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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-17 DTPC MIN 216 4th Street N, Stillwater, MN 55082 651-430-8800 www.stillwatermn.gov DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 17, 2024 Chairman Glynn called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Present: Chairman Glynn, Commissioners Bates, Lentz, Lepage, Rheinberger, Councilmember Junker Absent: Commissioners Havir and Kaufer Staff: Interim Community Development Director Gutknecht, Administrative Assistant Ross APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of July 18, 2024 meeting minutes Motion by Commissioner Rheinberger, seconded by Commissioner Bates, to approve the July 18, 2024 meeting minutes. All in favor. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA There were no items on the Consent Agenda. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. NEW BUSINESS Master Sign Plan Guidelines - TC2 (Transportation Collaborative and Consultants) Lance Bernard, TC2, presented a draft Downtown Parking Sign Plan and Design Guidelines. Fieldwork showed that signage today is somewhat diverse and disjointed, kiosk locations could be more visible and evenly distributed, and there is a need to distinguish where permit parking is located. He explained primary signage (key gateway markers that distinguish where the public parking spaces are), secondary signage which conveys Passport pay options and parking regulations, and directional signage which points people toward parking areas. He then described two options for a proposed family of signs for the Commission to consider recommending to the City Council. Councilmember Junker asked if on-street pay parking needs a sign in front of every pay spot or is there a way to convey that the next two or three spots away from the sign are also pay parking? Chairman Glynn remarked that a common misconception is, “there’s no sign here so I’m not paying.” Commissioner Lentz asked if there are alternative ways to convey which spots are in a pay zone, like color coding. Mr. Bernard replied the key is finding the right balance of appropriate signage in the right spot without a lot of clutter. The current recommendation is to continue to work with existing QR codes and educate the public to get familiar with the system; and to redesign some signs to ensure that key Downtown Parking Commission Meeting October 17, 2024 Page 2 of 3 messages are conveyed. Current branding and color schemes work; he provided two design options, one with the St. Croix River as an icon on the signs and the other with a more traditional look. He then showed design options for signs next to kiosks, showed the current location of pay stations and pointed out where an extra pay station could be installed. He showed where the kiosks and signs would go, to coincide with new downtown lighting. He noted MnDOT has different sign regulations along Main Street. Commissioner Lepage said he would like to see data on where the gaps are, as well as a review of utilization so it could be determined if an area west of Main Street should be included in pay parking, for instance Mulberry up to Second or Third Street. Councilmember Junker said he doubts that the City Council wants to expand pay parking. The City has only had one year of the current pay structure. The City’s branding on letterhead and entry signs refers to the lift bridge and he would prefer not to add the river icon. Commissioner Lentz voiced a preference for simplicity; the universal symbol “P” disappears when more things are added to the sign. She prefers two sided rather than three sided signs. Chair Glynn summarized that better wayfinding and consistency are needed, and all prefer the simpler black with the white P. He would hesitate to add other graphics and likes two sided rather than three sided signs. He would like to find a way to better alert people entering the downtown that Passport parking is the official pay parking app. Mr. Bernard summarized they will continue to move forward with the traditional signs, recognizing that there may be opportunities for more branding in the future; there’s a stronger desire for the two sided signs on the kiosks; they can also look at some additional guidance for Main Street signage though that was not in the initial scope of the plan; they will keep working with Public Works staff to refine places for the signs. Mr. Gutknecht said he will ask Public Works/Engineering and Police Department staff to review this same proposal to get their feedback. Councilmember Junker said the 4:30 City Council meeting November 6 may be a good time to discuss it with the City Council. Motion by Commissioner Rheinberger, seconded by Commissioner Lentz, to recommend that the DTPC accept the Downtown Parking Sign Plan and Design Guidelines. All in favor. Discuss Parking Capacity for Rivertown Commons (212 2nd St N) Mr. Gutknecht said this was on the July meeting agenda but appears not to have been discussed. Rivertown Commons has a new owner and is under construction but has not looked at parking yet. Councilmember Junker pointed out that Rivertown Commons has a certain number of parking spaces in the City ramp and he believes they also are using the Crosby parking lot which is a quasi-public lot. FYI/STAFF UPDATES Parking System Update - Financial Updates Mr. Gutknecht said he is working on obtaining access to the reporting modules so this will be on a later agenda. Parking Feedback Mr. Gutknecht reported that there are fraudulent web sites impersonating Passport parking. City staff has been working with Passport about how to warn people. He also got a question from a property owner who suggested Lot 12 be free due to the small amount of use. Downtown Parking Commission Meeting October 17, 2024 Councilmember Junker suggested that after reviewing the financials, the Commission should discuss some type of resident or senior parking. Commissioners agreed to discuss this in the future. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Commissioner Rheinberger, seconded by Commiss ion er Le nt , to adjourn. The meeting was adjourned at 9:43 a.m. ATTEST: h:t- Ben Gutknecht, Interim Community Development Director Page 3 of 3