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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-04-25 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Study Session Minutes—April 25, 2011 At 7:30 p.m. Mayor Maxell called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council study session of April 25, 2011 to order. Eric Johnson, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Cynthia Richardson and Brian Geer were present. Nick Petrish and Bill Turner were absent. SR-20/Ferry Terminal Road Triangle Property Presentation Planning Director Ryan Larsen explained that the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee has been working for about 18 months on a plan to make the subject property a more attractive entrance to Anacortes. Mr. Larsen advised that WSDOT has committed to allow work there and the City is now awaiting a formal letter of agreement. He also advised that PSE has agreed to supply power if solar lighting cannot be made to work. Mr. Larsen introduced Anacortes American publisher Jack Darnton, chairman of the Beautification Committee. Mr. Darnton provided an update on plans for the parcel which the Chamber and City have been discussing for years. He explained that property ownership and electrical power were the two stumbling blocks in the past. He said the property is owned by the City but right of way from WSDOT and City streets squeeze in on the property. Mr. Darnton said in contrast to the lovely roundabout landscaping at the east entrance to Anacortes the western entrance is "forgettable at best". He said the project will be a City project because the City owns the property but the Chamber and its partners will raise the funds, about$20K, and do the work and that the Anacortes Sister Cities Association will install a lighted flag pavilion which will cost about$10K depending on whether solar lights are used. Mr. Darnton said the group wants to start fundraising this spring using the Anacortes Parks Foundation to accept donations. He stressed that the project will be as low maintenance and environmentally sensitive as possible, will require no irrigation, and will not preclude a future bike path in the area, but is not intended to be an active park but rather to provide a visual welcome to the community. He said the concept has been well received to date and expressed enthusiasm for the collaborative project between the Chamber, Sister Cities, WSDOT, City staff and Simply Yards. Mr. Darnton introduced Duane Clark, president of Anacortes Sister Cities Association. Mr. Clark recalled that the ASCA installed a flag pavilion on SR-20 at the east entrance to town in 2004 which was very well received. They began planning then for flag display in the west end. He said progress was delayed by plans for ferry terminal expansion among other things so he was delighted when the Chamber Beautification Committee approached ASCA with a re-energized plan. The pavilion plan calls for seven lighted flag poles with a sign in front of them welcoming visitors. He said the ASCA Board has approved financing for the first step and is tickled that the flags will be surrounded by the landscaping designed by Simply Yards. Mr. Darnton then introduced Mark Lawrence and Eli Kraft from Simply Yards to give a virtual tour of the landscaping plan they have developed. Mr. Kraft thanked the group for the opportunity to work on the project. He said the plan will beautify the area without incurring a lot of maintenance expense in the future. He said some of the same plants that are used in the roundabout landscaping will be used here for thematic consistency. He said the design will recognize the island nature of both Anacortes and many of its visitors with a channel through the middle of the site interrupted by islands of massed plantings of rock rose, sedum, and lavender with subalpine fir and serviceberry interspersed. He said plantings will be kept low at the corners for visibility including Japanese grasses. He showed graphics depicting the landscaping, flag pavilion, new sign, and seven main trees which should look nice viewed from any angle. Mrs. Richardson requested that the back of the sign facing Skyline not be left blank. Mr. Kraft said it could be used for a second message. Mrs. Pickett asked if the grass around the trees will need to be mowed. Mark Lawrence from Simply Yards said the existing grass will be retained in the short term and will be mowed but as funding becomes available it will be replaced with Eco-Turf which only needs mowing a couple of times a year. Mrs. Richardson asked if temporary signs advertising events will be integrated with the main sign. Mr. Darnton said the group is looking for a spot where those sorts of banners can be displayed attractively. Mrs. Richardson said she liked the solution presented at the last meeting for the Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes April 25, 2011 1 SR-20 billboard. Mr. Johnson asked about the long range plan for traffic flow in that area. Mayor Maxwell said that several different options have been discussed. Mr. Adams said that this pocket park may attract people and asked if pedestrian safety issues have been addressed. Mr. Kraft said that no parking has been planned to discourage ferry traffic from stopping on the way up the hill, it is intended as visual welcome only. Mr. Adams asked that safety be considered. Mr. Geer thanked the group for the attractive plan and asked what the next steps are. Mr. Larsen said the next step is to obtain the letter of agreement from WSDOT which he hopes to receive in the next month. Then the City can move forward and the Chamber to start raising funds. They hope to start construction in the fall if possible. Mrs. Pickett complimented the plan and commented that there is not much pedestrian traffic in the area but cautioned that bicycle traffic coming off the ferry may be tempted to stop at the triangle. She asked that the plan take that into account. Mayor Maxwell thanked all involved for their hard work on this new entrance to town. I Avenue One-Way Channelization Assistant City Engineer Eric Shjarback presented a proposal to reconfigure I Avenue from 29th Street to 32nd Street to enhance pedestrian safety particularly for school children. Mr. Shjarback said when he spoke with local school principals about safety issues this stretch of road was a top priority for them. He said currently the road has two 11-foot lanes with no shoulders. The City did a quick in house study of options but widening to full City standards could cost$500K and would impact nine parcels. Changing I Avenue to local access only would impact emergency vehicle access. The one-way option was thus explored further. He said in February 2009 he met with neighbors and Island View Elementary School Principal Bernard Selting and the consensus was that making the street one way would be acceptable. The City then studied traffic circulation patterns and how to best implement a one-way option. Mr. Shjarback met with neighbors who live near but not on I Avenue, brainstormed solutions, received very good feedback and ideas, and those present voted that northbound would be the preferred direction. Mr. Shjarback advised that City Council would have to enact an ordinance to make a street one-way so he was beginning that discussion with Council now. Mr. Shjarback displayed a plan view of the proposal on the overhead. The street would be re-striped to have one 12-foot lane for cars northbound from 32nd Street to 29th Street and marked bike/pedestrian lanes on both sides in each direction. Mr. Adams asked what route southbound traffic on J Avenue would take when it hit 29th Street. Mr. Shjarback said likely east on 29th, then south on K Avenue to 32nd but noted cars could also use 28th Street up to D Avenue. He said he took actual traffic counts on I Avenue and the morning is strongly weighted towards northbound cars. In the afternoon the traffic is more balanced in both directions. He said he anticipates the southbound traffic will distribute along different routes, not all onto K Avenue. He said neighbors also pointed out two other advantages of the proposed plan: it would eliminate one stop sign at 32nd Street and I Avenue and would also mean southbound traffic taking K Avenue to 32nd would be making a right turn; if I Avenue were one way southbound those using K Avenue to travel north would make a more dangerous left turn across traffic off 32nd Street. Again, he said, the neighbors approved the idea of one way traffic northbound. Mr. Johnson asked if the plan could be tested without permanently restriping the road. Mr. Shjarback said that would not work very well. He noted that the current proposal doesn't including repaving the road, only restriping and resigning. The actual scope of project is still to be determined but it will be signed and striped by City crews and the City sign shop. Mayor Maxwell pointed out that striping is cheap. Mrs. Richardson said one day the City may have enough money to widen the road but this is a relatively inexpensive improvement in the interim. She also suggested that much of the afternoon traffic is cars going to and from the high school and that many students don't go straight home so K Avenue won't feel the traffic impact one might imagine. Mr. Geer noted that heading south I Avenue is a rising left turn with a bad blind spot. He said he likes the project and asked for some sort of traffic calming to slow the vehicle traffic. Mayor Maxwell suggested narrowing the lane to a 10-foot travel lane. Mr. Shjarback said that would be one option. He said currently the measured speed is only 1 mile per hour faster downhill than up. Mr. Geer said he was afraid once the street becomes one-way it will feel more like a raceway to younger drivers. Mr. Adams said K Avenue would get some increase in traffic but not too much more and asked to keep the neighbors involved. He asked the planned width of the new shoulders. Mr. Shjarback said a 12-foot travel lane leaves room for two 5-foot shoulders even at the narrowest spot and said those Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes April 25, 2011 2 would be striped with bike lane arrows in both directions. Mrs. Pickett thanked Mr. Shjarback and Mr. Buckenmeyer for all the work on this project over the years and for forging ahead, saying it will mean a lot to the schoolchildren and their safety. Mayor Maxwell advised that the matter would be brought back to Council with a more detailed plan. Depot Plaza Update Parks and Recreation Director Gary Robinson presented an update on the Depot Plaza in light of recent news of some possible funding from the State. Mr. Robinson reminded that the Depot Master Plan was adopted by City Council in 2006 after a great deal of community input and professional guidance from Makers Architecture & Urban Design. He said the Plan is available on the City website and from the Parks Department. Since adoption, Mayor Maxwell and others have continued to search for funding. He said the first phase of the plan was implemented using $100K of STP enhancement funds which was used to install a permeable plaza of brick pavers in the Farmer's Market area and conduits for future utilities. He showed where the existing paver pattern will be extended in future phases. Mr. Robinson said the City has also been working with the Skagit County Marine Resources Committee which had allocated funds for a rain garden demonstration site in Anacortes. He said that concept may be incorporated on the east side of the Depot building. Rainwater from the building roof would be channeled into storage barrels and then out into the rain garden during the winter; excess water could be stored in the barrels and pumped out to keep the garden moist during the dry season. He said the County has been cooperative and supportive. He added that pervious pavers would be installed between the rain garden ponds to demonstrate the use of that material. He reminded that the primary focus of the rain garden installation would be as a demonstration site. Mrs. Richardson asked about the pond locations, noting that the original Depot Master Plan showed a wide open paved area east of the Depot for large gatherings. She said the rain garden would interfere with those objectives unless it was moved to edge of plaza. Mr. Robinson said the rain garden location was planned to minimize the distance water would have to be moved from the roof to the garden and so that the placement of the ponds would contain the building and separate it from the plaza space without breaking the area up too much to use. He advised there will still be lots of space east of the rain garden. He said the rain garden would be an outdoor space for the building users that's more private. Mrs. Richardson asked for more study of that issue and suggested a mock up of the rain garden. Mayor Maxwell praised the design, its visual effect on the facade, and the idea of separating the Depot building from the larger plaza. Mr. Robinson then briefly reviewed the overall long range plan and what might be incorporated quickly into the next phase if funding becomes available. He said the next portion probably won't build the restroom, stage, etc. but will get most of the rest of the brick paving and utilities done. The remaining elements will remain on the drawing board, however, awaiting future funding. Mayor Maxwell called this a great area for concerts. Mr. Robinson listed a number of activities that would be well suited to the plaza. Mayor Maxwell reminded that the City has never given up on finding funding and has been chipping away a piece at a time. He said the Depot will tie together the Tommy Thompson Trail, the marina, and the downtown business core and will provide a community gathering place. Mr. Adams asked if staff is optimistic about funding. Mr. Robinson said yes. There being no further business, at approximately 8:30 p.m. Mayor Maxwell adjourned the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council study session of April 25, 2011. Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes April 25, 2011 3