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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3a - Traffic Assessment - Hastings Senior Living - 2019_11_22 Technical Memorandum To: Ian Schwickert – Real Estate Equities From: Max Moreland, PE, PTOE Date: November 22, 2019 Re: Traffic Impact Memorandum – Hastings Senior Residential Development Purpose of Report and Study Objectives A senior residential development is proposed in Hastings, Minnesota. This development would be located in the block bounded by 8th Street East, Trunk Highway (TH) 61, 10th Street East and Ramsey Street. This technical memorandum presents a high-level traffic analysis of the proposed development. The primary purpose is to determine the amount of traffic to be generated by this development and how that compares to previous plans for this development. The assessment will also forecast the anticipated traffic impacts to the nearby TH 61/10th Street intersection as well as include a review of the site layout from a traffic perspective. A site plan is attached for reference. Conclusions The proposed 90-unit senior residential development is forecast to generate approximately 335 new daily trips, 20 new a.m. peak hour trips and 25 new p.m. peak hour trips. This is slightly more than what would be generated by a 72-unit senior residential development. The adjacent intersections are not forecast to be significantly impacted due to traffic generated by this development. The amount of off-street parking to be provided on site is anticipated to exceed the actual parking demand of the site. Based on a review of the site layout following recommendations are made for the site: • A new vehicle access to Ramsey Street not be constructed. • Heavy vehicles be encouraged to access the site outside of peak periods (7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.). • A sidewalk connection be made from the proposed sidewalk adjacent on the west side of the building to the existing sidewalk in the adjacent parking area. Spack Solutions 2 of 5 Hastings Senior Living Traffic Assessment Site Characteristics The site is located in the block bounded by 8th Street East, Trunk Highway (TH) 61, 10th Street East and Ramsey Street. The proposed building will be east of the existing commercial buildings and west of the existing townhomes. Access to the site will be via existing access points to TH 61, 10th Street and Ramsey Street. A new access to Ramsey Street is proposed just north of 10th Street. The development is proposed to include one building with 90 independent senior residential units including 62 one-bedroom units and 28 two-bedroom units. On-site parking will be provided with a total of 156 parking spaces mixed between 93 uncovered surface level spaces and 63 underground spaces. One access to the underground parking area will be provided. Trip Generation The traffic forecasts for the site are based on the data and methods published in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, 10th Edition. The ITE Trip Generation Manual is a compilation of traffic data for various land uses from existing developments throughout the United States. In addition to the trip generation for this 90-unit development, the trip generation for a previously approved 72-unit senior residential building for this site is also forecast. Table 1 presents the ITE trip generation for both the current and previously proposed development. Table 1 – Total Trip Generation Comparison Description (source) Daily Trips AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour Entering Exiting Entering Exiting Entering Exiting Senior Adult Housing – Attached 90 Units (ITE 252) 167 167 6 12 13 11 Senior Adult Housing – Attached 72 Units (ITE 252) 133 133 5 9 10 8 Difference (90 Units to 72 Units) 34 34 1 3 3 3 It can be seen in Table 1 that the trip generation differences between a 72-unit senior housing building and a 90-unit building are small. Overall, the 90-unit development is forecast to generate approximately 20 trips in the a.m. peak hour and 25 trips in the p.m. peak hour. Intersection Impact Analysis To see the impact of site trips at the TH 61/10th Street intersection, vehicles need to be distributed from the development throughout the roadway network. A trip distribution pattern Spack Solutions 3 of 5 Hastings Senior Living Traffic Assessment for trips going to/from the proposed development was developed based on volumes of surrounding roadways. That pattern is: i. 40% of the generated traffic to/from the north on TH 61 ii. 30% of the generated traffic to/from the south on TH 61 iii. 20% of the generated traffic to/from the west on 10th Street iv. 10% of the generated traffic to/from the east on 10th Street The trips for the site were routed through the TH 61/10th Street intersection. The total site trips are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 – Forecast Development Trips As seen in Figure 1, the highest hourly volume increase for any intersection movement due to the site traffic is five vehicles. That equates to an increase of approximately one vehicle every 12 minutes for those movements. Based on these volumes, none of the surrounding intersections are anticipated to be significantly impacted by site traffic. Spack Solutions 4 of 5 Hastings Senior Living Traffic Assessment Parking Analysis The underground parking level is proposed to include 63 parking spaces. The surface parking level will accommodate 93 parking spaces. That totals to 156 parking spaces on site. The Hastings City Code lists a minimum off-street parking requirement of one space per dwelling unit for residential senior facilities. For a 90-unit building that would equate to 90 off-street parking spaces. City Code also notes that the maximum allowable parking is 20% greater than the minimum parking. With a minimum parking requirement of 90 spaces, the maximum parking requirement is 108 parking spaces. Per the City Code, this development exceeds the parking requirement. The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has put together a document, ITE Parking Generation, 5th Edition, that compiled parking demand data from different land uses. From that document, the average peak period parking demand at senior adult housing developments is 0.61 parking spaces per unit. For a 90-unit building that leads to a peak parking demand of 55 parking spaces. The 156 parking spaces this development is proposing to include on site well exceeds the anticipated parking demand for the site. That means all parking for this site is anticipated to be able to be accomodated off-street and without the need to use any on-street spaces. Site Plan Review The current site plan for this development, which is attached, was reviewed from a traffic perspective. • Car Circulation: Four access points will be available to the site. Based on the layout of the site, it is anticipated that the access on 10th Street will have the highest utilization. The attached site plan shows a new access point on Ramsey Street. Due to the low volumes to be generated by this site, this new access is not needed. This access would be closely spaced to the 10th Street intersection and is therefore not recommended. • Truck Circulation: Loading or trash collection areas are not specifically noted in the attached site plan. Trash pickup area(s) will need to be located in an area accessible to large vehicles. Delivery vehicles are anticipated to park in the drive aisle adjacent to the main entry on the west side of the building. Alternative routes through the adjacent parking lot are available during these periods. It is recommended that heavy vehicles be encouraged to access the site outside of peak periods (7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.). • Walking Paths: A sidewalk is proposed adjacent to the west side of the building along the parking aisle. This sidewalk connects up to 8th Street to the north. It is recommended that a sidewalk also be provided on the east side of the building along the parking aisle allowing pedestrians walking to/from these parking spaces to be out of the roadway. Additionally, to give access to the commercial area west of the site as well as the greater sidewalk network along TH 61, a sidewalk connection is recommended from the proposed sidewalk to the existing sidewalk within the parking area as shown in Figure 2 below. Spack Solutions 5 of 5 Hastings Senior Living Traffic Assessment Figure 2 – Recommended Sidewalk Connection Attachments • Site Plan