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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-16 DTPC Packet DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION September 16th, 2021 REGULAR MEETING 8:30 A.M. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Possible approval of the August 19th, 2021 special meeting minutes IV. OPEN FORUM - The Open Forum is a portion of the Commission meeting to address subjects which are not a part of the meeting agenda. The Chairperson may reply at the time of the statement or may give direction to staff regarding investigation of the concerns expressed. Out of respect for others in attendance, please limit your comments to 5 minutes or less. V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS VI. NEW BUSINESS VII. DISCUSSION 2. Final Check In – Draft Agenda for Joint Work Shop with City Council 3. Review Legal Framework and City Attorney Feedback on Proposed Parking Mitigation Policy 4. Review Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the Downtown Parking District VIII. FYI – STAFF UPDATES 5. Public Comments regarding parking ramp received since last meeting (if applicable) IX. ADJOURNMENT DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION MEETING August 19, 2021 Chair McAllister called the meeting to order at 8:42 a.m. Present: Chair McAllister, Commissioners Glynn, LePage, Council Liaison Junker Absent: Commissioners Anderson & Hopfe Staff present: Community Development Director Gladhill, Police Chief Mueller ELECTION OF OFFICERS Election of Officers was postponed to January 2022. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. NEW BUSINESS Approve Requested Agenda for Joint Workshop with City Council Community Development Director Gladhill stated that a Joint Meeting with the City Council is scheduled for October 7. With recent staffing changes and updates to the City’s Strategic Plan, staff is recommending a newly formatted Work Plan to help focus conversation and prioritization. Additionally, Mr. Gladhill’s role will shift somewhat from planning to economic development including business retention and expansion. Improving internal and external communications could be an additional goal, as requested in discussion prior to the meeting by Chair McAllister. Police Chief Mueller explained the establishment of a downtown precinct. He clarified that the role of the Police Department staff is to respond to Council direction, while creating policy is the role of the City Council and Commissions. The Police Department will still be involved with the Downtown Parking Commission, but the major staff support for this commission is Community Development. Councilmember Junker said the nine strategies that came out of the recent parking capacity study are interrelated, and predicated on enforcement to make sure the strategies work. The DTPC needs to utilize the time with the Council to get a jump start on implementing the strategies. Consensus of the Commission was to support the reformatted work plan as presented. Commissioner LePage pointed out that communication of the new strategies and parking policies will need to be very different for visitors than for the people who live and work downtown. Mr. Gladhill noted a marketing campaign and communications plan will be developed. Additionally, the Chamber has reestablished a downtown steering committee which will be another tool for collaborating and communicating with the downtown community. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Downtown Parking Commission Meeting August 19, 2021 Page 2 of 4 Possible approval of minutes of July 15, 2021 special meeting Motion by Chair McAllister, seconded by Commissioner Glynn, to approve the July 15, 2021 special meeting minutes. All in favor. STAFF UPDATES Chair McAllister asked Police Chief Mueller, under the new model for staffing the DTPC meetings, how the Commission will have access to enforcement-related input and information. Chief Mueller replied that Mr. Gladhill has done great job of aligning everyone on staff in terms of job responsibilities and he can convey questions from the Commission. Police personnel will not speak for the City as a whole, or be involved in decision-making on pricing, for example. A lot of the agenda items relate more to the bigger picture. The Police Department personnel will be a resource and be at the table but are not here to say which direction the City should go - that is the job of elected officials. Mr. Gladhill added that staff from the various departments will meet monthly to review items that will be coming before the Commissions. If Commissioners see something on an agenda that involves particular staff, he can make sure someone is at the meeting to answer the question, rather than having staff there just in case there is a question. This is part of defining roles better and making better use of staff time. Chair McAllister remarked there are some pragmatic things that traditionally get set into motion with Parking Enforcement Officer Pasket at the table, for instance issues unique to blocking off parking spots 24 hours in advance for an event - he has historically provided the solutions. Without having that conversation at the table, there will need to be some followup around the specificity related to some of the DTPC decisions. NEW BUSINESS continued Discuss Revised Signage in Parking Ramp Mr. Gladhill reported that parking ramp users have voiced confusion over when to pay for garage parking. Staff recommends installing additional signage that emphasizes that you must pay immediately upon parking. He showed two examples provided by AirGarage that better express the payment process. In addition, staff has begun a project to consolidate three separate payments systems across the Downtown Parking System into one system. That would be the appropriate time to add a second kiosk to the Parking Ramp. It has not been determined yet whether the City will stick with AirGarage. Councilmember Junker emphasized that the first thing drivers should see when they pull into the parking ramp is signage that says they must pay now. Consensus of the Commission was to change the entry signage at the parking ramp per the staff recommendation, adding “Pay when you park” and adding the number “Text to pay.” Rivertown Fall Art Festival Event Permit Mr. Gladhill stated that the Stillwater Area Chamber of Commerce submitted an event application for its annual Rivertown Fall Art Festival October 2-3. The parking lots involved are Lots 5, 9 and 10 as well as on-street parking on Mulberry Point Circle. Staff recommends approval of the use of Lots 5, 9 and 10 and on-street parking on Mulberry Point Circle for a total fee of $1,332. Councilmember Junker recommended staff make sure P.D. Pappy’s is aware of the festival. Downtown Parking Commission Meeting August 19, 2021 Page 3 of 3 Motion by Chairwoman McAllister, seconded by Commissioner Glynn, to approve the request for the use of Lots 5, 9, 10 and on-street parking on Mulberry Point for the Rivertown Fall Art Festival, with the recommended fee. All in favor. Harvest Fest Event Permit Mr. Gladhill stated that Summer Tuesdays, Inc. submitted an event application for the 2021 Harvest Fest on October 9-10. The event organizers want to use Parking Lots 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11, and Mulberry Circle. Staff recommends approval of the use of Lots 4, 5, 9, 10, 11 and Mulberry Circle, for a fee of $2,019. Chair McAllister reminded the Commission that when blocking off lots that have overnight residential parking, the City needs to either not ticket the cars that have to park elsewhere as long as they have their residential permit in the window, or otherwise open some other lots to overnight parking. Mr. Gladhill noted that switching to a license plate reader type of enforcement would mean the permit is the license plate and staff could then make a quick change allowing them to park in another area. Chair McAllister said the issue is how to notify the permit holders where they should park. It is a small group of people but they need to be considered. Commissioner LePage remarked the Commission should address this when discussing the parking mitigation policy in light of new residential developments. There will continue to be more people displaced when permit lots are reserved for events. As new residential projects come forward, this underscores the need to require all residential parking to be on site. Chair McAllister added that some of the residential overnight parking permits are for people who are actually living in the downtown apartments while other permits are assigned to VRBOs whose guests don’t necessarily know where to park if the designated lot is full. She knows of 12 VRBOs on Main Street that have residential permits for their guests. Councilmember Junker said boaters on Mulberry Point are another group of permit holders to notify. Motion by Commissioner Glynn, seconded by Commissioner LePage, to approve Harvest Fest parking as recommended by staff with the standard fee. All in favor. DISCUSSION There were no discussion items. STAFF UPDATES continued Discuss Consolidating Payment Systems To the issues discussed already, Mr. Gladhill added that staff has been talking about adding a category of overnight permits, for those whose businesses run overnight. Police Department Participation in Downtown Parking Policy Development and Enforcement [Chair Request] (and/or Review Updated Staff Roles and Responsibilities to Support Downtown Parking Commission) Discussed above. Public Comments regarding parking ramp received since last meeting Mr. Gladhill shared two complaints received about the ramp signage. ADJOURNMENT Chair McAllister adjourned the meeting at 9:40 a.m. Downtown Parking Commission Meeting August 19, 2021 Page 4 of 4 ____________ Heidi McAllister, Chair ATTEST: ________________ Tim Gladhill, Community Development Director PLANNING REPORT TO: Downtown Planning Commission MEETING DATE: September 16, 2021 REQUEST: Approve Requested Agenda for Joint Workshop with City Council REPORT BY: Tim Gladhill, Community Development Director INTRODUCTION On July 1, 2020 the Downtown Parking Commission recommended that the City Council adopt the parking capacity study. The Council did this on August 18, 2020. The study identifies nine strategies for improving parking capacity, along with tasks to accomplish those strategies. This spring the Downtown Parking Commission held several meetings to develop a work plan to implement the study’s nine strategies. At the Commission’s July, 2021 Meeting, consensus was to request a Joint Meeting with the City Council, now scheduled for October 7 . SPECIFIC REQUEST No specific action required at this this time – for discussion only. The Commission previously confirmed the following agenda. Staff is using this opportunity to confirm that the requested updates to the agenda have been incorporated. The Draft Agenda is as follows. 1. Overall Work Plan Review 2. Parking Mitigation Policy and Ot her Pricing Policies o New Development Parking Mitigation o Business Parking Permits o Events o Short Term Rental [added on August 19] 3. Enforcement Policies and Technology/Customer Experience o Including Payment Options 4. Improve Communication (Internal and External) and the Customer Experience [added August 19] o Lot Closures for Events o Communication to Visitors; Communication to Residents and Business Owners Attachments: None PLANNING REPORT TO: Downtown Planning Commission MEETING DATE: September 16, 2021 REQUEST: Review Legal Framework for Parking Mitigation Policy REPORT BY: Tim Gladhill, Community Development Director INTRODUCTION Staff has been reviewing the Draft Parking Mitigation Policy developed by the Commission with the City Attorney. In preparation for the October 7 Joint Meeting with the City Council, the City Attorney requested time to review the draft policy terms as well as the process to implement as a formal ordinance. SPECIFIC REQUEST A summary of the potential parking mitigation policy points are as follows. Current Proposed Residential Permit 1 $20/month $40/month Business (Commercial) Permit 1 $20/month New Residential Construction Mitigation (Resident) N/A N/A New Residential Construction Mitigation (Guest) Only if under 20% system capacity: • Developer: $20,000/space • Owner/Guest: $40 (Twice the cost of the business parking permit) New Residential Conversion Mitigation Only if under 20% system capacity: • Owner/Guest: $40 (Twice the cost of the business parking permit) 1 The proposed Policy Points indicates fee is currently $40/month; the City’s adopted fee schedule indicates it is $20/month Date of report Page 2 New Commercial Construction Mitigation $10/month2 (quarterly invoiced) Only if under 20% capacity: • Developer: $20,000/space • Owner/Guest: City to quarterly invoice $10/mo./deficit spaces Commercial Expansion Mitigation (no permit issued) $10/month2 (quarterly invoiced) Only if under 20% capacity: • Owner/Guest: City to quarterly invoice $10/mo./deficit spaces The text from a draft resolution considered by the City Council is as follows. 1. New construction residential. This applies to residential units that are being developed as new construction, either as an addition to an existing building, or as a new building. This does not apply to residential units being constructed from existing non-residential space. a. 100% of the parking required for the residents must be accommodated on- site. b. Guest parking should also be accommodated on-site, but if there is a deficit for guest parking, the deficit spaces could be mitigated through the use of the public parking system if: i. The total of all parking mitigation approvals to date in the Downtown Parking District do not exceed 20% of the total public parking spaces available; ii. There is a public parking in reasonable proximity to the residential units that allows residential parking permits to be used; iii. There is sufficient capacity in the lots available to residential parking permits to accommodate the guest parking deficit; iv. For each deficit space, the developer must pay the equivalent of the cost to construct a parking space in a parking ramp. That cost at present in Stillwater is about $20,000. This amount would be deposited in the parking enterprise fund dedicated solely to the downtown parking system. The payment would be made by the developer prior to the issuance of the building permit. To help off- set the developer’s up-front cost of the deficit parking, this cost would be considered a TIF eligible expense. v. The individual guests will need to buy residential permits from City Hall. Or, building management will need to buy these residential permits and distribute to guests as needed. 2. Conversion of non-residential space to residential units. This applies to residential units that are being developed through the conversion of existing non-residential 2 If there is an increase in parking demand of more than 4 spaces. Date of report Page 3 space on 2nd and 3rd floors of existing downtown buildings. (Note: this does not apply to additions, which are considered new construction.) a. Resident and guest parking should be accommodated on-site, but if there is a deficit, the deficit spaces could be mitigated through the use of the public parking system if: i. The total of all parking mitigation approvals to date in the Downtown Parking District do not exceed 20% of the total public parking spaces available; ii. There is public parking in reasonable proximity to the new residential units that allows residential parking permits to be used; iii. There is sufficient capacity in the lots available to residential parking permits to accommodate the deficit parking; iv. The individual residents and guests will need to buy residential permits from City Hall. Or, building management will need to buy these residential permits and distribute to guests as needed. The cost of these residential permits would be twice the cost of a business parking permit. Currently that would mean the guest residential parking permit would be $40 per month. 3. New construction of commercial space. This applies to non-residential space that is being developed as new construction either as an addition to an existing building, or a new building. This does not apply to conversion of space in an existing structure to a new use. a. All parking should be accommodated on-site, but if there is a deficit, the deficit spaces could be mitigated through the use of the public parking system if: i. The total of all parking mitigation approvals to date in the Downtown Parking District do not exceed 20% of the total public parking spaces available; ii. There is a public parking in reasonable proximity that allows business parking permits to be used; iii. There is sufficient capacity in the lots available to business parking permits to accommodate the employee parking deficit; iv. There is sufficient capacity in the parking system to accommodate customers; v. For each deficit space, the developer must pay the equivalent of the cost to construct a parking space in a parking ramp. That cost at present in Stillwater is about $20,000. This amount would be deposited in the parking enterprise fund dedicated solely to the downtown parking system. The payment would be made by the developer prior to the issuance of the building permit. To help off- set the developer’s up-front cost of the deficit parking, this cost would be considered a TIF eligible expense. Date of report Page 4 vi. The City will invoice the business or property owner quarterly for the number of deficit spaces. And when payment is received, the City will mail the business or property owner parking permits for the number of deficit spaces. 4. Expansion of commercial space or conversion of existing space to a use demanding more parking. a. An increase in parking demand of more than 4 spaces that cannot be accommodated on-site requires parking mitigation. b. The parking mitigation could include use of public parking spaces if: i. The total of all parking mitigation approvals to date in the Downtown Parking District do not exceed 20% of the total public parking spaces available; ii. There is sufficient capacity in the lots available to business parking permits to accommodate the employee parking deficit; iii. There is sufficient capacity in the parking system to accommodate customers; iv. The City will invoice the business or property owner quarterly for the number of deficit spaces. Currently the rate is $10/month/deficit space. When payment is received, the City will mail the business or property owner parking permits for the number of deficit spaces. Attachments: None PLANNING REPORT TO: Downtown Planning Commission MEETING DATE: September 16, 2021 REQUEST: Review Capital Improvement Plan for Downtown Parking District REPORT BY: Tim Gladhill, Community Development Director INTRODUCTION Also in preparation for the October 7 Joint Meeting with City Council, Staff desires to provide a high-level presentation of the Capital Improvement Plan and Annual Budget for the Downtown Parking System. The Downtown Parking System (District) is split into two (2) separate budgets. Additionally, these budgets are further subdivided into Capital Budget and Operations Budget. 1. Surface Parking Lots 2. Parking Ramp Capital Improvement Plan Existing Assets The City has a number of existing capital assets in the D owntown Parking District. The Capital Improvement Plan needs to plan for regular capital maintenance (sealcoating, surface rejuvenation, major repairs, equipment replacement, full reconstruct, etc.). 1. Surface Lots 1-18 2. Parking Ramp #1 Generally speaking, all assets are in good condition. However, there are a number of future improvements that are technically unfunded at this time. Items include, full reconstruction of surface lots, IT equipment upgrades (camera replacements), etc. The City will be in a go od financial position for the next several years, but will ultimately begin to fall behind on longer -term capital maintenance under current revenue/expense forecasts. Future Assets The City has long discussed future expansion of parking capacity in the Downtown Parking District. The Downtown Parking Plan contemplates a second public parking ramp in the area of Date of report Page 2 2ndt Street and Olive Street. The Capital Improvement Plan contemplates this improvement, but is currently unfunded. If the City desires to explor e this option, additional revenue sources should be discussed. This could be a combination of public funding/financing and public/private partnerships. Revenue Sources - Existing The City currently utilizes the following revenue sources related to the Do wntown Parking District. These revenue sources generally cover operation costs, but do not cover future planned capital improvements (including longer -term capital maintenance of existing assets). 1. Parking Fees (Lots 1 & 2, Ramp 1) 2. Tax Increment Financing (Ramp 1 original construction) SPECIFIC REQUEST For discussion only. Nothing in this case should be interpreted as the City is considering any additional revenue sources for the Downtown Parking District. This is simply a review of existing plans, studies and revenue sources. Attachments: None