Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-11 BOS Center Streetscape- min 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 1 of 8 Center Streetscape Community Meeting June 11, 2018 A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:03 p.m. in Battin Hall of the Cary Memorial Building for the purpose of holding a Community Meeting about the Center Streetscape initiative. Present for the Board of Selectmen were Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Pato; Ms. Ciccolo (late arrival); Mr. Lucente (late arrival); Ms. Hai; Mr. Valente, Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Also present were Dave Pinsonneault, DPW Director; John Livsey, Town Engineer; and members of the Town Manager’s Center Streetscape Task Force: Howard Levin, former chair of the Center Streetscape Design Review Ad Hoc Committee; Pam Shadley, Center Committee/landscape architect; Anne Eccles, Historic Districts Commission; Tim Lee, Design Advisory Committee; and Kelly Carr and Kien Ho, BETA Group consultants. Peggy Enders, Bicycle Advisory Committee representative to the Center Streetscape Task Force, was absent. Mr. Levin stated that since January 2017, when the Selectmen accepted the Center Streetscape Design Review Ad Hoc Committee report (with added commentary), the Town Manager’s Center Streetscape Task Force working group, including DPW staff and BETA Group consultants, has endeavored to advance the project to the 25% design/cost estimate stage. With Selectmen support, the group intends to submit a request to Special Town Meeting in the fall, asking for the remaining design funds to bring the project to 100%. If that is approved, a subsequent request will be made for construction funds at Annual Town Meeting in the spring of 2019. Mr. Levin emphasized that public input is an important element of this process. Tonight’s meeting has four components:  Restatement of project goals;  Review recent actions;  Project update and preliminary estimate;  Comments and questions. Mr. Levin said the goals of the project have remained essentially the same throughout: to improve safety, accessibility, and renew the mid-century modern landscape. Mr. Levin noted that the scope of the project has shrunk to some degree: it now spans from Cary Memorial Library to the Police Station entry driveway and includes Waltham Street from Massachusetts Avenue to the municipal parking lot entrance. The Woburn Street intersection, formerly within the scope of the Center Streetscape initiative, has been separated into a stand-alone project. Recent actions of the working group include oversight of two newly-generated reports. The first report comes from Public Archaeology Laboratory (PAL), which conducted an historic resource assessment to tie the current streetscape back to how it was originally developed. Mr. Levin recommended that residents access this “detailed and interesting” report on the Ad Hoc committee webpage. The second report comes from Bartlett Tree. It is an exhaustive street tree 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 2 of 8 inventory that will form the basis of a tree management plan going forward. This document is also available on the webpage but Mr. Levin summarized the findings by stating that most of the trees in the Center are not doing well. Trees: Ms. Eccles provided more detail from the Bartlett Tree report: 52% are in poor condition and only 15% receive a “good” rating. One tree is completely dead. The remaining 32% are in “fair” condition. Efforts will be made to retain older, larger specimens. Mr. Lee said replacement trees on the north side of Massachusetts Avenue would be of two tree varieties, Zelkova and Honeylocusts, and 3 ½ to 4- inches in diameter. These species are hardy in this region, low maintenance, and urban landscape-tolerant. There is another list of tree species being considered for the south side of Massachusetts Avenue which has different shade and dimensional requirements. Mr. Lee said the goal is to provide a continuous-yet-diverse tree canopy with a “promenade feel” on both sides of the street. In some spots, such as near Cary Library, trees will be clustered. The plan calls for at least two trees to be planted on Waltham Street as well. Mr. Lee said the trees planting on Waltham Street is limited because of the powerline wires; however, if there is an opportunity to add more trees, that will be done. Drainage and soil compaction will be improved by suspended pavement construction, and installing tree grates, Silva cells and irrigation systems. Parking: Mr. Levin said that the Center Streetscape project will minimally impact parking counts: 10 spaces will be lost along Massachusetts Avenue and 1 space will be lost on Waltham Street. The reduction is due to added safety features, such as bump-outs, that will narrow Massachusetts Avenue to shorten crossing distances and improve sightlines. Some bus stop locations will be adjusted but the particulars have not been finalized within the scope of the 25% design phase. Mr. Levin said that, given the improvement to safety, the loss of 11 spaces is justifiable. Sidewalk Materials: Sidewalks will be reconstructed using brick where there is now brick and concrete with brick edging where there is now concrete. The kind of brick to be used is not the same as that existing on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue in the Center. The proposed brick is straight-edge, wire-cut pavers with no space between them, red to dark brown in color, set to industry standards in a herringbone configuration to minimize vibration, with tight sand- swept joints. The sidewalks will be minimally cross-sloped to allow for proper drainage that meets or exceeds ADA standards. Curbing will be granite; ramps will have a concrete transition pad for visual contrast. Mr. Levin said that currently, Massachusetts Avenue is the equivalent of 6 lanes including parking lanes. This, combined with vehicle speed and occluded sightlines, makes crossing distances too great. Bump outs at corners will narrow the street and calm traffic. Crosswalks will be lit to improve nighttime visibility. Lighting: Ms. Shadley said three kinds of lighting fixtures are proposed: pedestrian level walkway lights; post-mounted streetlights: and utility pole-mounted streetlights. Pedestrian-level light fixtures are concentrated on the north side of Massachusetts Avenue, from the middle of the 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 3 of 8 Center and to the west. They are consistent with existing fixtures and mounted on simple, slender, black poles with shields at the top to minimize light pollution. These pedestrian lights are intended to match existing historic light fixtures and would use LED bulbs. Twenty-two of the twenty-nine streetlights will also be mounted on black poles, have slender profiles, use LED bulbs, and be of minimal visual presence. The remaining seven roadway lights will be mounted on existing utility poles. If desired, a small flood light can be added to further illuminate the street area. The height of roadway poles will be between 21 and 30 feet. On the crosswalks, there will be 3.4 foot candles of illumination which Ms. Shandley said more than there is currently. The overall distribution of light is intended to be consistent and not create “hotspots” and “darkspots”. Benches: The current style of bench will be retained. Benches in good condition will be removed and re-set; benches in poor condition will be replaced by those made of IPE wood for greater durability. Bench plaques will be transferred onto new benches at or near the former location. A variety of backless and chair-style seating will be intermingled with traditional style benches to facilitate conversation and comfort and to accommodate differing seating needs. Bike racks will be spread throughout the Center to accommodate 45 bicycles along Massachusetts Avenue (not inclusive of the seasonal parklet or the racks near the bike path). Two styles have been selected in collaboration with the Bike Committee. Signs will be posted on black poles to minimize visual clutter. A full signage plan has yet to be developed but the goal is to keep signs to a minimum and consolidate wherever possible. The blue P on oxblood background will continue to be used to direct drivers to parking locations. Ms. Shadley then put all the parts of the project together in a linear “walk-through” from west to east, starting at Cary Library and ending at the Police Station driveway entrance. Mr. Levin summarized the technical details, showing a checklist with project elements and verification of what was proposed by the ad hoc committee, approved by the Board of Selectmen, and addressed in the updated 25% design phase. Cost estimates: The total project is estimated $9,206,980. Broken into components, $7,356,980 of the total constitutes the construction subtotal. Police details, which will be substantial due to traffic volume and intensity of the project area, are estimated at $740,000. Construction administrative is estimated to be $1,100,000. After funding is secured at Annual Town Meeting 2019, Phase One of construction would commence in the spring 2020-fall 2021; Phase Two would take place spring 2022-fall 2023. The reasons for breaking the project into two phases are 1) to minimize the impacts to Center businesses; 2) minimize the impacts to residents and visitors; and 3) to organize the areas of construction impact. Mr. Levin said the decision about how to phase the project depends on a number of things but the project must be tightly managed and well-organized so as to keep not to discourage residents and visitors from coming into the downtown area. 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 4 of 8  Public Questions Tom Shiple, 18 Phinney Road, said he noticed three areas where bike racks are not going to be installed: near the Crafty Yankee at 1838 Massachusetts Avenue; at the corner of Meriam and Massachusetts Avenue; and near the Town Hall at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. He asked that this be reviewed. Dan Fenn, Precinct 3 Town Meeting Member, said, in his opinion, the Center Streetscape plan is vastly improved. However, he is concerned that if Massachusetts Avenue is reduced from 6 lanes to 4 lanes as described, traffic will back up. Mr. Livsey said the narrowing should not impede traffic flow as the through lanes would remain open in both directions. Andrew Friedlich, Precinct 5 Town Meeting member, asked if the honeylocust trees would attract bees and cause bee sting concerns. Mr. Lee said the name is misleading; the trees should not attract bees. Susan Bennett, 64 Bloomfield Street, asked if the existing fixed granite planters would remain in place. Mr. Lee said they would remain and plantings would be refreshed. Ian Adamson, 33 Hancock Street, agreed that the latest iteration of the project is greatly improved. He asked if there is a way to simplify the number of light fixture styles and make them more homogenous. Ms. Shadley said that, as each section of the Center is updated, the number/styles of light fixture would be simplified. Chris Barnett, 19 Eldred Street, also praised the project. However, he asked if there are statistics to validate the claim that the proposed changes will improve safety. He would argue that Massachusetts Avenue is not 6 lanes; it is, instead, 4 travel lanes plus 2 parking lanes. The addition of bump outs, while fashionable at the moment, may not be warranted, particularly in the areas that would cause the elimination of the righthand turning lane from Massachusetts Avenue to Waltham Street and the turning lane onto Massachusetts Avenue from Edison Way. In his experience, even with the dedicated turning lanes, traffic tends to back up at these points in the morning. With GPS navigation use, ripple effects will be felt throughout town as drivers seek alternate routes. He asked to see the traffic analysis that formed the basis of these turning lane eliminations. Additionally, he questioned the wisdom of planting tress on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue where the sidewalk is already narrow. Bob Pressman, 22 Locust Avenue, asked if flashing crosswalk lights would be used in the Center. Mr. Livsey said there is no plan to do so in the downtown area. Mr. Pressman asked if the data gathered from the temporary turning lane closures (onto Waltham Street from Massachusetts Avenue and onto Massachusetts Avenue from Edison Way) has been analyzed. Mr. Livsey said the data was presented to the Board of Selectmen last year, as well as the findings from a closure at Harrington Road and Massachusetts Avenue. John Rosenberg, 64 Bloomfield Street, believes the Center Streetscape project is a large investment and recommended that annual maintenance costs be calculated. He also noted the Center Streetscape project will have to be synced with the Police Station project. 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 5 of 8 Gerry Paul, Precinct 4 Town Meeting member/Tree Committee member, said he is happy to hear about the trees being planted on Waltham Street as well as the attention being paid to trees in general. He encouraged the team not to dismiss planting trees in areas where conditions are not perfect, such as near utility wires or where the sidewalk is too narrow for optimum-sized tree wells. Mark Connor, 16 Highland Avenue, commended the Ad Hoc committee and the Town for all the work done to reimagine the project. He believes plantings can be used thoughtfully to distinguish areas for people versus areas for cars. He also questioned the cost estimate for construction administration (CA): the quoted amount of $1.1M seems higher than the norm. Mr. Livsey explained that the CA was high due to the need for precise timing and tight organization. He anticipates the need to hire one full-time administrator to oversee operations and a possible second staff person to liaise with businesses and set up road and sidewalk detours. He does not expect a current staff member will cover these tasks. He noted that, as the project moves toward 100% design, it may be possible to refine the CA estimate. Victoria Buckley, Precinct 9 Town Meeting member/Commission on Disabilities chair, noted that for a stretch of the Center, streetlights are planned only on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue. Ms. Shadley replied that the south side streetlights will throw light across the entire roadway; pedestrian lights will provide sidewalk illumination on the north side. Ms. Buckley said that brick is not a sidewalk material recommended by Disability Commission. She added that past cost comparisons showed using concrete instead of brick would save $700,000 and asked if more recent cost comparisons have been done. Ms. Barry said that the Board of Selectmen voted in January 2017 to approve the Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendations and no recent additional cost comparisons have been done. Ms. Buckley noted that the tree grates might be tripping hazards and asked if the Commission of Disabilities would have any input into the tree grate design. Mr. Pinsonneault and Mr. Livsey indicated input would be welcomed. Ms. Buckley asked if any handicapped parking spaces would be lost. Mr. Livsey said there will be no reduction of handicapped spaces. Ms. Buckley said studies have shown the color contrast between brick and gray color is insufficient. She is concerned that visually impaired people will walk into traffic. Additionally, the Department of Transportation does not recommend brick before a “detectable warning” because tapping on brick may lead visually impaired pedestrians to believe they are closer to the road than they are. Valerie Overton, 25 Emerson Gardens, agreed that the color contrast is not sufficient and believes it would not be in compliance. She asked that the color contrast be re-evaluated. Mr. Livsey said the team referred to recommendations from the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) when making materials choices. George Burnell, Precinct 7 Town Meeting member, said he is unimpressed with the “mid- century” concept. Old is not necessarily historic. He also believes two key features of the 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 6 of 8 proposal need further attention: the elimination of the two turning lanes and cut-through traffic abatement. He believes every brick is a tripping hazard and the sidewalks should be concrete. Bebe Fallick, Precinct 6 Town Meeting member, asked if the Center Streetscape project will be coordinated with the Battle Green Master Plan. She believes choices about elements such as lighting and benches are being made independently without coordination between the two efforts. Mr. Pinsonneault noted there are two projects involving the Battle Green: The Battle Green streetscape project and the Battle Green Master Plan. The historic elements of the Battle Green will not necessarily match the Center Streetscape elements because there are different sets of criteria. However, these projects, plus the Police Station project, are being taken into account. Ms. Fallick encouraged the Town to focus effort on educating the public so people understand what changes are being made and when. Mr. Pinsonneault agreed that public information will be a priority throughout the construction process. Elizabeth Barnett, Precinct 7 Town Meeting member, asked what percentage of the commercial tax base comes from the Center and, once the project is finished, what the return on the investment is projected to be. Mr. Valente replied that he does not have the commercial tax base information at his fingertips but it should be easy to calculate. He said the Center Streetscape project has never been viewed from a return on investment/economic perspective; it has been largely about improvements to safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. To justify the $9M investment, Ms. Barnett asked that information be made available about the percentage of the commercial tax revenue the Center contributes and what the expected increase will be. Eric Brown, 14 Douglas Road, asked the Town to drill deeper into what he believes is a very high Construction Administration cost estimate. Specifically, he asked to look at the number of staff hours, the number of weeks, and the hourly rate of pay. Mr. Valente and Mr. Pinsonneault will bring more information about this to the next public meeting. Resident John Flynn asked if there will be only a single eastbound lane and no designated left turn lane at Grant Street. Mr. Livsey confirmed this will be the case. Based on that response, Mr. Flynn flagged his concern. Ms. Barry echoed Mr. Flynn’s concern and added that the Board had not been aware there would be only one lane at this juncture; she believes this will cause significant traffic problems in the Center. Bridger McGaw, Precinct 6 Town Meeting member, asked the Town prioritize keeping traffic out of the neighborhoods. He agreed that old and historic are two different things and asked that the distinction between the two be made clear to help Town Meeting understand how resources are being applied. Mr. McGaw believes the project has improved but asked to see data on what the safety improvement were based on, such as insurance claims, Massachusetts Department of Transportation statistics. Ms. Barry said the Town would try to provide that information. Mr. McGaw also asked that maintenance costs be provided so that the full cost of the project is understood. Mr. Pinsonneault said that once the project is complete, the maintenance would become part of the DPW operational budget and increases are not anticipated. Gerry Guetell, 50 Waltham Street, said he believes eliminating the right turning lane onto Waltham Street from Massachusetts Avenue would be a mistake. He also believes that impact to 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 7 of 8 taxpayers should be well-understood because taxpayers are being stretched by the large number of Capital projects. Jerry Michelson, Precinct 5 Town Meeting member/Center Committee chair, asked if any of the construction funds are already in hand from past appropriations. Mr. Livsey said there has been no approval of construction funds to date. Mr. Michelson asked if there will be power outlets installed in the tree wells for events such as holiday lighting. Ms. Shadley said that almost every tree well will have a receptacle. Mr. Michelson said he appreciates the efforts that will be made to work with the businesses during the construction period. He emphasized that the Center businesses have, and will continue, to contribute to the tax base. Mr. Michelson believes that the proposal is appropriate for Lexington Center and that refreshing the streetscape is an important initiative to keep the Center vital. He recommended that the project be brought forward as a one-phase effort. Dawn McKenna, Tourism Committee chair, said she is frustrated that the plans for Battle Green Master Plan and the Center Streetscape projects have not been coordinated. She said if “getting it right” means delaying the vote for the 100% design phase until spring, she would support the delay. Mr. Pinsonneault referred to a previously distributed timeline that showed the Battle Green plan to be 6 months to a year behind the Center Streetscape. The Town’s plan is to bring the two plans together in the winter of 2020. Construction will all be done at the same time. Leonard Morse-Fortier, 20 Bernard Street, believes that some of the trees planned near the Depot Square crosswalk might interfere with clear sightlines for drivers heading west. He asked if the crosswalk curb cuts have been charted relative to the street drains to assure that water will not flow over the crosswalks before going down the drain. Mr. Livsey affirmed that the drains have been sited with this in mind. Mr. Morse-Fortier said that brick sidewalks make the streetscape considerably less safe. There will also need to be annual testing to assure safety standards are continually met. Shaun Grady, 9 Longfellow Road, distributed a photograph of a hybrid concrete and brick sidewalk. He implored town leaders to consider using these materials throughout the Center for safety, the safety of all but particularly for disabled pedestrians. He recalled that bricks were not identified by the mid-60s Sasaki Plan as a preservation necessity but he applauded the Ad Hoc Committee for retaining the brick edging aesthetic because it is appropriate for Lexington Center. Andy Friedlich, Precinct 5 Town Meeting member, said he agrees with others that eliminating the third lane onto Edison Way would be a big mistake. He noted that, during the temporary closing experiment, traffic was backed up in the Center. The closure also made it difficult to back into parking spaces and it was less safe for bicycles because riders had to navigate closer to parked cars. Mr. Friedlich also recommended that the bus stop and parking space locations at Depot Square be swapped to improve safety. Victoria Buckley, Disability Commission chair, said the Disability Commission does not feel its concerns are being heard. The choice of brick is problematic because bricks are difficult for 06/11/2018 - Center Streetscape Community Meeting Page 8 of 8 those with mobility challenges to navigate and because bricks can cause disequilibrium for those with neurological challenges. People with low vision have trouble because the color contrast is not sufficient. The curb cuts also pose a safety problem. The benefit of having universal design sidewalks with concrete with brick edging is that it works for all users. She sees choosing to use brick alone as discriminatory and a form of able-ism. Valerie Overton, 25 Emerson Garden, agreed with Ms. Buckley’s sentiments. She believes that Lexington should behave like the welcoming, inclusive community it wants to be and that the town has an opportunity to be a model for other historic communities. Bonnie Brodner, Precinct 3 Town Meeting member/Human Rights Committee, echoed the comments of Ms. Overton and Ms. Buckley. She asked whose safety is being taken into consideration in these decisions. She feels more effort has been put into the trees than into inclusivity. Gerry Paul, Precinct 4 Town Meeting member, said he wants to make sure that people have the correct understanding of the Ad Hoc Committee’s decisions. He knows the question of accessibility was given a great deal of consideration. Experts were brought in to advise the group and the members of the Committee strived to make recommendations that would improve accessibility for everyone. Next steps: Mr. Pinsonneault said the design process would continue to move forward, taking into account the comments made tonight. Updates will be presented periodically to the Board of Selectmen. A request for 100% design funds will be presented to Special Town Meeting in the fall of 2018. If that request passes, another proposal will be made for construction funds at Annual Town Meeting 2019. Ms. Barry emphasized that, until funding is approved, no physical work related to this project will take place in the Center. If residents see any work being done, it will not be work associated with the Center Streetscape project. Ms. Barry thanked participants for attending and providing input. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted suit 5-0 vote to adjourn at 9:03 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary