Proposed NEW Red No Parking Zones

Article Source: City of San Bruno CA

City Council Agenda Item Staff Report

Rico E. Medina, Mayor

Laura Davis, Vice Mayor

Marty Medina, Councilmember

Irene O'Connell, Councilmember

Michael Salazar, Councilmember

DATE: January 9, 2018

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

FROM: Jimmy Tan, Public Works Director/City Engineer

SUBJECT: Adopt Resolution Approving the Designation of Red Curb Bus Zones at 850 Cherry Avenue and 950 Elm Avenue

BACKGROUND:

Walmart, Inc. has two office buildings located within the Bayhill Office Park, Walmart Labs Headquarters at 850 Cherry Avenue and Walmart E-commerce at 950 Elm Avenue. A chartered shuttle service provides transportation for Walmart employees traveling between the Walmart offices located in San Bruno and the Walmart office located in Pleasanton. At 850 Cherry Avenue, a white curb passenger loading zone of 33 feet long exists and at 950 Elm Avenue, the existing shuttle stop is located in the parking lot behind the building. In February 2016, a representative of Walmart notified the Department of Public Works of their intent to start chartering larger 45' long buses due to increased ridership. Walmart requested a loading zones in front of 850 Cherry Avenue be lengthened by an additional 50 feet and new 50 feet loading zone be established at 950 Elm Avenue to accommodate the larger shuttle buses as the existing shuttle stop is unable to be used due to insufficient turning radius for larger shuttles.

DISCUSSION:

Requests for loading zones are evaluated according to the procedures set forth in the Policy for Establishment of Special Parking Restrictions on Public Streets (the Policy), which was approved by the San Bruno City Council on July 27, 2010. Walmart submitted the required application form to request loading zones for their shuttles and Staff then conducted the necessary evaluation pursuant to the policy.

Requests for loading zones fall into Category C as defined by the Policy, which covers short term parking. The conditions established by the Policy for Category C are as follows:

• Only considered in areas of commercial land use designation.
• There is no on-site ability to provide requested short term parking.
• Existing on-street parking is congested (>85% of existing parking capacity occupied).
• If applicable, parking restriction requests shall be consistent with the Transit Corridor Plan and latest General Plan.
• Prefer written concurrence from abutting property owners and tenants.

Staff evaluated the conditions to determine whether it met the requirements.

• Condition 1 is met at both 850 Cherry Avenue and 950 Elm Avenue because the locations are within the Bayhill Office Park which is designated for commercial land use.
• Condition 2 is met at both locations because the on-site parking lots are unable to accommodate a 45' bus.
• Condition 3 does not apply at both locations because no on-street parking is allowed in the vicinity of the either of the requested loading zones.
• Condition 4 is met at both locations because the San Bruno General Plan promotes alternative modes of transportation and encourages private employers to offer transit to employment centers to reduce vehicle miles traveled and the associated traffic congestion and air pollution. Staffs assessment is that accommodating larger buses will facilitate increased use of transit.
• Condition 5 does not apply at both locations because Walmart is the only tenant in the both buildings.

Staff concluded that conditions at both 850 Cherry Avenue and 950 Elm Avenue meet the requirements for extension and establishment of white zones and presented the results of their evaluations to the Traffic Safety and Parking Committee (TSPC) on May 4, 2016. While the TSPC was in favor of providing Walmart with the means to allow for a larger shuffle to load/unload in front of their offices, the installation of white zones was denied by the TSPC. The reasoning is because white zones are defined as passenger loading zones and can be used by not only shuttles but also other vehicles.

Instead, the TSPC recommended the installation of signs in front of 850 Cherry Avenue and 950 Elm Avenue designating the existing red curb in front of those buildings as a bus zone. This would allow for shuttles to load/unload in front of the Walmart offices while also preventing other vehicles from obstructing those shuttle stops. The San Bruno Municipal Code defines red curb to mean no stopping, standing, or parking at any time except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked as a bus zone. Pursuant to the municipal code, the City Engineer is authorized to post signs designating bus zones as established pursuant to resolution of the City Council.

FISCAL IMPACTS:

There were no fiscal impacts related to the installation of new signs or curb markings for the City. Walmart reimbursed the City for staff time and materials associated with the installation of curb markings which was approximately $1,569.

ALTERNATIVES:

• Approve creation of a different type of loading zone, i.e. white zone.
• Do not approve creation of any type of loading zone.

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt resolution approving the designation of red curb bus zones at 850 CherryAvenue and 950 Elm Avenue.

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FULL Council Agenda Packet WITH Staff Reports can be viewed and downloaded from:

https://sanbruno.ca.gov/gov/elected_officials/city_council_minutes_n_agendas.htm

This document should be available late Friday before the Tuesday Council Meeting

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Robert Riechel

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My Posts: http://patch.com/users/robert-riechel

Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: San Bruno CA City Council

Web Site: https://sanbruno.ca.gov

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