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Home My WebLink AboutREDdavidsonph6~uli ~Illllllllll RED FIL E MEETING AGENDA DATE,W///o ITEM #rIfcouncil memoRanOu m TCOUNCIL ICDD DI RA0141~J-2 2-FIN DI R1 011 A C`til IRE CHIE FD TTORNEY Lfl'p W DI RCLERK/ORIG 21-POLICE CH FDEPTHEADSCREC DI R L UU`C"IL DI Rent Deputy Director ~HR DI R ■ DATE : TO : VIA : FROM : SUBJECT : May 28, 201 0 City Counci l Katie Lichtig, City Manage r Doug Davidson, Community Develo p Garden Street Terraces – Council Meeting June 1, 201 0 Councilman John Ashbaugh has asked staff the three questions below regarding a potential tax i stand and public restrooms as part of the Garden Street Terraces project . Staff wanted to respon d by way of a red file to ensure that the other Council members received the same information . Councilman Ashbaugh's Question s 1.Garden Alley :How important is it that we maintain this alley for through access for our patrol vehicles during nighttime hours? If we dedicated the central part of the alley to a taxi stand, i t would impede such access (unless we also built in a waiting area into the current parking lot – something that I'm reluctant to propose at this time). BTW, I'll be asking the same question o f Jay Walter & Tim Bochum . 2.Public restrooms :I think reserving an area for well-lit, well-maintained public restroom s within this project site – particularly as part of the current city parking lot – would be a grea t boon to the downtown nighttime entertainment scene . Logically, such restrooms should b e placed in proximity to the taxi stand . To get an idea of the dimensions of the problem that thi s would address, could we obtain from your staff the number of public urination offenses in th e downtown area over the last, say 6 months or year? Can that data be obtained without a grea t deal of staff effort? If it is too difficult to break this down only for the downtown, I'd be happ y with a citywide total and an "educated guess" as to the proportion that occur within th e downtown area . 3.Taxi Stand :Would a taxi-stand with public restrooms, properly sited and patrolled, be o f significant benefit to the downtown? You might not be prepared to address that question now , but please be prepared for it should the Council find it in our wisdom to ask it – particularly i n the context of this project . Thanks ! Staff Respons e Garden Alley as a Taxi Stand (from Deb Linden, Police Chief):From a public safety perspective , I have several concerns about dedicating this alley as a taxi stand area at night . First, w e frequently use the alley as a throughway for patrol vehicles, especially when traffic is congeste d on Higuera, and we would want to maintain this access . The alley also affords us a rear point o f access to the businesses facing Higuera which is important for emergency response . Second, activity associated with the use of the alley as a taxi stand would be essentially hidden from eas y view and access, especially once the Garden Street Terraces buildings are in place . This is not desirable for public safety, especially when vehicles and intoxicated people are mixing in a ver y narrow and enclosed area, or when pedestrians are waiting for taxis when none are present . Finally, the alley space itself is quite narrow and it would be difficult to maintain safe separatio n between pedestrians waiting for taxis and the vehicles themselves . Ideally, taxi stands should b e located in well-lit locations that can be easily monitored by police, with safe places fo r pedestrians to wait and quick and easy access for taxis to pick up and drop off fares . The City currently has areas in the downtown designated as after-hour taxi pick up points ; however the taxi cabs don't always choose to use them . Restrooms Downtown (from Deb Linden, Police Chief):In general, easy access to restrooms , whether public or private, for patrons of late-night establishments is effective in reducin g incidents of public urination . There are different ways of providing restrooms to the publi c ranging from dedicated restroom buildings to strategic areas that house portable toilets . There are also ways of locating and designing restroom facilities, including portable toilets, which limi t misuse and criminal behavior . The type, location, design, and funding of restrooms would al l need further study . In calendar year 2009, officers wrote 276 citations for urinating in public in the downtown zone . Restrooms Downtown (from Jay Walter, Public Works Director):Public restrooms could be a useful amenity if constructed properly so that they would take the abuse we know they'll get an d could be maintained for use throughout the day . PW's biggest concerns have always been our ability to keep them in presentable enough condition for the average tourist to use every day, bu t when the abuse got too bad, we asked to close them because we could not keep up. Once w e open the door to restrooms again, the City has to be ready to bear the maintenance burden . General Comments/Suggestion for Council Direction (from Doug Davidson, John Mandeville , Community Development Department):Public restrooms are indeed recognized in the plannin g profession as an amenity in a pedestrian oriented downtown . However, this would be a ne w requirement that has not been part of the project through the Advisory Body hearing process . Public restrooms could be incorporated into the project if there is square footage that can b e taken out of the project for a public purpose while the project remains financially viable . Th e applicants will not have that information until they are in the design process for the next iteratio n of the project . Perhaps the direction the Council could give, if they want to pursue the idea, is t o have the applicant address including public restroom/taxi-stand areas in the final project design. This would give the applicants the flexibility to incorporate them into the project or to documen t why they are not feasible . CDD staff would present this information as part of its presentatio n on the project final design and the applicants could respond in their presentation as well . Staff will be ready to discuss these issues in more detail if the Council desires on Tuesday night . Please call Tyler Corey extension #7169 (781-7169) or Doug Davidson at extension #7177 (781 - 7177) if you have any questions .