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City Council Minutes 09-22-2008 Special - TransportationCouncil Minutes: 9/22/08 Special Meeting MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL TRANSPORTATION PLAN Monday September 22, 2008 - 5 p.m. Members Present: Clint Herbst, Wayne Mayer, Tom Perrault, Brian Stumpf and Susie Wojchouski. Members Absent: None 1. Call to Order. Mayor Herbst called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss the draft Transportation Plan for the City of Monticello. 2. Transaortation Plan. City Engineer, Bruce Westby opened the meeting explaining the workshop structure and indicating they would cover three segments: 1) The results of the River Street closing; 2) Transportation Plan update and 3) TH 25 corridor. Bruce Westby stated the River Street closure has been in effect for over 60 days having closed on July 14, 2008. The closing of River Street was a pilot project for the purpose of gathering data. Comments were solicited from residents and business owners. Thirty-two a-mail comments were received with 21 one being in favor of the closure and 11 against it. If the Council wants to make the closing permanent staff would hold a public meeting. Alternatives to a full closure would also be looked at. If River Street becomes a closed intersection, Wright County could request some modifications along CSAH 75. Clint Herbst asked if the County indicated how the county would expect to address access to the businesses. Bret Weiss said the County had not talked about alternatives since the initial closing. The Public Works Department placed the speed trailer on River Street, Broadway East and West and along TH 25. The speed on Broadway West before the closing of River Street was 29 mph and after the closing it was 35 mph. On River Street before the closing the speed limit was 26 mph and after the closing it was 21 mph. Chuck Rickart, WSB and Associates, Inc. spoke on the transportation plan also addressing the River Street closure. Factors that were looked at in considering closing River Street included: 1) Cut through traffic; 2) Speed; 3) Increase in congestion at TH 25/CSAH 75 intersection and 4) Safety. There are different alternatives that could be considered if River Street is closed permanently: 1) Full closure of the intersection; 2) A 3/ intersection; and 3) Right in/right out. Chuck Rickart pointed out on the east side of River Street/TH 25 intersection there is a sight problem because of the location of the building in that area that would impact what the City could do if they utilized the right in/right out option. The City could look at a combination of the options and Chuck Rickart indicated the possibility exists of closing River Street on the blocks further to the east and west of the TH 25 intersection. Council Minutes: 9/22/08 Special Meeting After closing River Street traffic counts were taken in August and again in September. Chuck Rickart reviewed the results of the traffic counts. Traffic on TH 25 went up by 2500 vehicles per day; Broadway went up to 11,000 vehicles a day and Cedar Street remained the same. Chuck Rickart noted that prior to the closing of River Street the TH 25/CSAH 75 intersection was a service level D. In the period River Street was closed the intersection fell to a service level E. Looking at overall operations of TH 25 closing the intersection at River Street had minimal impact in the drive time from I-94 to County Road 11. Chuck Rickart said there are some timing issues that have to be taken care of at the County Road 11 signal. Chuck Rickart indicated that it was in the state program to redo the signal at the intersection of TH 25 and CSAH 11. Chuck Rickard also stated that since County Road 18 interchange is in place the signals need to be re-timed. The state will be doing a milling project on TH 25 and some of these items will be included as part of the project Brian Stumpf felt without another river crossing or other major changes the City is not going to change the movement of traffic because the river is a bottleneck. It is projected that by 2030 45,000 cars a day will be crossing the TH 25 bridge. At this time the Council allowed those present an opportunity to speak on the River Street closing. Chuck Rickart noted there were comment cards available for those who did not wish to speak but did have comments or questions on the various transportation issues. Clint Herbst emphasized that much of this is preliminary with the City primarily gathering data to use in decision making. Steve Johnson, a property owner in the downtown area, stated the business owners had come up with a petition which they are submitting to the Council. He outlined the objections they had to the closing of River Street and requested the Council reopen the street. They felt the closing of River Street did not better the movement of traffic and had significant financial impacts for the downtown businesses. Steve Johnson suggested eliminating through traffic from Locust Street to the west and from Cedar Street to the east. He felt this option would reduce traffic through the residential area. Clint Herbst said one of the goals was to pull traffic off of River Street. He also felt that the traffic from Becker and Big Lake traveling on TH 25 was not stopping to do business in Monticello. Steve Johnson said he did not disagree with that but he felt closing River Street did impact circulation to local businesses Dean Rasmussen spoke regarding his business at 101 West Broadway. He relocated to that site because of the exposure. A good portion of his employees live north of TH 25 and they would access the road by River Street. He complained about people cutting through the alley behind his building. He would like more input from the residents and business owners before a decision is made. Kathleen Froslie, a business owner at the intersection of River Street and TH 25 stated that closing off River Street limits the access to her business. She felt it was important not to destroy the heart of Monticello which she felt was the downtown area. She said the downtown area is like a ghost town. While she understands residents are pleased with the closing of River Street because of the reduced traffic she felt for the small businesses it was a struggle. She also talked about vehicles cutting across the space behind the buildings which she felt was a serious problem. She stated she needs to fill her tenant space in order to generate the revenue to pay her taxes. She questioned whether the downtown can 2 Council Minutes: 9/22/08 Special Meeting continue as a business area. Kathleen Froslie felt that something needs to be done for the small business person as far as incentives or tax rebates. Wayne Mayer asked where the traffic that was cutting through was going. Was it going east or west? Dean Rasmussen said traffic is mostly travelling to the west. Wayne Mayer asked if he thought it was residential traffic. Dean Rasmussen thought a lot of the traffic was from the energy plant. Josh Dickinson, Old Skool Kustoms said people are frustrated with the traffic and expressed his concern about safety issues. There has been less vehicle traffic in front of his shop and his revenues have declined by $10,000. John Simola, Public Works Director, spoke regarding the closing of River Street and the different views of the closing presented to the Council. He too emphasized that the bottleneck is the river. The City still needs to deal with Sherburne County with the traffic coming over the bridge. He stated traffic at peak hours is backed up past the Post Office. He felt there is a need to compromise. Is there some way to restrict access to River Street but still provide access to the businesses. Clint Herbst felt there were many pieces of the puzzle that will impact the operation of the intersection. Clint Herbst said the number of people showing up at this meeting shows traffic is an issue. Chuck Rickart said now that they have the before and after traffic counts they can look at implementing some of these items such as re-timing of the lights and reconfiguration of the lanes. Bob Somerville, 213 East River Street said he approved the closure of River Street for the traffic factor especial on Friday nights. He suggested making River Street going towards the nursing home a one way street. It would reduce the speed of westbound traffic on River Street. Clint Herbst suggested one way traffic for the first block or two would be an option. Chuck Rickart discussed the Transportation Plan noting it is a planning tool for the City to look at. It is the big picture of transportation issues and needs that the City is impacted by. He added that TH 25 was identified as an issue in past transportation plans. The proposed transportation plan uses the old transportation plan for the basis and updated items such as the roadway classification used. WSB and Associates also looked at the City's land use plan as well as the land use plan for Big Lake. They identified needs and improvements and then looked at funding sources for these improvements. The plan includes collection road system; interchange, river crossing, pedestrian bike plan, transit plan and funding and financing of improvements. Chuck Rickart stated that the Fallon Avenue overpass has been in the plan for many years. The Fallon Avenue overpass has to be completed before any other interchange can be added. This overpass is meant to take the internal traffic offthe major roadways. The County Road 39 interchange was not included in the previous transportation plan but since it is something the City wants to look at it will be included in this plan. After the Transportation Plan is approved the engineers will look more closely at different interchange locations before going to MnDOT and FHWA with these locations. The Orchard Road interchange location was included in the previous plan. Bret Weiss said at a previous 3 Council Minutes: 9/22/08 Special Meeting meeting the Council looked at some options for the County Road 391ocation. MnDOT requires that the City look at all options when determining a location for an interchange. Going through the golf course was not a serious option that was being considered but it was one option that MnDOT required the city to look at. Chuck Rickart said Orchard Road was similar and that a number of alternatives were looked at when studying that site. Clint Herbst said that in previous discussions with Xcel Energy about an interchange location Xcel Energy was opposed to anything in close proximity to their facility. Bob Sartoris, 1115 Club View Drive asked who specifically brought this project to the City Council. Clint Herbst responded that he had brought the issue to the Council and asked that it be looked at. Bob Sartoris asked about cost estimates for the interchange alternatives. He noted his concerns with an interchange proposal that would impact the golf course and a townhome home development for senior citizens. Clint Herbst reiterated at this point the City is gathering information and input and has not made any decision. Clint Herbst said if the City doesn't identify the need for the interchange and an area for its location early on, it will be difficult for the City find to find developable property that can be assessed for the improvement. Bob Sartoris questioned whether there would be any benefitting property owners. Bret Weiss said when they looked at the Orchard Road site as a possible interchange location they also looked at the County Road 39 site. There are some severe limitations to utilizing the County Road 39 site. Rick Traver, representing the Monticello Country Club, stated 65% of their business comes from outside the community and utilizes other facilities within city such as restaurants, gas stations, etc. The County Road 39 interchange location would impact their business. He indicated the diamond interchange design would impact their driving range area. The driving range generates $40,000 in revenue a year. Rick Traver added that the golf course business is competitive and changes to their facility because of an interchange could impact them financially. Dan Frie, a member of the Monticello Country Club, felt the County Road 39 interchange location should be removed from the Transportation Plan because it is not realistic. He felt that there were other more important issues to address. He didn't believe retail development would locate in this area as it did with the County Road 18 interchange. He questioned whether the interchange would alleviate congestion so he wondered what the city would hope to accomplish with an interchange in this location. He felt a better site would be the Orchard Road location. Clint Herbst questioned the engineers if the interchange location is not identified in the Transportation Plan could the City still assess it. Bret Weiss felt the City could and added that with the County Road 18 interchange existing businesses were not assessed only undeveloped property was assessed since that property would realize an increase in their land values because of the interchange. Bret Weiss said they could identify a general area in the Transportation Plan and label it as "Future interchange location to be determined." Bret Weiss felt there would be just one interchange in the future since economically two would be unlikely. There are challenges with each of the locations cited. Bret Weiss thought not 4 Council Minutes: 9/22/08 Special Meeting identifying the interchange location in the Transportation plan would not affect whether or not the City could assess the property. Dennis Sullivan, 1201 Golf Course Road, noted that the 7th Street extension was not shown on the Transportation Plan and felt that should be part of the plan. Chuck Rickart stated it was in the previous Transportation Plan and would be included in the updated plan. Michael O'Kelly, 1103 Club View Drive, stated he was surprised by this proposal. He was concerned about anything that would affect the golf course as that was the reason why they moved out here. He suggested River Street going past the Xcel Training facility as an alternative but felt that any interchange would need a crossing of the river in order to alleviate traffic on TH 25. Clint Herbst said staff has been working on the Transportation Plan for some time and it was just recently that the Council asked them to look at the County Road 39 area. Bret Weiss said one option that was looked at would utilize the Xcel ball field location and this option included a river crossing that would align with County Road 11. Bret Weiss emphasized that there were issues with each of the locations that were considered. Mr. O'Kelly said he would like to see the training facility area included as an option. Lynn Dahl Fleming a member of the industrial development committee asked that in their consideration the Council remember the industrial property. The City has an industrial park out in that area that could be impacted by the interchange and related issues. John Rowe, 9 Bunker Circle, said the back of his property abuts on to 7th Street so he is interested in knowing what the plans are for that street. He too felt that a major transportation issue is another river crossing. Bret Weiss aid 7th Street is intended to go through and connect to TH 25. The City was waiting for development of the property so that the developer could contribute towards the right of way and pick up some of the cost of the construction of the road. Bret Weiss stated under current city assessment policy since the Rowe property does not front on 7th Street it would not be assessed for a street improvement. Another resident along Club View Drive stated that if you look at the exits along the freeway there is no an exit that goes directly into a residential site. He stated he represents Pinewood Elementary School. The school staff does many walking field trips within Monticello with their students. If this area opens up to interchange traffic the number of vehicles would increase dramatically. He didn't believe more cars should be sent through a residential area. Clint Herbst said no matter what is done it is going to cost a lot of money so the City is going to be sure they have the best option selected. It takes a good deal of time to study the sites and to get all the necessary approvals. Chuck Rickart added that MnDOT and the FHWA require that you not only look at what is the best site within Monticello but also why that site is better than any location outside the city limits. There are a lot of steps involved in the process. Council Minutes: 9/22/08 Special Meeting Chuck Rickart briefly discussed the river crossing options. These include the Orchard Road extension which would connect with County Road 11, Washington Avenue extension and the CSAH 18 extension. Chuck Rickart indicated that some of these extension would go through residential areas. Clint Herbst felt a river crossing on the east side of Monticello made more sense than a west side crossing. Chuck Rickart said he believes Albertville/Otsego are looking at river crossing further down perhaps somewhere in the area of Kadler or LaBeaux Avenue. Brian Stumpf felt that most of Monticello's growth is to the north and west and questioned a river crossing on the east side of town. Bret Weiss said Sherburne County is planning on the Albertville/Otsego crossing so there maybe greater emphasis on getting this crossing in. Sherburne County is assuming completion of the crossing within the 2030 time frame. Chuck Rickart reviewed the options they were looking at for an interchange and new river crossings and the impacts it would have. Chuck Rickart stated the best bang for the buck would be a crossing east of TH 25 because you will pull more traffic off TH 25. Much of Big Lake's development is taking place east of TH 25 so it is not just what is happening in Monticello but what is happening on the other side of the river that makes east of TH 25 a more logical choice. Wayne Mayer said on the Big Lake side of the river development may be on the east but in Monticello it is the north and west. Susie Wojchouski asked about the proposal of doing computer models with Big Lake so they could see where Big Lake traffic is going once it crosses the river. Chuck Rickart responded WSB designed the plan using the Big Lake land use plan and looking at where Big Lake anticipated their growth would take place. Big Lake believes their growth is going to be in the area of the transit line location. Monticello is impacted by growth issues on the other side of the river. Brian Stumpf cited as an example of this the proposed race track for Big Lake. Chuck Rickart commented that another bridge crossing would provide another conduit for Big Lake traffic. The tentative schedule on the Transportation Plan is to have the preliminary draft of the plan ready in October with a public workshop also scheduled in October. During October and November the Council and Planning Commission along with other agencies would be providing input on the plan. It is hoped the plan would be ready for Council adoption sometime in November or December. Clint Herbst felt it is important to get some alternatives in place for River Street. Brian Stumpf suggested Chuck Rickart talk to MnDOT about the old County Road 75 access to the freeway to see if that could be opened up. Developments such as Sunset Ponds are traveling back to County Road 18 to get on the freeway which is causing traffic congestion. Chuck Rickart responded it was a stipulation with the state that when the County Road 18 interchange was built that this access be closed. 3. Adiourn. Clint Herbst closed the workshop meeting at 6:55 p.m. Recording Secretary 6