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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-08-23 - AGENDA REPORTS - LYONS AVE PARKINGAGENDA REPORT y Mana r pproval Item to be presented by: Janice H. Heidt NEW BUSINESS DATE: August 23, 1994 SUBJECT: LYONS AVENUE PARKING DEPARTMENT: City Council BACKGROUND In response to a request from Councilmember Heidt, this item is placed on the agenda to discuss the short and long-range no -parking arrangements on Lyons Avenue, and to discuss the impacts of Valencia Marketplace's future traffic on Lyons Avenue requiring the need for full-time parking prohibition along Lyons Avenue. DISCUSSION The attached staff report documents the history of events regarding traffic operations and parking arrangements along Lyons Avenue and provides information about the predicted traffic impacts of Valencia Marketplace on Lyons Avenue. RECOMMENDATION Receive public input and direct staff to perform an analysis of the advantages or disadvantages of continuing the peak -hour no -parking restrictions along Lyons Avenue. ATTACHMENT Staff' report BJ:hds wunahlyons.bj A r---I")It�. CITY OF SANTA CLARITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Anthony J. Nisich, City Engineer FROM: Bahman Janka, City Traffic Engineer DATE: August 9, 1994 SUBJECT: LYONS AVENUE PARKING BACKGROUND On Monday, August 1, 1994, I attended a meeting with a dozen owners/tenants of businesses along Lyons Avenue. Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce were also at this meeting. The business representatives were questioning the need for keeping the roadway striped for six lanes, now that most of the earthquake damaged freeways are repaired. Although on -street parking is prohibited only during the a.m. and p.m. peak hours, the businesses felt they are impacted by the lack of adequate parking during those hours. Many of the attendees also raised economic as well as traffic related concerns about the recently approved Valencia Marketplace. Some businesses appeared unaware that the Marketplace will be located in the County area and not within the City limits. In general, they felt that the proposed center would tend to take business away from the local stores along Lyons Avenue. They also had concerns about the findings of recent studies, that with the development of the center, parking on Lyons Avenue would need to be prohibited on a full-time basis to allow the street to operate as a six -lane street throughout the day. The information provided below highlights the history of events regarding traffic operations and parking arrangements along Lyons Avenue and provides information about the predicted traffic impacts of Valencia Marketplace on this street. MAY 1991 STUDY The Los Angeles County's "Traffic Reduction and Free Flow Interagency Committee" (TRAFFIC) completed a study in 1991 to find ways of improving traffic flow on multi jurisdictional highways. As part of the study, an extensive parking survey was conducted on Lyons Avenue and on Whites Canyon Road north of Soledad Canyon Road. The study concluded that during the a.m. and p.m. peak hours there were adequate parking spaces available in off-street parking lots or on the side streets to accommodate the vehicles parked on the major street. The study, therefore, recommended an immediate implementation of peak -hour parking restrictions on both streets to further improve the traffic operations on these two streets. LYONS AVENUE PARKING August 9, 1994 Page 2 JULY 1992 ACTIONS In July 1992, the City Council approved staffs recommendation to implement parking prohibitions on Whites Canyon Road. Staff recommended that Lyons Avenue parking prohibitions be delayed until a later date. FEBRUARY 1994 STUDY After the January 17 earthquake, Lyons Avenue was designated as an official detour route between Interstate 5 and State Route 14. In February 1994, staff conducted a detailed parking survey on a block -by -block basis along Lyons Avenue. The result of the study echoed the findings of the previous study by the County, that during the a.m. and p.m. peak hours there were ample parking spaces off of Lyons Avenue to accommodate parking for business establishments. The City Council on February 22, 1994, approved staffs recommendation to restrict parking along Lyons avenue from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. and stripe the roadway to accommodate six traffic lanes during the peak hours. JUNE 1994 STUDY The County of Los Angeles, with cooperation with City staff, completed a "before and after" study on Lyons Avenue to determine the benefits of the peak -hour parking restrictions on the traffic flow conditions. The study concluded the following net savings on an annual basis: Total time savings: 19,440 person hours/year Savings on vehicle wear and gas cost: $45,000/year Fuel savings: 8,400 gallons/year Reduction in pollutants: 10,250 pounds/year The study further disclosed that a benefit -cost ratio of 4.4 to 1 will be achieved in the first year, and a 63.5 to 1 ratio will result for a 20-year period should the peak -period or full-time parking restrictions and the third lane striping be kept on this street. GENERAL PLAN DESIGNATION The City's General Plan was adopted in 1991. The Circulation Element of the General Plan designates the streets under various classifications. Lyons Avenue is designated as a Major Highway in the General Plan with the following definition: "Major Highways are intended to provide for the movement of large volume of traffic between major generating land uses and between cities. Major Highways should be designated to carry a minimum of six lanes of traffic at relatively high speeds. On -street parking along the Major Highways should be prohibited to maximize traffic flow." Although street parking is currently allowed on Lyons Avenue during the non -peak hours, as traffic volumes increase in the City, there will eventually be a need to restrict parking on a full-time basis and operate the street with six traffic lanes throughout the day. LYONS AVENUE PARKING August 9, 1994 Page 3 VALENCIA MARKETPLACE IMPACTS The Valencia Marketplace was recently approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to be located on the west side of I-5 between Lyons Avenue and McBean Parkway. City staff reviewed the Draft EIR for this project in November 1993 and concluded that the project would generate substantial traffic volumes on the City streets which would necessitate the restriping of both Lyons Avenue and McBean Parkway to six traffic lanes. City staff in its comments informed the project applicant that the City will have concerns about the removal of parking for Lyons Avenue on,a full-time basis at this time and asked the, applicant to prepare some other mitigation measures which would limit the impacts on Lyons Avenue. Although some preliminary meetings have taken place between the City staff and the project applicant, no final resolutions have been reached at this time. STATUS OF DETOUR ROUTES The opening of I-5 south of Calgrove Boulevard and the completion of the major ramp connections at the I-5/SR-14 interchange has greatly improved the circulation in and around our City. However, two other freeway ramps are still under construction and are anticipated to be completed by December 1994. These ramps include the southbound I-5 ramp to northbound SR-14, and the southbound SR-14 ramp to northbound I-5. At present, the majority of the truck traffic which would otherwise use these ramps between the two freeways, use Lyons Avenue, Without the third traffic lane during the peak hours, the truck traffic would severely impact the traffic flow operations along Lyons Avenue. CONCLUSIONS It is the staffs finding that the six -lane operation of Lyons Avenue during the peak periods is currently needed to overcome the impact experienced by large volumes of trucks using this street between the two freeways. Staff recommends that once the remaining freeway ramps are constructed, a new study be conducted along Lyons Avenue to determine any parking deficiency in the surrounding parking lots or on the side streets. Should the study conclude that the striping on Lyons Avenue should be converted back to four lanes due to excessive parking demands, the conclusions of the study will be forwarded to the City Council for its consideration. In the meantime, staff will arrange the placement of the PARET speed display unit on Lyons Avenue and will work with the Sheriffs Department regarding enforcement activities along this street. BJ:hds:dls traffi,Xf�.bj