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BCC Minutes 10/06/2015 W (Transportation) BCC WORKSHOP MEETING MINUTES October 6, 2015 October 6, 2015 MINUTES OF THE COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WORKSHOP MEETING Naples, Florida, October 6, 2015 LET IT BE REMEMBERED the Board of County Commissioners in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 1:00 PM in a WORKSHOP SESSION in Building "F" of the Government Complex, Naples, Florida with the Following members present: Chairman: Tim Nance Vice Chairwoman: Donna Fiala Tom Henning Georgia Hiller Penny Taylor ALSO PRESENT: Leo Ochs, County Manager Nick Casalanguida, Deputy County Manager Jeff Klatzkow, County Attorney Troy Miller, TV Operations Manager Tim Durham, Executive Manager, Corporate Business Operations 1 October 6, 2015 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the video recording from the Collier County Communications and Customer Relations Department or view online. 1. Pledge of Allegiance Chairman Nance called the Workshop to order at 1:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 2. Welcome/Agenda Review—David Wilkison, GMD Mr. Wilkison provided an overview of the Agenda. 3. Complete Streets Presentation -Billy Hattaway, District 1 Secretary,FDOT Mr. Hattaway presented the Power Point "Complete Streets" which outlined the Florida Department of Transportation's initiatives to improve safety for pedestrian and bicyclists. The following was highlighted during the presentation: • The Program has been ongoing for 3 years and focuses on initiatives to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety. • Critical to the success of the Program is cooperation of local jurisdictions. • The concepts include refocusing on interconnecting neighborhoods to improve all forms of traffic movement as opposed to the post World War II concepts of separate access for developments. • The Agency has developed proven counter measures for existing infrastructure including redesigning areas with use of roundabouts, etc. which improve traffic efficiency by 75 percent. • Other avenues include establishing crosswalks with signalization between typical roadway intersections (mid-block crossings)to improve pedestrian movements throughout neighborhoods and increasing the width of bike lanes to 7 feet. • The concepts are flexible (i.e. rural vs. urban designs) given"one size doe not fit all" in these endeavors. 3. Sidewalks & Pathways - Trinity Scott, GMD Ms. Scott presented the Power Point "Sidewalks/Pathways" highlighting: • The County is undertaking measures to examine the means to deal with multi-modal transportation. • On August 20, 2015, the Collier County Planning Commission held a workshop to discuss issues related to the item in reference to the Growth Management Plan and Land Development Code. • A 2012 Metropolitan Planning Organization study concluded that 36 percent of the roadways in the County do not provide facilities for bicycle transportation and 61 percent do not provide for adequate pedestrian movement. • The goal is now to encourage mixed land use areas with a well connected transportation network. • Proper planning efforts are critical as the cost to retrofit area is $58/ft while the cost when they are incorporated into a new capital project is $16/ft. 2 October 6, 2015 • Examples for retrofitting include areas such as Naples Manor, which most areas lack sidewalks on both sides of the street, sidewalk placement in areas of some CAT bus stops that are not currently accessible by the elderly or handicap riders. • Alternate design considerations include requiring sidewalks only on one side of a street in areas where sidewalks on two sides are not practical, construction of wider multi-modal pathways, locating pathways in the middle of medians, etc. Staff is seeking opportunities to: 1. Modify the Growth Management Plan to unify Goals, Objectives &Policies to be multi-modal in nature instead of compartmentalized. 2. Modify the Land Development Code to update Typical/Cross-Sections to include multi-use paths. 3. Continue coordination efforts with Pathways Advisory/Committee. Board discussion noted: • There is a need to create sensible linkages and eliminate "sidewalks to nowhere." • Gated residential communities have a tendency to object to interconnectivities between communities or commercial developments. • Solutions that are not costly and can be implemented quickly; such as relocating bus stops to areas where accessibility is better, should be undertaken. • Consideration should be given to taking the steps to increase the number of ingress/egress points required for large scale developments. • Ensure proper planning techniques are used to coordinate all aspects of roads and pathway improvements including landscaping, water retention, lighting, etc. to minimize the need for future retrofitting, or ensuring adequate opportunities are available so retrofitting is less costly. The Board endorsed staff's recommendations and discussion occurred on the most efficient format to address them, including: if they should be discussed in a separate workshop session or processed through the established format for GMP and LDC amendments. The Board directed staff to Phase the approach by first addressing any proposed changes to the Growth Management Plan in the traditional manner. After completing this review, a determination may be made by the Board on how to address any Land Development Code amendments that may be required to implement the Plan amendments. 4. Public Comments - Sidewalks & Pathways Speakers David Driapsa recommended the County consider adding"sharrows" (shared lane bicycle markings)to certain streets in the Naples Park/Vanderbilt beach area to increase public awareness of cyclists' rights and improve safety for riders. Beth Brainard,Naples Pathway Coalition noted the cost of retrofitting areas is substantially more costly than installing improvements during the initial construction phase. She recommended greater efforts be put forth in the planning process to ensure accommodations are made for bicyclists and pedestrians. 3 October 6, 2015 Break: 2:21 p.m. Reconvened: 2:31 p.m. 5. Median Landscaping Options - Pam Lulich, GMD Commissioner Henning reported he had to leave the meeting before its conclusion and recommended the County Manager review the $152M of unfunded transportation and stormwater needs in conjunction with the Fiscal Year 2016/17 budget. Also investigate the avenues available to fund landscape improvement/maintenance given some areas of the community have landscape medians while other do not creating an inequitable environment for neighborhoods and those residents who pay taxes. Chairman Nance disseminated the document"Tim's Landscape and Median Observations/Suggestions, BCC Workshop October 6th, 2015" for information purposes. He noted landscaping median areas is important, however a different approach needs to be taken given the current cost of maintenance over a 20 year period is $1.145M per mile. He expressed concern on the quantity of irrigation water and fertilizer required in upkeep of the medians which is not only costly, but can be an environmental hazard. The following was noted during Board Member discussions: • Although there are costs associated with installing and maintaining median landscaping, there is a significant economic benefit in the form of higher real estate values, increased tourism, attraction of new businesses to the area, etc. associated with the endeavor. • Increased property values lead to increased tax revenue to help offset the costs of installation and maintenance. • It may be beneficial to develop a base level of landscaping for medians, and upgrading those areas that are high profile such as tourist corridors, etc. Commissioner Henning left the meeting at 3:00 p.m. Ms. Lulich presented the Power Point "Median Landscaping Concepts" highlighting: • An overview on the history of landscaping medians in Collier County. • Identification of roadways medians with landscaping installations that have been deferred which primarily include Collier Blvd., Santa Barbra Blvd. and Immokalee Road. • The historic costs for maintaining landscaped medians which is currently at $43k per mile. • A potential pilot project with goals of developing a rural, low impact landscape design. She concluded noting staff is: 1. Seeking an opportunity to revisit right-of-way design standards for rural Collier County. Public participation will be encouraged throughout the process and a Pilot Project developed. 2. Addressing right-of-way cross sections incorporating entire cross section review including addressing sight visibility of Commercial Properties and review for Complete Street objectives. Required canopy trees could provide shade for sidewalks if sidewalks are placed closer to property lines. Review median cross-section for plant sustainability in rural Collier County. 6. Public Comments - Median Landscaping Options 4 October 6, 2015 Patricia Young noted she is a new resident to the area and was attracted here by the landscaping of the community. Landscaping of medians is important as the overall appearance of the area is a draw to tourists and future residents. Although there are costs associated with the landscaping, there are economic benefits indirectly attributed to the activity. Jerome Kaspar noted a motivating factor when he purchased property in the area was the aesthetics of the area and the landscaping of medians improves real estate values throughout the community. He would support paying additional taxes to fund these installation and maintenance of the landscaping. Roxanne Schwartz expressed concern the median areas of Immokalee Road east of Collier Blvd. have not been landscaped which deters from the overall appearance of the area and related property values. She supports establishing a"base level" of landscaping and recommended the developers who build the communities pay for the landscaping as it benefits their home sales. The Board noted the major expense associated with the landscaping is the maintenance required after installation, not the initial installation. There is not an avenue currently available to require the developer to fund median landscape installation and/or ongoing maintenance. One option would be to establish a"landscaping" impact fee to pay for installations. Commissioner Fiala reported previously tax funds for unincorporated Collier County were allocated to landscaping, but the practice ceased in 2007/2008. She queried on the status of this funding mechanism and whether it should be reinstated. Mark Isackson, Budget Director provided an overview on the funding mechanism noting: • The funds in question are generated for to pay for services in the unincorporated areas of the County. • In 2002, a dedicated fund transfer to Fund 112 for constructing landscaping segments in the County began and continued until 2007. • The millage rate at that time was 0.8069, but was lowered to 0.7161 in 2008 due to State requirements and the dedicated funding ceased. • By the end or 2008 approximately $28.1M of funds were transferred to the account. • The millage rate may now be increased back to the previous level if the BCC so desires yielding approximately $4M annually. • The funds could be used to offset landscape maintenance costs or capital improvements given there is a$12M backlog in County landscape projects. Mary Jo Ansalone expressed concern the median areas of Immokalee Road east of Collier Blvd. have not been landscaped and recommended consideration be given to installing native plants and vegetation. She supports the concept of establishing a base level for median landscaping and noted other County medians are landscaped and it is not equitable for the residents of the area to pay the same taxes without the benefit of the landscaping. She supports an increase in taxes to fund the activity. Barbara Boggan expressed concern the median areas of Immokalee Road east of Collier Blvd. have not been landscaped which deters from the overall appearance of the area and property values for the residents in the area. Consideration should be given requiring developers to fund the endeavor and provide ongoing maintenance. 5 October 6, 2015 Susan Gibson noted there are areas in need to median landscaping other than Immokalee Road, such as the Santa Barbara Blvd. and areas that have been waiting longer periods of time for the plantings should take priority. Carol Molyn expressed concern on the condition of the medians in the Radio Road East MSTU and supports an increase in taxes to ensure the landscaping is adequately installed and maintained. Ted DeGroot, Realtor reported that quality of landscaping in the area does translate to real estate sales. Dennis Vasey,Water Symposium of Florida noted any median designs should incorporate water retention, native plants and trees, and use of more pervious materials to ensure they are as environmentally friendly as possible. Jeff Curl noted not just landscaping is an aesthetic concern, but the lighting as well. If not properly planned and limited to those areas necessary(intersections, etc.)they create a nighttime "blight" on the entire area, detracting from the overall ambience of the community. Consideration should be given to building medians that are below the final road grade as opposed to raised beds. Native plants should be utilized in the designs. Michael Pietrunti stated a determining factor in purchasing property in the area was the overall aesthetics with landscaping a major factor. He expressed concern the median areas of Immokalee Road east of Collier Blvd. have not been landscaped. He supports an increase in taxes to address the issue. Brad Estes agrees with the other speakers and supports and increase in taxes to address the issue. Chuck Blevins noted the area located at the west portion of Vanderbilt Beach Road is also in need of median landscaping and supports and increase in taxes to address the issue. Steve Goldenberg,Verona Walk Resident agreed a determining factor for purchasing real estate in the area is the landscape. He expressed concern Collier Blvd. south of I-75 toward Marco Island has become an extension of I-75 given its wide lanes absent of median landscaping. He requested this area be addressed to re-establish the community type ambience the roadway previously had. He noted all community residents should bear the cost burden of the landscaping given other areas have already been landscaped. David Driapsa noted consideration should be given to utilizing native plants in the medians with an efficient use of funds being to increase the visual impact at intersections where traffic stops and planting the areas of higher speed traffic with lower visual impact plantings. The Board directed staff to: 1. Develop a median planting program which establishes a base level of landscaping for medians with options for enhancement of high profile areas. 2. The program be developed in accordance with the recommendations posed by Commissioner Nance. 3. Bring forth a proposal to re-establish the millage rate to the previous level of 0.8069 (approximately) to aid in funding the program. 4. Develop a plan to address landscaping the medians of Immokalee Road,Santa Barbara Blvd. and Collier Blvd. south of 1-75. There being no further business for the good of the County,the meeting was adjourned by order of the chair at 4:25 P.M. 6 October 6, 2015 COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY k ; `-r0,si ' e...7:14,41�` (( COMMISSIONERS Depviy cid*, Chairman,I i�c� Attest as to Ghas h s ' ,,ianatn're only These minutes approved by the Board/Committee on 10 YD`/tT as presented or as amended 7