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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7A, Floral Park No Parking Discussion { I -AVEN HILLS i Request for Council Action Prepared By: Michelle Olson,Parks and Recreation Manager Council Meeting Date: October 10,2011 Floral Park No Parking Discussion Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: N/A N/A N/A Recommendation: Motion to support OR deny the PTRC recommendation to change the parking restrictions (No Parking) on Floral Drive and Royal Lane from the north side (park frontage) to the south side of the road, with the exception of an approximate seventy (70) foot area in front of the park entry and a small ten(10) foot area directly in front of the walking trail. Supporting Documents: I. Memorandum from Michelle Olson,Parks and Recreation Manager 2. Attachment A: Letter from Rick Morphew— 1514 Arden Vista Court and drawing of no parking area for Floral Park 3. Attachment B: Letter from Sarah Rhude dated 5/19/94 4. Attachment C: Council Memo dated 5/27/94 5. Attachment D: Draft PTRC Minutes from 9/20/11 Meeting 6. Attachment E: Floral Park map of proposed "No Parking"restriction changes 7. Attachment F: Photos of the steep grade along the frontage of Floral Park .XQEN HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: October 10, 2011 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Michelle Olson, Parks and Recreation Manager SUBJECT: Floral Park No Parking Discussion Background Earlier this summer, staff received a request from Rick Morphew, an Arden Hills resident who lives at 1514 Arden Vista Court to change the No Parking on Royal Lane from the north side of the road to the south side of the road. Mr. Morphew provided a letter stating his concerns and a drawing illustrating the sight lines on Royal Lane (Attachment A). He indicates that he is concerned for the safety of pedestrians walking from parked cars to Floral Park due to the curve of the road and limited visibility for vehicles. Staff researched the history of the No Parking at this park. Public Works staff indicated that it was their recollection that the No Parking was placed on the north side in order to prevent the hazard of children running down the hill and going between parked cars. After researching the park files, staff was able to locate correspondence between a neighbor and the City in 1994 that explains how the No Parking restriction began (Attachment B). A letter was written on May 19, 1994 by Sarah Rhude, who lived in the neighborhood at that time. The letter requested a reduction in organized baseball games and the addition of parking restrictions on Royal Drive and Floral Drive to alleviate safety concerns. Originally, parking was allowed on both sides of the road along Royal Drive. This resident stated in her letter that this caused safety issues for both pedestrians and vehicles due to the limited visibility on Royal Lane. Ms. Rhude met with the Parks and Recreation Director to discuss her concerns. The Director brought a recommendation to the May 27, 1994 City Council meeting for approval (Attachment Q. The recommendation was to limit parking to only the south side of the road on Royal Lane and Floral Drive and posting No Parking restrictions along the north side of the road (park frontage). The reasoning for this choice was to keep the entrance of the park visible and also to keep pedestrians from walking into the road from between cars. The Council approved the recommendation on the consent calendar with no discussion. The No Parking restriction has been in place on the north side since that time. A cursory review of staff indicates no known problems with the current restrictions since they were implemented w 10102011 Floral No Parking Request Discussion.doc in 1994. One concern that has been noted by park staff has been that pedestrians and bicyclists utilizing the park walk down the hill and steps to leave the park. If vehicles park on the north side of the road, pedestrians would walk between parked cars to leave the park, causing visibility issues. Staff brought this item to the Parks Trails and Recreation Committee (PTRC) for discussion at their September 20,2011 meeting. Mr. Morphew attended that meeting to present his concerns. Draft minutes of the September PTRC meeting are included for Council review (Attachment D). After discussing this item, the PTRC made a motion to recommend to the City Council that the parking for Floral Park on Royal Lane and Floral Drive be changed from the south side to the north side (park frontage) of the road and to provide "no parking"for a reasonable pick-up/drop- off distance at the advisement of the Public Works Director/City Engineer. The Public Works Director and Parks and Recreation Manager met on site and identified an approximate seventy (70) foot area directly in front of the park entry for the drop off/pick up zone and also identified a small ten (10) foot area directly in front of the walking trail to be identified as "no parking" for access purposes. The PTRC felt this drop off and pick up area would minimize pedestrians from walking down the hill between parked cars. Staff has included a map of the proposed changes to the parking restrictions(Attachment E). Staff reviewed the recommendation and feels some additional changes will be needed to allow parking on the north side of the road. There is a perennial garden on the hill along the park frontage that covers approximately 85 feet. This area has a relatively steep slope extending to the curb. Photos of the hill area are included for Council review (Attachment F). If parking is allowed along the north side, passengers exit their vehicles directly into the garden and into the steep hill. Staff recommends that if parking is allowed on the north side of the road, that the garden (or a portion of the garden) is removed and in addition, a retaining wall be considered for a portion of the hill along the park frontage, depending on degree of slope in order to create an area sufficient for unloading and parking. In addition, the yellow paint along the curb will need to be removed. The Public Works staff recommends sand blasting. This is not a method our crew has the capability of completing and therefore, would need to be contracted to an outside vendor. Requested Action Motion to support or deny the PTRC recommendation to change the parking restrictions (No parking) on Floral Drive and Royal Lane from the north side (park frontage) to the south side of the road, with the exception of an approximate seventy (70) foot area directly in front of the park entry and a small ten (10) foot area directly in front of the walking trail. If Council supports the parking change, staff will begin working on a plan to change the drop off area to support unloading and parking. 10102011 Floral No Parking Request Discussion.doc AttachmentA : Letter from Rick Morphew — 1514 Arden Vista Court Drawing of No Parking Area for Floral Park Michelle Olson Parks & Recreation Manager City of Arden Hills 1245 West Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112-7848 Re: Parking on Royal Lane by Floral Park Dear Michelle, Our family has lived in Arden Hills since 1987 at 1514 Arden Vista Court. We access our home using several routes, one of which is Hamline Avenue past Floral Park. Floral Park is well used for its baseball field, playground equipment and hiking trails. People who use Floral Park park their cars on Royal Lane in front of the Park. We have driven by the Park many times when there are twenty or more cars parked on Royal Lane. Parking is limited by signage and yellow curb to the side of Royal Lane across the street from the Park. As a result, people must cross the street to access the Park which is a safety issue that could easily be corrected. Vehicles that approach Floral Park from either Norma Avenue or West Floral Drive, when cars are parked on Royal Lane, have severally restricted sight lines, limiting their ability to see people/children crossing the street to access the Park. This is caused by the fact that Royal Lane curves from both directions and drivers cannot see around the corners. The solution is simple, inexpensive and intuitive... move parking to the Park side of Royal Lane. Attached to this letter is a drawing that illustrates the problem. By studying the drawing one can easily see the benefits of moving parking across the street. They are: • Increased safety for children and adults who park on Royal Lane and use Floral Park • Increased safety for automobiles that use Royal Lane • Additional space for parking due to longer curb line on the Park side of Royal Lane • A more user friendly Park in Arden Hills Please consider my request to move parking to the Park side of Royal Lane adjacent to Floral Park and restrict parking on the opposite side. Thank you. Resp fly, ick Morphe 1514 Arden Vista Court Arden Hills, MN 55112 (651) 636-2241 Map Locating Floral Park and Royal Lane Page 1 of 1 Maps l:- ---- --. � -------, € ,-- --- --_ ------- -- --Alb St_� Royal Ln, St Paul, MN 55112 n9 take Park C { § Mounds Vi2J( a. Map locating Floral Park, Royal Lane F and access to Royal Lane from W Floral ! E Drive and Norma Avenue. er Hws Shoreview # vadnj F ' N 8n Heigi FREE!Use Sing 411 to rind movies, itty}7ra 51 °u3 businesses &more: 800-SING-4119 r gg i.. St Anth6ny Roseville ti 36 0 2€l1s Navteq 6 ZD11•IA�Crosciftj --_ - Z . i Colleen Ave s= r Indian_Oaks Et N 10' ,dam z :andian Oaks Trail ; bore Dr Moral Park a2-.Circle # E i i __itV Fforat fir his v D 3 1, " m i tp tm Circle n� l 10 �FititS�f��e f i L�: `N7✓�rta j 76 i� t1 0 22010 Nzoeq 0 20 1 9/9/2011 p amc 0 K'El IMllbIt La 46, 3 mviN� $ DC `l 2N�p� to Z t LL LO r I j�p i 82lRO •�'�=:' � W - � J 1 Q �j xC3 ! (730'QOl1)' p z � Q . . Attachment B: Letter from Sarah Rhude dated 5/19/94 !1t May 19, 1994 Cindy L. Severtson Director ofParks&Recreation City of Arden Hills 1450 Nest Highway 96 Arden Hills,MN 55112-5794 Dear Cindy, Thank you for meeting with me at Floral Park on Friday,May 13, 1994 to discuss my concerns regarding parking during baseball games. I am writing this letter to formally state my concerns to the city council_ I will propose a two-tiered solution;I will suggest parking restrictions for this summer,as well as suggest ways to decrease traffic and disruption to the neighborhood in fiAure seasons. The problem has its basis in the fact that Floral Park is intended to be strictly a neighborhood park There is no parking lot,nor is there any alternative to parking on the adjacent residential streets,Royal bane and Nest Floral Drive. My family has resided at 1467 Royal Lane,next to Floral Park,for over ten years so I am acutely aware ofhow the parking problem has escalated steadily to its present level. It has become a clear and present danger as well as a great nuisance. No other park in Arden Hills causes this level ofneighborhood impact. For example,although Cummings Park has no parking lot,parking is banned on Wyncrest Court--users must park in the Control Data lot Royal Hills Park also has no parking lot but does have designated parking on Old Snelling,in an area separated from homes. Unfortunately,there are no similar alternatives for Floral Park. Therefore,I would like to propose a two-tiered solution; immediate changes in parking restrictions to alleviate the current dangerous situation as well as alternative scheduling procedures(effective beginning in 1995)to alleviate the disruption to the area residents. A description ofthe problem will olm*the proposed solutions. As stated,there are two concerns: the safety factor and the nuisance factor. The safety f?ictor needs to be addressed immediately, as the situation is dangerous for walkers,those entering and leaving the park (especially children),bicyclists,as well as those driving cars. Royal Lane has two curves which severely limit visibility in both directions. The street was not designed for four car widths;in areas where cars are parked on both sides ofthe street it is difficult for cars to pass in opposite directions and hazardous as they approach the curve. It is an accident waiting to happen! It is also extremely dangerous for anyone walking or biking. 2 1 do not feel it is safe for my children to ride their bikes on their own street for at least four evenings of the week! Frequently,people park along the yellow-lined no parking zone, further exacerbating the problem For instance, on the evening ofMay 18, 1994,four cars were illegally parked along the yellow line on the north side ofRoyal Lane,making the curve particularly hazardous. Daring a baseball game,it would be difficult,ifnot impossible,for an emergency vehicle or fire truck to get around the curve into the neighborhood It is imperative that changes be madel I propose that parking be allowed on only one side of the street,on both Royal Lane and West Floral Drive, to allow for improved visibility and clear passage. Parking would be allowed only on the south side of Royal Lane,keeping the park entrance open. This would prevent a child darting out from between parked cars as well as lessen the impact on the homes on the block(the south side has a long stretch without residences)_Parking would be banned on the north side of Royal Lane. Conversely,parking would be allowed only on the north side of West Floral Drive(which has a stretch of open space along the park). Parking would be banned on the south side of West Floral Drive.Letters should be sent to coaches of Little League teams informing diem of these parking changes. Additionally,N4 PARKING THIS SIDE OF THE STREET signs should W posted in the affected areas. These changes should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent a serious accident. These proposed changes will definitely improve the situation. However,making scheduling changes(beginning in 1995)will more effectively-safety problems as well as decrease disruption to the neighborhood residents. As stated earlier,Floral Park is not designed,nor is it equipped to handle the present volume oftraffic. Currently,we have can parked in front of our home minimally four times a week(often six, due to practices). It is difficult to mow our lawn,and as people walk on our lawn getting in and out oftheir cars,they frequently leave trash behind. My children cannot play in our$ont yard without many strangers walking through_ As stated before,I cannot think of another neighborhood that suffers this much negative impact. I believe that the Floral Park neighborhood should not have to either! The proposed parking changes will alleviate the nuisance problem somewhat_ However,I Propose that,beginning in 1995,Floral Park be designated a practice park Five or six cam parking on the street during practices would be a vast improvement. I realize that here is a ball field shortage,but Floral Park should be given the lightest possible schedule ofgames,only after other fields are exhausted. For example,on the evening of-May 5, 1994,one of the fields at Island Lake was open while Floral had a scheduled game,and on the evening of May 12, 1994,both fields at Island Lake were open while Floral had a scheduled game. Alternatively,if all fields are saturated,Floral could be designated for T-ball,which has a shorter season Floral's field does not drain well after min;T4mdl games would not need to be rescheduled as is often a problem for Little League games scheduled at Floral. Even with the ball field shortage,I believe that some combination of these proposals could be implemented. 3 In conclusion,the dangerous situation surrounding Floral Petit should be alleviated by immediately restricting parking to the south side of Royal Lane(north side parking banned},and the north side of West Floral Drive(south side parking banged).The traffic and disruption to the neighborhood residents should be alleviated,beginning in 1995,by designating Floral Park for the lightest possible usage. Thank you again,Cindy,for your efficient and courteous handling of this problem- I appreciate your promptly bringing this to the council's attention. SH- were�lyn,1 Sarah M. Rhude Attachment C: Council Memo dated 5/27/94 CITY OF ARDEN IULT.S MEN DRANDEM ICE. May 27, 1994 TO: Dorothy Person, City Administrator FROM: Cindy Seve3:tson, Parks and Recreation Director SUBJECT: Letter from a resident regarding parking issues at Floral Park I received a call from a resident, Sarah Rhude, regarding parking around Floral Park. I met with this individual on-site in an attempt to come up with alternatives/solutions. The letter attached suggests extending the "no parking areas;" which after meeting, we both agreed would help. Sarah Rhode and her family live in the first house adjoining Floral Park. Her concern is that the park is used on a regular psis by Little Lake Little League. Floral Park does not have a parking lot. Consequently, cars park along both sides of the street throughput the neighborhood. This creates somewhat of a safety hazard. Sarah Rhude refers to Floral Park as a neighborhood park, which it is. However, all of the parks in Arden Hills are technilly neighborhood Parks. Actually, Floral Park is tied with OmudngsVark For the largest park acreage. Since the city does not have a community park, the neighborhood parks are used for a number of city recreation Programs as well as youth association games and practices. Floral Park is predominantly used as a Little Lakes Little League field. As an organization, Little Lakes has contributed money to install sideline fencing at Floral Park in an attempt to make the playing field safer. There are 220 kids playing little league baseball from Arden Hills in 1994- All youth associations receive fields according to the rnunber- of participants from Arden Hills. As you are aware, there are always an insufficient number of fields in Arden Hills to accommDdate all parties. The parks Little Lakes can use are limited by what fields are needed by the City's recreational adult and youth leagues and Moundsview's Girls Fastpitch Association. Given the current demand on our softball fields, if Little Lakes didn't use Floral Park, score other activity would be planned there. It is not passible to use Floral Park entirely as a practice facility. Floral Park Parking Page 2 05/27/94 As expressed in the letter by Sarah Rhude, there are scene valid safety concerns with parking in the neighborhood. I met with Sarah, and I believe the safety concerns can be alleviated by designating parking on one side of the street only along park property. I recommend that the entire curb on the east side of Royal Lane be painted yellow and no parking signs be posted and enforced. This would extend the current no parking to cover the entire road frontage of the park. Also, no parking signs could be posted along the north side of Floral Drive. Tbus, parking would be allowed on only 1 side of the street_ This would provide a safer environment for children entering and leaving the park_ As it is now, parking is allowed on both sides- It is very difficult for cars to see children as they run through the parked cars. The Ramsey county Sheriff's Department should be made aware of this parking change and encouraged to enforce it. Letters can be sent to the Little Lakes Little League Association to notify parents and coaches of the parking restrictions as wall as asking them to not walk across residents lawns. In future years, there is a possibility of mooring little league one or two nights a week to another field, however, another activity similar in nature would replace them on those evenings_ Unfortunately, there are not enough baseball/softball fields in Arden Hills to allow that neighborhood parks be left unoccupied or as practice fields only. As for the reference Ms. Rhude makes to Island Lake-1 School fields being open, Shoreview programs that facility. I contacted them to inquire about usage and was informed that little league uses the east field and the Shoreview recreation programs use the west field. The Shoreview recreation softball program begins in June. Both fields will be in use every evening June through August. Staff recommends that the above referenced no parking changes be made and enforced in an attempt to alleviate the safety concerns. Little Lakes should be notified of these parking changes and encouraged to carpool_ CS:to Attachment D: Draft PTRC Minutes from 9/20/2011 Meeting EN HILLS DRAFT CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20,2011 ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Substitute Chair Peck called the September 20, 2011, meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 6:39 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Substitute Chair Peck, Committee Members Cindy Garretson, Phil Kramlinger,Nancy O'Malley, Don Messerly, and Council Liaison Ed Werner. Harold Petersen arrived at 6:55 p.m. OTHERS PRESENT: Park and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson and Arden Hills Resident Rick Morphew. ABSENT: Chair Steve Scott (excused), Committee Members Chuck Michaelson, and Rich Straumann. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Committee Member Garretson motioned to approve the agenda. Ms. Olson asked to move New Business before Unfinished Business and to add the trail walk to Other Unfinished Business. Committee Member Garretson motioned to approve the agenda as amended, seconded by Committee Member Kramlinger. The motion carried unanimously(5-0). 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES—August 16,2011 MOTION: Committee Member Garretson motioned to approve the August 16, 2011, minutes, seconded by Committee Member O'Malley. The motion carried unanimously(5-0). 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Floral Park No Parking Discussion Ms. Olson introduced Arden Hills resident Rick Morphew, of 1514 Arden Vista Court in the Floral Park neighborhood. Ms. Olson explained that Mr. Morphew has safety concerns as well regarding the current parking restrictions at Floral Park. Mr. Morphew has requested the City move parking to the park side of Royal Lane adjacent to Floral Park and restrict parking on the opposite side. Ms. Olson researched the history of the "no parking"at this park and Public Works staff indicated it was their recollection that this was placed on the north side in order to prevent the hazard of children running down the hill and going between parked cars. Ms. Olson also found some documentation between a neighbor and the City in 1994. The neighbor's Parks,Trails&Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes September 20,2011 Page 2 recommendation to place the"no parking"was brought forth to the City Council and was approved. Mr. Morphew explained the reasoning behind his request and felt that visibility and safety issues where created when vehicles are parked on the north side of the road and pedestrians walk between these parked vehicles in order to cross the street. He agrees the argument on the other side is also valid but he does not feel it is as dangerous. Ms. Olson explained that in order to make a change to the parking restriction, it would need to be a Council action and staff felt the PTRC should review and make a recommendation. Committee Member Garrison indicated she feels Mr. Morphew's idea was very well thought out. She stated she walked the area and agrees that you cannot see around the corner and likes the idea of having an open space. Committee Member O'Malley suggested having a caution sign stating"children crossing"and Committee Member Garretson agreed that might be an idea. Substitute Chair Peck indicated he also looked at the area and feels he has been persuaded to switch the"no parking"and also likes the idea that pedestrians would not have to cross the street when getting dropped off. Ms. Olson indicated that she and Public Works Director Maurer looked at this issue and felt there were arguments to both sides of the road and thus have no recommendation on the issue and would like the committee to weigh in on it. Committee Member Kramlinger agreed that from a safety concern it should be changed to the north side of the street. MOTION: Committee Member O'Malley motioned that parking for Floral park be changed from the south side to the north side of the street. Discussion ensued regarding adding a pick-up/drop-off site at the frontage of the park to a distance recommended by the City Engineer. Committee Member O'Malley accepted a friendly amendment to the motion to include a pick up/drop off area. Committee Member Messerly moved to amend the motion to switch the parking from the south side to the north side of the street and to provide "no parking"from 50 feet southeast of the steps to 50 feet northwest of the path to allow for pickup. Discussion ensued and it was agreed to eliminate the distance requirement from the motion and have the wording state "a reasonable pick-up/drop-off distance at the advisement of the Public Works Director/City Engineer." Committee Member Garrison seconded the motion as amended. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). Attachment E: Floral Park Map of Proposed "No Parking" Restriction Changes S wig • r 3 '� �$' .+�tfr'"�A - � 7. ;��1���: � .Std: r'.r / A»... -�`'�:_^�- �•' F } �.^ + °fi',i,• .rE F�h. MIA MW vb k • s �,$�i! � •. �r, .rF.a � �.s ss� ��K..�,.�,. jai:' � =. r- • Attachment F.* Photos of the steep grade along the frontage of Floral Park � :4 bt •'� Tf�y. :S �-,t �n lrr�•.$f s �; �� 7 t �; t � ,� .7 � � ..', { 'r.� �� �Yt`Nbl1 ''r*"" Fry, t't f �"s` ��� ,-,,,F�v''4• vti: t� i -,� �•.. � � }�gx z_♦ ra-gig y f F Ga x4 kr t,.' r �'.Y.F Me �5i A����f ��'�,✓,..3yp� j%s�k� �[ t .� �+t., 'a � ads _ y x'�`Ix .. a� }"?x a,k p.t Y��•..)`b°" �' '�.e� �,,� 1'. R. �, Y. 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