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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-12-19 Public Services Com. MinutesDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL Public Services Committee Wednesday, June 12, 2019 Council Chambers — 6:00 p.m. Minutes of Meeting Chairperson Alutto called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Committee Members present: Ms. Alutto and Ms. Fox. Mr. Reiner was absent. Staff members present: Ms. O'Callaghan, Ms. Goss, Ms. Puranik, Ms. Willis and Ms. Weisenauer. Others present: Mr. David Holler and Mr. Andrew Harman from ParkMobile. Mr. Ted Orr from Crawford Hoying. Downtown Dublin Parkins Management Study Ms. O'Callaghan began the presentation by giving a brief overview of the events leading up to the pilot project. The City initiated a Parking Management Study in 2016 for the new development that was occurring downtown on both sides of the river. In a September 2018 work session, staff presented the findings of the Downtown Parking Study and action plan and the concept of the mobile -only parking management system pilot program to Council. Council gave direction to move forward with an RFP for the pilot program. Ms. O'Callaghan then gave an overview of "Connected Dublin." Dublin is aggressively working to position the City as a smart mobility leader in the region, state and country. The mobile -only parking management solution is a great opportunity that is specific to Dublin and will serve as a component in the smart mobility strategy. This will also help in another opportunity that the City is pursuing, which is to have the first connected roundabout in the country. There is a great deal of new parking inventory, the demand is increasing and there is no existing meter infrastructure. In response to the question of why manage parking, Ms. O'Callaghan stated that parking is a very valuable asset and we want to make the most of it. Parking spaces in front of businesses are very desirable, and it is hoped that parking management will help change behavior to provide turnover for on -street parking. People who want to stay longer at a business should use the garage and surface lots, so paying to park on -street may change behavior and encourage people to park in the garage. Staff has been monitoring and observing parking in Bridge Park and Historic Dublin. Using the standards from the work of Nelson Nygaard regarding parking, the City is at a good point to explore charging for parking. Ms. Willis stated that there was collaboration of many City departments regarding the principles and objectives of the RFP (Exhibit A). She shared the principles and objectives of the project as they were described in the attached RFP. There are three main parts to the overall project: • Part 1: Historic Dublin Data Collection — implement a smart parking guidance, communication, and monitoring system for certain surface lots and on -street Public Services Committee June 12, 2019 Page 2 parking spaces in Historic Dublin. The primary goal with Part 1 is to collect the occupancy parking locations, parking behavior, appropriate pricing information and testing the technology and how it could be integrated into other technology. Part 2: Bridge Park (East) On -Street Mobile Payment — implement a complete mobile parking payment system that will also include smart parking guidance, communication and monitoring system for on -street parking spaces only in the Bridge Park area. The goal is to promote the quick turnover and preserve those premium spots for patrons of the first floor retail businesses. Part 3: Historic Dublin Private Lots - work with staff to identify private lot owners in Historic Dublin to volunteer to participate in this pilot project and the same mobile parking payment system as in Part 2. These locations would be used after their business hours to open up additional parking supply. The RFP yielded four responses. After an evaluation by staff, ParkMobile and Passport were clearly the two respondents who were responsive to all questions posed in the RFP and had good approaches to the three parts of the project. Ms. Puranik stated that staff recommendations were to select ParkMobile as a technology partner (Exhibit A). ParkMobile has a regional/local presence in Columbus, Ohio State University and Grandview Yard/Grandview Heights. The pilot program has no upfront costs to the City during the pilot program duration. The vendor will provide: Signs Marketing and branding support Data reporting and dashboard display 24/7 customer service; and Be a partner in implementation through the pilot duration. ParkMobile will charge $.30 to end user per transaction. Current enforcement practices will continue with the addition of T2 Systems as a partner during the pilot phase. ParkMobile can accommodate complex, dynamic rate structures and special event rates, no parking times, etc. The pricing for paid parking is as was recommended by Nelson Nygaard's parking study. ParkMobile will provide access to reporting and analytics dashboard throughout the pilot duration. This data will be helpful as the City moves forward in making more permanent changes for parking management. Data can only be collected when transactions occur, so there will be some kind of transaction required in Historic Dublin in order to trigger the user interaction with technology. Mr. Holler gave an overview of the mission of ParkMobile (Exhibit A). They provide flexible and scalable solutions. They are integrated to the entire mobility ecosystem: enforcement equipment, payment processors, mobile operating systems, back office system, parking operators, parking meters, etc. He also shared that ParkMobile is a leader in the Connected Car technology. They are working with full production automobiles to make the parking application available through the vehicle. [Mr. Holler provided a demonstration of the ParkMobile app using his phone.] Public Services Committee June 12, 2019 Page 3 Ms. Fox asked if an error is made in entering information on the app and the parking session has started, what can be done to correct the error. Mr. Holler stated that once the session begins, there is nothing that can be done. If the wrong plate is entered, it would be up to the City as to how that will be enforced. Ms. Alutto asked what occurs if a driver does not get back to his/her car before the parking session expires. Mr. Holler stated that text reminders would be generated. Notifications can be turned on or off. Ms. Alutto asked for clarification regarding enforcement. Mr. Holler stated that it is an integration with T2, which would be a handheld device that the officer would be able to observe paid parking by zone. The zone structure can be set up to the City's specifications. An enforcement officer would be able to see who paid by license plate. In response to Ms. Alutto's question regarding how infractions are tracked, Mr. Holler stated that there are a number of things the technology can do to track, but for the purposes of the pilot program, it will be very basic. In response to Ms. Fox's question regarding whether or not the transaction fee included enforcement, Mr. Holler stated that the transaction fee is strictly theirs. He added that the vendor has agreed to provide the handheld device and the tracking free of charge for the purposes of the trial, but should the City decide to move forward with the project, pricing would be directly through the vendor. Ms. Fox asked what recourse there is if a person believes the parking ticket is unfair or incorrect. Mr. Holler stated that there is a number to call if a person wishes to appeal a ticket or charge. It would be up to the City to determine what the rules and adjudication process would be used for appeals. Ms. O'Callaghan stated in regard to enforcement that the plan during the pilot is that the level of enforcement would remain the same. Currently, one code enforcement officer has been dedicated for this pilot project and that officer is provided with the technology needed. The main focus of the pilot is the use of the app. In response to Ms. Alutto's question regarding time, Ms. O'Callaghan stated that she believes the technology will gain efficiencies. Ms. Puranik agreed. In response to Ms. Alutto's question regarding training, Ms. Goss stated that training will be part of the pilot. Ms. Puranik stated that the recommendation is for 60 days to transition into the pilot. Ms. Fox asked what suburbs this program is in currently. Mr. Holler stated that there are many examples of large and small users in suburbs. Ms. Goss stated that an example is the City of Athens. Parking is monitored for the City itself as well as the OU campus. Ms. Fox asked if there was an example of a similar transition where there were no parking meters already existing. Mr. Holler stated that Amarillo, Texas would be an example of a similar transition. Ms. Fox inquired how people who do not have smart phones would access parking. Mr. Holler stated that there is a 1-800 number available to call. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that staff heard Council's request in a previous work session about making sure there were alternatives to accessing parking than just through an app on a smart phone. One alternative is the phone number that can be called or the other option is the free parking garages that are in close proximity to most amenities. Public Services Committee June 12, 2019 Page 4 Ms. Fox asked for clarification that this would only be used on the curbside parking, not in the City lots such as the Darby lot or any of the parking lots in Historic Dublin. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that for this pilot program, that is correct. Ms. Fox asked what is anticipated after the pilot is concluded regarding other City lots or parking lots in HD. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that discussion would be held regarding how to proceed, based on the pilot results. Ms. Alutto asked how much work needs to be done from a policy and/or code change perspective. Ms. Puranik referred to the slide regarding next steps (Exhibit A). As listed on the slide, there are a number of steps leading up to the policy and code changes. An enterprise fund would need to be created, parking violations would be decriminalized and a rate structure established based upon the data received from the pilot. Ms. Fox stated that she would like to return to the "why" of this. She understands the data collection, but would like more information about how it is collected and used. She also believes there is no capacity issue that necessitates all of this staff work. How many curb -side spaces exist in Bridge Park that we are focusing on? Ms. Puranik stated that the policy and code changes are not necessary for the pilot program. Ms. Fox stated that she understands the concept of optimizing private spaces in HD and using the paid parking to benefit the owners of the private spaces. Ms. Alutto stated that there is a code enforcement officer there currently, so that would not be new. Ms. Fox stated that the code enforcement officer is struggling to keep up with the current work. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that the code enforcement officer's hours of enforcement in the area were increased, based upon the inquiries and demand that staff was hearing from businesses in the area. In response to Ms. Fox's question regarding ticketing, Ms. Goss stated that it has been an education effort trying to encourage patrons to park where they should park as well as employees of the businesses. Repeat violators have been ticketed. Staff is trying to get people accustomed to the idea of being mindful of the time. Ms. Alutto stated that there will be people who will change their behavior. Can we change the duration or cost of handicapped spots? She believes all on -street parking should be handicapped spaces because those are the folks who need the closer proximity. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that they can certainly review the handicapped spots specifically. Ms. O'Callaghan asked Ms. Puranik to share some of the feedback that was received from the stakeholder groups when the parking study was conducted. Ms. Puranik stated that the east side of the river was very supportive, but the Historic Dublin Business Association (HDBA) had a mixed reaction because it is a big change. Ms. Fox stated that she understand the loading issues experienced in Bridge Park and Council wants to help manage the street parking for them. There are flexible ways to manage parking. She asked Mr. Orr to come forward and share what they have done and what is working. Mr. Orr, Crawford Hoying stated that they do not see the parking issue as a Bridge Park only issue, but by participating in the pilot, it will be helpful to have access to the data and come up with long-term solutions. The biggest abuse in Bridge Park is the overnight parking on -street. Overnight on -street parking is a problem in the morning for the Public Services Committee June 12, 2019 Page 5 businesses who are opening. They want people to understand that the parking garages are a free option. They want people to view the on -street parking as quick retail visit or office visitor use. Ms. Fox asked if there were designated drop off/pick up areas for Lyft and Uber. Mr. Orr stated that they do not have designated spaces for those, but for specific events, they work directly with those companies to create a specific pick-up/drop-off location. Ms. Fox stated that she wants to encourage pedestrian and bike use, but the way it is designed, the sidewalk becomes the bike path. Overall, the City needs to look holistically at how the streets are being utilized in this contemporary world between bike and pedestrian, handicapped and ride -share and transit buses. How can we accommodate that? Ms. Alutto agreed and stated that as there are more modes of transportation, where they drop off and pick up will need to be considered. She advocated for bike parking within the parking garages. She agrees that having to pay for parking can change behavior. She believes it is also important to keep in mind all aspects of future transportation possibilities as well as present. She does not know where the City is in terms of ADA compliance and the number of handicapped spaces, but believes there should be more. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that staff will look at that in conjunction with the pilot program. Ms. Fox stated that she sees a benefit in using mobile parking management. She asked if it was possible to designate a lane for drop-off and pick-up. Mr. Orr stated that he does not know exactly how many handicapped spaces are on the street. Crawford Hoying monitors those spaces to evaluate where they are as they bring more buildings online. Ms. Alutto stated that she is glad there is flexibility to consider these different issues. She does not want to lose sight of them as they do this pilot program. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that the flexibility also extends to loading zones. Anytime a new business comes online they evaluate the needs. Ms. Puranik stated that there are many possibilities that come with the technology that can be explored as well. Ms. Goss stated that an advantage of the data collection is that they will be able to see what spaces are used the most, but also what spaces are used the least. Mr. Holler stated that they continually add different layers to the app to help manage parking for their clients. Ms. Fox stated that for just the Bridge Park area, she would like to know: • the number of spaces, • how they are used, • the number of loading spaces, • ride sharing, and • the possibility of one lane being open for future transit and pick-up/drop-off. She also commented that the focus on parking may be pushing aside the pedestrian and walkable community piece. Ms. Willis stated that there are 87 on -street parking spaces in the pilot program. Ms. Alutto stated that she would like to have an understanding, from the code enforcement officer's perspective, how efficient is this. Ms. Goss stated that the expectation is the handheld device will help to identify the zones that have violations so the officer can go directly to those locations. Public Services Committee June 12, 2019 Page 6 Ms. O'Callaghan stated that in the long term, the most efficiencies would be realized if license plate recognition were to be utilized. However, that this not a part of the pilot program. Mr. Harman stated that the enforcement officer will be able to identify easily the vehicles that are nearing expiration or expired. Ms. Fox asked about the data collected -- how it is used, if it is shared and who owns the data. She wants to know how many people in the Historic District would like to use their private parking spaces that accompany their businesses and whether or not they would be comfortable going from free to paid parking. Ms. Alutto agreed and stated that data privacy is very important. She asked if that data is subject to public records requests. Mr. Holler stated that ParkMobile owns the data. They are very protective of their user base and the data. License plates are public information, but the data that is collected is very protected. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that the City staff will have access to data as well. Mr. Holler stated that is correct. The City staff will have access to the data and it can be specified in the contract as well. Ms. Alutto stated that where it becomes complicated is if the City decides not to go forward and whether we can still obtain the data from the pilot program. Ms. Fox stated she has some questions about the Historic Dublin portion. Ms. Puranik stated that Part 3 deals with private lot owners. Staff has not approached private lot owners to learn who might be willing to participate in the pilot program. Data collection only begins when someone interacts with the app. Ms. Fox asked for clarification --unless we charge for parking, we cannot collect data. Ms. Puranik stated that was correct. Ms. Fox asked if staff had talked with each of the businesses along the street in HD as to their concerns or their desires for paid parking in front of their store. Ms. Puranik stated that staff has been to HDBA to present the action plan. They have not talked individually with businesses. Ms. Goss stated that they have spoken at HDBA on more than one occasion about this. At the last discussion, there were about 20 people in attendance. In response to Ms. Fox's inquiry about their feedback, Ms. Puranik stated that it was mixed, but there were a good number of requests to have employees park other than on -street. Others hesitated about the concept of paid parking. Ms. Goss stated that a validation code could be entered as an option to track data without charging for parking. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that another option is to proceed with the pilot project in Bridge Park and spend more time vetting the program in Historic Dublin. Ms. Alutto stated that she believes they should determine a way to do the pilot on both sides of the river. She would like to sit down with HDBA and interested parties in Historic Dublin and collaborate with them on making this pilot successful. The point is to collect data, so it may be preferable to use a code so they do not have to pay, but still could participate for a while. After the pilot program concludes, the data can be used to decide what occurs in that district going forward. Ms. Goss stated that her discussions with HDBA were about adjusting to a culture change, knowing how it works, education, communication, etc. She reiterated that staff members of the businesses were the biggest offenders of using the on -street parking. Public Services Committee June 12, 2019 Page 7 Ms. Fox stated that Council was adamant about not creating a huge expense for this and enforcement of this program. She sees value in doing this at Bridge Park and still having the conversations about the issues that she raised earlier. In the Historic District, conversation needs to take place with the businesses. It would be preferable to incentivize the private parking owners to make some money before we begin charging for parking on the street. She is concerned there are many people using the businesses and who do not have smart phones, such as the barbershop patrons. She is also concerned that if we begin charging for parking on the south side of High Street where there is not much retail at this time, it will deter people from visiting those businesses. She would be opposed to any kind of paid parking on High Street at this time. But she would be open to using ParkMobile in the lots if owners were interested — after the discussions take place with the businesses. Ms. Alutto is concerned that if the lots behind the restaurants are paid parking, it will incentivize people to park on the street, and that is what we are trying to avoid. Ms. Puranik stated that staff proposes using the private lots after their business hours. Patrons would park for free in the lots of the businesses while they patronize the business. It is during the afterhours that these lots could potentially be available for use. Ms. Fox stated that it is still important to have the conversation with the businesses. Ms. Alutto agreed, but added that we need to do something to collect reliable data. People with a validation code would not be charged for parking, but the City would still receive the data we need. Ms. Fox reiterated that she remains concerned about the people who do not use smart phones. Ms. Alutto stated this is something that will come out when talking with the business owners. If an area or business needs to be excluded from the pilot, we would have that flexibility. Ms. Fox summarized for staff direction that: questions remain about how we are using spaces in Bridge Park; there is need to talk with all the businesses in Historic District; and issues remain with data collection, usage and privacy. Ms. Alutto stated that for her, moving forward with the pilot vendor approval is fine, but staff should continue to collaborate with stakeholders and continue to leverage the flexibility about who wants to participate and who does not. Ms. Fox stated that she is not comfortable moving forward with the contract. She is concerned about cost, collaboration and the remaining questions. Ms. Alutto stated that some of these things cannot be determined without a contract. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that Legal staff will also vet some of the terms for the contract. Ms. Alutto stated that the contract can be drafted simultaneous to working on these other areas. Ms. Fox stated that it is important for Council to know the final cost regarding code enforcement, signage, etc. Ms. Goss stated the code enforcement officer is already on staff and full time. Ms. Alutto clarified that signage will be provided by the vendor initially. Ms. O'Callaghan stated that the public information piece would be handled in-house by staff as well. Public Services Committee June 12, 20 19 Page 8 The meeting was adjourned at 7.-53 p.m. ! \ \ / � </ t c|- of of Council y