SPECIAL COUNCIL INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING
Remote Participation - Digital Zoom Meeting
June 16, 2022
5:00 p.m.
MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: Meeting called to order at 5:00PM by Chair Elisa Márquez ROLL CALL:
Members Present:
Elisa Márquez, Chair
Angela Andrews, City Council Member
Mark Salinas, City Council Member
Staff Present:
Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Kathy Garcia, Deputy Director of Public Works
Dustin Claussen, Director of Finance
Alex Tat, Associate Civil Engineer
Michael Wolny, Senior Secretary (Meeting Recorder)
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
There were no public comments.
1. Main Street Complete Streets Update
Director Ameri introduced Associate Civil Engineer, Alex Tat, who provided the report and presentation.
Public Comment
Mr. Dave Campbell with Bike East Bay thanked City staff for their work, but does not support the design as presented and would prefer fully protected bike lanes.
Mr. Dominic LiMandri with the Downtown Hayward Improvement Association supports design concept four as he believes that it is a great compromise which considers the local businesses feedback, residents, and the community.
Mr. George Syrop does not support the current design concept and would like protected bike lanes. He worries that delivery trucks and other vehicles will park in the bike lanes illegally blocking the right of way.
Mr. Jianhan Wang called in support of protected bike lanes. Mr. Wang also supports the bulb-outs and shortening of the cross walks for pedestrian crossing safety. He also expressed if staff would consider a raised crosswalk design. Mr. Wang also expressed he’d like to see more street parking and secured bike parking spaces.
Mr. Carl Gorringe called in support of concept four as it accommodates pedestrians, businesses, and cyclists.
Mr. Frank Goulart called asking staff if they gathered feedback from the Prospect Hill neighborhood.
Committee Questions / Discussion
Council Member Andrews thanked attendees for providing their feedback. Council Member Andrews and Salinas both asked if staff received any feedback from the Prospect Hill neighborhood. Director Ameri shared a written comment from a Prospect Hill resident that is in support of the Main Street Complete project. Council Member Salinas added that many of the improvements this project provides are in line with the requests he has received from the neighborhood. Council Member Andrews and Salinas asked staff to follow-up with residents in the Prospect Hill neighborhood and do a little more outreach there in providing updated project information.
Council Member Salinas suggested that when it comes time for construction, staff should start on the D St so that it gives Prospect Hill residents a longer opportunity to provide feedback. Director Ameri clarified that decision will be made once a design is finalized and the project is approved to go out for bid by Council, so the community will have time to provide feedback.
Council Member Andrews asked which streets could potentially have protected bike lanes.
Director Ameri advised that staff is always looking at how a bike lane can be added to streets, as the overall goal is to make all streets more multi-modal and safer for all users.
Council Member Andrews asked what type of feedback the businesses in the downtown area provided. Director Ameri said that at first businesses were not in favor of any bike lanes as they would rather have parking or outdoor seating. After in-person meetings with staff and discussion of concept four, Main St businesses were more in favor of a bike lane and potential cyclist traffic to the area but still did not support a fully protected bike lane design concept. The business also expressed concern of patrons accessing their business during construction.
Council Member Andrews asked staff to add bike parking spaces in the concept and if possible, choose a creative bike rack design that could also double as public art. She also asked staff to incorporate public art in the proposed pedestrian flashing beacon crosswalk as long as it does not interfere with the overall safety of the design. Council Member Andrews went on to support the idea of sidewalk art such as decorative pavers but is concerned with the long-term maintenance of it. She suggested that statues or public art that requires minimal maintenance would be optimal for the area. Director Ameri agreed on the importance of enhancing the area but added that public art would be limited to project budget and staff would consider the long-term maintenance of any public art.
Council Member Salinas asked staff if it would be possible to level out Main St so that when festivals are held, vendors would have an easier time setting up booths and stages and
provided a recent example of the Aloha Festival. Director Ameri advised that due to the crown of the street, leveling it out may cause more issues long term, but will review with the design team on possible options.
Council Member Salinas echoed Council Member Andrews in the need for public art and asked staff if its possible to make B St and Main St a focal point using enhanced lightscape or other major art as it’s an important area when the street is shut down for festivals.
Council Member Andrews gave San Jose City Hall as an example of lightscape that could be reviewed by staff for B St and Main St.
Council Member Salinas asked what the timeline would be for A St to go back to 2-way traffic and if it would affect the current project. Director Ameri confirmed that the A St project would happen within the next five or so years but would not affect this current design concept.
Council Member Salinas asked staff to clarify if the truck delivery loading zones would be both on the yellow curb and the middle lane. Director Ameri clarified that could be a possibility for both options to exist, but staff will need to further review which areas would qualify as businesses stressed for more retail street parking.
The committee thanked staff for their diligent effort in community outreach and understands that this project does not require a legal formal notice at this project stage but encouraged staff to reach out to neighborhoods in the area that could potentially be affected by this project such as Prospect Hill. Chair Márquez also encouraged members of the public to sign up for City of Hayward notices, newsletters, and email lists for public meetings. Chair Márquez thanked City staff and Dominic LiMandri with the Downtown Hayward Improvement Association for sharing and gathering feedback from the community and being a great partner.
Chair Márquez asked staff about trees in the area. Director Ameri said that existing trees will be reviewed for maintenance and any empty tree wells will be replaced.
Chair Márquez asked how many estimated parking spots would be added with concept four. Director Ameri said that certain areas have red curb that would be removed and estimates about ten additional spots could be added. He also added that the municipal parking lots in the area are also receiving improvements which will allow for additional parking, better lighting, and pedestrian safety.
Chair Márquez expressed concern over the project funding gap. Director Ameri stated that since this project is important to the City and community, finding additional funding sources should not be an issue with Council’s support.
Chair Márquez asked staff what the public notice and impact would look like when it comes time for construction. Director Ameri advised that the construction should be done in stages so that it does not obstruct access to the businesses and minimizes overall impact on the area. The next steps include finalizing the design based on committee and public feedback, then receive approval of final plans and specs from Council for project bid.
The committee thanked staff for going above and beyond to talk to businesses and setting up multiple community meetings and outreach efforts. The committee stated that they are in favor of moving forward with concept four but to include feedback received from this meeting.
The committee asked staff to look for streets that could have protective bike lanes that would not affect merchant activity and have a balanced approach that could potentially please all parties.
COMMITTEE MEMBER/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS
Council Member Andrews announced the free Juneteenth event at Heritage Plaza from 10:00am - 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 18, 2022.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Márquez adjourned the meeting at 6:25 p.m.
MEETINGS
Attendance
Present
6/16/22
Meeting
Present
to Date
This
Fiscal
Year
Excused
to Date
This Fiscal
Year
Absent
to Date
This Fiscal
Year
Elisa Márquez ✓ 9 0 0
Angela Andrews ✓ 9 0 0
Mark Salinas ✓ 9 0 0