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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANNINGbrd_9182013Planning Board Minutes n September 18, 2013 Present: Tom French, Chair; Beth Ashman - Collins, Clerk; Don Clear yt �allO Pere GZhef,V)l Collins, Alternate Mike Feck I Shaun P. Burke, Director of Planning and Development; Jennifer CrottyjDavis, Administrative Secretary 2. ' Workshop with Board of Selectmen-and-BETA Group, Inc. re: Train Station Area Access Study Ken Petraglia, BETA Group, Inc., introduced Don Leighton, Urban Design/Landscape Architect and Bill McGrath, Senior Civil Engineer. Mr. Leighton explained there will be six more public meetings held during the project. He said as the transportation plans are developed and the options reviewed, they will look at how those plans will work with future development opportunities. He said they have visited the site and begun to gather information, are working with the town's GIS system and will develop 3D models from the plans. He said BETA is looking at the entire area and how it might look in 10, 20 and 30 years. He said they plan to come up with some short -term solutions to ease congestion as well as longer -term solutions. Mr. Petraglia said the RFP called for six meetings, three with town officials and three with the public, but he has added a seventh, a site walk. He said BETA will be available throughout the process if people have questions. Mr. McGrath explained they are looking at access to the station and potential development will be tied into how best to get into the station. BETA has done traffic counts and begun to develop a 3D photographic model to understand both the horizontal and vertical conditions of the roadway. They are looking at key elements like the existing roadway, as well as issues like the conditions of Draper Avenue and whether the Chauncy Street bridge can be expanded. Mr. Petraglia said BETA completed the traffic counts on September 17 and 18, 2013 and hope to have the results within a week. They have developed a traffic analysis model which uses traffic counts combined with other information like the number of lanes, width and traffic signals. They have done daily counts on Route 106 and will be looking for additional data for that area. Mr. McGrath presented an aerial photograph of the train station area showing the six options from the RFP and some others BETA has thought of for getting into the west side of the station and separating train station traffic from neighborhood traffic. Mr. McGrath said they are looking at options such as: Relocating the intersection of Highland Avenue /Chauncy Street/Winthrop Street and making Draper Avenue a main train station access area; Closing Allen Street and Draper Avenue to train station traffic; Ways to get traffic coming from the north to the station without having to go through the North 9/18/2013 Main Street /Chauncy Street intersection; Connecting the Winthrop Street parking with the main parking lot adjacent to Chauucy Street bridge, either for vehicular or pedestrian access. Mr. McGrath said one of BETA's main goals is to try to keep station -bound traffic out of the neighborhood as much as possible. Mr. Leighton explained the urban design portion of the plan, including pedestrian and bicycle access; he said Old Colony serves a lot of bicycle traffic. Mr. Leighton said the long -term development of the area may include vertical rather than horizontal parking and said future development should help separate the neighborhood from train the station. Mr. Leighton said BETA plans to work with landowners on both the development and circulation plans. Mr. Petraglia said BETA will need to work closely with the town on future traffic issues, and while 40 years may be too far out to look, 20 or 30 years is reasonable. He said they will be looking at historical trends, existing data, background growth that occurs regardless of any development and traffic forecasts for future development. Mr. Petraglia said they will be spending a lot of time on -site observations, now that they have gathered the traffic data. He said there may be issues, like sight distance, that a straight traffic study cannot address. Mr. Petraglia said BETA will look at a number of issues like traffic, future development, urban design and pedestrian access. He explained their preliminary assessment matrix and said they will be seeking input on priorities like station access, parking supply, urban design and landscape, development strategies, residential impact, Route 106 impacts and cost. Mr. Penney said the Planning Board is excited about the project and hopes people will get involved. He said it will be important to consider funding, and noted the Planning Board is hoping to pursue grant funding for some of the options. Mr. Petraglia explained BETA's proposed schedule, which goes into January 2014. Mr. French said the Planning Board sees this as an opportunity to look at something that has been a problem for years. He said the board has been looking at Transit - Oriented Development in the area of the train station parking lots and former Clemmey Tank site, but the stumbling block has been getting traffic under control so commuters can access the station and the neighborhood can be protected. Ron Morgan from the MBTA said the T's resources are available to the town. 9/18/2013 Mr. Kozlowski said it will be important to prioritize things in terms of finances, but the town will also have to be realistic about issues like getting cooperation from CSX for grade crossings. Mr. Annino said this area has been studied a number of times, and lie hopes the results of this study will be reasonable and realistic. He said he is concerned about maintaining Mansfield's walkability, making it easier to cross at North Main and Chauncy Street, a pedestrian connection to downtown and directing more traffic downtown to assist local businesses. He said he hopes BETA will work with the MBTA, the town and landowners. Mr. Dentino asked if the traffic count is recent and if BETA has seen the previous studies. Mr. McGrath the traffic counts were done September 17 and 18, and said they have seen the previous traffic studies. Mr. Dentin said some private landowners have done traffic studies and suggested BETA get copies of those. Mr. Dentin said contact with the landowners is extremely important. Mr. Dentino asked if the need for bicycle traffic has been established. Mr. Petraglia said they saw a lot of bicycle traffic during their traffic counts. Mr. Dentino said he has not seen the bike racks at the station filled during the day; Ms. Ashman - Collins said people taking later trains bring their bicycles onto the train. Mr. Dentine, said raising the Chauncy Street bridge would be extremely expensive and asked about a parking garage. Mr. Petraglia said that is something they will look at; he said they do not plan to shut out any ideas this early in the process. Mr. Dentino said cost may eliminate a lot of the options. Mr. Dentine, asked if there is funding available for any of these options. Mr. Petraglia said that is something they will be looking into. Mr. Leighton said financing has shifted over the last 20 years and said the town will have to look at where the funding will be in the fixture. Mr. Penney noted the Planning Board has developed a list of possible funding sources and he said he hopes the plans that will be put together as a result of this study can be used in grant applications. Mr. Dentino said new development will need infrastructure for traffic to enter and exit the area, especially on Route 106. He asked about the option of eminent domain. Mr. Petraglia said they will look at the entire infrastructure and noted the scope of their project focuses on certain intersections on Route 106, not the entire roadway. Mr. Dentino asked how it would be possible for traffic to get in and out of the train station without using Route 106. Mr. Dentine, said the town has made a conunitment to the neighborhood to cap parking at the train station at 800 spaces. Mr. Dentino noted BETA's schedule goes over the holidays and asked if that is realistic. Mr. Petraglia said he thinks it is. Mr. Aptowitz said it will be important to get input from the landowners. He said this would not be an issue if there were no train station in town, and with Mansfield as one of the biggest stops on the commuter rail, he hopes the MBTA will participate. 9/18/2013 Mr. Ross said he shares the concerns about cost, but said the town should allow BETA to be creative in working on the options, then move forward with the most cost - effective ones. He said the Commonwealth is interested in this project and has some funding options available. He said he is looking forward to working with staff and the public sector to look at opportunities to partner on these options. Mr. Ross asked for electronic copies of BETA's charts to post on the town's website. 8. Adjournmen- The workshop was finished at 8:00 p.m, and the Planning Board left the Board of Selectmen's meeting. Next Planning Board meeting: October 2, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Signature 6f Clerk Date of Approval 9/18/2013