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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-05-03 Parking Advisory Recommendation Committee MinutesTown of Reading 2w Meeting Minutes F° 6JaINf OPNNP Board - Committee - Commission Date: 2022-05-03 Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: Presentation to Select Board Attendees: Members - Present: RECEIVED TOWN, CLERK RFADING, MA, Council: 2022 MAY 19 AM 11: 09 Parking Advisory & Recommendations Committee Time: 7:30 PM Location: Select Board Meeting Room Session: Open Session Version: Draft Chair Bernard Horn, Chris Haley, Tom O'Connor, Karen Rose -Gillis, Jay Jackson Members - Not Present: Elizabeth Whitelam, Dan Dewar, John Weston, Sarah Brukilacchio Others Present: Staff: Julie Mercier, Andrew MacNichol Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Julie Mercier Topics of Discussion: The meeting was called to order at 7:47 PM. Mr. Haley spoke as a resident noting that he is in favor of the kiosk proposal because it will underpin every other aspect of the system and is the foundation for which all else will function. He noted that back in 2021 certain restaurants were not open for lunch because the parking situation was too tricky. He opined that $100k for kiosks is better than $5 million for a parking garage. Mr. Tom O'Connor, resident of Van Norden Road, spoke as a resident. He thanked the Select Board for establishing PARC, and then thanked the PARC members for their efforts and their ability to respect all individual opinions. He noted that the PARC presentation reflects how a group of individuals can come together for the good of the community. He asked the Select Board, if they vote to move forward with the kiosks, that they also view the daily work of the Town's Enforcement Officer. He also thanked staff for assisting PARC. Deputy Chief Amendola thanked PARC for their hard work, opining that you never fully understand the complexity of the downtown parking situation until you get into it. She said that the Police Department and PTTTF fully support all of the recommendations presented by PARC. Caroline Gauthier, Reading Foot & Ankle Specialists at 50 Haven, resident of Washington Street. She noted that most of her patients use the Brande Court parking lot. She said the stigma of not having enough parking happened about 4 years ago when 4 hour parking was allowed in the lot and local construction workers started parking there all day. She suggested changing the lot back to 2 hours to see if that helps. She spoke out against kiosks, noting that her patient population is mostly seniors. She said paying for parking will be a headache for her patients. She mentioned that she attended a few PARC meetings and the last Select Board meeting. She said her patients cannot walk b/c they have wounds, broken ankles, issues with their feet. She also said that most of her patients are in her Page I 1 office for less than hour, but that she does have some who come in for procedures. She asked for 2 hours of free parking in the Brande Court lot. Ms. Mercier and Ms. Amendola mentioned handicap accessibility for the kiosks, as well as training and the roll-out of the kiosks. The Select Board closed the public hearing on downtown parking modifications at 8:00 PM. Town Manager Maltez explained that the Traffic Safety Amendment motions are broken into 4 categories: (1) motions that can be voted on by all Select Board members, (2) motions that can be voted on by all members except for Chris Haley, (3) motions that can be voted on by all members except Carlo Bacci, and (4) motions that can be voted on by all members except for Mr. Haley and Mr. Bacci. Mr. Haley and Mr. Bacci own property within the downtown and have decided to abstain from voting on motions within 300' of their properties. Mr. Dockser inquired about the Vine Street parking proposed to change from resident -only to 2 -hour or All Day with Employee Permit. He asked whether residents or commuters expressed any concerns with this. Mr. Horn noted that commuters were not super involved in the PARC process, and that residents in that area have off-street parking. Ms. Amendola clarified that even pre-covid, that area was never full, and that the proposal to allow it be for employee parking was due to the expressed need for more parking for employees of the medical uses on Haven Street. The Select Board voted 5-0-0 on the first group of Amendments. Mr. Bacci said he appreciates the efforts but is not 100% sold on the kiosk idea yet. He suggested rolling out the other changes first, including enforcement, and then waiting 6 months to see if kiosks are still needed. He noted that some business owners are not totally against kiosks but are concerned about the potential impacts. He said he has no issues with the other amendments. Ms. Herrick noted that Town Meeting approved the budget and the kiosks and that she does not share Mr. Baccl's concerns. Ms. McCarthy asked for clarification on the # of spaces in each parking lot and on the ability for staff or the Select Board to change regulations/timeframes/pricing schemes. Ms. Mercier clarified that changing the timeframes and pricing schemes would require a Select Board hearing. Ms. McCarthy expressed interest in being able to be flexible and adjust things. Mr. Dockser opined that he feels the parking situation is dire and prefers going all -in. He asked Ms. Mercier to clarify the costs of the kiosks. Mr. Bacci asked about contracts with 3f° party vendors. He suggested that if the kiosks are approved, he wants a robust and aggressive outreach and education component, a substantial grace period for kiosk patrons -who will have a steep learning curve, and reporting back to the Select Board every 6 months or so. He reiterated his desire for a 6 - month delay from when the other aspects are implemented to when the kiosks are rolled out. Ms. Mercier and Ms. Amendola discussed timeline for implementation. Ms. Amendola clarified that once the Select Board votes to change the Regulations, the Police Department has to get started on implementing the changes. She said that the DPW can order and install signs typically within a month and that permits can be ordered fairly quickly as well. Ms. Mercier said the kiosks could lag the other pieces by a few months given the other aspects that need to be worked out, and noted that they would want to be strategic about timing the roll-out and ensure staff capacity for a robust outreach effort. Page 1 2 The Select Board approved the 2n° group of Amendments, without the kiosk amendment, 4- 0-1 (Haley abstained). The Select Board approved the kiosk amendment 3-1-1 (Sacci no, Haley abstained). Training/education/outreach campaign, clarity, warnings instead of tickets at first, reviewing the data within 6 months with staff coming back to or emailing the Select Board on a regular basis especially if there is something interesting happening. Mr. Dockser asked that staff look into validation for businesses, free passes, etc Mr. Horn said that a period of control data might be useful for analytical purposes in order to understand whether we need kiosks or not. He suggested tracking utilization and parking counts starting now. Ms. Mercier commented that the control period would probably want to be after the other changes are Implemented, and that it could take a lot of staff time but perhaps a consultant could be hired. Ms. McCarthy suggested we could leverage the parking app companies to help with this. The Select Board approved the V group of Amendment (just one: 2022-4) 4-0-1 (Bacci abstained). The Select Board approved the 4'h group of Amendments 3-0-2 (Haley and Bacci abstained). Mr. O'Connor moved to adjourn the PARC meeting at 8:40PM. Mr. Horn seconded and it was approved 5-0-0 by roll call vote. Page 1 3