CITY OF SARASOTA Development Review Division Development Services Department MINUTES OF THEWORKSHOP: OF THE PLANNING BOARD/LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. Via Teleconference Planning Board Damien Blumetti, Chair Members Present: Kathy Kelley Ohlrich, Vice Chair Members Patrick Gannon, David Morriss, Terrill Salem Planning Board Members Absent: City Staff Present: Mike Connolly, Deputy City Attorney Alexandrea DavisShaw, City Engineer Steven R. Cover, Planning Director, Planning Department Ryan Chapdelain, General Manager, Planning Department Colleen McGue, Chief Transportation Planner, Planning Department Megan Lui, Transportation Planner, Planning Department Dr. Jason Collins, ADEAS-Q, Transportation Consultant Miles Larsen, Manager, Public Broadcasting Karen Grassett, Senior Planning Technician I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 1:34:00 P.M. PB Chair Blumetti called the meeting to order and Director Cover acting as the Planning Board's Secretary] read the roll call. PB Chair Blumetti established the procedure for the teleconference workshop, as follows: PB Members will have the opportunity to ask three questions at a time, in the following order: PB Member Salem, PB Member Morriss, PB Member Gannon, PB Vice Chair Ohlrich, PB Chair Blumetti, and circle back as many times as needed; mentioned that Ryan Chapdelain, Generall Manager, Planning Department, wishes to provide some comments at the end of the presentations, and asked everyone to remain on the line for these comments. II. CHANGES TO THE ORDER OF THE DAY There were: none. 1:38:00 P.M. Director Cover [acting as the Planning Board's Secretary! read the Code of Conduct. Attorney Connolly pointed out that this is a workshop, sO there is no need to administer the Oath, review public hearing criteria, or set formal time limits for the presentation, adding that the length of the presentation is at the discretion of the PB Chair. III. WORKSHOP TOPIC 1. Sarasota In Motion Update 1:38:39 P.M. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 2 of 16 Director Cover offered an introduction to the workshop; stated that the project started eighteen months ago; noted that what is being presented in this workshop is the result of tremendous public input, a lot of professional expertise, and a wonderful consultant from ADEAS-Q; and said that today staff is presenting several things, including their implementation strategy, and what staff calls their top ten projects. 1:39:55 P.M. Colleen McGue, Chief Transportation Planner, Planning Department, introduced to the record herself and the lead consultant Dr. Jason Collins, ADEAS-Q. Dr. Collins stated that this is the first Citywide Transportation Plan for the City of Sarasota, and it is called Sarasota in Motion; pointed out that in this workshop the following topics will be discussed: Transportation Vision and Core Values;" "Where We Have Been;" "Where We Are Today," "Where We Are Going" and "Where We Are Growing" "Community Driven Process;" the "Action Plan;" and the Implementation and Next Steps;" added that the project begins with the City's transportation vision, recognizing that Sarasota is a safe and active community with transportation choices; noted that the transportation investments are the result of community values and the outcome is a more resilient, people-oriented city; pointed out the Core Transportation Values are "Take action," "Be active," "Provide Diverse Transportation choices," "Be Resilient," and "Provide Greater Safety," and added that different alternatives are being scored based on these values; noted that the Core Transportation Values were adopted by the City Commission in Phase Iof the project; stated that this Master Plan is not starting from scratch, rather it has taken into consideration, and builds upon, previous City transportation efforts, and resources, as well as the projects that are currently under construction, and the projects in the City's CIP; said that they used all these resources as a starting point, and this plan moves forward trying to addresses transportation holistically; referred to the five topics in the Citywide Traffic Network Study, which include: safety trends, community profile, traffic volume growth trends, travel demand modeling and inventory of multimodal facilities; referred to the age distribution of Sarasota residents, and noted that 44% of the population are either too young to drive, or at an older age when they should not be driving as: much, therefore a significant percentage of the population are: not driving as much as the regular drivers throughout the city; explained how this relates to the traffic trends, using a comparison between 10th Street and US 301; referred to 10th Street through the Rosemary District where there. has been redevelopment, resulting in population: increases and higher traffic volumes; pointed out that the average daily traffic in the last five years (2014 - 2018) has increased on 10th Street, however the traffic volumes are much lower than the capacity of a four lane road; compared the traffic volumes of 10th Street to the (2001- 2018) annual average daily traffic volumes of US 301; noted that after several such comparisons of major arterials in the City of Sarasota, he concluded: that traffic volumes are directly affected by the economy, that the increased volume on the City's major arterials is not as bad as previously thought, and that the volumes on a local street are: much lower than the volume on ai major arterial road; discussed safety and referred to the Fatal and Injury Crash Locations: Motorized and Non-Motorized (2014 - 2018), which illustrates that the most serious crashes happen on high-speed arterials; added that overall the crashes in Sarasota are growing faster than the state average; said that the City of Sarasota has been ranked 4th most dangerous city, by design, for pedestrians in the USA; talked about where people who live in Sarasota work; pointed out that two thirds of the population (63%) live less Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 3 of 16 than 10 miles from their work, which means that transportation planners must focus on the in-town trips; also pointed out that one-out-of-five people (19%) travel more than 50 miles to go to work, which is a high number in terms of the footprint on the environment; referred to The City of Sarasota Percent Change, Number of Trips (2020- 2040), a map of projected land uses and traffic, and pointed out that growth is anticipated to take place in the downtown areas, and north of downtown areas, based on the City's comprehensive plan, rezoning applications, and site plans; added that this should be taken into consideration when making recommendations for the allocation of transportation investments; described the community driven process for this project; pointed out that public involvement took place in a variety of meetings, locations, times of the day, and days of the week; noted that a variety of people have participated in the process; said that the focus was to involve: new people; stated that there have been7 community workshops, 10 informal pop-up events, 900 community survey participants, 1,000 interactions with the online interactive map, 3,200 unique visitors to the project website, and 17 local media interviews including TV and Radio; summarized the responses to the online survey question "How people currently move US. how they want to move in the future, H and said that 82% of the City's population currently move by car VS. 10%walking and 1% using transit; compared these percentages to the responses of how people want to move, and pointed out that there is a the big discrepancy between the way people move now and the way they want to move; said that this discrepancy is the reason that this plan includes sO many bicycle and pedestrian projects; stated that based on this information, they have developed the Action Plan, and they have been receiving feedback on this as well as our recommendations regarding other projects; noted that the. Action Plan consists of: Projects that relate to physical changes to streets that can create the transportation system and networks envisioned for the City, Policies that support decision-making about funding, projects and programs, and Programs that help incentivize and support these options and priorities; added that this Master. Plan is a combination of the three, they are related to the Core Transportation Values that were adopted in Phase I and developed the implementation strategy; and concluded this presentation by introducing the top 10 Priority Projects which are located around the City. 1:59:38 P.M. Colleen McGue, Chief Transportation Planner, Planning Department, referred to the Priority Projects Map and said that the top 10j projects on this map are the result of applying the Core Transportation Values to the approximately 40 projects that were identified through the public input process and technical analysis; added that the CIP projects and projects currently under construction are assumed completed and this is a new list; and described the ten projects: Project 1 - Expand City Trail Network The project seeks to make neighborhood connections to the Legacy Trail, connecting neighborhoods in north Sarasota with the Bay Park project, and to make connections between the Legacy Trail and the Bobby Jones Golf Club. Project 2: - Streetscapes for East-West Corridors Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 4 of 16 This project addressed streetscape improvements that relate to walking, biking as well as driving on: 10th Street - from waterfront to Orange Ave. 12th Street - from Orange Ave to Tuttle Ave; and 17th Street - from Orange Ave to City Limits Project 3: North Legacy Trail This is the most popular project based on public input, continues the Legacy Trail from Payne Park and Fruitville Road north to the City limits and the Sarasota Bradenton Airport, with further connection into Manatee County. Seminole Gulf Railroad is interested in working with the City on this project. This is one of the most expensive projects because it requires acquisition of rights-of-way; it also has the potential for developing a future light-rail between the airport and downtown. Project 4: Shade. Ave Complete Street This project includes improvements to Shade Ave from Fruitville Road South to the City Limits. This is a popular project because it goes by a lot of schools and cultural centers. Project 5: Core Route Transit Improvements The current transit service provided by Sarasota County does not meet the needs of the people who want to use transit in the City. The proposed transit service will have 15 minute headways on the US 41 corridor from Downtown to New College and the colleges on the northern part of the City; it will connect with the downtown and the hospital; it will also provide a connection between the downtown and the barrier islands; staff is working with SCAT to provide this service using different vehicles, such as trolleys. Project 6: Cocoanut Avenue and 2nd Street Roundabout This project is about the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Cocoanut Avenue and 2nd Street to improve vehicle flow and pedestrian safety. Project 7: Fruitville Road Complete Street This project addresses the portion of Fruitville Road between US41 and US301; the current recommendation is to improve conditions for walking and biking, while maintaining four lanes; staff is considering a variety of improvements including the creation of parallel bikeways along 2nd Street and 4th Street SO as to keep cyclists away from high volume traffic. Project 8: Redesigning Main Street Main Street is one of the highest crash corridors in the Sarasota-Manatee area, therefore the recommendation is to redesign Main Street, using a variety of treatments and possibly implementing them gradually in phases over time. Project 9: Ringling Causeway/Coon Key Bridges Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 5 of 16 This project goes along with Project 5 (Core Route Transit Improvements); staff has been working with the FDOT about moving the buses to the shoulder lane to provide a faster transit service than driving; the recommendation is to create dedicated lanes for walking, biking and transit; FDOT and SCAT are supportive; FDOT is in the design stage of rebuilding the Coon Key Bridge, and it is an opportunity for staff to provide input to FDOT about local preferences for the new bridge. Project 10: Boulevard of the. Arts The focus is on the portion of the Boulevard of the Arts from Waterfront to Orange Avenue, intending to improve connectivity for walking and biking to the Bay Park Project that is being built on the other side of US41. 2:19:14 P.M. Chief Planner McGue briefly introduced the five recommended policies of the plan; pointed out the importance of developing a new mobility policy (microtransit and micromobility), to future operation of bicycle share and potential electric scooter in the City; added that there are nine recommended programs that either update or expand existing programs; staff will work with the community for the implementation of these programs; emphasized the importance of Program 1, continuing the US41 Multimodal Corridor and Bayfront Connectivity Plan MPO Applications; also highlighted Program 9, the development of multimodal traffic data collection and continuous monitoring program to evaluate the effectiveness of this plan; pointed out that this is a long range plan and its implementation will occur over 25 years; stated that the funding sources will include impact fees, local tax revenues, state and federal funds, and other grants; acknowledged that the final stages of the plan were developed during uncertain times as far as estimating revenues and future revenue projections are concerned; noted that the team has been working with the City's Finance Department to discuss how much revenue the City will have due to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the sales tax revenues, and the potential revenues the City receives from multimodal impact fees, the gas tax, etc.; pointed out that staff has scaled back the recommendations for short term implementation of these projects in an effort to present an implementable plan throughout the 25 year horizon; added that they will continue to work with the Finance Department over the coming months and will continue to estimate the City's revenues, and how: much funding there will be for the City's Capital Improvement Plan for the Sarasota in Motion Infrastructure projects; pointed out that allocating some local funding to the identified projects can help prepare for the time when federal stimulus funding becomes available for transportation and infrastructure projects; noted that staff will review the implementation of this plan regularly; referred to the Priority Project Implementation Strategy Table; pointed out that in the short term they have identified three projects that can be implemented quickly (2020-2025), two of them are to expand the trail network, and then take a close look at 10th Street; stated that once Sarasota in Motion is adopted, staff will be updating the Transportation Chapter of the City's Comprehensive Plan (Winter 2020- 2021); said that staff will develop and implement the programs and policies that were described earlier (2021- 2022); added they will work on the Capital Improvements Plan (Summer /Fall 2020) to ensure there is funding for the projects; added that staff will be applying for grants and funding (winter 2020); said that they will ensure that the projects are adopted within the regional plans (MPO, FDOT, Sarasota County, Manatee County, Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 6 of 16 and other municipalities); and stated that she feels this plan has met the scope outlined 2 years ago in staff S presentation to the Planning Board. PB Chair Blumetti expressed appreciation to staff for their efforts, and asked PB Member Salem to ask his questions. 2:33:03 P.M. PB Member Salem asked if the order of the ten projects can be changed. Chief Planner McGue responded that the order of the projects now reflects their ranking based on the Core Transportation Values, and not the order in which the projects will be implemented; referred to the Priority Project Implementation Strategy Table, on pp 54-55 of the Sarasota in Motion Transportation Master Plan, June 2020-Draft, and stated that the order of the projects in the table depend on funding availability; added that this order is likely to change when staff reviews the plan periodically. PB Member Salem noted that the area of Cocoanut Ave and the Boulevard of the Arts seems to be busy at times; and asked if there have been pedestrian accidents in the area. Chief Planner McGue said she will have to look into that, and suggested that one way to create a pedestrian friendly environment is to eliminate the left hand turning lanes, some of which may be unnecessary based on the traffic volumes in this area. 2:36:27 P.M Dr. Collins added that, in general, multi-lane STOP controlled intersections are confusing both to pedestrians and drivers, as to who has priority, and that intersection has been identified in previous development impact studies as one for "Suggested Retrofitting." 2:37:05 P.M. PB Member Morriss suggested that in addition to Comprehensive Plan revisions, to also address Zoning Code revisions to enable the implementation of this plan. Chief Planner McGue said that the Zoning Code revisions will move forward later this year. PB Member Morriss referred to page 35 of the Draft Plan and asked how the alternative ride services and incentives are paid for. Chief Planner McGue said that these need to be fleshed out with the community; added that their initial thinking was that some of these incentives would be provided by employers. Dr. Collins concurred, and added that some transit services are also offering transit passes on specific routes, and that the county's transit service could partner on such an option. PB Member Morriss referred to COVID-19, and that based on what he has heard on the news, nationally and internationally, if people have a choice they prefer not to use mass transit; added that the psychological reluctance to use mass transit will continue, and asked if this was taken into consideration in the development of the mass transit component of the plan. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 7 of 16 Chief Planner McGue stated that the transit recommendations were developed prior to COVID-19, and agreed that the psychological reluctance will continue; said that many people depend on the bus and will continue to ride it; added that, ultimately, the recommendation is to provide the 15 minute service, even if it does not happen in the next five years; added that staff will closely monitor the effects of COVID-19 and how people prefer to travel in the future; and added that there has been a huge increase in walking and biking in the City. Discussion ensued. PB: Member Morriss referred to the additional costs of cleaning and maintaining the buses sO that they are safe for use during the pandemic; and asked how these costs will affect the budget. Dr. Collins stated that the recommendations in the plan are depending on the City's partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); and noted that, during the application process for funding, ridership and costs will be re-evaluated. Chief Planner McGue pointed out that Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) is already experiencing the impact of COVID-19. 2:46:23 P.M. PB Member Gannon thanked the team for their extraordinary effort; referred to Section 4, Core Transportation Values, and asked where in the plan is, or should be, language referring to how the Plan reduces the contributions to climate change and how the Plan is adapting to the impacts of the rising temperatures. Chief Planner McGue said that it is not explicitly called out in the plan, but a multimodal transportation plan that improves facilities SO that the people can walk, bike and take: mass transit has an impact on reducing our carbon footprint as a City overall; stated that providing a safe and efficient way to move around that does not require a gas-powered automobile, or if you are riding the bus and you are sharing the carbon footprint with a lot of other people, that is how this Plan addresses the core transportation value of being resilient; added that the shade trees deal with the heat effect; and pointed out that each project was scored on each core transportation value and anyone can review the individual scores. Dr. Collins concurred. PB Member Gannon asked why the provision of shade trees is not called out in a policy or aj program to focus on street trees around the sidewalks, especially in the primary grid streets, to amplify the pedestrian experience. Planner McGue agreed and said they may need to look into ways to incorporate street trees in the Plan and other documents, like the Engineering and Design Criteria Manual (EDCM), sO having a policy in this Plan that would encourage the incorporation of street trees in other documents. 2:52:33 P.M.: n PB Member Gannon noted that the number 1 project is the expansion of the City's Trail networks; and added that the discussion does not: include how the pedestrian experience will be improved. Chief Planner McGue asked for what types of information is missing. Discussion ensued, about connection points on the map, and how is the walking experience improved in Project #1. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 8 of 16 PB. Member Gannon referred to the prioritization of the projects, noted that the Boulevard of the Arts is not included in the short-term projects; and asked if it can have a higher priority due to its proximity to the Bay Park Phase I, which has primary access on the Boulevard of the Arts. Dr. Collins pointed out that the intent of the Boulevard of the Arts project is two-fold: first its relationship to the Bay Park, Phase I component, from the Waterfront to US 41, and then its relationship with the City's Plan; this project intends to improve connectivity past US 41, into the Rosemary District, and continue eastward to Orange Avenue; and said the improvements will take place in phases. Chief Planner McGue stated that they have been conservative in what projects to include in the short term implementation list, the 2020- 2025 block of the Plan; added that depending on funds, there is a good possibility that this project will be moved up in the priority list; added that they have coordinated closely with the Bay Park team and they want to see that this project aligns nicely with the work that has been done in Phase I of the Bay Park. 2:59:09 P.M. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich congratulated the team on a wonderful job in engaging the community to determine what the community wants; referred to slide 9 of the PP presentation, "Where We Are Today," and asked why they selected 10th Street for this comparison with US 301. Dr. Collins said that 10th Street is in the Rosemary District, where there are a lot of new projects; added that the volume on the street is very low for requiring a four-lane road; explained that they wanted to point out that there are facilities that are under capacity, while others are over capacity; and said that any street could be included in this comparison in the place of 10th Street, the comparison was to show what happens in a large street VS. a small street. 3:01:48 P.M. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich said that many slides in the PP presentation made her think of persons with mobility limitations; noted that the Core Transportation Values include being active, and focus on walking, biking and active modes of mobility; and asked if the team had any discussions or have taken any considerations relating to the activity of people with mobility limitations. Chief Planner McGue stated that one of the outreach events of the team was with the Manasota Lighthouse for the Blind (MLB); explained that staff walked around downtown Sarasota with some of MLB members with covered eyes and white canes to feel the experience of people with serious vision impairment, and how they navigate a roundabout; added that it was an eye opening experience. for the staff; stated that in terms of using wheelchairs, staff has considered wider sidewalks, and that is addressed in the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 9 of 16 Dr. Collins concurred that it was one of the outreach efforts of the team when they met with the stakeholders; added that the recommendations for Fruitville Road address this issue specifically; and noted that "mobility challenge" is part of the multi-mobility. 3:05:27 P.M. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich stated that she supports the concept of closing off some streets and making them pedestrian walkways on occasion or even on permanent basis; pointed out that when a person in a wheelchair wants to visit a facility located along the pedestrian walkway, it is exhausting both for the person in the wheelchair and for the person who is pushing the wheelchair; and requested consideration for the non-ambulatory people and their caregivers when the team is making decisions about closing streets. 3:06:47 P.M. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich stated that the Planning Board has received many communications from the public regarding the Complete Street Project for the Boulevard of the Arts; said that she supports PB Member Gannon's comments, as well as the comments of the staff, to consider moving that project to a higher priority than #10; added that they also received public comments recommending that the City's green space policy is included in this Plan; and suggested that this topic is referenced on page 32 of the Plan. 3:08:03 P.M. PB Chair Blumetti commended the team for thinking outside of the box on many topics; and asked how can the Planning Board use the Transportation Plan to inform projects as they come before the Planning Board of transportation efforts relating to the project's location, for example the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan. Dr. Collins stated that this Master Plan is a template for future endeavors, but it does replace current priorities or needs such as sidewalk gaps, and improving sidewalk connections; explained that those can be under the public works actions; added that the team has identified where the gaps are, sO this Plan serves as a resource, and identifies where the emphasis of where the larger initiatives are going to be located. Chief Planner McGue added that after the adoption of the Sarasota in Motion Transportation Master Plan, there will be changes to the Transportation Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Code, and those will become tools the Planning Board can use in their review of projects; and requested support from the Planning Board during the revisions of these documents to ensure that the revisions are consistent with the vision of this Plan. PB Chair Blumetti pointed out that he hopes this Plan becomes part of the process sO that it is implemented, as intended, during its 25 year implementation horizon by decision makers who may not have been involved in the development of the Plan. 3:11:50 P.M. PB Chair Blumetti stated that he did not see anything in the budget or in the Plan about conditions that need improvements now, such as crosswalks, signaling, no right turn, etc.; and asked if they have been considered. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 10 of 16 Dr. Collins said that safe pedestrian crossing issues are addressed by "Program #2 = Establish a pedestrian safety crossing program, provided examples, and said that this program will help the City work with other the public agencies that have jurisdiction over streets, to address pedestrian safely crossing cooperatively. 3:14:36 P.M. PB Chair Blumetti referred to the PP slide for Project 9 - Ringling Causeway/Coon Key Bridges and asked for clarification regarding the concept of dedicated lanes for walking, biking, and transit vehicles. Chief Planner McGue stated that this concept relates to an FDOT policy called "Bus on Shoulder," said that the lane that has been designated as bike lane on the Ringling Causeway bridge is actually the shoulder of the road; pointed out that this policy allows the bus to operate on the shoulder of the road; said this concept is used all across the state and the country; pointed out that it is supported by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO); noted that in terms of safety, the bus traffic in Sarasota is minimal, and the buses must move slowly sO as to share the lane safely with cyclists; and stated that it is a new concept for Sarasota and Manatee Counties, however, it has been implemented around the country for many years. PB Chair Blumetti said that he is not opposed to this concept to be used on the bridge; and asked how this is managed at the end of the bridge, where there is no shoulder, just the bike lane. Chief Planner McGue stated that the bus would have to change lanes, and referred to a treatment called' " queuejump" where the bus can geti in front of a vehicle traffic at a signal; noted that staff is considering using this at Bird Key, however all this is still in the conceptual stage, and explained that things will be resolved when this is under design; added that this is an FDOT road and they will be looking at that and making sure that the road complies with state regulations and guidelines; and concluded that this treatment has been used statewide, and it is an opportunity for Sarasota to also use it since there is available dedicated space. Dr. Collins added that this does not take away the 10-ft. wide multi-use path /sidewalk on either side of the bridge, the bike riders then would have the ability to legally ride on the multi-use path / sidewalk in this lane. PB Chair Blumetti asked if the bridge is wide enough to accommodate both the multi-use path/s sidewalk and this lane. Chief Planner McGue said that: it would need to be restriped, and FDOT has scheduled to do a resurfacing project on this stretch in the next five years. 3:20:29 P.M. PB Member Salem asked if these projects would require an increase in impact fees, considering that funds will be reduced due to COVID-19. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 11 of 16 Dr. Collins said that he did not think there would be an increase in impact fees, particularly if the City would try to encourage development in a period of possible recession; pointed out that the City's portion in the next twenty five years is $118 million dollars; added this plan is a combination of small projects that improve conditions across the City, and noted that there are. funds available to relieve the City's burden, but the City must apply for them. 3:23:44 P.M. PB Member Salem asked if there is a ride-sharing aspect in this plan. Dr. Collins stated that there is private ride-sharing promotion and there is ride-sharing in public transportation; pointed out that this Plan identifies large trip generators, such as thel hospital, or other similar large trip generators; noted that the City can coordinate with them in ride-sharing techniques to reduce travel demand; the travel demand is equally as important ast the additional capacity equation oft thei infrastructure: in this program; offered examples, such as transit passes for employees who have to drive over the bridge to go to St. Armand's Key for their job, a program that would reduce congestion and parking demands. City Engineer Davis-Shaw referred to "Policy #3 - Establish a curbside management policy," which would allow the City to provide locations that are better for those types of services, whether it is UBER, LYFT or for some of the food delivery services, because curbside will become more valuable as these services are becoming more popular. 3:25:56 P.M. PB Member Salem noted that he has not seen them lately, but there were these courtesy vehicles that were roaming in the streets for a while; and asked if they have been phased out. Chief Planner McGue explained that the City subsidized that service for a while, it was called "I-Ride," they were electric vehicles and sat 6 people; said that it was a free ride but the passengers had to tip the driver; noted that the service ran out of the subsidy and they were supposed to become financially independent and continue to operate without the public subsidy; said that they operated for a while, and the name of the company now was the "Gotcha Group," - they started charging for the rides, and then they decided the model did not work well for them, and they left the City; added that in the past, staff has heard from other companies that provide the same service and are interested to come to Sarasota;noted that she does not know what is the impact of COVID-19 on these services, but she thinks there may be an opportunity to bring this type of service to the City, hopefully at no cost to taxpayers; this is something staff is working on behind the scenes; referred to "Policy #5 - Develop new mobility policy, microtransit and micromobility," and stated that services like the one she just described fall in the category of microtransit; pointed out that the downtown residents have said that they liked this service and that they used it all the time, SO she thinks it would be a good idea to have it again in the City. 3:28:49 P.M. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 12 of 16 PB Member Salem asked if there has been any thought to mainland parking or beach goers, who can be shuttled over to the Lido Beach area; explained that when he works at the Fire Station #3 on St. Armand's Key, sometimes it is difficult to get the vehicles out due to the traffic. Chief Planner McGue stated that issues like this will be addressed by the Program #5. - Core Route Transit Improvements; and discussed how it would work. 3:30:53 P.M. PB Member Morriss referred to traffic calming and asked if this plan has considered streamlining the process of achieving traffic calming in neighborhoods. Chief Planner McGue stated that staff has heard from people about this issue; and stated that Program #8 includes an analysis of the current traffic calming program. PB Member Morriss stated that he supports the idea of moving up on the priority list the improvements on the Boulevard of the Arts, because it is a strong connector, and there is a lot of activity going on in that area right now. Discussion about traffic calming ensued. 3:34:02 P.M. PB Member Gannon asked for additional information about the core values and the scoring of the projects and the prioritization of the projects. Chief Planner McGue referred to page 39 of the Plan, and pointed out that on this page is a list of all the projects, their ranking and their scores; added that there is a more detailed spreadsheet that gives even more details than this list, which is part of the work the consultant provided for the City; and explained the factors the team considered in determining the scores, including project's impact on carbon, its proximity to high crash areas, whether it is an active mode of transportation, and social equity (providing alternative transportation options to citizens in areas of low car ownership). 3:38:01 P.M. Dr. Collins elaborated on this topic, stating that for each of the core transportation values there were measures that were scored; offered examples such as, for "active" they considered distance from a park, or the proximity to public spaces, percentage of people who walk or bike to work and the relation of the project to that; gave similar explanations for the way the other core transportation values and factors were considered in the scoring of the projects; and pointed out that for each core transportation value there were four or five mechanisms that were used in the scoring for each project. 3:39:53 P.M. PB Member Gannon asked why this information is not included in the report sO the readers can understand the: reason for the score of each program. Discussion ensued, and Dr. Collins offered explanations. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 13 of 16 PB Member Gannon mentioned during the presentation, he heard references to the Comprehensive Sidewalk Plan, and to the Citywide Sidewalk Connectivity Plan, and the Bicycle Plan; and asked where these documents are found in the Plan; clarifying his question, he stated that he would like to see which plan was used and what are the links of that plan to this plan. Chief Planner McGue stated that they used several plans, such as the Multimodal Connections Plan that was adopted by the City Commission in October 2019, which is available on the website, on the Transportation Planning Page, and she would be happy to share the link to it. The Sidewallk Connectivity Plan, Spring 2020, is available in the GIS page, although she had difficulty to access it, SO she will contact the GIS department to provide a link to the Planning Board sO that they can review that document. General Manager Chapdelain pointed out that these two plans, The Sidewalk Connectivity Plan, and the Multimodal Connections Plan, are also included in the PP Presentation, on slides 35 and 36. PB Member Gannon stated that the presentation section of "Where we have been," PP slide 5, he sees the pictures of the plans; added that he appreciates the willingness to provide the links to the Planning Board; referred to the presentation before the Planning Board on January 9, 2019, and stated that during the extensive discussion of the existing conditions assessment documents, staff made a commitment to make available links to those documents on the Sarasota Motion page, and hel has not been able to: find them; and asked if staff will follow up on that commitment. Chief Planner McGue pointed out that the reason some of these documents are not on the page now is that they are not considered ADA Accessible, and some work needs to be done, to make them ADA Accessible before they are posted to the City's website; added that staff will continue to work on that. 3:46:41 P.M. PB Member Gannon referred to the pedestrian experience and services for persons with limited mobility; and asked if the policies and regulations that result from this Plan will address the process for street closures and sidewalk closures for construction purposes. 3:48:22 P.M. City Engineer Davis-Shaw stated that this will always be a high level evaluation of what the City is trying to achieve; noted that there is an existing ordinance relating to how one gets a sidewalk detour, the requirements for those, therefore, the specifics need to be in that document; pointed out that when the City is doing utility work or building a wider sidewalk, or planting trees, that would require some closure of the sidewalk, but each document will be more detailed providing information on what needs to be done and the related costs. 3:49:40 P.M. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 14 of 16 PB Vice Chair Ohlrich stated that when we think of transportation we think of the Police Department, particularly in terms of enforcement; and asked if the team has worked with the Police Department in terms of implementation strategies, action plan, or enforcement issues. Chief Planner McGue stated that the Police Department participated in the agency stakeholders workshop that took place in May 2019; added that staff coordinate regularly with the traffic enforcement team about different projects; added that the Police Department is a key player in the education and community outreach (Program #3 - Continue safe driving and riding outreach program). PB Vice Chair Ohlrich referred to the following statement found on page 52, Implementation Strategy, Prioritizing Funding, and Implementation: # The City will use this plan on an annual basis to coordinate design and implementation ofpolicies, programs, and projects.. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich asked if this means that this plan will be treated like the CIP and will be brought before the City Commission for discussion and reprioritization once a year. Chief Planner McGue stated that the City will look at this document each year to see how these projects can be included in the CIP; added that this Plan will not be revisited every year, but every five years, similar to what the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) does with their long range plans. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich referred to renderings in the: report on pages 6, 7 and 26, and stated the public has expressed concerns about unrealistic renderings because they mislead the public, for example let the public believe that trees will be lining the streets, even when there is no space for their roots to grow, and when, in reality, palms will be used instead of the trees shown in the renderings; and asked if staff can do something about the renderings to make them sO that they reflect what is most likely to happen. Dr. Collins stated that this is something the team can revisit, but those details are addressed at a later stage when the improvements are being designed. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich said thatift thei renderings cannotl be: realistic, maybe staff can include a disclosure statement of what Dr. Collins just said. Chief Planner McGue pointed out that there is a caption under the rendering on page 6, stating that this is a conceptual rendering. PB Vice Chair Ohlrich said that she does not like to mislead people or have someone say this is what you promised to do. 3:55:25 P.M. PB Chair Blumetti stated that he is surprised that the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan is not mentioned in the Sarasota in Motion Draft, and it is at the end of this presentation; and asked for clarification; added that it seems to be the easiest thing to tackle right now, and should be at the top of the implementation list for a City that wants to be more walkable and more pedestrian friendly. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 15 of 16 Chief Planner McGue stated that the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan lives separately, on its own, because the Public Works department is working with it annually, and there are funds allocated for projects already in the CIP; added that it is assumed that the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan is happening; and concluded that having a Sidewalk Connectivity Plan that is continually updated is very important for multi-modal transportation planning. PB Chair Blumetti asked if the details of this plan will show in another document; added when the Planning Board is reviewing a property it would be good to have a document that includes details. Chief Planner McGue explained that the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan is what the Public Works Department is working on; said that the sidewalk requirements for the projects that the Planning Board is reviewing are in the EDCM; stated that additional work will be needed for staff to provide the Planning Board with the tools they need to make those evaluations as they are reviewing proposed plans; added that the EDCM updates will also be helpful to the Planning Board. 4:00:52 P.M. City Engineer DavisShaw stated that when staff reviews sidewalk improvements they look at the Sidewalk Connectivity Plan, because it is required that sidewalks be installed on all development projects that meet the thresholds of the EDCM. 4:01:59 P.M. PB Chair Blumetti asked who is responsible for the maintenance of these projects after they are developed and asked if that is accounted for in the current budget. Chief Planner McGue stated that it would be the City's responsibility to maintain these projects, and there are allocations of funds in the total project costs; added that these are planning level cost estimates and they are subject to change once the projects get in the design process. Dr. Collins stated that primarily the maintenance will be done by City staff; pointed out that it is a good idea to revisit the costs when they revisit the Plan every five years; added that it is a living document, and it changes and grows as the projects become real. 4:04:15 P.M. PB Members had no further questions. PB Chair Blumetti thanked the team for their efforts, the presentation, and for going into depth in their responses to the PB questions. Chief Planner McGue thanked the Planning Board for their thorough review of the plan and their comments. IV. PRESENTATION OF TOPICS BY STAFF Items presented are: informational only (no action taken). Any issue presented that may require future action will be placed on the next available agenda for discussion. Minutes of the Planning Board Workshop June 10, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 16 of 16 General Manager Chapdelain stated that there are a number of projects that need to be presented in public hearings before the Planning Board; pointed out that the Governor of Florida has provided an order by which Boards can meet in person in July, and asked if the Planning Board could meet on July 22, 2020, at 1:30 P.M. to hear three items, and then hold a regular PB Meeting on August 12, 2020, at 1:30 P.M. for another round of items; and clarified that there will not be a PB: Meeting on July 8-2020. Discussion ensued. PB Members concurred. Attorney Connolly noted that once the meetings begin on August 12, 2020 then the meetings will continue the second Wednesday of every month from then on. V. PRESENTATION OF TOPICS BY PLANNING BOARD Items presented are informational only (no action taken). Any issue presented that may: require future action will be placed on the next available agenda for discussion. There was none. VI. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 4:13 PM. Steven R. Cover, Planning Director Damien Blumetti, Chair Planning Department Planning Board/Local Planning Agency [Secretary to the Board]