City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: April 23, 2018 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: April 24, 2018 CC: Mayor and City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Department Heads The Planning Session took place in the Council Chambers, Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., Wheaton, Illinois. Those attending the Planning Session included: Councilman Barbier, Councilwoman Fitch, Mayor Gresk, Councilman Prendiville, Councilman Rutledge, Councilman Scalzo and Councilman Suess. Also in attendance were City Manager Dzugan, Assistant City Manager Duguay, Director of Engineering Redman, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik and Public Information Officer Thrower. The session began at 7:00 p.m. and concluded at 7:51 p.m. The following items were discussed: I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Gresk. II. Public Comment There were no public comments. III. Approval of April 9, 2018 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the April 9, 2018 Planning Session Minutes. IV. Downtown Streetscape Phase 2 City Manager Dzugan stated the City is preparing for Phase 2 of the Downtown Streetscape Project, which includes Cross, Wesley and Hale streets. Underground utilities will be replaced in fall 2018 and the streetscape work will begin in the spring of 2019. Assistant City Manager Duguay stated the City hosted downtown business owners for a meeting on April 18, 2018, informing them of Phase 2 plans and soliciting their feedback. He stated that the meeting was productive and staff received no negative feedback regarding the proposed curb lines. Rob Deming from Primera Engineers presented the schematic design for Phase 2. The limits for this part of the project are Cross Street from Front to Wesley; Wesley from Wheaton to Cross; and Hale from Willow to Seminary. He reviewed the areas where water and sewer utilities would be replaced. In response to Council questions, Mr. Deming stated Primera is still working with City staff to determine if any storm sewer work needs to be completed in the Phase 2 project area. A subcontractor is currently televising all of the sanitary sewers and laterals to confirm locations and identify any deficiencies. Director of Engineering Redman answered a Council question about whether the City should replace the stormwater sewer pipes with larger pipes in this location. He stated this is not recommended because increasing the volume of these pipes would not significantly increase stormwater storage. Mr. Deming added that the structural soil that will be placed under the permeable pavers will assist with stormwater management. Jon Brooke of Design Workshop reviewed some of the changes that will take place in the configuration of these streets, including mostly parallel parking on both sides of the street to make room for wider sidewalks. In response to questions about the materials being used for the sidewalks, Mr. Brooke stated the stones embedded in the concrete are very small and would still be smooth to walk on, and the permeable pavers are designed over a base that prevents them from moving. For the section of Cross Street from Front to Wesley, Mr. Brooke reviewed the plans for sidewalks and parking. City Manager Dzugan responded to a Council question by stating the alleys were not included in the budget for this project, but the Council could consider this at the end of the project. He stated Public Works recently completed an alley maintenance plan for all City alleys that, over the next 10 years, will incorporate alleys into the City’s maintenance plans. For Wesley Street, Mr. Brooke stated the City will be working with business owners regarding private drives and private improvements that encroach upon the public right-of-way. In response to a Council concern about the current sight line from the alley onto Wesley Street, Mr. Brooke stated they will address this with a bump-out area on either side of the alley for better driver visibility. He also stated the parking and crosswalk near the intersection of Wesley and Wheaton will be reconfigured to make better use of the space and make the crosswalk’s distance shorter. Council members expressed concerns about the current configuration of the intersection of Wesley Street and Wheaton. City Manager Dzugan stated the project engineers and City staff Planning Session 2 will review the flow of traffic and configuration here, as traffic turning from Wesley south to Wheaton can cause backups if they turn into the right lane. City Manager Dzugan stated the City will also be looking at outdoor dining regulations and procedures. Mr. Brooke reviewed plans for Hale Street, stating they decided to keep some angled parking between Willow and Liberty to minimize parking spaces lost in this area. He reviewed Hale from Front to Wesley and stated they are still working on the most logical configuration for the intersection of Hale and Front. He reviewed the changes on Hale between Front and Wesley, which will be reconfigured to add a raised crosswalk near the alley and parking so that there is equal parking on both sides of the street. The Council discussed the idea of removing one or two parking spaces in front of the Wheaton Grand Theater’s marquee and stated a desire to protect it from damage as trucks park in the vicinity. In response to questions about valet parking, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik stated the City does not have regulations on valet parking. In response to Council questions, City staff stated they have not received negative feedback on design plans to change some of the angled parking to parallel parking. Sara Egan from Design Workshop explained that parallel parking will be slightly reconfigured to use the space uniformly, making 22-foot parking spaces, rather than 18-foot spaces and 4-foot buffer zones. In response to Council questions, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik stated the new designs will provide more handicapped parking than current conditions. V. City Council/Staff Comments There were no comments. VII. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:51 p.m. Planning Session 3