5.1. HRSR 06-05-2005ITEM # 5.1.
of
ver
MEMORANDUM
TO: Housing and Redevelopment Authority
FROM: Heidi Steinmetz, Assistant Director of Economic Development ~~
DATE: June 6, 2005
SUBJECT: Consider Acceptance of King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force
Recommendations
Attachment
Final Report, City of Elk River King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Process,
LJR, Inc. Transportation Planners & Consultants, June 1, 2005
Background
The King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force was formed in December of 2004 and was
composed of downtown business and property owners and one downtown resident. The
purpose of the Task Force was to gather input on the following two issues:
1) Design of the King Avenue Parking Lot
2) Parking enforcement of the King Avenue Parking Lot and how that relates to
parking in downtown Elk River as a whole
The meetings were facilitated by Lisa Raduenz of LJR, Inc. Transportation Planners &
Consultants in order to provide an impartial viewpoint to the discussions. City Engineer
Terry Maurer participated in the meetings in which design discussion took place and Police
Chief Beahen participated in the meeting in which parking enforcement discussion took
place.
Issue
The final meeting of the Task Force took place on May 5, 2005. A consensus of the Task
Force regarding design input took place during the first three meetings. Construction of the
lot commenced on June 1, 2005.
Ms. Raduenz has prepared the attached final report on the process that the Task Force
underwent from January to May 2005. The Final Report includes the mission and goals as
developed by staff and the Task Force, the membership, the monthly meetings and the Task
Force recommendations.
Consider Acceptance of I{ing Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Recommendations
June 6, 2005 HRA Mccting
Page2of2
Recommendation
Following a presentation by Ms. Raduenz, staff recommends that the HRA accept the
attached King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force recommendations as listed in the attached
Final Report submitted by LJR, Inc. Transportation Planners & Consultants. It is
anticipated that the next step will be City Council consideration in July of a resolution
establishing parking time limit zones within the downtown. Staff will recommend to the
City Council that parking time limits not be enforced until Jackson Place and The Bluffs of
Elk River are completed.
FINAL REPORT
City of Elk River
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Process
June 1, 2005
~-
._'~'~`r~ns~prtat:«n Consultants ans{ Pl<3nner
/~t:
LJR, Inc.
Transportation Planners and Consultants
1425 Sargent Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
651.227.1905 -phone 651.690.4094 -fax
ljrinc@aol.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Project Background ......................................................................................................................... 2
Task Force Mission and Goals ........................................................................................................ 3
Task Force Membership .................................................................................................................. 3
Monthly Meetings of the Task Force .............................................................................................. 4
Recommendations of the Task Force .............................................................................................. 5
Example of Preferred Parking Lot Signage ..................................................................................... 9
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Attachments:
Monthly Task Force Meeting Agendas/Approved Minutes (January through May 2005)
Table depicting examples of parking policy/enforcement from other communities
Map of the King Avenue Parking Lot site
1
City of Elk River
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Process
Project Background
The City of Elk River is in the process of redeveloping significant portions of the
downtown area, with a specific focus on redeveloping atwo-block existing commercial
area in the heart of Elk River. A large downtown surface parking area located on Jackson
Avenue adjacent to the Bank of Elk River that has been in existence for many years is
one of the first areas of downtown Elk River that will be required for the redevelopment
effort. Because parking is extremely important to the continued economic viability and
stability of downtown Elk River, city officials were concerned that no net public parking
loss should occur during the reconstruction period.
The King Avenue surface parking lot, located north of the intersection of King Avenue
and Main Street and south of Highway 10, was identified by city staff as an area that
could be expanded to offset the loss of existing public parking spaces across the street
from the "brick block" area. The lot is available for employees and customers of Jackson
Avenue and Main Street businesses such as Kemper Drug, Elk River Meats and other
nearby stores. Because of the proximity of this lot to existing businesses along both Main
Street and Jackson Avenue, city staff identified the area as one that could be expanded to
accommodate additional public parking prior to the beginning of the downtown
redevelopment process.
A number of issues were associated with the planned expansion of the King Avenue
parking lot. Among them was the issue of removing the former Municipal Utilities
building to make room for additional parking, and the securing of a joint use agreement
with the Elk River School District for adjoining street right-of-way usage. Parking lot
design and enforcement concerns were also identified by city officials as issues that
needed to be addressed prior to the expansion of the King Avenue lot.
In December 2004 the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority established the
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force. The mission of the group was to provide input on
design and enforcement issues related to the expansion of the King Avenue parking lot
prior to its June 2005 construction date. City staff invited stakeholders from businesses
and residences located near the downtown Elk River area to participate on the Task Force
and set a series of meetings to conduct Task Force work beginning in January 2005 and
ending prior to parking lot expansion in May 2005. This report outlines the issues
studied by the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force, its membership and
recommendations made by Task Force members throughout the Task Force process.
2
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Mission and Goals
At its initial meeting on January 4, 2005, the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force
agreed to the following mission and goal statements:
Mission: The purpose of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is to gather design,
operational and enforcement feedback from representative members of the downtown Elk
River business and residential areas during the planning process for this new community
amenity.
Goals: (a) To plan for a parking facility in the downtown area of the City that meets the
needs of the Elk River business community, local residential neighborhoods and
visitors to the City.
(b) To ensure that vehicle and pedestrian access to downtown businesses and the
community in general is maintained throughout the King Avenue
parking lot reconstruction period.
(c) To maintain a consistent level of parking availability within the downtown
area that ensures Elk River economic health and recognizes future growth.
Within the framework as stated above, members of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task
Force agreed to meet once a month (usually on the first Tuesday of the month, if possible
based on members' schedules) for five months at 8:00 a.m. in the second floor conference
room of the First National Trust Bank Center in downtown Elk River.
Membership of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force members were mailed letters of invitation to
participate on the Task Force in late November 2004. City staff developed a roster of
potential Task Force participants based on where downtown properties were located in
order to ensure adequate representation of downtown Elk River businesses. In addition, a
citizen representative who lives near the downtown area was added to ensure
residential/homeowner interests in the downtown area were represented.
Members of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force who volunteered to participate on
the Task Force included:
^ John Anderson (Residential Representative)
^ Keith Holme (Property/Business owner, Kemper Drug Store)
^ John Houlton (President, 1S` National Bank of Elk River)
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^ Dr. Tony Jarmoluk (Property owner, Dentist)
^ Steve Johnson (Property owner, Antique Store Building)
^ Fred McCoy (Business owner, McCoy's Pub)
^ Ty Sunderman (Business owner, Dare's Funeral Home)
In addition to the Task Force members, other persons who attended the monthly Task
Force meetings were City of Elk River staff Heidi Steinmetz, Assistant Director of
Economic Development and downtown business owner liaison and Terry Maurer, City
Engineer. Lisa Raduenz, Principal of LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants and Planners,
was retained by the City to convene Task Force meetings and consult on the Task Force
process.
Monthly Meetings of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force
Monthly meetings of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force were designed to elicit a
structured discussion of issues related to the reconstruction of the King Avenue parking
lot, scheduled to start by June 1, 2005. Because of the myriad of issues related to the
reconstruction of the parking lot, City Engineer Terry Maurer was asked to present plans
for the parking lot expansion and a timetable for deliverables related to the reconstruction
of the lot (i.e., building tear-down, pavement work, etc.) This information was provided
to Task Force members in the January, February and March 2005 meetings in order to
obtain the group's opinion of the planned parking lot reconstruction process and to ensure
that enough time existed to make changes to the proposed timeline and work schedule if
necessary.
The Apri12005 meeting was dedicated to enforcement issues in the King Avenue parking
lot once reconstruction was expected to finish, around July 4, 2005. Elk River Police
Chief Jeff Beahen and the City's Director of Economic Development, Catherine
Mehelich, both attended this meeting to answer questions from the Task Force members
related to future parking lot enforcement and other traffic and parking concerns in the
general downtown Elk River area.
King Avenue Task Force members were also provided information at this meeting about
parking and enforcement issues in other communities with parking demand concerns
around the Twin Cities, including Anoka, the 50`h and France area of Edina, the Grand
Avenue area of St. Paul and downtown Stillwater. Once the enforcement discussion was
completed, Task Force members made suggestions to Chief Beahen and city staff about
possible changes to current city code and enforcement policies, both in the short (pre-
downtown redevelopment) and long-term (post-downtown redevelopment).
The final meeting of the Task Force was held on May 5, 2005. At this meeting members
of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force reviewed the group's recommendations for
the King Avenue parking lot reconstruction process along with other recommendations
for city parking and transportation concerns, both short and long-term. Signage for the
new lot, once completed, was also discussed and a sample of signage the group preferred
4
was identified as a recommendation to the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment
Authority (HRA). The group also agreed to and defined a specific area of the new King
Avenue parking lot to be utilized for employee parking only, and came up with
recommended changes to the existing on-street parking time limits for public parking
areas along downtown streets and along Main Avenue in order to enhance parking
opportunities for visitors and shoppers in downtown Elk River.
The following schedule depicts general agenda items that were designated for each of the
five meetings of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force between January and May
2005:
January 2005: Overview, general layout and design, lot capacity issues
(King Avenue parking lot expansion project)
*Meeting held Tuesday, January 4, 2005
February 2005: Employee and general public, disabled parking designations
*Meeting held Tuesday, February 1, 2005
March 2005: Directional and lot signage, staging for reconstruction month
*Meeting held Thursday, March 3, 2005
Apri12005: Enforcement policies, other communities' policies/enforcement
*Meeting held Tuesday, Apri15, 2005
May 2005: Final recommendations of Task Force to Elk River HRA and
Elk River City Council.
*Meeting held Thursday, May 5, 2005
More detailed information about each of the five Task Force meetings, including
approved meeting minutes and meeting agendas can be found within the attachments at
the end of this report.
Recommendations of the Elk River Parking Lot Task Force
The Elk River Parking Lot Task Force came up with a detailed list of recommendations
to the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and the Elk River City
Council. The recommendations from the Task Force were the result of discussions
among members and responses from city staff about questions related to the potential
parking and transportation traffic demand in downtown Elk River, both in the short and
long term. The existing City Code was also looked at as it related to parking and
enforcement policies within downtown Elk River.
There are four main areas of recommendations from the Task Force. For ease of
identification the areas are broken down into the following categories:
5
^ King Avenue Parking Lot Reconstruction Proces
^ Traffic Control Measures
^ Public Policy
^ Signage
The complete recommendations from the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force are listed
below.
King Avenue Parking Lot Reconstruction Process
^ Ensure that the King Avenue parking lot reconstruction process maintains access
for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic in downtown Elk River.
^ At a minimum, maintain the same amount of public and employee post
reconstruction parking availability as exists prior to the project reconstruction
period.
^ Provide directional signage on the southwest corner of the lot (facing Main Street
and King Avenue) that informs drivers and others about the process and depicts
options for public parking throughout the reconstruction period.
^ Keep disruption to a minimum during the process by having delivery vehicles and
other construction-related traffic drop materials outside of basic work peak hours
(8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday).
^ Keep a portion of the King Avenue parking lot open throughout reconstruction
process whenever possible.
^ Provide communication updates directly to affected businesses and the general
public about project length, expected date of lot reopening and other public
information.
^ Overlay rock on the new asphalt to prevent skateboarders and other disruptions to
the newly-paved surface.
^ Ensure that adequate lighting will exist in the parking lot before, during and after
the reconstruction process for pedestrian/employee/shopper safety.
^ Enforce overnight and limited/disabled/no parking zone requirements throughout
the reconstruction project in order to ensure sufficient short and long-term parking
for visitors and employees.
^ Provide employee parking spaces during the reconstruction project at other
locations in downtown Elk River.
6
Traffic Control Measures
^ Determine if short-term traffic control measures may be necessary along Main
Street during the reconstruction process to ensure orderly traffic flow (i.e., stop
sign at King and Main or Lowell and Main).
^ Consider performing traffic counts at intersections along Main Street post-
reconstruction to determine if long-term traffic control measures (i.e., 4-way stop
or other measures) are warranted once the parking lot has been established.
^ Observe pedestrian crossing movements at signalized intersection of Highway 10
and Jackson Street to determine if pedestrians have enough time to cross
intersection.
^ Extend yellow striping along Main Street to increase visibility of pedestrian
crossings at busy intersections along Main Street.
^ Consider a right turn lane off of Main Street onto Parish. The Task Force
recognizes this is a difficult intersection, but feels the traffic here should be
monitored closely, especially in lieu of future redevelopment in the area.
Parking Enforcement
^ Designate sufficient short-term parking areas for downtown visitors and shoppers
and sufficient longer-term parking areas for employees and sign appropriately.
^ Provide approximately 50 spaces for employee parking in the northwest quadrant
of the reconstructed King Avenue parking lot.
^ Provide employers whose employees are to use the King Avenue parking lot with
numbered permits that hang from rear-view mirrors while parking in the lot.
^ Require employers to notify the Elk River Police Department if any employee
parking permits are misplaced or lost/stolen and pay for replacement parking
permits issued.
^ If employee parking becomes a problem or issue, convene a meeting with
employers to discuss the concerns before implementing changes in policy.
^ Place signage in the newly reconstructed King Avenue parking lot denoting short-
term parking time limits, designated employee parking areas and fines for abusing
parking privileges.
7
^ Enforce the 30 foot setback rule at intersection corners along Main Street to
ensure driver visibility at corners in downtown Elk River.
^ Place ADA-required parking spaces near intersection corners wherever possible
and feasible to increase driver sight lines at intersections.
^ Consider putting a current City employee on part-time duty for enforcement
similar to what is done in other communities (i.e., Anoka).
^ Consider an increase in parking fines once the King Avenue lot is finished for
violations of both short and long term parking areas in downtown Elk River.
^ Consider an increase in fines for overnight parking in downtown public parking
areas that includes towing and recovery costs.
^ Consider adding warning signage near Kemper Drug to require drivers to slow
down when turning off of Highway 10 onto street in front of drug store.
^ Consider the installation of metered parking in selected areas of downtown if
parking continues to be a problem after the King Avenue parking lot is
reconstructed.
Public Policy
^ Preserve to the greatest extent possible all on-street parking spaces that now exist
in the downtown Elk River area because parking is an issue of economic stability
and an adequate supply of public parking is a supportive environment for current
and future businesses.
^ Establish a Downtown Transportation Advisory Board, which would consist of
employer and resident representatives, to regularly review and provide
recommendations to the Elk River City Council on transportation and parking
issues in Elk River. This Advisory Board could be convened under the Police
Chief as is done in other nearby communities (i.e., Anoka).
^ Review and discuss changes to current City codes and regulations related to
public parking and enforcement in Elk River.
^ Consider a comprehensive parking and transportation access study for the entire
downtown area of the City once all redevelopment has occurred within the next
two to five years.
^ Consider the cost of `decking' the King Avenue parking structure to increase
public parking availability in the future.
8
^ Consider adding pedestrian access from the King Avenue parking structure
(walkways through or between buildings) to Main Street businesses.
Signage
^ Install permanent signage near the King Avenue public parking lot that is up high
and demonstrates where public parking exists to traffic traveling along Highway
10 in both directions. The signage should be easy-to-read and, if possible,
demonstrative of Elk River's past.
Signage examples from other communities were provided to the Task Force as part of
the final meeting in May 2005. The following picture depicts public parking signage
from downtown Stillwater, Minnesota which Task Force members especially liked.
The image is viewed as representative of the type of signage that members are
proposing to the HRA and City Council for permanent placement at the King Avenue
parking lot site, facing Highway 10 in both directions.
Conclusion
The King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is providing these recommendations to the
Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and City Council as its
response to the work performed by the Task Force at the request of the City. Parking
in the downtown Elk River area is extremely important and vital to the economic
vitality of the City and its residents and businesses. It is important to maintain a
suitable level of short-term, long-term, employee and disabled parking for our
citizens and visitors at all times.
9
ATTACHMENTS
io
MEETING OF THE
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
AGENDA
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
First National Financial Center
2"d Floor Board Room
8:00 a.m.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00-8:10 a.m. Introductions
8:10-8:30 a.m. Task Force Mission and Objectives
Lisa Raduenz, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8:30-8:40 a.m. Downtown Revitalization Project Overview
Heidi Steinmetz, Assistant Director o f Economic Development
8:40-9:00 a.m. King Ave. Parking Lot Concept (General Design/Layout and Capacity)
Terry Maurer, City Engineer
9:00-9:10 a.m. Discussion
9:10 a.m. Adjourn
MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
HELD AT FIRST NATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER
MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2005
Members Present: Keith Holme, property owner Kemper Drug; Steve Johnson, property
owner Antiques Downtown; John Anderson, downtown resident; Ty
Sunderman, Manager Dare's Funeral Home; Dr. Tony Jarmoluk, Elk
Dental Center
Members Absent: Fred McCoy, McCoy's Pub and John Houlton, First National Bank of
Elk River
Staff Present: City Engineer Terry Maurer and Assistant Director of Economic
Development Heidi Steinmetz
Others Present: Lisa Raduenz of LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
Task Force Mission and Objectives
Lisa Raduenz explained the purpose of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force and
indicated that the group had been asked to join together to provide feedback on design,
operational and enforcement issues during the pre-construction months for the parking lot.
Ms. Raduenz went through each of the three goals listed on the mission and goals sheet
found in each member's packet, and asked members if any other goals should be added to
those on the sheet. Members mentioned that they wanted to ensure that the King Avenue
parking lot maintained access for both vehicles and pedestrians beyond the reconstruction
period and that they were also concerned about congestion and parking availability on Main
Street during the reconstruction period. Ms. Raduenz assured the group that both the
second and the third goals of the group would cover these concerns with minor
modifications to the second goal (add the words "and beyond" to the end of the sentence).
Members approved this addition to the second goal.
Ms. Raduenz also explained that each of the five scheduled meetings of the group would
focus on a specific area of the proposed project, with the first meeting that day looking at
the overall project downtown and the general layout and design laid out by the City
Engineer, Terry Maurer. A question was asked about enforcement issues and Ms. Raduenz
and Steinmetz both responded that these issues would be handled during the Apri12005
meeting, with the Police Chief most likely in attendance on that date. Ms. Raduenz said that
the final meeting in May 2005 would be to wrap up any conversations and/or discussion on
specific items from the first four meetings before sending any group recommendations to
the HRA and/or City Council.
2. Downtown Revitalization Project Overview
Heidi Steinmetz referred the group to two project concept displays depicting the proposed
buildings that will be redeveloped in Downtown Elk River. She discussed the project
parameters, which included commertical/retail businesses on the ground floor of each
building, owner-occupied housing on the upper three floors of the Bluff Block, and rental
housing units on the upper two floors of the Jackson Block. Both buildings will have
underground parking for residents with access off of Main Street. Keith Holme asked if
there would be parking for retail employees on Jackson. Ms. Steinmetz said that retail
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
January 4, 2005
Page 2
employees would be parking underground. Mr. Holme asked about the parking standards
that were used to provide adequate parking for employees of the two projects. Ms.
Steinmetz replied that the parking standards within the downtown are different than those in
other areas of the City. She stated that each residential unit requires 1.5 stalls. Conversation
ensued among group members about where residents were planning on parking (Steinmetz
and Raduenz confirmed this would be in the underground parking area of each facility) and
where the access points for traffic coming from underground parking locations would occur
along Main Street. Terry Maurer indicated that this would occur from Main Street.
3. King Avenue Parking Lot Concept Discussion
Ms. Raduenz introduced Terry Maurer and asked him to go over the general parking lot
concept for the group. Maurer displayed a scale map of the King Avenue parking lot area,
which members of the group could also see by looking out of the windows of the room.
Mr. Maurer stated that access to King Avenue at Highway 10 would be closed, as well as
access to the school district lot from King Avenue. By closing this access there would a net
gain of 8-10 spaces within the lot, for a total gain of about 50 more spots overall in the
entire space. Mr. Maurer said that he and others had spent a great deal of time trying to
squeeze in parking spaces in various configurations to ensure that the most parking be made
available at the site.
Mr. Maurer said that the City has contacted MnDOT about the closing of King Avenue at
Highway 10 and MnDOT had no objections. He indicated that MnDOT's access
management specialists had already targeted the intersection as one that would ultimately be
closed at some point in the next several years anyway, based on anticipated changes to the
Highway 10 corridor to be made by the agency. He listed a number of issues related to the
project that need to be resolved in the next several months, including:
- School District easement resolution
- Combining of small First National Bank lot and current King Ave. lot into one larger one
- Utility box relocation within new parking lot
- Moving First National Bank employees from small First National lot during reconstruction
- Schedule for removing down the Municipal Utility Building
- Tentative reconstruction schedule dates, May to end of July, depending upon various
factors including weather
- Budget for lighting and other lot amenities
- Lot entrance
- Employee/Visitor parking area designations
- Lot and directional sign locations
The group reviewed the site plan for the King Avenue parking lot and asked Mr. Maurer if
school district property could be better utilized by moving King Avenue over. Mr. Maurer
responded that the City would need an easement and the City may be able to add up to eight
parking stalls on a head-in basis along the building if this were the case. He said that no
specific conversations had been held yet with the district. Mr. Holme suggested that a stop
sign would need to be installed at the corner of King and Main in order to maintain traffic
flow from the lot. He asked whether traffic counts at this location had been done. Mr.
Maurer could not recall if he had current counts at this location at this time.
Mr. Maurer also asked about the schedules of commercial truck deliveries for businesses like
the bakery and Kemper Drug. The schedule of garbage haulers for this specific block of
businesses was also mentioned. The group asked where disabled parking was to occur
during reconstruction. Members of the group discussed the need for other traffic control
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
January 4, 2005
Page 3
measures at various points downtown given the flow of afternoon peak traffic and problems
now occuring with access onto Highway 10 from various points along the road. Discussion
about how to best enter the proposed parking lot (i.e., from the east side or west side)
ensued.
4. Discussion
Ms. Raduenz suggested that at the next meeting Mr. Maurer bring some information to the
group that includes a) a staging schedule for the reconstruction period; b) general
information about the major commercial truck delivery schedules for affected properties at
the site; and c) research about entering the parking lot from the east side rather than the
west side of the lot as first proposed. She informed the group that their time at the second
meeting would be spent on these items as well as looking at general areas of the proposed lot
to determine employee, general public parking and disabled parking space designation areas.
Ms. Raduenz encouraged the group to contact her via phone or email with questions
between meetings and made sure that each member of the group with an email contact had
confirmed his address for ease of communication with city staff and the consultant for the
Task Force.
5. Adjournment
The meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force adjourned at 9:15 a.m. The next
meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for Tuesday, February
1, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. at the First National Financial Center in the 2nd floor board room.
Submitted by,
Lisa Raduenz
LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
MEETING OF THE
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
AGENDA
Tuesday, February I, 2005
First National Financial Center
2nd Floor Board Room
8:00 a.m.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00-8:10 a.m. Review of January 4, 2005 Meeting and Group Purpose, Mission and Objectives
Lisa Raduenz, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8:10-8:40 a.m. King Avenue Parking Lot
• Updated design/layout and capacity
~ Construction staging schedule
• Issues for consideration by Task Force
Terry Maurer, City Engineer
8:40-9:15 a.m. Discussion/Group Recommendations
9:20 a.m. Adjourn
The next meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for
Tuesday, March I, 2005 at First National Financial Center at 8:00 a.m.
MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
HELD AT FIRST NATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY I, 2005
Members Present: Keith Holme, property owner Kemper Drug; Steve Johnson, property
owner Antiques Downtown; Fred McCoy, McCoy's Pub; John
Houlton, First National Bank of Elk River
Members Absent: John Anderson, downtown resident; Dr. Tony Jarmoluk, Elk Dental
Center; Ty Sunderman, Dare's Funeral Service
Staff Present: City Engineer Terry Maurer and Assistant Director of Economic
Development Heidi Steinmetz
Others Present: Lisa Raduenz of LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
King Avenue Parking Lot Construction Update Staging Schedule and Construction Issues
City Enginneer Terry Maurer presented an updated list of design and construction issues for
feedback from Task Force members. The first issue was relocation of electrical facilities on
the site. Mr. Maurer stated that the utility boxes will be relocated from the existing southeast
and southwest corners of the building to two islands to be built within the reconstructed
parking lot. He also mentioned that overhead lights now mounted on the former Municipal
Utilities building will need to also be relocated within the lot.
Mr. Maurer said that he met the previous day with Dr. Ron Bratlie of the school district and
he agreed in concept to providing a sidewalk easement along the east side of their property.
Parking spots that are 'head-in' will be located in a row along this area and the City will be
responsible for the sidewalk reconstruction in this area. Keith Holme asked about a line that
was shown on the map of the site which Mr. Maurer used during the discussion. Mr. Maurer
responded that the line depicted the edge of school district property and that the City would
also have to re-stripe parking spaces in the school district's lot as well. He mentioned that
this was necessary because the school district's access to King Avenue will be closed as part
of the parking lot construction.
Mr. Holme asked about King Avenue access to Highway 10 at the school district property
edge. Mr. Maurer suggested that the group discuss access at the eastern edge of the
property first, as he had further discussions with MnDOT about this access. Mr. Maurer
said that MnDOT told the City that they would have to apply for a permit in order to allow
right-turn only access into the lot from eastbound Highway 10 and indicated the agency
would challenge the City over the granting of this access, as they believe the access would be
too close to the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Hwy 10. Mr. Holme said that the
problem is that traffic is already backed up in this area and that a driver cannot get to it until
the signal changes. John Houlton asked Mr. Maurer if traffic counts had been done on King
Avenue. Mr. Maurer said counts have not been done. It was the consensus of the Task
Force that King Avenue at Hwy 10 should be closed.
Mr. Holme stated that there was a need for access to Kemper Drug parking spaces and that
people were coming to the store not because they just happened to see it but because they
needed to get there for a reason. Mr. Holme said there would be a parking problem during
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes Page 2
February 1, 2005
the reconstruction process 'no matter what we do'.
Group discussion ensued about employee parking within the lot during the reconstruction
process and beyond. Mr. Holme said it was his personal opinion that parking should be
"closed" during the reconstruction, with the need for truck and construction parking taking
precedence. Mr. Houlton said that he was concerned about traffic on Lowell Avenue like
the previous time there had been a reconstruction project, as it would be the street that
'picked up through traffic'. Mr. Houlton said that he didn't think that King Avenue would
have much traffic on it, as most of it was generated by the bank anyway.
Mr. Maurer said that perhaps the City Council should consider an all-way stop sign at King
Avenue and Main Street. Mr. Holme said that he thought a stop sign at that location would
restrict traffic flow. Mr. Maurer said that restricting flow was 'not necessarily a bad thing'
because it may deter traffic just cutting through downtown. Mr. Houlton thought the idea
of adding another stop sign was 'horrifying' because of other traffic controls already nearby.
Mr. Holme asked how many people were employed by key businesses in the area that would
be using the parking lot. Mr. Maurer did not know the number. Mr. Ho1me questioned
whether 149 stalls for parking would be sufficient for both employees and customers in the
downtown area. He also said that sidewalk access along Hwy 10 in winter months is a big
issue as MnDOT dumps snow along the lot perimeter which doesn't leave much room for
pedestrian access. Fred McCoy said that where people park from the downtown area will be
an issue, and that employees need someplace to park with designation. Lisa Raduenz stated
that the intent of the group was to determine just that, at the next meeting in March.
Mr. Maurer asked Mr. Houlton what the bank's plan was for parking near the meat market.
Mr. Houlton said the bank would continue to own that parcel of land, but had agreed to
'throw in' the parking available on the site to make it easier to redesign the general parking
lot. Mr. Holme said the furthest parking stalls from the doors of the businesses like the
meat market would be the best place to put general employee parking. Mr. Maurer was
asked about disabled/handicapped parking. He responded that a minimum of 5 parking
spots were required for the total of 149 spaces at the site. Mr. Holme asked how many
disabled spots were already there? Mr. Maurer responded there were two behind the
pharmacy area. Mr. Holme asked how many were on Main Street? Mr. Maurer said he
would check and get back to the group in March. Mr. Holme said that at least one spot for
disabled in front of the pharmacy and one in the back lot get used "a lot" and that two spots
"seem to work". He said the one spot in front of the store is somewhat difficult, as backing
up out of the spot is dangerous because of traffic coming off of Highway 10. Mr. Maurer
suggested that perhaps the City could put disabled parallel parking near King Avenue on the
north side of Main Street as it may be a better place and would be easier for cars entering
into the lot if cars were not parked at that location all the time. He said this question did not
need to be answered at this time.
Steve Johnson brought up the fact that there is at least one and possibly two Artesian wells
on the site which are currently capped, and asked about the slope of the proposed lot. Mr.
Maurer responded that storm sewers should handle any seepage or drainage issues on the
site, and that the slope was about six feet. He also said that the islands to be installed in the
lot would be a 'happy medium' between traffic direction and plowing, and that there were
two existing and four new ones that would be located within in the lot, with the islands on
the north end of parking rows would be painted. Mr. McCoy asked about snowplowing
issues and if snow was going to be trucked away from the site. Mr. Maurer said that the City
Street Department would likely take it away and that it might be worth it if Phil Hals, Streets
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
February 1, 2005
Page 3
Superindendent, was able to come to an upcoming meeting of the group. Mr. Houlton said
it did not change what was already happening today at the site. Mr. Holme said he noticed
one pile that day that was 'not really a problem' and that vehicles which are left in the lot for
days are the real issue for snowplows in the lot. He suggested that the cars that are sitting in
the lot get towed to the area near the river which the Bank owns for parking during snow
emergencies. Ms. Raduenz reminded the group that Mr. Maurer had to leave early from the
meeting and that the group should let him continue down his list of items to discuss. Mr.
Maurer continued to discuss construction staging at the site, and said that he would have
more definitive answers at the next group meeting, but that tentative plans called for keeping
a section of the lot open during reconstruction. Mr. Maurer said that the blacktopping
would be scheduled around nonpeak usage of the lot, and that the contractor would be in
charge of fencing off areas as necessary throughout the building construction zone. Mr.
Maurer asked the group's members to provide him with direction on the day of the week
and the time of the day that would work best for the businesses, including weekends. Mr.
Houlton and Mr. Holme said that the main issue would be to 'do it fast'. Mr. Maurer said
that perhaps it would be best to close the lot down for one complete day for the final lift of
bituminous and striping with no parking just to get it done.
Mr. McCoy asked Ms. Steinmetz about the possibility of using the "old Jungle" site for
additional parking during the parking lot reconstruction process. He mentioned that
he thought the place was going to be removed prior to construction on the riverfront site
and perhaps it could be used for parking while the lot was in reconstruction. Mr. Holme
asked if it was possible to allow temporary parking between the Sunshine Depot and the
Cinema Building. Ms. Steinmetz said she would check into both options. She thought that
the HRA and City Council had already discussed the issue of temporary parking between the
Depot and the Cinema Building, but that she would double check.
Mr. Houlton asked Mr. Maurer if he planned on burying overhead utility lines in the lot.
Mr. Maurer asked the group if the lot was adequately lit today. He said the power
feeds were buried within the buildings but he would check on this. Mr. Holme said that it
wasn't an issue for him as his employees went out the front door due to the alarm set at 9
pm each night, but that it might be an issue for other businesses in the area if it was not
adequately lit for employees leaving businesses at closing time.
Mr. Houlton brought up the issue of delivery trucks to the site and said there was no
maneuvering room near the area of the meat market or the bakery. He said that the
configuration appeared to be laid out for car traffic and parking issues, and asked whether a
big truck or garbage truck would be able to maneuver through the lot as needed once it was
completed? Discussion ensued about the staging of garbage haulers and trucks now, and
whether or not something more cooperatively could be done with trash haulers in order to
limit the number of trucks now going through the lot for garbage hauling. Mr. Holme said
he thought that everyone was using the same hauler, Randy's Sanitation, but that there were
other issues that should be further discussed like--a) where should dumpsters be placed on
the site; b) can they be combined to make more parking room?; c) What is Olde Main Eatery
doing for garbage and recycling; and d) the frequency of commercial trucks and when during
the day they normally pick up (is it truly 7:00 a.m.?).
2. Approval of January 4, 2005 Task Force Meeting Minutes
Ms. Raduenz asked the group to approve the meeting minutes from its first meeting held on
January 4, 2005. Upon review, the members approved the minutes as they were presented.
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
February 1, 2005
Page 4
3. Meeting Wrap-u~
At this point Mr. Maurer had to leave the group to attend another meeting. He mentioned
that he would present the group with final construction plans at the March meeting in order
to remain on schedule with the project. Ms. Raduenz asked the group if there were any
other concerns or issues that they felt would need to be added to the agenda for March's
meeting, which included answers from the session just held and a further discussion about
where on the lot employee, customer and disabled parking should occur. The group asked
for further information on commercial truck deliveries and the answer to whether or not
parking might be made available on the old Jungle site at the next meeting, and both Ms.
Raduenz and Ms. Steinmetz agreed to provide additional information at the next meeting
with regard to these issues.
4. Adjournment
The meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force adjourned at 9:15 a.m. The next
meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for Thursday,
March 3, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. at the First National Financial Center in the 2nd floor
board room.
Submitted by,
Lisa Raduenz
LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
MEETING OF THE
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
AGENDA
Thursday, March 3, 2005
First National Financial Center
2nd Floor Board Room
8:00 a.m.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00-8:15 a.m. Review of February I, 2005 Meeting Minutes (Approval of Minutes by
Task Force Members)
Lisa Raduenz, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8: 15-8:45 a.m. King Avenue Parking Lot
- Update on construction staging schedule
- Current disabled parking designation
Terry Maurer, City Engineer
- Employee parking area designations
- Miscellaneous
Lisa Raduenz, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8:45-9:15 a.m. Discussion/Group Recommendations.
9:20 a.m. Adjourn
The next meeting of King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for
Tuesday, April 5, 2005 at First National Financial Center at 8:00 a.m.
MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
HELD AT FIRST NATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2005
Members Present: Keith Holme, property owner, Kemper Drug; Steve Johnson, property
owner, Antiques Downtown; Fred McCoy, McCoy's Pub; John Houlton,
First National Bank of Elk River; John Anderson, downtown resident; Dr.
Tony Jarmoluk, Elk Dental Center; Ty Sunderman, Dare's Funeral Service.
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: City Engineer Terry Maurer and Assistant Director of Economic
Development Heidi Steinmetz
Others Present: Lisa Raduenz of LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
King Avenue Parking_Lot Construction Update Staging Schedule and Construction Issues
Mr. Maurer presented an updated listing of design and construction issues and the status of
each as of meeting time fox feedback from Task Force members. In discussing the first
two bullet points under "Design Issues", Mr. Maurer addressed the closure of King Avenue
at TH 10 and potential access to the King Avenue parking lot from the former TH 10 access
point, which MnDOT has indicated is not possible. Mr. Anderson asked Mr. Maurer what
other plans MnDOT had for closures along Highway 10? Mr. Maurer responded that there
was a current request made by the City of Elk River and MnDOT for Federal funding
through Congressman Kennedy's office in the amount of $500,000 to study the future
configuration of Highway 10. Mr. Maurer stated that some of the alternatives for this
particular location may include a "cut and cover" of TH 10 in the downtown area.
Mr. Holme reported to the group that he had clarified the amount of semi truck traffic that
came into the King Avenue parking lot area at the present time for deliveries to local
businesses. He said that several trucks a week go into the bakery and about "three semi
loads" per week service other businesses, primarily the meat market" and said that most
deliveries are completed by 7:30 a.m. for the meat market. The owner of the meat market
indicated his delivery trucks could negotiate the island layout.
At this point in the meeting, Ms. Steinmetz reminded Ms. Raduen~ that the group neeeded to formally
approve the draft meeting minutes from the February 7, 2005 King Avenue Parking L.ot Task Farce
meeting. Thegroup approved the minutes from this meeting without comment or changes.
Mr. Maurer continued to report about King Avenue Parking Lot design issues to the group.
Mr. Houlton asked if there was an easement issue that may arise with the First National
Bank property that will be used for general public parking at the site. Mr. Maurer told Mr.
Houlton that he would like to discuss this issue with him separately but it would not impact
Task Force business or plans for the site as currently presented. Dr. Jarmoluk asked where
the City planned to put lighting for the lot? Mr. Maurer responded that Elk River Municipal
Utilities would install lights on each island as noted on his plan (sitting on the table in front
of Task Force members) and in the northwest corner of the lot, for a total of five lights in
the lot or whatever amount would be necessary for safety purposes. Mr. Maurer also said
that the lights will be installed on poles within the concrete islands and aimed at the Highway
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
March 3, 2005
10 side of the lot.
Page 2
Veit Construction was awarded a contract in late February to remove asbestos from the
former Municipal Utilities building, according to Mr. Maurer, and he said the bid package for
removing the rest of the building would be completed in April. Mr. Maurer told the group
that he wanted to go before the City Council on April 4 for approval of the package and
award to the lowest bidder. Mr. Holme remarked that the current parking lot is "cracking up
in places". Mr. Maurer responded that it was his intent to patch those areas and then have
everything "fog-coated" by the contractor to appear uniform.
Mr. Maurer reported to the group that he had reviewed requirements for disabled parking
spaces at and around the site and it appeared that there would be a need for one more
additional disabled spot in the lot, for a total of six (6), and the final total of spaces available
when the lot is completed would be 153. Dr. Jarmoluk asked if his office's disabled parking
space could be "changed to the corner near his shop in order to see better" (near the corner
of Lowell and Main). Mr. Anderson asked if there was any kind of rule about school buses
picking up students at that location? Mr. Maurer said he did not know the answer to that
question but asked if the problems would be resolved if a four-way stop sign were to be
installed at the corner. Mr. Johnson remarked that another stop sign down the street on
Main "wouldn't hurt either" because of all the people cutting through plocal streets. Mr.
Maurer asked for the group's thoughts on the addition of a four-way stop sign at Main and
Lowell. Mr. Houlton asked if the City's intent was to slow down traffic along Main or push
traffic off of Main? Ms. Raduenz asked Mr. Maurer if traffic counts had been done at any
time in the recent past in this area. Mr. Maurer responded that traffic counts could be
done in the Spring. Mr. Anderson said that the issue was mobility, but added that there was
a pedestrian crossing issue near the Cretex building. Mr. Maurer said that the pedestrian
problem could be solved today by extending striping before afour-way stop sign would be
installed at the intersection.
Discussing the staging of construction for the King Avenue Park Lot, Mr. Maurer stated that
curb and gutter would be extended to define the drive aisle around the King and Main
corner and that pavers would be used to define pedestrian space in the sidewalk by the
school district building area. He reiterated that King Avenue would be closed at the
northwest corner of the King Avenue parking lot site, that the sidewalk was eight-feet
wide near the school district building, and that this would be the "bulk" of the non-vehicle
space available at that location. Mr. Maurer said that there would be some elimination of
parking along the aisle on that side during the construction process, and that construction
would begin around the middle-to-end of May and continue for approximately 4-6 weeks,
barring any weather problems.
Mr. Maurer said he hoped to confine the construction staging area to the west side of the lot,
and leave approximately half of the lot open and available for parking during the
reconstruction process. He said that he needed to survey the best time for removal of the
former Municipal Utilities building, and once that was completed, the crew would first
patch the lot, then take out the curbing along the store side, then put up a fence around the
reconstruction site on the bank side of the lot. Mr. Maurer asked the group if they thought
about whether or not there should be some sort of signage put up during the reconstruction
process saying that parking was available, and, if so, where should it go? There was no
response from anyone in the group on this question.
Mr. Holme said that "everyone was concerned about where construction workers will park"
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
March 3, 2005
Page 3
during the process. He mentioned Mr. McCoy's suggestion from the previous meeting
about using the Jungle Theather/Nadeau parcel for construction worker parking. Mr.
Maurer responded that the issue had already been addressed at a Ciry Council meeting
several months ago and that workers would be required to park at the project staging area
north of Highway 10. Mr. Maurer reminded the group that the King Avenue lot was to be
done and ready for use before anything happens at the MetroPlains site and that the
disruption time would be about a month in duration given his current schedule. Mr.
McCoy asked Mr. Maurer whether there would be a "walkway" for parking lot users to allow
access to other businesses along Main Street? Mr. Maurer said that the plans did not call for
such. Mr. Sunderman asked if rock was going to be put down in the parking lot to
discourage skateboarders on the newly-paved lot? Mr. Maurer responded that he had not
considered rock seal coat material because he felt the business owners would not like the
mess tracked into their stores, but that he could specify it and have it on the site for a few
days until the surface had hardened. He asked the group for their thoughts and they
decided they would prefer to have a rock seal coat material used in the lot to discourage
skateboarding on the site.
2. Employee Parking Area Designation
At this point in the meeting Mr. Maurer had to leave the group to attend another meeting.
He left behind copies of the King Avenue lot configuration for planning for employee
parking area designation. Ms. Raduenz asked the group to review the plan and began a
discussion of where the most appropriate location may be for employee parking at the site.
She reminded the group that potential signage designating this area would be installed after
the decision was made, approved by the HRA, and the lot completed, and that it would
be of importance to note both the area of the lot as well as the number of spaces that would
comfortably accomodate employee demand during peak hours of business activity. Ms.
Raduenz asked members of the group if they knew when the peak time for employee
parking would occur.
Mr. Holme responded that he thought it would be mainly during "daytime hours". Dr
Jarmoluk and several others in the group with employees and/or tenants agreed. Ms.
Raduenz asked if it was fair to consider the peak time for both customer and employee
parking demand to be between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm Monday-Friday. There was
some discussion about evening and weekend traffic, but for the most part Task Force
members agreed that these would be the general hours where the highest demand for
parking would occur throughout the year, as some businesses closed by 5 or 6 pm, with the
exception of the Kemper Drug Store and bars/restaurants.
Ms. Raduenz asked if anyone knew how many spaces would cover the number of employees
that would need to park at the area. Mr. Holme said that no one knew how many employees
and customers would be coming to the area after redevelopment occured, so that question
"could not be answered". Ms. Raduenz reminded Mr. Holme that there were separate
parking facilities and plans for employees for the new redevelopment and the focus of this
meeting was to look at the parking demand for employees and customers of current
businesses near the King Avenue parking area. Mr. Holme and Dr. Jarmoluk estimated that
there might be 35-40 spots needed for employees. No other Task Fooce member disagreed
with this number. Ms. Raduenz asked the group where they felt within the new lot
configuration would be the most appropriate spot to park employees of their businesses?
Mr. Holme and Mr. Sunderman suggested the southwest corner of the lot across the street
from First National Bank. No one disagreed with this assessment. Ms. Raduenz asked the
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
March 3, 2005
Page 4
group if perhaps that corner was a spot where customers of the bank and other businesses
like the butcher shop might prefer to park as it was closer to their shopping destinations.
Members of the group agreed this may be the case. Ms. Raduenz asked the group if there
would be any objections to moving the employee parking areas to the northwest corner of
the lot, along Highway 10? Mr. Holme said he would not object to that corner as long as
there was "lighting" and a safe area for his employees to park and get to their vehicles after
work at night. No other Task Force members objected to this area. Ms. Raduenz
highlighted an area of the map that could be easily designated as employee parking and
aligned to curb cutouts already planned. She said that the area would contain approximately
45 parking spots after counting spaces denoted on the map, and added a few "carryover"
spots along the north side of the lot along Highway 10 for additional employee parking if
necessary. Members of the group agreed that the proposed employee parking area made
sense and that it appeared the number of projected parking spots for employees seemed
reasonable.
Meeting Wrap-u~
Ms. Raduenz reminded the group that at the April meeting the Elk River Police Chief would
be present and that parking lot enforcement issues would be the main topic of the meeting.
She asked the group if there were any other concerns or issues that they felt had not been
covered up to this point, and indicated that the final meeting of the group in May would be
used to 'wrap up' all issues and to compose a set of recommendations for the HRA and/or
City Council to consider for parking and related enforcement in the King Avenue Parking
Lot. Ms. Steinmetz said she would present the map used for planning of employee parking
areas to Mr. Maurer. The Task Force members asked that she conduct adoor-to-door
survey of the businesses in the area to better understand how much employee parking would
be required for the King Avenue site.
4. Adjournment
The meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force adjourned at 9:20 a.m. The next
meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for Tuesday, April
5, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. at the First National Financial Center in the 2nd floor board
room.
Su mitted by,
Lisa Raduenz
LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
MEETING OF THE
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
AGENDA
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
First National Financial Center
2"d Floor Board Room
8:00 a.m.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00-8:05 a.m. Review of March 3, 2005 Meeting Minutes (Approval of Minutes by Task
Force Members)
Lisa Raduenz, LfR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8:05-8:35 a.m. City of Elk River Parking Policies/Enforcement
Je f j'rey A. Beahen, Chief o f Police
8:35-9:00 a.m. Policy/enforcement examples from other local communities
Lisa Raduenz, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
9:00-9: 15 a.m. Task Force recommendations for King Avenue Parking Lot
9:20 a.m. Adjourn
The Final Meeting of King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for
Tuesday, May 3, 2005 at First National Financial Center at 8:OOa.m. At this
meeting, the Task Force's recommendations will be summarized for a final
report to the City's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA).
MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
HELD AT FIRST NATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2005
Members Present: Keith Holme, property owner, Kemper Drug; Fred McCoy, McCoy's Pub;
John Houlton, First National Bank of Elk River; John Anderson,
downtown resident
Members Absent: Steve Johnson, property owner, Antiques Downtown; Dr. Tony Jarmoluk,
Elk Dental Center; Ty Sunderman, Dare's Funeral Service
Staff Present: City Chief of Police, Jeffrey A. Beahen; Catherine Mehelich, Director of
Economic Development; Assistant Director of Economic Development,
Heidi Steinmetz.
Others Present: Lisa Raduenz of LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
Review of March 3 2005 Meeting Minutes Approval of Minutes by Task Forcel
Ms. Raduenz presented a copy of the March 3 meeting minutes to each meeting attendee
and requested comments from Task Force members or approval of minutes. Mr. Anderson
sought a clarification on page 2 of the draft minutes and indicated that his question under
paragraph two on that page was a question about the requirements for school buses in terms
of having sight lines at a bus stop for safety purposes. He stated that his concern about this
issue related to school buses which he sees on Main Street that are traveling in both
directions and which drop students off at street corners which intersect with Main Street.
Mr. Anderson questioned the safety of buses making such stops as sight lines for other
drivers may be restricted at certain locations along Main Street and this makes it difficult
for drivers to see the school bus and its discharging passengers.
Chief Beahen responded to Mr. Anderson's questions about this issue and responded that
there is no statutory requirement in state law that requires buses to stop at a certain point
along a road. Chief Beahen said that school buses are only required to turn on their four-
way flashers and extend the stop arm, which effectively prohibits drivers of personal vehicles
from passing the bus from either direction when it is discharging students. He said that he
thought perhaps Mr. Anderson was questioning the difficulty in seeing the corners near
Lowell and Main Street, and said that current signage posted there requires a setback of 30
feet where no parking is allowed because of the sight line problems. Chief Beahen said that
it may be possible to extend the yellow striping along the curb to improve sight lines and
remind drivers of the no parking issue at these locations. He also mentioned that he thought
the new King Avenue Parking Lot plan allowed for this issue at King and Main by putting
ADA spaces by the corner rather than regular parking. Ms. Raduenz reminded the group
that Mr. Maurer, the City Engineer, had purposely placed these spaces along the corners on
Main Street near King so that fewer cars would be parked at the corners over a longer period
of time. Ms. Raduenz asked Mr. Anderson if he felt his issue had been addressed sufficiently
by the Police Chief and to satisfy his discussion about meeting minutes from the previous
meeting. Mr. Anderson responded that he was satisfied with the answer. Members of the
Task Force voted to approve the minutes with the answers as noted.
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
Apri15, 2005
Page 2
2. Update on C~ Council Meeting held Apri14 2005
Ms. Mehelich, the City Economic Development Director, reported to the group that the
City Council had discussed two items of interest to the Task Force on the previous evening.
The first was that the City has received quotes to remove the former Municipal Utilities
building on the King Avenue Parking Lot site, and the costs for asbestos removal and the
removal of the building are both under estimate. She said that the Council has approved
the plans and specs of the parking lot's design, but that they had brought up a question
about the location of employee parking. Ms. Mehelich mentioned that she reported to the
City Council that the Task Force had determined that employee parking would be restricted
to the northwest quadrant of the site and may be signed with employee permits distributed
to businesses in the area for hanging on the rear view mirror as was discussed at the last
meeting.
Ms. Mehelich noted that the City Engineer, Terry Maurer, would be going door-to-door to
businesses located adjacent to the King Avenue lot with information on the reconstruction.
Ms. Mehelich also mentioned that the HRA liked the idea of adding signage to the parking
lot during the reconstruction process directing people to other parking locations in the
downtown area during reconstruction. She thanked the group for putting time into making
recommendations on the parking lot design and enforcement.
Mr. Holme asked if the access to King Avenue at Highway 10 would be closed. Ms.
Mehelich responded that yes, the City Engineer had been informed by MnDOT officials
that the access should be closed at this time for good, and would be closed anyway in the
future. Ms. Raduenz added that this issue had been addressed previously in the Task Force's
early meetings by Mr. Maurer.
City of Elk River Parking Policies/Enforcement
Chief Beahen addressed the group about the policies and restrictions for public parking
still on the books with the City. According to Chief Beahen, the current parking provisions
have been around for 50 years, although at the outcry of downtown businesses the police
department has not strictly enforced parking provisions since 1998. Rather, the police
department now responds to calls, checks on signs and abandoned vehicles that are
observed or reported to the department and looks at vehicles which have been parking over
extended time limits.
Chief Beahen said that there has been a "hands-off 'policy about long term (8-9 hours)
parking enforcement since he joined the department in the 1990s, and that he "raised hairs"
last year when officers were instructed to chalk the tires of vehicles parking in downtown
public spaces to see when vehicles were moved. After this exercise the police have realized
that there are "lots of vehicles that don't move all day" in the downtown Elk River area.
Mr. Holme asked if there was a four hour limit to parking in the downtown areas and
whether the length of time could be changed? He also asked if business owners could
receive a tag or designation indicating that an employee was using a particular spot.
Chief Beahen responded that the department was considering issuing plastic mirror tags
designed to hang from the rear view mirror and that the department would logistically need
to determine how many to distribute to each business for their individual needs and also
how to collect them after an employee left. Mr. Holme responded that business owners
"needed to also take responsibility for this" and felt that afour-hour parking spot was "too
long". Chief Beahen responded that there should be a shorter amount of time specified in
the new King Avenue lot (i.e., two hours or less) and that extended periods of parking
I{ing Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
April 5, 2005
Page 3
should be made available further away from the main areas downtown or on the fringe of
downtown, similar to what is done in downtown Anoka. Mr. Holme asked how other
communities enforced parking limits, and remarked that the City "couldn't have officers
doing this all day long". Chief Beahen responded that there is a full-time parking
enforcement person in Anoka and that perhaps if Elk River were to change its parking to
two or three hour limits in downtown areas that perhaps a job share situation could be
arranged for officers and/or public works personnel for enforcement.
Chief Beahen indicated that the real problem was there was "no good employee parking in
downtown". He mentioned the two or three parking spots for 20-minute only parking for
picking up prescriptions along Jackson in front of Kemper Drug, and Mr. Holme responded
that having shorter time zones in these areas would be "fine", but Mr. Anderson remarked
that adding shorter time limits to these spots in front of the pharmacy would make backing
up and watching traffic turn from Highway 10 onto Jackson more "dangerous" as more
vehicles would be backing up in the course of a day compared to what is occuring now. Ms.
Mehelich asked for Mr. Holme's clarification on whether the short-timed parking spots
should be in the front of Kemper Drug or in the back of the store, in the lot. Mr. Holme
responded that most of the customers stopping to pick up prescriptions are parking in the
back of the store in the lot, and that the disabled parking spot already there was "used a lot".
He also responded that the parking spaces in front of the store along the street were "packed
most of the time".
Mr. McCoy asked the Chief if parking restrictions would "go off at 5 or 6 pm at night"? He
stated that most customers he had spoken with liked a one or two hour parking spot for his
business. Mr. Anderson asked if two hour limits were the norm? The Chief responded
affirmatively, and added that longer limits were placed on the outskirts or further out of the
downtown area in other communities. He also mentioned that other retail employers, like
WalMart or Target, tell their employees where to park and its usually a long way from the
front door in order to give customers parking preference. Mr. Holme said that one of the
apartment dwellers over the Travel store had three "Junkers" he left in the parking lot
without moving. The Chief responded that he had looked into this issue previously and that
the owner has a contract with the tenants that allow for one car per resident at this site.
Chief Beahen said the issue was "non enforcement" and that at least one of the vehicles had
been towed last winter. He added that the upstairs usage of the buildings in this area have
dwindled in recent years.
Mr. McCoy stated that if the City were to tell people (employees) that they had to park in the
King Avenue lot, it might be tough to get people to walk 1.5 blocks to work, and that as a
business owner he was trying to find ways to work these issues out. Mr. Houlton asked
Chief Beahen why there wasn't metered parking in downtown areas? Chief Beahen
responded that he felt the best way to attack the parking issue was to first start with posted
time zones, restricting longer parking to fringe areas, with enforcement. He said that the
next step might be an inexpensive parking meter installed for on-street parking areas. Mr.
Holme said his employees had a "fetish" for parking. The Chief responded that most
businesses are this way but that in his view it made more sense to have customers park
closer to the door of the business rather than employees, and he assumed that this is what
most employers would want to do.
Mr. McCoy stated that he has put in some extra parking behind his bar and that some
employees park in this area, while others, including the pull tab people, park close in street
stalls at night. He said that he has to constantly remind them to leave spots open for
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
Apri15, 2005
Page 4
patrons, but that the "block is full by 8:00 a.m." Mr. Holme added that he wasn't sure
what The Bank of Elk River was doing, but when the King Avenue lot becomes full, is the
City going to require all employees to park north of Highway 10? That would be a "real
hassle", Mr. Holme said. He said that one day he was watching a person he knew try to
cross at the lights and the person could not make it across the intersection in the amount
of time given to him and was caught in the middle. Mr. Holme stated that in the winter
it becomes more difficult to cross the highway because of water and slush issues. Mr.
McCoy said that he walks across that intersection almost every day and he's never had a
problem with crossing at the light and always has enough time to get across.
Ms. Mehelich said that in the next few months or so there was supposed to be a `countdown
timer" installed at the intersection to let people know how much time they had to cross the
intersection before the lights changed. Mr. Holme asked what happens to the signal
when emergency vehicles went through the intersection or when a train came through?
Mr. Holme also commented about how Main Street was safer than Jackson as there were
fewer people crossing the intersection and fewer right turns, but that he had seen people
running the lights at the intersection and that the Bank has requested the timers for a
long time. He asked Ms. Mehelich if flashing lights that show that the light is going to
change would be feasible at the intersection. Chief Beahen responded that these types
of lights were very expensive to put in and that they cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars
as they are linked to signal systems over a broader area". He said there had been a number
of studies done and that drivers had to drive over 70 miles per hour in order to make the
lights before they turned from green to red. Mr. Holme asked if this was a "painted
crosswalk or main crosswalk with a blinking sign" and wondered if a painted crosswalk
would help? He also asked about cameras that take pictures of people running lights.
Chief Beahen said that these types of cameras are "not okay with the courts".
Mr. Anderson asked Chief Beahen if when people were trying to cross Highway 10 and they
were in the crosswalk when the two trains that come through town along 10 went by would
the lights affect the train? Chief Beahen responded that the train would have the right of
way and that it "overrides everything else". Ms. Raduenz asked the group if they had any
other questions for Chief Beahen or Ms. Mehelich. Mr. Holme asked Chief Beahen when
enforcement would begin on the King Avenue lot. Chief Beahen responded that after the
lot was finished he would work with city officials on beginning to enforce parking areas.
Mr. Anderson asked if fines were still $5? Chief Beahen responded that he thought parking
fines were $10 and that if a driver had three or more unpaid tickets the vehicle was "towed
and locked". Mr. Holme asked what the group had to do to make some parking spots two
hours versus four hour parking areas. Ms. Raduenz answered by saying that the Task Force
would submit a recommendation to the HRA and City Council about which spots in the
area should be two hour and which should be four hour, and where they should be. She said
this would be discussed at the May meeting of the group.
(At this point in the meeting, Chief Beahen and Ms. Mehelich left the meeting).
4. Policyf Enforcement Examples from Other Local Communities
Ms. Raduenz passed out information she had gathered about how other local communities
and commercial districts addressed tight parking for employees and customers. The graph
included information from Edina's 50~" and France area, Grand Avenue in St. Paul, the
downtown area of Anoka and downtown Stillwater. Mr. McCoy asked if there was some
formula that stipulated "for this amount of square footage you get this amount of parking
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
Apri15, 2005
Page 5
spots". Ms. Raduenz responded that yes, there were a universal set of parking space
regulations that most city planners and public works personnel used to define how much
public parking should be made available at a particular location, including disabled parking
spaces and those available for employees. Mr. McCoy asked why the group could not
do the same for the downtown area of Elk River. Ms. Raduenz responded that the charge
for this particular group was to address how the King Avenue lot should be designed and
function in the short term, and that the City would most likely be doing some sort of
parking study to address broader downtown parking issues at some time in the future,
perhaps once the new redevelopment had occurred. Mr. Holme remarked that "some
people were not interested in continuing a Task Force". Ms. Raduenz responded by
saying that she would put together a series of recommendations from Task Force
members about what they felt should happen for the future as part of the final report
of the group that she will compose at the end of the process after the May 2005
Task Force meeting. She also stated that perhaps there should be a committee set
up under the Police Chiefs jurisdiction that addresses parking and traffic issues in
the downtown area as is done in Anoka. Ms. Steinmetz said that she had previously
discussed this idea as it related to working with the Rivers Edge Downtown Business
Association, and that no one had remarked about it being a good idea. Mr. Holme
said he thought the idea of a commission under the Police Chief was a good one and
that "someone has to be a watchdog".
Mr. Holme also asked Ms. Steinmetz about parking behind the theater. She responded that
parking in this location would not be available. He asked about parking behind the Sunshine
Depot or First National Bank. Mr. Houlton said that he owned all of the land behind those
Buildings and the Bank would have to seize the rest of the land back there if it is decided
that the riverwalk project will be pursued. There were many issues associated with this
land, mainly topographic and concerning the shape of the lot and its steepness, that would
make adding additional parking difficult, according to Mr. Houlton. Mr. Houlton stated that
in two years, after the redevelopment has occurred, it will be an "entirely different political
environment" and many more changes will probably occur.
5. Adjournment
The meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force adjourned at 9:10 a.m. The next
and final meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force is scheduled for
Thursday, May 5, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. at the First National Financial Center in the 2nd
floor Board Room. Members are asked to be ready to walk around the downtown
area to inspect Places that could house 2, 3 or 4-hour parking for final
recommendations to the HRA and Elk River City Council.
Submitted by,
Lisa Raduenz
LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
MEETING OF THE
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
AGENDA
Thursday, May 5, 2005
First National Financial Center
2"d Floor Board Room
8:00 a.m.
8:00-8:10 a.m. Review of April 5, 2005 Meeting Minutes (Approval of Minutes by Task
Force Members)
Lisa Raduenz, Lf R, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8:10-8:40 a.m. Examples of Signage from Other Communities
Discussion of Draft Task Force Recommendations
Lisa Raduenz, LJR, Inc. Transportation Consultants & Planners
8:40-9:15 a.m. Walking Tour of Downtown Area to Identify Parking Zone Areas
Task Force Members
9:20 a.m. Adjourn
This is the final meeting of King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force. At this meeting,
the Task Force's recommendations will be summarized for a final report to the
City's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA).
MEETING OF THE ELK RIVER
KING AVENUE PARKING LOT TASK FORCE
HELD AT FIRST NATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005
Members Present: Keith Holme, property owner, Kemper Drug; Fred McCoy, McCoy's Pub;
John Houlton, First National Bank of Elk River; Ty Sunderman, Dare's
Funeral Service; Steve Johnson, property owner, Antiques Downtown.
Members Absent: Dr. Tony Jarmoluk, Elk Dental Center; John Anderson, resident.
Staff Present: Assistant Director of Economic Development, Heidi Steinmetz.
Others Present: Lisa Raduenz of LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
Review of April 5, 2005 Meeting Minutes Approval of Minutes by Task Forcel
Ms. Raduenz presented a copy of the April 5 meeting minutes to each meeting attendee and
requested comments from Task Force members or approval of minutes. Mr. Holme
questioned whether or not the issue of overnight residential parking in the King Avenue lot
had been addressed by the Police Chief at the last meeting. Ms. Raduenz said that the Police
Chief had indicated that there were some permits on file for residents of the apartments on
top of existing businesses and that this was noted in the minutes. Members of the Task
Force voted to approve the minutes without changes.
2. Comments sent to Ms. Steinmetz by Elk River Residents
Ms. Steinmetz summarized comments she had received from Dr. Rafferty of Elk River
Chiropractic. Dr. Rafferty provided Ms. Steinmetz with three main comments. The first
question was whether temporary parking could be provided downtown in the open space
between the Sunshine Depot and Cinema building. Ms. Steinmetz said the HRA had
discussed this issue in the past but that no decision was make to allow for parking on this
site. Ms. Steinmetz added that the Park & Recreation Department has indicated that
parking along the street in front of the open space would be removed due to public safety
issues when the park is built on the site.
Dr. Rafferty's second question was whether or not the City had ever discussed a shuttle bus
for the downtown area. Members of the group asked what kind of shuttle Dr. Rafferty was
proposing - a shuttle to bring people across Highway 10 or simply a shuttle from one part of
Main Street to another area of the street? In discussing the idea of a shuttle, task force
members felt that a shuttle would be impractical and no one would use it. Ms. Raduenz, a
transit/transportation consultant, said a shuttle would be expensive to contract for and/or
operate, and would require `many passengers' in order to be cost-effective.
The final question from Dr. Rafferty was whether parking could be designated for one-hour
in front of his office due to his clients' problems related to back pain or other pain. Ms.
Steinmetz said she believed his concern was in the area of providing nearby parking for his
clients so they would not have to walk from further parking areas while in pain. Discussion
then ensued between group members about other businesses in the area that were also
suggesting one hour parking in front of their locations, specifically the Cinema Building
businesses. Ms. Raduenz said that the City needed to `be careful' when determining where
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
May 5, 2005
Page 2
various parking zones and specific time limits should occur, and that the City would not
want to have a variety of different parking zones and different time limitations, which would
make it confusing for both parkers and for enforcement of parking zones in the downtown
Elk River area. Mr. Houlton agreed with Ms. Raduenz and said that it was his opinion that
most short term parking should be made available to parkers and shoppers near downtown
businesses and that longer-term parking (i.e., for employees of downtown businesses) should
be made available in the King Avenue parking lot or on the outskirts of the downtown area
(i.e., behind the Funeral Home).
Mr. Houlton also suggested that disabled parking spaces be made available on the street near
Dr. Rafferty's office and that he could probably issue permits to needy clients if they had
trouble walking. Mr. Holme asked the group how it would be able to justify 15-minute
parking spots in busy downtown areas. Ms. Steinmetz asked the group about what it
thought about a downtown shuttle service. Mr. Sunderman responded that the River Rider,
a demand-responsive transit system, already provides service in the downtown area. He
added that employees `simply needed to park further out and free up spaces for customers
near businesses downtown'. Mr. Holme asked when construction of the King Ave. Parking
Lot would begin. Ms. Steinmetz responded that it would begin the end of May. Mr. Holme
then asked when Nadeau's was closing and whether parking could be provided on that site.
Ms. Steinmetz said that the answer was `no' and that there were environmental issues on the
site that would require remediation.
Mr. McCoy said that he thought that the developer had put some notes on car windshields
near the former Jungle building because they now own the land. He suggested that if
Nadeau's closes at the end of May that some parking spots would be available before
redevelopment started and that people should be allowed to park in those areas.
3. Examples of Signage from Other Communities and Discussion of Draft Task Force
Recommendations
Ms. Raduenz distributed athree-page set of draft recommendations to the group. She
explained that she had spent some time reviewing minutes from each of the group's
previous meetings since January to determine what recommendations and ideas had
been brought up by group members regarding the King Avenue parking lot reconstruction
process but also other related transportation and parking concerns for both the short
and long-term in downtown Elk River.
After going through the recommendations in each category, Ms. Raduenz asked group
members if they had additional recommendations, comments or changes to the draft set she
had composed. Group members did not add any other recommendations or comments and
felt that the list provided by Ms. Raduenz had adequately provided a complete set of
recommendations with which the group was comfortable in presenting to the City's Housing
and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and/or the City Council.
Ms. Raduenz asked Ms. Steinmetz to again inform Task Force members about how
communication was going to be handled during the reconstruction of the King Avenue
parking lot. Ms. Steinmetz said that Mr. Maurer, the City Engineer, was in charge of
communicating where parking would be available in the lot during the approximate month
of lot reconstruction (the lot should be reopened by July 4) and would be providing
information to businesses located immediately adjacent to the lot. She said that a large sign
that would be visible from Main Street would also be installed at the southwest corner of the
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
May 5, 2005
Page 3
lot facing Main Street so that parkers and others could see where additional parking would
be available during the month of reconstruction of the King Avenue lot.
Ms. Raduenz presented the group with pictures she had taken from other local communities
that demonstrated types of signage used to display areas for public parking, employee only
parking and various incremental hourly parking areas. Group members, particularly Mr.
Houlton, expressed admiration for vintage-looking signage that sits on high poles denoting
public parking located in the downtown Stillwater area. This display was left with Ms.
Steinmetz for future discussions about signage that may occur after redevelopment is
finished.
4. Walking Tour of Downtown Area to Identify Parking Zone Areas
The group had originally discussed walking through key areas downtown to determine areas
where different parking zones might be located. However, at this point in the meeting Mr.
Holme had to leave for a doctor's appointment. Group members spent time discussing
traffic flow and stop sign areas. Mr. Houlton said that the `last thing the City should do is
impede traffic crossing the bridge near Main Street and Highway 10'. Mr. Sunderman said
that a `right turn lane should be installed off Main Street onto the Parish Ave. bridge, as 4x4
vehicles simply drive over existing curb cuts at that location'. Ms. Steinmetz said that there
was not enough width on the road to make that work and that the Ciry Engineer and Ciry
Council had already looked into that issue. Mr. Johnson said that `businesses need traffic
and need to stop, and a balance must be struck so that live customers can have access.' Mr.
Sunderman said the best way to fix perceived problems in parking and transportation access
is to `keep it simple' and that there should be a `few, simplified parking zones in the
downtown area, short-term for customers and long-term for employees.'
After a study of downtown public parking spaces, the group members discussed what type
of parking terms should be utilized downtown. They reached a consensus for the short-term
(until redevelopment has been completed downtown) in suggesting that all public parking
limits begin at 6:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. They also determined that there should be a
couple of 15-minute parking spots near the pharmacy for prescription pickup as currently
exist, disabled parking spaces where identified previously, and that the remaining spaces on
the streets in the downtown area be signed for 2 hour duration, while the King Avenue
parking lot public area be zoned for 4-hour parking lot. Mr. McCoy said he was comfortable
with these limits as employees would then be able to park in designated employee areas of
the King Avenue lot (northwest corner area) all day with a visible permit hanging from a
rear-view mirror. Mr. Houlton, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Sunderman agreed to this
delineation.
Because Mr. Holme had already left the meeting, Ms. Raduenz contacted him the following
Monday to review the group's parking zone recommendations. Mr. Holme suggested that
the new parking zones occur after the King Avenue lot has been reconstructed, and that
parking regulations should be enforced both during the lot construction and after it is
finished. He also suggested that a 3-hour parking zone be established for the public spaces
available in the King Avenue lot rather than a 4-hour zone, as employees who did not park
within the employee-zoned areas may try and park in the public spaces and move their
vehicles every 4 hours during the day rather than parking further away in the lot. Mr. Holme
felt that a 3-hour limit in the King lot would be sufficient for most visitors and 2 hours for
on-street visitor spaces was appropriate.
King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force Minutes
May 5, 2005
Page 4
5. Adjournment
The final meeting of the King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force adjourned at 9:40 a.m. A
Final Report with recommendations will be composed by Ms. Raduenz and presented to the
City's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) on June 6th. Ms. Steinmetz and Ms.
Raduenz thanked members of the Committee for their time and thoughtful help in
determining how best to conduct the renovation of the King Avenue lot.
Submitted by,
Lisa Raduenz
LJR, Inc., Transportation and Consultants and Planners
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DowHtoww RevitalGzatiaw
n&A Newsletter
Enhancing Downtown Elk River's Role
As a Vital Retail, Commercial and Residential Area.
Q.
A.
Q
A.
Q.
.~.
What is the latest news on the Downtown
Revitalization Project?
The King Avenue parking lot improvement project got under-
way on May 2 when demolition began of the former Elk River
Municipal Utilities building. The project will add about 70
parking spaces downtown and is expected to be completed
in early July. Construction will then begin on the Jackson
Place development. Once the U.S. Bank build-
ing is vacated and demolished this fall, con-
struction will begin on
The Bluffs of Elk River
development. Both
developments are
expected to be com- °.
pleted by the end o
of 2006. The City's ~,
Housing and E
Redevelopment Authority
(HRA) and MetroPlains
Development have been
planning this project over
the last several years.
Can you tell me
more about the King Avenue parking lot
improvement project?
Improvements to the King Avenue parking lot will add about
70 spaces for downtown customers, visitors and employees
when redevelopment begins this summer. In addition to the
removal of the former Municipal Utilities building, the project
will involve the permanent closure of the King Avenue
access to Highway 10. Half of the King Avenue parking lot
will remain open for parking throughout reconstruction. The
schedule calls for the parking lot to be substantially complet-
ed in early July. While construction of the lot is taking place,
parking is also available in the Jackson Square parking lot or
in the lots across Highway 10. On-street parking is also avail-
able where appropriately signed.
Will the parking lot improvement project impede
traffic downtown and make it more difficult to
get around?
No. The only change in traffic flow is the closure of the King
Avenue access to Highway 10. With that exception, traffic will
flow normally.
Q. What are the details
of the Jackson Place
and The Bluffs of Elk
River developments?
A. Jackson Place is located
on the northeast corner of
Jackson Avenue and Main
Street. It includes approxi-
mately 10,000 square feet of
first floor commercial space
along Main Street and
Jackson Avenue; 32 rental
housing units on the upper
two floors, and underground parking for employees and
rental housing tenants. The property is currently aCity-
owned parking lot.
The Bluffs of Elk River is located on the southwest corner of
Main Street and County Road 42. It includes about 10,000
square feet of commercial space on the first floor along Main
Street; 67 for-sale condominiums on the upper three floors,
underground parking for employees and homeowners, and a
plaza on the corner of Main Street and County Road 42. The
property currently includes four buildings on three sites
along the Mississippi River.
(~. How can I find out more about the availability of
housing and retail units in the new developments?
A. For more information on the availability of residential or commer-
cial units in Jackson Place, visit www.jacksonplace.com or
contact the Jackson Place voice mailbox at 763-241-4004.
Someone will get back to you promptly. For information on hous-
ing units in The Bluffs of Elk River you may call 612-720-6956
and for information on retail space you may call 763-241-4004.
Q.
A.
What is the latest on the King Avenue Parking
Lot Task Force?
The King Avenue Parking Lot Task Force, composed of down-
town business and property owners and one downtown resi-
dent, worked with the City regarding design and enforcement
issues for the King Avenue parking lot. The group provided
input on the parking lot design. The Elk River Housing &
Redevelopment Authority will consider the Task
Force's recommendations on parking lot enforce-
ment in early June.
M E T RO ~'.~a,~~-s
DEV ELOPMENTPROPERTIES~ MANAGEMENT
Architect's rendering of Jackson Place at Jackson Avenue and Main Street.
CITY OF ELK RIVER DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION O&A NEWSLETTER JUNE 2005
Q.
A.
Q
A.
(;?.
A.
Will the construction have impacts on traffic and
businesses in the downtown area?
Yes, it will occasionally make traffic more difficult. The City's
primary concern is for the safety of pedestrians and drivers
in the construction area. However, it is also important that
access to businesses is maintained to the greatest extent
possible. The City will be following construction traffic zone
safety techniques. These techniques assure the safety of
pedestrians and drivers while permitting pedestrian move-
ment and traffic flow in the construction area. The techniques
include signage, potential lane changes, warning lights,
striping, and other traffic control measures. A City staff per-
son will be assigned to coordinate traffic issues with busi-
nesses and contractors. Information also will be provided to
the public through a variety of means, including the City Web
site at www.ci.elk-rivermn.us, news releases to the Elk
River Star News and the City Newsletter-The Current.
Residents will also be able to provide feedback and ask
questions on the City's Web site.
What can you tell me about the park that is being
planned in conjunction with the Downtown
Revitalization Project?
In April, the City Council approved a concept design for the
park, which will be located in the green space between the
Cinema Professional Building and the Sunshine Depot in
downtown Elk River (upper right). The concept approved by
the Council will consist of a park with four levels that step
down the slope to the river. The concept includes the clo-
sure of the alley adjacent to the Sunshine Depot (for safety
reasons), a downtown square, grassy flat area, an
amphitheatre with performance area and a "river room"
overlooking the river.
How much will the park cost and when would it be
developed?
More than $200,000 in park dedication fees from the
Jackson Place and The Bluffs of Elk River downtown redevel-
opment projects has been set aside for construction of the
park. The City has not yet determined a final cost estimate of
the park construction. It is anticipated that construction of the
park will begin Fall of 2006. For more information on the
park, please contact the City's Park and Recreation Director, .
Bill Maertz at 763-635-1150.
(~. I understand that Nadeau's dry cleaners downtown
is closing. Was Nadeau's forced to leave downtown
because of the redevelopment?
A. No, Nadeau's was not forced to leave because of the down-
town redevelopment. The City Council passed a special orc
Hance to allow dry cleaners (through a conditional use per-
mit) to locate anywhere in the City. This would accommodate
any dry cleaning business to locate in the downtown.
However, the process of downtown redevelopment in a com-
munity can be disruptive to businesses, especially those that
must look at relocating or becoming part of a new develop-
ment. In this situation, Nadeau's has recently advised the
City that they have made a business decision to close and
not relocate within the downtown area.
~. Who can I contact if I have questions about
Downtown Revitalization or construction activities
downtown?
A. You can contact the Elk River Economic Development
Department at 763-635-1040. Other ways to keep informed
about the Downtown Revitalization include:
• Visit the City's Web site at www.ci.elk-rivermn.us and click
on the "Downtown Revitalization Project" link found under the
"News & Events" section of the City's home page.
• Attend HRA and City Council meetings or watch them on
ERtV Channel 12. Meeting information is available on the City
Web site. ,
Read the Elk River Star News.
Articles on the project ~~
frequently appear in the Star News c;tY or
and in the City's newsletter-The Elk
Current, which is distributed as a
Star News insert every other month. ~Ver
Model of City Council approved park design.
Architect's rendering of The Bluffs of Elk River at Main Street and County Road 42.
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