1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS 5. OLD BUSINESS 6. NEW BUSINESS City of Lafayette Public Meeting Agenda Downtown Street Improvement Master Plan Implementation Committee Thursday, April 21, 2016 4:00 PM Location: Lafayette City Offices 3675 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Room 265 A. 2016 Parklet Pilot Project Provide feedback on the installation of one or two parklets in the downtown on a trial basis this summer. Planner: Adam Foster, Tel. (925) 299-3207, AFoster@lovelafayette.org Recommendation: Forward a recommendation to the City Council. 7. ADJOURN to the next meeting date to be determined. I, Greg Wolff, declare under penalty of perjury that this agenda has been posted at least 24 hours in advance at the City of Lafayette Offices, 3675 Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Greg Wolff, Assistant Planning & Building Director I, Greg Wolff, declare under penalty of perjury that this agenda has been posted at least 24 hours in advance at the Lafayette City Offices, 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549 in the glass case and on the City website at www.ci.lafayette.ca.us Location of Agendas and Agenda Packets: Agenda and packets are available for review by the public during regular work hours at the City Offices - 3675 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Suite 210. Agendas and packets shall be made available at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Any writings or documents pertaining to an open session item provided to a majority of the Committee less than 24 hours prior to the meeting, shall be made available for public inspection at the City Offices during normal business hours. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132). Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such request to Joanne Robbins, City Clerk at (925) 284-1968 at least 48 hours before the meeting, if possible. 1
City of Lafayette Staff Report For: Downtown Street Improvement Master Plan Implementation Committee By: Adam Foster, Code Enforcement Officer / Assistant Planner Meeting Date: April 21, 2016 Subject: 2016 Parklet Pilot Project Purpose Staff is requesting feedback from DSIMPIC on the concept of a Parklet Pilot Project before it is presented to the City Council. If there is support from DSIMPIC and the City Council, staff will work to address the many details necessary before the pilot project is finalized and a parklet is installed. At this time staff is requesting support from DSIMPIC on the idea of installing one or two trial parklets and feedback on the proposed locations. Background As the name suggests, a parklet is a small park created by widening a sidewalk which engages the public and enhances pedestrian-friendly streetscape design. Parklets began appearing in San Francisco in 2010 and over 50 had been built in San Francisco as of last May. Parklets are typically installed in place of 1-2 on-street vehicle parking spaces and constructed from durable, high-quality wood decking materials. They provide a place to sit, relax, dine or even play. Why Lafayette Should Consider Parklets Lafayette prides itself on a pedestrian friendly downtown. Mount Diablo Boulevard consists of four travel lanes, with on-street vehicles parking frequently on both sides of the street and dedicated turning lanes at every signalized intersection. This results in a public right-of-way that dedicates much more space to vehicles than pedestrians. Repurposing a small portion of right-of-way for people instead of cars would make Lafayette s downtown more pedestrian friendly. The Lafayette General Plan establishes a main concept underlying the policies for the downtown: The Downtown Core should be a pedestrian-friendly and safe environment, both day and night, where residents of the downtown and the community at large can shop, eat and enjoy cultural events. The Downtown Specific Plan states that the Downtown Retail District should emphasize pedestrian convenience and de-emphasize auto-oriented uses that detract from an overall atmosphere of convenience, comfort and safety for the pedestrian retail shopper. The Downtown Design Guidelines for the Downtown Retail District establish a goal to integrate landscape elements into the built environment to accommodate for high pedestrian activity. Parklets are inviting to pedestrians and can help fuse strong public-private partnerships with the business community. A 2013 study by the University City District of West Philadelphia found that business owners adjacent to new parklets reported a 20 increase in sales following a parklet installation. This study was conducted at parklets in neighborhood settings in Philadelphia, as opposed to a big city central business districts such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Circulation Commission Feedback On March 21, 2016 staff presented a trial concept parklet to the Circulation Commission. The Circulation Commission generally supported the proposal and offered the following comments. Drainage Ensure that adequate curbside drainage is provided Sight Distance Carefully evaluate impacts for crossing pedestrians and turning vehicles Curbside Obstructions Map out trees, bike racks, parking meters, etc. to ensure there is safe access to the parklet. Loss of Vehicle Parking The Circulation Commission was neutral on a loss of downtown vehicle parking spaces to accommodate parklets, as the Parking Ordinance Committee has found onstreet parking to be underutilized in much of the downtown. Additionally, the loss of a few parking spaces on a given block is a small loss of parking given the thousands of parking spaces that exist in the Downtown Core. Maintenance and Repairs Plan for staff or adjacent businesses to devote time for maintenance and repairs, as needed. Such a plan has not yet been prepared but could be reviewed by DSIMPIC. Encroachment Permit A Permit memorialize terms and conditions of cost, maintenance, liability, etc. As with the maintenance plan, this permit could also be reviewed by DSIMPIC. Street sweeper Impacts on street sweeping will be analyzed to minimize or avoid conflicts. Data Data on usage would be collected to inform whether to formalize the parklet program. City contact information - would be posted on the parklet for the public to convey questions, comments or concerns. Trial Concept Locations & Timeframe Staff recommends that pilot parklets be considered in the on-street parking spaces in front of 3563 Mt. Diablo Boulevard (El Jarro Mexican Café) and 3651-3653 (Oyama Sushi/Panache Cafe). At its March meeting, the Circulation Commission discussed the matter and was split as to a preferred location if only one parklet is installed. The consensus was to allow subsequent advisory bodies input to inform the Council s decision whether multiple parklet locations would be appropriate for the trial. Staff recommends that pilot parklet(s) be installed from approximately May 27 to September 19. This timeframe would run from the Friday before Memorial Day weekend to the Monday after the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival. Discussion Questions 1. Does DSIMPIC support the idea of parklets in downtown Lafayette? 2. Does DSIMPIC support the locations listed above or a different location? 3. Is the suggested approximately 4-month trial timeframe appropriate? 4. If there is support for parklets and this pilot project, would DSIMPIC like to appoint a subcommittee to provide design and maintenance feedback? Recommendation Support the installation of pilot parklets in the Downtown between May and September. Attachments 1. Street View images for staff s two recommended trial parklet locations 2. Lafayette 2015 special event trial concept parklet photos 3. Collage of sample parklets
Attachment 1 3563 Mt. Diablo Blvd. 3651/3653 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Attachment 2
Attachment 3