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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 5, 2018 Minutes OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS COLUMBIA HEIGHTS TRAFFIC COMMISSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018 CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Olson at 5:36 p.m. ROLL CALL Members present: Commissioners Clerkin, Doty, Olson, and Schluender Members absent: Chairperson Carlson Staff present: Kathy Young, Assistant City Engineer Erik Johnston, Police Captain Lenny Austin, Police Chief Sue Schmidtbauer, Public Works Secretary Council Liaison: Connie Buesgens APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Doty, seconded by Schluender, to approve the minutes of October 1, 2018 as presented. Motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC HEARINGS th RESIDENTS PRESENT: Frost and Amada Simula, 1700 49 Avenue Jim Totzke, 1630 Fairway Drive Donald Murzyn, 1730 Fairway Drive A.PUBLIC HEARING TO DESIGNATE APPROXIMATELY 65 FEET OF “NO PARKING” ON THE EAST AND NORTH SIDES OF FAIRWAY DRIVE AT THE CORNER NEXT TO 1665 FAIRWAY DRIVE, AND ALSO SIGN “NO TH PARKING” FROM THE CORNER OF FAIRWAY DRIVE AND 49 AVENUE FOR 30 FEET SOUTH OF THE STOP SIGN At the meeting on October 1, 2018 the Traffic Commission called for a Public Hearing to designate approximately 65 feet of “No Parking” on the east and north sides of Fairway Drive at the corner next th to 1665 Fairway Drive, and also sign “No Parking” from the corner of Fairway Drive and 49 Avenue for 30 feet south of the stop sign. The concern is the limited visibility and travel width when vehicles are parked along both sides of Fairway Drive, especially at the corner. During some school events, Fairway Drive is used for overflow parking, causing more congestion along Fairway Drive than a typical residential street. th Amada Simula of 1700 49 Avenue attended the Public Hearing on behalf of a neighbor who lives on Fairway Drive. She stated this is a tight corner and parking during school and neighborhood events makes it hard for residents to see around the corner and/or back out of their driveways. The neighbors she spoke with were in favor of the no parking restriction. Jim Totzke lives at 1630 Fairway at the 90 degree bend. His concern is that 65 feet of no parking from each corner eliminates approximately 50% of parking for all the houses on the corner due to driveways.Young explained that the no parking is actually a total of 65 feet and presented the actual drawing. Mr. Totzke understands the craziness of the summer academy and this is an issue but he is asking to not put up signs but instead just mark the inside radius. He has been there 27 years and feels this is going to cause a bigger Traffic Commission Minutes – November 5, 2018 Page 2 problem because the cars will now really try to squeeze in. He understands how it would be nice to not have cars park right up to the corner but feels the cure may be worse than the problem. Doty had photos of the leaf cover near the stop sign and advised there are times during the year when the yellow striping is covered; and its worse when it’s dark outside. Unsure how many people are actually aware that you are not supposed to park less than 30 feet from a stop sign per state statute. Clerkin feels there should be some type of signage. Young advised what’s been used at other locations is “No Parking Here to Corner” or “No Parking 30 Feet from Corner”, but if you post “No Parking Here to Corner” then the sign is placed right where the no parking begins. Olson stated the public hearing was called to eliminate parking on the bend when it gets congested based on complaints and safety of the residents that live there, but he also feels signage for the stop sign is important due to state statute. Hopefully it will remind people to stay out of that pocket because when the parking gets congested it’s dangerous. Staff will paint the bend yellow and then post a no parking sign 30 feet from the stop sign, even though it is marked. Mr. Totzke is fine with the decision but feels that during the summer academy they will ignore the signs anyway. Olson feels this is a dangerous corner, Mr. Totzke stated he’s been there 27 years and has never seen an issue. Motion by Clerkin to recommend the City Council designate “No Parking” for approximately 65 feet on the east and north sides of Fairway Drive at the corner next to 1665 Fairway Drive. Move to direct staff to install “No Parking from Here to Corner” signs 30 feet south of the “Stop” sign. Motion seconded by Doty. Motion passed unanimously. RESIDENTS PRESENT: Eric Ewald, 3705 Quincy Street Pam Lee, 3829 Quincy Street John Barnes, 3722 Quincy Street Bill Skraba, 3829 Quincy Street Robert Vee, 3800 Quincy Street Robert Jogodka, 3819 Quincy Street th Jerry Lemire, 3828 Quincy Street Tod Biegawowski, 701 39 Avenue th Deb Peterson, 3842 Quincy Street Ahmed Elyamani, 715 39 Avenue THTH B. PUBLIC HEARING TO DESIGNATE NO PARKING ON QUINCY STREET FROM 38 AVENUE TO 39 AVENUE At the meeting on October 1, 2018 the Traffic Commission called for a Public Hearing to designate thth “No Parking” on both the east and west sides of Quincy Street from 38 Avenue to 39 Avenue. Postcard notices of the hearing were mailed to properties within approximately 300 feet of the proposed no parking area. Notice of the hearing was also published in the Sun Focus newspaper and posted on the City’s website. Residents expressed concern with the amount of business parking on the north end of Quincy Street, including inoperable vehicles, and the difficulty of enforcing the 6 hour parking regulation. Captain Johnston advised that the Police Department did communicate with the business owners by personally delivering a letter. They now need input from residents regarding any progress. Ms. Debbie Peterson lives at 3842 Quincy Street which is the second house in. After thinking about the no parking designation, she feels it would be very difficult to have no parking due to family, guests, etc., especially during holidays. Relatives and friends would need to park up to a block away. Olson Traffic Commission Minutes – November 5, 2018 Page 3 asked if things have improved since the last meeting. Ms. Peterson stated junk cars on the block have improved but it’s still tight. Cars are down to a minimum of six but they do clear out at night--because they have to. The businesses still work on cars but the tow truck comes less often. However, it’s still bad at the first couple of houses. She’s asking for residential parking only even though this would be very difficult to enforce, but at least police would know that a tow truck does not belong on that block or a car that’s being worked on with no license plates. She also suggested guest passes if they go with the no parking because she does not have room in her driveway. Schluender asked what hours the cars are parking. She stated it’s usually later in evening but this has also gotten better. th Eric Ewald lives at 3705 Quincy Street south of 38 Avenue. He does not live in the designated ”no parking” zone but feels if no parking is designated the overflow parking will move to in front of his home. Already there are times when cars from a collision are parked in front of his house for days at a time. The businesses also seem to park cars very close to the stop sign causing near accidents due to no vision at the corner. He suggested permit parking for residents but he doesn’t know what that would take. Stated the vehicles will not be as bad at this time because they can’t legally park on the street overnight, but when there is parking overnight in the summer they use the street as their place of business.Again, he is for permit parking.Olson asked administratively what type of permit system we could utilize. Young advised we would need to contact other cities that have this in place and evaluate the options. John Barnes of 3722 Quincy Street has also noticed parking at the end of the street and near accidents when cars are trying to make the turn. Approximately 3-4 weeks ago he saw a pickup truck drop a car off in front a neighbor’s house that was there for three days. He checked with his neighbor who said it wasn’t his, it just showed up. The businesses are parking their leftover cars on Quincy Street and it’s taking up parking for the residents who live there. There are new neighbors and kids moving into the neighborhood. Having trucks and cars being dropped along with the extra traffic is dangerous for the children. th Ahmed Elyamani is the owner of Affordable Auto at 715 39 Avenue. He has been in same location since 2001 and hasn’t had any problems with parking until the sidewalk was put in across the street. He has four fulltime employees and five part-time employees. He is currently in a wheelchair due to an accident. Since his accident he has two other family members who come and help. So they have the employee cars and the customer cars with very limited parking. The other businesses have lots of parking behind their buildings and large parking lots. A problem occurred for his business because th they lost parking across the street on 39 Avenue. He does not want to be hurting his neighbors by making Quincy Street a no parking zone. He only has four parking spots in front of his building. If he uses one spot because he is in a wheelchair and has one or two customers in wheelchairs that use the other spots, it’s going to be difficult to park anywhere. They do not work on cars on Quincy Street and it’s very rare that they need to jump a car on Quincy Street. Most of their non-running and smashed th vehicles get dropped at the shop. They have an overflow lot 6-7 blocks away on 37 Avenue. He stated they do not park on Quincy Street to bother the neighbors; they go to work and leave room for the neighbors to park. The employees start at 8 or 9 am and leave around 6:30 – 7:00 pm but the part- th time employees are not always parked there. This all began when they lost the parking on 39 Avenue. Feels the no parking would hurt the neighbors as well as his business, especially in winter. They need to park somewhere and he would like the City to help find a solution. Olson asked what solution he is seeking. Mr. Elyamani stated he only has 5-6 cars parked on Quincy Street most of the time and they belong to employees, maybe a couple of customer cars. They use the overflow lot or Traffic Commission Minutes – November 5, 2018 Page 4 the shop for smashed cars; they do not drop smashed cars on Quincy Street. The only other choice is Jackson Street which is too far away; he and his customers in wheelchairs cannot wheel themselves that far in the snow. Ms. Peterson stated the parking problem started way before the sidewalk was put in and cars were parked on Quincy Street for weeks at a time last winter. Olson stated the problem may not just be Mr. Elyamani’s business but a conglomerate of the businesses. Olson feels the residents need to hear from more than one business owner, if you’re trying to do business and there’s no room, what are the options. Residents do have a right to park in front of their home and have guest parking even though it’s a public street. Mr. Ewald is frustrated by fact that if you have a business why are you allowed to park a vehicle in front of a private home—shouldn’t you have a lot for the business. He feels permit parking is the best solution to identify residents who live and park on that street. He understands businesses have a company to run but they should plan ahead before proceeding. If a business outgrows its location they need to move. Jerry Lemire lives at 3828 Quincy Street. Since the last meeting he had more photos of a tow truck picking up a car one house down and of two men working on a car in front of a neighbor’s house near thth 39 Avenue. Agreed this got much worse when parking on 39 Avenue was eliminated. He would like to see the tow truck off his street. The tow truck is what’s bringing the inoperable cars to their street. He is sympathetic for the small businesses and the handicapped but they have made the neighborhood kind of a mess on the streets. Mr. Lemire has spoken with neighbors regarding the ban on parking, but now doesn’t think it will work. Ms. Peterson stated one of her neighbors close to the corner is concerned what will happen if they ever put their house up for sale as the neighborhood looks bad because the cars are parked bumper to bumper. Once a car was parked in her driveway and she had to call to have it removed. It’s also very dangerous for the children. Drivers drive inappropriately, fast and dangerously for a residential street. Olson inquired if any other business owners were present – no. Robert Jogodka has lived at 3819 Quincy Street since 1965 and is vehemently opposed to a no parking ban. As a resident, he does not feel he should be prohibited from parking his car in front of his house. Schluender agrees this is a dilemma. There are a lot of challenges to enforcing the restrictions of two hour parking or resident parking only that will consume officer time. Obviously he would not like junk vehicles or cars being worked on in front of his house, it’s not appropriate for a residential area. However, after hearing from residents, designating no parking does not seem to be the solution. Doty brought up the permit parking. Captain Johnston stated the City would need to create a new ordinance and he’s unsure how that would work. Schluender advised that if we did this it would need to be something that will work across the entire city. A customer of one of the businesses stated he tried to park at the business but there were no parking th spots available so he had to park on 39 Avenue. A resident asked how long he was going to park. He parked for 10 minutes. Schluender asked residents if they are most concerned about customers or workers with operable cars being parked on their street or cars with mechanical or body problems being worked on. One Traffic Commission Minutes – November 5, 2018 Page 5 resident responded that it’s mostly the vehicles being worked on. He doesn’t know whose cars they are but once you hit the corner it’s so congested you can’t see what’s going on. He lives on Quincy and when he gets up the street cars come whipping around the corner causing him to slam on his brakes. Questioned if parking spaces can be rented from the pallet company as that lot never seems to be full. Mr. Ewald asked if there are any ordinances regarding leaving a damaged vehicle parked on street. Captain Johnston stated the closest ordinance he knows of is for junk vehicles, but if the vehicle is drivable the ordinance does not apply. Ms. Peterson questioned if cars can block a driveway. Captain Johnston advised cars can park right up to the driveway but they cannot obstruct it. Vehicles must be parked 30 feet from a stop sign. Schuelender questioned corner distance where there is no stop sign. Captain Johnston is not aware of anything, he would need to check. Mr. Ewald also asked if there are any ordinances restricting a commercial vehicle parking on the street for a certain amount of time. There are ordinances for buses. Mr. Lemire advised this problem started last winter when cars were parked in front of his house for six days and other non- working cars were parked for three weeks. Olson suggested a time ban such as no parking from 7 am – 12 noon. He understands that perhaps the businessman has outgrown his location but residents need parking also. He feels permit parking would be an administrative nightmare and is something the City would need to create and adopt. Captain Johnston advised that enforcement could be added to a regular patrol but without a current system in place he’s unsure. Young stated that with winter coming it may be worthwhile to enforce the overnight parking ban for the long-term vehicles. It’s not so much of a problem due to the ban but any stragglers would be ticketed. Schluender advised that St. Paul struggles because their permit parking has grown and they have 40-50 types of zones to be enforced. The permit cost does not cover the expenses of the permit parking. Also, this would not be a quick solution to the current problem because it would need to work for the whole city. Some residents do not feel restricting parking for certain hours would work. Ms. Peterson asked for residential parking only. Olson stated the problem with that is how to decipher if a vehicle is residential only. She feels at least a smashed vehicle or tow truck could be ticketed. The City could get residents’ license numbers. Another option is to restrict parking only for certain hours. Ms. Peterson advised this hasn’t been a problem until the last 1-2 years. Doty likes permit parking but it would need to go to the council. Olson understands both sides. Mr. Ewald asked what residents could do to go forward with residential parking. Olson advised if staff put something together for council they could attend the meeting. Mr. Ewald asked how he could keep up to date with the process. Young advised we will keep the same mailing list for the notices that went out for this meeting and when it is scheduled to be presented to the City Council we will let residents know. Young also advised that this most likely would need to be discussed at a work session first before being presented to the City Council. Olson advised the process would take some time. He feels the long-term parking can be nicked by the winter ban. He would like business owners try to work something out with neighboring businesses and make it a cooperative effort. Ms. Peterson asked about Huset Park parking. Chief Austin advised the Park Board would need to get Traffic Commission Minutes – November 5, 2018 Page 6 involved in that. He stated most auto businesses do not park their vehicles on city streets to work on them and he does not feel the Park Board would want them to do this in the park lot. Olson feels the short-term solution for long-term parking is the winter ban and the City will need to look at other options. thth Motion by Schluender to table “No Parking” on Quincy Street from 38 to 39 Avenue. Motion seconded by Clerkin. Motion passed unanimously. Olson asked Mr. Elyamani to talk to other businesses regarding cooperative parking arrangements to help the neighbors with their homes. Schuelender added that we need a cooperative solution as residents will keep on pushing, if a cooperative solution is met this will ward off a regulatory solution. Olson advised will see what City staff can put together. OLD BUSINESS None OTHER OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS None OTHER NEW BUSINESS None REPORTS CITY ENGINEER None POLICE CHIEF None COMMISSIONERS None ADJOURNMENT Motion by Olson, seconded by Doty to adjourn the meeting at 6:35 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sue Schmidtbauer Public Works Secretary