Loading...
18th St. recommendation before meetiingCITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH PARKING AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ADVISORY RESOUORCE COMMITTEE MEETING RECOMMENDATION FOR PRESENTATION TO THE CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION TO RECONFIGURE PUBLIC PARKING AT THE 18TH STREET BEACH ACCESS AGENDA ITEM: Recommendation to the City of Atlantic Beach City Commission to direct City staff to reconfigure public parking at the 18th Street beach access. SUBMITTED BY: Jennifer Deery and Michael Tari, Co -Chairs — PPSARC REPORT DATE: 4th of February 2019 BACKGROUND: The Parking and Pedestrian Safety Advisory Resource Committee is charged with evaluating and making recommendations to improve pedestrian safety within the City. At the regularly scheduled 15 November 2018 meeting of the Atlantic Beach City Commission the PPSARC's recommendation to reconfigure parking on 18th Street to establish a pedestrian pathway along the North side of the street and change the present "nose -in" parking to parallel with a resulting loss of approximately 20 parking spaces. The staff report submitted at that same meeting agreed a pathway was desired but noted anticipated problems associated with the parallel parking in general and Toss of public parking spaces. The Commission sent the recommendation back to the PPSARC with instructions to: 1) Reconsider parking with no net Toss of parking in the 18th Street area. 2) Consider feasibility of sidewalk on either side of the street. 3) Consider no parallel parking on the north side if street remains a two way street. 4) If recommendation reduces parking spots from 18th St., identify equal number of "new" parking spaces in the area. "New" spots would not include those currently designated as parking. 5) Parking across the street on Saturiba can be considered "new". 6) Consider the possible calming effect of paid parking. 7) Consider traffic calming devices such as speed bumps and additional signage on 18tH Members of the PPSARC and its 18th, 19th, and 20th St Sub- committee participated in a Commission sponsored "town meeting" as well as regular meetings of both the full PPSARC and the sub -committee. In addition to comments made by the public during these meetings, e-mails and other correspondence received by the PPSARC either directly or from Commission members and staff were reviewed. Public comments included anecdotal evidence of vehicles backing out of the nose -in parking striking and killing a pet, striking children, narrowly missing darting children in the traffic throughway, and vehicles ignoring the stop signs at the four-way stop on 18th and Seminole. These comments further affirmed the PPSARC's initial findings that the present configuration of 18th street poses potentially serious threats to pedestrians. As documented in Attachment (1), the PPSARC compared the parking inventory compiled by its members shortly after the inception of the committee with the parking inventory used by Olsen Associates in ascertaining Beach Re -nourishment funding. That comparison reflects the Olsen data did not accurately document the presence of at least 72 marked Public Access parking spots between 2nd and 20th Street. After reviewing the data, it was clear to PPSARC members the removal of 20 parking spaces on 18th St to accommodate its initial parallel parking recommendation would not adversely affect the Beach Re -nourishment contract. Members of the committee expressed concern that Duval County may be paying a disproportionate share for the re -nourishment based upon the "non -counting" of the actual public parking spots in the City. While not included in the language of the initial recommendation, the committee was very concerned that their recommendation ould be seen as an attempt to "limit" access to the beaches. The PPSARC's initial parking inventory identified existing AND POTENTIAL parking spots throughout the City. Without accurate property descriptions reflecting the existing right-of-ways, possible waivers and with the ongoing re -write of the Parking JUSTIFICATION: Ordinance in progress, the PPSARC felt staff would be better able to identify parking in multiple areas of the city to offset the loss proposed. There may be other historical information not presented in this chronology and not available at the time of the drafting of this report. The "Justification" portion of Attachment (2), the previously provided recommendation to reconfigure parking on 18th Street, remains valid and is even more relevant when considering the latest anecdotal evidence concerning hits and near misses of pedestrians and pets by vehicles on 18th St. While respectful of the staff's concerns relating to parallel parking, as over half of the existing parking in Atlantic Beach is parallel, the PPSARC believes the safety issues associated with nose -in or diagonal parking specifically along 18th street outweigh these concerns. 1. No Net Loss in the" 18th St" area Attachment (3) is a listing of suggested "new" parking between 2nd St. and 20th and identifies 95-114 spaces. With the exception of parking at Waters Park and on the triangular lot between 15th and Seminole, all spaces were within one block of Beach Ave and generally Tess than two blocks from any given beach access. Abundant "new" parallel parking is available on Saturiba from Seminole to Selva Grande to offset the recommended losses at 18th St however the PPSARC believes introducing parking on Saturiba could have a significant negative impact on neighborhoods adjacent to Saturiba. 2. Sidewalk Placement Pathways solely on the south side or pathways crossing from north to south at Ocean Grove unnecessarily place pedestrians in the flow of traffic. With a paved width of approximately 47' and an additional 2-3' of unpaved space, pathways of 4' width could be placed on both south side of the street between Ocean Grove and Beach Ave. and nearly 6' wide on the north while still providing 20' minimum for two way traffic and parallel parking on both sides of the street. 3. No Parallel parking on North side if two-way Regardless of whether 18th is one way or two way, any configuration of nose-in or diagonal parking on 18th fails to address the fundamental safety issue resulting from beachgoers loading and off-loading their vehicles in the street. As noted above, even with pathways on both sides of the street, 18th will have wider two-way traffic lanes than present and also will have clearly defined pathways directing pedestrian traffic off the traffic lanes. If the Commission determines one-way traffic is desired, the PPSARC suggests that traffic direction be from east to west. It is reluctant to endorse such an action however unless making 18th St one- way is a part of a City-wide re-orientation of streets. 4. No Net Loss "in the area" The PPSARC had a definitional problem with this request. If the Commission defines "in the area" as anywhere in the City between Beach and Ocean, is the PPSARC's contention that spreading the "new" parking throughout the city will result in minimal impact of neighborhoods already having public parking. The re-identification of former "official use only" parking as "public" will negate the necessity for many of the non -park identified "new" spots and further minimize the impact of additional "new" parking on any given neighborhood. If, instead, the Commission defines "in the area" as anything within 1/3 mile of the 18th St beach access, a re-design of parking at Waters Park, the park on Deweese and Coquina along with some of the identified "new" spaces between 17th and 20th will meet their request. 5. "New" parking on Saturiba With a combined street width and right-of-way measurement of 100', "new" parking along Saturiba could easily be designed to offset all of the "lost" spaces on 18th. The PPSARC is hesitant to recommend this as a viable alternative not only because of the potential negative impact on the adjoining neighborhoods but also because occupants from vehicle parking along Saturiba would need to cross over Seminole to get to the beach access. The PPSARC has both anecdotal and documented evidence of vehicles ignoring the stop signs at 18th and Seminole. This supports concerns by residents that the resulting increase in crosswalk traffic will give rise to an BUDGET: even greater risk of injuries resulting from drivers who "fail to stop." 6. Paid Parking impact The PPSARC has no specific information on what effect, if any, would result should the City initiate Pay -for -Parking for 18th street. Statements from staff indicate other cities may have experienced lower volumes of traffic once Pay -for -Parking was instituted. Concerns expressed by citizens in the area are that Pay -for -Parking may result in Tess cars at any given time but more cars over the day as beachgoers leave when their time expires. It is the PPSARC's contention that Pay -for -Parking will have little if any impact on safety considerations at 18th St. 7. Traffic calming devices/signage Traffic calming devices and signage have proven to be effective in traffic and pedestrian control. We believe their usage at 18th St to maintain separation of traffic and direct pedestrian traffic off the middle of the street is essential. Budgetary impact has not been determined at this time but is expected to be minimal. The primary expenses will be the remarking of parking spaces and defining pathways on both the north and south sides of 18th. Additional potential expenses include installation of "traffic delineators" down the center of 18th between Seminole and Ocean Grove and Ocean Grove and Beach and appropriate Pedestrian signage instructing them to stay on the pathways and off the street. Landscaping to include the center median and defining the pathways with permeable pavers could be incorporated in subsequent City budgets. RECOMMENDATION: The PPSARC recommends the City Commission adopt the following measures to improve the 18th St Beach Access area: 1. Create a public pathway on the north side of 18th St between Seminole Rd and Beach Ave. Initially curb stops, railroad ties, gravel, sand or any other readily available material could be used to define the walkway and future budgets cycles could create a more permanent permeable walkway with landscaping. 2. Create a similarly designed public pathway on the south side of 18th St. between Ocean Grove and Beach Ave. ATTACHMENTS: 3. Restripe with hi -visibility paint all parking on 18th St between Seminole Road and Beach Ave. to parallel parking. 4. Incorporate bicycle, motorcycle and scooter parking as space allows. 5. Dedicate one ADA van accessible parking space at the NW corner of 18th St and Beach Ave creating better sight lines at the intersection. Move the second existing ADA van accessible space to the 19th St. beach access parking. 6. Paint crosswalks connecting the beach access stairs to the newly created pathways on the north and south sides of 18th St. and use in -street signage to alert motorists to the potential for pedestrian/vehicle traffic interaction. 7. Place traffic delineators between Seminole and Ocean Grove and Ocean Grove and Beach Ave. on 18th to identify clearly defined east and west traffic lanes. 8. Place appropriate signage on delineators and at the base of the beach access stairway directing pedestrian traffic to use pathways. 9. Widen the stairs of the 18th St. beach access stairway and move the stairway back at least 8' from the curb and intersection. 10. Direct City staff, utilizing Attachment (3) and other available records to identify appropriate "new" parking spaces meeting the Commission's "no -net -loss" requirements. 1. Parking Inventory Comparison 2. 24 September 2018 PPSARC recommendation 3. Possible "New Parking" locations PRESENTATIONS: Available on request APPROVAL: Attachment (1) Olsen fm 2012 photos/Observations of PPSARC Location Reg ADA Official Bike Atl Blvd (N only) /24 /2 /0 /12* N/A Ocean —1St /29 /0 /0 /4 N/A Ahern (East Coast to Beach) /11 /0 /0 /0 N/A 1St /8 /0 /0 /6 N/A 0/0 0/0 0/0 -2 0/1 0/0 0/4 +4 0/0 0/0 0/6 +1.5 4/2 0/1 0/1 0/4 +1 6th 0/2 0/1 0/0 2/4 +3.5 7th (Ocean to Beach) 0/6 0/0 0/1 0/0 +7 7th (Ocean to E.Coast) 0/6 0/0 0/0 0/0 +6** Adele Grage 17/21 0/1 0/0 0/4 +6 Beach (7th to Club) 0/14 0/0 0/0 0/0 +14 10th (to Ocean) 10/14 0/0 0/0 18/8 +1.5*** 11th 4/4 2/2 0/0 5/4 -.5 12th 2/2 0/0 0/0 5/4 -.5 1/0 0/1 0/0 5/4 -.5 14TH 2/2 0/0 0/0 0/4 +1 6/10 0/0 0/1 0/6 +6.5 Waters Park 11/25 0/0 0/0 0/0 +14 16TH 0/0 0/0 0/0 2/2 0 2/5 0/0 0/1 0/0 +4 48/49 0/2 0/2 9/6 +4.25 19th 16/14 0/0 0/2 7/6 2MC +.75 20th 5/5___ 0/0 0/0 2/4 TOTAL SPACES (god - 20th) 134/185 2/9 0/8 53/70 + 2MC 72 * 28 additional bike racks at Poe's not counted as Public/Private is not determined 2nd 2/0 3rd 0/2 4th 2/2 5th 13th 15TH 17th (Dewees/Coquina) 18th +1 - Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage Overlapping coverage under revision for ADA ramp 0 - 33 - 150' - 250' - 200' (+800') 0 (+240') (+240) (+50) 270' Overlap +.5 +30' MC = Motorcycle/Scooter ** Parking spaces routinely used during voting and Adele Grage functions *** Does not reflect leased parking spaces for condos on NE corner of 10th and Beach Attachment 2 Agenda Item #4.B. 15 Nov2018 Attachment 3 Possible "NEW" parking spaces in Atlantic Beach, FL Location # of Spaces 1. Re -mark all Authorized Vehicle Parking to Public 9* 2. North side of Ahern east of Beach Ave 3 3. East side of Ocean btwn 1st and 2nd 2 4. East side of Ocean btwn 1st and 2nd (further North) 2 5. North side of 2nd btwn Beach and Ocean 2 6. South side of 4th btwn Beach and Ocean 3 7. North side of 5th btwn Beach and Ocean 3 8. South side of 6th east of Beach 2 9. North side of 6th btwn Beach and Ocean 3 10. South side of 11th btwn Beach and Ocean 2 11. East side of Ocean btwn 11th and 12th 3 12. South side of 13th btwn Beach and Ocean 2 13. East side of Beach btwn 14th and 15th 1 14. South side of 15th btwn Beach and Ocean 2 15. North side of 15th btwn Seminole and East Coast 2 16. North side of 15th btwn Beach and Ocean 1 17. East side of Ocean btwn 15th and 16th 2 18. East side of Ocean btwn 14th and 15th 2 19. West side of Beach btwn 15th and 16th 2 20. Deweese btwn Beach and Coquina (Diagonal) 3 21. Deweese btwn Beach and Coquina (Parallel) 2 22. Ocean btwn Deweese and Seminole 5 23. Water's Park 5-10 This number reflects "new" spaces should Water's Park spaces be redesigned to minimize irregularly shaped parking areas and maximize diagonal parking opportunities. 24. East side of Coquina between Shell and Deweese 4 Reflects net gain after changing 3 existing parallel spaces into diagonal spaces. 25. West side of Beach btwn Coral and 17th 3 26. North side of 17th btwn Beach and Seminole 3 27. Saturiba btwn Seminole and Sea Oats 16-30 Parallel or diagonal parking on both sides leaving space for new driveway on North side proposed by homeowner on NW corner of Seminole and Saturiba. 28. 19th east of Beach Wheel Chair disability parking only 1 29. NW corner of 19th and Beach WC disability parking onlyl 30. West side of Beach btwn 19th and 20th 4 6-8 possible but leave space for future driveways Total "New" Parking Spaces 95414 For clarification: • In compiling this "Commission -requested" identification of potential "new" parking spaces necessary to offset the loss of the 20 spaces on 18th street, the sub -committee did not have access to specific "right-of-way" measurements. Consequently, some spaces may not meet FDOT standards for standard vehicles. • Staff has already adopted our recommendation to re -mark the Authorized Vehicle Parking on a temporary basis. • We chose not to include "motorcycle/scooter" spaces which could definitely be utilized. • With the exception of parking figures for Saturiba (mentioned by staff as a potential area adjacent to 18th Street where offset parking might be located) and Waters Park, potential parking to the west of Ocean was not included. • The sub -committee took efforts to not identify "new" parking spaces located in "front yards" of residents. • It is the opinion of the Sub -Committee members, should "de -facto" spaces (preventing two-way traffic flow) be ncluded, the number of spaces will increase exponentially.