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Doucet Response to DPW 136 West Street, Suite 103 Northampton, MA 01060 Office: 413.517.0133 Fax: 413.517.0136 DoucetandAssociates.com October 3, 2012 Mr. David Valeta, P.E. City of Northampton Department of Public Works 125 Locust Street Northampton, MA 01060 RE: Clarke School Redevelopment Project on Round Hill Road Response to Northampton DPW Memo, dated September 19, 2012 Mr. Valeta, On September 21, 2012 we received the Northampton Department of Public Works (DPW) technical comments memo via email pertaining to the initial site plan application materials for the Clarke School Redevelopment Project, as submitted by Doucet & Associates, Inc. (D&A) on behalf of the applicant, Opal Real Estate Group, LLC (OPAL). To further coordinate, this memo is being issued to provide responses and proposed resolution to these DPW comments. In conjunction with the site plan application process, OPAL has been working with the Northampton Office of Planning and Development (Planning) on a mitigation package value to comply with zoning. Based on these discussions, it is the Applicant’s understanding that instead of submitting a mitigation fee payment to the City fund, off-site mitigation projects will be undertaken up to the final agreed upon mitigation fee value, $103,000. The DPW memo outlined a number of suggested mitigation projects that are discussed below. Ultimately, projected costs will need to be developed for the off-site mitigation projects to evaluate what can be completed within the $103,000 budget of the mitigation fee. It is suggested these items be reviewed in a sit-down meeting with the DPW to confirm locations and prioritization so that a proposed off-site projects mitigation package can be finalized between the City and Applicant. D&A proposes to include the agreed-upon mitigation items in a locus- type overall site plan for discussion with the City and Planning Board during the site plan approval process. A summary of the mitigation measures proposed by the DPW in the comments memo are provided below. Response discussion is provided further below in this memo. A bus pull-out with a large bus shelter in the westbound lane of Elm Street (comment 2) A flashing solar speed sign (advisory 25 MPH with a yellow background) on the westbound side of Elm St between Round Hill Rd and Crescent St for traffic calming and to promote lower speeds (comment 3) Rapid Rectangular Flash Beacon (RRFB) with passive detection lights for the intersection of Round Hill Road and Elm Street (comment 5) Improved signage and larger crosswalks at Prospect Street (comment 5) COMMITMENT YOU EXPECT. EXPERIENCE YOU NEED. PEOPLE YOU TRUST. A donation to a bike-sharing program fund (comment 6) Removal of on-street parking for both Round Hill Road and Henshaw Ave (comment 7) Additional and/or restored Standard crosswalks (drawing comments) (2) Raised crosswalks on Round Hill road (drawing comments) Below, the DPW comments are provided in bold text and D&A response comments provided in italicized text: 1)P3. Traffic Operations Analysis. The area impacted by the proposed changes will affect more than the two intersections stated as the study area. In fact, traffic impacts will extend to the Elm Street corridor and beyond. Four traffic control signals have coordinated timing on Elm St (Route 9 at John Greene Hall, Route 9 at Bedford Terrace, Route 9 at West St, and Route 9 at State St/South St). This traffic study does not have any explanation as to the impacts on the Level of Service for these signalized intersections. The capacity analyses presented in the Traffic Impact and Access Study evaluated traffic operations at the intersection of Elm Street with Round Hill Road. Based on the results of the capacity analyses, mainline traffic operations along Elm Street were not notably impacted at this location, with eastbound and westbound traffic along Elm Street projected to continue to operate at LOS A during both the weekday morning and weekday evening peak hour under future Build conditions. The only traffic movement projected to experience a reduction in level of service is the southbound movement from Round Hill Road during the weekday evening peak hour. Traffic operations were not evaluated at the coordinated traffic signal system, including Elm Street at John Greene Hall, Bedford Terrace, West Street and State Street/South Street. Related traffic increases at these locations are projected to amount to 61 vehicle trips (19 eastbound and 42 westbound) during the weekday morning peak hour and 67 vehicle trips (44 eastbound and 23 westbound) during the weekday evening peak hour. In comparison to the future No-Build traffic levels on Elm Street, immediately east of Round Hill Road, this amounts to an increase of approximately 5 percent during both peak periods. The peak-hour trip generation calculations are based on a conservative breakdown of projected building uses. This will allow the applicant maximum flexibility in future leasing, but also inflates the peak-hour trip calculations beyond what is likely to be realized at full build-out. 2)P9. Existing Public Transportation. There is no mention of the Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) in this report. It currently provides a stop at the Academy of Music (Route 31) and Big Y Plaza in Northampton and is often used as a connector for students. Smith College is planning to construct a new bus shelter at Greene Hall in 2013 on the eastbound side of Elm St. A future improvement for this project should include a bus pull out with a large bus shelter in the westbound lane of Elm Street to promote transit usage. It is recognized that in addition to the public transportation services identified in the Traffic Impact and Access Study, additional transit service is also provided by the FRTA along their Route 31 bus route, which provides nearby service at the Academy of Music. PAGE | 2 COMMITMENT YOU EXPECT. EXPERIENCE YOU NEED. PEOPLE YOU TRUST. A bus pull-out with a large bus shelter in the westbound lane of Elm Street would likely require elimination of on-street parking and possible minor right-of-way acquisition to accommodate the structure and relocated sidewalks. Assistance from the City regarding location and extent of right- of-way would be valuable information to support development of a cost estimate. It appears an area to the west of Round Hill Road may be suitable. It is assumed the City would be responsible for any right-of-way acquisition coordination. A review of the projected costs will be developed for review versus the agreed upon off-site mitigation budget. A sit-down meeting to confirm proposed locations and functionality is recommended. 3)P7. Roadways. In the area of Elm St (Route 9) near Round Hill Rd the report stated the speed limit is 25 MPH but it should be 35 MPH. The Elm St (Route 9) revised speed regulation #312C dated April 5, 1977 states: Main St (Northampton) westerly for 0.25 miles is 25 MPH; 1.00 miles is 35 MPH etc... (for 3.8 miles). There will be a speed regulation reduction proposal from the City to MassDOT for this corridor in the near future. Another flashing solar speed sign (advisory 25 MPH with a yellow background) would be a helpful traffic calming device on the westbound side of Elm St between Round Hill Rd and Crescent St to promote lower speeds. The resubmitted traffic report includes updated language clarifying the existing speed limits on Elm Street (Route 9). The applicant is willing to include a flashing solar speed sign (advisory 25 mph with a yellow background) in the off-site mitigation construction package. A review of the projected costs will be developed for review versus the agreed upon off-site mitigation budget. A sit-down meeting to confirm proposed locations and functionality is recommended. Figure 5Ais not legible…and there is no page number to reference. 4) Figure 5A has been updated to improve its legibility. Figures attached to the TIAS are not numbered but are referenced in the list of figures provided in the report. An updated version of Figure 5A is provided as an attachment herein. 5)P10. Safety. Accident reports are limited to the two intersections in the study area. There is no mention in the report of the impacts to pedestrian safety on Route 9 or Prospect St where there are several existing crosswalks. For example, the attached spreadsheet completed as part of a Route 9 corridor study shows a summary of crashes on Elm Street from 2006 thru March 2010 (Section 3 is the Smith College Area). Many of these rear end crashes resulted from pedestrians in a crosswalk, including the accident dated 9-26-2008 near Round Hill Rd. There should be mitigation improvements promoting pedestrian and bicycle safety on both Elm St (eg. Rapid Rectangular Flash Beacon-RRFB Light with passive detection) and Prospect St (eg. improved signage and larger crosswalks) included in this project. Motor vehicle crash data included in the Traffic Impact and Access Study were provided only for the identified study area intersections. The Route 9 corridor from State Street west through the Smith College corridor accommodates a mix of pedestrian, bicyclist, and vehicular traffic. It is agreed that a Rapid Rectangular Flash Beacon (RRFB) with passive detection would enhance safety in this area. It is assumed the City is PAGE | 3 COMMITMENT YOU EXPECT. EXPERIENCE YOU NEED. PEOPLE YOU TRUST. recommending an installation equivalent to the recently constructed State Street and Center Street crosswalk actuation system. The applicant is willing to include the RRFB Lights for Round Hill Road and the larger crosswalk with new signage at Prospect Street in the off-site mitigation construction package. A review of the projected costs will be developed for review versus the agreed upon off-site mitigation budget. Does the City have standard details available or are the construction plans available from the State St/Center St installation? Can the City please confirm the leg of the intersections proposed for the RRFB installation? A sit- down meeting to confirm proposed locations and functionality is recommended. 6)P.24. Bike Facilities. There should be additional bike racks provided and funding for a bike-share program for the future. (5) bicycle racks with adjacent trash barrels are included in the revised site plans. See updated drawing packaged (revision date 9/24/2012). The applicant is willing to consider a donation to a bike-sharing program fund as a portion of the overall mitigation package. Appropriate donation values should be discussed for review versus the agreed upon off-site mitigation budget. 7)Parking. Since Round Hill Road and Henshaw Avenue are both narrow streets, it would be best to eliminate all on-street parking to allow better emergency vehicle access. It is unclear whether or not the applicant has the right to eliminate on-street parking along Round Hill Road and Henshaw Avenue. It is possible that elimination of parking could affect existing permit approvals (parking reductions) and could affect existing businesses or landlords, creating the potential for legal issues for the applicant. An alternative may be for Opal to eliminate parking only along their frontage and to otherwise contribute monetarily to the elimination of other on-street parking, with the work to be done by the City or others. Elimination of parking is not expected to significantly impact the Clarke School Redevelopment Project, as on-street parking was not considered in our evaluations. The applicant is willing to consider removal of on-street parking as a portion of the overall mitigation package. Projected costs must be developed for review versus the agreed upon off-site mitigation budget. A sit-down meeting to confirm proposed locations and details is recommended. Are there enough parking spaces for this project or should a parking garage be required? Detailed parking calculations were provided with the updated application materials. The redevelopment project will be phased, with the final actual breakdown of building space to be determined based on leasing demands. Therefore, the parking and trip generation calculations were created based on conservative (larger) assumption for leasable space. Further, the building PAGE | 4 COMMITMENT YOU EXPECT. EXPERIENCE YOU NEED. PEOPLE YOU TRUST. uses were broken down to provide Opal with the maximum flexibility in leasing the building, and it is expected the actual parking demand as full project build-out is realized will be less than what is determined in the calculations. The proposed project can’t support the construction of a parking garage. Also: i.Preferential parking for car-pooling is proposed. ii.Parking stickers will be provided to tenants with different stickers for residential and office tenants. Office tenants will not be permitted to park on the easterly side of Round Hill Road (the residential buildings) iii.The office and residential uses have staggered parking demands Site Development Plans from Doucet Associates, Inc. dated September 12, 2012 & 1)C-2 Special Construction Notes. Contractor shall obtain a City Trench Permit from the DPW. Special Construction note 6 was added to C-2 with language matching this comment. 2)C-2 Special Construction Notes/C-6 Details a.All signs shall be in accordance for retro-reflectivity with the latest version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). b.All pedestrian signs shall have a fluorescent yellow-green background. c.Pedestrian Signage shall be double sided on each post. All three of these comments have been added as Special Construction Note 10 and also are also provided within the signage details. 3)C-6 Details. See attached City CW details for 12-ft minimum CW width using thermoplastic markings. This detail has been added to the plan set. Topographical Plans from Heritage Surveys, Inc. revised September 11, 2012 1) Sheet 2 of 2, Topographical Plan a.Proposed crosswalks should follow attached City standards. b.Proposed crosswalks should have warning triangles before the last crosswalks on Round Hill Rd. c.Suggested to have at least two raised crosswalks with proper signage installed on Round Hill Rd for traffic calming. It appears this comment was meant for the D&A site plans. The details were included for the city standard crosswalks. The final locations of the crosswalks were not included in the drawings. Instead, a note is included stating that the final off-site mitigation package items and locations are to be determined in working with the City of Northampton. A sit-down meeting to confirm proposed locations PAGE | 5 COMMITMENT YOU EXPECT. EXPERIENCE YOU NEED. PEOPLE YOU TRUST.