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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/28/2008 Hamlet Implementation Panel March 28, 2008 Summary of First Meeting Focus: Transportation Element Panel Members: Scott Russell, Town Supervisor; Mark Terry, Principal Planner; Philip Beltz, Special Projects Coordinator; Jamie Richter, Town Engineer; Pete Harris, Highway Superintendent; Jim McMahon, Department of Public Works. Also Present: Heather Lanza, Planning Director; Ty Cochran, Chief of Police An agenda and Implementation Workbook were given to each person present. The meeting began with an introduction by Mark Terry, followed by Phil Beltz going over the first page in the Implementation Panel's workbook that included the background of the Stakeholder process in Southold, and the process by which the effort would be moved forward by the Town. The Panel would be accountable to the Stakeholders and the Town Board and responsible for reporting to back to each on a regular basis to keep them informed of the progress of Implementation Agenda: 1. Review goal and purpose of HIP 2. Review process a. Interconnection with Town Consolidated Comprehensive Plan 3. Review Hamlet Stakeholder recommendations about Transportation/Traffic Calming a. ID recommendations that are already in process b. ID which projects will be accomplished by town staff i. Prioritize projects ii. Assign project managers iii.ID funding iv. Set target start date v. Complete HIP form and Route to Town Board 1 c. ID Mark Terry explained that the next step was to work through all the Stakeholder recommendations over time, and determine whether each could be accomplished, and if so, who would accomplish it. Where feasible, a project manager would be assigned. In some cases a referral to another committee might be the next step, or it might be discovered that the recommendation has already taken place or is about to take place. Each Hamlet's recommendations were organized into categories that match the elements in the concept for the new Consolidated Comprehensive Plan for the Town. One of the common themes throughout all the Hamlet Stakeholder groups was traffic and pedestrian safety and movement. Thus, the Transportation Element was thought to be the most logical category with which to start the implementation work. The Panel worked from spreadsheets, one for each hamlet, with a list of recommendations related to transportation, including those related to pedestrians and sidewalks. Mattituck T1. Evaluate Traffic Calming. 1. Referred to Transportation Commission: evaluate traffic circle at Main Road and Love Lane. Comments of Committee: Transportation Commission has looked at this in the past and it seems like a good idea. It was referred to the NYSDOT, but there has been no action on it from the State. This recommendation, together with improving the connection between the business centers in Mattituck West and East, including addressing pedestrian safety and connectivity, seem like a good fit for the NYMTC Transportation Enhancement Grant. High Priority Transportation Commission should evaluate the suitability for this and other stakeholder recommendations for the grant referenced above, and make a recommendation to the Town Board as soon as possible for how to proceed, including who to send requests for proposals to write the grant. In progress: The Southold Town Transportation Commission has recommended the roundabout at CR 48 and Cox Neck Road to the SC Dept of Public Works and they are studying it and plan to create roundabout there eventually. 2 Addressed by the Town in the past: The Southold Town Transportation Commission investigated the feasibility of reducing CR 48 to one lane between Cox Neck Road and Wickham Avenue and recommended against it. T2. Tabled long 4erm project. Focus right now should be on the Love Lane roundabout and other ideas for improving the walkability of East Mattituck, and connecting the two business areas, and working on the West Mattituck Corridor Plan T3. Tabled- long-term project initial reacfion from the panel is that the Transportafion Commission put some thought into this, and found that it would be more pedestrian friendly to go to the waterfront by Wickham Avenue instead of Love Lane. T4. Referred to: Transportation Commission Develop West Mattituck Corridor Plan Consider this as part of the grant proposal to NYMTC - the portion of this recommendation that relates to pedestrian connectivity and safety. Another component of T4 relates to design standards for commercial buildings this is a longer term project that is going to be addressed by the Town Board together with the Planning Board and Planning Department. Cutchogue: T1, T2, T3. Traffic calming and traffic safety on Rt. 25 between Griffing Street and New Suffolk Road. Referred to: Town Supervisor/Phil Beltz. The Transportation Commission has already looked at this and sent it to NYSDOT. The Town Supervisor is in the process of setting up a meeting to discuss recommendations T 1,T2, & T3. The meeting will include Town Supervisor, Stakeholders, NYSDOT, Town Engineer and Highway Superintendent. T4.& T5. Relocate Hampton Jitney Bus Stop to King Kullen, and install crosswalk across Rt. 25. Panel recommendation: Tabled. It would be more dangerous for a bus to stop there where traffic can travel much faster than in the hamlet center. Another reason the panel doesn't feel this is feasible is because the hamlet center is already set up to be the bus stop, including the Town's lease agreements with the private landowner adjacent to provide municipal parking, ovemight parking, and a bus shelter (eventually). The panel though that if traffic calming and other measures are taken in the hamlet center, the bus stop location will become safer. T6. Extend sidewalks on Griffing Street to Heritage project site. This will be accomplished through the subdivision and site plan process with the Planning Board. T7.Install new bicycle paths and repair existing paths. Refer back to Stakeholders for clarification. TS. Install bike rack in Town parking lot behind Karen's Deli. Project manager: Jim McMahon. Town Supervisor/Phil Beltz will contact the landowner for permission to do so. Town DPW will find suitable location and install the bike rack as soon as possible. T9. Install dogwood trees in island on Griffing Street. No room left to plant a tree in the center of road by the deli, but farther up would work Project Manager: Peter Harris Next step: panel to conduct site visit to determine feasibility of adding trees to the island. T10. Town-wide Transportation Study. Comments: Long-term project. Funding: Grant would be needed Referred to: Transportation Commission New Suffolk T 1. Signage warning boaters of overhead lines. Project Manager ,lamie Richter. In progress: Jackson street the wires are coming down with the drainage project starting April 7, and will be done before boating season.. Project Manager Jim McMahon: Old Harbor Road signs will be installed before the boating season begins in 2008. T2. Install signage 30 MPH the need for additional signage will be evaluated by the Highway Department. Project Manger: Pete Harris T3. Provide increased police surveillance of posted parking areas. Project Manager: Police Chief Ty Cochran. Says OK. Also Supervisor says that Ty Cochran will be part of the meeting to discuss the parking issues. T4. Enforce 30 Speed limits Ty Cochran says he will keep working on it. T5. Investigate and develop traffic-calming measures enforcement will accomplish the goal of this T6. Increase sticker fee. Done. Check with Town Clerk Town Board did this already. T7. Enforce use of beach/ramp sticker they aren't pedestrian stickers or beach use sticker, they are parking stickers. Have to think about limit parking, but can't do that too much. Drainage and parking for the beach are the two priorities Need a long-term comprehensive approach to the overall parking situation in New Suffolk. Consider boat use and size. Limit size of boats to prevent powering up a ramp and mining the ramp. 4 T8. Develop and post appropriate size restrictions. But address parking situation first. It is a public asset. Hard issue to solve because it is hard to manage a public asset and resource. Get rid of the parking problem and the overuse jet skis, etc. T9. Install stop sign at Orchard and First St. Project Manager: Referred to: Ed Forrester to see if there is an encroachment at this intersection. Comments: Pete says no reason for a stop sign there. Jim and Jamie agree. T 10. Evaluate and correct visual impediments at driveways: Project Manager: Peter Harris Referred to: Comments: Genuine safety issue to go and tell people to move their encroachments T 11. Restrict truck traffic on King Street past school. Send back to stakeholders for clarification Peconic. T 1. Install crosswalk between parks on Peconic Lane Project Manager: Jamie Richter. Referred to: Transportation Commission In process. They have decided on the location, looking at whether the Town will do in-house or contract it out. The idea of whether or not it should be there should be answered by the Transportation Commission as a recommendation. Funding is there. T2. Re-lease parking lot from owner for $1. The owner must maintain his parking facility and maintain the lot. It is his obligation. Town may be able to enforce the owner's maintenance, but not sure check with Town Attorney. T3. Relocate bus stop - A bus shelter is scheduled to be constructe there it is done. T4. Repair sidewalks and connect to Rt. 25. Project Manager: Referred to: Comments: Ongoing effort to inventory the sidewalks. It is in the EPF T5. Parking lot funding in 2008. Jim McMahon. Concession stand not feasible clue to SC Health and the vendor permit structure, the town says the health department and vendor permits are better than leasing out to a new concession stand. Southold T 1. Traveler Street improvements: Comments: a. Shade trees b. Landscaping c. Parking d. Sidewalks e. Street furniture f. Lighting g. Signage Long-term some of this gets done by site plans. This might be done through a pedestrian plan for each hamlet. That will support us getting this into site plans as they come in. Southold the sign regarding the parking limits in the municipal parking lot across from the paint store? T2. Provide sidewalks on Horton's Lane and Young's Road. Panel recommendation. Long 4erm project. Start with an inventory of the sidewalks already existing, and formulate a pedestrian plan. Pedestrian Plan: Project manager: Heather Lanza/Transportation Commission All the Stakeholder groups identified sidewalk quality and safety for pedestrians as an issue, except New Suffolk. The Town needs an inventory of sidewalks and their condition, as well as crosswalks and lighting for pedestrian safety this was written into the Hamlet Revitalization EPF grant last fall (award decisions will be known in April). That grant proposal included the inventory, but not any funding to repair or add sidewalks, add crosswalks, or improve lighting. The NYMTC Transportation Enhancements grant could be written to fund the completion and implementation of a town-wide Pedestrian Plan. This plan could also survey innovative sidewalk materials designed to save large historic street trees (as in Orient). The NYMTC grant might also be written to provide funding for the inventory mentioned above, should the EPF grant not be awarded. We will know about the EPF grant before the June deadline of the NYMTC grant. Referred to: Planning and Transportation Commission (possible NYMTC Transportation Enhancements grant project). T3. Install crosswalks throughout Hamlet Center. Pedestrian Plan T4. Town wide Traffic Study See Cutchogue. Referred to Transportation Commission. T4. Items 1 - 6. Traffic Calming and Pedestrian Safety Referred to Transportation Commission T5. See T1. T6. Preserve and improve the vitality of Main Street as a walkable local business district. Long Term goal Pedestrian, business district Recommendations related to pedestrians and walkabiltiy. Referred to Transportation Commission. Recommendation related to parking requirements flexibility and adding more municipal parking: Referred to: Planning Board, Planning Department. Consider potential code changes for parking requirements. Consider future site plans and possibility for some municipal parking spaces included in new parking lots. T7. Southold Library is working with the Town Board on library expansion. Planning Board to assist with site planning of potential library additions and parking. TS. Develop a full service transit hub at existing railroad station on Travelers Street. Comments: Railroad rebuilt the train station recently, The landscaping has come and gone due to lack of maintenance. Landscaping issue at Train Station. Referred to: Mark Terry send a letter to the LIRR, or come up with an idea Agway or Landscaping company that can put a sign in front of the landscaping, in exchange for planting and maintaining it. Transportation commission has already addressed the bus route with the County, and have asked them to have a regular bus stop at the train station they are not leaving Rt. 25. The County says the tum is too tight for buses (that is the reason they give). Also, they have a very long route and any deviation sets the bus back for timing. T9. Create infrastructure of bike paths and strategically located bike racks. Tabled for now long term project (Pedestrian Plan - maybe instead make it an "alternative transportation plan" and include bike paths?) 7 T10. Affordable local transportation. Town Supervisor met with a dial a ride group that is funded by the State. Referred to: Philip Beltz and Scott Russell. Contact this group again to see if they can provide services to the Town. Greenport TI. Traffic study done at that location for a roundabout by the County, they recommended this to the DOT, because three of the legs are state road, and the state said they agree and not funded. ID Funding; Referral: Transportation Commission. - would a traffic light work there? Project Manager: Jamie Richter T2. Scenic Corridor on Rt. 25 approach to Greenport. Comments: Design standards to protect the scenic visuals. Site plan process can do that. We can also reevaluate the scenic corridor plan. And move those recommendations into standards for the site plan process. Scenic corridor. Referred to: Planning Board Implement with site plan code re-write. T3. Scott said he spoke to them and they said they would relocate all the buses that are dormant. They said they would relocate to the back of the lot. It may already be done T4. Install crosswalk in the vicinity of 7-11. Planning Board said no to a crosswalk down the street a little to the west e. Put it at intersection of Moores Lane. Jamie said that intersection is not a good spot. Referred to: Transportation Commission. T5. The owners of the properties in front of their building are responsible to keep the sidewalks clear of snow and ice. The Town Highway Department is responsible for maintenance of the sidewalks, and the Town Board is responsible for reconstructing sidewalks. We need a process to identify the problem areas a sidewalk hotline. Highway Dept. T6. Develop a well-designed gateway: Referred to: Transportation Commission T7. Install sidewalks on one side of Rt. 25. Pedestrian Plan - NYMTC Grant T8. Break up continuous strings of traffic from ferry. 8 Referred to: Town Board. Part of the larger discussion with the ferry. T9. Traffic Calming by Soundview. Transportation Commission sent numerous letters to SCDPW and the County is working on it. Some drainage is being done. County needs funding to complete the overall project for the road there. The design is done, but the funding to implement it is not there. T10. Impediments to sight. Town Board needs to set up a help line for similar complaints. Street lights, impediments to sight lines, sidewalk problems. We could also do an e-mail link on the web site home page. Tll. S92 on Sundays. Transportation Commission. T12. No competition. County puts up a certain kind of bus shelter. The bus shelters are funded for the upgraded type. It is a green piece of metal with some glass. The County is paying $16 - $18,000 per shelter and no cost to the Town. Project Manager: Jamie Richter. T 13. Integrate new roads in subdivision with existing roadways. Subdivision process. Mark Terry. T 14. Provide bus service along North Road Refer to: Transportation Commission long term goals send it to the EETC. T 15. Extend train service to enhance public transit. T15. EETC East Marion. T1. Ty Cochran on it T2. Town wide ferry issue Town Board long term T3. Bay Ave has been repaired. Pedestrians can get there. Gillette Drive: Referred to: Jim McMahon. Will assess the situation. T4. Ty Cochran is on it. T5. Bus stop Refer to: Transportation Commission looking at this. Fire Dept wouldn't. Now the Town is going to renegotiate the maintenance of the fire dept, and maybe this can be accomplished. It is in the Attomey's office now. Make sure attomey knows the stakeholders requests. T6. Make sidewalks and road shoulders more pedestrian and bike friendly. The paint doesn't last. 9 Refer to: Planning Board for pedestrian connectivity. Sidewalk repair. T7. Eliminate road widening as an option for dealing with traffic problems. Refer to: TS. Traffic calming - the Traffic Calming Plan - Transportation Commission. T9. HIP T10. Code enforcement Tll. Rt. 25 Traffic Calming. Transportation Commission. The Commission already recommended from 55 to 50mph. and that is getting done. NYSDOT won't set lower speed limits than. Transportation Commission. Refer Ty Cochran says yes they will do more enforcement Traffic Calming. Transportation Commission. T12. T 14. Transportation Commission. Orient T2. Police T3. DOT for permanent, camera not feasible. T4. T5. Pedestrian plan significant trees are important. Is there any way for sidewalk construction geared to saving trees. If you cut too much, it dies, it is a delicate issue. Don't lose historic trees. Village Lane. Can do asphalt path rather than concrete, what about grass pavers. Historic. Planning can investigate that. Jim does not want to do it. Source materials Jim McMahon will look into it. T6. Pedestrian connectivity plan T7. Town Board 10