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Home My WebLink AboutA001 - Council Action Form dated September 12, 1995 DATE September 12, 1995 COUNCIL ACTION FORM ITEM # SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR A LOADING ZONE ON CLARK AVENUE BACKGROUND: The City has received a request from Drug Town Company officials to place a truck loading zone on the west side of Clark Avenue, south of Main Street. This location is next to their new store in the Main Street Station development. Drug Town officials believe that this location would be convenient since it would be adjacent to their storeroom access on Clark Avenue. No truck loading areas are located in the Depot parking lot to handle these activities. Shown on the attached diagram is the location request. Staff had initially reviewed this request in July and had denied placing a curb cut and sidewalk extension on Clark Avenue to accommodate loading activities. This request was denied since staff believed that a loading zone located on Clark Avenue would present many traffic problems. With a truck loading zone located on Clark Avenue, the street would be reduced from a two-lane to a one-lane facility for southbound traffic during periods of the day. This would create problems since a two-lane southbound facility is needed to accommodate heavy traffic volumes along this street, and also to provide adequate storage space for the queues created when trains are present at the Clark Avenue crossing. Current traffic counts show that a four-lane is needed since there are 7,400 vehicles per day on Clark Avenue. This volume is expected to increase significantly with the completion of the Depot development and the Brenton Bank building on Clark Avenue. Also, volumes will increase due to the changes slated for the Clark Avenue/Walnut Avenue/Lincoln Way intersection. With the change in the alignment and additional turning lanes on Walnut Avenue, staff believes that traffic volumes on Clark Avenue will increase significantly. Drug Town officials have suggested that traffic problems could be mitigated by limiting loading activities during non-peak traffic periods in the proposed zone on Clark Avenue. According to traffic counts taken during the week of August 14th, these low traffic volume periods would be only during the early morning hours before 9:00 a.m. During other daytime periods until 7:00 p.m. traffic counts show that volumes remain heavy on Clark Avenue. Although traffic volumes are lower during this period, staff believes that a loading zone should not be established along Clark Avenue for any period of the day, since it is one of the major routes into the business district. With a truck loading zone placed on Clark Avenue, deliveries would be difficult to regulate and may occur during much of the day. Also, traffic problems would still be created during the early morning CAF - Load Zone - Clark Avenue September 12, 1995 Page 2 periods when motorists drive to work shortly before 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. These are periods when traffic volumes can increase significantly, creating possible capacity problems on Clark Avenue. Also, staff believes that the loading zone activities would be difficult to regulate. With the establishment of this zone, police officials may have to closely monitor activities for compliance due to problems created during peak traffic periods. This zone may also be illegally used (due to the convenience) by employees and patrons of other businesses in the Depot with storefronts on Clark Avenue. To accommodate truck deliveries for the Drug Town Store, and other area establishments, staff believes that a loading zone should be designated on the south side of Main Street, west of Clark Avenue. This location would be preferred compared with the one on Clark Avenue since Main Street has significantly less traffic. Traffic counts show that there are 3,600 vehicles per day (vpd) on Main Street, compared with a 7,400 vpd volume on Clark Avenue. With less traffic, there would be significantly less vehicular conflicts involving trucks maneuvering and stationed in the zone. Also, there would be no conflicts involving train traffic, since this location is not in close proximity to the tracks. Another advantage of locating a truck zone on Main Street is that it could be utilized for truck deliveries to other businesses on Main Street. This use of truck delivery zones by many businesses is similar to existing usage of delivery zones in the Campustown Business District. With a loading zone on Clark Avenue, only deliveries to Drug Town would be accommodated due to the longer distances to the other businesses on Main Street and in the new Depot development. This Main Street loading zone would be established for truck loading activities only during the morning period before 9:00 a.m. This 80-foot zone would be placed within the area where a right-turn lane and two meter spaces currently exist. Shown on the attached sheet is the location of this zone. Staff believes that this is a better location since Main Street has approximately one-half the traffic volume compared with Clark Avenue. It is also a designated two lane facility with parking allowed on both sides of the street. With the establishment of a loading zone in this area, the two metered spaces west of the right turn lane could be utilized after the designated loading period of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Also, the right-turn lane could be utilized by motorists during peak periods of the day. The representative for Drug Town, David Bailey, was contacted concerning this measure. He believes the Clark Avenue location is the only viable alternative because the store has been designed to accept deliveries on the east side of the building. Apparently Drug Town employees are required to unload trucks, so a location on Main Street would prove to be inconvenient to the Drug Town operation. In an effort to mitigate the City's concern for traffic congestion on Clark, he offered that Drug Town officials would reorganize their schedules to handle deliveries between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., during non-peak traffic hours in the Downtown district. CAF - Load Zone - Clark Avenue September 12, 1995 Page 3 ALTERNATIVES: 1. Designate a truck loading zone on the west side of Clark Avenue, 70' south of Main Street. This zone could only be utilized for truck loading activities during the non-peak traffic periods from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. This alternative should only be considered a temporary measure until (a) a comprehensive study is completed to determine appropriate locations for truck loading areas in the total Downtown area, and/or (b) traffic problems result from this loading area designation. 2. Designate a truck loading zone on the south side of Main Street, west of Clark Avenue. This zone could only be utilized for truck loading activities during the non-peak traffic periods from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. This measure would include maintaining the use of the two metered spaces with the zone for public use after the 9:00 a.m. period during the day. This alternative should only be considered a temporary measure until a comprehensive study is completed to determine appropriate locations for truck loading areas in the total Downtown area. 3. Do not establish a truck loading zone in this area until a comprehensive study has been completed to determine where the appropriate location should be for loading zones in the Downtown district. MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED ACTION: It is the recommendation of the City Manager that the City Council adopt Alternative #2 above, thereby directing the City Attorney to draft an ordinance to establish, on a temporary basis, a truck loading zone for periods from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., on the south side of Main Street, west of Clark Avenue. This measure would include maintaining the two metered spaces within the designated zone for public use after the 9:00 a.m. period. This option should be considered only a temporary measure until a comprehensive study has been performed to determine the most appropriate locations for truck loading areas in the Downtown district. This type of study was approved for the Campustown district. COUNCIL ACTION: Drugtown ' s Truck Loading Zone Main Street and Clark Avenue N I I II STAFF'S RECOMMENDED LOCATION FOR THE MAIN STREET TRUCK LOADING ZONE BRENTON NEW DRUGTOWN BANK STORE REQUESTED LOCATION STORE FOR THE LOADING ZONE ROOM N", w x\ XN1 X w �x y x a d a U