06-28-1999 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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#2439 - Service 800 Access Issue June 24,1999 Page 2 Cliff Otten has indicated he wishes more than merely a right-in/right-out at this location for his liiture use, since he already has adequate right-in access along 12. For his future use and for future City use, a full intersection would provide greater flexibility. While the eastbound left-tum lane could be constructed at a future date, the City chose to link development of the Service 800 site as a trigger for the Brimhall access to occur, with Service 800 bearing the costs of creating the eastbound left-tum lane. Service 800 has agreed to constmct the left-tum lane if it is required. If the City concludes the left-tum lane is not required now but might be at some future date, an option might be an agreement with Service 800 and MnDOT, to include financial security for future turn lane constmction. The 1988 Highway 12 Comp Plan Amendment contemplated a rear service road between Willow Drive and Brown Road with an optional mid-point access to Hwy 12 across from Brimhall, to eliminate other business driveway accesses directly to 12. The Comp Plan did not strictly specify whether this should be a full turning movement access. The proposals to not allow full left-tum movements again brings up the issue of forcing users of the Service 800 site, and eventually Otten's site, to make U-tums along Highway 12, which is what the City was attempting to avoid by having a full-tuming-movement intersection. Eastbound traffic vdshing to access Service 800 will be forced to use Bill Wear's shopping center (or some other site further east) to turn around. Wear's site should not have to be used in this marner. By the same token, people exiting Service 800 wanting to travel east, will have to make U-tums at Willow. This is probably a relatively safe movement, but inconvenient. Currently, the properties on the south side of Highway 12 have full turning movements at the Brimhall intersecticii Mn/DOT initially indicated it would prefer that the left hand turning movements on both the north and south side of the intersection be limited to left turns in and that left turns out not be allowed. This would be problematic for the existing businesses on the south side of Highway 12 who currently have the left-tum-out and left-tum-in access. Long Lake has indicated they will oppose any action that reduces these options. Frontage Road Revisited The concerns expressed by Mn/DOT regarding the safety of turning movements at the unsignalized Brimhall intersection, and the need expressed by Cliff Otten for full turning movements at this intersection in the future, return us to the frontage road option. Staff strongly believes the best solution to the access issues in this area of Highway 12 is a frontage road. During discussions of the Townline Road intersection and access to the expanding retail area in Maple Plain, the Council has advocated for limiting accesses to Highway 12 through a frontage road system. The same concept applies to the provision of access to the developing commercial area along Highway 12 in Orono.