Agenda Item #8B- Access to Hanna ParkCITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
CITY COMMISSION MEETING
STAFF R EPORT
AGEN DA ITEM: Open Access to Hann a Park fr om Sem in o le Road
SUBMITTED BY: Ne lson VanLiere, C it y Manager ,
DATE: Novcmbcr23 ,20 14
ACENOA ITEM fl 8ll
DECEMJlER 8,2014
BACKGROUN D: From time to time, the qu es tion of openin g an access for loca l pe destrians and cyc li sts
to enter and leave Ha1m a Park at Sem in ole Roa d has been discussed. These
di sc uss ion s cover many ben efit s and concern s about th e imp act opening an access
would have on o ur co mmuni ty . Di scuss io ns related to ph ys ic al access, fee co ll ection,
touring cyc li s ts, sa fet y and traftic on Se min ole Ro ad to neighborhood security are all
co nc ern s to be add ressed.
Thjs item is bein g placed o n th e age nda to di scuss how mu ch desire there is from the
Co mm issio n to open an access. If the Co mm iss ion agrees, Staff will pursue vario us
option s with the Ci ty o f Jackso nv ill e and return with a ful l repo rt on the topic.
Prelimin ary di sc ussio ns with Ja ckson vill e indic ate a wi ll ingness to work with us on
allowing access. The prop osa l wo ul d be cons id ered a pilot program that could be
reversed if th e impact was found to be und es irabl e in th e future after an eva lu ati on
period.
So me of the iss ues di scussed arc as foll ows:
Reasons to open:
Pro vi de easy access for residents to th e park
Promote hea lthy Li festy le, wa lkin g, running and biking
Alt erna ti ve to beach access
Eas t Coas t Bike Trail ad diti on o f signifi ca nt improvement
May inspire a plan for a bike la ne on Seminole north of the five point int e rsec ti on
Great place for neighb orhood kids to pl ay with security
Elimin ate th e nee d to go to Mayport Roa d to get to the park
Atlantic Beach surfers can ge t to the pole s by bike
Dogs are allo we d
Gate co uld be lo cked at night
Add s acres of park
The access wo uld be a se llin g point for home own ers mark etin g the ir ho mes
Reasons not to open:
Fea r of di sruptin g the quiet c ul -de-sac at t he end of Semino le Roa d
Traffic -bike to uti ng group s on Seminol e
Liability
Pedestrian Safety
Park visitors comin g from th e park into the neighborhoods
Other information of interest;
AGENDA ITEM # 8B
DECEMBE R 8 , 2014
Onl y 900 perso ns per yea r = 2.47 per day go through th e front gate on foo t or bike per COJ
At $3 .00 per person, thi s equates to $2,700 in revenu e to Jacksonville per yea r
Th ere wou ld be a cost to install a narrow gate and crea te a short path
There are man y s upporters of ope nin g a n access, but some issues need to be to solve first. I be li eve there is a
low cost solution if the Co mmi ss ion is interested in hav in g sta ff go fo rward wi th the program.
BUDGET: There is no bud get for this item
RECOMMENDATION: Discuss th e des ire to have staff work with Jacksonv ill e staff to propose a
program that will allow for an open access ga te at th e north end of Sem inole
Road
ATTACHMENTS: 3 Ph otos of the north end of Seminole road
Map of Cyclin g Route s & Bike Facilities
Web infonnati on on Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park
Acces s To Hanna Park Photos
AG!i:NOA I TEM 1188
Oli:C EMBEf{ 8, 2014
AGENDA ITEM #8B
DECEMBER 8, 20 14