4.7. SR 03-17-1997ITEM 4.7.
"ity of
iver
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
MEMORANDUM
Mayor and City Council
Phil Hals, Street/Park Superintende~t~'~-~'
March 17, 1997
Downtown Handicap Parking
I have received input from three downtown business owners, two of which
letters are attached for your review. In a phone conversation with Jim
Simpson from The Bank of Elk River, I received the following comments:
The Bank of Elk River has a handicap parking stall available in
their parking lot.
The present handicap stall on Main Street should be made "No
Parking" due to the fact that when there is a vehicle parked in that
stall, it restricts visibility for vehicles exiting the bank driveway.
A count of the city-provided parking stalls in the downtown area is in excess
of 200, which requires seven handicap parking stalls. Staff supports the
creation of two van accessible stalls in front of the marked crosswalk from the
Jackson Square parking lot to the south side of Main Street, as per original
proposal.
As Keith Holme indicated, we need to add one more van accessible stall in
the lot west of Kemper Drug. Creating the handicap stall on Jackson (in
front of Kemper Drug) will likely involve removing one other stall to allow for
the additional stall width and the adequate maneuvering space needed south
of the Highway 10 crosswalk.
Several residents, who requested the handicap parking on the south side of
Main Street, plan to attend the March 17, 1997, Council meeting to offer
their comments. I will also be present at this meeting to discuss this issue.
s:kcouncilXhandiprk.doc
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
Feb. 28,1997
Sir,
I recently received your letter dated Feb. 21,1997
concerning handicap parking spaces for the downtown area of
Elk River. You detailed how a group of seniors has
come forward with concerns of the number of stalls available
to them. The enclosed map, of existing sites, helped me
understand why this perception has been reached. The
handicap stall across from The Depot has been unmarked since
our first snowfall of the winter. The sidewalk sign has been
down for sometime, and the street markings covered with
snow. With proper marking and maintenance, that stall would
be an excellent spot for access to both the gazebo and a
crosswalk. This is also an excellent spot for a handicap
parking stall as it provides for unloading of handicap vans
to the sidewalk side of the street.
I feel that easier access to the gazebo, for senior or
handicap parking, would be in Jackson Square. This location
would also provide safer unloading of these vehicles, for
lack of through traffic, and also provide a view of the
gazebo entertainment without leaving the vehicle at all.
This area of parking is seldom used after the normal working
hours of the majority of businesses downtown, whereas your
proposed site, for handicap stalls, removes five parking
spots for two businesses that stay open as long as nine hours
longer than others in the area.
The proposed two handicap stalls and crosswalk remove
five spots from local businesses that try to compete with the
myth of 'more parking at the mall' These five spots are
occupied from 9:00am to 12:00am most days and always on
Friday and Saturdays. It was for that very reason the city
council recently resurrected these spots after declaring them
as NO PARKING zones. As I recall, it was by unanimous vote.
That declaration of the NO PARKING zone was to "create a
better view of the river", and I feel this new proposal is a
veiled measure to that end. These two spots would definitely
be more costly to implement, than repainting two stalls in
Jackson Square, and would create an unloading problem for
handicap vans. The vans would unload away from the proposed
crosswalk and create a hazardous exit into traffic. By
putting the spots in Jackson Square, we could still put in
the crosswalk, keep the spot next to the gazebo which also
provides safe exit to a sidewalk, re-mark the existing spot
across from The Depot, and no parking spots would be lost to
downtown merchants.
Please re-think these proposals you submit with the
businesses of downtown in mind. The Depot is handicap
accessible and sees the need for handicap parking, but our
business must accommodate a wide range of guests to satisfy
the $5,000.00 property taxes due Elk River each year. We
have vacant buildings that can house vacant parking spots,
why 'handicap' a business with an unsafe seldom used parking
spot? If we are to, someday, attract a new tenant to the
old hardware store site, we should keep parking at a premium.
Enclosed is my proposed parking
concept for handicap spots
Thank You
~u~rm~rt
The Depot
701 Main St.
Historic Downtown
Elk River, Mn.
55330
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MAR--14--9? FRI 05:29 PM E.R. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 6i2 441 3409 P. 01
Elk RiverArea
Charnber of Commerce
March 14, 1997
Mr. Phil Hals
City of Elk River
13065 Orono Parkway
P.O. Box 490
Elk River MN 55330
Dear Phil:
I have seen your suggestions for changing the handicapped parking situation in downtown Elk
River. The concerns cited appear to be consistent with some calls we've received in our office,
asking why there aren't more access points along Main Street for the physically challenged.
It makes sense for customer's convenience to add van accessible stalls on the south side of
Main Street. This plan should remove barrier perceptions and make it easier to get to all
businesses to obtain the products and services they each provide.
I'll be in touch after the March 17 meeting of the City Council to hear the outcome of this
approach. (Now, if we could only work to do something about the problem of the railroad
crossings at Main and Jackson - we get a lot of calls concerning those! !)
Sincerely,
lackie F. Schuelein
Executive Vice President
509 Highway 10 · Elk River, Minnesota 55330-1415 · (612) 441-3110