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Home My WebLink AboutA002 - Council Action Form dated September 27, 1994 a Item # Date: September 27, 1994 COUNCIL ACTION FORM SUBJECT: PARKING PROHIBITIONS BY AMES HIGH SCHOOL BACKGROUND: Staff has been meeting with residents along Hayes Avenue, McKinley Drive, and 20th Street, as well as Ames High School administration to alleviate parking problems by the Ames High School. Currently, problems exist due to the overflow of student parking in the neighborhood that has caused problems including restricted sight distance at drives, insufficient parking for residents, trash thrown on lawns, and other problems. This problem has been partially caused by the building construction at the Ames High School that has displaced 130 parking spaces. According to Ames High School officials, this lot may be utilized for a period from one year to 30 months, or until the construction is completed at the school. Due to this displacement, surveys show that there are 50 parked vehicles present along the residential streets west of Ridgewood Avenue. This number will increase by approximately 70 vehicles during the school year when more students reach 16 and begin driving to the high school. Currently, there are two approaches being considered to reduce the student parking in the neighborhood. The first includes finding alternate parking areas in non-residential areas by the Ames High School. One of these areas includes the 675' section along the east side of Ridgewood Avenue south of Ames High Drive that will accommodate 34 parked vehicles. Other areas are being considered by school administrators including allowing parking along the drive aisles in the parking lot that would accommodate 12 vehicles. Also, school officials have contacted area churches to lease parking spaces. This alternative has the potential of providing spaces for more than one hundred vehicles. The second approach is to prohibit parking in the residential areas to shift student parking into the alternative parking areas. Residents at meetings held on Tuesday, September 6, and on Wednesday, September 14 showed support for prohibiting parking along 20th Street, Hayes Avenue, and McKinley Drive for this purpose. Parking prohibitions were discussed and residents believed that restrictions should be designated from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on "school days only" to effectively discourage parking. C � c � CAF APPROVAL SS BK SL JK JP SR To be sent to 5 CAF - Ames High Parking September 27, 1994 Page 2 Residents also believed that the parking prohibitions should be temporary to alleviate the current problems caused by the construction activities. They supported prohibitions for the remainder of the school year on 20th Street (Hayes Avenue to Fellows School), and for a 30 day period in October on Hayes Avenue and McKinley Drive. Since the parking utilization and traffic volumes are the heaviest on 20th Street, residents along the north side of the street between Hayes Avenue and Fellows School believed that restrictions should be designated for the remainder of the school year even if additional parking facilities are provided by the Ames High School. Parking along this section created the worst problems due to the lack of sight distance for backing out of drives. Residents along Hayes Avenue and McKinley Drive believed that a temporary parking restriction for a 30 day period would alleviate problems on this street. During this period, residents believed that students would change their habits and park along Ridgewood Avenue. Also, they believed that additional parking on school grounds would be developed. Attached is a outline discussion of the meetings. During these meetings, residents believed that one of the best measures for reducing the overflow parking problem was to develop temporary parking facilities on the Ames High School property. They have developed plans for alternative parking areas on school property and will present these to the Ames School Board during their next meeting. The locations are shown on the attached diagram. Residents also discussed with staff a measure to allow angle parking along the north side of 20th Street between the Northcrest drive and the west end to provide for an additional 15 parking spaces. Residents believed that this street had adequate width to allow 45 degree parking along the north side with parallel parking remaining on the south side. (This is a similar situation with parking on 5th Street in the downtown business district.) However, staff does not support this measure since the street width is too narrow to accommodate 45 degree angle parking. Street conditions are different on 20th Street than those on 5th Street since 20th Street is narrower and carries bus traffic, as well as higher speeds. Staff believes that the street has adequate width to allow 30 degree parking, but, that it would provide only an inconsequential number of spaces (5). Due to the higher potential for accidents caused by angle spaces, staff does not recommend this alternative. Staff has also received a request from Sharon Anderson, 2105 Hayes Avenue, operator of the Tree Top Nursery, for prohibiting parking in front of 2105 Hayes Avenue. Due to the presence of parked vehicles in front of the day care, problems are occurring since CAF - Ames High Parking September 27, 1994 Page 3 parents must drop off their children a distance from the day-care. This situation presents a potential hazard since parents and children on many occasions have to cross McKinley Drive and Hayes Avenue to walk to the nursery. In order to accommodate parking for parents during the day-care hours, it is requested that the parking prohibition be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 :30 p.m. during weekdays only in front of the day-care at 2105 Hayes Avenue. ALTERNATIVES: 1 . Prohibit parking during the school year on the north side of 20th Street between Hayes Avenue and Fellows School, and also on both sides of Hayes Avenue (20th Street to 24th Street) and on both sides of McKinley Drive (Hayes Avenue to Van Buren Avenue) in October 1994, for a period from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. during school days only. Also, prohibit parking in front of 2105 Hayes Avenue, the Tree Top Nursery, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 :30 p.m. during weekdays only. 2. Do nothing. MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION: It is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt alternative number 1 above, thereby prohibiting parking during the school year on the north side of 20th Street between Hayes Avenue and Fellows School, and also on both sides of Hayes Avenue (20th Street to 24th Street) and on both sides of McKinley Drive (Hayes Avenue to Van Buren Avenue) in October 1994, for a period from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. during school days only. Also, prohibit parking in front of 2105 Hayes Avenue, the Tree Top Nursery, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 :30 p.m. during weekdays only. Staff requests that City Council pass this ordinance on all readings to implement the restrictions on Hayes Avenue, McKinley Drive, and 20th Street on October 1, 1994. COUNCIL ACTION: n cn (^ Q O D c CD cn �a tQ IIILq v_ 3Zi I � 2E I ' am sm o sxr r En a ° z N-dgJ SUMH L-dON � ► N September 14, 1994 AMES HIGH SCHOOL PARKING PROBLEM I. IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM: A. More than 50 Vehicles Parked on 20th,Hayes& Mckinley Drive B. General Problems 1. Safety 2. Noise 3. Mess 4. Never being able to park in front of homes during school hours II. REASON THE PROBLEM EXISTS: A.Short Term (<1 year) 1. New H. S. Parking Lot only provides 400 spaces 2. No one Recognized the Contractor construction space needs 3. Increased parking fee 4. All Sophomores and some Juniors not allowed spaces 5. During Nov. to May—70 more Sophomores will start driving to school (this effect was seen last Spring) B. Near and Long Term(-3 years and beyond) 1. Ames Community School District Projects Growth 2. School Officials Requested a New Lot Size of 600 spaces (not 400) III. SOLUTION: Residents and the City of Ames need only deal with the minimum number of cars on the streets with no H. S. parking permit A. Short Term(<l year) 1. Replace Lost Parking Spaces by creating temporary spaces on the streets and on School Property 2. Allow parking on East side of Ridgewood (+34) 3. Allow diagonal parking on north side of 20th(+15) 4. Create a new temporary crushed rock lot east of new lot (+40) 5. Review Parking Fee Schedule 6. Over Sell Parking permits to provide a full lot 7. City and Residents to allow a temporary one month ban of parking on streets during 7:30 to 9:30 am on school days in October only. This is to move the student parking to new temporary school areas. B. Near Term( After 1 Year) 1. Construction is completed (+130) C. Long Term(>3 years) 1. Possibly Expand the New Lot to 600 spaces(+200) 2. Possibly Add a New Lot South of Swimming Pool& East of Football Field (+50-100) pala�.am