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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-21-25 Work Session MinutesDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 5555 PERIMETER DRIVE DUBLIN, OH 43017 APRIL 21, 2025 5:30 PM MINUTES Mayor Amorose Groomes called the Monday, April 21, 2025 work session to order at 5:30 p.m. Council members present: Vice Mayor Alutto, Mayor Amorose Groomes, Ms. Fox, Ms. De Rosa, Mr. Keeler, Ms. Kramb and Mr. Reiner. Staff present: Ms. O'Callaghan, Ms. Rauch, Mr. Rayburn, Ms. Willis, Mr. Barker, Ms. Weisenauer, Mr. Hartmann, Chief Paez and Mr. Ament. Also present were: Michael Mears and Chris Herman from MKSK Signature Trail Study Alignment Review Mr. Rayburn stated that this discussion will focus on the alignment of the Signature Trail. He introduced Michael Mears and Chris Herman from MKSK. Mr. Herman stated that the objectives for the discussion were to update Council on the process and work-to-date; understand the goals, objectives and core elements of a signature trail; review and provide feedback on selected routes; and outline next steps. There are exercises planned during the work session to garner Council's preferences on an alignment. The next step would be to have a public input meeting, and they are hoping to have Council’s preferred alignment for that meeting. Mr. Mears stated that they are currently in the trail route and alternatives analysis. The next phase will involve conceptual trail design and analysis. The concept of a signature trail is traditionally larger and more comprehensive than a shared use path and will have distinct components and other elements that make it a destination of its own. A signature trail enhances and activates the places it connects. The signature trail was first identified as a project within the Envision Dublin Comprehensive Plan. The signature trail will be a 7 to 8 mile east-west connector trail beginning near Darree Fields and ending at Sawmill Road. The Envision Dublin plan states that the “signature trail in Dublin will represent the centerpiece of the active transportation network.” Mr. Mears stated that Dublin has a great trail system with more than 150 miles of trails today. He added that there are two considerations in making a trail signature for Dublin. The first is the route of the trail, which is what is being considered now. Second is the trail design. Mr. Mears listed the elements and features that make a signature trail different throughout the world. He provided several examples as case studies and noted what elements and features each had as part of their trail. Mr. Herman stated that the sample case studies were planned over several years; a big first feature was built or leveraged as a starting point and then added onto overtime. Mr. Mears asked Council to respond to the first discussion question which was: Designing and implementing a Signature Trail may require tradeoffs between constructing a typical trail now and building an iconic facility over an extended period. When valuing speed of implementation versus quality of design and experience, which is more important? Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 2 of 8 Mr. Keeler stated he would prefer to be more thoughtful about it. Ms. De Rosa stated that it is difficult to know what needs to come first. Until it is decided where the trail will be, it is difficult to know how quickly it could be acted upon. She agrees that it should be thoughtful and done in phases. Mr. Reiner stated that planning for something big is important to do while there is still open space available to do it. Ms. Fox stated that careful planning on the elements needs to be happen, which will take time. It should be a trail that functional but connect to places that are interesting. If it is to be a destination for visitors coming to Dublin, then she suggested identifying the natural assets that need to be incorporated in some way, such as the Shier Rings stream bed, Indian Run Falls and the Dublin Link Bridge. It would be nice to identify the areas that will give us the biggest bang for our buck. Ms. Kramb stated that identifying the route needs to come first, and then Council can determine how and at what speed that happens. Vice Mayor Alutto stated that she agrees that a lot of this is dependent upon the location. Some areas may be ready to accommodate a trail, and other areas may take more planning and thought. Generally speaking, she expressed that she would choose quality over speed. Mayor Amorose Groomes would be interested in finding the low-hanging fruit in undeveloped areas and moving forward in those areas where appropriate. She would like to find an early win that will provide the opportunity for community buy-in. Council members were asked to put a colored dot on the visual boards to represent their top four elements that make up a signature trail. The nine elements to choose from were: neighborhood connector; nature forward; feels like a linear park; tourism, arts and culture destination; iconic character; sustainable transportation; street and sidewalk activation; economic development driver; and continuous separation from cars. Mr. Mears stated that all nine elements are something to strive for, but it is important to identify the priority elements. Mr. Reiner asked if there would be opportunities to expand or “branch off” the signature trail and go to other areas above or below the east/west trail. Mr. Herman stated that everything is on the table at this point. When the exercise concluded, Mr. Mears stated that the next portion of the discussion is regarding the process, goals and objectives. The goals are driving the routing and route selection of the signature trail and the design objectives are informing the baseline level of standard and design for the trail. Mr. Mears shared the following illustration of the goals: Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 3 of 8 Goals Desirable Atrailthat aligns with community-identified desires and needs. Accessible A trailithatis convenient and inclUsive, expanding Iconic A trailthatis a tecognizable landmark and destination for tesidents and’ the fegion. sustainable A trailthat supports anecologicalland resilient Dublin: Impactful Astrail that can be leveraged toycreate additionalignrowth andieconomic opportunities. Actionable A trailidesigned'for implementation using diverse Connected Atrail that anchors a'holistic and connected city-wide and regional trail network, non-motorized funding soUnces and mobilttyoptions for presenting early allt wins. Design Objectives include: Design Objectives y uu jude Mr. Mears reviewed briefly who the key stakeholders are as the signature trail becomes more defined. He then highlighted the process and added that they are bringing these alignments to Council, because they would like to get these alignments to the community for feedback within the next few months. There will be several touchpoints with the community through surveys, public input meetings and workshops. Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 4 of 8 He reviewed the existing conditions studies and examples as they began their analysis, including Envision Dublin Plan’s Future Land Use map and Transportation Enhancement areas. They also studied areas of economic development. Four trail route alternatives have been identified for Council’s review and feedback. Mr. Mears shared the key features of the trail routes. What are the Key Features yt rir of the Trail Routes? Ph | i) leas ! 1. Western Terminus — H ol 2. Major Crossings of 3. Eastern Jerminus Highways and Rivers Routes link Darree Nit Fields to Sawmill and provide trail crossings of Highways and Rivers. w= Study Area Boundary Passenger Rail Station on Potential Termin! Existing Roadway me Potential Corridors, © Existing Roadway Crossing Planned Roadway Crossing Existing Trall Crossing Planned Trall Crossing 20 sss (1) Potential Corridors There are many corridors that route could follow, including existing trails, roadways, and waterways. = Study Area Boundary Passenger Rall Statlon Q Potentiat termint Existing Roadway Potential Corridors Existing Roadway Crossing Planned Roadway Crossing \ ide Existing Trall Crossing 1s poe Planned Trall Crossing a ‘ 2soco l iO) Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 5 of 8 The consultants have created 11 potential preliminary routes. The first analysis of these 11 routes was called a “fatal flaw” analysis. This first pass analysis was to identify any fatal flaws, and determine which corridors have the greatest signature trail potential. Routes were excluded based upon this criteria. The four alternatives provide two northside routes and two southside routes to study further and advance to Council for feedback. The four routes are known as: The Green Ribbon (northside), The Possibility Parkway (northside), The Dublin Dipper (southside), and The Cosgray Connect (southside). Mr. Mears provided a graphic of each of the routes and highlighted the elements met as well as those not included in this route (shown below in blue and red text). The first route shown was the Green Ribbon which is a continuous greenway: The Green Ribbon NORTHSIDE CONNECTOR pes te H ACONTINUOUS GREENWAY ae EXPERIENCE MADE OF NEW AND Unio sounry EXISTING TRAIL CORRIDORS. to + EXTENSIVE LINEAR-PARK TRAIL EXPERIENCE . + LEVERAGES EXISTING TRAIL er CORRIDOR FROM RED TRABUE ey TO COFFMAN PARK : = + ALIGNS WITH ENVISION DUBLIN \ nh iH w . ‘ie PLANNED TRAIL CROSSINGS OF \ a i i . US J3ANDE270. *, ‘ , H in . saints ol of i aaa ; : teeta) W) TER : io ees mh a : 4 H & 1 1: H ew 2 Aligns with potential tral cressin: | Uses Bridge Park Link to . Ds: cth270 ” 3 cross Scioto River ABLE O Existing Roadway Crossing CF Planned Roadway Crossing ‘ ©) Biisting Trail Crossing “3 Planned Trail Crossing \ ©) Connected Parks wiv City Owned Property Mae (1) The next route provided was The Possibility Parkway. He stated that this route is similar to the first route, but dips south toward the beginning and then works its way north. Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 6 of 8 The Possibility Parkway A CONTINUOUS GREENWAY EXPERIENCE THAT CONNECTS MAJOR usign count WEST-SIDE INSTITUTIONS TO THE "5 EMERALD CORRIDOR VIA EXISTING TRAIL CORRIDORS. Red Trabue Nature Preserve + BALANCESACCESS AND CONNECTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AREAS NORTH AND SOUTH OF US 33 + LEVERAGES EXISTING TRAIL CORRIDOR FROM RED TRABUE ‘TO COFFMAN PARK + ALIGNS WITH ENVISION DUBLIN PLANNED ROADWAY CROSSINGS OF US 33 AND SCIOTO RIVER + SIGNIFICANT EXTENTS ALONG ROADWAY CORRIOORS + DOES NOT PROVIDE DIRECT ACCESS TO METRO CENTER : — aeeesenee Usos the existing Emerald Piawy J] crossing of the Scioto River i , \ Allgns with potential roadway = errree OC) Bxistisg Roadivay Crossing i crossing of US 33 ah. ‘, ceuuisus Planned Roadway Crossing H Existing Trail Crossing i Pisnned Trail Crossing 1 Consected Parks Nocesli % City Owned Property S. Fal Regarding the two southern routes, Mr. Mears shared the Dublin Dipper route first. This is the opportunistic route that goes through neighborhoods and parks south of SR 33. It leverages existing parks and uses an existing crossing over I-270. The Cosgray Connect ' AHIGHLY CONNECTED TRAIL Aligns with potential roadway crossing i CENTERED ON SHIER RINGS ROAND vysion county \ at Jona Shields Phy over Sciato River COSGRAY DITCH WITH MULTIPLE Bs rT OPTIONS THROUGH METROCENTER. aL gy i ‘Aligns with potential rssdway crossing | ¢ rah ' ‘al Shier Rings Pd aver 1-270 + CREATES AVERY DIRECT t SIGHATURE TRAIL EXPERIENCE + OPPORTUNITY TO LINK COSGRAY __-| Muttipte route options East of DITCH. INDIAN RUN. AND SCIOTO ; 1 | | Witcocrd RIVER GREENWAYS: + MULTIPLE ROUTING OPTIONS THROUGH METRO CENTER AND BRIDGE DISTRICT + SIGNIFICANT EXTENTS ALONG ROADWAY CORRIDORS + DOES NOT PROVIDE DIRECT ACCESS NORTH OF US 33 i ore Uses Bridge Park Linsta | S178 °F © Bisting Roadway Crossing a eauuMeUs EA crass Scizto River , 7 Planned Roadway Crossing L es oe sot oe c ~71. |] Aligns with potential trait a i \] crossing of -270 at Cosgray ‘ Existing Trail Crossing \ Planned Trail Crossing 1 Connected Parks Nese : Z2 City Owned Property Le, 1uie (1) Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 7 of 8 Both of the southside route alternatives have route options within them as they go through Metro Center. The Cosgray Connect route is the most direct route, but offers options to stay on Shier Rings or use the Cosgray Ditch to move toward Metro Center. Each of the four alternatives creates unique experiences, connections and opportunities. Mr. Mears stated that as Council provides feedback, he stated that portions of a route can be taken into consideration as well. The goal is to study the best potential options. Two alternatives could be pieced together to make sure the desired elements are incorporated. MKSK conducted another exercise where they divided the four routes into three segments each (east middle and west segments) and asked Council to place a color-coded dot on the east, middle and west segments they like best. Mr. Mears asked Council to consider the following as they evaluate the four alternative routes: e Which routing options offer the most potential? e Is there a connection that is missing? Council was then asked to evaluate the crossings as well. Mr. Mears stated that there are three barriers that this trail needs to get across in some way. Those barriers are: I-270, the Scioto River and SR161/US 33. He asked Council members to mark with a dot which crossings of 1-270 and the Scioto River they liked best (SR161/US33 crossings were not included in this exercise). Mr. Mears stated that as they continue the analysis on which route is the preferred route, he asks Council to consider the following three questions regarding each route and the goals that these questions point to: e Is it Signature? Goals include: desirable, iconic, and impactful. e Is it Foundational? Goals include: connected, accessible and sustainable. e Is it Actionable? The goal is actionable. Mr. Mears stated that the consultant team started to build criteria that ties directly to the goals that can be used as each of the routes is analyzed. They will use this criteria to score each route. These scores can be weighted and aggregated. They will summarize the results for each alternative route to understand which route performed the best in each area. Mr. Mears stated that the final exercise for Council during this meeting is weighting the priorities. He asked Council to rank the criteria for selecting the signature trail. He provided each set of questions and goals on a survey and collected them from Council members when they were completed. Mr. Herman stated that they recognize that all the criteria is important, but they want to know from Council members what is considered most important, moderate and less important. Mr. Mears asked Council members how they would define success for the signature trail. Ms. Kramb stated that she would define success by the quantity of people using the trail. She added that she also sees the trail as a connection between key points like SportsOhio and the rail station, which people can enjoy while they are here. She suggested adding Emerald Fields as a location as well. Ms. Fox stated that the trail should meet the needs of as many people as possible. It needs to be usable and iconic so people are enjoying it as they use it. She stated that directional signage will be important so as people are on the trail they could see public art that is close by or stop at another feature that is close to the trail. Mr. Reiner stated that the trail should be an amenity that is functional that hits as many features as possible. Ms. De Rosa stated that residents love the trails and paths. She recommended going into the parks and sporting events to do the surveys and talk with residents. She stated that she rode the trail in Council Work Session April 21, 2025 Page 8 of 8 Carmel, Indiana and learned that people will park their car along the trail, walk to get dinner and then walk back to their car to go home. Access and exit points will be important to enable people to use the trail all the way along the trail, because not everyone will have immediate access. She stated that it needs to go to Metro Center and to the rail station. Vice Mayor Alutto agreed that success will mean how many people can access and use the trail. She agreed that access points will be very important. The ability to showcase what Dublin has to offer is important to draw interest and allow people to explore as they use the trail. Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that success would be an efficient form of transportation. She agreed that directional signage could be helpful to direct people to other features and amenities. She does not want to introduce bikes on the pedestrian bridge, but it could be near the bridge. Mr. Mears reviewed the next step, which will include the data driven analysis to select the preferred route. The next touchpoint will be a meeting in the fall after some of the public engagement. Ms. Fox suggested incorporating some feedback from youth. In response to Mr. Herman’s question about taking the four alternate routes to the public, Council responded affirmatively. The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. Lo 4 Fox Presiding Officer - Mayor Clegk of Coycil