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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/16/1999, 5 - HIRING A CONSULTANT TO COMPLETE AN OPERATIONAL STUDY OF SANTA BARBARA STREET. council D"February 16,1999 j aGEnaa Rpm 5 Nub� CITY O F SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Michael D.McCluskey,Director of Public Works Prepared by: Terry Sanville,Principal TransportationPlannert5 SUBJECT: Hiring a consultant to complete an operational study of Santa Barbara Street CAO RECOMMENDATION:The City Council should: 1. Approve the preliminary scope of work for the Santa Barbara Street operations study(attached as Exhibit A); 2. Appropriate$20,000 from the General Fund for consultant services; 3. Authorize the Public Works Director to waive standard consultant selection procedures and negotiate directly for consultant services;and 4. Authorize the CAO to award the contract if the amount is within budget BACKGROUND A. Previous Council Direction In June 1998,Councilmember Dodie Williams told of her concerns about traffic movements at the intersection of Santa Barbara and High and the problems associated with ingress and egress to/from the Do-It-Center. She and Dave Romero requested that the City Council direct staff to pursue the completion of two types of transportationplanning studies for Santa Barbara Street: • An "Operational Study" that would look at current and short tens circulation problems and identify possible solutions. This study was to be done by City staff. • A "Plan Line" study that would look at the long-term circulation needs along Santa Barbara Street and consider the feasibility and impacts of widening it to four lanes. The staff was to return to the City Council with an RFP and scope of work for this Plan Line Study to be done by a consultant The Council supported this request from Mrs. Williams and Mr. Romero. The Operational Study was to be done as soon as possible and submitted to the Council for consideration in the early Fall 1998,while the Plan Lining study was to follow. B. Work Done to Date In October, 1998,the Public Works staff distributed copies of a preliminary operational study to the City Council. The focus of the exhaustive study identified possible solutions to the short-term 5-1 Council Agenda Report— Request for Consultant Services:Santa Barbara Street Operational Study Page 2 traffic congestion caused by southbound traffic turning left into the Pacific Home Do-it Center's northern driveway. The accompanying memorandum to the City Council recommended that selecting a solution to this particular traffic conflict should be deferred and a solution incorporated into redevelopmentplans being prepared for the Do-it Center owners. Mr. Romero and Mrs. Willimans felt that the staff had misinterpreted the Council's intent concerning the scope of the operational study. They felt that it should cover the entire length of Santa Barbara Street from Leff to Broad Streets. Subsequent discussions with Mr. Romero indicated that he desired a"planning level" study that would identify problems and evaluate basic options for solving them—such as installing a center turn lane in Santa Barbara Street by removing parking along the west side of the street,removing bicycle lanes along both sides of the street and shifting the bikeway to Chorro Street,minor widening of the roadway,installation of tum pockets at intersections,or some combination of these strategies. C. Need for Consultant Assistance Staff believes that the Council should authorize hiring a consultant to prepare the operational study for Santa Bambara Street for the following reasons: • Staff doesn't have the resources to complete the work in a timely manner. Currently, vacant Transportation Division positions include that of the Public Works Manager, Traffic Engineer, and Transit Manager. The latter two positions have been temporarily filled by a newly-hired Transportation Assistant and a contract Transportation Assistant,which leaves one of the two traffic engineering positions still vacant. Due to these vacancies,existing staff must spend extra time and effort to train and coach the two new Transportation Assistants. This training requirement coupled with the continued increase in the Transportation Division's work load, have stretched the Transportation Division's staff very thin. When the City Council discussed the Public Works Department's work load at a Spring, 1998, study session, the Council acknowledged that traffic issues were increasing, overwhelming staff, and that staff would not be able to do everything in the current work plan. Increases in work load include: Significant increases in the demand for service from the public, especially in the areas of streets operations and neighborhoodtraffic management,and transit planning. Initiation of new unanticipated projects such as the evaluation of the City's street name sign policies,the construction of a sound wall along Route 101 adjoining Brizzolara Street,and the installation of parking on Bishop Street. The simultaneous culmination of very involved planning activities such as the Multi-Modal Transportation Center, Downtown Transfer Center, Phase II Railroad Bike Path, Mid- Higuera Enhancement Plan, Orcutt Area Specific Plan, preparation of numerous CIP proposals for the upcoming 1999-2001 Financial Plan, and a variety of other projects and programs. 5-2 Council Agenda Report— Request for Consultant Services:Santa Barbara Areet Operational Study Page 3 Hiring a Consultant would expedite the completion of the operational study—although it will still require staff to provide coaching and the materials needed to satisfactorily complete the work • Design of the Railroad Multi-Modal Transportation Center may benefit from the results. of the operational study. The City Council has authorized the distribution of RFPs to hire a firm to design the Multi-Modal Transportation Center located along the eastern side of Santa Barbara Street, generally between High and Morro Streets. Consultant responses are due by February 12'with design work targeted to begin by March 9*. The City Council has already provided some design direction for this project: to consolidate landscaping along its western edge to enable a widening of Santa Barbara Street if determined to be appropriate some time in the future. However, the Multi-Modal Center project also includes the installation of sidewalks along the east side of Santa Barbara Street, generally between High and Morro Streets. Therefore,the designers will also need to know where the curb line along the eastern side of the street should be set. The location of this curb line could be affected by solutions identified in the operational study and approved by the City Council. Therefore,its important that the operational study proceed so that the design of the Multi-Modal center can reflect the Council's direction concerning desired short term changes, if any, to Santa Barbara Street. Only if the Council feels that no changes to the Santa Barbara Street's width are warranted at this time can the curb line be set at its current location and the two planning efforts— designing the Multi-Modal project and the operational study—be separated. C. Scope of Operational Study The proposed scope for this study acknowledges that traffic studies have already been completed for the Multi-Modal Center and that staff has thoroughly evaluated the section of Santa Barbara Street between the High Street and Roundhouse Avenue intersections. The consultant hired to complete this operational study would have access to all of this material in addition ' to maps of the entire Santa Barbara Street corridor. The scope does not include any detailed signal warrant studies of the Morro,High,or Broad Street intersections but will need to look at the potential for future signalization if the physical layout of any of these intersections is recommended for change. Attached Exhibit A is staff's recommended scope for this study. The City Council should review, modify as appropriate,and approve it. FISCAL IMPACTS No funds have been budgeted for this study. Staff is recommending an appropriation of$20,000 from the General Fund. Adequate resources are available to fund this appropriation and retain a General Fund balance at minimum policy levels. 5-3 Council Agenda Report— xequest for ConsultantServices:Santa Barbara Street OperationalStudy Page 4 ALTERNATIVES The City Council may: 1. Direct staff to complete an operational study for Santa Barbara Street using existing staff resources. Staff believes that time may be available this summer or fall to complete the work consistent with Exhibit A. 2. Do not prepare an operational study. Staff would consider incremental changes to the corridor as part of reviewing redevelopment plans for fronting properties— such as the Pacific Do-it Center,the Multi-Modal Transportation Center, and the tour bus storage yard at High Street. 3. Incorporate any further analysis of Santa Barbara Street into the process of updating the Circulation Element 4. Continue consideration with further direction to staff. ATTACHMENTS EXHIBIT A: PRELIMINARY SCOPE OF WORK: Santa Barbara Street Operational Study November 9, 1998 Council Memorandum:Progress Report,Santa Barbara Street Circulation Studies. 5-4 EXHIBIT A: PRELIM UNARY SCOPE OF WORK Santa Barbara Street Operational Study Traffic Assumptions: This study should be based on current traffic conditions and access demand along Santa Barbara.Street modified by: • Adding traffic increases from the City's Multi-Modal Transportation Center project that is currently under development;and • Adding additional traffic from the expansion of the Pacific Home Do-it Center(extent of expansion not known at this time.) Task 1: Review traffic operations and the level of service(LOS) at the following intersections on Santa Barbara Street to determine whether turn pockets on Santa Barbara Street are warranted. Identify changes to the street needed to install these facilities. Leff Street Morro-Upham Streets High Street Roundhouse Avenue Broad Street Task 2: Evaluate the access needs of properties fronting Santa Barbara Street(from Leff to Broad Street)to determine whether the creation of a center tum lane is warranted. Task3: If a center tum lane appears warranted,evaluate at least the following options for installing it: • Partial or total removal of curb parking • Partial or total removal of bicycle lanes, with bike route fully relocated to Chorro Street or partially relocated to Morro Street. • Minor street widening within existing rights-of-way or minor expansion of right-of- way across the Multi-Modal Center site or other properties. • A combination of the above elements that minimizes bicycle route relocation and parking removal. This analysis should include an evaluation of how these changes benefit vehicular traffic flow,their effect on other modes of transportation(such as pedestrians,bicyclists,transit users),and their impact on resident and patron access to adjoining land uses. Task 4: Submit a report (in a format and style understandable by the general public) that presents the findings and conclusions of the analysis described above,clearly defines the options for changing Santa Barbara Street,and presents their benefits,impacts,and costs. I:\Everyone\CouncilAgendaRepora\S arttaBa rbazaSuwtOpSmdyRFP 5-5 EIMIT A: PRELIMINARY SCOPE OF WORK Santa Barbara Street Operational Study Traffic Assumptions: This study should be based on current traffic conditions and access demand along Santa Barbara Street modified by: • Adding traffic increases from the City's Multi Modal Transportation Center project that is currently under development; and • Adding additional traffic from the expansion of the Pacific Home Do-it Center(extent of expansion not known at this time.) Task 1: Review traffic operations and the level of service (LOS) at the following intersections on Santa Barbara Street to determine whether turn pockets on Santa Barbara Street are warranted. Identify changes to the street needed to install these facilities. Leff Street Morro-Upham Streets High Street Roundhouse Avenue Broad Street Task 2: Evaluate the access needs of properties fronting Santa Barbara Street (from Leff to Broad Street)to determine whether the creation of a center turn lane is warranted. Task3: If a center turn lane appears warranted, evaluate at least the following options for installing it: • Partial or total removal of curb parking • Partial or total removal of bicycle lanes, with bike route fully relocated to Chorro Street or partially relocated to Morro Street. • Minor street widening within existing rights-of-way or minor expansion of right-of- way across the Multi-Modal Center site or other properties. • A combination of the above elements that minimizes bicycle route relocation and parking removal. This analysis should include an evaluation of how these changes benefit vehicular traffic flow, their effect on other modes of transportation (such as pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users), and their impact on resident and patron access to adjoining land uses. Task 4: Submit a report (in a format and style understandable by the general public) that presents the findings and conclusions of the analysis described above, clearly defines the options for changing Santa Barbara Street, and presents their benefits, impacts, and costs. [:\Everyone\CmmalAgendaRepoM\San=BatbaraSMtOpStudyR" 5-6 November 9, 1998 TO: City Council VIA: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer FROM: Michael McCluskey, Director of Public Works Terry Sanville,Principal Transportation Planner SUBJECT: Progress Report: Santa Barbara Street Circulation Studies INITIAL COUNCIL DIRECTION In July 1998,the City Council directed the Public Works staff to: A) Study traffic circulation problems on Santa Barbara Street in the vicinity of Pacific Home Do-it Center and return with short-term recommendations for solving or reducing existing problems; and B) Evaluate the scope and cost of consultant services for establishing plan lines on Santa Barbara Street to address long-term circulation concerns. This memo describes the progress that staff has made in completing this work and the directions we intend to take in the immediate future—within the next six to nine months. WORK COMPLETED TO DATE The Public Works staff performed extensive surveys of transportation conditions in the vicinity of the Do-it Center, identified seven alternatives that could be immediately implemented, and evaluated these alternatives. A copy of the preliminary report that presents this information is attached. It was staffs intent to bring this information to the City Council on October 20th with recommendations for changing Santa Barbara street to better accommodate motorists wanting to turn onto the Do-it Center site (see Option #1 on page 8 of the attached report). With Council direction provided at that meeting, changes would be made to Santa Barbara Street in the Spring of 1999 at the same time that the street is scheduled to be repaved. However, staff was contacted by the Do-it Center's representatives and now believes there is a superior strategy for addressing localized traffic concerns. 5-7 Council Memo: Santa Barbara Street Access Improvements Page 2 PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY In August, the Public Works Staff met with architects working for the owners of the Pacific Home Do-it Center. We were informed that the Do-it Center's owners are actively pursuing further development of the site with the possibility of doubling the Do-it Center's floor area. In September, staff met with Anthony Whalls (General Manger of the Do-it Center) and Steve Stuart(project architect)for the purposes of. • Better understanding the time frame for the Do-it Center to submit planning applications for further development of the site. • Reviewing the seven alternatives (in anticipation of the Council Agenda Report) for changing Santa Barbara Street to immediately improve access to the Do-it Center site. FEEDBACK FROM D04T CENTER REPRESENTATIVES The attached letter from Mr. Whalls spells out the general intent of the Do-it Center's owners concerning further development of the site. From the latter and the previously mentioned meeting, it appears that the owners intend to complete their financial feasibility analysis during Fall 1998 and proceed with developing plans and submitting the requisite planning applications to the City during Spring 1999. The staff reviewed the seven alternatives presented in the attached preliminary report. Mr. Walls indicated that Option#1 (which was identified as staffs preliminary recommendation)was not acceptable because it would require patrons to enter the site farther from the main entrance to the building. Truck circulation concerns were also noted by Mr. Whalls. Mr. Whalls did not identify a preferred alternative for immediately addressing access and circulation issues at the Do-it Center. However, he stated a willingness to work with the City on resolving traffic flow problems as part of the Do-it Center's development project and to defer immediate action to change Santa Barbara Street. Staff and property representatives talked about various circulation options for the Do-it Center property. One option which seems to have some support is to provide a more centrally located access driveway along the property's Santa Barbara Street frontage. As part of this concept, we discussed the option of widening the street along this frontage to accommodate a center turn lane. No decisions or commitments to particular solutions were made. And as might be expected, the property owners do not want to see their existing two fronting buildings altered by a street widening project. Staff and the property representatives agreed to cooperatively work together on improving access conditions along this stretch of Santa Barbara Street. It is staff s goal to integrate these improvements as part of any plan submitted by the Do-it Center owners for further development of their site. 5-8 Council Memo: Santa Barbara Street Access Improvements Page 3 FUTURE DIRECTIONS Staff believes that it is a better strategy to work with the property owners to incorporate access improvements as part of their development plans then to immediately change the street. In this way the City can avoid making potentially-disruptive interim changes to Santa Barbara Street that may have to be abandoned in the near future. If for some reason, the Do-it Center's development efforts are abandoned, the staff will return to the Council with options for making immediate changes. OTHER PLANNING EFFORTS At the same July 1998 meeting, the City Council asked staff to report on what the scope and cost of consultant services would be to establish building setback lines along Santa Barbara Street sufficient to accommodate a four-lane roadway from South Street to Osos Street. These studies would include traffic and circulation, design, and environmental impact analyses. It is staffs intent to return to the City Council in early Winter 1999 with a report on this particular issue. Some of the key elements of this Council Agenda Report will include: • Consultant Costs and Time Frame • Street Design Options • Lateral Extent of Corridor Studies • Current and Future Transportation Demands • Consistency With the Circulation Element • Land Use and Neighborhood Impacts • Relationship to the Land Use Element—Circulation Element Update Process This item will be bought to the Council before the Do-it Center submits its development plans for City review. It is highly unlikely that the setback line studies (if authorized by the Council) could be completed before the City is asked to take action on the Do-it Center expansion project. ATTACHMENTS Letter from Anthony Whalls, Pacific Home Do-it Center Preliminary Report: Santa Barbara Street Access Management Study 5-9