HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-19-2022 ATC Agenda PacketCity of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission
Agenda
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
May 19, 2022
6:00 p.m. REGULAR MEETING Council Hearing Room
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo CA
The City has returned to in-person meetings. Virtual participation will not be
supported. For those in attendance, masks are strongly recommended.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public Comment during the meeting:
If you would like to provide public comment during the meeting you must attend in person.
Public Comment prior to the meeting can be submitted in the following ways:
• Mail or Email Public Comment
➢ Received by 3pm on the day of meeting - Can be submitted via email to
advisorybodies@slocity.org or U.S. Mail to City Clerk at: 990 Palm St., San Luis
Obispo, CA 93401.
➢ Emails sent after 3pm on the day of meeting – Can be submitted via email to
advisorybodies@slocity.org and will be archived/distributed to members of the
committee the day after the meeting. Emails will not be read aloud at the meeting.
• Verbal Public Comment
➢ Received by 3pm on the day of the meeting - Call (805) 781-7164; state and spell
your name, the agenda item number you are calling about and leave your comment.
The verbal comments must be limited to 3 minutes. All voicemails will be forwarded
to committee members and saved as Agenda Correspondence. Voicemails will not be
played during the meeting.
➢ During the meeting – You must attend the meeting in person
All comments submitted will be placed into the administrative record of the meeting.
If you have questions, contact the office of the City Clerk at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781-
7100.
MISSION: The purpose of the Active Transportation Committee (ATC) is to provide oversight
and policy direction on matters related to bicycle and pedestrian transportation in San Luis Obispo
Active Transportation Committee Agenda May 19, 2022 Page 2
and its relationship to bicycling and walking outside the City.
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Russell Mills
ROLL CALL : Committee Members Lea Brooks, Timothy Jouet, Francine Levin, Russell
Mills (chair), Kimmie Nguyen, Jonathan Roberts, Nathan Stong
OATH OF OFFICE: Lea Brooks, Francine Levin, Kimmie Nguyen
PUBLIC COMMENT: At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the
agenda. Persons wishing to speak should come forward and state their name and address.
Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this time are generally referred
to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be scheduled for a future meeting.
CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES
1. Minutes of the Regular Meeting on March 17, 2022
ACTION ITEMS
2. OFFICER ELECTIONS
(FUKUSHIMA – 20 MINUTES)
The committee chairperson and vice-chairperson play an important role in committee meetings.
The chairperson’s main role is to provide the advisory body with group direction and to set the
tone for meetings. The Chair must balance being strong enough to move the meeting along and
democratic enough to involve all members in the meeting.
Article 3 of the Active Transportation Committee Bylaws states:
“The officers will consist of a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson who will be elected
annually at a regular Committee meeting in each calendar year. The Chairperson will
preside over all meetings of the Committee and perform such duties as directed by the
Committee. The Vice-Chairperson will serve in the absence or incapacity of the
Chairperson.”
The Advisory Body Handbook provides additional information about the role and
responsibilities of the chair and vice chair. See Attachment 2 from the Handbook for an excerpt
of the traits of an effective chairperson.
Additional officer duties include writing quarterly progress reports, representing the ATC at the
Mayor’s quarterly luncheon, and representing the Committee at relevant Advisory Body and City
Council meetings. The term of office is for one year. No person shall serve in the office of
chairperson or vice chairperson for more than two consecutive terms.
Active Transportation Committee Agenda May 19, 2022 Page 3
Selection Process: As with all actions of the Committee, each nomination must get a motion,
and a second. Then, the Committee will vote on each person in the order they are nominated.
Staff Recommendation: The Committee should select a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson to
preside for the next year.
Attachment 2: Advisory Body Handbook Excerpt
3. PERMANENT PARKLET PROGRAM
(FUKUSHIMA – 60 MINUTES)
See staff report in the agenda packet.
COMMENT AND DISCUSSION
4. Committee Member Updates (5 minutes)
5. Staff Updates (5 minutes)
a. South Higuera Complete Streets Project Grant Application
b. 1101 Monterey Street Development Sidewalk Widening
c. Agenda Forecast
ADJOURNMENT
The next Regular Meeting of the Active Transportation Commi ttee is scheduled for
Thursday , July 21 , 20 22, at 6:00 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS
1. DRAFT Minutes of the March 17, 2022 Rescheduled Meeting
2. Advisory Body Handbook Excerpt
The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible to the
public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to
persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or
accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such requ est to the City Clerk’s
Office at (805) 781-7100 at least 48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf (805) 781-7107.
Agenda related writings and documents are available online or for public inspection at the Public
Works Department, 919 Palm Street, SLO. Meeting audio recordings can be found at the following
web address:
https://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=60965&dbid=0&repo=CityClerk
Minutes – Active Transportation Committee Meeting of March 17, 2022 Page 1
Minutes - DRAFT
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Thursday, March 17, 2022 1
Regular Meeting of the Active Transportation Committee 2
3
CALL TO ORDER 4
5
A Regular Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Active Transportation Committee was called to order 6
on Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room located at 990 Palm 7
Street, San Luis Obispo, California, by Chair Mills. 8
9
ROLL CALL 10
11
Present: Committee Members Donette Dunaway, Timothy Jouet, Briana Martenies (vice-12
chair), Russell Mills (chair), Jonathan Roberts, and Nathan Stong 13
14
Absent: None 15
16
Staff: Adam Fukushima, Lareina Gamboa, Justin Wong, Luke Schwartz 17
18
PUBLIC COMMENT ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA 19
Myron Amerine 20
21
--End of Public Comment-- 22
23
APPROVAL OF MINUTES 24
25
1.Review Minutes of the Active Transportation Committee Meeting of February 16, 202226
and February 24, 2022:27
28
ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER DUNAWAY, SECONDED BY 29
COMMITTEE MEMBER ROBERTS, CARRIED 6-0, to approve the Minutes of the Active 30
Transportation Committee Meeting of February 16, 2022 and February 24, 2022, with the 31
corrections. 32
33
Public Comment 34
None. 35
36
--End of Public Comment-- 37
38
BUSINESS ITEM 39
40
2.2022 Pedestrian Crossing Improvements41
City Staff member Wong gave a presentation and responded to committee questions in regards42
to the 2022 Pedestrian Crossing Improvements.43
Attachment 1, Page 1 of 2
Minutes – Active Transportation Committee Meeting of March 17, 2022 Page 2
44
(Due to a declared conflict of interest due to property she owns in the area, Committee Member 45
Dunaway recused herself at 6:21 p.m. and left the room) 46
47
ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER ROBERTS, SECONDED BY 48
COMMITTEE MEMBER JOUET, CARRIED 5-0, to recommend staff’s recommendation for 49
the Johnson and Sydney intersection with the inclusion of the ATC comments during 50
deliberation with the ATC’s preference that the road diet occur as soon as possible. 51
52
(Committee member Dunaway returned to the room at 6:55 p.m. to resume 53
participation with the meeting) 54
55
ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER DUNAWAY, SECONDED BY 56
COMMITTEE MEMBER ROBERTS, CARRIED 5-1, to recommend the City to follow the 57
staff recommendation, with the addition of pursuing additional grant funding to construct a 58
pedestrian hybrid crossing beacon at King/South streets as soon as possible. 59
60
Public Comment 61
Lea Brooks 62
Myron Amerine 63
Jeff Spevack 64
Francine Levin 65
Kristina Gee 66
Jake Minnick 67
Helene Finger 68
69
--End of Public Comment-- 70
71
COMMENT AND DISCUSSION 72
3. Committee Member Updates 73
4. Staff Updates 74
a. SLO Outdoor Dining Plan 75
b. New ATC Committee Members 76
c. Agenda Forecast 77
78
ADJOURNMENT 79
80
The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. The next Regular Active Transportation Committee 81
meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., in the City Council Hearing Room, 82
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California. 83
84
85
APPROVED BY THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: XX/XX/2022 86
87
Attachment 1, Page 2 of 2
Advisory Body Handbook September 21, 2021
City of San Luis Obispo 27 | P a g e
F. Communicate Effectively
Advisory body members serve as a communications link between the community, staff, and City
Council. You provide a channel for citizen expression. Not only is it important for you to listen
carefully to others, but you also need to be able to communicate effectively what you are hearin g
and thinking.
1.Take notes to remind yourself of questions you want to ask or important comments you wish
to make.
2.Be direct, open, and forthright.
3.Provide rationale for opinions or recommendations.
4.Stay on topic.
5.Take your charge seriously but maintain composure and keep your sense of humor.
6.When speaking to the public and/or press, be sure you are representing the majority views of
your individual advisory body. Personal opinions should be clearly identified as such.
7.Speak clearly and be sure people can hear you.
8.If you wish to communicate using electronic mail (email), use the tool wisely. It is easy to
unintentionally violate the Brown Act, so certain caution must be exercised when using email.
(See Section 4 C, Common Questions about the Brown Act.)
G. Special Tips for the Chairperson
The chairperson’s main role is to provide the advisory body with group direction and to set the
tone for meetings. The Chair must balance being strong enough to move the meeting along and
democratic enough to involve all members in the meeting. The effective chairperson:
Remembers to explain the public participation process to the audience. (For example: “The
commission will hear first from staff who will present the staff report. Commission questions to
staff will follow and then the floor will be open to the public, who may comment on the matter.
Following public comment, the matter will come back to the commission for our deliberation and
action.”)
1.Announces each item before discussion begins.
2.Is even-handed and fair to all participants.
3.Observes specified time limits.
4.Protects commissioners and staff from verbal attacks.
5.Solicits opinions, feelings, and positions from all members.
6.Encourages the generation of alternative solutions.
Attachment 2, Page 1 of 2
Advisory Body Handbook September 21, 2021
City of San Luis Obispo 28 | P a g e
7.Protects new thoughts from being rejected prior to fair evaluation.
8.Discourages finger pointing and blame-orientated statements or questions.
9.Keeps the discussion focused on the issue.
10.Delays evaluation and analysis of alternatives until all are on the table.
11.Guides the process of screening alternatives and selecting the solution.
12.Attempts to obtain consensus.
13.Moves the meeting along and does not let the advisory body drift off the subject at hand.
H. Managing Difficult Meetings
Here are some additional tips for managing any meeting, but particularly the difficult ones:
1.Encourage the designation of a spokesperson for any groups.
2.Ask staff to make sure there are plenty of extra agendas and staff reports.
3.Establish and announce rules before the meeting begins.
4.Introduce each item and possible actions.
5.Try not to waste time on routine items.
6.Encourage speakers to address the advisory body and not the audience.
7.Discourage clapping and shouting.
8.Use recesses to help diffuse hostility.
9.Adhere to speaker time limits.
10.If you don’t already, use speaker slips/cards.
11.Make sure that all advisory body members are addressing each other, through you, and not the
audience.
12.Consider continuing an item for further discussion if it appears consensus may not be reached.
Attachment 2, Page 2 of 2
City of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission
Active Transportation Committee
AGENDA REPORT ITEM 3
DATE: May 19, 2022
FROM: Adam Fukushima, Active Transportation Manager
SUBJECT: Permanent Parklet Program
Recommendation:
Review and comment on the draft Outdoor Dining Guide as it relates to bicycle and pedestrian
transportation to help guide the adoption of a permanent parklet program.
Background
Parklets have been a prominent feature of the economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last
year the City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance, transitioning the temporary pilot to a
permanent program incorporating lessons learned, public feedback as well as other elements that
make the program sustainable on a permanent basis. This includes establishing a fee, an updated
permitting process, operating policies, and design requirements as well as opportunities for
creative designs that reflect the beauty of the local streetscape. The permanent program also
provides opportunities for non-profit and community organizations to construct parklets for
community benefit.
Consideration of a permanent parklet program fulfills the Active Transportation Plan Design
Policy 5.14:
“5.14 If supported by the City Council, the City should create a formal parklet program to
facilitate and encourage the development of parklets at appropriate locations to the
satisfaction of the City Public Works and Community Development Departments” (Design
Guidelines, page 17)
To help communicate the new program to prospective applicants, the City has put together a draft
Outdoor Dining Guide, which incorporates the proposed parklet program with the already existing
Sidewalk Café and “Tables and Chairs” programs. The Guide is available for public review until
May 29th.
An Open City Hall page has also been created for this project, where the community can find
information about the proposed parklet program, provide feedback as well as view feedback of
other community members.
Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 3, March 17, 2022 Page 2
Discussion
While many aspects of the proposed parklet program are outside of the purview of the Active
Transportation Committee’s focus on bicycle and pedestrian transportation, the public review
period provides an opportunity for the ATC to provide input on aspects of the Outdoor Dining
Guide which are within the committee’s purview. Of particular interest to the ATC purview are
the parklet design guidelines and operating requirements.
Parklet Design Guidelines
The parklet design standards as it pertains to active transportation was developed based on a
number of sources including existing parklet design guidelines in the Active Transportation Plan,
parklet design guidance from Caltrans, NACTO, other cities with parklet programs, and lessons
learned from the pilot parklet program in San Luis Obispo. These design standards include speed
limits and requirements for side and roadway buffer elements, vertical elements, the parklet
surface, and bike parking unless otherwise approved by the Public Works Director.
• Eligible Streets: To minimize conflicts between parklet users and passing traffic,
parklets are only eligible on streets with a posted speed limit of 25 mph or less with
on-street parking.
• Side Buffer Elements: To increase visibility and minimize head-on conflicts with
passing vehicles, a parklet will be required to provide a minimum 3-foot buffer (4-
foot preferred) on the side where traffic is approaching including a heavy barrier
(or weighted planter box) that is minimum 6 feet wide, 32 inches high, able to resist
a force of at least 500 lbs. To enhance visibility, reflective flex posts are required
at the outside corners of the parklet area.
• Roadway Buffer Elements: To minimize conflicts with vehicular and bicycle
traffic, parklet structures must maintain at least a 1-foot buffer along the roadway
between the adjacent auto lane or bike lane. In addition, a minimum 10-foot-wide
auto lane or 5-foot-wide bike lane must be retained adjacent to the parklet. Planters
may be placed in the 1-foot buffer area but may not be higher than 30 inches in
height so that conflicts with the handlebars of passing bicycle riders are minimized.
• Setbacks: Parklets shall not be located within 10 feet of a driveway, pedestrian
ramp, or within 15 feet of an intersection unless approved by the Public Works
Director.
• Vertical Elements: Parklets must have a continuous vertical barrier along the side
adjacent to the travel lane that has a height of 42 inches maximum and able to
withstand a force of 250 lbs.
• Surface/Decking: To comply with City and Americans with Disabilities Act
standards for sidewalk grades, the surface must maintain a cross slope of no more
than 2 percent as well as be non-slip and weather resilient.
• Bike Parking: During the pilot program, on-street bicycle parking has been
incorporated into many of the parklet locations that occupy two or more parking
spaces and staff is recommending that this practice continue. It is recommended
that bike parking is located on the side facing away from opposing traffic, but some
flexibility will be necessary if there are conflicts with nearby driveways,
intersections, or other concerns that are site specific.
Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 3, March 17, 2022 Page 3
Operating Requirements
Operating requirements for parklets have been developed on similar guidance to the design
standards and include ensuring a path of travel for pedestrians, requirements for maintenance and
activity.
• Path of Travel for Pedestrians: A minimum width for path of travel on the
sidewalk ensures that pedestrians are able to walk through a parklet area without
encountering friction with tables, chairs, and other dining features. Prior to the
pandemic, the City standard was a minimum of 8-foot width. During the pandemic,
the City was willing to relax that requirement to the federal ADA minimum
standard of 4-foot width in order to support economic recovery as much as possible.
However, moving forward to a permanent parklet program, staff is recommending
a minimum width of 6 feet. In addition, no host stations, cleaning equipment carts,
or other dining features will be allowed in the public right-of-way without approval
by the Community Development Director.
• Maintenance: As part of the parklet permit, applicants will be required to keep the
area under, around, and on the parklet free of debris and cleaned on a regular basis.
• Activity: Public input has reflected a desire to ensure parklets are not sitting idle
and therefore staff is studying what the appropriate minimum activation period is
that balances both the public’s desire for maximum activity as well as the needs of
businesses who are still struggling with staffing issues. Staff is currently
recommending a minimum use of 4 hours per day, 5 days per week and welcomes
input on this recommendation.
Next Steps
The public review period for the draft Outdoor Dining Plan is open until May 29th. Until then
members of the community can provide feedback on the Open City Hall page. In addition, a public
workshop will be held on May 26th (5:30p.m.-6:30p.m.) at the City/County Library. Following
review and input from the ATC as well as the public, an ordinance will be drafted for consideration
by the City Council on July 5th (1st reading) and July 19th (2nd reading).
Following adoption of the ordinance, a transition period will be necessary for current parklets to
be permitted under the new program requirements. Pending Council approval, staff is
recommending that permits be required by January 1, 2023 for parklet owners who desire to
continue past the pilot program period.
Recommendation:
Review and comment on the draft Outdoor Dining Guide as it relates to bicycle and pedestrian
transportation to help guide the adoption of a permanent parklet program.