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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-14-2005 - Minutes TCCITY OF ORANGE CITY TRAFFIC COMMISSION Minutes of a Regular Meeting: September 14, 2005 Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated. I. OPENING A. Flag Pledge B. Roll Call Present – Commissioners: J. Beil, N. Lall, J. Pyne Absent - Commissioners: F. Petronella Present – Staff: T. Mahood, D. Allenbach, W. Winthers, Sgt. S. O’Toole, P. Then C. Approval of Minutes Š August 10, 2005 ACTION: Approved as published by the Recording Secretary. MOTION: J. Beil SECOND: N. Lall AYES: Unanimous II. ORAL PRESENTATIONS None September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 2 III. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Request for the installation of red curb markings in front of the Ferrara Family Mortuary at 351 N. Hewes St. Leonard Ferrara 351 N. Hewes St. Orange CA 92869 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. There was no discussion of this item. ACTION: Approved the installation of “NO PARKING ANYTIME” signs to match existing parking restrictions in the area. B. Request for the installation of red curb markings on both sides of the Lemon St. gate of the Carriage Estates Mobile Home Park, located at 201 W. Collins Ave. The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. There was no discussion of this item. Karen Stubbs 201 W. Collins Ave. Orange CA 92867 ACTION: Approved the installation of 40 ft. of red curb on the north side of the subject driveway and 30 ft. on the south. C. Request for the installation of red curb markings in front of 724 E. Walnut Ave. Betsy Wentworth 724 E. Walnut Ave. Orange CA 92867 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. There was no discussion of this item. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 3 ACTION: Approved the installation of 10 feet of red curb on both sides of the driveway at 724 E. Walnut Ave. MOTION: J. Pyne SECOND: N. Lall AYES: Unanimous 777777777777777 End of Consent Calendar 777777777777777777 IV. CONSIDERATION ITEMS 1. Request to add both sides of Sycamore Ave. between Cambridge St. and Harwood St., and both sides of Pine St. between Sycamore Ave. and Walnut Ave. to the Chapman University Permit Parking Area (Area “A”). Martha Moyers, MSN. RN 803 E. Sycamore Ave. Orange, CA 92866-1155 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. Vice- Chairman Beil opened the public hearing for the following discussion. William Bryant, 713 E. Sycamore Ave. – During the daytime hours there are so many cars on the street that service people can find no place to park. It appears to be mostly from Chapman University, as we see them park and then get out and walk to the campus. Martha Moyers, 803 E. Sycamore Ave. – We can’t find any place to put out our garbage containers, can’t get deliveries, can’t find a place for service personnel. Diane Fishel, 739 E. Sycamore Ave. – I support the implementation of permit parking here. I’m concerned with the constant volume of cars that are parked in front of my house on Sycamore Ave. and the east side of my house on Pine St. (submitted photos of 9/7 and 9/14). These photos illustrate my point about putting out garbage containers where the trucks can get to them, and we fight for space. Also, there are times when the street sweeper cannot sweep the street Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 4 because of cars parked here. People going to the store will park in the street from the driveway so it’s partly in the driveway and the street. Vice-Chairman Beil closed the public hearing and returned the item to the Commission for further discussion and a motion. ACTION: Approved the request for permit parking in the designated area. MOTION: J. Pyne SECOND: J. Beil Vice-Chairman Beil – I think it’s appropriate if the neighborhood really wants to enter into the parking permit program, I believe it’s not just Chapman University you are being impacted by, but also Cambridge Elementary where a lot of people drop off and pick-up their children. Commissioner Lall – I support it also, I think the pictures presented to us provide a very graphic example of the need and I support the motion. AYES: Unanimous 2. Request to prohibit east-west through traffic on Briardale Ave. west of Tustin St. during the peak traffic hours of (6:00-8:00 A.M.) and (5:00-7:00 P.M.). Rene Berger, KRB Properties, Inc. PO Box 50518 Irvine, CA 92619-0518 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. Vice-Chairman Beil – The recent Home Depot approval, that whole traffic study was predicated on the existing condition, is that not true? Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – I have not seen that study that I believe it would have been predicated on existing conditions. Vice-Chairman Beil opened the public hearing for the following discussion. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 5 Kayla Lawrence, 1112 S. Bedford Dr. #102 – I own the property known as the Clocktower Center located at the northwest corner of Briardale and Tustin for the past 16 years. At the time we purchased it the property was on a prime, 4-Way signal, and it was very valuable as a commercial investment. Unfortunately the traffic changing 10 years ago changed all that. I realize the homeowner’s living on Briardale had a problem with people using the street as a shortcut to Taft Ave., but I believed then and I believe now the City could have used other means of solving the problem without hurting the businesses in that area. I would like to ask if you tried looking into speed humps and lowering the speed along Briardale 10 years ago. Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – At that time we did not have a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program in place, and speed humps were not part of the situation. Speed humps are not intended to divert traffic; they merely are intended to slow traffic. The resident’s main problem was twofold, one was speed, but the other was the traffic volume that was cutting through the neighborhood on a regular basis. Kayla Lawrence – I would like to recommend that the City Council again consider my manager’s recommendation, Rene Berger, that morning and afternoon closure to through traffic on Tustin on weekdays. I don’t think I have to remind you that not only do my tenants pay property taxes, as do the residents, but they also generate sales tax revenue, which benefits the City of Orange. Rene Berger, KRB Properties, PO Box 50518, Irvine, CA 92619 – I’ve been the property manager for the Clocktower Center since 1992, so I’ve seen both ends where we had plenty of access and convenience for people using the shopping center, to after the change was made. I feel for the residents, we are not trying to increase traffic volumes into the residential neighborhood; we’re trying to get easier access for customers through the center. The timeframes that I put together may not coincide with what you have. No other cities are implementing this type of procedure for street closures. If you say no I will certainly go out and investigate and I know there are streets in L.A. when at certain times of the day you can’t cross, or you can only go one-way. I think it could be a benefit to the community with limited time access. I’ve been through the neighborhood many times through the day when there isn’t anyone home, I mean there are relatively Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 6 few people home so the impact would be minimal through these hours. I would like you to take a second look at it. Pamela Hunt, 1795 N. Lincoln St. – (Corner of Briardale and Lincoln) Since the change has been implemented several years ago we now have a street that we can actually live on. When our kids were growing up we couldn’t allow them to play in the front yard at all. We built a fence around our house because we had cars cutting the corner, going to and from school, it was like a thoroughfare. I think the traffic was so unbelievable that you didn’t want them outside. Now I have grandchildren in the same situation. We have finally been able to live comfortably in our neighborhood and not have the 3,600 cars going by every morning and night, cutting the corner, driving over the grass. Bob Akahoshi, 1815 N. Lincoln St. – Pass. Paul Srigley, 1820 N. Lincoln St. – We heard all of these economic arguments from these people 10 years ago, and how they were going to go out of business. The guy who made the best argument 10 years ago is still there 10 years later, so I don’t think he’s been hurt too bad. Now there’s a Home Depot going in and this whole situation is going to get worse. You don’t have people stopping at the STOP sign right there at the end of Briardale now, but at least now there aren’t so many of them. Bill Chavez, 1602 E. Briardale Ave. – I have lived here since these restrictions were first enacted and I agree with everything your staff has suggested. The business parking lots must be full otherwise they wouldn’t use the area in front of my house and immediately across the street on Shattuck, and Briardale would have 100% impact of whatever traffic increase would result of this. I’m against the change. Kathy Madore, 1119 E. Buckeyewood Ave. – I didn’t get a notice. Before the changes were enacted 10 years ago, my sister’s car was totaled while parked in front of my house. My dog was hit, and a drunken driver damaged the house on Lincoln. People are using Cambridge as a thoroughfare. They come down Cambridge, cut over onto Buckeyewood, around Greengrove, which is a very dangerous curve, and if someone is going the other way around Greengrove then they use that as a racetrack. I think this situation may get worse as they want to go to the Home Depot, people will come down Cambridge, go around Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 7 Greengrove, around Briardale and now that will take you right into Home Depot, it won’t deter that traffic at all. If you open it up it will be worse for Villa Park High School students because they really race through there. I think this is supposed to be a neighborhood, and that they should really close that off completely at Glendale and Lincoln, or Briardale, somewhere. Just dead-end it and keep the traffic from coming through there. Janelle Cavenee, 1891 N. Lincoln St. – I also take care of the property at 1711 N. Lincoln St., so I’ve got both corners. The situation now is much better than 10 years ago, the only problem is that if it changes I believe the 6-8 a.m. is when a lot of kids are going to school, and there are a lot of kids crossing Tustin, Taft, going straight to the back of the school. You open that up to traffic and they are never going to get across the street and I can guarantee you there will be many “near misses”. With traffic at the regular speed people would have to wait 10-15 minutes in order to back out of their driveway. The woman who suggested speed humps, if you install speed humps all you are doing is making the traffic slower, they will crawl along and never get out of our driveways or turn onto the street. 6-8 a.m., what businesses are open in that shopping center that’s going to have a drive-by motorist stop in to get something other than the liquor store for coffee or soda? I believe the gym opened after the traffic restriction, I’m assuming everybody who goes there has made their schedule around the time they are open. They may be open earlier but not get drive by traffic, but people go to the gym to work out, they don’t go drive by a 6:00 a.m. and say oh let’s stop and work out. 5-7 p.m. – most people are driving home; they don’t want to go shopping because it’s a zoo. I think a large amount of people going to the Home Depot will be contractors and they will be driving really big trucks, I don’t want a lot of cars on my street, let alone a 2-3 ton truck. The traffic would be terrible and it would be vehicles that really aren’t suitable to that neighborhood. John Doles, 1534 E. Glendale Ave. – Doesn’t want to speak, but he is registered as being opposed to this change. Jeff Pine, 1880 N. Lincoln St. – We have a quality of life issue with all the children in this neighborhood. The majority of these streets have curves and if there are cars parked along the street it becomes very difficult to see oncoming traffic coming around those curves. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 8 Marissa Cantu, 1789 N. Nordic Pl. – Opposed to the change for kids safety. Even after the changes from 1996 the traffic is still too heavy for a residential neighborhood, I can’t imagine what it was like prior to the changes being made. There are a lot of senior citizens in the neighborhood, several stay-at-home moms and several people who work out of their homes, so there are cars parked on the street during the day. In the old days, prior to the traffic changes, only 6% of the traffic going through the neighborhood was going to the Clocktower Center, that means 94% of the vehicles were cutting through the neighborhood, and that kind of traffic makes it difficult to enjoy a good quality of life. I would like to see Briardale closed off either at the end of the alley or at Greengrove and make it a cul-de-sac. Vera Mater, 1774 N. Lincoln St. – I would expect a lot of this traffic if I lived on Meats, Collins or Cambridge, but we live on Buckeyewood, Briardale and Lincoln. We aren’t going to go back to the days of 14 cars lined up at Briardale/Lincoln or at Lincoln, westbound Taft. We had to stand in the street to allow a car to be backed out of the driveway. In June 1996 a study shows that 4,224 cars a day came through the neighborhood. It was unacceptable then and it will be unacceptable today. My own study showed 1,000 cars in 5 hours with 90 cars belonging to the community, and that was counted during the rush hour. Page 19 of the same study says, “westbound on Briardale, southbound Lincoln reflected a dominant through movement from Taft east of Tustin.” The Traffic Engineering memo dated January 1997 did a study throughout the day and the results concluded that 6% of all the through traffic went to the business center. Harry Thomas from Public Works, and Hamid Bahadori of Traffic Engineering, in memos dated July 1996 and March 1997, both advised that “based on the before and after studies and field observations, that minimal if any at all adverse impact would result for the business center. The traffic restriction and the benefits to the community far outweighs any potential minor inconvenience to a few motorists since the business centers have an ingress and egress alternative. Shortly after the “NO THROUGH TRAFFIC” was implemented, 435 signatures were gathered within 2 weeks from the Clocktower merchants. The signatures were from Anaheim Hills, Chino Hills, Villa Park, Brea, Newport Beach and Fresno and the few from Orange were from another part of Orange and they shouldn’t have been on our street. We’ve been working on this traffic problem since the mid 1970’s. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 9 Limited hours of non-through traffic across Tustin St. will put the neighborhood right back where we were in a high volume situation, then add the extra traffic from Home Depot and we’re back into a nightmare. I talked to a policeman who told me it was virtually impossible to enforce a partial restriction. Edwin Burns, 1786 N. Shattuck Pl. – Opposed to traffic changes. I’ve lived at the corner of Shattuck and Briardale for 40 years. I understand the business has a problem, but most of them are specialty type businesses. I don’t think people going to Super Cuts worry about if there is a special way to get there by coming in from Villa Park. If they want to get there they can either turn left from northbound Tustin and then access the center driveway via the “continuous left turn lane” or they can turn onto Briardale from Tustin and then access the driveway. You’re telling me that it’s necessary they have flow through traffic but not in the off-peak hours. I went up to Super Cuts yesterday at 11 a.m. to get a hair cut and there were 6 people waiting ahead of me and I don’t think they’re hurting. A recent accident occurred where a motorist came down Briardale, took out some of my trees, drove over my lawn and hit my concrete wall, and then took off. The Police were able to track the motorist down; but if it had been 15-30 minutes earlier he would have crashed into the children walking down Briardale on my side of the sidewalk, as that is their route to and from school. Jan Jaswell, 1874 N. Shattuck Pl. – Opposed to changes. The first peace we have know has occurred after you installed the “NO THROUGH TRAFFIC” signs. The strip center at Sunny Smith and Super Cuts have an access driveway from Tustin St. and there should be absolutely no reason why people coming from north and south cannot turn into that center, or from Briardale into their center. The only people who might have a little problem accessing the center are just coming from Villa Park and they are still able to access it. There has been a lot of talk about the car driving down Briardale in June and smacking into the house on Lincoln, they were drunk teenagers coming from Villa Park, they must have gone through the light, and nobody has mentioned that there is a downhill slope on Taft to Briardale and when people used to come down Taft they would see the green light, step on the gas and barrel through Tustin St. and down Briardale and you go so fast they have a hard time making that stop, and that’s what happened with this crash. I am home 90% of the time, I work out of my home and it’s very difficult when you’re coming out of Shattuck Pl. to make a left turn onto Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 10 Briardale because of the angle of the street it’s very difficult to see people barreling through there. Dan Shortall, 1747 N. Lincoln St. – Opposed to change. I also work out of my home, and at the end of my day I want to be able to play in the front yard with my kids. I feel changing the traffic pattern through the neighborhood would diminish the quality of life I currently enjoy, and it could possibly put my family at risk. Dr. Alexia L. Deligianni, 1514 E. Glendale Ave. – Opposed to changes. Please do not allow traffic to cut through Briardale at Tustin. Doing so will endanger, children, pedestrians and pets. Please keep in mind that Briardale leads to Taft Elementary School, you have kids walking back and forth every hour of the day and even after school going to sports, etc. I think this partial through traffic will be confusing to traffic on Tustin St., and I think it will be a bigger problem once Home Depot opens. Curtis Cook, 1918 N. Ebonywood St. – Opposed to changes. Buckeyewood St. goes through to Cambridge and they go much faster on Buckeyewood than they do on the much shorter streets. I support maintaining this restriction 100%. The amount of children at sports at the corner of Glendale and Greengrove between 5-7 p.m. is unreal. You can barely drive through there now because cars are parked on both sides of the street for about 1-2 blocks in every direction. I’m in support of keeping things as they are right now. Darlene Mennes, 1233 E. Buckeyewood Ave. – Opposed to changes. I’m on the receiving end of the curve; I like things as they are right now. There have been several accidents by and near my house, in front of my house and on my lawn. Commissioner Pyne has been on my street several times investigating accidents. Paul & Jean Hackmann, 1502 E. Briardale Ave. – Opposed to changes. Nothing new to add. Mike Cohen, 1722 N. Lincoln St. – Opposed to changes. I’m the officer Vera was talking about, I’ve been an officer for 16 years. From a fiscal and Police angle, if you change these restrictions people are going to start complaining, they will have to assign either a motor officer or a patrol car just to do directed control at that intersection and enforce that time period, write those tickets for people Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 11 failing to obey those signs. If you put an officer there you are taking an officer away from another part of the City. Evan Carolyn, 1870 N. Nordic Pl. – Opposed to changes. I’m very concerned that the changes to the traffic flow at the intersection of Tustin and Briardale will impede the response of emergency medical, fire and police to our neighborhood. We’ve got a Home Depot coming in, we’re going to have contractor traffic which is going to transit through our neighborhood, it’s going to coming off Briardale and making a left turn going northbound onto Tustin St. and making a left turn into the Home Depot parking lot. We’re going to turn into the migrant worker haven. Ruthe Shafer, 1787 N. Greengrove St. – Opposed to changes. I’ve lived here less than 5 years. I didn’t really know the history of how that street had been blocked off but I will tell you that when we looked for property in the area that was a big plus for us, because we could see the problems if Taft went through to Briardale. I am a Sunny Smith and Super Cuts customer. When my son attended Villa Park schools we would come down Taft after school and have no problem getting into Sunny Smith and Super Cut parking lot for after school shopping and appointments. That parking lot is almost always full and I think their problem is parking, not traffic flow. John Cantu, 1789 N. Nordic Pl. – Opposed to changes. We’re mostly concerned about safety and the quality of our lives. I want to mention that on crossing Tustin St. the city has a crossing guard because there are so many kids crossing here, they come home during the noon hour, and 2:30 – 3:00 and that’s at a different time than what is being proposed to stop that traffic so there would be no stopping traffic during the middle of the day. I have respect for the owners and storekeepers of the Clocktower Center, most of us use those businesses all the time, of course we don’t speed through their driveways and we don’t crash into their businesses as their customers do to us. To make everyone happy we would really like to block off Briardale altogether at the alley behind where the business stop, then you could let them cross over all they want. Lois Oliver, 1832 N. Lincoln St. – Opposed to changes. Our street would be a main thoroughfare because Home Depot will draw a lot of traffic so it would be a nice little cut-off to go through our neighborhood once again. I think that every property owner in the area should have been notified that this was going on, you Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 12 know how to find us when the tax bill is due, it’s not like we were hiding anywhere. Fletcher Ave. has been closed at Orange-Olive Rd. and has been for years, there is a big corporate office there and they have managed to survive and they don’t seem to be worried about the safety of fires and police getting through. At Bedford and LaVeta and Parker and LaVeta you cannot go through as well, and I haven’t seen that St. Joseph and Batavia Woods and the convalescent home have been hurting for patients there. The restriction at Bedford and LaVeta hasn’t impacted MainPlace. Drive down Tustin St. and count the business whose only access is off Tustin St., there are hundreds of them. If I want to go shopping you can blow the street up in front of the joint and I’m going to get in there somehow. Also, excessive traffic and noise must be disclosed on appraisals when re-financing and buying a house, and this deducts from the property value and is a negative impact. Dr. Emmanuel Deligiannis, 1514 E. Glendale Ave. – Opposed to changes. I know how it used to be and how this Commission has changed that bad situation into something that is pretty good. Why change a good thing? I hope you consider all involved, the children, residents, and businesses. Matthew Ttoehfr, 1879 N. Greengove St. – Opposed to changes. This is a quality of life issue as well as a safety issue. As late as 7:30 last night with kids from soccer practice. Susan Hurley, 1907 N. Greengrove St. – Opposed to changes. There have been 3 times someone has missed the curve and gone up into my property. It happened many more time when my parents owned the home, about 10-15 times in total. The last 10 years it has happened one single time. I know these are Villa Park High School students because of the time of day these occur. The elementary school ends at the same time the Villa Park High School does, so they are coming around the corner in their cars at the same time kids are coming out of the back gate at Taft Elementary School and cross that street. Jennette Badiford, 1612 E. Briardale Ave. – Opposed to changes. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to stop on Briardale because a child is walking down the middle of the street. I am a very conscientious driver because I know how the kids walk home, I wonder how many students from Villa Park High School are going to be as conscientious. They’re going to come straight through there barreling down the same time and these kids don’t stay on the sidewalk Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 13 and that’s a huge impact. Also, I can’t tell you how many times people have used my driveway to turn around because they didn’t want to go down Briardale, they wanted to go down the lower leg of Taft Ave. How many trucks coming out of Home Depot are going to go westbound through Tustin onto Briardale because they thought they were going to lower Taft? They get lost and they’re turning around going back out to Tustin and trying to go back to Taft. This turn restriction has really been a benefit to help people go where they really wanted to go in the first place. If that is opened up to straight through traffic except for these specified times then how many more people coming out of Home Depot are are going to go straight on to Taft and end up on Briardale. How many construction trucks and vehicles are going to go down there that don’t belong on a residential street that are now going to be driving illegally on a street they are not allowed to be on because they are over weight. They’re going to have to get out somehow either all the way down to the end or they’re going to try to make U-turns and get out of there. That’s not acceptable in a residential area, and it’s completely innocent because it looks like that is Taft. Vice-Chairman Beil closed the public hearing and returned the item to the Commission for further discussion and a motion. Tom Mahood, City Traffic Engineer – We had a lot of technical issues raised during the discussions and I would like to touch on those. A number of cities around us have part-time turn restrictions at certain times of the day, and they work to a certain extent. Typically they are used with very simple turn movements, “NO RIGHT TURN 6 A.M. TO 9 A.M.”, that kind of thing. Sometimes “NO LEFT TURNS”, they work when accompanied with fairly rigorous enforcement. You really need a heavy police presence. Where you will not see them, and I’m not aware of any, is at signalized intersection. That is not a simple turning movement; it’s rather complex, particularly in this case because it’s a through movement. I’m not saying it would be impossible to do this at a signalized intersection but to my mind it would be very difficult and I don’t see an obvious answer because you’re prohibiting a through movement part of the day. As mentioned as part of Dave’s presentation, it’s really an all or nothing kind of thing. If you open a through movement you’re going to negatively impact the capacity of that intersection because right now we’re not allowing signal time for that move. It’s a fairly complicated phasing because it’s also tied into the southern Taft intersection. By modifying that timing you’re going to throw the other one out of balance also. Some cities do have turn restrictions I’m Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 14 not aware of any at a signalized intersection and certainly one like this would be highly unusual. Speed humps came up and the City has used speed humps in a lot of areas and we’ve had a lot of experience with them. In our experience they work very well for reducing speed but they work rather poorly when diverting traffic. People don’t go out of the way, they just go slower. There was some discussion about closing off Briardale completely and there are a lot of problems associated with that and we’ve looked at it in the past. The community really counting Briardale has only 4 access points, once you start getting below a certain level of access you start creating overloads on other access points. I’d have to say in my opinion right now the community is kind of in a sweet spot, you have it balanced real nicely, you’ve minimized trickle traffic, there’s still access provided by Briardale. To close it off completely starts throwing additional traffic onto the other 3 access points. You also have problem with emergency vehicle access. You normally want a cul-de-sac at any kind of closure, so it would have to come either from the businesses or the homes where we would block it off. I think the ideal of closing it off completely and abandoning it to the shopping center has some possibilities however, you would still have to supply emergency access and you would still have problems with a lot of the community having quite a long way from their primary access point and our emergency service providers are usually not too thrilled with that. My impression from a technical standpoint is that we have the access to that community balanced really well and I don’t see a good way to change it from what it is today. Commissioner Lall – I see the time restrictions as being extremely difficult to enforce. It will take police officers away from other areas of the community, or high priorities. I would rather see them closer to the schools than worrying about that particular intersection. As a business owner myself I understand the impacts this has on a business and that is not lost on me but I do see plenty of access to these shopping centers and if you throw Home Depot into the mix we’re not really certain how that’s going to impact. The city had some studies done and its based on current conditions and not removing that. I agree with the Traffic Engineer in the fact that making that a dead-end poses a barricade to emergency services. A lot of people said that the notification process could be a little broader, I’ve always marveled that staff has always gone beyond what is Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 15 normally required, they do a good job of notifying the public. I think we solved the problem 10 years ago, we might have caused a small problem for the businesses but I don’t see removing the restrictions and changing them to a timed situation as being a benefit to the City, the homeowner’s or the businesses as they do have a lot of access. Commissioner Pyne – I think the City did a good thing back in 1996, and I don’t see any reason to overturn something that is actually working in government, or why change something that works well. I understand the businesses concerns; I think the concerns of the residents, in this case, outweigh the concerns of the businesses owners. Vice-Chairman Beil – I agree with the other Commissioner’s comments. When you look at the whole circulation pattern for this neighborhood it is pretty much a balanced situation. Consider when you think about closing off a street you’re going to probably severely increasing traffic on one of those other outlets, either Lincoln or Buckeyewood. I see no reason to change, there was an extensive study done in 1996 and right now it is viewed as successful. ACTION: Denied the request for time restricted turning movements on Tustin Ave. MOTION: J. Pyne SECOND: N. Lall AYES: Unanimous 3. Request for the installation of an “All-Way” STOP control at the intersection of Spring St. and Swidler St. Zoytne Almond 396 N. Swidler St. Orange, CA 92869 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. Vice- Chairman Beil opened the public hearing for the following discussion. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 16 Elsie Palmer, 3701 E. Spring St. – Opposed to request. I am opposed to the loss of on-street parking in advance of the STOP sign. In addition to this you’re going to have the overflow of parking from Fred Kelly stadium, which parks on the street as well. I don’t think it will help anything. It’s not going to help the speeding. Vice-Chairman Beil closed the public hearing and returned the item to the Commission for further discussion and a motion. Vice-Chairman Beil – STOP controls are made for the assignment of right-of-way and not for speed control. It’s pointed out in the staff point and I really believe the issue we are looking at is pedestrian related. The issue as stands appears to be a speed issue. ACTION: Denied the request for the installation of an “All-Way” STOP control at the intersection of Spring St. and Swidler St. MOTION: Vice-Chairman Beil SECOND: J. Pyne AYES Unanimous 3. Request the installation of a “handicapped” parking space in front of 282 S. Cypress St. Francis Buttacavoli 282 S. Cypress St., Apt. #2 Orange, CA 92866 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. Vice- Chairman Beil opened the public hearing for the following discussion. Vice-Chairman Beil – Is it true that this spot will not be restricted to just the applicant? Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – No, this handicap parking space and anyone with a handicap designation on their vehicle may use the space. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 17 Technically it still public parking, and on a first come, first serve. The only restriction is that you have to be handicapped to use it. Vice-Chariman Beil – Have we had any input from the home-based upholstery shop next door? Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – We have not received anything from them as yet. They’re being no input from the Public, Vice-Chairman Beil closed the public hearing and returned the item to the Commission for further discussion and a motion. ACTION: Approved the request and install a “handicapped parking space in front of 282 S. Cypress St. MOTION: J. Beil AYES: N. Lall NOES Unanimous 5. Request for the installation of a STOP control at the intersection of Crown Parkway and Parkhurst Dr. Jim Gross 2272 N. Parkhurst Dr. Orange, CA 92867 The oral presentation is based on the written staff report; please refer to your copy. Vice- Chairman Beil opened the public hearing for the following discussion. James Gross, 2272 N. Parkhurst Dr. – I live in the corner house. The reason I am petitioning for this STOP sign was also for the flow of traffic. There are residents and non-residents that go through because they don’t know it’s an exit street. Crown is very long and there is a small park here. There is a lot of traffic here for only being two years old. My driveway is 25 ft. from that corner. The side frontage of my home is very close to the street. There are a lot of small children living on this street. For 8 months there was a traffic officer parked there before you had a traffic signal on Serrano because people were going so fast and Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 18 running the STOP sign. The officer parked in front of my driveway, he couldn’t park back far enough because it was a blind section and he had to move up. All the residents agree with it because people do go fast down Crown Parkway and its not an entry issue, it’s more of an exit issue. In the whole neighborhood every street has a STOP sign for an exit. I find it ironic that on Santa Isabella Court has 3 houses and it also has a STOP sign. All these cul-de-sacs have STOP signs. Parkhurst is the only exit street that has driveway-facing residents. I’m more worried of the safety issue if someone comes around the corner. Anaheim Hills Elementary School is north of us so during the morning hours the majority of those residents are up there and there are no STOP signs in this area for 99 residents. When residents enter this intersection they usually stop because I’m usually outside. Vice-Chairman Beil closed the public hearing and returned the item to the Commission for further discussion and a motion. Vice-Chairman Beil – It is interesting that there are STOP signs on all those other legs, and this is the one that doesn’t. Tom Mahood, City Traffic Engineer – As that development was built in different phases and there were different periods of review of the Tract Map and I think in some of the phases we probably caught it, we usually like to put STOP signs at “T” intersections, we don’t have to, but generally it makes things operate better. We don’t like to have 4-leg intersections without STOP’s because people around here are fairly spoiled and they’re not used to it. “T” intersections by their very nature assign right-of-way automatically, so it’s not something we have to do, but we like to do it because it’s generally expected because we have a lot of them in the area. In our report we offer that if you were so inclined we would have no objection to installing a STOP at the stem of the “T” because that’s consistent with the neighborhood. Commissioner Lall – I’m not overly opposed to it, normally I would be but you have given us some compelling information. One concern I would have is that STOP signs often give us more confidence that people are going to stop than we should have. Vice-Chairman Beil – We get quite a few requests for STOP controls and pretty regularly they get denied. This happens to be one instance though where it Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 19 seems a little different than the others. The “T” intersection there is legal means to enforce the right-of-way at this intersection without STOP control, but the STOP sign added to the intersection will help enhance that. I think it’s supportable to put the STOP sign in. The way this is written we are actually denying your request and approving the installation of a “One-Way” STOP control for northbound Parkhurst Dr. at Crown Parkway. ACTION: Deny the request and approve the installation of a “One-Way” STOP control for northbound Parkhurst Dr. at Crown Parkway. MOTION: J. Beil James Gross, 2272 N. Parkhurst Dr. – I’m asking for a STOP sign for eastbound traffic, not northbound on Parkhurst. Commissioner Pyne – I think we’re talking about two different things. You want a STOP sign to halt traffic on Crown Parkway. Vice-Chairman Beil – We’re taking about denying the request for the eastbound Crown Parkway STOP and just having a single STOP sign for northbound Parkhurst Dr. to make sure traffic stops at that intersection. This does not necessarily solve that particular problem (referring to comments concerning photos of black tire marks at the intersection). Commissioner Pyne – Are there any other STOP signs on Crown Parkway? Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – No. Crown Parkway runs free-flow. The only STOP would be at Apache Creek where westbound traffic gets a “One- Way” STOP. Vice-Chairman Beil – The motion has been made to deny the request for the eastbound STOP and the approval of the “One-Way” STOP on Parkhurst Dr. SECOND: N. Lall Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 20 Commissioner Pyne – My concern is that it doesn’t really fix the problem that has been brought before us and that’s already assigned by Vehicle Code the requirement to yield, and if it’s not fixing the problem I don’t see why we would put a STOP sign in. I would be opposed to that. Wayne Winthers, Asst. City Attorney – There may be some concern with the motion you made and the fact that putting in a STOP sign there was not noticed and if residents who would be backing up to that STOP sign probably should be noticed about that proposal, and give them the opportunity to speak if they so desire. Right now the notice is of a request for a STOP sign on Crown Parkway so we have the right to deny that request if you so desire, or approve the request if you so desire. To move the sign to a different leg of the intersection should require some notice to those residents most affected, you would now have cars stopping right behind somebody’s house and the noise and fumes that people should have the right to speak about. I don’t believe there are any homes whose frontage is on that side I think it’s the back of their homes, if I understand the map correctly. They should be noticed of what action is being considered. Vice-Chairman Beil – Since the staff recommended amended the original request. Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – All addresses were notified; all the people on the petition were notified as well as special notification that went out of homes within a two-house radius around the intersection. It’s somewhat generic in that it says we have received a request for the installation of a STOP control, so depending on what would be decided here while the proponent was requesting a “One-Way” STOP on the eastbound direction, this being a public forum anything could happen, assuming a “3-Way” STOP would have been put in, we were trying to cover all the bases that way, so the residents around the intersection were notified prior to the meeting. Wayne Winthers, Asst. City Attorney – As long as they were notified that you were considering STOP controls at that intersection in general then I would agree that you could go ahead with your motion as you put forward, as long as it wasn’t specific to eastbound Crown Parkway. As long as it was generic to the intersection then I think that would be covered, and I withdraw my concern if that is the case. Vice-Chairman Beil – Were they aware of the amended proposal? Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 21 Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – No they weren’t. At the time the notifications are mailed generally the reports haven’t been written. The studies have been barely concluded and the notification is typically fairly generic so it indicates we are considering the installation of a STOP unless we have a specific request saying they want an “All-Way” STOP, then of course we will put that verbiage in the notification letter but since we are considering a STOP at this location we left it as consideration of a STOP control. Vice-Chairman Beil – We have a copy of the letter sent to the residents. I think we should postpone this to our next meeting, as this notice is not so specific as to what the STOP control location is. Wayne Winthers – I think the fact that it so generic makes it fine as far as notification goes, it would be telling residents that at that intersection you are going to consider STOP control devices so that notifies anyone that is concerned about a STOP control at that intersection they can come to the meeting. Vice-Chairman Beil – I’m a little worried that the petitioner had a petition that was very specific and this may be what the residents believe is the only thing being considered, it’s very specific to eastbound traffic. Wayne Winthers, Asst. City Attorney – That is something you can certainly be concerned about, from a legal standpoint I think the notice covers it. ACTION: Continue this request to our next meeting and if we can get notification to the same people that received it before. I want them to know that it is a very specific change. I’ve got a feeling they’re not really aware and I think they need to know we are proposing something a little bit different. MOTION: J. Beil SECOND: N. Lall Commissioner Lall – The issue we are batting around is that what the petitioner wants and what we are dealing with are two separate things. I think we’re going through semantics that we are sending out letters again asking for a STOP sign the petitioner doesn’t want anyway. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 22 Vice-Chairman Beil – I remember he made the statement that a lot of the people want STOP signs both 3-Way at all sides of the intersection, although the item he specifically brought forward is just for the one because he thought it would be easier. I just want everyone to be aware. Commissioner Lall – At that meeting we can make any motion we want whether it’s a specific STOP sign or anything else. Jim Gross, 2272 N. Parkhurst Dr. – Asked a question that was unintelligible because he was speaking from the audience and not at the speaker’s podium. Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – No, the notification is a one-page letter similar to the last one, but more specific. Commissioner Lall – But the Agendas are available to the public correct? Dave Allenbach, Transportation Analyst – Yes, Agendas are posted at the Police station, the Public Works counter, the Information Kiosk in the breezeway of the Civic Center, and it’s also available on the City’s web page. AYES: Unanimous 777777777777777 End of Consideration Items 77777777777777777 V. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS A presentation on behalf of the Orange County Water District on the GWR System for water reclamation and recycling project. Dan Jacobs & Porter Novelli 4 Studebaker Rd., 1st Floor Irvine, CA 92618 Lisa Sanchez OC Water District – Public Affairs Dept. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 23 I’m here to talk about our new groundwater replenishment project. It’s an innovative program we are working on with the Orange County Sanitation District. In Orange County we are lucky to live over the ground water basin where we receive half our water supply. The other half is from imported water. Our ground water costs about $200 per acre-foot and the imported water is about $500 per acre-foot. We are facing a looming global water crisis because we don’t have enough water so we need to look at other options as Orange County continues to grow we need to have a reliable source of water. We’re also facing a future of imported water supply challenge. California gets most of its water from the Colorado River, and other states are coming to the point where they want their fair share and they want to take that water back. We need to have a locally controlled supply of water and the groundwater replenishment system will actually provide enough water for 144,000 families living in Orange County. It will also protect our seawater intrusion barrier from the ocean coming in and contaminating our groundwater basis. Groundwater replenishment system will inject water into the ground, which will create like a water wall so the ocean water is not able to come in and contaminate our fresh groundwater supply. It will also improve our water quality. You may notice the water you have right now, a lot of it is from the Santa Ana River, the Colorado River and it tends to be hard on your appliances, you can tell there are a lot of minerals in it from looking at the mineral composites accumulating on your shower heads. The water we are getting from the groundwater replenishment system is actually so pure we have to add minerals back into it, so you’re getting a really good quality of water. We’ll also help with drought protection, we live in an arid region, and we’ve had a drought for the last 5-6 years and we will continue to be a drought for another 3-4 years, unless we have enough water. We need at least 3-4 years of good heavy rain to help us. The groundwater replenishment is just one option, basically one piece of the puzzle. There are other thing we can do also such as conservation, however, that is not enough. That is why we are looking at other alternatives. We are looking at seawater desalination, which tends to be a little more expensive, but the groundwater replenishment system is a cost effective and reliable solution. So what is it? Basically, it’s a high membrane type water purification system which takes highly treated sewer water from the Sanitation District and purifies it to near distilled water quality. It uses the same technology as bottled water companies through a 3-step process. The first step is micro filtration, the water is Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 24 pushed through straws, they are really small with tiny holes they are 1/300 size of human hair so you can’t see it (give one to look at). So the water is pushed through, the clean water is able to push out the center of the straw while the wastewater is collected on the outside. This is a similar process used by the pharmaceutical companies, baby food manufacturing companies, and also medicines. The next step is reverse osmosis; this is basically the heart of the purification process. Water from the micorfiltration is pushed through thin plastic light membranes (passes out a sample). The water molecules are able to push through and the small pollutants are trapped. You can see the water molecules shown the relative size of a tennis ball and all the pollutants that are left out are shown the size of soccer ball, this gives you a really pure quality of water. From here the next step is ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide. This is similar to what’s used in hospitals and dental offices to sterilize their instruments. Here we are disinfecting the water and remove any emerging contaminants. This is an extra safety barrier. From here it goes through a 13 mile pipeline which goes to our peculation lakes in Anaheim where it will take the path of natural rain water and naturally peculate into the ground where it next has to go through a water intrusion barrier. We have more than 7 years in testing and over 25 years experience in purifying water. The system is watched 24 hours at the end of each shift and the end of the day. We have already received support from different health and medical experts. Some benefits will provide local reliability, help with drought-proofing our arid region barrier so and allow us to expand our seawater intrusion barrier as I mentioned so the ocean can’t get it. It will also reuse a valuable water resource and save us what we would. The project is funded jointly with OCTA at a cost of $487,000 million dollars. We will receive $92.5 million State and federal grants and the Metropolitan Water District is going to be paying 3.7 million per year for operating costs. It is expected to go online in 2007 and will produce 70 million gallons of water a day. This isn’t the first project of its kind but it is the largest and we will be producing 70 million gallons of water a day. You can see as compared to the other programs through the world. This system will be at our facility in Fountain Valley. Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper Minutes of a Regular Meeting – City Traffic Commission – September 14, 2005 Pg. 25 VI. ADJOURNMENT After discussion of today’s Agenda the City Traffic Commission meeting was concluded, and as there were no further requests for action under Oral Presentations, the Chairman adjourned this session of the City Traffic Commission. The next meeting of the City Traffic Commission is scheduled: 5:30 P.M. Wednesday – October 12, 2005 Respectfully submitted, CITY OF ORANGE Phyllis Then, Recording Secretary Traffic Engineering Division pthen@cityoforange.org CITY OF ORANGE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TRAFFIC ENGINEERING DIVISION 300 E. CHAPMAN AVENUE ORANGE CA 92866 PH: (714) 744-5536 FAX: (714) 744-5573 Tape #CTC-25.07 of this City Traffic Commission meeting is available for your review. Please contact the Recording Secretary at (714) 744-5536 in this regard, advance notice is appreciated.  September ‘05 [N:/Traffic/CTC/2005 Minutes] Printed on Recycled Paper