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HomeMy WebLinkAbout062314 CC MinThe City of West University Place A Neighborhood City CITY COUNCIL STAFF Bob Fry, Mayor Michael Ross, City Manager Susan Sample, Mayor Pro Tern Alan Petrov, City Attorney Ed Heathcott, Councilmember Thelma Lenz, City Secretary Joan Johnson, Councilmember Dick Yehle, Councilmember CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES The City Council of the City of West University Place, Texas, met in a workshop and regular session on Monday, June 23, 2014, in the Municipal Building, 3800 University, West University Place, Texas beginning at 5:30 p.m. SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP Agenda Items were as follows: Call to Order. Mayor Fry called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Council and Staff in attendance were: Mayor Pro Tem Sample, Councilmembers Johnson and Yehle, City Manager Ross, Assistant City Manager /Public Works Director Peifer, Assistant City Attorney Martye Kendrick, JPRB, City Secretary Lenz and Police Chief Walker. Councilmember Heathcott was absent. Also attending were Metro Board representatives Burt Ballanfant and Cindy Siegel, as well as Transit Consultant Jeffrey Carlton with Traffic Engineers, Inc. The following was discussed: 1. City Metro Reimagining Plan Discuss Metro's Reimagining Plan, which includes proposed new bus routes in West University Place. Recommended Action: Discuss and take any desired action. Mayor Fry introduced Burt Ballanfant, a Metro Board representative for the West University area. Mr. Ballanfant spoke said studies show that traffic congestion is the single most important issue facing the metropolitan area of Houston at this time. He said tonight's presentation is to discuss the beginnings for the Reimagining process as it is described by Metro. He said the view of the Metro Board was to analyze the existing needs of where people need to get and how they would get there in the most efficient and cost effective manner. Mr. Ballanfant introduced Jeff Carlton to give an overview of the project and how it has gotten to where it is today. Mr. Carlton's presentation consisted of a slideshow and answering the following questions: What is system reimagining? The System Reimagining Plan is a five -year transit plan that focuses on Metro's local bus service. An important aspect of the plan is that it is utilizing Metro's City Council Minutes, June 23, 2014 existing resources to operate the local system, but reallocating the resources in a way to connect more people in more places with better connections. Why is this being done? In 2011, Metro undertook a long range planning process and through over 30 meetings and social media asked the communities what could be done to improve the Metro system overall. A significant amount of the responses were about making the local bus system better, providing better service on weekends, providing more frequency, providing simpler more understandable trips, and more cross town trips, etc. This plan responds to that by providing simpler, more frequent 7- day -a -week service that connects more people to more places with faster trips. What are the impacts of the plan? Since the 1990's ridership has declined significantly on the local bus system, so using the same amount of resources it is projected that this plan will deliver an increase of over 20 percent in ridership within two years of implementation. The plan sets up a strong grid of service that is easy to expand and modify to serve the Houston of tomorrow. What is the process for feedback? Metro is having 16 public meetings all over the region, going to every transit center, doing several speaking engagements, receiving feedback from social media, emails, phone calls, etc. Feedback will be received through July 31 and at that point, all the feedback will be consolidated and refined to try and understand how the plan can be improved. The strategy is to take the Plan before the Metro Board by September of this year for approval to move forward with the Plan. He said if there are any major changes by the Board, there will be a series of public hearings in the spring, with summer of 2015 as the target for implementation. Regarding the current system, Mr. Carlton said there are currently three 7- day -a -week routes, two 6- day -a -week routes, and one 5- day -a -week route that are in or directly adjacent to West University Place. He said what is being proposed is five routes 7- days -a -week. Mr. Carlton concluded by assuring the crowd that Metro will not move forward with the proposed draft plan until they have heard from the customers and the community via the opportunities of public meetings, neighborhood mobile meetings, website and reading materials. At this time, the mayor opened the floor to the public. Frank Vargas, 3901 University Boulevard, spoke to say that Metro's concern is with the entire greater Houston area, but his concern is about West University. He said the problem he has is the traffic on Weslayan, which is a two lane road that is already crowed during rush hour and the afternoons. He said bus stops would make matters much worse and then traffic will divert to College and Academy Streets, which are heavily used by children going to the Recreation Center and to school. He urged City Council to think in terms of West University Place. Robert Patterson, 3936 Case, spoke to say that his family has lived at 3936 Case for over 70 years, and so has seen Weslayan change many ways over the years. He said he agrees that the City needs better transportation and better mobility, but he thinks there are some other north /south streets that would be better than Weslayan, because they can handle more traffic. He said although one of Metro's objectives of the plan was to avoid rail crossings, it appears that one has been introduced on San Felipe with the new plan. He said if you choose another north /south street other than Weslayan, the rail crossing could be avoided and it could make all the connections with the east/west bus lines, which is another one of Metro's objectives. 2of6 City Council Minutes, June 23, 2014 Regina Capuano, 4011 Southwestern, said she is concerned about safety. She said because Weslayan is a two lane road, people will end up in oncoming traffic when trying to go around the buses. Edward Hesson, 6614 Weslayan, spoke to say he sees the traffic everyday and he is sure it will become a lot worse when buses are added to the traffic. He said he would like to know if a traffic survey was done, particularly to identify the peak hours on Weslayan and Buffalo Speedway. He also said he thinks Buffalo Speedway is a much better choice than Weslayan for bus service. Jerry Parker, 3937 Coleridge, spoke to ask how many people in West University Place ride the bus. He said he drives to his shop to Arcola every morning and it is hectic getting out of his garage some mornings due to the traffic. He asked Council to survey the residents to see how many people ride buses from West University Place. Vernon Tyger, 2932 Wroxton, spoke to say he is concerned about having no room to avoid potholes. He said factors to consider are maintenance of the road and what would happen with traffic during maintenance and how long it would take to refurbish Weslayan. Ann Samuels, 3925 Swarthmore, spoke to say in addition to what other speakers have said, there have been several close calls with pets and children from cut through traffic on streets off of Weslayan. She asked Council how many of them lived off of Weslayan and if their day -to -day lives would be hindered or helped? She also asked if there is a tax or fee benefit for cities that run Metro through them, because it is rumored that Southside Place receives a financial benefit. Mary O'Leary, 3931 Arnold, spoke to say she applaud Metro for trying to increase service, but suggested they reconsider a bus route on Weslayan between Bissonnet and Bellaire. She said not only does she have concern for the children, but 80 percent of the driveways, which are only about 15 feet long, open to Weslayan. She said in addition, about 60 percent of the homes on Weslayan were built before 1950, which would indicate an older person living in those homes. She asked that Metro reconsider Weslayan and said she doesn't think ridership would decrease with this one street being rerouted. Bau Quang Bui, 3936 Swarthmore, spoke to say he is retired so he has plenty of time to watch the traffic day and night. He said he wanted to emphasize that Weslayan is only a two lane street and it's always congested, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during trash pick -up. Kelly Hall, 3929 Swarthmore, spoke to say that the homes on other streets being discussed, such as Buffalo Speedway and Kirby, are set back much further away from the road than the houses on Weslayan, so those streets would be better for a bus route. After the public comments, Mr. Carlton was given the opportunity to respond to some of the comments. One of the questions, read back by Councilmember Johnson, was "was a traffic survey done and was it considered on Buffalo Speedway, also ?" Mr. Carlton responded that Metro looked at specific traffic volumes on the streets and looked at a number of different options. He said one of the reasons Weslayan was selected is because the plan tries to cover the existing riders and there is a lot of existing ridership on Stella Link, just south of West University, and there's also ridership north of West University in the Greenway area. He said they are also trying to connect to employment on the east side of 610 that hasn't traditionally been well connected. So, in developing the plan, the bias was to typically lean toward the straightest possible route that makes the travel time the shortest. 3 of 6 City Council Minutes, June 23, 2014 Councilmember Johnson asked whether Buffalo Speedway was considered. Mr. Carlton said it was considered, but it doesn't currently have a service on the south side of Bellaire. A member of the audience asked if Metro considered how it will impact emergency services if traffic is backed up Weslayan due to a bus. Mr. Carlton said one of things Metro is looking at on all the routes is the number of bus stops to influence how frequently a bus would stop through the corridor. He also said everywhere that Metro buses run there is need for emergency services. Another member of the audience said he is concerned about future flexibility. He asked if the reimagining plan is put in place and there are negative repercussions, are the people stuck with the plan or can it be very quickly eliminated if there was a problem. Mr. Carlton responded that the idea of moving to this system is that it will form the backbone of a system for the foreseeable future. He said yes, once the system is in place and Metro knows exactly how people will use it, there will be opportunities to adjust and tweak the plan to make sure it's meeting the needs of the communities as best as possible. Resident at 3907 Swarthmore spoke to ask if the people who live in the area have been surveyed regarding their use of the bus system. Mr. Carlton said the route also serves lots of other areas in the service area, but they would be willing to talk discuss it with West U if it is something the elected officials would like to do. Another resident spoke to say that Metro is looking at a greater plan, but the local issue being discussed tonight with West U residents is between Bissonnet and Bellaire, so there needs to be a specific survey done with people whose lives will be impacted, not the overall impact. He said Metro needs to take that as a point and decide how it impacts West University Place residents and then make a decision. Resident at 3915 Case said his concern is from a safety standpoint. He said currently a lot of people cross everywhere along Weslayan, not just at University and Rice where there are lights. He said with people trying to pass up buses when stopped, there is potential danger. That concluded comments from the audience. Mr. Carlton thanked the audience for their feedback and emphasized that this is a draft plan. He said Metro is in the process of a significant public outreach program that will go through the end of the July, so this is one of many meetings /briefings /updates being provided to communities. Cindy Siegel, former mayor of Bellaire and Metro Board representative for the area, spoke. She said with regard to the rumor about financial gain in Southside Place, she can attest that each small city, as well as Houston and Harris County, get part of their sales tax dollars back that they pay into Metro. She said as far as a deal with Southside Place, they don't get any more than what the other small 14 cities, as well as the City of Houston and Harris County, get as allowed by the agreement, which was voted on and approved by each entity. Regarding the Reimagining Plan, Ms. Siegel said the goal of the plan is to get people out of their cars and into riding buses. She said there are public input forums this summer, then in the spring it comes to a vote before the Board in terms of the conceptual plan as it relates to the new system. She said then there will be a series of public hearing after the vote for another opportunity to speak on the plan, because Metro is required to have public hearings as it relates to major services 4of6 City Council Minutes, June 23, 2014 changes. She said people can also participate online and also with members of City Council and they can communicate the concerns to the Metro representatives. She encouraged everyone to stay involved in the process. She said Metro does not have the most perfect plan, but that is part of why they are getting public input, to be able to tweak it and get that representation where needed. Burt Ballanfant spoke again to say that he lived on the corner of Cason and Weslayan so there will probably never be a Board member who truly empathizes with the residents about the traffic on Weslayan. He said, however, it seems that a big fact is being forgotten, which is that Metro ran a bus down Weslayan from University to South Main for many years, until 2005 or 2006, and there were never any complaints about it. Mayor Fry began to wrap up the Workshop and stated to the residents that the City Council has no control over what Metro does. He said Council can, and will, express to the Metro Board representatives the concerns of West U residents, but in the end the City has no control over Metro's decision. He said residents should also continue to work through the process and contact Metro with concerns individually. He said the public can and will have more impact than Council. With no more discussion, Mayor Fry adjourned the Workshop at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Fry reopened the Workshop at 6:00 p.m. to discuss and take action on Item 2. 2. Regular Meeting Start Time Matters related to suspending the Rules of Procedure for the regular City Council meeting of June 23, 2014 to approve the regular meeting start time of 6:00 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. Recommended Action: Discuss and take any desired action. Councilmember Johnson moved to suspend the rules to start the meeting at 6:00 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. Mayor Pro Tern Sample seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: Heathcott With no further discussion, Mayor Fry adjourned the workshop /special meeting at 6:00 p.m. REGULAR MEETING (6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers) Agenda items are as follows: Call to Order. Mayor Fry called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Council and Staff in attendance were: Mayor Pro Tem Sample, Councilmembers Heathcott, Johnson and Yehle, City Manager Ross, ACM /Public Works Director Peifer, City Secretary Lenz, Assistant City Attorney Martye Hendrick, JRPB, and Police Chief Walker. Councilmember Heathcott was absent. Councilmember Heathcott led the Pledge of Allegiance. Secretary Lenz confirmed that the Notice of the workshop and regular meetings was duly posted in accordance with the Texas Government Code, Chapter 551. 3. Public Comments This is an opportunity for citizens to speak to Council relating to agenda and non - agenda items. 5of6 City Council Minutes, June 23, 2014 There were no public comments. 4. Consent Agenda All Consent Agenda items listed are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Council member requests in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda. A. City Council Minutes Approve Minutes of June 9, 2014 City Council Meeting. Mayor Pro Tern Sample moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Councilmember Johnson seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: Heathcott 5. Council /City Manager Reports No reports. 6. Adiourn With no further business, Mayor Pro Tem Sample moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Councilmember Johnson seconded the motion. MOTION PASSED. Ayes: Fry, Sample, Johnson, Yehle Noes: None Absent: Heathcott Iq UvI Thelma A. Lenz, City Secretary$$ - -- T' Dat Appro d 6 of 6