2002-12-16 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Tour Book, additional historic markers, participating in planning Court Squa re enhancements; promotion of historic preservation, and encouragement of festivals. REPORT : BIKE/PEDESTRIAN PLAN Mr. Jim Tolbert, Director of Neighborhood Development Services, explained that the Planning Commission has recommended that the Bicycle Pe destrian Master Plan be approved as an Appendix to the Comprehensive Plan. The goals of the Plan are: connect important destinations and neighborhoods; reduce reliance on vehicles in parking lots; coordinate with other bicycle facilities and trail effort s; integrate the plan with educational opportunities; respect the environment; support economic development; and create a plan that, when completed, will serve as an example for other communities to follow. Mr. Tolbert said that immediate action is recomm ended on using "Share the Road" signs and being more aggressive in adding new bike lanes. Mr. Lynch said he thinks the document is a good representation of where we are currently, but not good for figuring out where we want to go. He noted that there ar e no off - road projects less than $1 million in the high and medium priorities, and nothing in the report about how to make difficult sections of bike lanes happen. He said he would like to give the Plan back to the various groups who participated and the community at large. He said he would like to see projects that can be done for less money or free. Mr. Schilling said he concurs with much of what Mr. Lynch said, citing a lack of tangibility in the Plan. He said there is a lot of boiler plate language in the Plan that could be stripped out and too much information. He suggested that we should not focus on things like equestrian trails which are not realistic for the City. He said large projects should be taken out as they are not realistic. Mr. Schi lling said it is important to prioritize. He added that people have commented that there is too much emphasis on paving. Mr. Caravati agreed that an action plan is needed, and said he would like to see what can be done in one or two years, and then in f ive years. He said it is a good plan to start with, and agreed it should be given back to groups and the community. Ms. Richards agreed with many of the previous comments and said we need concrete and tangible projects, and a phased implementation plan. She said we don't want to lose sight of our desire to have a bike and pedestrian friendly city. Mr. Cox said he agrees with his colleagues, and said we need to look realistically at where we can make the greatest impact. Mr. Cox said he would like to find out how other cities that have been successful have funded bike lanes. He also asked if Council is willing to put significant resources into making it happen. Mr. Tolbert said that research shows that successful communities have committed local fun ds but have also sought grants. Ms. Richards said some recommendations could move forward easily. She said we should make sure that the transit center includes bike amenities and that all traffic calming is sensitive to bicyclists. Responding to a que stion from Mr. Cox, Mr. Tolbert said there is $50,000 available now, and $10,000 to be added each year. Ms. Richards said she would like to see recommendations for a demonstration project as well. REPORT : HOUSING POLICY TASK FORCE Mr. Tolbert said th e Planning Commission has been discussing the issue of housing affordability, and while they cannot require it in housing developments, they feel it is an important issue and more needs to be done with it. Mr. Tolbert noted that the Housing Authority has also been discussing this issue. Mr. Tolbert said it is