05-24-2010 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL Monday, May 24, 2010 7:00 o'clock p.m. • (13. REVIEWPRELIMINARYDAKOTA TRAIL PARKING OPTIONS, Continued) 2010, the letter was sent. On February 18, 2010, staff again met with Carlson and Meyer. The conclusion of the meeting was that there are no viable parking sites in the Orono Orchard Road area. Since that time Three Rivers has expanded their parking study to include a number of areas in Orono where there were identified areas of issues. Gaffron stated possible sites included the Crystal Bay neighborhood along both sides of Brown Road or the west side of Railroad Avenue and the area adjacent to the post office where the basketball court is located. Areas in Navarre were also considered and the conclusion was that there are no good access points in the Bayview area. The triangular area owned by MCEES on Shadywood is also not a long -term solution. Gaffron pointed out that part of the issue is that the Park District only controls 16 feet of the corridor and that any parking directly adjacent to the trail could become an issue. In addition, they took a look at the city parking lot in Navarre and two sites on Northern Avenue in Spring Park. Also in Spring Park was a location across Warren Avenue from their City offices. The Hennepin County truck station was also considered. Based on that early discussion, the City received a letter in March. On April 9, the City received a draft of an expanded parking study from Boe Carlson. On May 120', Staff met with Three Rivers, reviewed the suggestions outlined in the parking study, and suggested that they be brought before the City Council before Three Rivers proceeds further on this matter. Gaffron stated it is clear that some of the suggestions that have been made would have negative impacts on neighborhoods. Gaffron displayed a map of the area of the intersection of County Road 51 and Brown Road. For a • variety of reasons, Three Rivers has suggested Railroad Avenue as a parallel parking location. Staff had suggested the area north of the post office but Three Rivers had indicated they would prefer not to have the parking across a county road from the trail. There is parking that is occurring presently along Brown Road. The shoulder is not paved or striped and can only accommodate approximately six cars. Three Rivers is suggesting parallel parking for approximately eight to 12 cars along Railroad Avenue but they have not designed any pavement for that area. Gaffron stated Three Rivers might install some sort of surmountable curb and post signage. That area is directly across from five houses and has the potential to negatively impact those homes. The Navarre city -owned parking lot is located a ways from the trail. There are not sidewalks all the way to the trail, but Three Rivers would direct people to the west and/or north from the parking lot to the trail. Three Rivers has suggested that the closest spots to the trail are defined for the park -n -ride, but there are some questions in Staff's mind as to whether they are the right spots for parking. Parking in this area would have some negative impacts on the neighborhood. White commented that the owner of the hardware store feels that there is insufficient parking already. White pointed out that a number of people also park in that area for the bus. Bremer asked what the square footage of the parking lot is and how many parking stalls would fit in there. Gaffron indicated he does not have the number of total stalls but pointed out there are a number of stalls that are not owned by the City. The City owns approximately 80 to 100 parking spaces. Gaffron stated there is a significant grade change from the parking lot at the Hennepin County truck station to the trail. One of the goals of Three Rivers is that they are looking for parking that is at roughly • Page 4 of 11