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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 09/20/2004CITY COUNCIL 20 SEPTEMBER 2004 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday 20 September 2004, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members Present: J. Condos, Chair; C. Smith, T. Sheahan, S. Magowan, D. O'Rourke Also Present: C. Hafter, City Manager; D. Gravelin, Assistant City Manager; J. B. Hinds, Director of Planning & Zoning; M. Kupersmith, L. Kumferman, Development Review Board; T. Duff, Planning Commission; Rep. A. Audette; E. Farrell, B. Cimonetti, J. Dietrich, D. & L. Cummings, J. Britt, L. Bresee, L. Ravin, D. Schramm, Dr. Trembley, D. Jones, D. Muir, J. Rabideau, J. Meyers, G. Edwards, C. Ford, R. Goodrich 1. Comments & Questions from the Audience, not related to Agenda items: No issues were raised. 2. Announcements & City Manager's Report: Mr. Sheahan: Executive Committee of Regional Planning Commission meeting, 27 September, 5 p.m., followed by regular RPC meeting. Housing Coalition has wrapped up its work. Mr. Sheahan will bring a report to the Council. Mr. Hafter: Annual CCTA retreat, Wednesday at noon. Will attend City Manager's meeting in Middlebury, 23-24 September, with Mr. Gravelin. UVM is holding a meeting on 28 September, 7 p.m., at Patrick Gym re: building projects, especially the Gutterson Garage. Information has been received from the State re: Lime Kiln Bridge. Tree removal will begin this week, and work on the bridge will begin in Spring, 2005. The bridge is scheduled to re-open in the fall of 2006. The Steering Committee will meet on 7 October, 7:30 p.m. The main agenda item will be the Regional Technical Academy. 3. Presentation of Spear Street Corridor Study: Mr. Dietrich, consultant on the study, reminded members that the purpose of the study was to look at existing problems and future conditions and to come up with recommendations to address these problems. Mr. Condos noted that the city took the approach of looking at the whole corridor instead of just looking at the intersections where there were problems. Mr. Dietrich outlined the study area, from the Shelburne Town Line north to Main Street. There were 2 phases to the study: addressing issues and deficiencies and making projections to 2008, and coming up with improvement strategies and a conceptual design for the Spear St/Swift St. intersection. The study evaluated peak hour traffic volumes (3:30-5:30 p.m.) and also looked at the 7-9 a.m. period. It considered level of service delays at intersections, accident data, geometric (lane widths, alignments, etc.), and pedestrian/bicycle accommodations. Mr. Dietrich then showed a 2008 estimated analysis of the Swift/Spear intersection. At that time, the northbound left turn and thru movement will be at level of service (LOS) "F" in both the a.m. and p.m. peak hours. This means a minimum of 284 seconds delay. The westbound left turn will also be a LOS "F" with a 408 second delay. The overall intersection will be operating at LOS "F." Mr. Dietrich then showed problem areas, which affect both pedestrians and bicyclists. Currently, the left turn out of Allen Rd. is operating at LOS "F" and this will continue in 2008. Deerfield Drive is also at "F" in the morning, and Nowland Farm Road is at "F" in the p.m. peak. Swift Street westbound is at "F" in the p.m. peak and will be worse in 2008. Spear Street northbound left turn at Swift will be at "F" in both the a.m. and p.m. peak hours in 2008. Mr. Dietrich then reviewed other concerns identified in the study. These include: the lack of a shoulder area at Allen Road, with drainage ditches immediately off the edge of the road, leaving no room for cyclists. In front of Overlook Park there is a shoulder, which disappears, leaving no room for bicycles. In front of the Church at Swift/Spear, there is no shoulder area and there are utility poles blocking passage for cyclists. At the I-189 overpass, traffic moves at high speeds and there is no protection for pedestrians and cyclists at the abutments of the overpass. Quarry Hill Road has no marked pedestrian area. The recreation path crossing at Swift Street has no markings or signage, and visibility is poor. The bike lane south from Swift St. to Allen Road is good, but the bike lane north is poor. The study considered various types of improvements that could be made to address deficiencies. These included traffic operations, geometric, pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. The study also looked at transportation management strategies including access management, transportation demand management, and public transportation. Researchers also briefly looked at land development regulations, traffic overlay districts and roadway maintenance (including drainage, snow/ice control, and signage). Mr. Dietrich said the study recommends some immediate actions be taken at Swift/Spear Streets. These include taking through traffic out of the left turn lane and putting it in the right lane at Swift/Spear, moving the "stop bar" back and the cross-walk up, and putting in a new signal controller with a left turn arrow. Long term improvement include: a pedestrian push button crossing, abandoning one left of the pedestrian path and putting it on the church side with a crossing, adding a lane on the eastbound approach to Spear Street, and moving the whole Swift Street approach to the south to get a better alignment. Mr. Dietrich said this improvement would result in a LOD of "C" in the morning and "D" in the p.m. peak. The study did consider a roundabout with an 80-foot center island. This would require moving the Swift Street approach to the south. There were 2 concerns, however: pedestrian and bike safety, and a capacity problem for the 2 heaviest movements. At Allen Road/Spear Street, the study recommends doing a signal warrant study, adding shoulder width, and a left turn lane southbound if the South Village project is approved. Mr. Dietrich then showed recommendations for proposed cross-sections near the bridge abutments at the underpass to accommodate pedestrian and bike traffic. The study also recommends equal bike lanes (4 feet) on each side between Allen Rd. and Swift St. It also recommends a 5 foot sidewalk for pedestrians on one side. Pedestrian crosswalk improvements are recommended at: Gutterson (UVM), Quarry Hill Road, the USDA Research Facility, Swift/Spear (north-south direction), Pinnacle, and Allen Road. The study also recommends a permanent "radar speed unit" in conjunction with a speed limit sign in one or two locations on Spear Street as a traffic calming device. Mr. Kupferman asked how the current Shelburne Rd. project affects the calculations. Mr. Dietrich said that when the counts were taken in 2003, there was not much activity on Shelburne Road; there would be much more construction work there now. Ms. Britt said people who use the Deerfield/Nowland intersection now have to "play chicken" to get out of their development. This is particular alarming as there are a number of new, young drivers having to do this. Mr. Dietrich said there is not enough traffic for a signal. He recommended new counts be taken as new developments are built. Mr. Condos noted there would be new counts in October. There is also a public hearing coming up regarding placement of a 3-way stop at Allen Road. It is hoped that this will create some gaps to allow access to Spear Street from places such as Deerfield/Nowland. Mr. Magowan asked if it would be possible to have traffic signals that are operational only at certain hours of the day. Mr. Dietrich said they recommend not doing that because it creates "mind sets" for drivers. Ms. Cummings asked about quality of life issues for residents. She said it seems the study looked only at getting more traffic through, and she suggested having less traffic. She did not want to encourage more people to use Spear Street, as it is virtually impossible to get out of driveways now. Mr. Dietrich responded that Spear Street has 2 functions: through traffic and local traffic. He stressed that Spear Street is a collector roadway, not a local road. Mr. Cummings said if you increase the capacity of the Swift/Spear intersection, it becomes more of a through street and will be less safe. Mr. Condos said the problem is that Spear Street goes through to Shelburne and Charlotte, and much of the traffic comes from those towns. Mr. Cimonetti felt that some mistakes that were made in the past could be remedied, specifically with regard to placement of bike lanes. He said cyclists and runners are being scared away because of the increased speed of cars. He also noted that Spear Street is the "street of choice" for emergency vehicles going to and from the hospital. This has created a problem and may need rethinking. Mr. Cimonetti noted that it is also common for traffic to pass on the right when there is left turning traffic stopped on the road. He felt this should be addressed. Mr. Jones said he was pleased with the proposed accommodations for pedestrians and bikers. He said those who live north of Quarry Hill Road would also like a sidewalk. Mr. Bresee said he liked the idea of going to 11-foot lanes similar to what was done in Colchester on U.S. Route 7. Ms. Schramm noted she lives south of Allen Road and asked if this will be an on-going process for residents' input. Mr. Condos said this is the final report the Council will be receiving. Projects will then be looked at; beginning with those that can be put on the "impact fee list." This means those projects can be funded from impact fees. Ms. Schramm stressed that quality of life is a major issue. She pleaded with the Council to consider the impact of the proposed South Village development of 334 more units. Mr. Dietrich noted their study took that development into consideration for their figures and recommendations. Ms. Muir said she understands that traffic will always increase, but she felt it could be "calmed." She noted that drivers use the bike lane as an extra travel lane. She also suggested that people who live on Spear Street drive at the 25 mph speed limit to help slow traffic down. 4. Update on Southern Connector Project: Mr. Rabideau said the project is in three sections with the northern terminus now at Home Avenue. Section C-1 was built in the 1980's and is .6 miles long. Section C-2 would go from Home Avenue to Lakeside Avenue (.7 miles). Section C-6 would go east to Pine Street and to Pine Place, then north to Maple/Battery Streets (1.2 miles). All utilities would be underground. Mr. Rabideau then reviewed the time line for construction. They anticipate getting an Act 250 permit in the winter of 2004. A federal Record of Decision would come in the winter of 2005, and construction of the C-6 portion would commence in the spring of 2006. Work is being done on the final design. Mr. Condos noted that South Burlington is most concerned with the intersection at Shelburne Road. Mr. Rabideau said no design changes are proposed there. Mr. Condos noted there are 2 main bike paths that meet in that area. The city wants a "no right turn on red" indicator at Queen City Park Road and also a pedestrian phase for crossing Shelburne Road. Mr. Condos also noted that Burlington has forced truck traffic into South Burlington. Mr. Rabideau said Home Avenue and Flynn Avenue would be "no truck traffic" streets. Mr. Condos felt that Burlington should also designate their portion of Queen City Park Road as "no truck traffic" as well. Mr. Rabideau felt there was no reason they couldn't do that. He also felt the dead-ending of Pine Street will greatly reduce Queen City Park Road traffic. Ms. Hinds said the Planning & Zoning Office would like to see plans for lighting, landscaping, etc. She noted that this area is an entrance to the City of South Burlington. She also stressed the need to maintain the integrity of the stormwater project. Mr. Rabideau said they are willing to discuss lighting. He said that nothing they are doing involves the stormwater project. 5. Presentation of Airport Drive/Airport Parkway Improvement Scoping Study: Mr. Condos said a main purpose of this study is to get traffic out of the residential neighborhoods. Ms. Ford of the MPO noted that the project was started a few years ago but was put on hold in order to do an Airport access study. When that was done, it was determined that this was still a useful project. Mr. Edwards said part of the study looks at alternatives. The project would extend from Route 2 to Route 15 (about 3 miles) and would be broken into 3 segments: US 2/Airport Drive to White Street, White Street to Airport Parkway, and the northern section of Airport Parkway across the proposed Lime Kiln Bridge. The purpose would be to improve mobility for Route 2 to Route 15 while addressing impacts on local roads. Mr. Edwards reviewed a cross section of Airport Drive. The study found that the best thing to do would be to reduce the width of the road to allow for pedestrian/bike movement. This would impact some of the trees. Amenities along the road would include a signal at Kirby Road/Airport Parkway and the realignment of the Shamrock Road 3-way intersection. There would also be a signal there within the design life of the project. The project would cost $6,000,000. With a new connector, it would be $8,000,000. Rep. Audette felt most of the plan was good. He suggested trying to get it into the TIP when there is room for it. Members were unanimous in support of alternative "B." Mr. Magowan moved to support the preferred alternative and to have that reflected in the final report. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 6. Consideration of Capital Equipment Note for Fire Department Thermal Imaging Cameras: Mr. Hafter advised that this is the third and final year of the equipment funding and is at 2.3% interest. Mr. O'Rourke moved to approve the note and accompanying documents. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 7. Consideration of Approval of Errors and Omissions from 2005 Grand List (new requirement of Act 68): Mr. Smith moved to approve and amend the Grand List as presented. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 8. Appointment to City Charter Committee: Mr. Magowan moved to approve the appointment of Joan Britt to the City Charter Committee. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 9. Review Development Review Board Agenda for meeting of 21 September 2004: No issues were raised. 10. Review Minutes of 7 September 2004: Mr. Sheahan moved to approve the Minutes of 7 September 2004 as presented. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed 4-0 with Mr. O'Rourke abstaining. 11. Sign Disbursement Orders: Disbursement Orders were signed. 12. Executive Session: Mr. Sheahan moved the Council meet in executive session to discuss a personnel matter and land acquisition and to resume regular session to take possible action and/or adjourn. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 13. Regular Session: The Council returned to regular session. Mr. Sheehan moved for approval of a promissory note with Juli Beth Hinds. This note is for assistance with purchasing a residence in South Burlington. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. The note passed unanimously. Mr. Magowan moved for adjournment. Mr. O'Rourke seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 11:10pm. Council Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.