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HomeMy WebLinkAbout#22 - Parking RestrictionsSTAFF REPORT DATE: December 20, 2022 CONSENT AGENDA ITEM: Approve Parking Restriction Guidance Policy and Revisions to the Sign Plan in Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition SUBMITTED BY: Jack Griffin, City Engineer REVIEWED BY: Kristina Handt, City Administrator Marty Powers, Public Works Director Dustin Kalis, Fire Chief Chad Isakson, Assistant City Engineer ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: Should the City Council approve the Parking Restriction Guidance Policy dated December 2022 and revisions to the Sign Plan in Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition? BACKGROUND: The city is improving the streets within the Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition as part of the 2022 Street Improvements. As part of the project, the City Engineer, Public Works Director, and Fire Chief evaluate the existing and proposed street widths within residential neighborhoods with respect to the current parking standards adopted by the City Council. In most cases, the existing street widths in the older developments, including the Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition, are too narrow to allow parking on one or both sides of the street based strictly on current approved standards. Because the current standards would impose significant restrictions over current conditions, the City Engineer, Public Works Director, and Fire Chief carefully review and evaluate each neighborhood during the preliminary design with the intent of seeking relief from the current approved parking restriction standards, and recommendations are presented for council approval for a post construction “No Parking” designation plan. The preliminary parking restriction plan designates where parking will be allowed in the post construction conditions, but the plan does not provide the specific details on where signs will be placed. Detailed sign placement for parking restriction areas is developed during the final design of the project. PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: In response to recent property owner complaints received on the placement of no parking signs for the 2022 Street Improvements, the City Council directed staff to review the signage plan in the Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition and to make recommendations that are responsive to public input while meeting minimum requirements for maintaining enforceable parking restrictions where required. As part of this review city staff developed a guidance policy to document the policies and practices used by staff to determine parking restrictions for implementation in existing residential neighborhoods as well as a general policy for the placement of no parking signs. The attached Parking Restriction Guidance Policy dated December 2022, and the proposed revisions for the “No Parking” Sign Plan in Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition were reviewed with the City Council at the December 13, 2022 workshop. A summary of the proposed sign plan revisions was presented as follows: 1. Linden Trial North: No changes. 2. Linden Trial North (Entrance Road). • Add placards to the 2 signs “BOTH SIDES OF STREET”. • The Public Works Director will replace the 2 No Parking Signs at the dedicated parking bump-out spaces with 2 Parking Allowed signs. 3. Lilac Lane North: Reduce overall number of no parking signs from 7 down to 5, as follows: • Relocate 2 signs per the attached exhibit and add placards to the 2 signs “BOTH SIDES OF STREET”. • Remove 2 existing no parking signs as depicted on the exhibit. • Remove placards from 2 no parking signs “THIS SIDE” and “BEGIN/END”. 4. Lilac Way North: Reduce overall number of no parking signs from 8 down to 4, as follows: • Relocate 3 signs per the attached exhibit and add placards to the 3 signs “BOTH SIDES OF STREET”. • Remove 4 existing no parking signs as depicted on the exhibit. 5. Lilac Place North: Reduce overall number of no parking signs from 7 down to 4, as follows: • Relocate 3 signs per the attached exhibit and add placards to the 3 signs “BOTH SIDES OF STREET”. • Remove 4 existing no parking signs as depicted on the exhibit. 6. Linden Trial North (Loop Street): No changes. 7. Larkspur Lane North: No changes. RECOMMENDATION: Staff is recommending that the City Council approve, as part of the consent agenda, the Parking Restriction Guidance Policy dated December 2022 and revisions to the Sign Plan in Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition. If remove from the consent agenda, the recommended motion for the action is as follows: “Move to approve the Parking Restriction Guidance Policy dated December 2022 and revisions to the Sign Plan in Fields of St. Croix 1st Addition.” ATTACHMENTS: • Parking Restriction Guidance Policy dated December 2022. • Fields of St. Croix 1 Addition Sign Plan Revisions. CITY OF LAKE ELMO    DECEMBER 2022  LAKE ELMO PARKING RESTRICTION GUIDANCE POLICY    1. Design standards pertain to Residential Streets only. “Other” streets (e.g. streets with pavement striping) are  designed/reviewed by lane widths.    2. New Streets must meet City Engineering Design Standards as approved by the City Council. Current city standards are  as follows:  a. No parking along cul‐de‐sacs or designated turnround areas.  b. Two‐way road. 28 ft. width required for parking on one side.  c. Two‐way road. 32 ft, width required for parking on both sides.  d. One‐way road. 19 ft width. No on street parking.    3. Existing streets are reviewed for parking restrictions at the time of a street CIP improvement project, not including  street maintenance (e.g. seal coat; mill and overlay), or as otherwise directed by council.    4. No parking designation areas are identified by the Fire Chief and Public Works Director. Recommendations are  presented to city council for approval.   a. Case by case basis. Field review performed.  b. General Goal is to provide relief from current standards due to pre‐existing conditions.  c. Allow parking whenever practical using the following general guidelines.   i. No parking along cul‐de‐sacs or designated turnround areas.  ii. Two‐way road. Nominal 24 ft. width required for parking on one side.  iii. Two‐way road. Nominal 28 ft width required for parking on both sides.  iv. One‐way road. 20 ft width required for parking on one side.  d. Parking on one side of a street. Side of street for parking restriction as directed by Public Works Director and  Fire chief on case‐by‐case basis.   e. General practice to allow parking on house/mailbox side of single sided streets, allowing more room for  traffic and emergency vehicles‐ avoiding the mailboxes as restrictions.    5. No Parking signage is required to provide for an enforceable parking restriction.    6. Sign type, colors, height, etc. to meet Mn Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  a. The city standard “No Parking” sign is R8‐3 12” x 12” (see attached). Placards to be added as may be deemed  appropriate.        7. Sign spacing/placement must be in accordance with due consideration of enforcement.  a. Parking signs may be installed selectively on low‐volume roads with due consideration of enforcement.  b. Low Volume Road (ADT < 400).    8. Guidance Policy for placement of No Parking signs.  a. Minimum 1 sign per street segment.  b. Place sign in the first 20 feet of a designated “No Parking” segment of street.  c. Additional sign required every 300 feet along a straight roadway with no visible obstructions.  d. Additional sign required less than 300 feet when visible obstruction exists (around curve, hill, etc.). Sign to be  placed to be visible from the adjacent sign.  e. No parking signs required along each side of a street that is designated as “No Parking”.   i. Two‐way Road (no parking each side). Sign required on both sides of street.  f. No parking signs for narrow one‐way road, a sign may only be required on one‐side with added placard as  follows “BOTH SIDES OF STREET”.  g. Sign placement to be on opposite side of house along single sided streets with no parking on one side,  whenever feasible, to avoid sign placement in front of existing homes.  h. When sign placement is required on the house side of a street, signs will be placed as near to property lines  as deemed feasible.