Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-24-2023 VC WS-MPresent: ROLL CALL MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA AUGUST 24, 2023 David B. Norris, Vice Mayor Susan Bickel, Vice Mayor Darryl C. Aubrey, Sc.D., President Pro Tem Mark Mullinix, Councilmember Deborah Searcy, Councilmember Chuck Huff, Village Manager Leonard G. Rubin, Village Attorney Philippa Davis, Deputy Village Clerk Mayor Norris called the meeting to order immediately following the Regular Meeting. All members of Council were present. All members of staff were present. Chad Girard, Public Works Director, introduced the agenda item. He stated Emily O'Mahoney and Kevin Smith with Gentile, Glas, Holloway, O'Mahoney, and Associates (2GHO) were present to share their findings and seek direction to wrap up the project. LIGHTHOUSE DRIVE BEAUTIFICATION AND TRAFFIC CALMING Emily O'Mahoney, 2GHO, provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding their findings. Ms. O'Mahoney stated there were two (2) versions of an inventory and analysis conducted. Ms. O'Mahoney explained that the team had looked at Lighthouse Drive in three (3) segments and outlined those segments and their current landscape conditions: • Segment 1 — Juniper Drive to Prosperity Farms Road • Segment 2 — Prosperity Farms Road to the Bridge • Segment 3 — Bridge to US-1 Question was posed about the gas lines source(s) and the number of gas lines. Ms. O'Mahoney stated she was unsure whether there were six (6) or seven (7) gas lines; if they were owned by one or several companies; or if all were functional. Ms. O'Mahoney reviewed the results of the public survey conducted via the Village website. Residents reported: • 46% lived within one (1) block of Lighthouse Drive • 50% traveled the road two (2) to five (5) times per day Village Council Workshop Session held August 24, 2023 Page 2 of 6 • Biking o Never — 49% o Do not ride in the Village — 38% o Only ride on sidewalks — 28% Ms. O'Mahoney stated the results noted serious bikers do not feel safe on Lighthouse Drive; feel safer on US1; and shared the biking/pedestrian use would change with traffic calming. • Travel with boat trailers — 26% • Pedestrians o For exercise — 52% o Once a week — 23% o Never — 28% • Likes o Direct route — 75% • Dislikes o Speed — 32% o Nothing — 28% • Proposed Changes o Traffic calming elements — 44% o First two (2) choices of traffic calming elements • Raised tables — 36% • Speed humps — 36% • Medians — 18% Councilmembers asked questions regarding the findings and traffic calming elements. Ms. O'Mahoney provided clarification as appropriate. Councilmember Mullinix expressed concern with making Lighthouse Drive more challenging for those who trailer boats. Ms. O'Mahoney stated that issue was taken into consideration. Ms. O'Mahoney reviewed the written comments added to the survey and discussed the aggregated results of her one-on-one meetings with each member of Council, the Police Department, and Fire Rescue Department. Ms. O'Mahoney shared proposed design elements, as follows: • Roundabout o Proposed only for intersection at Anchorage Park o Avoids stop signs o Real estate available within the roundabout o Center element reduces long view of road, which lowers speeds o Design for boat trailers and Fire Rescue Councilmember Mullinix highlighted concerns with boat trailers being able to navigate the roundabout from all directions. Village Council Workshop Session held August 24, 2023 Page 3 of 6 Ms. O'Mahoney discussed turning calculations briefly and reiterated that boat trailers would be considered in the design. • Median options o Small (short areas only) • Beginning of turn lane, eastbound at Prosperity (segment 1) • Just east of Prosperity to help organize traffic (segment 2) • At each transition of main roundabout at Anchorage Way (segment 3) • Landscape options (limited due to utilities) o Landscape/curb road narrowing • With speed table, speed hump, and/or decorative paving • Options for many of the segments • Decorative surfaces o At all intersections Ms. O'Mahoney expressed intersections are probably the best places to make a statement while slowing traffic and adding interest. Ms. O'Mahoney presented the idea of a logo at a 4-way stop and paving at intersections. • Stop intersection — Village logo • Secondary intersections — decorative paving o At all crosswalks — specialty paving • Bicycle options o Within roadway — bikes lanes • Seven (7) foot (buffered) is current FDOT standard • Would require added paving in some areas (wider paving = more speed) o Sharrow — in path of travel Ms. O'Mahoney noted a sharrow would be more effective with lower road speed, identifying as a slow community road. • Not currently accepted suburban solution o Shared use paths • Widens existing sidewalk, conflicts with existing trees • Lighting o Some lighting exists • Village lighting standard • At intersections (segment 3) o Intersections • Would allow nodes of light • Emphasizing intersections o Roadway lengths • Add consistency to the level of light on the roadway and sidewalks Ms. O'Mahoney asked that Council provide feedback on the elements as presented. Ms. O'Mahoney noted the feedback would then be integrated into a Master Plan. Mayor Norris opened the meeting to public comment. Village Council Workshop Session held August 24, 2023 Page 4 of 6 John Maxted, 648 Atlantic Road, commented that identifying the priorities was the most important part of governing and thanked Council for identifying this project as a priority. Mr. Maxted suggested making this a part of an overall plan to provide better non -car access throughout the Village for a more cohesive effort. Mr. Maxted advised removing the sharrow option and having separate space for bikes or non -car transportation. Mr. Maxted acknowledged the complexity of the issue and the number of modes of transportation to consider and suggested looking at as many options as possible before making a decision. Mr. Maxted noted medians would use up space without providing for multimodal transportation. Rita Budnyk, 804 Shore Drive, stated that she was a frequent walker, biker, and car traveler of Lighthouse Drive, and the overriding issue for her was speed. Ms. Budnyk expressed concern with boat trailers navigating the roundabouts but said she would defer to the experts on the calculations. Ms. Budnyk noted that she would support a separate pathway for non -motorized vehicle traffic, which was separated by a tree line from the street, and stated she liked the visual narrowing features. Ms. Budnyk closed by recognizing how important this corridor is to the Village. Cathy Oranen, 733 Lighthouse Drive, stated she had no idea the survey had gone out, and that she was not sure how many residents had completed it. Ms. Oranen noted she had lived in the same house for twenty-five (25) years and traffic is bad, but she would think that hiring more police to patrol Lighthouse Drive would be the solution. Ms. Oranen asserted that many people were driving while on their phones, and if people were riding bikes on the street, there would be people hit. Ms. Oranen commented on roundabout use and stated that her opinion was that it would be mayhem. Mayor Norris reassured that this was just Council's first look, and there would be many more opportunities for people to share their input. Lisa Jensen, 606 Shore Road, commented that the Freakonomics Radio podcast had a recent episode about roundabouts. Ms. Jensen shared that they had said roundabouts force people to slow down, and there remains a constant flow of traffic during rush hours. Ms. Jensen highlighted the need for education on roundabout use and a visually appealing center to alert people that they must drive around. Ms. Jensen stated there are also environmental and safety benefits. Ms. Jensen encouraged Councilmembers to listen to the podcast. Pam Cinilia, 640 Lighthouse Drive, stated she has reached out to staff with concerns, and she was glad to hear that there is an interest in making changes. Ms. Cinilia asserted that she was disappointed with the results of the survey and noted some of the questions asked did not speak to her as a runner, cyclist, and pedestrian. Ms. Cinilia noted speeding is a huge concern, as are trucks and overweight vehicles. Ms. Cinilia stated that she sees police officers driving at excessive speeds frequently and added that starting with enforcing the law would make a difference. Ms. Cinilia suggested a public input meeting for all the residents on Lighthouse Drive. Mary Phillips, 525 Ebbtide Drive, pointed out that when there was construction on Anchorage Drive, there was increased traffic on Ebbtide Drive because it is a straight shot. Ms. Phillips asked that when considering any changes for Lighthouse Drive, the impact on Ebbtide Drive be considered, as well. Village Council Workshop Session held August 24, 2023 Page 5 of 6 Mayor Norris closed the meeting to public comment. Councilmember Mullinix asserted additional workshops on the topic were needed, and the Village needs to do a better job of advertising meetings. Councilmember Mullinix stated from his standpoint, the medians are a no-go. Councilmember Mullinix highlighted the importance of being cognizant of the boat ramp and the way of life that it is a part of. Councilmember Mullinix noted he did not believe the sharrow was a good idea, but was supportive of the decorative elements to make people aware to slow down. Councilmember Mullinix stated that he was also in favor of widening sidewalks and road resurfacing. President Pro Tem Aubrey advised that he was uneasy with the roundabout idea. President Pro Tem Aubrey stated he thought the idea of a widened sidewalk to make a combined bicycle lane and sidewalk would be a good move and noted that he liked the decorative ideas at the intersections. President Pro Tem Aubrey shared concern that he has seen golf carts and motorized scooters go through the intersections without looking, and stated education may be needed. Vice Mayor Bickel stated she really liked the idea of the decorative pavers to visually improve the street and slow things down. Vice Mayor Bickel noted she did not like the roundabout or median ideas but did like the idea of visually narrowing in some places with plants. Vice Mayor Bickel commented that she also liked the idea of adding lower, visually appealing lighting to remind people they are in a residential neighborhood. Vice Mayor Bickel advised that she loved the idea of widening the sidewalks to accommodate all modes of transportation, as well as paving at intersections, however, did not favor landscape curbs between the road and grass for safety reasons. Councilmember Searcy asserted that she believed in the science of roundabouts and the many studies that have shown they are safer and reduce traffic and is absolutely in favor of a small roundabout. Councilmember Searcy commented that there are many towns that have used an interest item in a roundabout to slow traffic and math would be used to ensure the turning radiuses were appropriate. Councilmember Searcy stated that the landscape curb was the only piece she did not like, and expressed concern that they would be throwing so many things out there that Lighthouse Drive would look disjointed or messy and not look consistent. Mayor Norris agreed that more workshops and involvement of more people was needed in this process before much could be done. Mayor Norris agreed that if what they were talking about was traffic control, they should start with more enforcement. Mayor Norris stated he did not think a roundabout or median was appropriate, but he liked the idea of visual narrowing with landscaping and would like to see more about it. Mayor Norris commented that the decorative paving sounded like a great idea, but he did not want the type on US-1. Mayor Norris noted he liked the idea of widening the sidewalks and adding more lighting at strategic spots. Discussion ensued regarding connections between the bridge project and Lighthouse Drive projects. Mr. Girard stated there would be an update on the bridge project at the September 14 Council meeting. Mr. Huff, encouraged residents to subscribe to the Village Newsletter to get updates on projects and meetings. Ms. O'Mahoney stated she had heard a desire for a public workshop, and discussed the process she would suggest. Ms. O'Mahoney discussed her takeaways from the discussion briefly. Village Council Workshop Session held August 24, 2023 Page 6 of 6 ADJOURNMENT With no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:06 p.m. Jesa Green, MMC, Village Clerk