HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-12-13 MinutesMayor Dan Coody
City Attomey Kit Williams
City Clerk Sondra Smith
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ARKANSAS
City of Fayetteville Arkansas
City Council Street Committee
Meeting Minutes
December 13, 2005
City Council Street Committee Minutes
December 13, 2005
Page 1 of 7
Member Aldermen
Ward 1 Position 1 - Robert Reynolds
Ward 2 Position 2— Don Marr
Ward 3 Position 2 — Robert Ferrell
Ward 4 Position 2 - Lioneld Jordan
A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council Street Committee was held on December 13, 2005
6:00 p.m. in Room 326 of the City Administration Building located at 113 West Mountain Street,
Fayetteville, Arkansas.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Alderman Lioneld Jordan (Chair), Alderman Robert Reynolds,
Alderman Bobby Ferrell, Alderman Don Marr
OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Alderman Kyle Cook
Staff Present: Kit Williams, Ron Petrie, Jeremy Pate, Gary Dumas
Chairman Lioneld Jordan called the meeting to order.
Item 1. Approval of minutes of the October 6 and October 25, 2005 Street Committee
Meeting.
A motion was made to amend the minutes regarding the Broyles/Persimmon cost share
agreement to indicate that the cost share would be forwarded to the City Council without
recommendation. The motion was seconded and approved. Alderman Don Marr obstained.
Item 2. Proposed lesser dedication of right -of wav than that required by the Master Street
Plan along College Avenue (Principal Arterial) and the use of Mountain Street right-of-way
for the redevelopment of the Mountain Inn.
Jeremy Pate gave a presentation to the Street Committee on the proposed changes that would be
necessary for the redevelopment of the Mountain Inn
Chairman Jordan opened the floor for questions from the public. There being none, the
Chairman brought discussion back to the Street Committee.
Alderman Cook asked if the sidewalk would be bumped out by this proposal.
Jeremy Pate responded that the sidewalk would simply replace where the parallel parking used
to be on Mountain Street. He stated that it would not impede vehicular traffic.
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December 13, 2005
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Alderman Ferrell questioned whether parking is allowed in front of the federal building and
was informed that no public parking is allowed there. Only law enforcement parking is allowed
in that area.
Jeremy Pate stated that what is being requested is approval to convert a narrow sidewalk and a
band of on -street parking to a wide, covered sidewalk. There would be a loss of on -street
parking; however, that loss would be compensated for with the 350 parking stalls in the deck.
Alderman Marr asked if the height of the walkway bridge would be sufficient to allow access
for emergency vehicles.
Jeremy Pate stated that the height is approximately that of a highway overpass, which is around
14 feet.
Alderman Ferrell asked if Staff had spoken with City Fire Department to assure that there is no
problem and Mr. Pate stated that he would do so before the next council meeting. Alderman
Ferrell then asked about changing streets from one-way to two-way traffic.
Jeremy Pate stated that this change would come later as part of the Downtown Master Plan.
Discussion was held concerning the bump -in area in front of the parking garage and it was
established that this was for drop-off and pick-up and was part of the public right-of-way.
Kit Williams stated that no vacation of public right-of-way was being requested on this project.
He stated that they would be building over the public right-of-way.
A motion was made to approve the proposed lesser dedication of right -of way than what is
required by the Master Street Plan along College Avenue (Principal Arterial) and the use of
Mountain Street right-of-way for the redevelopment of the Mountain Inn. The motion was
seconded and passed unanimously.
Item 3. Proposed amendment to the Master Street Plan to realign Gypsum Drive
(Collector) and Raven Avenue (Collector) in association with the proposed development of
the Zaccanti Property located to the north and east of the Crystal Springs Subdivision.
Ron Petrie gave a presentation to the Street Committee outlining the proposed amendment to the
Master Street Plan.
Charlie Sloan made further explanation of the proposed amendment and pointed out that the
main objective is traffic calming.
Chairman Jordan asked how wide Gypsum Drive is and what would happen if it did become a
collector street. He was told that it is a standard street.
Ron Petrie stated he did not foresee any revisions to the street, other than a possible eventual left
turn lane at Salem Road.
Alderman Ferrell stated that he feels this is a good proposal and that the neighbors should be
pleased with the new plan.
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Alderman Marr stated that he feels future planning should always make sure that there is good
East-West connectivity.
Chairman Jordan stated that he had spoken with Alderwoman Lucas and she had stated that
she likes the new proposal as well.
Ron Petrie stated that Staff wanted to present this proposal to the Street Committee since these
revisions could change the whole subdivision.
Chairman Jordan asked if approval by the Street Committee now would send the proposal ti
the full City Council.
Ron Petrie stated that he thinks that would be best.
Further discussion was held regarding the positive and negative aspects of the proposed
amendment and whether there were other options which would be more beneficial.
Chairman Jordan opened the floor for public comment
Mr. Forrest Parks stated that he had been to both the Planning Commission meeting and the
City Council meeting. He stated that his concern is traffic coming up Gypsum Drive and that
this proposal is a good one from his prospective and would greatly reduce the traffic. He stated
that he wished to thank Charlie Sloan for his efforts and hoped that the Committee would
consider approving this proposal.
Mr. Jeff Bailey stated he lived on Gypsum and is very much in support of Mr. Sloan.s proposal.
Mr. Bailey stated that his major concern is safety because of the number of children who walk to
the local elementary school. He stated that he feels what Charlie Sloan wants to do would help
to preserve the character of the neighborhood.
Mrs. Dawn Olson stated that she and her husband, Dan live at the corner of Gypsum and Salem
and that they also have concerns about safety. She stated that she feels this proposal would help
create more safety for the neighborhood and for the people who are traveling through it and
would help with quality of life. She stated that she and her husband feels this compromise is
what they have been looking for regarding this issue.
Chairman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Street Committee.
A motion was made to accept the proposed amendment to the Master Street Plan and to
recommend that it go forward to the full City Council. The motion was seconded and passed
unanimously.
Item 4. Discussion of the adopted City Traffic Calming Policy.
Ron Petrie reviewed the City Traffic Calming Policy for the Street Committee. He presented
the Committee with a handout showing information and data on the neighborhoods which have
requested traffic calming studies. There have been eight requests and five were approved:
Fieldstone, Stonebridge -Wyman, Covington Subdivision, Sang Valley, and East Dickson Street.
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Mr. Petrie stated that the Engineering Division would be fully staffed next year, and the division
would become more pro -active with requests for traffic calming studies. He stated that the
division also wants to provide more up -front guidance with the requests to help prevent someone
from going through the long request process when Staff is already aware that it will not meet the
criteria for a study. Mr. Petrie stated that he has provided the Committee with requests for
changes in the policy for their consideration. He stated that in addition to staff and 75% of
adjoining neighbors being able to initiate a traffic calming study, he would like to see the Street
Committee have the authority to initiate a study also. Mr. Petrie stated that he also feels revisions
should be made to the point system used in the studies. Presently the policy calls for one point
for each accident per year at one location, and only allows for five points. He said he feels this
number should not be limited so if there are ten accidents, ten points should be received.
Mr. Petrie quoted the policy in that it states she streets shall have an average daily traffic of less
than 4,000 vehicles per day in order to have traffic calming devices installed. He said he is
aware that the intent was to have the devices installed on local and collector streets. He pointed
out that the City's policy is that a collector street has a capacity of 6,000 vehicles per day.
Therefore, when one was installed on Sang, it exceeded the 4,000 vehicles per day. Mr. Petrie
stated that he feels it was a mistake to have the 4,000 vehicle limit and that it should be revised
to at least 6,000 vehicles.
Alderman Marr stated that both he and Alderman Cook received much negative feedback
before the policy was implemented and he continues to get such feedback. He said that, in
general, the policy was implemented without any substantial Council debate. He feels that most
people do not understand the policy and that it is so mathematical that the average citizen is
discouraged by the point system. He feels more discussion is warranted. He also feels that a
major downside to the policy is that it only addresses one street at a time. Since most traffic
problems are related to an entire neighborhood and the problems are specific to that
neighborhood, they should be reviewed from a neighborhood perspective. He stated that another
issue, according to the feedback from citizens, is the necessity of obtaining signatures of 75% of
the property owners. He said that many citizens feel this is a way of keeping them from getting
studies done. In high rent areas, it is sometimes difficult to find out who the property owners
are. Alderman Marr said he likes the idea of the Street Committee or Aldermen being able to
initiate studies. He also stated that he feels the speed limit in the policy is an issue. As the policy
stands, there is an allowance for 15% of the traffic to speed and there must be 5 mph over that to
receive points for it. He feels that creates dangerous situations and that there should not be an
allowance. He stated that there are issues on how the point system works and how the threshold
was set.
Alderman Cook stated that he is in agreement that the focus should not be placed on one street
since most neighborhoods have more than one entrance and so require a more comprehensive
look. He agreed that there was not much discussion when the policy was first implemented. He
feels that the policy was correct to place points on volume, but that more weight should be given
to lack of sidewalks and heavy pedestrian traffic. He stated that he feels those factors are more
important than the number of vehicles. He said he sees that there is a perception that the City is
making it difficult for people to initiate studies. He feels that a policy was necessary because of
the need to quantify the issue. However, many people feel that it has been quantified to the point
of the ridiculous. He stated that for as long as he has been running for office, it has been a
consistent concern of the citizens to try to do something about the traffic in the neighborhoods.
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Chairman Jordan opened the floor to public comment
Nancy Goodwin stated that she would like to ask that the policy be simplified and that common
sense should supercede points. She stated that sometimes the needs of certain areas are evident,
without having to go through the entire process. She feels that it is very off-putting to the public
and to neighborhood associations to try to organize and to find absentee landlords to obtain
signatures. She stated that she advocates simplifying the process.
Debbie Brewer stated that she has had people drive through her yard, and once had someone
drive through her house at about 75 mph. This incident caused approximately $35,000 worth of
damage to her house. She stated that it has been a nightmare and that she has even considered
moving. Mrs. Brewer stated that she called the City for months after that incident and that she
feels that no one is listening. She asked what it would take to have someone address the
problem. She stated that it is a very serious problem and that she has stuck it out a long time, but
the traffic issues in that area are making it a very dangerous neighborhood.
Julie Craig stated that she has lived on Yates for 16 years and loves it. However, she is very
concerned about the situation. She stated that she has video tape of people sliding through those
lanes in the ice and into people's yards and that it happens frequently. She stated that even
though it is a 25 mph zone, people consistently speed down the road and that without street lights
they do not see the signs that warn of the sharp curve. She also stated that there are no sidewalks
and she is concerned about the children that walk down the street. She stated that she has seen
several pedestrians have to jump into the ditch to avoid being hit by passing cars.
Justin Midland stated that he lives to the left of Debbie Brewer and that the problem has gotten
progressively worse. He stated he is aware of at least five or six times that people have ended up
in the Brewer yard in the last four years. He stated that he has had them nearly hit the gas main
in his yard, which was his biggest concern. He stated that he has had to replace the flower beds
in his yard several times, though that is not a major concern to him compared to what could
possibly happen. Mr. Midland stated that the neighborhood agrees that quantifying the problems
is necessary, but they are asking for simplification and to receive some help with the problem.
Chairman Jordan brought the discussion back to the Street Committee and asked for
recommendations. There was some discussion as to how to best amend the policy and better the
process.
Alderman Ferrell said he felt that it would be a good idea to adopt the recommendations put
forward by Staff.
Chairman Jordan stated that he has spoken with many constituents, most of whom were from
the University Heights area, and they were concerned about speeders. He stated that the majority
want traffic calming measures in place for the whole area. He stated that he agrees with
Alderman Marras comments that the focus should not be on just one street but the entire area in
which there are problems. Chairman Jordan also stated that many of the constituents have
expressed a concern that the process is too complicated and they have trouble understanding the
policy.
Alderman Marr stated that he feels there were two different aspects involved • getting qualified
to have a study done and what the options are to improve the situation. He stated that the
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problem is serious enough that he has asked about the feasibility of actually closing the street in
an attempt to reroute and avoid the 90 degree curve. He stated that many in the neighborhood
had expressed a need for lighting on that street. Alderman Marr stated that he would like to see
the policy changed and asked for recommendations. He reiterated that he would like to be able
to look at a neighborhood plan and not just a street plan.
In response to a question from Alderman Cook, Ron Petrie stated that the options for traffic
calming are numerous and that the actual study provides about 30 options. He stated that those
are not the only ones available.
There was further discussion about when and how the policy was first implemented. Mr. Petrie
stated that the policy is a tool and does not solve traffic problems by itself. He stated that if there
is a neighborhood concern, it should be brought up by the Street Committee and handled in-
house by Staff or through a contract. He stated that issues such as sidewalks and lighting are not
traffic calming per se and that such things should be addressed in other ways. Those issues do
not fall under the purview of this policy.
Alderman Marr stated that he feels the problem should be addressed by speed control. The
street in question has a 25 mph speed limit and at that speed drivers should be able to drive down
the street without knocking someone's house over. He stated that he feels it is a traffic calming
issue if the design of a street is not working.
Ron Petrie stated that it appears that even at the designed speed, the street is still not safe. He
feels that proper handling of the situation would be that the homeowner should call a
representative of the City and that person would then address the issue. He does not feel it
should be handled with a traffic calming study. Mr. Petrie stated that Staff should handle it with
the Aldermen's direction. He feels that this is a safety issue much greater than traffic calming
and that it involves many issues such as lighting, sidewalks, speed bumps, etc.
Alderman Cook asked if any of the other Committee members had heard from constituents who
had attempted to go through the process and decided not to. Several of the Aldermen stated that
they had indeed heard that from constituents.
Allderman Ferrell stated that Mr. Petrie had made many good points and that he liked the idea
of bringing things to the Committee. He stated that he felt that the majority of these problems
could and should be handled by Staff and Committee.
Alderman Marr reiterated that he feels neighborhoods should be studied as a whole. He stated
that there might be a problem on Gunter, Johnson, Prospect and Rebecca, but when it is made
difficult to go down Maple or Lafayette motorists simply start turning off Mission sooner. At
that point, you have to go back and look at Johnson, then go back and look at Gunter, etc. He
stated that if you look at the whole neighborhood, the City could make comprehensive plans and
changes according to that study.
Ron Petrie stated that he understands the concern and that any changes to the policy should take
that into consideration. He feels that if there is a large neighborhood problem then the whole
neighborhood should be studied. He did not feel that the study should necessarily be made with
traffic calming in mind, but reviewed in regard to what would normally be done when a traffic
problem is presented. He stated that Staff should study it, find recommendations to fix it and
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then find a way to pay for it. Typically, when doing traffic calming, the intent is to slow the
traffic to the speed that is posted and not push it over to another street. He gave the example of
Sang where a speed bump had been installed. He stated that Sang is still a primary street and
drivers have not avoided Sang, but simply slowed down when they hit the speed bump. He felt
that closing roads was too drastic a solution.
A motion was made to accept the recommendations made by Mr. Petrie concerning the traffic
calming policy. The motion was seconded and it passed without opposition.
Alderman Cook asked if it would ever be an option to discuss how the points are distributed. He
stated that it was one of the things that he struggles with on this issue. Chairman Jordan
suggested that it be set as an agenda item for the next meeting of the Street Committee. He
stated that he wanted the constituents present at the meeting to know that the Committee would
continue to work to fix the problem.
Alderma Ferrell asked Mr. Dumas to speak with the Fayetteville Police Department and ask
them to work the neighborhood in question for thirty days and to attempt to get some of the
problem solved. Mr. Dumas stated that he would do so.
Chairman Jordan stated that he had one other issue concerning Razorback Road and the four-
way stop by Baum Stadium. He stated that he is getting numerous calls about when a light
would be placed at that intersection. He stated that it is a very dangerous intersection.
Gary Dumas stated that the State is widening that section of road from 6th Street to 15th Street
and that part of the project includes signalization. He stated that the project has been contracted
out and is waiting for utilities to be moved before it is built.
Chairman Jordan stated that he has citizens requesting a time line of when that signalization
would occur.
Gary Dumas stated that he believed it would take four to five months to start construction.
Item 5. Scheduling of the next Street Committee Meeting.
The next Street Committee meeting was tentatively scheduled for the first part of January 2006,
at 6:00 p.m.
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