Loading...
2012-01-17 TPC Minutes Amended and Approved in City Council March 15, 2012 (strikeouts and bold, pages 1 &2) 3 . � Transportation and Parking Commission - y I' City of Northampton ■ r4 210 Main Street, Room 18, tF E" A Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 587-1210 www.northamptonma._gov/tpc MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Room 18 Hearing Room, City Hall 4:02 p.m. —6:05 p.m. Members Present: Debin Bruce, Leslie Stein, James Lowenthal, Wayne Feiden, Gary Hartwell, William Letendre, Owen Freeman-Daniels; Gene Tacy, Ned Huntley Members Absent: Russell Sienkiewicz, Paul Sustick Others Present: Laura Hanson, DPW; Scott Savino, NPD Meeting called to order at 4:02 p.m. by Owen Freeman-Daniels. Quorum met. 1. Public Comment a. Fred Zimnoch, Ward 3 —Truck Escape Routes • Referenced Chief Sienkiewicz in October as not wanting Pomeroy Terrace as an alternative truck escape route because of repeated times trucks get stuck there in the winter months; • Said an alternate route"is necessary," and suggested Hancock St. or redesigning the power grid at Phillips and Pomeroy Sts., i.e., moving the telephone pole; • Suggested a review of Hancock St. and other possible escape scenarios by traffic engineers using a map of the streets or truck-turning templates and accounting for the dynamics of winter snow banks; b. John Meehan, 17 Vernon Street—Street Parking • Said that he's part of she Knowles a well-known family, who've been in Northampton for generations; • Said he was blindsided by a change on the street,losing 2 parking spaces out of 4, which affected his frontage and parking for the neighborhood; • Said he represents others as well, although he didn't alert them to his attending this meeting; • Said he called DPW for assistance on sign likening the bureaucracy to a Rube Goldberg design; thanked Mary Midura for helping email the City Council; said he called Paul Specter,with whom he hnd some nflie ; said his neighbor Bill Cooley contacted Bill Letendre before Mr. Meehan was told that Mr. Letendre would look at it; said he didn't hear from him for 10 days so he went in to look at the public record; • Said two signs restricted parking to the church drive to the left,r3' * that serviced his neighbors, now causing a conflict between them; Discussion • Mr. Freeman-Daniels asked if Mr. Meehan wanted the TPC to reexamine the parking on the street (Yes, and that one sign need only be moved 7 feet, which would accommodate all parties involved.); asked for clarity, i.e., go from 2 signs to 3 (Again, yes.); • Mr. Letendre said he looked at the situation; spoke to Paul Specter, who referenced an accident that occurred at the church; said the change was to provide people with a better sight-line (specifically Margaret Cooley complained she was unable to get out of her driveway safely); said that an amendment be required to pass for the existing Ordinance; and concluded that Messrs. Specter and Letendre will look at it and any safety issue there might be by moving the sign closer to the Cooley property; supplementally acknowledged ticketing students cars on the block; • Mr. Tacy asked for Mr. Meehan's contact information (584.8806) and informed him that someone would be in touch; added that he was involved with building the driveway for the church about 25 years ago, and that line-of-sight safety was an issue then as well, the discussions of which went through several committees; • Ms. Stein asked how long ago did this situation occur(a month ago); • Mr. Meehan said he and his neighbors are open to allowing students to park in the neighborhood; Motion,Ms. Bruce, to Close Public Comment; Seconded, Mr. Letendre; Motion Carried. 2. Election of Chair and Vice Chair a. Mr. Freeman-Daniels nominated Mr. Tacy as Chair; b. Mr. Tacy nominated Mr. Freeman-Daniels as Vice Chair; Discussion • Mr. Hartwell said the Chair or Vice Chair positions could not be filled by a city employee; asked if it can't be a city employee, can it be a member of the public; asked too if a Chair could serve consecutive terms; asked if Messrs. Tacy and Freeman-Daniels were appointed to the TPC by the mayor (Mr. Tacy said "We were appointed by the Council President, Bill Dwight"; the appointment came 2 via email dated 1/16/12, after they requested committees, including the TPC.); • Mr. Tacy asked if the body wanted to flip a coin; said most of the questions he gets from his constituents concern "this committee" (TPC); said the occupation pushed the city over the edge with traffic; also referenced the streets in the center of Florence backed up by the medical center (Center/Middle Sts. and Plymouth Avenue); losing parking spaces; • Mr. Feiden disputed the contention that a city employee couldn't be Chair, saying he or she could be; said in response to the consecutive terms that the TPC was not a committee; suggested more meters in Florence; • Mr. Lowenthal thanked Messrs. Tacy & Freeman-Daniels and asked if it mattered whether one was Chair vs. Vice-Chair (Mr. Tacy said it did not matter; Mr. Freeman-Daniels said he was over-committed and declined being the Chair.); • Mr. Letendre said there were only two choices; declined being the Chair as he said his understanding was that a city employee could not be the Chair; suggested another parking lot would be helpful in Florence; • Ms. Stein said the TPC would have to look at the bylaws via the Ordinance Committee; • Mr. Freeman-Daniels said former Chair Carney had a large workload; MOTION: Mr. Lowenthal, To Close Nominations; Seconded by Ms. Stein; Motion Carried. TPC ELECTION: Mr. Tacy was Elected as Chair; Mr. Freeman-Daniels was Elected as Vice Chair; by Unanimous Consent. 3. Approval of Meeting 2012 Schedule • Ms. Stein asked the Chair that the meetings generally are held on the 3' Tuesday of every month (Chair Tacy: Yes); • Mr. Feiden said he would not be present for the 2/21 meeting; MOTION, Vice Chair Freeman-Daniels, to Approve; Seconded, Mr. Lowenthal; Motion Carried. 4. Approval of Minutes of December 20, 2011 Scrivener errors with Corrections provided by Ms. Hanson, including: • page 3, item 4b, paragraph 4: "2006-09"is changed to "2006-08"; • page 4, Discussion, paragraph 5: "North Street . . . Hatfield Sts."now reads "State/Finn Sts., Cooke Ave./Hatfield St."; • page 5, paragraph 3: "are doable" now reads "can be completed"; • page 7, item 8,paragraph 2: the spelling of"Andy Kiefer"now reads "Andy Kuether"; 3 Motion,Mr. Letendre, to Approve Minutes with Corrections as indicated above; Seconded, Mr. Hartwell; Motion Carried. 5. South Street Traffic Calming, Community Meeting Updates—Councilor Schwartz • Councilor Schwartz was unavailable; Motion,Mr. Letendre, to Postpone South Street to Next Meeting; Seconded, Vice Chair Freeman-Daniels; Motion Carried. 6. Continued from 2011 a. Alternate Truck Route—Vice Chair Owen Freeman-Daniels • Reminded the Committee that he had spoken on this matter before them previously as a matter of Public Comment when he was a City Councilor; and summarized his position thusly: tractor trailers that take a left onto Route 9 off of Exit 19 from I-91 North, rather than going straight on Damon Road, cannot go through town if they're taller than 11 feet as they get stuck at the bridge; • Said there are numerous ways a truck might extricate itself, some of which are not permissible given the multiple "no trucks" Ordinances a number of streets have in Ward 3, e.g., Day, Orchard, (portions of) North, and Elizabeth Sts.; • Said Lincoln Avenue, from Bridge Street to North Street, does not have a no- trucks Ordinance, and thus he seeks additional alternative routes for trucks to ease the burden on Lincoln St. residents; secondarily, he added, trucks that miss the turn onto Lincoln and ultimately determine they cannot go under the bridge, turn left onto Hawley St.; • Said there are two proposals before the TPC; 1) from Mr. Zimnoch to reexamine the way trucks go once on Hawley St.; 2) from V.Chair Freeman- Daniels to put in more signage to route trucks around the Fair grounds; urged the TPC to keep the two issues separate as DPW suggested Hawley St. is a more viable alternative than is the Fairgrounds; • Clarified his preference to allow trucks to turn left onto Fair St.,left again on Crosspath Rd., and another left on Old Ferry Rd to bring the truck back to Bridge St. where it can then take a right and head back to Damon Rd.; b. Alternate Truck Route—Laura Hanson, DPW • Old Ferry Road: said she took some photographs and put together some data specific to the Fairgrounds (Minutes copy received); said there were 8 houses on Old Ferry Road; recreation fields on one side, other fields across from the Fairgrounds; length is almost 22-hundred feet, the width is 20 feet; the 4 pavement condition is actually "pretty good" = 88 out of 100, estimated volume is about 500 vehicles a day (not including when the Fair is in session), known overlay in 2003, crack-sealed in 2009, the turn from Old Ferry to Crosspath is wide (ideal for trucks to maneuver); • Crosspath Road: said that once one is on Crosspath, the paving condition deteriorates rapidly; it's about 12-hundred feet long, 22 feet wide, which would accommodate a truck; but the pavement condition index is only 38, meaning it needs base rehabilitation and is not just a quick fix (photos provided); • Fair St.: said there are 12 houses on Fair St. with the Fairgrounds across the street;length is just over 19-hundred feet, 22 feet wide; paving condition is "fairly poor," only 32 out of 100; volume is estimated at only 200 vehicles a day; suggested that a slight incline going up to Bridge Street might make for a tough turn for trucks, and the same type of incline exists on Old Ferry Rd.; Discussion • Chair Tacy inquired as to whether the Chair was permitted to participate in the debate (and was assured by Mr. Feiden that TPC discussions are flexible); asked how prominent the signage will be (Ms. Hanson assured the Exit 19 sign would be "quite large"; also instructed a PowerPoint display on the subject is on the website; was assured by V.Chair that the State would be funding a large portion of the project, although that the City will partly sponsor); asked who owned the pole on Hawley/Phillips (Mr. Letendre conjectured it to be a national grid pole); • Mr. Hartley said Fair St. is steeper than Old Ferry Rd.; • Mr. Huntley pointed out that part of those roads are in a flood plain, possibly forcing vehicles into water; • Mr. Lowenthal sought clarification on the pavement condition grading (Ms. Hanson explained that the poor conditions would only get poorer by adding trucks to the equation.); • Ms. Stein reminded that once the overhead vehicle detection is in place, that presumably concerns about trucks making wrong turns will be alleviated; and that the truck escape route issue might be better postponed until data from the detection system results could be compiled; • V.Chair Freeman-Daniels acknowledged that it would be a long time before the streets in question are improved; concurred with Capt. Savino's suggestion to wait, but still to consider a"last ditch" escape route,postponing the Fairgrounds indefinitely; suggested making available the Hawley St. route to Phillips to Pomeroy and back to Bridge for trucks that don't initially turn right on Lincoln; • Capt. Savino expressed concerns of adding tractor-trailers to the equation of kids playing in the area; inquired as to when the vehicle detection system would be in place (Ms. Hanson said some time in the Spring);proposed TPC wait on alternative truck route until data can be gathered via the overhead vehicle detection system; expressed confidence that it will significantly cut down on the problem of trucks taking wrong turns; said Chief Sienkiewicz did not inform him as to whether the streets involved in the Hawley St. route were to be measured, but that he will inquire therein; 5 • Ms. Bruce asked that in addition to the warning system, a second sign could be put up (Ms. Hanson said a sign just as vehicles exit I-91, there is a small sign there); summarized the consensus hope that once the detection system is in place, the escape route will prove unnecessary; • Mr. Zimnoch provided photos of Phillips St. and Pomeroy Ter.,particularly during the winter, illustrating the degree of difficulty trucks have negotiating the turns while factoring in snow banks and a telephone pole at the corner; suggested Hancock as a route, but, absent that,perhaps move the pole from the corner of Hawley &Phillips; • Ms. Hanson said a DPW meeting was scheduled for 1/23 where she would try and ascertain when the sign would be installed; addressed moving the pole saying the key is the timeframe; MOTION, Mr. Letendre, to Table Fairground Route and for DPW to Examine Phillips or Butler as the Preferred Side Street for the Hawley St. Route; Seconded, Ms. Stein; Motion Carried. c. Henshaw Avenue Parking Concerns —Maureen Kieley • Ms. Kieley was not available. Discussion • Ms. Hanson said she has had email exchanges with Ms. Kieley regarding the difficulty she's having with getting out of her driveway due to low traffic- visibility (see Item 3 of 12/20/2011 Minutes); suggested matter be postponed for college to go back in-session whereupon Ms. Kieley could gather more accurate data; • Mr. Letendre observed he saw only one car on Henshaw today; said that aside from one no-parking sign, the curbs are also painted; suggested the situation may be irresolvable (other than eliminate all the parking) given the way some city streets are structured; said warehousing cars is not permitted due to no- overnight-parking; said moving parking to the other side of the street"might work" and that he would examine it further; explained that residents-only parking is not feasible due to being significantly fewer residents than Smith students; • V.Chair Freeman-Daniels asked whether parking on other side was feasible; suggested curb cuts on both sides as a determining factor; • Mr. Hartwell enumerated curb cuts leading to lots for students to warehouse their cars; said Zip cars park there too; • Mr. Lowenthal inquired if objections from residents could be expected (Mr. Letendre said that they'd only be looking at it.); • Mr. Feiden suggested that if more spaces could be made available on the other side of the street, the city could push the no-parking signs farther from the driveways and maintain the same number of spaces; • Ms. Bruce suggested staggering the parking spaces; 6 • Ms. Hanson suggested Ms. Kieley be informed as to what was discussed here; MOTION, Mr. Letendre, to Table and Bring Up at Next Meeting with Mr. Letendre to Gather More Data; Seconded, Ms. Bruce; Motion Carried._ d. Jackson Street 4-Way Stop—Laura Hanson, DPW • Ms. Hanson summarized for Chair Tacy (see Item 4, 12/20/2011 Minutes); re: Boston DOT's program "Low Income Improvements for Stop Sign-controlled Intersections"; Northampton has six (6) such qualified intersections, one of which is Prospect/Woodlawn/Jackson Sts intersection (particularly after a recent accident involving two teens), now slated to become a 4-way stop; • Said DOT will be putting in larger stop signs, warning signs, pavement markings, etc.; said she talked to Kori Lavallee in Boston; • Said that for the time-being thermo-plasticizing crosswalks is not included, but that might change if funding becomes available; said that for larger stop signs to be put in, existing stop signs would have to be in place; • Said Mr. Feiden and Mr. Huntley would be looking into obtaining Transportation Improvement Project (TIP) funding for this intersection; • Said TPC currently has authority for a 4-way stop as a 3-month trial basis, which may or may not impact a further upgrade to stop lights. • Concluded that the best option likely would be to continue improvements in a multi-phased process as funds become available; Discussion • Chair Tacy solicited for a group consensus: "I like it."; concurred by Messrs. Letendre and Lowenthal; asked about cost or if the 10-year study was sufficient; • Mr. Lowenthal acknowledged the consensus is the more aggressive approach but lack the current funding for such; said that the 4-way stop signs are "stop gap"but that "we'll take it"; said there was no reason not to try; cautioned that August is not that far away and that TPC ought to get the ball rolling; • Ms. Bruce acknowledged Jackson St. as an emergency route; suggested that City Council and Ordinance committees' time needs to be budgeted into the equation; • Ms. Hanson added there is currently a traffic calming request in place, meaning 200 resident signatures have specifically requested that intersection be improved; said DOT expects the smaller stop signs need to be in place by August; said the matter requires a"warrant analysis" and not just a traffic count; said she'd investigate further into accident data and that DOT is helpful with such information; said a traffic study should be done by June in order for the TPC to vote on it and to get the stop signs in place by August; said she'll contact DOT to find out if the 10 year-old traffic study will be sufficient; • Mr. Feiden suggested TPC find out whether the 10-year old warrant analysis is not still sufficient; said PVTA assistance is a possibility; • Mr. Huntley expressed a concern if DOT stop signs would disappear if 7 sufficient analysis was not forthcoming; said he wanted to keep signs once put in place until a light was put in; suggested putting in the smaller stop signs sooner than later and "pray for the best"; • Mr. Hartwell suggested a public info campaign beyond just putting stop signs up; • Capt. Savino said that,no question, it was a tough intersection to get out of, MOTION, Mr. Feiden, to Partially Move Forward, Approving 4-Way Contingent on Data to be Provided by DPW; Seconded, Ms. Bruce; Motion Carried. 7. Amend Ordinance 350-10.12, Home Occupations —Wayne Feiden • Said the language change is to allow more home occupations by rights without a permit; said no added fees are required, that the language change is to relax restrictions but in the case of requiring permits, the board has enormous discretion; • Said the City has provided permits to people to work out of their home since 1987, purpose being economical and traffic reduction; said exceptions include car repair, surgery, banks, the like; • Cited guitar lessons and hair salon, etc., as examples of when permits are provided, but that complaints aren't always predictable as they come from neighbors re: customer parking in residential areas; special permits would then be made necessary; • Said examinations have been made as to which professions are Hi- v. Lo-traffic and that the change proposed is to include up to 5 visits per day/25 visits per week, admittedly arbitrary and not huge numbers, but reasonable, a balancing act; • Said higher customer volume would require a special permit; acknowledged that "special permit" sometimes scares people away to where they won't do the business or will do it illegally; • Said the building inspector would have to sign off on the general compliance; • Said size of street is not factored in; • Said that home occupation may actually generate more traffic, but particularly worrisome is traffic load between 4-6 p.m. (rush hours); Discussion • Mr. Lowenthal said the average American household generates 10 one-way or 5 round-trips; Home Ec. creates more traffic overall; clarified that the Ordinance as amended relaxes the standard from occupation-based (with few exceptions) to just the number of customers; • Mr. Feiden said the amendment's purpose is essentially to reduce unnecessary regulation; emphasized that the Ordinance has been liberalized because the City doesn't receive that many complaints; said that the City Council asked that the Ordinance be referred to TPC; said thus far a public hearing hasn't been held 8 (February) and that advertising the change hasn't been put out; instructed that in Section 2.1, Subparagraph 4 "no more than 5 visits per day" would now read "no more than an average of 5 visits per days"; said that in Section 10.12 it would then read"no more than 25 per week"; • V.Chair Freeman-Daniels sought clarification on the Ordinance Item 6, differentiating "registration with the Building Commissioner" as being separate from obtaining a special permit; said he spoke to the Building Commissioner who is unclear as to how enforcement will be implemented; asked the Mayor to ask the Commissioner to draft a memo expressing those concerns; clarified the Ordinance doesn't differentiate visits from customers to deliveries (Mr. Feiden suggested to add language "5 business-related visits"); suggested the number of visits be increased to 7 or 8 while still limiting the weekly max to 25, to provide flexibility to worker's schedule; said TPC is the first to address the change and then the Planning Board would counter, and then Council would make final decision; • Ms. Stein asked how the current Ordinance is enforced (Mr. Feiden suggested that as a practical matter, enforcement comes on a complaint basis); • Ms. Bruce responded to the V.Chair's flexibility suggestion, saying "we erred on the side of a low number" simplifying enforcement based by complaint as simply counting cars (although that won't be put in writing within the Ordinance); said the Commissioner now has a different metric; • Mr. Hartwell addressed the V.Chair's daily increase of the number, suggesting the word"average"be applied; consensus approved of this suggestion; 8. Amend Ordinance 350-10.12, Home Occupations Special Permit • Mr. Feiden said Section 10.12 was moved to Section 2.1 Definitions and would be deleted from 10.12; MOTION, Mr. Letendre, to Move the Question as Amended, Seconded, Mr. Hartwell; Motion Carried. 9. Amend Ordinance 312-29, Diagonal Parking —William Letendre 312-29 DIAGONAL PARKING AMMENDED: A. THE CITY COUNCIL SHALL DETERMINE THE STREES AND PARKING LOTS UPON WHICH DIAGONAL PARKING WILL BE PERMITTED AND SHALL CAUSE SUCH STREETS AND PARKING LOTS TO BE DESIGNATED BY SIGNS OR THE SURFACES THEREOFTO BE MARKED BY THE PARKING DIVISION OR DPW. • Mr. Letendre said the old Ordinance didn't mention parking lots; said the lawyer said "you have to say 'Lots."'; said the City had been ticketing cars backing into the diagonal spaces inside the lots (as they could only do that driving against the one-way arrows)but that there was no Ordinance to back that enforcement; said he amended the Ordinance to read as above; cited the 9 Strong Ave. lot as the prime example where the car has to be facing the curb with the right front wheel touching the curb; Discussion • V.Chair Freeman-Daniels clarified that the original Ordinance indicated the City Council as determining the streets and parking lots; clarified that this Ordinance acts in a manner to provide the TPC with authority to regulate streets and parking in general on behalf of the City Council; • Mr. Letendre said that old Ordinances were written before diagonal parking had gone into effect; said that tickets written without Ordinance are now being rejected; explained to the V.Chair that when the original Ordinance was written, the city didn't have a Parking Commission, Division, or Director; said this Ordinance implies TPC has authority to modify Ordinances even as it will go through Ordinance and City Council; • Chair Tacy clarified that the City Solicitor consulted on the amendment language as written by Mr. Letendre; • Capt. Savino suggested the language to indicate the City Council approved determination of the streets and parking lots upon recommendation from the TPC; • Mr. Hartwell clarified that the City Council has to approve and therefore does maintain control of streets and parking lots; added that the TPC can only make recommendations for any Ordinance; • Mr. Lowenthal sought to clarify that this legislation could change the legal dynamic of the City Council making the final call and giving that authority to TPC; • Mr. Feiden suggested a simple solution would be to add language to say something akin to "upon approval by City Council with recommendation by TPC ; MOTION, Mr. Letendre, to Pass from TPC to City Council; Seconded, Ms. Stein; Motion Carried. 10. Amend Ordinance 312-17, Handicapped Parking —William Letendre • Said this came from Lt. Ken Watson, NPD; re: a crosswalk at Leeds Village Apts. Discussion • Ms. Hanson expressed confusion that the Ordinance was written vaguely as described; suggested that specifics to distance should be part of the description, rather than just "crosswalk"; • V.Chair Freeman-Daniels remarked the clarity of the image of the crosswalk on Google Earth; 10 • Mr. Lowenthal concurred with the sense the Ordinance is written vaguely; Mr. Letendre said once the crosswalk is put in, it will have signage to indicate the exact spot, so even when it fades that won't be a problem; • Mr. Letendre said "crosswalks" could be made to read"the intersection of Main and Mulberry" (Mr. Lowenthal thought that would be less vague); said "crosswalks" could be made to read "the intersection of Main and Mulberry" MOTION, Ms. Bruce, to Adopt Ordinance as Amended; Seconded by Mr. Lowenthal; Motion Carried. 11. Amend Ordinance 312-102, No Parking Ridgewood Terrace—William Letendre 312-102 NO PARKING ANYTIME ADD: RIDGEWOOD TERRACE SIDE FROM TO SOUTHERLY JACKSON ST. A POINT 118 FT WEST. NORTHERLY JACKSON ST. A POINT 114 FT WEST. • Said there's a problem with parents picking up their kids at the corner of Ridgewood and Jackson; described the situation as "a mess"; said that it's a safety issue; said the answer is to implement no-parking any time, enforceable by the police department; Discussion • Mr. Lowenthal wanted to expand the language to "no parking or standing"; clarified that any parking makes driving difficult on the street; • Mr. Letendre said the need is to clean it up where it meets Jackson; said that parents get out of their cars and walk to the school to pick up their kids; acknowledged that Ridgewood has had temporary no-parking signs before but that people were taking them down; • Chair Tacy said the problem is similar on Juniper Street; • Ms. Hanson suggested alerting the neighborhood that enforcement would be happening; said she'd follow-up with Gwen Agna; • Capt. Savino suggested temporary no-parking signs; MOTION, V.Chair Freeman-Daniels, to Approve; Seconded, Ms. Bruce; Motion Carried; 12. Amend 312-36, Parking Meter Locations and Regulations —William Letendre • Said language indicated "Except Thursday" and are changing to "Except Sunday and days otherwise excepted by provisions of law and legal holidays." 11 Discussion • None. MOTION, Ms. Bruce, to Adopt; Seconded, Mr. Feiden; Motion Carried. MOTION, Mr. Lowenthal, to Adjourn; Seconded, Mr. Feiden; Motion Carried. Respectfully submitted, Gregory P. Ammons Johnson & Hill Staffing 12