For Transportation Commission Special Meeting [December 11, 2019]
TO: Honorable Chairperson and Commission
APPROVAL: Savat Khamphou, P.E., Public Works Director/City Engineer
FROM: Azzam Jabsheh P.E., T.E. Associate Civil Engineer
Title
Focused Traffic Impact Analysis - Semi Truck Drop Lot on the West Side of Riverside Avenue Approximately 150 feet North of Industrial Drive.
(ACTION ITEM)
Body
BACKGROUND:
On February 13, 2017, the first scoping agreement was submitted for the proposed development of a truck drop lot/overflow truck parking area on the west side of Riverside Avenue approximately 150 feet north of Industrial Drive. On February 27, 2017, a 2nd Scoping Agreement was submitted. The proposed project is the construction of an open parking area for trucks and trailers used by the warehouse on the east side of Riverside Avenue at the northeast corner of Riverside Avenue and Industrial Drive. There will be an estimated 101 parking spaces. The first TIA was submitted on September 10, 2019, but carried a date of July 2018, and it was reviewed with review comments prepared. On October 23, 2019, a revised second TIA was submitted to address review comments made on the first TIA. The estimated completion is stated as 2019. The site was used for this purpose, without permits or permission beginning in 2015. After a series of code enforcement actions, the site was vacated in mid-2019.
The site location is shown on Page 2 of the TIA in Figure 1, which is included as Attachment 1, while the site plan is shown on Page 4 in Figure 2 of the TIA, which is included as Attachment 2.
The site proposes a single driveway in the middle of the property. The driveway onto Riverside Avenue is proposed as a full access driveway to be located approximately 220 feet north of Industrial Drive. Current General Plan development of Riverside Avenue is for six (6) lanes and a raised median but there is currently a moratorium on the median until further studies confirm the need for the median. The TIA has a scenario A and B with scenario B showing the likely truck path in the event the median is constructed and the driveway becomes right in/right out only. However, scenario B is proposing the use of another undeveloped lot on Santa Ana Avenue (currently being used without improvements or approvals) and both scenarios only account for 50% of the truck traffic at the I-10 interchange. The speed limit on Riverside Avenue is 50 and 55 MPH and the average daily traffic is approximately 45,000 in actual vehicles and 53,000 when adjusted for PCE. Currently, a yard truck is used to move trailers across Riverside Avenue to and from the warehouse on the east side of Riverside Avenue as well as for full size semi-tractors to bring in and remove trailers from the drop lot. It has been stated that the loaded trucks are coming and going from the A yard in San Bernardino (container shipping site). The driveway will be used principally for trucks. The driveway is dimensioned as 37-feet wide with 15-foot radius returns. The east side of Riverside Avenue is developed with curb and gutter but the west side of Riverside Avenue will require additional dedication and improvement for the full six (6) lanes required. Both sides of Riverside Avenue lack sidewalks in the area of the project but will be conditioned to construct the walk and improvements adjacent to the site.
The trip impacts were estimated using developer estimates of the number of trucks to and from the site (70 inbound and 70 outbound). Trips are shown on Page 19 Table 3 of the TIA, which is included as Attachment 3. Project daily trips from this development are estimated at 850 trips with the AM/PM peak hour being 78/67 trips.
Traffic and intersection counts provided were collected in April 2018. This means the counts are nearly two (2) years old and do not reflect the recent development in the area. This project went to DRC for preliminary review on July 17, 2019. The project has not been to DRC as an action item but will receive conditions upon final review of the action item.
This site appears to comply with zoning on the property. It is noted that City Council has placed a moratorium on the construction of truck parking lots as it studies how to best address development impact fees on projects without any structures on site. However, such projects that were in process before the effective date of the moratorium are being allowed to proceed. This project has been in process since 2015 and is being permitted to proceed.
The TIA identified five (5) intersections operating at an unacceptable LOS in 2019 with the project and cumulative projects:
#2 - Riverside Avenue at I-10 EB Ramps: PM - LOS F
#3 - Riverside Avenue at Slover Avenue: PM - LOS F
#4 - Riverside Avenue at Santa Ana Avenue: PM - LOS F
#5 - Riverside Avenue at Project Driveway: AM - LOS F, PM - LOS F
#6 - Riverside Avenue at Industrial Drive: AM - LOS F, PM - LOS F
The intersections above along with a roadway segment from Santa Ana Avenue south to the project driveway are identified as deficient. However, staff noted in reviews that if the roadway segment below Santa Ana Avenue is deficient, then all segments to the I-10 are also deficient as well. In review comments, it was noted that the signals along Riverside Avenue were all analyzed as isolated intersections rather than as an interconnected signal system. The TIA concludes that many of the intersections are operating at acceptable LOS but this is not the case in the field. There is currently a moratorium on the median island in Riverside Avenue (median required as a part of the General Plan as well as the Agua Mansa Specific Plan and moratorium expires June 23, 2020 as extended in June 2019 by the City Council) although this project would normally be conditioned to construct the median island to prevent turning movements into and out of the driveway on Riverside Avenue.
Mitigation is proposed to be using the, as yet, unadopted Local Traffic DIF fee of $375.50 per trip along with the regional traffic DIF and required site adjacent street improvements.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
The TIA analysis used developer supplied estimated trip rates for the anticipated land use. The TIA analyzed forecast peak hour intersection operations to determine potential impacts on peak hour level of service for the anticipated 2019 opening year. Counts were collected nearly two (2) years ago, and the opening date is still the same reflected in the 2017 scoping agreement. There is no trip rate in the ITE manual that corresponds with this use. The estimated trips are based on 70 inbound and 70 outbound truck trips per day and include movement back and forth to the warehouse on the east side of the street. There are no proposed structures on this proposed lot and the TIA lists 101 parking spaces. However, during operations between 2016 and 2019, the site has been observed to hold up to 130 or more trailers depending on the operation of the warehouse and space demands.
The TIA did include other proposed projects in the area and did show impacts at intersections that would be considered significant based on City policy. Impacts can be mitigated with improvements. Those improvements include making Riverside Avenue a six (6) lane facility, intersection improvements, widening of the Riverside Avenue Bridge over the rail yard and improvements to the I-10 interchange with additional lanes at the on-ramp.
The 2019 plus cumulative conditions indicate five (5) intersections and one (1) roadway segment impacted by this development. However, Riverside Avenue from the project north will be impacted as it is not yet six (6) lanes. Counts in this study are nearing two (2) years old. The current proposed local DIF fee, which is based on the SBTAM model, concludes that Riverside Avenue needs to be a six (6) lane facility and current counts place the roadway under current conditions as LOS F during peak hours. This TIA only discusses the segment south of Santa Ana Avenue to the project driveway, but the northerly segments will experience the same or higher volumes. This TIA also used an analysis for the signalized intersections that is based on isolated signal operations and concluded they would function at acceptable LOS. However, the response matrix did acknowledge that this is not the case and the intersections may not function at the LOS listed in the TIA as a result of overall congestion.
The TIA proposed mitigation of the impacts is with the payment of a fair share of the cost of the improvements based on the current estimates for the Local DIF traffic fee rather than calculating a cost for each improvement. The $375.50 is applied to the estimated number of trips proposed by the developer and amounts to $319,175.
Staff is also concerned that the proposed mitigations cannot be accomplished as stated in a timely manner with the payment of the fee. Adding additional lanes to existing roadways takes time and may include right-of-way acquisition. Adding lanes is not as simple as painting more lanes on the existing roadway. Signals must be relocated, space for receiving lanes for dual turns and other issues must be considered. Payment of the fee may address the fair share costs but other than site adjacent improvements, no additional improvements to the roadway will be completed. Should the median island be installed in the future, scenario B will shift additional traffic to Jurupa Avenue, Willow Avenue and Santa Ana Avenue, which are not currently using this route to reach the I-10 interchange. It is also noted that staff has no other proposal to address impacts in a more timely manner.
Conclusion
Staff was provided the first version of the TIA for this Project on September 10, 2019. The second version of the TIA was submitted on October 23, 2019. This project does not have roadway improvements adjacent to the project site and will be conditioned as part of the site development. Traffic projections are estimates based on the developer estimates of trucks using the facility. Two (2) scenarios are provided to present truck movements if the median island is constructed in Riverside Avenue per the General Plan but impacts along the alternate route were not studied. The TIA concludes that payment of fair share fees in the amount of $319,175 for the intersection improvements and to the widening of Riverside Avenue from the south City limits to the I-10, along with other traffic impact fees and construction of site adjacent roadway improvements are adequate mitigation measures.
While the TIA indicates intersection LOS will be satisfactory, that is based on analysis of intersections on an isolated basis not the interconnected system they are on. The response matrix states that overall congestion will impact the signalized intersections and that LOS may indeed be deficient as roadway congestion increases.
Counts are dated and space utilization of the site has exceeded the proposed stated capacity on several occasions when used for the same purpose in the recent past.
The project appears to be consistent with zoning and the General Plan. The Planning Department has determined the truck parking lot may proceed as it was submitted prior to the current moratorium on such facilities being implemented.
Staff has no alternative solution but does note that payment of fees does not address any improvements in the near term and long term congestion will increase until such time as Riverside Avenue is improved.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff requests that the Transportation Commission:
• Set final conditions and recommendations related to approval.
• Accept a fair share contribution of $319,175 and payment of applicable development impact fees as adequate mitigation.
• Recommend approval to the City Council.