HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3: Street Design Standards for Crest Drive
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Action: Street Design Standards for Crest Drive Area
Meeting Date: October 22, 2007 Agenda Item Number: 3
Department: Public Works Engineering Staff Contact: Mark Schoening
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5243
ISSUE STATEMENT
The City Council is requested to either confirm that the street design standards in the Design Standards
and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and Accessways are appropriate for the Crest
Drive Area or adopt Resolution 4919 (Attachment A) amending the City’s Design Standards and
Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and Accessways, the Eugene Arterial and Collector
Street and the Eugene Local Street Plan to allow a minimum travel lane width of nine feet on streets in
the area identified as the Crest Drive Area on the Eugene Street Classification Map.
BACKGROUND
City Council Action History
The City Council adopted the November 1999 Eugene Street Classification Map with the adoption of
Ordinance Number 20181 on November 22, 1999. The streets in the Crest Drive Area were left
unclassified pending a study to determine the appropriate classifications and design standards for the area.
The City Council adopted Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and
Accessways (Arterial and Collector Street Plan and Local Street Plan) with the adoption of Resolution
Number 4608 on November 22, 1999. The minimum travel lane width allowed under the design
standards for local streets and neighborhood collector streets is ten feet.
The City Council directed the City Manager to implement the Crest Drive Neighborhood context sensitive
solutions (CSS) process on May 8, 2006. A General Fund appropriation of $240,000 was approved as
part of the FY07 budget to fund the CSS process. The definition of CSS follows:
Context Sensitive Solutions is a collaborative, interdisciplinary project development approach
that involves all stakeholders to develop a transportation facility that fits its physical setting while
maintaining safety and mobility for all users, and reflecting community needs. The goal of CSS is
to create early, open, honest, and continuous communication and sharing of information and
knowledge throughout the design process.
The City Council appropriated an additional $58,000 as part of Supplemental Budget #1 of FY07 to
expand the scope of the CSS process to include Middle Crest.
A council work session was held on September 19, 2007, and continued to October 8, 2007, to provide
information on the City’s Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and
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Accessways to aid the Council in deciding whether the design standard pertaining to minimum travel lane
width should be reduced from ten feet to nine feet in the Crest Drive Area. The council directed the City
Manager to hold a public hearing on October 15, 2007, on a resolution to amend the Design Standards
and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and Accessways to establish a design standard
minimum travel lane width of nine feet for the Crest Drive area.
On October 15, 2007, the City Council held a public hearing on Resolution 4919, A Resolution
Concerning Street Widths in the Crest Drive Area, and Amending the City’s Design Standards and
Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and Accessways, the Eugene Arterial and Collector
Street Plan, and the Eugene Local Street Plan.
Context Sensitive Solutions Process History
After several months of work, the members of the Crest Drive Community Team (CDCT) approved their
group operating agreements for the CSS process for the Crest Drive neighborhood. There are 21
members of the CDCT including two City staff, Lisa Gardner, Planning Director and Mark Schoening,
City Engineer. The CDCT developed group agreements addressing decision-making, meetings,
communication and support. Each member of the CDCT signed the group agreements. The CDCT also
developed a mission statement that reads:
To recommend a street design for the identified sections of Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard, and
Friendly Street using the context sensitive solutions process while taking into consideration the
entire neighborhood context.
To support the design efforts of the CDCT the City conducted a topographic survey of all of the streets
under consideration, including all of the trees within the public right of way. The City’s survey crew
surveyed 15,846 data points including the existing edge of pavement, property corners, public and private
utilities, structures, and trees. All of this survey information was used to generate a set of maps to aid in
the street design process.
The design process involved City staff working with five separate street teams on five separate street
segments – Upper Crest, Middle Crest, Lower Crest, Storey and Friendly. Each street team presented its
conceptual design to the entire CDCT. As part of the design process each street team evaluated its design
using the Themes and Values developed and approved by the CDCT.
Over the course of two CDCT meetings on June 28 and July 12, the CDCT reached consensus on the
conceptual design for all five street segments. However, the CDCT did not reach agreement on the
overall design concept because of an outstanding issue regarding the minimum street width. Through a
consensus based decision process, the CDCT has determined that there are compelling reasons to
support a minimum street width of 18 feet (two nine-foot travel lanes). Reasons supporting the
recommendation include the CDCT’s themes and values regarding preserved neighborhood livability,
reduction of traffic speeds, efficient use of urban land in a rural setting, increased safety for all modes of
use and focus on a footprint that fits the neighborhood’s character. As such, an 18-foot street width is
perceived to be more consistent with the CDCT’s adopted themes and values than a 20-foot street width.
Based on these collaboratively developed values, it is the consensus recommendation of the CDCT to
pursue a legislative change to the minimum street width (18 feet rather than the prescribed minimum of
20 feet) prior to making a decision on the overall design concept.
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RELATED CITY POLICIES
Transplan Goal #2: Transportation System Characteristics
Enhance the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area’s quality of life and economic opportunity by
providing a transportation system that is:
a.Balanced
b.Accessible,
c.Efficient,
d.Safe,
e.Interconnected,
f.Environmentally responsible,
g.Supportive of responsible and sustainable development,
h.Responsive to community needs and neighborhood impacts, and
i.Economically viable and financially stable.
COUNCIL OPTIONS
1.Adopt Resolution 4919.
2.Confirm that the street design standards in the Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets,
Sidewalks, Bikeways and Accessways are appropriate for streets in the area identified as the Crest
Drive Area on the Eugene Street Classification Map.
3.Take no action.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends that the Mayor and City Council confirm that the street design
standards in the Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and
Accessways are appropriate for streets in the area identified as the Crest Drive Area on the Eugene
Street Classification Map.
SUGGESTED MOTION
Move to confirm that the street design standards in the Design Standards and Guidelines for
Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and Accessways are appropriate for streets in the area
identified as the Crest Drive Area on the Eugene Street Classification Map.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Resolution 4919
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Mark Schoening
Telephone: 682-5243
Staff E-Mail: mark.a.schoening@ci.eugene.or.us
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ATTACHMENT A
RESOLUTION NO. ________
A RESOLUTION CONCERNING STREETS WIDTHS IN THE CREST
DRIVE AREA, AND AMENDING THE CITY’S DESIGN STANDARDS
AND GUIDELINES FOR EUGENE STREETS SIDEWALKS, BIKEWAYS
AND ACCESSWAYS, THE EUGENE ARTERIAL & COLLECTOR
STREET PLAN, AND THE EUGENE LOCAL STREET PLAN.
The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that:
A.
The City Council adopted the November 1999 Eugene Street Classification Map
by Ordinance No. 20181 on November 22, 1999, with the streets in the Crest Drive Area left
unclassified pending a study to determine the appropriate classifications and design standards for
the neighborhood.
B.
Design Standards and Guidelines for Eugene Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and
Accessways (Design Standards and Guidelines) were also adopted by the City Council on
November 22, 1999 by Resolution No. 4608. These Design Standards and Guidelines are also
set forth in the Eugene Arterial and Collector Street Plan adopted as findings in support of
Ordinance No. 20181, and street width recommendations are reflected in the Eugene Local Street
Plan adopted as findings in support of Ordinance No. 20056. The minimum width allowed under
the design standards for local streets and neighborhood streets is 20 feet.
C.
The City Council directed the City Manager to implement the Crest Drive
Neighborhood context sensitive solutions (CSS) process on May 8, 2006, with CSS defined as:
Context sensitive solutions is a collaborative, interdisciplinary project
development approach that involves all stakeholders to develop a transportation
facility that fits its physical setting while maintaining safety and mobility for all
users, and reflecting community needs. The goal of CSS is to create early, open,
honest, and continuous communication and sharing of information and knowledge
throughout the design process.
D.
The City conducted a topographic survey of all of the streets under consideration,
including all of the trees within the public right-of-way. The City’s survey crew surveyed over
15,000 data points including the existing edge of pavement, property corners, public and private
utilities, structures and trees. All of this survey information was used to generate a set of maps to
aid in the street design process.
E.
The design process involved City staff working with five separate street teams on
five separate street segments – Upper Crest, Middle Crest, Lower Crest, Storey and Friendly.
Each street team presented its conceptual design to the entire Crest Drive Community Team
(CDCT). As part of the design process, each street team evaluated its design using the Themes
and Values developed and approved by the CDCT.
Resolution - 1
F.
Over the course of two meetings on June 28 and July 13, the CDCT reached
consensus on the conceptual design for all five street segments. However, the CDCT did not
reach agreement on the overall design concept because of an outstanding issue regarding the
minimum street width. Through a consensus-based decision process, the CDCT determined
there were compelling reasons to support a minimum street width of 18 feet (two nine-foot travel
lanes). Reasons supporting the recommendation included the CDCT’s themes and values
regarding preserved neighborhood livability, reduction of traffic speeds, efficient use of urban
land in a rural setting, increased safety for all modes of use, and focus on a footprint that fits the
neighborhood’s character. As such, an 18-foot street width was perceived to be more consistent
with the CDCT’s adopted themes and values than a 20-foot street width. Based on those
collaboratively developed values, it was the consensus recommendation of the CDCT to pursue a
legislative change to the minimum street width (18 feet rather than the prescribed minimum of
20 feet) prior to making a decision on the overall design concept.
G.
Although Resolution No. 4608 adopting the Design Standards and Guidelines
contained a provision authorizing administrative amendments to the Design Standards and
Guidelines, because of the adverse impacts to safety and efficiency associated with a minimum
street width of 18 feet, City staff determined it would be inappropriate to pursue an
administrative amendment to the Design Standards and Guidelines and has referred the matter to
the City Council.
H.
The City Council held work sessions on the requested amendment to the street
width in the Crest Drive Neighborhood on September 19, 2007 and October 8, 2007, a public
hearing on October 15, 2007, and based on the above findings and the testimony presented at the
public hearing, is now ready to take action.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE, a
Municipal Corporation of the State of Oregon, as follows:
Section 1.
The Design Standards and Guidelines for Streets, Sidewalks, Bikeways and
Accessways adopted by Resolution No. 4608 of the City Council is amended by adding the
following paragraph as subsection (3) to the Vehicle Travel Lane Width Design Standards
provision set forth on page 7, and as subsection (5) to paragraph A, the Vehicle Lanes provision
of the Local Street Design Standards set forth on page 36:
The minimum travel lane width on streets in the area identified as the Crest Drive
Area on the Eugene Street Classification Map is 9’.
Section 2.
The City Recorder is requested to append a copy of this Resolution to
Resolution No. 4608, Ordinance No. 20181 and Ordinance No. 20056. To the extent any of the
provisions contained therein conflict with the amendment set forth in Section 1 of this
Resolution, the amendment contained herein shall prevail.
Section 3.
This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
Resolution - 2
The foregoing Resolution adopted the ____ day of October, 2007.
____________________________________
City Recorder
Resolution - 3