. He said we will have the same problem whether the trucks are stopping at Mountain Street or they're stopping at Center Street for the left turn. That will just have to be something we accommodate. There are some traffic engineering solutions that will hopefully work for the College Avenue portion and for Mountain Street to give them that two-way access for a part of the street. Alderman Jordan asked if Mr. Dumas is saying that there is some way to design it so a truck can get off the road and into the hotel. Gary Dumas said he thinks a part of Mountain could be two-way from College to the garage entrance or from College to the alley. Richard Alexander said that then when the truck exits the hotel it would just go left onto College Avenue. Alderwoman Allen said it all sounds good but she would like to see the traffic solutions on a piece of paper. She said she would also like to see this slide and the previous slides (on paper) before making a decision. That would make her feel much more comfortable. She doesn't feel like she has enough data. Gary Dumas said for the Mountain Street improvements we are talking about, he had assumed the developer would pay for those. Richard Alexander said he is ambivalent about all the other one-way streets. He just wants to get those trucks to the hotel without having to go all around the square. He thinks what Gary is saying probably is easily done. Gary Dumas said what he thinks staff would like to do is begin to develop some plans for East Street, which is the primary discussion point tonight. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 12 of 15 Alderwoman Allen said she feels comfortable with leaving East Street one-way. But she would like to see more information on the other streets. Alderman Ferrell asked if it will still be two lanes at East and Dickson so traffic won't back up. Gary Dumas said he thinks we should remove some of the parking that is there right now because at 5:00 the queue that is there is much longer than the one or two cars that can get into the flare that exists there today. Alderman Jordan summarized that we will leave East Street just like it is, widening it out at Dickson. Gary Dumas said he would like to have a discussion of the intersection of East and Mountain and East and Center. If both of those streets are going to be one way, then staff can design the square improvements. In other words if Mountain is going to remain one-way at the square and Center is going to remain one-way at the square... Alderwoman Thiel said they are all in favor of that. Alderman Jordan said he thinks all are in agreement. Gary Dumas said if that is the case then the staff has what they need on that issue. Alderman Jordan said we will look at some designs on Mountain Street later on. 5. Presentation by the owners of the Bank of America and the Cosmopolitan Hotel buildine of proposed improvements within the East Avenue richt-of-way. John Nock handed out information on the redevelopment plans of the main floor of the Bank of America building on East Avenue. He said they are looking at boutique retail and opening up the building to have much more opportunity for revenue generation. He showed a rendering of the plans for the front of the building. He said there will be a net reduction of one parking space on the east side of the square. He said the planter, new plants, breezeway and portico, etc. will help to bring some charm to that side of the square and bring new life to the building. Alderwoman Thiel said she loves the drawing. But it does look like we are losing more than one parking space. She asked how it is figured at one loss. John Nock said the planters are being rebuilt and are streamlined. Alderwoman Thiel said she loves it. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 13 of 15 John Nock said the net effect is the loss of one space. He said the second drawing presented shows the continuation of East Avenue. This extends down in front of the Cosmopolitan. He pointed out what the City has already done to pull out the parallel spaces. He said there are three trees in front of the current drive at the Cosmopolitan that have been there for a number of years and have chewed up the sidewalks. The proposal is to pull the planters back out to the sides, putting in diagonal spaces to allow vehicular traffic to go under the overhang. It also reroutes the sidewalk to follow the contour of the building. That will mean the developers will have to give the City an access easement for the sidewalk and they are willing to do that. He said this is a safer connection across Meadow Street to the north. They are trying to simplify and open this area up. Right now you can't see the lobby. He said they are doing a major renovation to the Cosmopolitan and the idea is to join this hotel with the one being built on the Mountain Inn site and making them two bookends to a great square. They want great pedestrian flow as well as for vehicular traffic. They think this plan answers that. Alderwoman Thiel said she likes the plan a lot. It adds parking that we don't currently have. John Nock said he thinks we pick up a total of eight spaces after counting the loss of the one on the square. Alderman Jordan opened the floor to public comment. Mike Johnson, from the University of Arkansas said this is the first they have seen of these plans. He said the UA has been talking with the City about the plans to move the sidewalk out from the maturing trees and create additional green space between the trees and the front retaining wall of their current planters. He said this plan makes a lot of sense. The UA had already agreed with the City to partner financially on a piece of this so this kind of puts the other two ends together. He said they are totally on board with one-way streets around the square and those areas coming onto and off the square. He said he thinks the accommodations on Mountain with a combination two-way and one-way coming into the square will work fine. From a Continuing Education perspective, this plan links well and having the sidewalk flow under the awning and connect in on Meadow Street makes a lot of sense. There being no further public comment, Alderman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Committee. Ron Petrie said this item will require approval from the full City Council. Alderwoman Thiel moved that this item be forwarded to the City Council with recommendation for approval. Alderman Ferrell seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 14 of 15 6. Unified Development Code Amendment for Access Manaeement (New Item added to A ends Tim Conklin brought up an additional item. He said over the last week the staff has been putting together an amendment to the Unified Development Code to create access management standards. He presented this amendment to the Committee to begin that discussion. He said this discussion can be here at the Street Committee or it can go to the City Council. He said there has recently been a lot of discussion with regard to location of curb cuts adjacent to intersections and separation of curb cuts. In 1994 the City adopted standards for the Design Overlay District. The City of Rogers and the City of Bentonville have adopted access management standards and it is something he thinks will help staff, the Planning Commission, the City Council and the development community to have an understanding of what we are looking for with regard to curb cuts. Overall, having that understanding up front will create more predictability in the development process. Gary Dumas said this information is being given to the Committee to study. Tim Conklin said if the Committee is interested in going through and discussing these standards and also in talking about what has been adopted in the City of Rogers and the City of Bentonville, we can do so. He said this is not something new. He said the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department had a conference several years ago in Little Rock where Christine Williams talked about access management. Back in the 1990's the City of Fayetteville also hosted Christine Williams. There is a lot of information on the internet not only about access management and the standards but the impacts on other communities who have adopted them. Alderman Ferrell asked if College Avenue between Lafayette and Maple is going to be one of the areas to look at for access management early on. Tim Conklin said he thinks that area is a very good case study when you look at the number of turning movements and accidents. Alderman Ferrell said it was nice for the citizens out on Cato Springs Road and the staff and Committee to get together and work out a positive solution to that situation. It also looks like the situation with the streets on the square is going to work out. It has been a good meeting. Scheduline of the next Street Committee Meeting The next Street Committee meeting was scheduled for Monday, September 10, 2007 at 4:30 p.m. but was later rescheduled for Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 4:30 p.m. Alderwoman Thiel said she is forwarding to the staff and other Council members all the comments she is getting about closing South College. She has only heard from one person who wanted to close it. Everyone else is strongly opposed. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org City Council Street Committee Minutes August 20, 2007 Page 15 of 15 Ron Petrie said staff is collecting those comments and will combine them with other comments received to make sure the Committee members have them. Alderwoman Allen said she would like to have a discussion of the removal of parking meters downtown and the Dickson Street area at the next meeting. She said she would also like to discuss traffic calming on Poplar and Yates, by Woodland Jr. High School. 8. Adiourn There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. 113 West Mountain 72701 (479) 521-7700 (479) 575-8257 (Fax) accessfayetteville.org