MINUTES
Mayor and Council Chambers
Meeting No. 10-04
October 26, 2004, 7:30 p.m.
Commissioners Present:
Richard Resnick, Chair Elizabeth Crane
Alice Filemyr
Stan Klein
Alan Levine
Amy Rosselle
City Staff: Katherine Kelly, Larry Marcus
Guests: Gerald Leighton, City of Rockville Environment Commission
Alan Kaplan, King Farm Civic Association (At-Large)
Mel Willis, King Farm Civic Association
_______________, King Farm Resident
Matt Hurson, JBG Companies (Upper Rock Development)
Nancy Regelin, Attorney (Upper Rock Development)
Mike Workosky, Wells & Associates Traffic Consultant (Upper Rock)
1. Review and Approve Minutes
a. Minutes from the September 2004 meeting were approved with no changes.
2. Comprehensive Transportation Review with Applicant
Representatives of the Upper Rock Development, in compliance with Step 10 of the CTR, presented proposed mitigations to Commissioners and residents present. The following items were discussed:
a. Commissioner Klein expressed concern about the live/work units potentially being counted as “credits”. Ms. Regelin and staff explained that these units were not credited in the final trip generation counts, but rather as retail and residential rates.
b. Chair Resnick shared an email from Commissioner Oberg (Attachment A) that expressed concern about multimodal accessibility and pedestrian connections. Ms. Regelin and staff expressed that these concerns are mutually shared.
c. Commissioners Klein and Levine expressed that they would like to see trip generations and more detailed background information prior to the next CTR applicants’ presentation. Staff agreed that this would be helpful and would try to send this information at least one week prior to the meeting.
d. Commissioner Klein asked Mr. Workosky for more detailed information about which intersections were counted and more information about assumptions for Shady Grove/Choke Cherry and MD355/King Farm Blvd. intersections. Mr. Workosky shared this information.
e. King Farm resident Alan Kaplan shared a list of items that the King Farm Civic Association has developed for traffic calming requests:
A traffic circle at Redland Blvd. and Gaither Rd.
Enforcement of speeding school buses.
Speed bumps along Redland Blvd.
A traffic light at Redland Blvd. and Elmcroft Blvd.
f. King Farm resident Mel Willis shared the following:
Cut-through traffic is, and will continue to be, a problem along Redland Blvd. Many cars come to/from MD355 to I-270 via this route. Also, cars cut through King Farm from MD355 to Shady Grove Rd. via Redland Rd. and Gaither Rd.
Requests a left turn arrow at Redland Rd. and MD355. Staff requested that JBG/Wells & Associates conduct a sensitivity test at Redland and MD355.
g. Ms. Regelin stated that, as outlined in the proposed mitigations, JBG will install three traffic calming devices along Redland Blvd. (type and locations to be determined during the detailed application stage). Also, the intersection of Redland Blvd. and Piccard would be studied after completion of Upper Rock to see if it met signal warrants. Financial contributions for a signal or other forms of traffic control/calming are included in the current list of mitigations. This money will be put in a City escrow account.
h. Ms. Regelin pointed out that a new bicycle connection would be made along Piccard Dr.
i. Commissioner Klein inquired about a multimodal center as a form of mitigation. Ms. Regelin and staff explained that a CCT station would be located nearby and it would not make sense to have a multimodal center that close to a station.
j. Commissioner Levine stated that he approves of the proposed mitigations.
k. Chair Resnick approves of the proposed mitigations but would like additional measures included to address cut-through traffic. He also requested that the bus stops along Shady Grove Rd. near Home Depot be lined up with pedestrian connections (sidewalks).
l. Commissioners agreed to not “officially” vote for the proposed mitigations at this time. Additional comments from Commissioners should be emailed to staff within the next week for consideration in the Transportation Staff Report (TSR).
m. Chair Resnick requested that staff send out the TSR to T&T Commissioners at the same time it is sent as an agenda item to the Planning Commission and/or Mayor & Council. This will allow them one week to review the Report prior to the public input forum at the Planning Commission or Mayor & Council session.
3. Staff Report and Updates
a. Staff Report (Weekly)
b. Town Center Capacity Report
Staff shared information about a process to review transportation impacts and components of Town Center development and explained that current analysis is at Step 2 of a 3-Step process that includes:
· The Town Center Master Plan
· Capacity Analysis to determine what is the “right” size and amount of development to be allowed
· Development Applications
Staff shared presentation materials from a recent joint Planning Commission/Mayor & Council session regarding existing and projected traffic levels of service
Staff requested that Commissioners review the Capacity Report (included in the Agenda Items) and, if possible, attend a December 6th Mayor & Council session follow-up meeting that will focus on defining the problems and potential technical solutions. The Commission’s role is to review and provide comment (to staff or to Mayor & Council at the Dec. 6th session) on the different land use scenarios in that report.
c. Permit Parking
Staff updated Commissioners that Permit Parking would not be presented to Mayor & Council until January.
Commissioners requested that next month’s agenda include discussion about the new mechanics of the Permit Parking procedures.
d. Town Center Traffic Calming Strategy and Schedule
Commissioner Rosselle gave a report on the October 12th West End Civic Association meeting on traffic calming.
Staff gave an update on the public outreach process for traffic calming in all neighborhoods surrounding Town Center.
4. Next “Priority” Intersections Requiring Improvements
a. Chair Resnick requested that discussion on this item be delayed until next month’s meeting.
5. Discuss Update of Neighborhood Traffic Control Guidelines
a. Staff requested that Commissioners review the current Guidelines and suggest updates.
b. Commissioners requested that staff send them a list of items that might need changes/updates.
c. Commissioner Rosselle suggested incorporation of an advisory that, with new traffic signs there be an initial time for extra enforcement at that location. Staff will set up a meeting with the Police to discuss this.
6. Review of Draft Memo re: Streetlight Maintenance
a. Chair Resnick shared a draft memo to Mayor & Council regarding streetlight maintenance. Commissioners approved the memo, with the addition of problem locations (staff to provide this).
7. Other Items
a. The November Traffic & Transportation Commission meeting is scheduled for one week earlier than normal, to take place November 18.
b. Chair Resnick requested that staff notify the City Clerk that Jean Gonnella should be removed from the Commission due to excessive absence.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m.
Attachment A:
I am very supportive of the JBG Upper Rock project at Shady Grove Road and Choke Cherry Road, but only if there is adequate traffic mitigation.
I oppose number 2 as currently written. The King Farm Civic Association has requests pending for traffic calming on this stretch of Redland, including rumble strips, the removal of transport trucks, and other mitigations that should not wait for Upper Rock. It should not be Upper Rock's responsibility to address a currently existing condition. Conversely, Upper Rock should be required to mitigate the extra traffic it will cause, and one way to do so would be through funding of a traffic circle at Gaither and Redland. (I expect representatives of the King Farm Civic Association to attend Tuesday's meeting to discuss these matters.)
I will oppose the Upper Rock permits if there is not multi-modal connectivity in all directions from the project.
As you can see from the attached map, this development is at the very edge of Rockville. Directly across Shady Grove Road are restaurants and businesses (Red Lobster, bowling, Home Depot, etc.) and directly across I-270 lies Washingtonian Center/Rio with a great many restaurants, shops, and entertainment places around a lake. I have drawn a line in black to show approximately where the CCT line will go. The CCT will essentially link Shady Grove Metro, King Farm Village Center, Upper Rock (JBG), and the Washingtonian/Rio via light rail or rapid bus.
Now is the time to link these areas with multi-modal connections, because they are all so close to each other. In 10-15 years, there will be thousands of people living at all these sites and they will want connectivity. It is best to plan for this now, rather than trying to retrofit connectivity later. As we have seen with the attempt to cross I-270 with a pedestrian/bicycle bridge at West Montgomery, this is very expensive; in retrospect, it would have been far wiser to have planned that crossing properly in the first place.
The West Montgomery pedestrian bridge mistake should not be repeated with the CCT and I propose that Rockville make approval of the Upper Rock project contingent on satisfactory multi-modal connectivity in all directions. We don't want people to have to get in their cars to get between Washingtonian/Rio and Upper Rock which, if you look at the map, requires a driver to go back and forth (and through about seven intersections with traffic lights) just to travel a few hundred yards.
I am not pre-judging exactly how this should be done. Originally, the CCT was conceived as a light rail line with a pedestrian and bicycle trail all the way from Clarksburg to Shade Grove Metro, so this is not a new subject. Whether pedestrian/bicycle connectivity would include a passageway alongside the CCT, or an overhead or suspended route, or if existing infrastructure (such as it is) would be linked up with CCT, is not as important at the moment as starting the process to make Upper Rock accessible by more than automobile. This will require a look at station placement on both sides of I-270, transit schedules and timing, and route sharing potential.
I do not think we can make an informed decision on Upper Rock until both of these issues are adequately addressed. If I am not present for the vote on the traffic mitigations, I give my proxy to the Chairman to vote no on the mitigations as they are currently written. A good next step, in my opinion, would be a report from CCT planners and JBG about these issues.
