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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-19 DTPC Packet5. SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS 5.01. Rumble on the Deck 6. OTHER BUSINESS 7. ADJOURN jj!water THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION AGENDA Thursday, May 19, 2011 8:30 AM Riverview Room, City Hall 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 3. APPROVAL OF APRIL 21, 2011 MINUTES 4. NEW BUSINESS 4.01. STILLWATER TROLLEY PARKING PERMIT RENEWAL 4.02. LOWELL INN AGREEMENT FOR PARKING RAMP 4.03. UPDATE ON NEW PARKING RAMP EQUIPMENT 6.01. UPDATE ON CITY COUNCIL DECISIONS A. ART FAIR B. OKERMAN RESIDENTIAL PARKING PASS 6.02. CONFIRM NEXT COMMISSION MEETING DATE A. SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 16, 2011 agenda discussion action call to order Aimee called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. approval of agenda A motion was made and seconded to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed in a unanimous voice vote. approval of March minutes A motion was made and seconded to approve the March 24, 2011 meeting minutes. The motion passed in a unanimous voice vote. David will forward approved minutes to the Stillwater city clerk. request for parking spaces for the Minnesota Fire Engine Club event Bill presented a request from the Minnesota Fire Engine Club for an event permit for the "Stillwater Fire Muster." The event is to be held on Sunday, June 26 from noon to 5 PM. The event would feature vintage fire trucks and would include a parade, static display of parked fire engines, and a water canon display. Rick Wente, representing the Minnesota Fire Engine Club, gave the commission more details about the request for parking spaces. After discussion a motion was made to approve the use of the 50 spaces reserved for River Market customers, with written permission from River Market, as well as the use of 50 spaces in the Mulberry Point Lot if needed, at the standard fee. The motion was seconded and passed in a unanimous voice vote. Bill will forward this recommendation to the City Council upon receipt of the written permission from River Market. Allen Okerman request for parking ramp Bill presented a request from Allen Okerman of Riverside Commons. Mr. Okerman was granted an off - season residential parking permit for the municipal ramp this past off- season; the pass expires on April 30, 2011. Rivertown Commons is short three parking spaces in their lot so Mr. Okerman will have to start parking on the street after April 30 and move his car every three hours. Bill presented again the reasons why the Parking Commission and the City Council will not sell residential permits to the ramp. The Commission was sympathetic with the difficulty of Mr. Okerman in finding year -round parking but thought the owners of Rivertown Commons need to solve their own parking problems and not look to the city for the resolution of the problem. After discussion a motion was made to deny Mr. Okerman's request for a 24/7 pass for 2011 in the ramp but to allow three spots in gravel Lot #10 Mulberry St/Second St. The motion was seconded and passed in a unanimous voice vote. Bill will forward the recommendation to the City Council and will contact the management of Rivertown Commons to explain the decision. Commissioners present: City staff present: City staff absent: Guest: Submitted by: Item 3 Draft Stillwater Downtown Parking Commission Meeting Minutes April 21, 2011 Aimee Peletier, chair/business; Jeff Johnson, vice - chair /resident; David Korte, secretary/resident; Gerald Helmberger, resident; Dave Junker, resident; Sherri Hopfe Franke, business; Daren Anderson, resident Doug Menikheim, councilman; Bill Turnblad, community development director; Dennis Pasket, parking enforcement officer. John Gannaway, police chief Allen Okerman, resident of Rivertown Commons; Richard Wente, Minnesota Fire Engine Club; David Eckberg, St. Croix Events David Korte Spring Art Fair parking space request Bill presented a request from the Spring Art Fair for the weekend of May 21 -22. An air photo was presented showing the layout of the art fair using city parking lots 2, 4 and 5. David Eckberg also presented information about the event and answered the Commissioners' questions. After discussion a motion was made to approve the request to use the requested parking spots at a cost of $3,627. The motion was seconded and passed in a unanimous voice vote. Bill will forward the recommendation to the City Council. handicapped parking request at 208 S 3" St Bill presented a request from Jim Buege of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) for the City to reserve two on- street handicapped parking spaces in front of their building. Jim said since five on- street spaces across the street had been designated as a "no parking" zone, it's been more difficult for handicapped A.A. clients to find accessible parking. The Commission, after reviewing the area parking and other business and residential use, questioned why the building ownership doesn't add more handicap spaces to their parking on the west side of the building. This request was presented at last month's meeting and was tabled at that time for additional information. Mr. Buege was scheduled to be at today's meeting to answer questions and give additional information but was not present. After discussion a motion was made to deny the request. The motion was seconded and passed in a six to one voice vote. update on City Council business Bill updated the Commission on the following recent City Council actions pertaining to the Parking Commission's recommendations: dental clinic parking lease: approved. Cruisin' on the St. Croix: approved at $50 per event day with 13 days scheduled. Farmer's Market: waived fee for parking spaces. trolley Dennis asked if he should paint the curb behind the gas station in the space reserved for the new trolley service. As there is some question if the service will be starting this summer, Dennis will hold off until it is known that the trolley will be operational. next meeting The next meeting will be Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 8:30 A.M., Conference Room 213, City Hall. Bill will send out an agenda and supporting documentation before the meeting. adjourn A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 9:45 a.m. and passed in a unanimous voice vote. agenda discussion action draft Item 4.01 � iliwater THE BIRTHPLACE O F MINNESOTA TO: Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: May 13, 2011 RE: Stillwater Trolley Co. BACKGROUND Bob Raleigh of Stillwater Trolley Co has been offering trolley tours in downtown Stillwater since 1989. Since 2003 he has been paying an annual permit fee of $1,000 ($500 apiece for each of the two trolleys) to park on Nelson Street. Effective January 1, 2011 a new fee schedule came into effect for downtown parking rates. Moreover, after the new rates became effective a new trolley company (Trolley Tours LLC) requested a similar on- street parking permit. The Council required Trolley Tours LLC to pay a parking permit fee of$645 in 2011 for its one trolley. When the Council set the 2011 permit fee for Trolley Tours LLC at $645 for one on- street space, they acknowledged that the $500 fee per space paid by Stillwater Trolley Co would have to be reconsidered when their 2011 parking permit came up for review. SPECIFIC REQUEST Stillwater Trolley Co has requested approval of their 2011 on- street parking permit. COMMENTS Permit History for Stillwater Trolley Co On May 5, 1989 the City Council approved a Special Use Permit (SUP) for Stillwater Trolley Co to operate a ticket booth in the Freight House parking lot (all outside sales downtown require a Special Use Permit). They also approved a permit for the use of one on- street parking space on Nelson St. On April 10, 1997 the SUP was amended to allow two trolleys to operate at any one time downtown, and to assign two on- street parking spaces on Nelson Street to the business. In May of 2003 a new SUP was issued in place of the 1989 SUP. This allowed for the relocation of the ticket booth from the Freight House parking lot a few feet eastward to property owned by the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad. At the same time, the Stillwater Trolley May 13, 2011 Page 2 Council approved a parking permit for an annual fee of $500 apiece for each of the two on- street parking spaces for the trolleys. The term of the parking permit was three years at an annual price of $1,000. In 2006 after the three year parking permit term expired, the Council left the permit fee at $500 apiece for each of the two trolleys. The city purchased the railroad property some time after the ticket booth was moved to it. Consequently, when the city purchased the property, the SUP ran with the land and continues even though SUPs for private open sales are not permitted on public property today. Every year since 2006 an annual parking permit has been issued by the City Council for two on- street trolley parking spots for a total fee of $1,000. Fee Reconsideration If the new parking fees were strictly applied, the fee for one reserved spot on Nelson Street (between April 1 and October 31 would be $1,749 The cost for two spaces would be $3,498. However, it was recognized by the Parking Commission and City Council when the new fees were adopted that for certain uses (such as a trolley), the stated fee represents the beginning point of a discussion by the Council to determine the actual fee amount. Instead, of $1,749 per space the Parking Commission and City Council agreed that they would charge Trolley Tours LLC $645 for a space in 2011, which represents $3 per day. City staff believes it would be fair to charge Stillwater Trolley Co the same fee of $645 per space for 2011. This would be a total of $1,290. ALTERNATIVES The Parking Commission has the several alternatives, including: 1. Recommend that the City Council issue the parking permit at a cost of $1,290, which would be consistent with the action taken on the Trolley Tours LLC permit. 2. Recommend that the City Council issue the parking permit at a cost of $1,000, which would be the same permit price as every year since 2003. 3. Table the request for additional information. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approving the on- street parking permit for Stillwater Trolley Co at a rate of $645 apiece for each of the two trolleys. The total fee would therefore be $1,290 in 2011. 1 $9 per day for the peak season days; $3 per day for the off season days. Item 4.02 BACKGROUND SPECIFIC PROPOSAL COMMENTS 1lwater THE B I R T H P L A C E O F M I N N E S O T A TO: Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: May 13, 2011 RE: Lowell Inn Parking Ramp Fee Agreement The Lowell Inn pays the same parking fees that are required of all customers. The fees are set annually by Resolution of the City Council. However, the operational realities of administering the tracking and payment system for the annual fees are so complicated and time consuming for the Lowell Inn that they are proposing a different system for paying their parking ramp fees. Currently the Lowell Inn keeps track of validated coupons and passes and submits quarterly usage reports for room guests, dining room guests, employees, contractors, vendors, etc. Instead of this system, the Lowell Inn proposes to pay a set annual fee and not keep track of usage. Specifically, the Lowell Inn proposes to pay 1% of its gross annual sales as its annual parking ramp usage fee. In return they would not have to keep track of, nor report on their tickets and passes and usage. In 2010 (the 11 months that the equipment was operational), the Lowell In paid $7,876.85. During 2011 and subsequent years, it is estimated that (based upon the current fee schedule) the annual fees would be $9,410.00. The gross annual sales for the Lowell Inn in 2010 were slow because of the current economy. And even with the slow economy, gross annual sales are reported by Mr. Anderson as $1,400,000. At their proposed rate of 1% of gross annual sales, the parking fee paid by the Inn in 2010 would have been $14,000. Lowell Inn ramp use fee May 16, 2011 Page 2 Compared with the projected ramp fees of about $9,410.00 annually, the proposed 1% rate would generate a $14,000 payment even under slow economic conditions. ALTERNATIVES The Parking Commission has the several alternatives, including: RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City enter into an agreement that would set the fee at 1% of gross annual sales, or a base fee equal to the estimated $9,410.00 that would be generated by the 2011 fee schedule, whichever is greater. Conditions of the agreement should include that as the City increases usage fees for the ramp, the base fee would increase correspondingly. In return, the Lowell Inn would no longer have to track its ramp usage or submit reports to the City. bt 1. Recommend that the City Council approve the 1°/0 annual fee proposed by the Lowell Inn. 2. Recommend that the City Council require the parking rate fees to remain the same as adopted in the annual fee schedule. 3. Table the request for additional information. Item 4.03 Parking Ramp Update CITY OF STILLWATER, MINNESOTA Parking Ramp Cleaning The City will be completing the twice annual cleaning of the parking areas on May 10th and 1 1 th. All of the parking areas will be power washed and swept two floors at a time. During cleaning, the affected area of the ramp will be closed. The upper two floors of the ramp will close at 5 PM on May 9th and will reopen around noon on May 10th. The lower two floors of the ramp Changes are in the wind for the parking ramp and we wanted to take a moment to update our customers. Video Surveillance System First, with a number of van- dalism incidents that have occurred over the past year the City decided to install a video surveillance system. The installation is now mostly complete. Entry and Exit Equipment Other changes are on the way in regards to the entry and exit equipment. This work will be completed the week of May 9th . We will continue to update our cus- tomers as we approach the time these changes will go in will close at 5 PM on May 10th and will reopen around 4:00 PM on May 1 1 th . While the first two levels are closed new gate equipment will be installed. When the floors are closed for clean- ing, they will not be avail- able for any parking. Since all vehicles need to be re- moved from the area to clean it, if they are parked during cleaning time they will be subject to towing. We do to effect. As background, when the City originally selected equipment for the Municipal Parking Ramp, it chose very basic equipment that was easily upgradable. This saved initial start up costs and gave the City time to evaluate operational needs. A year of experience has taught us a great deal about managing a parking ramp. Some of the issues we have encountered include: • Since entry tickets are not dispensed, many patrons are confused about how to pay when they exit. Signage at the exit station does not not want to see that happen, so please make sure you move your car to a level that is not scheduled for cleaning. Cleaning helps keep the ramp looking good and ex- tends its operational life. We appreciate your under- standing while we complete the work. New Parking Ramp Equipment and Operational Changes seem to solve this prob- lem. • Since entry tickets are not dispensed, some patrons don't realize that they are required to pay for parking when they exit the ramp. This has left some patrons stuck in the ramp. In some cases, patrons have damaged equip- ment attempting to exit without paying. They simply expected the exit arm to go up automati- cally without paying since it went up auto- matically without dis- pensing a ticket upon entering. Important! UPPER TWO FLOORS OF THE RAMP WILL CLOSE AT 5 PM ON MAY 9TH AND WILL REOPEN AROUND NOON ON MAY 1 0TH. LOWER TWO FLOORS OF THE RAMP WILL CLOSE AT 5 PM ON MAY 10m AND WILL REOPEN AROUND 4:00 PM ON MAY 11TH . SINCE ALL VEHICLES NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE AREA TO CLEAN IT, IF THEY ARE PARKED DURING CLEAN- ING TIME THEY WILL BE SUBJECT TO TOWING. Equipment Changes • • • April 22, 2010 NEW ENTRY TICKET MACHINES WILL BE IN- STALLED MAY 1 1 AND 1 2. AFTER THE NEW EQUIPMENT IS INSTALLED MONTHLY PERMIT HOLDERS WILL USE THEIR PROXIMITY CARDS AT BOTH THE ENTRY GATE AND THE EXIT GATE. SUNDAY MORNING AND FREE SPECIAL HOLIDAYS USERS WILL RECEIVE A TICKET WHEN THE ENTER THE RAMP. WHEN THEY EXIT THE TICKET IS INSERTED INTO THE PAYSTATION GATE ARM WILL THEN OPEN WITHOUT THE NEED OF MAKING ANY PAY- MENT. Item 4.03 THIS WORK WILL BE COMPLETED THE WEEK OF MAY 9TH. WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE OUR CUSTOMERS AS WE APPROACH THE TIME THESE CHANGES WILL GO IN TO EFFECT. Parking Ramp Update New Parking Ramp Equipment and Operational Changes • The Lowell Inn contracts with the city for parking so that its guests do not have to pay when they leave the ramp. Their current system requires patrons to obtain a proximity card from the front desk that they use to exit and then it is to be dropped into a box below the reader. Many of the cards have gone missing and some guests ave inserted the proxy card into the credit card reader jamming it and making it inaccessible to other patrons trying to exit. Consequently, the City Council has authorized the purchase of equipment that will make the ramp more user friendly. These changes will occur around mid -May. As we get closer to in- stalling the equipment, we will provide you with additional details on how changes will affect you. In general, this is what we know. Ticket Dispensers New ticket dispensers will be installed at both entry gates. As at ramp facilities in most other cities, users of the ramp will push a button to receive a ticket and then the entry gate arm will open. Upon exiting, the user will insert the ticket into the machine, pay the appropriate fee, and the exit gate will open. The 2011 rates are as follows: Winter Summer Rates First 15 minutes Free First 15 minutes Free Page 2 Per 24 hours $3.00 Lost Ticket Fee $3.00 Extended use rates are as follows: 0 -15 minutes over Free 15 - 60 minutes $0.50 1 hour — 24 hours $1.50 Each additional 24 hours $1.50 Per 24 hours (Mon — Thur) Per 24 hours (Fri - Sun) Lost Ticket Fee Parking in the ramp on Sundays is Free if entered after 6:00 AM and exited before 1:00 PM. $ 3.00 $5.00 $5.00 Special Event parking will continue to be $10.00. Monthly Permit Users With the new ticket dispensers, monthly permit holders will use their proximity cards at both the entry gate and the exit gate. The new system will track whether the specific user is in the ramp or not. Which means if you use your proximity card to let someone else out of the ramp, you'll have to pay to let yourself out. After the new system is installed, monthly customers will find that their proximity cards will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Use of the proximity cards outside of the time window that is contracted for will be billed to you at reduced rates. Users will be given one "grace" use per calendar month for an extended stay. Additional uses during the month will be billed at a rate reduced from the standard rate. The reduced rate is a perk for being a "contract customer ". I Item 4.03 Parking Ramp Update New Parking Ramp Equipment and Operational Changes Sunday Morning and Special Holidays Parking will continue to be free on Sundays for people that enter the ramp after 6:00 in the morning and exit the ramp before 1:00 in the afternoon. However, there will be changes on how the gate arms will function. Every user will need to push a button to receive a ticket upon entering the ramp. Upon exiting the ramp, the user will insert the ticket in the paystation and the gate arm will then open without the need of making any payment. The use of tickets will also be required on special holidays but will work similar to Sunday morning uses. Lowell Inn The Lowell Inn will stop using the proximity cards for their guests. Lowell Inn guests will take their ticket to the front desk for vali- dation. Upon exiting the ramp, the user will insert the ticket in the paystation and the gate arm will then open without the need of making any payment. The Lowell Inn has paid for the equipment needed to validate the tickets and will continue to pay for the parking for their guests in the ramp per their contract with the City. Parking Validation Downtown businesses can offer to "validate" parking in the ramp with the new system. Business who are interested in validating parking should contact Mike Pogge with the City of Stillwater at 651 - 430 -8822 to discuss various options. Discounts off the listed parking rates are available to businesses that provided validated parking to their patrons. Questions, Concerns, Comments, or Praise. Please let us know what you think or ask us a question. Through your comments and questions we can better serve you, our customers. You can contact: Mike Pogge 216 N 4th St Stillwater, MN 55082 (651) 430-8822 mpogge @ci.stillwater.mn.us Page 3 Item 5.01 THE B I R T H P L A C E O F M I N N E S O T A TO: Downtown Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: May 16, 2011 RE: Rumble on the Deck The Freight House plans to offer its 16 annual Rumble on the Deck this July 14 On that day they would like to reserve Lot 3 from 3 PM to 10 PM. Attached is an air photo showing the layout of Lot 3. As seen in the photo, 25 parking spaces are requested for the day. The established fee is $9 per space for the day. 25 x $9 = $225. In past years the fee for the lot has been $300 for this event. The Parking Commission needs to review the event request and recommend a parking fee to the City Council. Recommendation Staff recommends charging the established fee of $9 per day, for a total of $225. bt attachment: Air photo of layout Rumble on the Deck Special Event Permit Page 2