At its September 25 meeting the Traffic Operations Committee (TOC) approved a conceptual scheme that would add approximately 14 parking places on D Avenue and Seventh Street as part of the construction of the new senior center. The scheme will be recommended to the City Council for incorporation into the design of the center. If the recommendation is accepted by the City Council, the final parking layout developed by the architect for the center will be reviewed and approved by the TOC.
The additional parking would be provided by replacing the parallel parking on the east side of the 600 block of D Avenue with angle parking and providing a combination of angle and parallel parking on the north side of Seventh Street between Orange and D Avenues. Also, the existing parking lot at the south east corner of intersection of D Avenue and Seventh Street would be reconfigured to allow access from D Avenue and for vehicles to exit the lot onto Seventh Street. The following images show the existing condition and the proposed reconfiguration of the parking on D Avenue and Seventh Street as well as the small parking lot.
Above image: Current Parking
Above image: Proposed Parking
The only dissenting vote was cast by Police Chief Jon Froomin. He explained that he was concerned about the risk that would be created by the addition of angled parking on D Street immediately in front of the high school. It is a congested area with many students arriving at and leaving the schools on their bicycles, by parents picking up and dropping off their children for school, and by high school students who drive to school. Further, the desired number of additional parking places could be provided without changing the parking on D Streets from parallel to angled.
Mrs. Billie Stagliano, the President of the Coronado Senior Association, expressed to the TOC her desire to restrict the use of the angled parking on the north side of Seventh Street and in the small lot at the intersection of D Avenue and Seventh Street to seniors from 9 am to 4:30 pm. This is the period during which most of the senior center’s programs occur.
The new senior center is presently being designed. The new facility will replace the existing senior center with a larger building constructed in approximately the same location. In addition to the senior center the block that is bounded by Orange Avenue on the east, D Avenue on the west, and Sixth and Seventh Streets on the north and south, respectively, is occupied by the lawn bowling green, the Coronado Public Library, and two public tennis courts. The only existing off-street parking consists of a seven-space parking lot for library staff that is located between the tennis courts and the library. The parking analysis done as part of the environmental review for the new senior center recommended adding a minimum of six on-street parking places to accommodate the increased size of the new senior center.
Alternatives to the recommended scheme included retaining the existing parallel on-street parking on D Avenue and Seventh Street or the construction of additional on-site parking. On-site parking could be provided through the construction of an underground facility beneath the new senior center or a surface parking lot.
The staff report indicated that it would be feasible to construct underground parking but that it would be expensive; however, no estimate of its potential cost was provided as part of the report. It would also need to be equipped with an elevator in order to satisfy the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The presence of existing utilities and facilities was also cited as another complicating factor.
The staff report indicated that there is little space on the site to accommodate a surface parking lot. The open area of the site is parkland that has been designated an historic resource and removal of existing trees and the elimination of open space for a parking lot may not be “the best use of the land.” The area occupied by the two existing tennis courts could be converted to a parking lot that could accommodate up to 20 cars. The report stated that it may be necessary to replace the two courts at another location. An alternative would be to place the tennis courts on top of the parking lot, but the staff report indicated that this alternative has not been studied.
The responsibilities of the TOC include considering requests for traffic control devices, regulatory signs, speed limits, parking restrictions, traffic circulation changes, street modifications, etc. The TOC examines issues against established guidelines and its decisions are technical in nature. Its recommendations are based on objective findings as there is considerable exposure to liability, if decisions are not made according to existing laws and accepted standards. Recommendations for changes to existing traffic control devices, regulatory signs, speed limits, parking restrictions, traffic circulation changes, street modifications, etc. are forwarded to the City Council for consideration. The members of the TOC are the City Engineer, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public Services Director and Community Development Director. Meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 1825 Strand Way.
John Tato
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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