P.C. #53.A. & C. July 7, Arlington County Board 2100 Clarendon Boulevard Suite 300 Arlington, Virginia 22201

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1 CHARLES MONFORT CHAIR ROSEMARY CIOTTI VICE CHAIR Arlington County Board 2100 Clarendon Boulevard Suite 300 Arlington, Virginia July 7, 2010 LISA E. MAHER COORDINATOR GIZELE C. JOHNSON CLERK SUBJECT: 4. A. ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS to the Master Transportation Plan Bicycle Element by adding an Appendix F that lists the locations of the bike-sharing stations planned in Arlington s transit corridors (Jefferson Davis Corridor - approximately 25 stations, Rosslyn Ballston Corridor - approximately 45 stations, Buckingham - approximately 8 stations, Columbia Pike - approximately 22 stations, Shirlington - approximately 12 stations), and to the Master Transportation Plan Map to show general locations of planned bikesharing stations. B. Consent concerning whether to allow use of public property and public street and utility easements for the installation and operation of bikeshare stations, in conjunction with consideration of Use Permit U ; properties are located within a public street and utility easement unless otherwise specified: A) 1101 S. Joyce St. (RPC # ); B) 1200 S. Hayes St. (RPC # ); C1) property owned by the County Board at 1600 S. Hayes St. closest to the intersection of 15 th St. S. and S. Hayes St. (RPC # ); C2) property owned by the County Board at 1600 S. Hayes St. closest to the intersection of S. Joyce St. and 15 th St. S. (RPC # ); D) property owned by the County Board at 1750 S. Hayes St. (RPC # ); E) property owned by the County Board within the 1200 block of S. Eads St. (adjacent RPC # ); F) 1550 Crystal Dr. (RPC # ); G) 1901 S. Bell St. (RPC # ); H) property owned by the County Board within the 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway (adjacent RPC # ); I) 2351 Jefferson Davis Highway (RPC # ); J) 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway (RPC # ); K) 2451 Crystal Dr. (RPC # ); and L) in property owned by the County Board within the 3600 block of S. Glebe Rd. (adjacent RPC # ). C. U Alta Bicycle Share Inc. for the purpose of 1) operating 13 bike-share stations. Properties are located within a public street and P.C. #53.A. & C.

2 utility easement unless otherwise specified: A) 1101 S. Joyce St. (RPC # ); B) 1200 S. Hayes St. (RPC # ); C1) property owned by the County Board at 1600 S. Hayes St. closest to the intersection of 15 th St. S. and S. Hayes St. (RPC # ); C2) property owned by the County Board at 1600 S. Hayes St. closest to the intersection of S. Joyce St. and 15 th St. S. (RPC # ); D) property owned by the County Board at 1750 S. Hayes St. (RPC # ); E) property owned by the County Board within the 1200 block of S. Eads St. (adjacent RPC # ); F) 1550 Crystal Dr. (RPC # ); G) 1901 S. Bell St. (RPC # ); H) property owned by the County Board within the 2000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway (adjacent RPC # ); I) 2351 Jefferson Davis Highway (RPC # ); J) 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway (RPC # ); K) 2451 Crystal Dr. (RPC # ); and L) in property owned by the County Board within the 3600 block of S. Glebe Rd. (adjacent RPC # ). RECOMMENDATIONS: 4. A. Amend the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) Bicycle Element to add Appendix F listing the general locations, including East Falls Church and Lee Highway if they are deemed to be within the scope of the advertisement, and to the MTP map to add notes showing the general locations, and furthermore on the legend to the map to add a parenthetical comment after item 20 Bike Sharing Station, see Appendix F. Dear County Board Members: C. Approve the use permit to reference 12 bike-share stations, specifically including either C1 or C2, and a comprehensive sign plan, at the locations as listed in the staff report dated June 25. The Planning Commission heard these items at its June 30, 2010 carryover meeting. Lisa Maher, Planning staff, introduced the items. Paul DeMaio, project manager, described bike sharing and the proposed Arlington/Washington DC system. Alison Cohen, with Alta Bicycle Share, the applicant, described the use permit request and site selection criteria. Ms. Maher summarized the analysis of the MTP amendments and use permit. Jennifer Fioretti, Richard Viola, and Chris Hamilton, all from DES, were available to answer questions. There were no speakers. Planning Commission Discussion Commissioner Cole asked how the station location criterion of being adjacent to the location of a bike facility was applied. Ms. Cohen said that bike facilities consist of bike trails or lanes. While this was a selection criterion, it was not required to be met if other criteria were more important or if 2

3 the location has low vehicular traffic. Mr. DeMaio added that over time, staff will work to establish additional bike lanes. We would like to have bike lanes everywhere, but the reality is that in order to establish a convenient bike share system, it is not always possible or preferable to choose locations with bike lanes. Commissioner Malis asked what led to choosing the proposed locations for addition to the Master Transportation Plan (MTP). Mr. Viola said that these locations were all transit corridors or had high density development, as recommended in the Bicycle Element. The proposed points on the map indicate general locations. Commissioner Malis and Mr. Viola discussed new shared use lanes for motor vehicles and bikes on Walter Reed Drive between Four Mile Run and Columbia Pike. Staff has been aggressive in adding new facilities beyond what was envisioned in the MTP and will need to review the MTP map to see where it needs to be amended to accommodate these new facilities. Commissioner Fallon asked if staff would add East Falls Church to the MTP map and Appendix F. Ms. Maher said yes, if the addition is determined to be within the scope of the advertisement for the MTP amendment. Commissioner Fallon confirmed with Ms. Maher that eight stations are anticipated to be located in East Falls Church, but general locations for the bike share service, rather than specific station locations, need to be added to the MTP. Site details would be reviewed as part of a use permit application for each station. Commissioner Savela discussed with Mr. Viola that bike sharing locations are required to be shown on the MTP as part of the state code requirement that the general location of public facilities be shown in the comprehensive plan. Staff proposes to add five locations in the subject MTP amendment in order to anticipate the next few years of bike sharing service expansion. Commissioner Savela asked, if bus routes don t need to be shown on the MTP, why these bike share stations need to be shown. Ms. Fioretti said that the County s authority to provide transportation facilities is different from the proposed bike share stations, which are a public service. Commissioner Harner commented that this is an exciting project. He originally had the same thoughts about the station location requirements as Commissioner Savela. He worked on a master plan at the Pentagon, which seems like a good place for bike sharing stations, as do other military locations. Mr. Viola could interpret the Pentagon as part of the Pentagon City area, so sites there could possibly be added per the new map note at the Jefferson Davis Corridor. Ft. Myer is similarly near the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, and Henderson Hall is near Columbia Pike. An argument can be made that those sites are part of areas being proposed for the MTP. Mr. Hamilton added that staff chose the initial station locations largely because of financial support from the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID). Staff will work with the military and private entities to locate facilities but can accomplish more with financial support from those entities. Commissioner Serie asked what kinds of comments will be added to the notes to make clear that the MTP map sites don t refer to a specific location. Ms. Maher said the new Appendix F to the Bicycle Element, which names corridors and neighborhoods for the five locations, provide the clarification. Commissioner Cole asked why the entire County is not being designated, since people can use the service anywhere in the County. Why were places like Lee Highway excluded? Ms. Maher said the locations comply with Policy 6 in the Bicycle Element, which calls for bike sharing service in transit corridors and areas with high density development. She added that staff needs to prioritize 3

4 installation of the service, because funding for the entire County is not available. The proposed stations are locations with the highest concentrations of anticipated users. Commissioner Ciotti asked for the rationale for choosing the first set of stations. Mr. DeMaio said that the County was able to get funding for sites in Crystal City. Chairman Fisette wants to roll out bike sharing service this year. It s been difficult to find sites, so staff picked low hanging fruit feasible locations that would serve people well. Use Permit Commissioner Fallon confirmed with Ms. Maher that the Planning Commission is being asked to act on a use permit, which the Planning Commission does not usually hear, and in this case as well, is not required to hear. Ms. Maher added that this is a courtesy, since the proposal is for a public service, and the Transportation Commission also heard the use permit. Commissioner Ciotti discussed with Mr. DeMaio that future stations in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor would be located at metro stations, bus and ART stations, and into the neighborhoods. Commissioner Ciotti commented that it would seem to be straightforward to find locations in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. Ms. Fioretti explained that locating the sites requires a significant amount of work. Staff is working to open one set of stations by September, which has been very time and labor intensive. Staff plans to look at the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor within the next several months. Future expansion of bike share service should involve a small number of larger use permit applications with new stations. Commissioner Dorsey posed questions about sponsors, wondering whether the high cost of sponsorship might delay implementing the service in sectors of the County without the business resources of Crystal City. Mr. DeMaio responded that the County has not begun looking for sponsors. Since this is a regional effort, a large service sponsor may have been identified through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG). Mr. Hamilton addressed the question of need versus resources by stating that bike share service will be placed where staff thinks bike sharing will work most readily. While staff will work with the County s BIDs to get matching money, high priority areas will be served first, and the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor is next. Most of the sponsorship will go toward operating costs. Acquisition and installation will be funded by the County, which already has some sources of funds. Operating costs for one year for the Crystal City stations is almost $200,000. Mr. DeMaio added that Arlington did not get money from a recent federal funding process but will be applying with other regional jurisdictions in the next funding cycle. Commissioner Dorsey discussed with Ms. Cohen that all the bikes in the new service area of Arlington and Washington, DC will be identical. The bikes are suitable for a large range of rider sizes. Ms. Cohen responded to questions from Commissioner Savela about the fee schedule, which consists of a fee for accessing the system daily, monthly, or annually, and a cost after the first onehalf hour of use. This encourages bike transit-short use trips, which is why a dense network is important. The maximum length of time a bike can be used is 24 hours. Ms. Cohen added that 4

5 expected users would be residents within the coverage area, commuters, students, and tourists. The demographic tends to be younger. For the existing bike share system in Washington, DC, two-thirds of the users are male. The issue of helmets is challenging. Availability for residents is not a problem, but it s an issue for tourists. Locations to buy helmets will be provided on every map. The medium term plan is to work with retailers in the area and try to make low cost helmets easily available. Commissioner Ciotti related complaints from the bike share service in Paris about bike spaces not being available at stations in locations to which people commute for work. Ms. Cohen responded that the system is modular, so the size can possibly be adjusted based on demand at a particular location. There are possible innovations, such as being able to return a bike to an employee of the service who can park it. Also, additional free time could be provided to find an alternate location, and users could be notified of the nearest three stations with space available. Mr. DeMaio added that the use permit requests the largest sized station that would fit in the requested site, to accommodate expansion. Commissioner Serie thinks the bike share service is a great idea, and he thanked the Crystal City BID for participating in its funding. In response to questions from Commissioner Fallon, Ms. Cohen explained that if a stolen bike is reported to the police, then system will absorb the cost, but if a user disappears with a bike, the cost would be charged to the user s credit card. Costs due to accidents and vandalism are built into the price structure. There is no way to rent a bike without a credit card, so it would be important to develop a mechanism to do that. Mr. DeMaio is also concerned. Perhaps there is a way to pay by cell phone. Ms. Cohen also described the proposed project as a single system between Arlington and Washington, DC. The goal is for each station to be two-thirds full, and the service s contract requires the contractor to rebalance the stations every night to reach that level. Commissioner Malis asked what the experience is with variable usage at different stations during the course of the day, and how quickly the contractor can respond if stations run out of space or bikes. Ms. Cohen said that the contractor will have real time data from every station, and will need to understand the flows to make sure the right number of bikes are placed at each location. Limits on how big a station can be depend on site capacity. Commissioner Malis confirmed with Ms. Cohen that such information about the new stations should be understood within several months. However, use will probably be low over the winter, so good information may not be available until next spring. Commissioner Fallon confirmed with Ms. Maher that the requested signs are within the type and size limits that could be approved by right in other situations. Commissioner Malis wanted to understand the land use approval requirements for properties on public vs. private properties. Ms. Maher explained that on private property, either with site plans or by right, minor uses/structures that are not otherwise controlled by the Zoning Ordinance can be approved administratively. Public property is generally designated for particular uses, such as street and sidewalk uses, so to add a use such as outdoor seating or bike sharing stations requires County Board approval, which could be either a site plan amendment or use permit. 5

6 Commissioner Savela confirmed with Ms. Cohen that the contractor is a new company a sister company of Alta Planning and Design, which has been doing bicycle and pedestrian planning for 25 years. Bike sharing is new, so not many companies have experience. Alta has just launched a system in Melbourne Australia, so this is their second system. Commissioner Savela encouraged Alta to consider daytime balancing of bikes, due to a concern that users will abandon the system if they cannot use it conveniently. Commissioner Savela questioned whether sites C1 and J would provide sufficient clear sidewalk width. Mr. DeMaio expects customers to be cognizant of other street users and not block pedestrians. He thinks that while these locations are tight, they should be able to work. Both Alta and the County will review the stations after they re installed and review concerns and complaints. The locations can be adjusted as needed. Ms. Cohen added that moving a station is fairly easy. A boom truck needs about 45 minutes to move a station. Commissioners Ciotti and Malis had questions about equity, that is, how the system could be adapted for people who do not have credit cards, to expand access to a larger portion of the population. Ms. Cohen said it is not clear that the benefits of a tracking system to discourage theft, to eliminate the need for credit card holds, would outweigh the costs at this point. Mr. DeMaio noted that this program will be one of the least expensive modes of transit, although he understands the concerns. To Commissioner Malis suggestions of using pre-loaded cards or SmartTrip cards to obtain bicycles, Ms. Cohen responded that due to the bicycle s value, the program would not be able to recoup the cost of a stolen bike if it was rented with a low value pre-paid card. Perhaps there is a way to partner with community centers or some other entities to enable people without credit cards to use these bikes. It is an issue, but solutions haven t been worked out yet. Mr. DeMaio added that the County needs to look into cell phone payment. Issues with SmartTrip cards include working out payment by Metro. We need to explore how to better accommodate the unbanked community. Commissioner Dorsey ascertained that any credit card, secured or debit based with a Visa or Mastercard logo can be used. A $100 hold will be placed on the card when the user rents a bike. Commissioner Dorsey suggested that perhaps a link to the Arlington County Treasurer s office could be used as security for people without credit cards. People without internet access can use free internet in the public libraries. Commissioner Fallon supports the program, but it is a bit exclusionary if someone is not able bodied, does not have a credit card, etc. There is a helmet problem, particularly for tourists. A lock is also necessary if a user wants to leave a bike somewhere temporarily. To additional questions from Commissioner Fallon, Ms. Cohen answered that a call center can tell someone where the nearest station is in the case of a flat tire or other mechanical problem with a bike. Mr. DeMaio said that to insure continued operation of the system, the contract includes damages for breach, and also that the County can transfer the system to a new vendor. The contract is written to place liability on the contractor. Commissioner Harner asked for the minimum number of stations, density, or distribution recommended for a set of bike share stations. Ms. Cohen said that stations should be at most onequarter of a mile apart, or in a cluster with a minimum of four or five stations. 6

7 Planning Commission Motion Master Transportation Plan Amendments Commissioner Cole moved that the Planning Commission recommend the County Board adopt the amendments to the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) Bicycle Element to add Appendix F that identifies all of Arlington County as the planned Countywide bike sharing program and that identifies general areas of Arlington County where planned bike sharing stations may be located, and to amend the MTP map to add notes describing the general areas of the planned bike share station locations. Commissioner Serie Seconded the motion. Ms. Maher noted that this motion may not be within the scope of the advertisement. Commissioner Savela understands the County Board wants this rolled out in September. A deferral would push the hearing too late. Commissioner Savela moved a substitute motion on item 4A that the Planning Commission recommends the County Board amend the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) Bicycle Element to add Appendix F listing the general locations and to the MTP map to add notes showing the general locations, and furthermore on the legend to the map to add a parenthetical comment after item 20 Bike Sharing Station, see Appendix F. Commissioner Fallon seconded the motion. Commissioner Savela hopes this motion would address Commissioner Serie s concerns about the specificity of the map. The Planning Commission voted 5-3 to make the substitute motion the main motion. Commissioners Ciotti, Dorsey, Fallon, Malis, and Savela supported the motion. Commissioners Cole, Harner, and Serie opposed the motion. Commissioner Fallon asked for unanimous consent to amend the motion whereby appendix F would include East Falls Church if it is deemed to be within the scope of advertising. There was no objection, so the motion was amended. Commissioner Cole asked for unanimous consent to amend the motion to add the Lee Highway corridor. There was an objection, so the motion was not amended. Commissioner Cole moved to add the Lee Highway corridor. Commissioner Dorsey seconded the motion. Commissioner Fallon is not opposed to adding any corridor. However, staff has reasons for the selected corridors, and he would prefer to stay with the six recommended by staff. Commissioner Dorsey disagreed, citing the same rationale for Lee Highway as for East Falls Church. Lee Highway seems as compelling as Buckingham. Commissioner Malis confirmed with Commissioner Cole that his motion was to apply if it is deemed to be within the scope of the advertisement. The Planning Commission voted 7-1 to support the amendment. Commissioners Ciotti, Cole, Dorsey, Harner, Malis, Savela, and Serie supported the motion. Commissioner Fallon opposed the motion. 7

8 Commissioner Malis stated that this is a terrific idea. She is happy to see it go forward and hopes it is successful and will be expanded. Commissioner Serie said it is a great program, and he is excited about it. There is no better partner than the Crystal City BID. They are successful. Commissioner Savela associates her comments with her fellow Commissioners and commended staff. The staff work was excellent, and the materials are comprehensive and clear. Commissioner Harner is very excited to see Crystal City stepping up and supporting the program, and appreciates the bicycle that was brought for display. Commissioner Dorsey hopes this system does not have the problems of many startups, and he hopes it becomes the rage. His plea is that this becomes available to communities due to rider interest and not solely based on the resources of a community. The Planning Commission voted 8-0 to support the motion. Commissioners Ciotti, Cole, Dorsey, Fallon, Harner, Malis, Savela, and Serie supported the motion. Use Permit Commissioner Savela moved that the Planning Commission recommend the County Board approve the use permit and for 13 bike share stations and a comprehensive sign plan at the locations as listed in the staff report dated June 25. Commissioner Dorsey seconded the motion. Commissioner Savela confirmed with Ms. Maher that the intent of the use permit request is to install 12 stations, with either site C1 or C2, but not both. Commissioner Savela asked for unanimous consent to amend the motion to reference 12 bike share stations, specifically including either C1 or C2 in the use permit. There was no objection, so the motion was amended. The Planning Commission voted 8-0 to support the motion. Commissioners Ciotti, Cole, Dorsey, Fallon, Harner, Malis, Savela, and Serie supported the motion. Respectfully Submitted, Arlington County Planning Commission Rosemary Ciotti, Acting Planning Commission Chair 8

ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA

ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA County Board Agenda Item Meeting of October 15, 2016 DATE: October 7, 2016 SUBJECT: Adoption of amendments to the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) to create a new Pedestrian