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Home My WebLink About2014-08-21 DTPC PacketTHE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION AGENDA Thursday, August 21, 2014 8:30 AM Conference Room 213, City Hall 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 3. APPROVAL OF JUNE 19, 2014 MINUTES 4. SPECIAL EVENTS 4.01 Fall Art Festival 4.02 Harvest Fest 5. NEW BUSINESS 5.01 Overnight Parking Ordinance Amendment 5.02 Event Parking — How much is too much? 6. OTHER BUSINESS 6.01 Parking Ramp Directional Signage 7. ADJOURNMENT a e. THE HINTHYLACE OF MINNESOTA DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES June 19, 2014 REGULAR MEETING Chairwoman Pelletier called the meeting to order at 8:37 a.m. Present: Chair Pelletier, Commissioners Hopfe and Anderson, Council Representative Kozlowski Absent: Commissioners Helmberger, Johnson, Junker, and Lettner Staff: Community Development Director Turnblad, Parking Enforcement Officer Pasket APPROVAL OF MINUTES The May 15, 2014 meeting minutes were accepted with one correction. Commissioner Junker is noted to have said that Lot 8b is a major parking system asset. The minutes incorrectly stated Lot 12 was a major asset. SPECIAL EVENTS Log Jam Days Community Development Director Turnblad stated that The Locals would like to use Lot 6 for ADA handicapped accessible parking for Log Jam Days. The lot is only accessible from Water Street and the City requires Water Street to be closed for public safety reasons. Therefore, Lot 6 will be empty. Consequently, staff recommends allowing Lot 6 to be used for Log Jam Days without charge. Cassie McLemore, The Locals, explained the request. All Commissioners present agreed to not charge for the lot. Rumble on the Deck Community Development Director Turnblad reviewed the event details. The Freight House would like to reserve 22 of the 35 spaces in Lot 3 all day on Thursday July 10. The spaces are separated from the rest of the lot by a raised curb island. Staff recommends charging the seasonal rate of $3 per space per day for a total of $66. Commission consensus was to support the staff recommendation. Downtown Parking Commission June 19, 2014 NEW BUSINESS Daily Grind relocation - Alternative Parking Provisions Community Development Director Turnblad explained the Daily Grind Espresso Cafe's plans for relocating to 217 N Main Street. Their new space would be within Valley Bookseller's store. The retail area for the book store would be reduced to accommodate the coffee shop. In addition there is deck area that would allow for four tables outside. The net increase of three parking spaces year round and four spaces on the deck seasonally has to be mitigated. Tim Palm, Daily Grind, stated that 80% of business is done by 11 a.m. so parking is not needed after that. He also asked about use of the spaces that are reserved for River Market. Community Development Director Turnblad pointed out that the River Market parking lot is owned by the City but is leased long term to the River Market. Therefore, the lot (known as Lot 8a in the municipal parking system) is considered a quasi -private lot during the term of the lease and can be used to mitigate private parking requirements. The owner of River Market would have to state in writing that the Daily Grind has permission to use Lot 8a. The commission agreed that if written permission is provided by the owner of River Market, that would satisfy the increased parking demand for the remodel of the Valley Bookseller to accommodate the coffee shop. However, if that permission is not granted, then the building owner or the coffee shop will be invoiced for three parking permits from November 1 through April 30, and invoiced for seven permits from May 1 to October 30. Relocation of Light Poles in Lot 8a/b Community Development Director Turnblad requested approval of an $11,000 expenditure from the parking enterprise fund for the relocation of the light poles in Lot 8a/b. This is the final work needed to complete the reconstruction of this lot. This will take a motion so he will send out a request to vote by email. OTHER BUSINESS Invoicing for Monthly Parking Permits Community Development Director Turnblad said that invoicing for the monthly parking permits would begin July 1. Letters were mailed out to each of the dozen affected businesses, so receipt of their first invoice should not be a surprise. ADJOURNMENT Chair Pelletier adjourned the meeting at 9:18 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, Julie Kink, Recording Secretary Page 2 of 2 i11watt THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA TO: Downtown Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: August 14, 2014 RE: Special Events - Fall Art Festival BACKGROUND The Fall Colors, Fine Art & Jazz Festival is scheduled this year for Saturday October 4th to Sunday October 5th. Setup will occur on October 3rd. During this three day period the Chamber of Commerce would like to close part of Water Street, part of Mulberry Street and reserve Municipal Lot 9 and parts of 8a and 8b. (See attached special event permit application form). COMMENTS • The requested layout would split Lots 8a and 8b in half. This will prevent River Market Co-op customers from through traffic flow of their leased parking lot. Therefore, staff suggests the entirety of River Market's Lot 8b remain used only by co-op customers throughout the festival. The festival could simply use Lots 8a and 9. (See attached Downtown Parking Lot Map). • If Lots 8b and 9 are reserved for the three days, the cost of parking spaces during the off season would be $1.50 per space for 3 days for 117 spaces. The total cost would be $526.50. • Lot 10 will be under construction during the Fall Art Festival. Therefore, Mulberry Street must remain open for construction access. This will be especially critical on Friday, and if construction is behind schedule there may also have to be construction on the lot on Saturday. If that is the case, it may be better not to have any art vendors on Mulberry Street at all. ACTION REQUIRED The Parking Commission should recommend to the Council a fee to charge for reserving the municipal lots. bt Attachments: Event permit application form Downtown Parking Map lwa r EVENTS PERMIT APPLICATION 216 North 4th Street, Stillwater, MN 55082 THE .1. r E r L A t E o f w t WR E S o T A Telephone: 651-430-8800 Fax: 651-430-8809 Incomplete applications or applications received after deadline will not be accepted. See Event Instructions for application deadline and fees. Date of Application: Office Use Oniv Date Application Received Type: Event Special Event w/ Contra Event Information Title/Name of Event Fall Colors Fine Art and Music Festival Event Date/Time: Set up: Date Fri. October 3 10:00 am Time to 7:00 pm Actual Event: Date Sat. October 4, Sun. October 5 Time 9 am to 6 pm Clean up: Date Sun. October 5 Time 6 pm to 8 pm (Events after 10:00 p.m. require a variance from City Council] Location (Address) of Event: Please see attachments and event plan layout (If in Lowell Park please specify north or south Lowell park) Description of Event (please be specific - this information will be used to promote the event on the City of Stillwater website) The Fall Colors Fine Art & Music Festival is a weekend public event that hosts high quality art from around the upper midwest. Food will also be available through food vendors. Several musical performances will ocurr on both days as in years prior. Estimated Attendance (participants and spectators): 5000 depending on weather Applicant Information (Person/Group Responsible) Sponsoring Organization Name: The Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce Mailing Address: 200 Chestnut St. E., Suite 204 City, State, Zip Code: Stillwater, MN 55082 Primary Contact/Applicant Name: Todd Streeter Phone Number: 651.439.4001 Fax: 651.439.4035 Cell Phone: 651.325.7642 Email Address: tstreeter@greaterstiliwaterchamber.com Website Address: www.GreaterStillwaterChamber.com Name of contact person during event: Todd Streeter Cell Phone: 651.325.7642 Alternate contact during event: Dolly Parker Cell Phone: 651.270.7387 Refer media or citizens inquires to: Todd Streeter Phone: 651.439.4001 2014 Fall Colors Fine Art & Music Festival October 4 & 5 North Lowell Park, Stillwater Accu. 10 river'Walk Docks Artisan Demo 011+. Main Parking Lot Artist Exhibitors -60 Mulberry Street Exhibitors - 50 Marketplace Exhibitors - 26 Food Vendors - 8 Event Plan Layout - June 30. 2014 000J.*t to ck.np. 40. St. Croix River Stage co+a Vendor Parking ti Isar ln. Rot Out 11,110. N1LW.I9 �f Wndo ddgg 1 _•••••: r mister _� 11 111 117 113 114 116 116 111 114 110 120 121 122 173 124 126 12612? 126 175 130 121 112 177 121135 New Lowell Park Amphitheater Portable Toilets Bike Trail 66 64 113 82 51 60 46 48 47 45 46 44 43 30 31 32 13 34 36 76 37 3136 40 4i 42 s 26 27 28 26 24 23 22 21 20 16 16 17 River Market Coop Parking Only (No Event Parking) Water Street Inn Parking (No Event Parking) ■ Handicap Parking GREATER STILWATER CHAMBER of COMMERCE Board of Directors Kevin Sandstrom Chair Paul McCarthy Vice Chair Steve O'Brien Past Chair Todd Streeter President Chuck.LeRoux Secretary Chris Schiltz Treasurer Paula Hamann Susan St Ores To: City of Stillwater From: Todd Streeter RE: Fall Art Festival Date: July 29, 2014 As we prepare for the Fall Colors and Fine Art Festival, we are seeking to use Mulberry St. as a substitute area for our art vendors. In years past we have used the grassy area of North Lowell Park, but now that the flood wall project has been completed, the slope of the grade is too steep to provide a level area for artist booths and fair attendees. Needless to say, expensive and fragile art work would be prone to breaking when placed on tables that are sloped as well as providing an unsafe walking area for fair attendees. We could consider moving the whole event down to South Lowell Park where the park remains level, but artists prefer hard surfaces like streets and parking lots to provide stability for their tables and much of that area is still grass which once it rains, it becomes soggy and puddle ridden for the entire weekend. Unfortunately, consumers avoid artists located in soggy grass which makes for a very unpleasant event for all concerned. Streets and parking lots drain all the rain water away and the surface can dry within an hour. We also try to have our events on the north end of downtown to avoid using lots that are preferred parking areas for south end businesses. I can understand some hesitancy in using a street, but we had no issues when we used Water St. last year and Mulberry Street is actually better since the businesses are essentially closed for the season, such as PD Pappy's (They close on the last weekend of September. The FAF is the first weekend in October). I have asked Kelly (manager) at Pappy's, Andy at Stillwater Marina gas dock, and Mark Desch, owner of the Desch building, and all say they have no issues since they won't have traffic at that time of year. Our goal with our two art fairs is to put on the best event possible for all concerned, including a stable and consistent surface for artists and attendees. This request is only for the fall art fair since it occurs after the businesses are essentially closed for the season. We may also ask council to affirm the date for the Rivertown Art Festival as we have many artists in October making their plans this fall for the spring show. Regarjs, Todd Streeter President/Executive Director 200 Chestnut Street East Suite 204 • Stillwater, MN 55082 • Phone: 651.439.4001 Fax: 651.439.4035 GreaterSti l lwaterChamber.com Lot 12 0 Lot 9 Lot 8b Lot 8a Lot 7 Lot 6 op, Lot 5 P -n Lot 15 My�te Lot 4 a er Public Parking owntown Stillwater 2014 Downtown Parking District 11 City Parking Lot City Parking Ramp * City monthly permits valid 15 minute parking limit 30 minute parking limit Loading/unloading Bus loading/unloading Bus parking On -street handicapped parking • Free parking • Pay parking O Free parking after office hours • Parking ONLY for co-op customers `co a eti a Y -1 J oleo S (P Lot 3 Lot 2 Lot Lot 1 (hourly) -- 106 spaces Lot 2 (hourly) -- 84 spaces Lot 3 (3 hr) -- 35 spaces Lot 4 (4 hr) -- 29 spaces Lot 5 (4 hr) -- 7 spaces Lot 6 (3 hr) -- 16 spaces Lot 7 (3 hr) -- 16 spaces Lot 8a ("private") - 52 spaces Lot 8b (4 hr) -- 87 spaces Lot 9 (4 hr) — 30 spaces Lot 10 (24) -- 49 spaces Lot 11 (24 hr) -- 45 spaces Lot 12 (24 hr) -- 85 spaces Lot 13 (3 hr) -- 28 spaces Lot 14 (24 hr) -- 15 spaces Lot 15 (4 hr) -- 20 spaces Lot 16 (4 hr) -- 47 spaces Lot 17 (4 hr) -- 103 spaces Lot 18 -- 53 spaces Lot 19 -- 83 spaces Lot 20 (24 hr) -- 22 spaces Ramp (hourly) - 248 spaces Total= 1,260 spaces 468 marked on -street parking spaces 148 unmarked on -street parking spaces 1,876 total public spaces 1,438 free spaces 76.7% of spaces free Lot 1 Lot 20 511 Map produced by Stillwater Parking Commission Wed. i11watt THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA TO: Downtown Parking Commission FROM: Beth Wolf, Public Works Secretary DATE: August 15, 2014 RE: Special Events - Harvest Fest BACKGROUND Summer Tuesdays, Inc. has made application for a Special Event permit to host the 2014 Harvest Fest from October 10th -12th. The venue requested for this event is North Lowell Park, City Parking Lot #4, #5 and #9. Setup will begin at 4pm on Friday with cleanup ending at 9 pm on Sunday. PARKING FEE The parking fee as established by resolution and applied to this event is presented below. The Downtown parking rate for off season (October through April) for all lots > 3 hours is $1.50/day/space Lot Number No of Spaces Number of Days Total Fee 4 29 3 $130.50 5 7 3 $31.50 9 30 3 $135.00 Total Cost $297.00 All lots are reserved for add day Friday and Saturday and Sunday. Through setup will not begin until 4 pm on Friday, it will not be possible to clear the lots during the day on Friday. They will have to be posted Thursday evening. Attached is the application and sketch showing the festival layout. ACTION REQUIRED Make a recommendation to the City Council on the amount of the parking fee. bw Attachments: Event permit application form lwa er EVENTS PERMIT APPLICATION --� 216 North 4th Street, Stillwater, MN 55082 T H E I I N T N ►LACE Of M I N N E S O T A Telephone: 651-430-8800 Fax: 651-430-8809 Incomplete applications or applications received after deadline will not be accepted. See Event Instructions for application deadline and fees. S ci / 2-0/ tif Date of Application: Office Use Only Date Application Received Type: Event Special Event Event w/ Contract Event Information Title/Name of Event Friday Oct 10 4 10 Event Date/Time: Set up: Date Time to Actual Event: Date Sat 10am-12pm; Sun 10am- 6pm Time to Clean up: Date Sunday Oct 12 Time 6 9 to (Events after 10:00 p.m. require a variance from City Council) Location (Address) of Event: North Lowell Park (If in Lowell Park please specify north or south Lowell park) Description of Event (please be specific - this information will be used to promote the event on the City of Stillwater website) Come see the fruits of the harvest as area growers showcase GIANT PUMPKINS, a "one -ton pumpkin" is not out of the question. fun activities throughout the weekend include a Chili Cook -Off, Beer and Wine Tasting, Kids Costume Parade, a Market, Live Music including Street Dance Saturday Night, the Giant Pumpkin Drop and the Pumpkin Regatta (yes they float, yes they make good boats). More information at HarvestFestStillwater.com Estimated Attendance (participants and spectators): 500-1200 Applicant Information (Person/Group Responsible) Sponsoring Organization Name: Summer Tuesdays Inc. Mailing Address: 101 Water Street City, State, Zip Code: Stillwater, MN 55082 Primary Contact/Applicant Name: Cory Buettner Phone Number: 651 295 4725 Fax: ----- CeII Phone: s Email Address: CoryBuettner@gmail.com Website Address: www.HarvestFestStillwater.com Name of contact person during event: Cory Buettner CeII Phone: 651 2954725 Alternate contact during event: Chuck Dougherty CeII Phone: 612 414 0865 Refer media or citizens inquires to: Cory Buettner Phone: 651 295 4725 Downtown Stil Event Venue Lot 11 Lot 8b II Lot 1 -- 106 spaces Lot 2 — 84 spaces Lot 3 — 35 spaces Lot 4 -- 29 spaces Lot 5 — 7 spaces Lot 6 -- 16 spaces Lot 7— 16 spaces Lot 8a -- 50 spaces Lot 8b 89 spaces Lot 9 -- 30 spaces Lot 10 -- 49 spaces Lot 11 -- 45 spaces Lot 12 -- 85 spaces Lot 13 — 28 spaces Lot 14 -- 15 spaces Lot 15 -- 20 spaces Lot 16 — 47 spaces Lot 17 -- 103 spaces Lot 18 53 spaces Lot 19 — 83 spaces Lot 20 — 22 spaces Ramp — 248 spaces Total = 1,260 spaces Lot 8a reserved for co-op customers „ , • t:ti .1) \ ‘ra) \ \.0 sttee, - g-eY Lil water ap S. • ca \ \ (lel a 0 \ 0 , C) •,o- , tt-- co \ blest11_ ----- ,... .. ____---- \ \ Lot2 \ treP‘ dMe \ , xso_ sitt ee i11wat1t THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA TO: Downtown Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: August 15, 2014 RE: Parking for Downtown Residents BACKGROUND At their July 29, 2014 meeting, the City Council at the suggestion of Councilmember Kozlowski directed City staff to draft an amendment to the "overnight parking" restriction found in Section 51-2, Subdivision 1 of City Code. The restriction prohibits parking on public streets or in public parking lots for more than 24 consecutive hours. The restriction makes it impossible for downtown residents who park by permit in Municipal Lots to keep their cars in the same parking spot for more than one night. This causes a hardship for those residents that are on vacation and their car stays home, or when they are ill for a day or two, or for any number of other reasons. Therefore, the City Attorney suggested a very simple change to the City Code to give some flexibility for downtown residents that must use the Municipal Parking Lots. The recommended change is shown below. It is to simply strike the phrase "except in emergency situations". Subd. 1. Overnight parking. No person may park or permit any vehicle to stand upon any highway, street, alley, city -owned parking lot or any other public property in the city for more than 24 consecutive hours except in areas designated for such parking by signs erected by authority of the city council, and except in emergency situations where prior authorization for the parking has been obtained from the chief of police. The change has the effect of allowing the City to issue parking passes for downtown residents. COMMENTS While the Code change may be simple enough, a policy must be written so there are guidelines and a process for reviewing and issuing the Downtown Residential Parking Passes. The City Council has delegated the task of recommending such a policy to the Parking Commission. Downtown Residential Parking Pass Page 2 Elements of the policy that the Parking Commission should consider include (but surely are not limited to): • Who is eligible to receive a Downtown Residential Parking Pass? • What document(s) should be shown by the resident to establish eligibility? • Should the Police Department review the applications and issue permits when appropriate, or should they review the applications and make a recommendation to the Parking Commission whether to issue the permit or not? • What should be the cost of the permit? • How long should the permit be valid? • Which Municipal Lots should allow the extended stay passes? • Should only one Residential Parking Pass be issued per apartment? • Should there be a limit to the number of days in a row a car can stay parked in the same spot? • Should the physical pass that is issued by of the same sort as those the City is issuing for standard monthly permits? Maybe a different color? Or should it be a different physical shape? Or should it be a completely different material, for example a sticker for the windshield? • The permit should probably include language such as: A vehicle parked with this permit must always have current plates, tabs, insurance and must be in operable condition. • Etc. REQUEST Staff requests the Parking Commission to consider each of the policy elements above and make a recommendation. Also, if there are elements staff has overlooked, please discuss those as well. bt Downtown Parking System Map Lot 12 0 Lot 9 Lot 8b Lot 8a Lot 7 Lot 6 op, Lot 5 P -n Lot 15 My�te Lot 4 a er Public Parking owntown Stillwater 2014 Downtown Parking District 11 City Parking Lot City Parking Ramp * City monthly permits valid 15 minute parking limit 30 minute parking limit Loading/unloading Bus loading/unloading Bus parking On -street handicapped parking • Free parking • Pay parking O Free parking after office hours • Parking ONLY for co-op customers `co a eti a Y -1 J oleo S (P Lot 3 Lot 2 Lot Lot 1 (hourly) -- 106 spaces Lot 2 (hourly) -- 84 spaces Lot 3 (3 hr) -- 35 spaces Lot 4 (4 hr) -- 29 spaces Lot 5 (4 hr) -- 7 spaces Lot 6 (3 hr) -- 16 spaces Lot 7 (3 hr) -- 16 spaces Lot 8a ("private") - 52 spaces Lot 8b (4 hr) -- 87 spaces Lot 9 (4 hr) — 30 spaces Lot 10 (24) -- 49 spaces Lot 11 (24 hr) -- 45 spaces Lot 12 (24 hr) -- 85 spaces Lot 13 (3 hr) -- 28 spaces Lot 14 (24 hr) -- 15 spaces Lot 15 (4 hr) -- 20 spaces Lot 16 (4 hr) -- 47 spaces Lot 17 (4 hr) -- 103 spaces Lot 18 -- 53 spaces Lot 19 -- 83 spaces Lot 20 (24 hr) -- 22 spaces Ramp (hourly) - 248 spaces Total= 1,260 spaces 468 marked on -street parking spaces 148 unmarked on -street parking spaces 1,876 total public spaces 1,438 free spaces 76.7% of spaces free Lot 1 Lot 20 511 Map produced by Stillwater Parking Commission Wed. i11watt THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA TO: Downtown Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: August 15, 2014 RE: Special Event Parking - How Much Is Too Much? BACKGROUND A lively, vibrant downtown is generally a healthy sign. Many constituents of the community agree that events held in the downtown venue are a positive addition to that vibrancy. Consequently, the City has several policies that together allow private use of downtown public space (parking lots, streets, parks, trails and the pedestrian plaza). And, those policies set very few limitations on private event use. As long as the facility is not reserved by someone else, traffic safety is maintained, and general public safety is not compromised, then a private group can reserve the space. One consequence of these policies is that other customers that have to rely on the municipal lots, and who invested money to buy or lease property in close proximity to those lots, are inconvenienced whenever the lot they typically use is reserved for an event. The tension between the inconvenienced customers and the event producers stays in balance in the "better years". By "better years" we mean during years when events are well distributed throughout the system, do not impact the same lots too often, and both North Lowell Park and South Lowell Park are available for use during the event season. This year was not a "better year". Both sections of the park were closed most of the season, and certain lots north of Myrtle Street were reserved fairly frequently for events. Every Wednesday during the summer the offices that rely on Lot 8b, for example, are displaced by the car club. The result was an unusually large number of complaints from inconvenienced customers. Attached is a sampling of the complaints. REQUEST Staff asks the Parking Commission to discuss whether the current parking lot reservation system for private events needs to be revised. If so, what specific changes should be considered? What process should we undertake to create suggested revisions? bt Attachments: Event parking complaints — a sampling Bill Turnblad From: Diane Ward Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 3:02 PM To: Larry Hansen; Bill Turnblad Subject: FW: Public Input Form (form) has been filled out on your site. Diane F. Ward, City Clerk City of Stillwater 216 4th Street N Stillwater, MN 55082 Direct: 651-430-8802 Fax: 651-430-8809 Original Message From: Please Do Not Click Reply [mailto:support@govoffice.com] Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2014 2:53 PM To: Diane Ward Subject: Public Input Form (form) has been filled out on your site. Your Site has received new information through an online form. Online Form: Public Input Form Site URL: www.ci.stillwater.mn.us Subject: Log Jam First Name: James Last Name: Fagrelius Address: 14344 93rd st n Zip Code: 55082 Email: jamescf9@gmail.com Comments: Your treatment of River Market Coop during the festival is unacceptable. The lack of parking for customers of the coop resulted in large sales losses for the store. The Coop is a huge asset for the City of Stillwater. What are you thinking? Businesses like the Coop anchor the downtown area. Please consider reimbursing the Coop for their losses during the event. You really is the store an apology. Please figure out a way to support the viability of this and other similarly affected Businesses now and in the future. Do Not Click Reply - This e-mail has been generated from an online form. 1 Bill Turnblad From: tomwortman@comcast.net Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 10:31 AM To: Bill Turnblad Subject: Re: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Thank you so much. Its just that the tenants are getting tired of the constant changes. These people which consists of approximately 50 people are supporting Stillwater all year, not just events. Thanks again. Tom From: "Turnblad, Bill" <bturnblad@ci.stillwater.mn.us> To: "tomwortmancomcast.net" <tomwortman@comcast.net> Cc: "Angela Eastman" <aeastman@ci.stillwater.mn.us> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 10:09:21 AM Subject: RE: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Tom, The Downtown Parking Commission will be looking at the issue of "How Many Events Are Enough" later this summer and into the fall. As will not be surprising to you, there are other businesses downtown that also think this year is over the top in terms of parking lot usage for events. I will include your concerns in the bundle of background information that the Commission wades through as the consider the situation. tillwa ter _1 - Bill Turnblad Community Development Director City of Stillwater From: tomwortman@comcast.net [mailto:tomwortman@comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 9:04 AM To: Angela Eastman 1 Cc: Bill Turnblad Subject: Re: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Angela, Thanks for the note. However, tenants response is not good. They pay for annual parking permits and are required to not park in Tots for 13 Wednesdays and now a couple of more days for Log Jam. They believe the city should issue some type of refund for the parking that they pay for. Also, if this keeps occurring, they may consider moving there business out of Stillwater. Regards, Tom Wortman TreMar LLC From: "Angela Eastman" <aeastman@ci.stillwater.mn.us> To: tomwortman@comcast.net Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 8:06:10 AM Subject: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Hi Tom, I just wanted to drop a note and remind you (and you building tenants) that parking lot closures will begin tomorrow, Thursday, July 17, at 8 a.m. for the Stillwater Log Jam. Due to flooding much of the event has been moved into the parking lots. I have attached a map for your review to see which lots are closed tomorrow and through the weekend. All of your business tenants should also have received a postcard mailing from the event as well last week. Beginning tomorrow, Lot 7 (outside Valley Book Seller will be reserved and staffed for River Market customers), Lot 8a (River Market), Lot 8b, Lot 9, Lot 10 (behind PD Pappy's and Lot 11 (gravel lot) will all be closed through next Monday, July 21. Lots 6, 5, and 4 will close Friday morning. The event will clear Tots as quick as they can on Sunday evening, but some lots may remain closed through the early afternoon on Monday. Parking for businesses is available in Lot 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, the Ramp on N. 2nd Street (Lot 15), and Lot 1 and Lot 2. 2 Bill Turnblad From: Angela Eastman Sent: Monday, July 21, 2014 4:39 PM To: Bill Turnblad Subject: FW: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event :) From: Mead Stone [gm@rivermarket.coop] Sent: Monday, July 21, 2014 10:15 AM To: Angela Eastman Subject: RE: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Angela, From my standpoint Log Jam Days was no worse than a tornado. We're into day five and our parking lot is still not clear, but it looks like it may be today. Please consider using Cub or Target's parking lot in the future. Our customer count was the lowest for a normal week in over a quarter -- we get lower counts in the winter. I think people making these decisions are not shoppers, or if they are, they never experience the kind of obstacle courses the city puts them through. If you think of a mother with a cart full of groceries and two toddlers -- in normal times they already have to walk across Water Street. For the past four days, they've had to guess where to park, park, get in and out of the co-op and drive home. After I told Cassie a definite "NO" for them to use the lot, the city took over and we still lost the lost. We publish our June/July newsletter to over 4,000 owners at the end of May with the deadline for input April 20th. Other than signage and handouts at the register we could not alert our owners to the changed parking situation. As a side note, the parking lot vouchers did not work Thursday and for several employees did not work if there was not human being taking the voucher. Employees coming to work were told they could not park in the ramp, that they had to submit the voucher upon entrance. I instructed staff to park and get a voucher from the co-op when they were ready to go home. Saturday I personally talked to a gentleman at the ramp and he got it. None of knew what was going to happen, so the city was understandably conservative and safety conscious in their approach to the event. Now that we have seen what's involved I would request that arrangements be made to secure River Market's parking lot for any and all future events. Wednesdays are already unworkable due to the car show. We are willing to support Summer Tuesdays because it is closest to a community event. Does that answer your question? Mead Stone General Manager River Market 651-439-0366 gm@rivermarket.coop Bill Turnblad From: tomwortman@comcast.net Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 10:46 AM To: Bill Turnblad Subject: Fwd: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Bill, You may want to add this e-mail from Kagan Binder Law office. They have 30 to 35 employees and lease 8000 S/F of office space in downtown Stillwater. Tom From: "Binder, Mark" <mbinder@kaganbinder.com> To: tomwortman@comcast.net Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 10:37:27 AM Subject: RE: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event It would be nice. We will see if they actually do something. Today is terrible again, and meanwhile all the lots sit blocked with no cars in them. Coop lot is full. We actually are losing productivity in that a number of people here, me included, are just not going to work of Friday because it is intolerable to come into the office. Mark From: tomwortman@comcast.net [mailto:tomwortman@comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 10:34 AM To: Tina M Swanson - STILLWATER MN; Schneider, Diane; Mark Binder Subject: Fwd: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Hello, I think we will finally see something done about the outside events that are disrupting our parking needs. Thanks for your help. Tom From: "Turnblad, Bill" <bturnblad@ci.stillwater.mn.us> To: "tomwortman@comcastnet" <tomwortman@comcast.net> Cc: "Angela Eastman" <aeastman@ci.stillwater.mn.us> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 10:09:21 AM Subject: RE: Parking Lot Closures Due to Event Tom, The Downtown Parking Commission will be looking at the issue of "How Many Events Are Enough" later this summer and into the fall. As will not be surprising to you, there are other businesses downtown that also think this year is over the top in terms of parking lot usage for events. 1 i11wat1t THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNESOTA TO: Downtown Parking Commission FROM: Bill Turnblad, Community Development Director DATE: August 15, 2014 RE: Parking Ramp Signage BACKGROUND The lack of effective wayfinding signage for the parking ramp has been an issue for several years. The first option looked at by the Parking Commission was an 8' x 4' sign on South Main. But, that was not received well by the Heritage Preservation Commission and other interest groups downtown. So, the Heritage Preservation Commission's chair Larson and the Parking Commission's chair Pelletier met to discuss a mutually acceptable way to address the situation. The outline of their proposal is below. • Remove the existing directional arrows below the "P" signs at the five locations identified on the attached graphics. • Replace those directional arrows with a sign roughly the same size as the "P" signs. These replacement signs would say "RAMP" and have a directional arrow. See the attached graphics for more details. • Add ramp parking signage at two locations where currently there is none. This would include both the "P" sign and the "RAMP" with arrow signs. o The first of these two locations would be on the light pole on Main next to Municipal Lot #1. o The second would be on the east side of Main Street between Myrtle and Commercial just north of the gas station. COMMENTS In an attempt to help motorists this parking season, Chair Pelletier asked staff to email the proposal to the various Commissions that are involved with the issue. A vigorous email exchange ensued with no consensus. Here is a summary of the many comments and graphics that were offered: • I think a graphic that shows our CBD with streets and parking areas would be an asset to folks visiting our Town. Downtown Residential Parking Pass Page 2 • A couple of sign suggestions: Pt KING GARAGE • I am not sure why designating the parking to be in a ramp lends any additional information to the visitor just looking for parking. Do you think that they will choose a ramp over the other open parking locations? If hail is in the forecast, maybe yes, but generally most do not want the confined space associated with most ramps. That said, I don't think the word "ramp" will gain usership of the ramp and prefer the clean uniformity of the current simple arrow....but I find the proposed modification to the sign is acceptable within the design guidelines. If the ramp signs do not increase users in the ramp over the next year, I would hope that the existing arrows would be saved and reinstalled. • A "Ramp" sign is less clear than a "Parking Garage" sign • The existing signage has round circles with P's /black background, and I think they look great. We are not proposing to change them, only add ramp directions. One concern is that currently, most people looking for parking congest around the south end of town. Currently, the P signs direct you to south end parking lots with no hint there is a ramp available. Once near Myrtle, they direct you to the east, with limited parking. • To the visitors unfamiliar with Stillwater, there are few clues about the ramp. The first idea floated proposed a large sign at the south end of town, indicating the ramp location with some map/plan diagram, which seemed unattractive and probably ineffective. I don't doubt people will park on streets or lots if available, but this approach is an incremental one to see if we can raise awareness of and steer some more traffic toward the ramp.... • My concerns are that if these signs aren't as large and bright as would be allowed, they are very difficult to see. The downtown facades, signage, sidewalk signage and planters are very busy. Add all the pedestrians illegally/legally crossing the street, backed up traffic and parked vehicles blocking the signage, it becomes very difficult to pay attention to everything. My vote would be the signs were discussing to assist in directing and maybe a large sign or billboard before all the congestion and confusion. • If we put signs that no one will notice it's nice for the ambience, but just adds to the clutter. I still like the large sign idea. Somewhere. • What about a large sign on each end of town stating how many open air lots and a parking ramp containing "x" amount of spaces? The large signs would have a picture of the smaller "P" signs and directions that say follow these signs to public parking. If you look at any confusing parking area such as airports and malls, they start directing you before the clutter and confusion. Downtown Residential Parking Pass Page 3 • My only suggestion would be to direct all Main Street traffic, north and south, to use Myrtle rather than using Commercial. This would help the flow with Main Street traffic and keep Commercial safer for pedestrians heading to the new mall. • I do not believe we need large signs but frequently placed, well worded with graphics signs that will direct our visitors to the parking ramp. We are not directing them to an airport or large mall, but to a small historic downtown shopping district that is 10-12 blocks long. Frequently placed signs will make our visitors "comfortable" in their journey to the ramp. We need to keep it as hassle free as possible. If the visitors (customers) perceive that we have a parking problem, then we do! REQUEST Staff requests the Parking Commission to consider the proposal and endorse a recommended signage solution. bt (J) \cv CD M`J6e Sheet ,�yg15p' LNie\son stet. eddY Saar a`, Mor Lot Lot Lot Lot Lot Lot Lot Lot Lot: Pari