The Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee Meeting was held on August 26, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. with Chairman Slavin presiding. Members present were Mrs. Russell, Mr. Hogan, Mr. Harmon, and Mr. Davis. Mayor Carey was also present.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. Hogan moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. Davis and unanimously carried.
Waiver Request - Leander Lakes Apartments - Appendix B - Zoning, Article 5 - Supplementary Regulations, Section 17 - Emergency Access Requirements
In accordance with Appendix B - Zoning, Article 5 - Supplementary Regulations, Sections 17.3 and 17.5(a), a request for waiver was received by Jireh Christian Center (equitable owner, Rinnier Development Company) for property located on the south side of Forrest Avenue west of Artis Drive. The applicants have requested a waiver for the elimination of the requirement for a 16-foot alley or an 18-foot secondary fire lane and an 18 foot subgrade emergency access lane for two (2) and three (3) story apartment buildings.
Mrs. Dawn Melson-Williams, Principal Planner, advised members that this waiver request is for the proposed project known as Leander Lakes Apartments, a 240-dwelling unit apartment complex consisting of ten (10) buildings. She mentioned that there was a representative from the design professional team of Landmark Engineering in attendance if members had any questions.
Mrs. Melson-Williams advised members that the Planning Commission recommended approval of the waiver for the elimination of the emergency rear access. Members were provided a summary of the requested waiver, as follows:
| Zoning Ordinance | Required | Proposed | Waiver |
|
Emergency Rear Access for Two-Three story apartment buildings |
16 ft alley or 18 ft secondary fire lane and an 18 ft subgrade emergency access lane |
|
Elimination of the required alleys |
Responding to Mr. Hogan, Mrs. Melson-Williams explained that the 24' fire lane includes the main drive isle for traffic circulation.
In response to Mr. Hogan, Mrs. Melson-Williams stated that neither the Fire Department nor the Police Department provided written comments. She also noted that the Fire Marshal's Office has no issues with the waiver request since the apartment buildings will have sprinklers and there is a 24' fire lane in front of the buildings.
Mr. Hogan moved to recommend approval of the requested waiver, as recommended by the Planning Commission. The motion was seconded by Mr. Davis and carried by a vote of four (4) yes, one (1) no (Mrs. Russell).
Request of Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce (CDCC) - Temporary Residential Parking Permits for Governors Avenue Shopping Center
During the July 29, 2009 Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee meeting, Mr. Anthony DePrima, City Manager, advised members that he was contacted by the CDCC requesting temporary parking permits for employees of the businesses in the shopping center on Governors Avenue, as the parking lot will be compromised during construction.
Members were provided a written request from Ms. Judy Diogo, President of the CDCC, for 12 temporary parking passes. Ms. Diogo stated that she was representing members of the Chamber of Commerce who are business owners on South Governors Avenue. She noted that the purpose of the request for temporary parking passes is to allow the employees of these businesses to park on South Bradford Street during road construction, freeing parking spaces on South Governors Avenue for customer use. Ms. Diogo noted that the initial request was for 12 parking passes; however, another business has since submitted an additional request, bringing the total to 17. She emphasized that the passes would be issued by the City and terminated at the time of completion of the road construction.
In response to Mr. Davis, Mr. Scott Koenig, Public Services Manager, noted that the character of South Bradford Street varies considerably as it is traversed from Wyoming Avenue at the south end to Hope Street in the north. He noted that the southern area, near the Wyoming Avenue intersection, is primarily residential with few cars parked on the street during the day and going north towards Waples Avenue, there are more businesses and consequently more vehicles parked in that area. Mr. Koenig advised members that at the north end, close to the hospital, there are many cars parked on South Bradford Street. He stated that additional cars parked on the southern portion of the street could affect residents, whereas, on the northern portion of the street, businesses could be impacted. Mr. Koenig noted that South Bradford Street is marked as a two (2) hour parking district from Hope Street to Wyoming Avenue, as is Dover Street; however, he did not believe that Waples Avenue or Gooden Street had parking restrictions.
Ms. Joyce Breasure, owner of For Dreamer's Gallery, located on South Governors Avenue, stated that she was the originator of the request for temporary parking because the bulk of the customer parking in the shopping center where her business is located is in front of the store and will be severely impacted by construction. She noted that there is minimal parking in the back and most of it is used by herself and her employees, leaving five (5) to six (6) spots available for customers.
It was Mr. Davis' feeling that 12 temporary permits seemed reasonable; however, 17 additional cars parked on the north end of South Bradford Street could impact parking for the hospital, the dentist's office, and other businesses in the area.
Mr. Art Geary, President of Halpern Eye Associates, stated that the additional five (5) permits requested were for his company, which is located near the Wyoming Avenue intersection, and noted that they had just been informed about the Chamber's request.
Responding to Mr. Hogan, Ms. Diogo stated that the Chamber's suggestion would be that the City would issue the passes to business owners who would then distribute them to their employees.
In response to Mr. Hogan, Mr. Koenig stated that the current parking ordinance does not address temporary parking permits. He noted that residential permits are stickers, which are color coded by district. Mr. Koenig advised members that businesses on South Bradford Street, by ordinance, are only allowed one parking permit and that permit is affixed to a car. He stated that if the temporary permits were granted, a mechanism would have to be set up to give permits to the owner, who would then dispense them. The permits would have to be properly displayed so that parking enforcement officers could monitor parking.
Responding to Mrs. Russell, Mr. Koenig stated that he envisioned that the temporary parking permits would be similar to those currently issued in residential areas where there is a time limit on parking.
In response to Mr. Slavin, Mr. Koenig stated that the Dover Parking Authority issues removable, portable, "windshield permits" that are used in parking lots. He believed that this type of permit would be more appropriate than a parking sticker.
It was Mrs. Russell's feeling that a maximum number of permits to be issued should be established and she expressed concern regarding how subsequent requests beyond the 17 at hand would be handled. Mr. Slavin suggested that a motion be made authorizing 17 permits initially and authorizing staff to issue a total of 25 permits without returning to the Committee. He noted that permits would only be issued to businesses who present a need.
Responding to Mr. Hogan, Mr. Koenig explained that there is a two (2) hour parking restriction on Dover Street, Bradford Street, and possibly Waples Avenue. Mr. Hogan felt that the permit should indicate the exact streets where parking is permitted so that the permits are not used elsewhere in the City. Mr. Koenig indicated that the streets would be listed on the permit or, alternatively, it could be color-coded for a specific area.
Mrs. Russell moved to recommend that temporary parking permits be issued to the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce to give to their employees at their discretion, with a limited number of permits. The motion was seconded by Mr. Davis.
Mr. Koenig stated that he did not know if the entire business district area was surveyed and he was unsure as to the number of temporary permits that would be needed. He believed that 25 permits would be adequate at this time; however, he stated that there could be a need for the Committee to consider any additional requests. Mr. Slavin noted that the motion was made without specifying a number of permits and he felt that this matter should be left to the discretion of Staff.
Mr. Koenig advised members that the residential community had not been notified of this proposal and that negative comments may be received.
Mr. Hogan suggested that the motion be amended to authorize Staff to issue temporary parking permits, rather than the Chamber of Commerce.
Mrs. Russell moved to amend the motion to give staff the authority to issue temporary portable parking permits to businesses, as discussed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Davis and unanimously carried.
The motion to recommend that staff be authorized to issue a limited number of temporary portable parking permits to businesses for their employees' use was unanimously carried. (City Clerk's Office Note: Staff recommends adoption of Resolution No. 2009-18 authorizing the Public Services Manager to issue temporary residential parking permits to businesses) (Attachment #1).
Presentation - Survey Regarding North State Street Rebuild Project (Gary Laing)
During the June 24, 2009 Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee Meeting, Mr. Gary Laing, DelDOT Community Relations Officer and Public Relations Liaison, advised members that Bond Bill Regulations require that residents be surveyed whenever night work will be performed in their neighborhood. He advised members that DelDOT's Pavement Management Division sent a survey to the residents of State Street, Queen Street, Division Street, Walker Road, and Loockerman Street last fall asking them if they would be agreeable to having road construction performed during night time hours. Mr. Laing further advised that public response was that they would not mind. He stated he would provide the survey results at a future Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee meeting.
Mr. Laing advised members that 80 letters were sent out to residences (no businesses, including bed and breakfasts, were surveyed as they are not typically open during the evening). He noted that, because of the difficulty getting responses from all of those surveyed, the letters stated that questionnaires not returned would be considered positive responses.
Responding to Mr. Slavin, Mr. Laing explained that certain assumptions are made when doing surveys and it was felt that someone who opposes night work would be more inclined to send the survey back than someone who has no opposition.
In response to Mr. Hogan, Mr. Laing stated that he expected DelDOT to have received more than the 12 negative responses that were returned. He further stated that this is a "rolling" type of project and work will not be in front of the same houses three (3) nights in a row; however, additional equipment "permits" will be needed to complete the other side of the road. Mr. Laing indicated that the hours of night work are from 9:00 p.m to 6:00 a.m; however, that does not mean work would take place during those hours.
Responding to Mr. Hogan, Mr. Laing advised that the milling would be done all at one time rather than having two sets of equipment going section by section. Mr. Koenig stated that this project will be a "loud and dusty" operation that will require several "permits" in front of residences.
Responding to Mr. Koenig, Mr. Laing concurred that the project could be stopped the same night it begins if one (1) complaint is received from a resident.
In response to Mr. Koenig, Mr. Laing explained that he has no knowledge of this project beginning in the Spring of 2010, as there is no funding available.
Mr. Slavin requested that Mr. Laing research the survey and find out how many positive responses were actually mailed back to DelDOT.
Mr. Davis moved for adjournment, seconded by Mrs. Russell and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:45 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Timothy A. Slavin
Chairman
TAS/rr/js/tm
S:ClerksOfficeAgendas&MinutesCommittee-Minutes20098-26-2009 SA&T.wpd
Attachment
Attachment #1 - Resolution No. 2009-18 - Temporary Parking - South Bradford Street