09-06-2018 Parks & Rec Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Spooner Park Improvements; City of Little Canada As is similar with other existing older parking lots in the City, an upgrade is not required unless the lot pavement surface is fully reconstructed or other major improvement is completed. An expansion of the parking lot would be considered a major improvement and would necessitate bringing the entire lot up to current City Code. In order to do this the existing number of parking stalls within the existing parking lot area would be reduced, requiring an even larger expansion than simply adding on a minimum of 11 parking spaces. The existing dimensions of the parking lot also are not conducive to simply expanding in one direction or another. Given the large scope of work that would need to be completed this option was dismissed as less favorable. The second option reviewed was to add on-street parking along Eli Road. Currently the north and south side of Eli Road adjacent to Spooner Park is designated and signed for no-parking as required by its Municipal State Aid designation. With residential homes on the north side of the road the only street parking investigated was on the south curb line along the park. Parallel parking requires 22 feet of curb length for one parking stall, which would result in the farthest stalls being a significant distance from the shelter. While diagonal parking does require less curb length, there is insufficient room between the ball field fence and the street to have any diagonal stalls east of the existing parking lot. Angled parking stalls would also require backing out into traffic and could create additional on-street hazards when shelter users are loading and unloading vehicles. For those reasons the installation of on-street parking is not recommended. The third option is the addition of another stand- alone parking lot. This lot would be designed to meet City requirements, including the addition of perimeter curb and gutter. Storm sewer would need to be extended to provide adequate drainage of the lot. Given the ball field to the east of the existing parking lot, the new lot would need to be constructed on the west side of the existing lot. The area to the west currently has a section of numerous stand-alone trees before reaching the edge of a thicker woods area. The location of the stand-alone parking lot could be positioned anywhere along this section. Exhibit 1a is attached that provides for the location of a preferred option. Exhibit 1b shows a potential parking lot location in the wooded area.