West Commercial Pathway Design Public Meeting

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Zack Barowitz

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Jan 12, 2021, 2:32:03 PM1/12/21
to Portland Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee
This is project that we've had on the radar for a while
                                     

West Commercial Path Design Public Meeting, January 13, 7:00PM

The Portland Planning Department is holding a public meeting for design feedback on the planned West Commercial Path. More information and the Zoom link is here: https://www.portlandmaine.gov/2689/West-Commercial-Street-Pathway-Design

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Damon Yakovleff

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Jan 13, 2021, 9:11:42 AM1/13/21
to bikePed Comm
Thanks Zack, I don't know if I can attend tonight but am very curious for details. Our family uses this route frequently. Hopefully somebody can attend and report back.

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Scsmedia

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Jan 13, 2021, 10:30:40 AM1/13/21
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I will be on the call.  I need to see if there is any back up material in advance of the meeting.

Steven Scharf


George Rheault

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Jan 13, 2021, 10:44:28 AM1/13/21
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The WENA link goes to the city's website which has a very hard to read background schematic of the sidewalk plan.

I don't think this is much more than some sidewalk widening and improvements, but anyone who does attend, it would certainly be great to provide a complete set of notes including attendees and next steps.

The Bike/Ped committee should vocally complain to the City about its outreach.  This meeting is NOT listed on the City's meeting calendar and if Zack had not heard about it via WENA, it might have completely gone unnoticed.

Why is it so hard for THE CITY OF PORTLAND TO COMMUNICATE WITH ITS BIKE-PED COMMITTEE ABOUT DIRECTLY RELEVANT BIKE-PED STUFF?

Maya Lena

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Jan 13, 2021, 10:56:49 AM1/13/21
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In my experience the city doesn’t outwardly intentionally engage citizens on projects. The neighborhood groups are struggling with the same issue. 

Maya 

George Rheault

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Jan 13, 2021, 11:00:53 AM1/13/21
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WENA received an inside track here because the City thinks it is really important to involve affluent privileged constituencies in city planning (because they vote and can afford lawsuits) while leaving just about everyone else on the side of the road (literally) naked in a barrel.

The Jon Jennings era cannot end soon enough and just about everyone involved with enabling his shenanigans needs to go too.

Maya Lena

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Jan 13, 2021, 11:16:17 AM1/13/21
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I’m going to assume that WENA heard about this from getting planning notifications because of proximity / getting general alerts. They sent their email moments before Zack forwarded it to PBPAC (I get the WENA newsletter).

 I wouldn’t say it’s inside track if they are getting a notification so close to the date of the meeting. 

Maya

George Rheault

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Jan 13, 2021, 11:22:45 AM1/13/21
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Good points Maya.

I do think someone is checking a "community input" box without bothering to care whether it is meaningful or not including giving people enough advance notice to get it on their calendar and provide info ahead of time so the public is arriving at these meetings with some thoughtful considerations rather than just reacting in the moment to something they are just learning about.

To be fair, this is a huge failure in all North American planning and in some ways just as bad in Europe/Asia except in those places the planning systems have much better structures that lead to better outcomes simply because they have a brain whereas in the United States at least planning, including transportation planning, is basically about prioritizing automobile convenience and racism/income segregation and everything else is an afterthought or a rounding error in terms of effort and resources.

Corey Templeton

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Jan 14, 2021, 9:42:42 AM1/14/21
to Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
I wasn't able to attend myself - Are the backup materials for the meeting or a recording posted somewhere? If I'm recalling correctly the current plan is essentially building a sidewalk/path along West Commercial up to Veterans Bridge. I'm curious how the path will interact with the garages and surface parking lot of the new VA building or if it will just be a "normal" sidewalk. 

Zack Barowitz

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Jan 14, 2021, 10:20:26 AM1/14/21
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My understanding is that this is a two way path on the north side of the street. I already use the north side in both directions so hopefully it is a straight forward job. 
Zack 

George Rheault

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Jan 14, 2021, 10:38:58 AM1/14/21
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Hopefully someone who attended can provide details.

Page 17 of the 2016 West Commercial Street Study suggests most of the planning here is already baked in and the City is just letting everyone know they are working out the final kinks of that concept.


Jaime Parker

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Jan 14, 2021, 11:06:50 AM1/14/21
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Steven and I attended.

Yes, the plan is for a two-way path from Benny's (where the Multi-use trail currently ends) all the way to High Street, where bike traffic would merge with other vehicles to a shared condition.  There would also be continuous bike lanes on both sides along this entire route.  That said, it would be built in multiple stages. 

First phase to be completed is likely the frontage of the VA building.  I believe this is a 10' paved path, separate from their internal pedestrian circulation.  There would not be a separate sidewalk along the frontage, just the MUT.  Even though JB Brown owns the whole parcel including Benny's, they are only on the hook for the frontage of the current project, so there would be a missing link between the west end of the VA, and Benny's (about 700').  Seems like COP is working with JBB to fill this gap, but no clear plans.  

The next phase, which was the subject of last nights meeting, would be the frontage of the Star Match building, also about a 700' section.  This would have a 6' brick sidewalk along the building, directly adjacent to a 9' paved MUT, and then an esplanade, with several bump-outs (for utility poles, but also landscape), then parking, then a bike lane, then a 2' painted buffer, then the 11' travel lanes, and the bike lane on the eastbound side.

The last phase would be from Star Match to High Street.  No budget or plans for that.

Portland Trails is working on several trail links in the area, though these are currently unfunded.

westcommercial.JPG




Jaime Parker
Trails and Transportation Manager
Portland Trails
ja...@trails.org
329.6180

Non Sibi, Sed Omnibus


On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 10:20 AM Zack Barowitz <zbar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Damon Yakovleff

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Jan 14, 2021, 11:49:10 AM1/14/21
to bikePed Comm
Thanks Jaime, that's really helpful. It sounds like that final section on the east, and especially the intersection of Commercial and High, will be expensive and complicated.

Do you or Steven have any recommendations for advocacy on this from PBPAC at this point?

Jaime Parker

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Jan 14, 2021, 12:35:04 PM1/14/21
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Only that trail connections are usually an afterthought, yet can play a vital role in transportation options in a given area, so advocating for as much connectivity as possible for future projects would be helpful.  Of course, since trails are usually not ADA (though we are striving to make them as accessible as possible, and upgrade them over time), and aren't part of the code/requirements, the Planning staff and Board don't have much leverage.  This is probably all the more reason for outside groups to advocate for "non-standard" connectivity.

Jaime Parker
Trails and Transportation Manager
Portland Trails
ja...@trails.org
329.6180

Non Sibi, Sed Omnibus

Scsmedia

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Jan 14, 2021, 2:34:20 PM1/14/21
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Jaime provided a good overview of the meeting.  I am going to delve into some of the details.

First, this meeting was officially about the 700 feet in front of the Star Match building specifically from the "Emery Street ROW", now the VA Clinic driveway on the west to the other side of the Star Match building driveway on the east.  Discussion of other parts was minimal and only based on questions asked.  Therein lies one of the major problems in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure buildout in Portland.  It is being done piecemeal which leaves major gaps on either side of the work.  It also mostly gets done in conjunction with building development, but the developer is usually not pushed to add the missing pieces.  This project is unusual in that there is no development related to it.  

The project will entail the installation of a 5 foot sidewalk along the Star Match building, a 1 foot granite or similar curb (ie. stepdown), a 9 foot multi use path, an 8 foot parking lane (with three bump outs for Power/Comm poles), a 5 foot bike lane and 1 foot buffer, three 11 foot travel lanes (one lane is mostly a left turn lane for the bridge) and a 5 foot bike lane and 1 foot buffer on the water side of the street. [Not referenced at last nights meeting but showing on Google Maps is a "truck" parking lane along the water side fence.  The diagram shows a "shoulder".] For reference the street ROW is mostly 80 feet wide.  This is mostly matched by the VA Clinic plan (although I don't think they are going to have parking spaces).

I am attaching the plan presented last night.

Not shown on the diagram is a crosswalk being installed across the street at the right side of the VA Clinic driveway to a non existent sidewalk which Nell Donaldson described as needing "a small extension to link up with existing sidewalk".  Google Maps show no sidewalks on the water side of the street.  The only business on the water side is Portland Yacht Services with the crosswalk ending at their storefront.  The only other building being contemplated on that side of the street is the cold storage facility which will not be a pedestrian friendly location.

One meeting participant asked for property renumbering to follow from Commercial Street.  She has problems with deliveries and customers going to 83 Commercial Street instead of West Commercial Street.

Timeline: Bidding in Spring, Easement/takings issues resolved with possible construction in the Fall 2021/Spring 2022.

Cost about $400,000 funded from CIP several years ago.

Concerns:

Looking at Google Maps, it appears the 9 foot multi use path will just disappear on the East side of this project.  Not sure whether there is much point in installing this multi use path for such a short stretch [West of VA Clinic 1,000 feet to East of Star Match building 700 feet].

There is a missing 700 foot link on the Westside of the VA Clinic between the former Benny's and the limit of the VA Clinic project.  There is some sort of sewer system infrastructure so there probably will never be buildout of this area.  Hen at the former Benny's is pavement from street to the building.  There is work happening at Benny's to build a new Lobster eatery (begun this summer presumably for opening next summer).

Should the water side bike lane be between traffic and the truck parking or against the wall?

Discuss.

Steven Scharf
  


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