TRAFFIC & PARKING STUDY

TRAFFIC & PARKING STUDY SHATTUCK & UNIVERSITY MIXED USE PROJECT Prepared by: Abrams Associates 1875 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 210 Walnut Creek, CA 94...
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TRAFFIC & PARKING STUDY SHATTUCK & UNIVERSITY MIXED USE PROJECT

Prepared by:

Abrams Associates 1875 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 210 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Tel: 925.945.0201

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

JUNE, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Introduction Project Description 2) Intersection Analysis Methodology Study Intersections and Scenarios Level of Service Analysis Methodology Impact Criteria 3) Existing Traffic Conditions Existing Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Peak Hour Traffic Signal Warrants Trip Generation and Trip Assignment for Approved Projects Existing Plus Approved Project Conditions – Level of Service Analysis 4) Project Trip Generation Transit Accessibility Downtown Berkeley Residential Trip Generation Retail Trip Generation Mixed-use Trip Generation Factors Proposed Access and Circulation Bicycle Parking Truck Loading Zones Project Trip Distribution and Assignment Existing Plus Approved Plus Project – Level of Service Analysis 5) Cumulative Traffic Conditions Cumulative Plus Project Conditions – Level of Service Analysis 6) Parking City of Berkeley Parking Requirements ITE Parking Demand Calculations Expected Parking Results for Acheson Commons City of Berkeley Parking Practices Parking at Other Equity Residential Properties On-Sreet Parking Conditions Near Project Site Off-Street Parking Shared Parking with Equity Properties Public Parking 7) Weekend Traffic and Parking Conditions Existing Weekend Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Weekend Trip Generation Existing Weekend Plus Approved Project Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Cumulative Weekend Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Weekend Parking Conditions 8) Study Findings Summary of Traffic Findings Access Conditions Parking Conditions  

Page Number 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 5 6 6 10 10 10 11 11 11 13 13 14 14 14 18 19 22 22 23 24 24 24 25 29 29 29 31 31 33 33 35 38 39 39 40 40

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Shattuck and University Mixed Use Project Traffic and Parking Study 1. INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of a traffic impact study and parking analysis of the proposed University-Shattuck development also referred to as “Acheson Commons.” The proposed project will consist of a mixed-use development that will be contained within the block bounded by Shattuck Avenue, University Avenue, Walnut Street and Berkeley Way in Downtown Berkeley near the University of California.

Project Description Four new buildings will be constructed as illustrated on Figure 1, which is the proposed site plan for the project. The project is planned to consist of 208 residential rental units, and about 20,000 square feet (sq. ft.) of ground floor retail/commercial space. The project is currently proposing to provide a total of about 50 on-site parking spaces, most of which will be reserved for tenants. Vehicular access to the project will be at a driveway on Berkeley Way near the corner of Walnut Street, which will replace the existing driveway. All other curb cuts on the project frontage on Walnut Street will be closed. The location of the proposed project in relation to surrounding streets can be seen on Figure 2.

2. INTERSECTION ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY Study Intersections and Scenarios Six intersections were selected for the study analysis in consultation with City of Berkeley staff. The intersections and their traffic control types are as follows: 1. Berkeley Way and Oxford Street (Signal) 2. Berkeley Way and Shattuck Avenue (Stop signs on Berkeley Way) 3. Shattuck Avenue and University Avenue (Signal) 4. University Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr Way (Signal) 5. Shattuck Avenue and Center Street (Signal) 6. Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way (Signal)

1

UP

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

FIGURE 1

WestȱElevation

ShattuckȱAvenu e

(71 Units)

UP

SouthȱElevation

McFarlandȱBuilding/ AchesonȱCommonsȱȈDȈ

SITE PLAN

UP

UP

(73 Units)

UP

UP

(35 Units)

DN

EastȱElevation

N

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

AceȱBuilding/ Acheson CommonsȱȈBȈ

WalnutȱBuilding/ Acheson CommonsȱȈCȈ

BerkeleyȱWay

AchesonȱBuilding/ ȈAȈ

(21 Units)

Courtyard

UCȱPress

UniversityȱAvenue

Bachenheimer Building

NorthȱElevation

WalnutȱStreet

4

H earst Ave

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Addison St

Acheson Commons

City of Berkeley

Bonita Ave

Henry Ave

Milvia St

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

3

5

2

Allston Way

University Hall

1

Oxford St Oxford St

Shattuck Ave

Milvia St

PROJECT LOCATION AND STUDY INTERSECTIONS

Berkeley City College

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

Walnut St

PROJECT LOCATION

Berkeley Square

Jr Way

Martin Luther King

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

FIGURE 2

McKinley Ave

Walnutt St

Delaware St

Shattuck Ave

Arch St

Spruce S t

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

Le

Co nt e

Av e

Shattuck Ave

Francisco St

The Crescent

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SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

This study evaluated morning and evening peak hour traffic conditions on a typical weekday for the following five scenarios: 1. Existing Conditions – Current (Year 2010) traffic volumes and roadway conditions. 2. Existing plus Approved Projects Conditions – Identical to Existing Conditions, but with traffic added from approved/pending projects in the project’s vicinity. 3. Existing plus Approved plus Project Conditions – Identical to Existing plus Approved Project Conditions, but with traffic added from the proposed Acheson Commons project. 4. Year 2035 Conditions – This scenario is based on projections from the latest Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (CMA) travel demand model. Twenty-five-year incremental traffic growth was added to existing volumes to estimate 2035 traffic conditions. 5. Year 2035 plus Project Conditions – This scenario is identical to Year 2035 Conditions, but with the addition of proposed project traffic.

Level of Service Analysis Methodology Level of service (LOS) is a qualitative description of intersection operations and is reported using an A through F letter rating system to describe travel delay and congestion. LOS A indicates free flow conditions with little or no delay, while LOS F indicates jammed conditions with excessive delays and long back-ups. The LOS methodology is detailed in the Appendix. Operating conditions at the study intersections were evaluated using the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) Operations methodology contained in Synchro software. Peak hour intersection conditions for signalized intersections are reported in terms of the average control delay in seconds per vehicle with corresponding levels of service. For unsignalized intersections, results from the 2000 HCM Operations methodology include average control delay in seconds per vehicle for the overall intersection as well as the critical minor turning movement, along with corresponding levels of service.

Impact Criteria The City’s level of service standard is LOS D for signalized and unsignalized intersections. Intersections that exceed this service level threshold are considered to be impacted and should be considered for mitigation. For unsignalized intersections, additional considerations are involved, including the number of vehicles on the critical approach, vehicles contributed by the proposed project, and signal warrant analysis. Exceptions to the LOS D standard arise when the project is not expected to add more than three seconds of delay at an intersection that is already operating at LOS E, or increase the V/C ratio by more than 0.01 at an intersection that is operating at LOS E.

3. EXISTING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Abrams Associates conducted weekday morning (7:00 AM - 9:00 AM) and evening (4:00 PM 6:00 PM) turning movement counts at each of the six (6) study intersections during September 2010. At many of the intersections along Shattuck Avenue, traffic counts were also available from previous traffic studies. In a few cases where the earlier turning movements were lower 4

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

than the current data, adjustments were made to the count data to reflect these changes. Based on these counts, it is evident that there has been a slight overall reduction (about 5%) compared to the older data, perhaps as a result of the general economic conditions. It should be noted that there were some off-and-on minor construction activities on University Avenue during the period of the traffic counts. In particular, on the day the counts were taken at University Avenue and Shattuck Avenue, it was noted that there was construction occurring west of the intersection near the vicinity of University Avenue and Bonita Ave. This construction caused some delay and occasionally caused cars to back up into the study intersection. Figure 3 illustrates the existing AM and PM peak hour turning movement volumes at the six study intersections. Figure 4 shows the lane geometry and the type of traffic control at each intersection. Traffic signals are in place at all intersections except at Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way.

Existing Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Table 1 summarizes the results of the weekday peak hour intersection analysis for the Existing Conditions. Detailed LOS calculations are provided in the Appendix. Table 1: Intersection Level of Service - Existing Conditions Existing Conditions  ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method 

AM Peak Hour  Delay 



Berkeley Way and Oxford St 

Signal 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 



Shattuck Ave and University Ave 



University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 



Shattuck Avenue and Center St 



Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

V/C 

LOS 

PM Peak Hour  Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

13.6  0.33 



13.5  0.36 



36.9 

N/A 



26.3 

N/A 



Signal 

14.5  0.53 



14.0  0.52 



Signal 

14.1  0.42 



14.9  0.42 



Signal  (Offset) 

16.0  0.50 



16.9  0.59 



Signal 

17.7  0.66 



20.0  0.77 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

Under Existing Conditions, all signalized study intersections operate at acceptable service levels (LOS D or better). During the AM peak hour the minor approach (Berkeley Way) of the intersection with Shattuck Avenue operates at LOS E with 36.9 seconds of delay. At unsignalized intersections with low-volume side streets, it is not unusual for the side street to operate at below-standard LOS (e.g. LOS E or F). A typical mitigation measure used for improving below-standard side street operations is to install a traffic signal. However, under

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SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Existing Conditions, the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way does not meet the Caltrans peak hour signal warrant criteria.

Peak Hour Traffic Signal Warrants To assess the need for signalization of a stop controlled intersection, the Caltrans Traffic Manual 1 presents nine (9) signal warrants. Satisfying one or more of the signal warrants could justify signalization of an intersection; however, the full set of warrants should be considered as part of an evaluation and an engineering study should be conducted before the decision to install a signal is made. In addition, satisfaction of one or more signal warrants does not in itself require an installation of a traffic signal. The peak hour volume warrant (Warrant 3) analysis for urban conditions was conducted for the unsignalized study intersection of University Avenue and Berkeley Way, which is the only study intersection that is a candidate for signalization. Figure 5 shows the Caltrans signal warrant results for the intersection of Berkeley Way and Shattuck Avenue. This issue will be discussed in each of the scenarios. In summary, the data points that are shown are very close to meeting the standards, but do not exceed the warrants. It is our recommendation that a traffic signal not be installed at this location. However, the consideration of the need for a controlled pedestrian crossing may tip the scale in favor of the signal.

Trip Generation and Trip Assignment for Approved Projects Trip generation and trip assignment assumptions for the approved projects were based on the traffic study reports prepared for each project, where available. The trip assignments are accounting for projects that could be completed within the next few years. Approved projects include developments that are either under construction, built but not fully occupied, or not built but have final development approval from the City. A review of the City planning records shows that there are three (3) approved projects in the vicinity that could be expected to add traffic to the study intersections. Trips from the developments listed below were added to the existing intersection turning movement counts to account for a portion of the Approved Projects Condition. 1. 3132 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Project 2. 2701Shattuck Avenue Project 3. 2489 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Project In addition to the above projects, there needs to an accounting of the potential university projects in the area. There is a significant amount of construction activities by the University of California along Oxford Way and also along Berkeley Way in the immediate vicinity of the project. There are no definitive traffic studies of these projects. It is our understanding that the UC does not expect any increase in traffic from these new buildings, since they are existing activities that are already occurring on the campus. There will however be changes due to shifts in traffic within the campus. To account for these shifts in traffic, it is estimated that some of the traffic movements will be increased. through movements and major turning movements at Intersections 1, 2 and 3 have been increased by 5%. Therefore the Approved Project condition has been estimated based on a combination of the traffic from the three projects above, plus a growth factor that was applied to intersections 1, 2, and 3. The resulting turning movement volumes for this scenario are illustrated in Figure 6.

6

23 (37) 37 (18) 33 (32)

29 (37) 641 (590) 36 (15)

OXFORD STREET

H earst Ave

24 (13) Delaware St 14 (9) 16 (30)

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Addison St

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

BERKELEY WAY

7 (16) 21 (10)

37 (16) 510 (493) 21 (20) Milvia St

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Francisco St 48 (79)

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

380 (388) 421 (432) 65 (68)

3

5

2

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

64 (6) 549 (560) 50 (104)

PROJECT LOCATION

63 (92) 504 (610) 103 (50)

4

Allston Way

AM (PM) PEAK HOUR

EXISTING TRAFFIC VOLUMES

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

36 (113) 264 (291) 212 (200)

3 93 (76) 512 (503) 84 (48)

Berkeley City College

Milvia St

BERKELEY WAY

2

Shattuck Ave

36 (30) 16 (41) 14 (40)

University Hall

1

23 (23) 107 (62) 52 (82)

5

Oxford St

12 (23) 433 (538) 71 (46)

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Henry Ave

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

814 (932) 26 (37) Oxford St

33 (26) 531 (712) 27 (40)

FIGURE 3

McKinley Ave

CENTER STREET

93 (113)

127 (136)

58 (81) 345 (342) 90 (142)

6

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

842Sp(924) ruce S t 72 (87)

852 (1137) 102 (87) Arch St

83 (70) 540 (605) 52 (87) Berkeley Square

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n Le

1

Shattuck Ave

W(116) alnut St 78 420 (655) 94 (55) Walnutt St

t e 980 A(1158) 79 v(108) e

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

BERKELEY WAY

UC ENTRANCE

4

Addison St

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

OXFORD STREET

Acheson Commons

City of Berkeley

SHATTUCK AVE

H earst Ave

Delaware St

Bonita Ave

BERKELEY WAY

University Ave

Berkeley Way

UNIVERSITY AVE

Milvia St

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

3

5

2

Shattuck Avve e

Milvia St

4

UNIVERSITY AVE MLK JR. WAY

PROJECT LOCATION

Allston Way

University Hall

5

1

Oxford St

LANE CONFIGURATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS

Berkeley City College

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

3

SHATTUCK AVE

Henry Ave

Walnut St

Francisco St

Berkeley Square

Jr Way

Martin Luther King

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

FIGURE 4

McKinley Ave

2

Oxford St

1

Shattuck Ave

Walnutt St

Arch St

Spruce S t

DWIGHT WAY

k

6

Scenic Ave

STOP SIGN

4-WAY STOP

TRAFFIC SIGNAL

Match Line 1

STOP

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

Hearst Ave

N

d n R LEGEND o s

University of California, Berkeley

CENTER STREET

6

SHATTUCK AVE

Le

Co nt e

Av e

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVE

The Crescent

PM Peak Hour Traffic Major Street (Both Approaches)

Minor Street (Higher Volume Approach)

Existing Existing Plus Approved Existing Plus Approved Plus Project Cumulative Cumulative Plus Project

1,130 1,205 1,215 1,326 1,336

113 127 142 142 157

MINOR STREET HIGHER-VOLUME APPROACH - VPH

Scenario

600 (Sh att uck

500 400

2 OR MORE LANES & 2 OR MORE LANES

and Be rke ley )

2 OR MORE LANES & 1 LANE

300

1 LANE & 1 LANE Cumu+Proj (1336,157)

200

*150 100

Existing (1130,113)

400

500

600

700

800

900

*100 +Appr (1205,127)

+Appr+Proj (1215,142)

Cumulative (1326,142)

1000 1100 1200 1300 1400

1500 1600 1700 1800

MAJOR STREET—TOTAL OF BOTH APPROACHES— VEHICLES PER HOUR (VPH)

FIGURE 5 TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

Acheson Commons City of Berkeley

TRAFFIC SIGNAL WARRANTS SHATTUCK AVENUE AND BERKELEY WAY

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Existing Plus Approved Projects Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Intersection LOS analysis results for Existing plus Approved Projects Conditions are shown in Table 2. Detailed calculations and queuing analyses are included in the Appendix. With the addition of traffic from the approved developments and the university changes, service levels for the weekday peak periods at all of the signalized study intersections are expected to remain unchanged, with a few minor increases in average delay. The side street movements at the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way are at LOS D during the PM peak hour and LOS E during the AM peak. The intersection does not meet peak hour signal warrant criteria. The traffic volumes for the Existing Plus Approved Projects conditions are shown on Figure 6. Table 2: Intersection Level of Service - Existing Plus Approved Existing + Approved Conditions  ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method 

AM Peak Hour  Delay 



Berkeley Way and Oxford St 

Signal 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 



Shattuck Ave and University Ave 



University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 



Shattuck Avenue and Center St 



Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

V/C 

LOS 

PM Peak Hour  Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

14.1  0.37 



14.1  0.39 



42.2 

N/A 



32.4 

N/A 



Signal 

14.6  0.56 



14.1  0.54 



Signal 

14.4  0.43 



15.4  0.44 



Signal  (Offset) 

16.2  0.52 



17.6  0.60 



Signal 

19.0  0.69 



20.8  0.79 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

4. PROJECT TRIP GENERATION Trip generation for the proposed project was estimated based on rates provided in Trip Generation,7th Edition published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).

Transit Accessibility When calculating project trip generation it is important to take the public transit accessibility into consideration. Alameda-Contra Costa County (AC) Transit Bus Routes F, 18, and 800 along Shattuck Avenue would all serve the proposed development. Bus stops for these lines are located on both sides of Shattuck Avenue, south of University Avenue. Route F connects the proposed project site to and from the Trans-bay Terminal in San Francisco, providing both weekday and weekend bus service at approximately 30 minute headways. Route 18 connects 10

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

the proposed project site to the Berkeley BART station and the MacArthur BART station. Route 18 provides both weekday and weekend bus service along the Shattuck Avenue corridor at 15 to 30 minute headways. Route 800 connects the proposed project site to BART stations in downtown San Francisco. There is additional bus service provided by Route 51, as well as the Route 851 line. The downtown Berkeley BART station is located on Shattuck Avenue at Center Street, which is just two blocks from the project. This station connects to destinations within the East Bay and San Francisco.

Downtown Berkeley Residential Trip Generation The trip generation estimates for the project are shown in Table 3. These trip rates have been derived from the ITE Trip Generation Manual, and have been adapted to the traffic conditions in this part of downtown Berkeley. The trip generation rates are based on the ITE land use of Apartment (Category 220), which have then been adjusted to reflect the specific traffic conditions in downtown Berkeley. Since the project is located downtown in an area with BART access and bus connections, and within walking distance of the UC campus, the vehicle trip rate per unit is about half of that which would be generated by a typical apartment. Since the amount of parking planned for the project is lower than normal, this will further limit the number of vehicle trips generated. This analysis results in a trip rate of 3.71 trips per unit for a 24-hour period, with about 0.31 trips per unit in the PM peak hour. Retail Trip Generation. As noted in Table 3, the vehicle traffic generated by the new retail will be very small. Based on trip data from actual projects, and previous traffic studies in Berkeley, and in consultation with City staff, the average PM peak hour trip rate is estimated to be about 0.6 trips per 1,000 square feet for retail. This reflects the pedestrian-oriented nature of the business and the number of linked trips that occur in a downtown area. Our estimate is that the retail portion of the project will generate about 8 vehicle trips per hour. These vehicle trips will use on-street parking, or the public parking lot on Berkeley Way. Mixed-Use Trip Generation Factors. Individual land uses within a mixed-use development typically generate fewer peak hour vehicle trips than those generated by comparable single-use developments, in this case due to internal trip matching between residential and retail uses. Furthermore, the project site is located on a transit-rich corridor that includes the AC Transit bus lines on Shattuck Avenue and BART. The percentage reduction in vehicle trips to account for walking, bicycle and transit trips was based on various data sources, including the ACCMA traffic model, and rates provided by The ITE Trip Generation Manual. A percentage reduction of 40 % was applied to all residential trips and a reduction of 20 % was applied to all commercial trips generated by the project. The above mentioned discounts for internal, pass-by, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian trips, were applied to provide a best estimate of the expected new trips from the proposed development. Currently, the project site is occupied by many retail and commercial spaces. Estimated trips were not deducted from the expected project trip generation to estimate the net new trips from the proposed project. The inbound trips during the AM peak hour and the outbound trips during the PM peak hour will be higher for the existing land use than the proposed project. As a result, the proposed project is expected to generate 56 net new outbound trips during the AM peak hour and 75 net new inbound trips during the PM peak hour.

11

31 (40) 660 (610) 47 (30)

H earst Ave

25 (15) St 15Delaware (12) 16 (34)

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

BERKELEY WAY

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

407 (401) 440 (435) 75 (71)

Berkeley City College

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

39 (115) 269 (307) 220 (204)

3 100 (83) 521 (520) 88 (52)

3

5

2

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

69 (7) 575 (605) 55 (110)

PROJECT LOCATION

65 (96) 540 (640) 109 (53)

4

Allston Way

University Hall

1

27 (26) 112 (64) 55 (85)

5

AM (PM) PEAK HOUR

95 (117)

130 (142) CENTER STREET

62 (81) 371 (361) 104 (142)

6

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

EXISTING PLUS APPROVED PROJECTS (2014) TRAFFIC VOLUMES

Addison St

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

9 (19) 25 (14)

38 (18) 525 (505) 26 (29) Milvia St

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Francisco St 57 (94)

Milvia St

BERKELEY WAY

2

Shattuck Ave

75 (58) 31 (78) 29 (80)

Oxford St

18 (26) 440 (560) 72 (47)

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Henry Ave

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

827 (940) 29 (38) Oxford St

37 (29) 561 (722) 31 (71)

29 (40) 64 (37) 31 (35)

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 6

McKinley Ave

857Sp(931) ruce S t 77 (94)

868 (1151) 106 (89) Arch St

85 (84) 569 (640) 53 (92) Berkeley Square

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n Le

1

Shattuck Ave

W(121) alnut St 81 446 (708) 104 (65) Walnutt St

t e 999 A(1172) 81 v(110) e

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Table 3: Project Vehicle Trip Generation Land Use 

Size 

      ITE Apartment Rates (Code 220)   Proposed Apartments  208 Units  Reduction for Non‐Auto Trips  (40%)    Subtotals  ITE Retail Rates (Code 820)  Proposed Retail Space 

20,000  Sq. Ft 

Reduction for Pass‐By/Non‐Auto  Trips (34%)  Subtotals 

 

Totals 

ADT     6.65  1,383 

AM Peak Hour  In  Out  Total           0.10  0.41  0.51  21  85  106 

PM Peak Hour  In  Out  Total           0.40  0.22  0.62  84  45  129 

553 



34 

42 

34 

18 

52 

830 

13 

51 

64 

50 

27 

77 

42.94 

0.61 

0.39 

1.00 

1.83 

1.90 

3.73 

859 

12 



20 

37 

38 

75 

292 







12 

13 

25 

567 





13 

25 

25 

50 

1,397 

21 

56 

77 

75 

52 

127 

The proposed mixed-use development is expected to generate approximately 77 net new trips during the weekday AM peak hour and 127 net new trips during the weekday PM peak hour. For this site, no deduction has been taken by deducting the trips from the existing land use, since some of the spaces have not been occupied.

Proposed Access and Circulation The proposed project’s access will consist of one full access driveway on Berkeley Way. The driveway will be located approximately 90 feet west of Walnut Street, providing access to ground floor level parking spaces. The existing driveway to the site is located just to the west and will be replaced by the proposed new driveway. There will not be any new curb cuts on Berkeley Way, but several curb cuts on Walnut Street will be closed, which could result in the addition of up to 5 new parking spaces. “STOP” signs should also be installed facing exiting vehicles at the project driveway. In addition to the signs, a street-level audible signal and flashing light system that alerts pedestrians of exiting vehicles will be installed at the project driveways. The driveway is safely located in terms of sight distance and the spacing to the nearest streets. There are a number of driveways for the existing property that will be closed as a result of the Acheson Commons project. This will permit the addition of new on-street parking where it is currently prohibited. The access to the project is consistent with other blocks in downtown Berkeley. There should be no unusual situations that develop. Bicycle Parking. The applicant intends to meet the City’s zoning standards for the number of bicycle spaces to be provided. The residential bike parking is expected to be located in the garage, in a location yet to be identified. Parking for the retail component will be determined later in conjunction with City of Berkeley staff. The proposed project to narrow University

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ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Avenue and widen the sidewalks presents an opportunity for bicycle parking, either along the building frontage or at the curb perhaps with bicycle kiosks. This plan will be identified later. Truck Loading Zones. A detailed plan of the truck loading operations for Acheson Commons has not yet been prepared. It is the applicant’s intention to use a truck loading plan similar to what now exists for Ace Hardware. Truck loading operations for the residential component will be located in the garage. Along the frontage on University Avenue, the retail businesses will continue to use the curb lane on University for their loading/unloading.

Project Trip Distribution and Assignment Trip distribution assumptions for the proposed project were developed based on existing travel patterns, knowledge of the study area, and the proposed access of the project, mentioned above. The distribution assumptions are listed below: • Nineteen (19) percent to/from north via Shattuck Avenue • Eight (8) percent to/from north via Oxford Way • Ten (10) percent to/from south via Oxford Way • Thirty-five (35) percent to/from west via University Avenue • Twenty-eight (28) percent to/from south via Shattuck Avenue The trip distribution assumptions for the study intersections are illustrated in Figure 7. As noted, the project will add the majority of its trips to the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way. The resulting turning movement volumes for the Existing plus Approved plus Project Conditions are illustrated in Figure 8 and the LOS results are shown in Table 4.

Existing Plus Approved Plus Project Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Intersection LOS analysis results for Existing plus Approved plus Projects Conditions are shown in Table 4. Detailed calculations and queuing analyses are included in the Appendix. With the addition of project trips on top of the traffic from the approved developments and the university changes, service levels for the weekday peak periods at all of the signalized study intersections are expected to remain unchanged, with a few minor increases in average delay. The side street movements at the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way are at LOS E, and the intersection does not meet peak hour signal warrant criteria. See Figure 5 for the results of the signal warrant analysis.

14

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Table 4: Intersection Level of Service - Existing Plus Approved Plus Project Existing + Approved + Proj. Conditions  ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method 

AM Peak Hour  Delay 



Berkeley Way and Oxford St 

Signal 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 



Shattuck Ave and University Ave 



University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 



Shattuck Avenue and Center St 



Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

V/C 

LOS 

PM Peak Hour  Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

14.1  0.38 



14.1  0.39 



45.2 

N/A 



40.4 

N/A 



Signal 

14.8  0.58 



14.0  0.55 



Signal 

14.3  0.44 



15.6  0.45 



Signal  (Offset) 

16.2  0.52 



16.9  0.60 



Signal 

19.0  0.69 



20.9  0.79 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

The changes that result from the addition of project trips are very small. All of the intersections will continue to operate at Level of Service B with the exception of Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way, which will operate at LOS C during the PM peak period. None of the intersections will violate the City’s intersection capacity standards.

15

Milvia Street

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

FIGURE 7

35% (44 Trips)

0

18

75 In 52 Out

9

14

8% (10 Trips)

N

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

10% (13 Trips)

Walnut Street

18% (23 Trips)

127 Trips

PROJECT TRIP DISTRIBUTION

28% (36 Trips)

26

18

62

24

82% (104 Trips)

0

Henry Street

Addison Street

University Avenue

13 14

9 47

Hearst Avenue

18

6 5 Oxford Street

Berkeley Way

15 22 nue Shattuck Ave

e Berkeley Squar

4 8

19% (24 Trips)

The Crescent

33 (44) 64 (37) 37 (40)

33 (48) 660 (610) 47 (30)

OXFORD STREET

H earst Ave

25 (15) St 15Delaware (12) 16 (34)

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

BERKELEY WAY

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

413 (422) 460 (453) 75 (71)

Berkeley City College

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

46 (141) 269 (307) 220 (204)

3 100 (83) 537 (535) 88 (52)

3

5

2

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

69 (7) 595 (623) 55 (110)

PROJECT LOCATION

65 (96) 547 (666) 109 (53)

4

Allston Way

University Hall

1

27 (26) 112 (64) 55 (85)

5

CENTER STREET

95 (117)

130 (142)

AM (PM)8/31 PEAK HOUR TUESDAY, 11AM-NOON

62 (81) 371 (361) 104 (142)

6

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

EXISTING PLUS PLUS PROJECT (2014)PARKING TRAFFICDATA VOLUMES SAMPLE OFAPROVED ON-STREET AND OFF-STREET

Addison St

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

9 (19) 41 (29)

38 (18) 525 (505) 39 (76) Milvia St

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Francisco St 67 (104)

Milvia St

BERKELEY WAY

2

Shattuck Ave

75 (58) 31 (78) 29 (80)

Oxford St

18 (26) 440 (560) 76 (61)

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Henry Ave

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

843 (955) 29 (38) Oxford St

39 (35) 561 (722) 31 (71)

FIGURE 8 9

McKinley Ave

863Sp(952) ruce S t 77 (94)

884 (1166) 106 (89) Arch St

85 (84) 569 (640) 53 (92) Berkeley Square

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n Le

1

Shattuck Ave

W(121) alnut St 81 446 (708) 104 (65) Walnutt St

t e 1005 A(1193) 81 v(110) e

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

5. CUMUALTIVE (2035) TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Cumulative (2035) Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Abrams Associates developed the 2035 traffic forecast by utilizing the latest ACCMA traffic and land use projections. The differences between the 2015 and 2035 model link volumes were used to estimate a twenty-year growth increment. This increment was added to existing turning movement volumes proportionately based on existing left, through, and right turn volumes at the study intersections. The individual turning movements were summed and compared to the model link volumes. Where necessary, additional adjustments were made. Figure 9 shows the resulting 2035 turning movement volumes at each of the six (6) study intersections. Intersection capacity results were calculated for each intersection, and are shown in Table 5. Table 5: Intersection Level of Service – Cumulative (2035) Cumulative Conditions  ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method 

AM Peak Hour 

PM Peak Hour 

Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Signal 

14.5

0.47

B

14.4

0.44

B



Berkeley Way and Oxford St 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 

>50.0

N/A

F

49.9

N/A

E



Shattuck Ave and University Ave 

Signal 

16.3

0.73

B

14.6

0.61

B



University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 

Signal 

15.5

0.54

B

16.4

0.52

B



Shattuck Avenue and Center St 

Signal  (Offset) 

18.5

0.67

B

18.7

0.69

B



Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

Signal 

26.8

0.87

C

25.6

0.88

C

Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

The intersection capacity results shown in Table 5 indicate that each of the five signalized intersections that have been studied will operate at Level of Service B or C under cumulative traffic conditions. None of the intersections were shown to exhibit any significant or unusual intersection delay. The unsignalized intersection at Berkeley Way and Shattuck Way will have crossed the threshold where a traffic signal becomes warranted. It is expected that this intersection will become signalized based on other development changes and pedestrian considerations in downtown Berkeley sometime in the future prior to 2035. Discuss Fair Share Cost Allocation.

The cost of this project may be included as a part of the Traffic Impact Fee (TIF). If not, the applicant may be asked to contribute its fair share to this new signal installation. 18

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

The changes that result from the addition of project trips are very small. All of the intersections will continue to operate at Level of Service B with the exception of Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way, which will operate at LOS C during the PM peak period. None of the intersections will violate the City’s intersection capacity standards.

Cumulative (2035) Plus Project Conditions – Level of Service Analysis This scenario is identical to 2035 Conditions, but with the addition of traffic from the proposed Acheson Commons project. Figure 10 shows the intersection turning movement volumes resulting from project trip assignment under Cumulative (2035) plus Project Conditions. Intersection LOS analysis results for 2035 plus Project Conditions are shown in Table 6 for the weekday peak periods. Detailed calculations and queuing analyses are included in the Appendix. Table 6: Intersection Level of Service – Cumulative (2035) Plus Project Cumulative + Project Conditions  ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method  Signal 

AM Peak Hour 

PM Peak Hour 

Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

14.5 

0.48 



14.4 

0.44 



> 50.0  N/A 



> 50.0  N/A 





Berkeley Way and Oxford St 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 



Shattuck Ave and University Ave 

Signal 

16.5 

0.75 



14.6 

0.62 





University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 

Signal 

15.4 

0.55 



16.8 

0.53 





Shattuck Avenue and Center St 

Signal  (Offset) 

17.9 

0.68 



17.8 

0.70 





Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

Signal 

26.9 

0.87 



26.0 

0.89 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

The intersection capacity results show that each of the five signalized intersections will continue to operate at Level of Service B and C. The addition of project traffic is very minor at all locations. None of the intersections should experience any significant or unusual intersection delay. The difference in the average delay is no more than 0.5 seconds at any location. The change in the v/c ratio is at most 0.01, which is not within the statistical accuracy of the methodology. The addition of the project traffic will have a significant impact at the unsignalized intersection at Berkeley Way and Shattuck Avenue. While a traffic signal is not warranted with Existing plus Project traffic, it will certainly meet the warrants at some time prior to 2035. The traffic from the project represents about a 2% change in the overall intersection volume, but it results in a 30% increase in the left turn volume from Berkeley Way onto Shattuck Avenue during the PM peak period. This movement is one of the major factors that affect meeting the traffic signal warrants. 19

39 (45) 828 (683) 59 (34)

H earst Ave

31 (17) St 19Delaware (13) 20 (38)

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Addison St

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

BERKELEY WAY

11 (21) 31 (16)

48 (20) 659 (566) 33 (32) Milvia St

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Francisco St 72 (105)

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

511 (449) 552 (487) 94 (80)

3

5

2

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

87 (8) 721 (678) 69 (123)

PROJECT LOCATION

82 (108) 677 (717) 137 (59)

4

Allston Way

University Hall

AM (PM) PEAK HOUR

CUMULATIVE (2035) TRAFFIC VOLUMES

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

49 (129) 337 (344) 276 (228)

3 125 (93) 654 (582) 110 (58)

Berkeley City College

Milvia St

BERKELEY WAY

2

Shattuck Ave

94 (65) 39 (87) 36 (90)

1

34 (29) 140 (72) 69 (95)

5

Oxford St

23 (29) 552 (627) 90 (53)

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Henry Ave

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

1037 (1053) 36 (43) Oxford St

46 (32) 704 (809) 39 (80)

36 (45) 80 (41) 39 (39)

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 9

McKinley Ave

CENTER STREET

119 (131)

163 (159)

78 (91) 465 (404) 130 (159)

6

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

1075Sp (1043) ruce S t 97 (105)

1089 (1289) 133 (100) Arch St

107 (94) 714 (717) 66 (103) Berkeley Square

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n Le

1

Shattuck Ave

W(136) alnut St 102 559 (793) 130 (73) Walnutt St

t e 1253 A(1313) 102 v(123) e

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

41 (53) 828 (683) 59 (34)

H earst Ave

31 (17) St 19Delaware (13) 20 (38)

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Addison St

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

BERKELEY WAY

11 (21) 47 (31)

48 (20) 659 (566) 46 (79)

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

517 (470) 572 (505) 94 (80)

Berkeley City College

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

56 (155) 337 (344) 276 (228)

3 125 (93) 670 (597) 110 (58)

3

5

2

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

87 (8) 741 (696) 69 (123)

PROJECT LOCATION

82 (108) 684 (743) 137 (59)

4

Allston Way

University Hall

1

34 (29) 140 (72) 69 (95)

5

AM (PM) PEAK HOUR

CUMULATIVE PLUS PROJECT (2035) TRAFFIC VOLUMES

Milvia St

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Francisco St 82 (115)

Milvia St

BERKELEY WAY

2

Shattuck Ave

94 (65) 39 (87) 36 (90)

Oxford St

23 (29) 552 (627) 94 (67)

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Henry Ave

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

1053 (1068) 36 (43) Oxford St

48 (38) 704 (809) 39 (80)

40 (49) 80 (41) 45 (44)

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 10

McKinley Ave

CENTER STREET

119 (131)

163 (159)

78 (91) 465 (404) 130 (159)

6

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

1081Sp (1064) ruce S t 97 (105)

1105 (1304) 133 (100) Arch St

107 (94) 714 (717) 66 (103) Berkeley Square

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n Le

1

Shattuck Ave

W(136) alnut St 102 559 (793) 130 (73) Walnutt St

t e 1259 A(1334) 102 v(123) e

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

6. PARKING City of Berkeley Parking Requirements The Acheson Commons project exceeds the City of Berkeley’s parking requirements. The following analysis has been developed by the project team. The proposed project has a total gross parking requirement of 189 spaces. The existing land uses on the site are legally nonconforming and they do not provide the parking required by the current zoning ordinance. The current property, which includes residential, office, food service and retail land uses, would require 144 off-street parking spaces. With the requirement of 187 spaces for the new land use, and a credit of 144 spaces for the legal non-conforming aspects of the previous land uses, the net new parking requirement would be 43 spaces. The project proposes to provide 50 new spaces at the rear of Building C with access to Berkeley Way. Discuss this with City Planning staff (Greg Powell). Add additional explanation. Pursuant to the zoning ordinance, the parking requirement for the proposed project is based on the new floor area plus any changes of use that involve higher parking requirements. The proposed project will reduce the food service floor area from 15,832 square feet to 10,000 square feet. The total retail will be reduced from 24,022 square feet to 10,000 square feet. The office use will be eliminated and replaced with a residential floor area. The existing buildings are legal non-conforming in that they do not provide the parking required by the current zoning ordinance. Currently the project site supports approximately 65,220 square feet of space with only 15 parking spaces. Approximately 6,000 square feet is devoted to residential uses (requires 6 spaces), 18,664 is office (requires 37 spaces), 15,832 is food service (requires 53 parking spaces), and 24,022 is retail (requires 48 spaces). All totaled, the existing zoning ordinance would require 144 off-street parking spaces. The standards for parking in Berkeley are the following; Residential Office Food Services Retail

one (1) space per 1,000 square feet two (2) spaces per 1,000 square feet one (1) space per 300 square feet (3.3 spaces per 1,000 sf) two (2) spaces per 1,000 square feet

Based on these standards, the following table provides the calculation of the parking requirement for the existing conditions and the proposed project.

22

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Existing Conditions Land Use Parking Standard 6,000 sf of residential 6 spaces 18,664 sf of office 37 spaces 15,832 sf of food service 53 spaces 24,022 sf of retail 48 spaces Total

144 parking spaces

Proposed Project Land Use Parking Standard 140,000 sf of residential 140 spaces 10,000 sf of office 33 spaces 10,000 sf of retail 20 spaces Total Deduction (Residential Credit) Credit for 6,000 sf residential Grand Total

193 parking spaces

6 spaces 187 parking spaces

There are several different approaches that are used to estimate the parking demand for a particular land use. These would include a review of the ITE Parking Manual.

ITE Parking Demand Calculations The standard parking demand for a mixed-use residential project such as this would come primarily from the apartment tenants and their guests/visitors. If this project were located in a suburban, auto-oriented area with no shared parking, the ITE calculations could result in a total parking demand of up to 221 spaces, about 146 spaces for the residential units and about 75 spaces for the commercial space. This estimate is based on typical ITE parking demand rates of 0.7 spaces per unit for apartments, and 3.76 spaces per 1,000 square feet of commercial space based on surveys of mostly (87%) suburban commercial sites contained in the ITE Parking Generation Manual.1 However, for this location in a central business district with excellent transit access (and located next to a major university), it is estimated that the parking demand will be much less than the typical ITE rate in the manuals. This is based on many of the same characteristics that are discussed in the trip generation section. The availability of transit, the use of bicycles, and the attractiveness of walking in the mixed-use university/downtown environment clearly results in reduced vehicle trip generation and an associated reduction in the need for parking. Based on the ITE estimates for this particular project, the Acheson Commons Project would have sufficient parking and satisfy its tenants with a parking ratio of about 0.25 spaces per unit (about 50 parking spaces). When visitor parking and extra tenant parking are taken into consideration, the total parking demand for the residential component is expected to be about 70 spaces. The retail component of the project would not have any reserved spaces but in a central business district the proposed street level retail would generate a demand for about 20 1

Parking Generation – An Informational Report, 3rd Edition, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington D.C.,

2004.

23

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

additional parking spaces, based on data from other similar projects. The ITE would come up with a total parking demand of 90 spaces, including both on-site and off-site parking. Since Berkeley has numerous opportunities for public transportation and the apartment residents are not all expected to have personal vehicles, it is anticipated that a substantial portion of all travel will occur by walking, bicycling, and through the use of public transit. Despite this, however, it is expected that up to 40 vehicles would park off-site, including both onstreet metered parking, and parking lots and garages, where available. Expected Parking Results for Acheson Commons. The on-site structure parking area (50 spaces) will be used exclusively by the residents and building management staff. The parking demand for visitors and additional resident vehicles would occur with on-street parking and public and private off-street parking. Designated parking for the commercial-retail uses would not be provided at the site. This retail parking demand would also be accommodated by onstreet parking, and by public and private off-street parking lots in the area. City of Berkeley Parking Practices. It has been a general practice in Berkeley to reduce the parking requirement for downtown residential projects in order to account for the extensive public bus transit system and the proximity of the nearby BART station. The actual experience of other multi-story, downtown Berkeley projects also needs to be evaluated because the area also has other unique characteristics. In this case, the proximity to the University campus and the number of school related units also needs to be considered. There is also a great deal of on-street parking in the vicinity of the project and there are several parking structures available in the area, which are open to the public. If a problem is identified then nearby off-street parking at other private properties may also be utilized. In summary, the main factors that should be considered are listed below:      

Proximity to bus transit and BART. Proximity to a major university and various other learning institutions Location in a pedestrian friendly central business/commercial district Availability of on-street parking (due to strict enforcement of time restrictions). Availability of off-street public parking. Potential for arrangements with off-street private parking lots.

Based on these factors, a 50-space on-site parking lot is appropriate for this project. The additional off-site parking demand created by the project needs to be balanced with the positive factors for the City of Berkeley, including the need for affordable housing, the benefits of mixeduse projects, the desire to limit increases in traffic, and the desire to improve conditions for pedestrians in the area. All of these factors are described in one form or another in the City’s General Plan. Parking Conditions at Other Equity Residential Properties Data has been compiled at several other Equity properties in downtown Berkeley. At each of these projects, there is a reduced parking supply from the City’s zoning code. Table 7 shows the results. As seen in this table, there are a number of similar projects where the amount of parking provided does not comply with the City’s zoning code. Please note that the data in Table 7 represents only one measured observation at each site. A drive-by survey of these parking areas suggests that these counts are indicative of a time period 24

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

where there is above average occupancy. At all sites, with the exception of the very small ones, the number of occupied spaces were quite a bit less than the capacity. In support of the use permit application for reduced parking requirements for Acheson Commons, the Project Sponsor gathered parking data for comparable developments during evening peak periods when parking demand of residential use is expected to peak. Occupancy is a percentage that describes the proportion of occupied parking spaces in relation to the total number of available parking spaces during a given time period. Based on the data in Table 7, the average project had a parking ratio of 0.54 spaces per unit. One of the projects, the Gaia, had a parking ratio of 0.42 spaces per unit. The overall parking occupancy for the projects was about 75%, and most of the parking ratios were in the range of 50% to 80%. As the number of units increase, the parking demand tends to decline. None of these projects are as large as the proposed Acheson Commons, so a reasonable conclusion from these other projects would be that a 208-unit project would require about 60 spaces, and that about 45 of these would be occupied during the peak. Again, given the more favorable location with respect to transit and the proximity to UC Berkeley, it is our conclusion that the proposal for Acheson Commons is reasonable, and will work out very successfully for downtown Berkeley. Table 7: Parking Occupancy at Downtown Berkeley Projects Project  Title 

Location 

No. of  Units 

On‐site  Parking 

Number  Occupied 

Acton Courtyard 

1370 University Ave 

71 

63 

34 

ARTech 

2002 Addison St 

21 





Bachenheimer 

2119 University Ave 

55 

30 

16 

Berkeleyan 

1910 Oxford St 

56 

25 

15 

Fine Arts 

2110 Haste St 

100 

60 

40 

Gaia 

2116 Allston Way  

91 

39 

32 

Touriel 

2004 University Ave 

35 





Note: The parking occupancy counts were taken during the week from Wednesday, 8/31/10 through Tuesday, 9/6/10. This corresponds to the Labor Day Weekend.

On-Street Parking Conditions near Project Site On-street parking occupancy surveys were conducted on both weekdays and weekends in September and October of 2010. A total of 21 block faces in the vicinity of the project site were surveyed. Where the street parking is not marked, the number of parking spaces was estimated by measuring block lengths and assuming approximately 25 feet per space. The survey results are shown in Table 8.

25

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Table 8: On-Street Parking Survey Summary

Street 

Oxford St 

Hearst Ave 

Berkeley Way 

University  Ave 

Addison St 

Milvia St 

Shattuck Ave 

Berkeley Sq  Walnut St  Off‐Street  Parking   

Side of Block 

1 West  1 East  2 West  2 East  3 West  3 East  4 North  4 South  5 North  5 South  6 North  6 South  7 North  7 South  8 North  8 South  9 North  9 South  10 North  10 South  11 North  11 South  12 North  12 South  13 North  13 South  14 North  14 South  15 North  15 South  16 West  16 East  17 West  17 East  18 West  18 East  19 West  19 East  20 West  20 East  21 West  21 East  Subtotal:  Parking Lot 1  Parking Lot 2  Parking Lot 3  Total: 

Parking  Capacity  9  11  3  8  5  4  6  0  8  0  10  12  5  8  9  13  2  0  15  17  0  0  10  9  4  5  4  3  12  10  7  0  10  11  5  6  10  9  10  9  8  7  294  110  29  19  452 

Thurs.  8/26/10  3:30‐4:30  PM  9  6  2  5  3  4  5  0  1  0  9  11  3  5  4  9  2  0  7  12  0  0  2  6  0  4  2  0  10  7  7  0  10  11  3  4  3  2  7  7  6  2  190  52  17  14  273 

Tue.  8/31/10  11:00  AM‐Noon  9  8  1  7  3  3  6  0  4  0  3  7  1  4  4  11  1  0  12  15  0  0  7  7  0  5  3  1  11  7  7  0  10  10  2  5  3  6  7  7  5  5  207  60  14  10  291 

Number of Occupied Spaces  Tue.  Tue.  Wed.  9/9/10  9/16/10  9/22/10  8:00‐9:00  2:30‐3:30  9:00‐ PM  PM  10:00 PM  9  9  5  11  11  8  3  3  3  8  5  4  5  2  1  4  3  4  6  6  5  0  0  0  4  5  4  0  0  0  9  8  6  12  8  9  4  2  4  6  6  5  9  3  6  13  8  11  2  0  2  0  0  0  13  4  14  18  12  15  0  0  0  0  0  0  10  3  8  8  1  6  3  0  3  4  3  3  3  4  3  3  1  0  12  9  9  8  3  4  7  6  6  0  0  0  9  10  9  10  7  8  4  5  5  5  3  4  9  7  7  9  3  7  10  8  4  9  6  7  8  3  4  8  2  5  275  179  208  90  78  26  5  11  5  7  10  4  377  278  243 

Sat.  10/2/10  2:00‐3:00  PM  5  8  2  4  2  3  5  0  3  0  4  8  4  3  4  10  2  0  13  16  0  0  9  8  3  4  4  3  10  6  6  0  10  9  5  5  9  8  8  7  3  3  216  81  18  10  325 

Sat.  10/16/10  2:00‐3:00  PM  7  6  3  1  1  2  6  0  2  0  8  8  1  3  5  12  1  0  10  14  0  0  8  6  3  5  3  2  10  9  6  0  8  9  4  5  9  9  8  7  6  6  213  63  13  17  306 

26

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

The on-street parking occupancy surveys show that there are 294 parking spaces within a twoblock radius of the project. The project area parking is approximately 70% full during the weekday morning peak period between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM Of the study area’s 294 onstreet parking spaces, a total of 87 on-street parking spaces were available for parking during this peak period. However, during the evening peak period after 7:00 PM the project area has approximately 53 on-street parking spaces available and is approximately 82% full. Overall, by combining this surplus of on-street parking with the on-site parking supply, the project is expected to have enough short-term and long-term parking available between 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The project is partially located in the Residential Permit Parking Area (Area E), which limits parking to 2-hours only unless residential permit parking or visitor permit is properly displayed in the vehicle. Area E parking area is restricted to 2-hour parking between 8 AM and 7 PM Some limited unrestricted on-street parking is available after 7 PM. for the residents of the proposed project. Therefore, the project is expected to have enough long-term parking available after 7:00 PM. Traffic engineers typically consider an occupancy rate of 90 % or more to be “full”. This shows that on-street parking is typically full during the morning peak period in the vicinity of the proposed project. However, ample parking spaces are available during the evening peak period after 7:00 PM. There is quite a bit of unrestricted on-street parking available after 7:00 PM for the residents of the proposed project to park. It is unlikely that the residents of the proposed project will have to rely on the on-street parking, since the parking demand is expected to be very low. It would most likely be the visitors that will be utilizing the on-street parking. Figure 11 depicts a sample of our on-street and off-street parking study results. This figure in particular shows the results of our Thursday, August 31 count taken at the time between 11 AM and noon. This count was chosen to be represented in the sample because it is the count with most middle-ground outcome. Occupancy studies of the off-street parking lots in the area were also conducted. The projected parking conditions during different times of day are shown in Table 9. Table 9: Average Available Spaces Within Project Vicinity Time Period 

On‐Street Parking  Available 

Off‐Street Parking Available   (Does Not Include Private  Parking Lot) 

Total Available Parking   (Including 50 From  Acheson) 

Weekday Morning 

87 

62 

199 

Weekday Afternoon 

110 

59 

219 

Weekday Evening 

53 

76 

179 

Saturday‐Sunday 

78 

58 

186 

27

12 (7)

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

FIGURE 11

LEGEND XX (YY)=Supply (Occupied)

Addison Street

University Avenue

8 (4)

5 (2)

17

10 (3)

18

3 (1)

14

0 (0)

11

0 (0)

9 (6 )

4 (3)

6 (5)

20

4

10 (7)

15

TUESDAY, 8/31 11AM-NOON

LOT 3

UC Parking Garage

Regular: 25 (9) Handicap: 2 (0) ZipCar: 1 (1) CarShare: 1 (0) 29 (10)

13 5 (5)

12

4 (0)

Regular: 19 (10) 19 (10)

LOT 2

21

0 (0)

9

2 (1)

Walnut Street

0 (0)

5

8 (4)

9 (7)

10 (7)

12 (11)

13 (11)

8

9 (4)

Under Construction

SAMPLE OF ON-STREET AND OFF-STREET PARKING DATA

17 (15)

10

15 (12)

Regular: 88 (47) Handicap: 5 (2) Permit: 15 (15) CarShare: 2 (2) 110 (66)

LOT 1

7

Berkeley Way

6

Henry Street

5 (1)

10 (10)

Milvia Street

16

0 (0)

452 Total Supply: 291 Total Demand: Net Vacant Spaces: 161

7 (7)

Shattuck Avenue 11 (10)

10 (3)

9 (7)

0 (0)

8 (5)

19

10 (7)

qua re

Berk eley S

7 (5)

Hearst Avenue

9 (9)

5 (3)

2

3 (1)

1

Oxford Street

6 (6)

3

11 (8)

Walnut Street

UC Buildings Under Construction

N

8 (7)

4 (3)

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Off-Street Parking Shared Parking with Equity Properties. Equity Properties manages and controls a number of properties within a short walk of the proposed project. Figure 12 shows the location of these projects, the number of spaces that are generally available, and which could be shared with other Equity holdings. Two Equity apartment complexes within the vicinity are not shown on the figure. These include the Acton apartments, located at 1370 University Ave., which generally have 63 spots available, and the Fine Arts apartments located at 2110 Haste Street, which have about 60 spots available. Expand discussion to include BMC 23D.12.030 requirements, and 300 foot walking distance. Clarify conditions of usage of Berkeley Way Public Lot. It is not recommended that this type of parking should be a Condition of Approval, but such a plan could be developed by Equity as the need arises. For example, spaces could be reserved for residents at a monthly fee at one of several nearby private lots. This could also include a system where motorists could be directed from the project garage to other nearby properties when the Acheson Commons property is completely full. It is our understanding that his has been done at other Equity properties.

Public Parking There are three off-street parking lots that could be used by the Acheson Project. These are: 1. Berkeley Way Public Parking Lot – one block west of the site at Berkeley Way. This parking lot consists of 110 spaces, of which 88 are regular, 5 are handicap, 15 are for BW Permits, and 2 are City CarShare. The lot is metered between the hours of 7 AM and 10 PM and the BW permits are valid between 6 AM and 6 PM. 2. Addison Public Parking Lot – Another parking lot within the vicinity of the project is on Addison Way between Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street. This parking lot contains a total of 29 spaces, 2 of which are handicap, 1 for Zipcars, 1 for City CarShare, and the remaining 25 are regular spaces. The lot is constantly metered but parkers can only be charged a maximum of $7.00 on weeknights and weekends and a maximum of $15.00 during weekdays. 3. Mike’s Bikes (Private Parking) – This parking lot is located at the corner of University Avenue and Walnut Street and is designated for Mike’s Bike’s, a retail bike shop. The parking lot has a total of 19 parking spaces and the hours posted for use by Mike’s Bike’s customers only are between the hours of 6 AM and 7 PM on weekdays and 6 AM and 6 PM on weekends.

29

Jr Way

4

H earst Ave

Delaware St

Addison St

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Martin Luther King

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

FIGURE 12

McKinley Ave

Bonita Ave

Apartment Name # of Available Spaces

Touriel 5

Henry Ave

Milvia St

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

3

5

2

Shattuck Ave

Gaia 39

Allston Way

University Hall

Bachenheimer 30

WITHIN THE VICINITY OF THE PROJECT

OTHER EQUITY APARTMENTS

Berkeley City College

Center St

Artech 17

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

Walnut St

PROJECT LOCATION

Berkeley Square

Francisco St

Milvia St

Walnutt St

Equity = Existing Apartments

Shattuck Ave

1

Oxford St Berkeleyan 25

Arch St

Spruce S t

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

Le

Co nt e

Av e

Shattuck Ave

LEGEND

The Crescent

Oxford St

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

7. WEEKEND TRAFFIC AND PARKING CONDITIONS For the weekend analysis, traffic counts were taken at each of the six (6) study intersections on a Saturday afternoon between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM. The Saturday afternoon conditions are considered to be representative of the traffic conditions in downtown Berkeley. Figure 13 shows the existing intersection turning movements for the weekend period. The lane configurations are the same as has been identified for the other scenarios.

Existing Weekend Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Table 11 shows the intersection capacity results that are estimated to occur during a peak hour of activity on a Saturday. Detailed calculations and queuing analyses for weekend conditions are included in the Appendix. The side street movements at the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way are at LOS D, and the intersection does not meet peak hour signal warrant criteria. None of the intersections experienced any significant or unusual intersection delay during the traffic counts. At the intersections on University Avenue at Shattuck Avenue and at MLK Jr. Way, there were a number of signal cycles where a queue of up to five vehicles would occur when the green cycle was completed. In each case, the delay could be attributed to the very heavy pedestrian volumes, and conflicts with the right-turning vehicles.

Table 11: Intersection Level of Service – Existing Weekend Conditions

ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method 

Weekend  Conditions  Existing Conditions  Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Signal 

14.0 

0.28 





Berkeley Way and Oxford St 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 

30.3 

N/A 





Shattuck Ave and University Ave 

Signal 

13.4 

0.55 





University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 

Signal 

16.3 

0.49 





Shattuck Avenue and Center St 

Signal  (Offset) 

12.5 

0.37 





Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

Signal 

15.3 

0.58 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

31

30 531 12

H earst Ave

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Acheson Commons

City of Berkeley

19

10

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Delaware St 11

Addison St

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

BERKELEY WAY

3 15 UNIVERSITY AVENUE

426 429 42

University Ave

Berkeley Way

115 322 312

188 488 59 See Box, Right

Match Line 1

3

5

2

4

PROJECT LOCATION

100 644 91

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

72 647 44

Allston Way

SATURDAY PEAK HOUR

EXISTING TRAFFIC VOLUMES

Berkeley City College

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

3

Shattuck Ave

Francisco St 36

Milvia St

22 648 44

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

BERKELEY WAY

2

26 453 48 Milvia St

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

77 386 76 Berkeley Square

Henry Ave

Wa122 lnut St 495 57 University Hall

Walnutt St

5

1

27 0 35

867 22 Oxford St

0 0 5 CENTER STREET

59

52

6

83 251 137

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

61

23 435 7

32 0 56

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 13

McKinley Ave

Arch St

Oxford St

1

Shattuck Ave

724ce S t Spru

974 36 Le

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n te

Av 840 e 71

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Weekend Trip Generation Table 12 shows the trip generation characteristics that are estimated to occur during a weekend peak hour. Table 12: Weekend Vehicle Trip Generation (Saturday, 2:00 to 3:00 PM) Land Use 

Size 

   ITE Apartment Rates (Code 230)  Proposed Apartments  Reduction for Non‐Auto Trips  (40%)  Subtotals 

   208 Units   

ITE Retail Rates (Code 820)  Proposed Retail Space 

20,000  Sq. Ft 

Reduction for Pass‐By/Non‐Auto  Trips (34%)  Subtotals 

 

Totals 

Sat Peak Hour  In  Out  Total           0.34  0.18  0.52  70  38  108  28 

15 

43 

42 

23 

65 

2.40 

2.49 

4.89 

48 

50 

98 

16 

17 

33 

32 

33 

65 

75 

52 

127 

Existing Weekend Plus Approved Plus Project Conditions – Level of Service Analysis The intersection capacity results show that each of the five signalized intersections will operate no worse than Level of Service B at any time during the weekend. The addition of project traffic is very minor at all locations. None of the intersections should experience any significant or unusual intersection delay as a result of the project. The difference in the average delay by adding the project is no more than 0.8 seconds at any location. The change in the v/c ratio is at most 0.02, which is very minor change that is within the statistical variability of the calculations. The addition of the project traffic will have its greatest impact at the unsignalized intersection at Berkeley Way and Shattuck Avenue. While a traffic signal is not warranted with existing plus project traffic, it will certainly meet the warrants at some time in the future as a result of other background growth and the continuing expansion at the UC Campus. The traffic from the project represents about a 2% change in the overall intersection volume, but it results in a 30% increase in the left turn volume from Berkeley Way onto Shattuck Avenue during the PM peak period which is one of the major factors that affect the traffic signal warrants. Figure 14 shows the intersection turning movement volumes resulting from Weekend Existing plus Approved plus Project Conditions and Table 13 shows the LOS results for this same scenario.

33

32 531 12

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

City of Berkeley

Acheson Commons

BERKELEY WAY

188 504 59 Berkeley City College

See Box, Right

Match Line 1

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

University Ave

Berkeley Way

122 322 312

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

432 449 42

3

5

2

4

PROJECT LOCATION

100 651 91

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

72 667 44

Allston Way

University Hall

5

Oxford St

1

27 0 35

SATURDAY PEAK HOUR

EXISTING PLUS APPROVED PLUS PROJECT TRAFFIC VOLUMES

H earst Ave

19

10

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Delaware St 11

Addison St

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

3 31

3

Shattuck Ave

Francisco St 46

Milvia St

22 648 48

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

BERKELEY WAY

2

26 453 61 Milvia St

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

77 386 76 Berkeley Square

Henry Ave

Wa122 lnut St 495 57 Walnutt St

883 22 Oxford St

0 0 5 CENTER STREET

59

52

6

83 251 137

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

61

25 435 7

36 0 62

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 14

McKinley Ave

Arch St

1

Shattuck Ave

730ce S t Spru

990 36 Le

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n te

Av 846 e 71

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Table 13: Intersection Level of Service – Existing Plus Approved Plus Project Weekend Conditions Weekend  Conditions  ID 

Intersection 

Traffic Control  Method 

Existing + Approved  +Project  Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Signal 

13.9 

0.29 





Berkeley Way and Oxford St 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 

31.7 

N/A 





Shattuck Ave and University Ave 

Signal 

13.4 

0.56 





University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 

Signal 

16.4 

0.50 





Shattuck Avenue and Center St 

Signal  (Offset) 

11.9 

0.38 





Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

Signal 

15.2 

0.59 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

Cumulative (2035) Weekend Conditions – Level of Service Analysis Abrams Associates developed the 2035 traffic forecast by utilizing the latest ACCMA traffic and land use projections. The differences between the 2015 and 2035 model link volumes were used to estimate a twenty-year growth increment. This increment was added to existing turning movement volumes proportionately based on existing left, through, and right turn volumes at the study intersections. The individual turning movements were summed and compared to the model link volumes. Where necessary, additional adjustments were made. Figure 15 illustrates the resulting 2035 turning movement volumes at each of the six (6) study intersections and Figure 16 shows the Cumulative plus Project turning movement volumes. Intersection capacity results were calculated for each intersection, and the results are shown in Table 14 for both Cumulative and Cumulative plus Project scenarios.

35

34 595 13

H earst Ave

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Acheson Commons

City of Berkeley

21

11

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Delaware St 12

Addison St

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

BERKELEY WAY

3 17 UNIVERSITY AVENUE

477 480 47

University Ave

Berkeley Way

129 361 349

211 547 66 See Box, Right

Match Line 1

3

5

2

4

PROJECT LOCATION

112 721 102

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

81 725 49

Allston Way

University Hall

SATURDAY PEAK HOUR

CUMULATIVE TRAFFIC VOLUMES

Berkeley City College

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

3

Shattuck Ave

Francisco St 40

Milvia St

25 726 49

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

BERKELEY WAY

2

29 507 54 Milvia St

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

86 432 85 Berkeley Square

Henry Ave

Wa137 lnut St 554 64 Walnutt St

5

1

30 0 39

971 25 Oxford St

0 0 6 CENTER STREET

66

58

6

93 281 153

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

68

26 487 8

36 0 63

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 15

McKinley Ave

Arch St

Oxford St

1

Shattuck Ave

811ce S t Spru

1091 40 Le

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n te

Av 941 e 80

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

41 595 13

H earst Ave

MLK Jr. Civic Center Park

Acheson Commons

City of Berkeley

21

11

SHATTUCK AVENUE

Delaware St 12

Addison St

TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY

4

Martin Luther King Jr Way

BERKELEY WAY

3 33 UNIVERSITY AVENUE

498 500 47

University Ave

Berkeley Way

155 361 349

211 563 66 See Box, Right

Match Line 1

3

5

2

4

PROJECT LOCATION

112 747 102

UNIVERSITY AVENUE

81 745 49

Allston Way

University Hall

5

Oxford St

1

SATURDAY PEAK HOUR

CUMULATIVE PLUS PROJECT TRAFFIC VOLUMES

Berkeley City College

Center St

Berkeley Repertory Theatre

3

Shattuck Ave

Francisco St 50

Milvia St

25 726 63

Bonita Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

BERKELEY WAY

2

29 507 101 Milvia St

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAY

86 432 85 Berkeley Square

Henry Ave

Wa137 lnut St 554 64 Walnutt St

30 0 39

987 25 Oxford St

0 0 6 CENTER STREET

66

58

6

93 281 153

DWIGHT WAY

k

Hearst Ave

6

Match Line 1

N Scenic Ave

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

Dwight Way

Wi c

d nR o s

University of California, Berkeley

68

32 487 8

40 0 69

OXFORD STREET

FIGURE 16

McKinley Ave

Arch St

1

Shattuck Ave

832ce S t Spru

1107 40 Le

CoSHATTUCK AVENUE n te

Av 962 e 80

Shattuck Ave

SHATTUCK AVENUE

The Crescent

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Table 14: Intersection Level of Service – Cumulative (2035) Weekend Conditions  

 

 

Cumulative  Conditions 

Cumulative +  Project Conditions 

Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Delay 

V/C 

LOS 

Signal 

13.3 

0.32 



13.3 

0.33 





Berkeley Way and Oxford St 



Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way 

Side Street Stop 

40.7 

N/A 



46.9 

N/A 





Shattuck Ave and University Ave 

Signal 

14.1 

0.62 



14.4 

0.63 





University Way and MLK, Jr. Way 

Signal 

17.4 

0.60 



17.5 

0.61 





Shattuck Avenue and Center St 

Signal  (Offset) 

12.3 

0.42 



12.3 

0.43 





Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way 

Signal 

16.7 

0.65 



16.9 

0.66 



Notes: For unsignalized intersections, the delay values are for the critical minor approach. For signals, the delay values are the overall delay. Delay is expressed in seconds per vehicle. LOS = Level of Service.

The intersection capacity results shown in Table 14 indicate that each of the five signalized intersections that have been studied will operate at Level of Service B under cumulative traffic conditions. None of the intersections were shown to exhibit any significant or unusual intersection delay. The unsignalized intersection at Berkeley Way and Shattuck Avenue will have crossed the threshold where a traffic signal becomes warranted. It is expected that this intersection will become signalized based on other development changes and pedestrian considerations in downtown Berkeley.

Weekend Parking Conditions Parking conditions were surveyed at several times on the weekend. The results are listed in Table 15. The parking area that was studied is shown on Figure 11. The parking studies covered approximately 10 blocks and included 294 on-street spaces.

38

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

Table 15 Weekend Parking Occupancy No of Spaces

Number occupied on Saturday at 2:00 PM

Percent Occupancy

On-Street Parking

294

213

72.4%

Berkeley Way Public Parking Lot

110

63

57.2%

Addison Street Public Parking Lot

29

13

44.8%

Mike’s Bikes

19

17

89.4%

Total

452

306

67.7%

The parking conditions on a weekend show a similar overall occupancy, but there are some differences in where people desire to park.

8. STUDY FINDINGS Summary of Traffic Findings Based on the trip generation methodology used in this study, the proposed project could generate as many as 77 net new trips during the AM peak hour and 127 net new trips during the PM peak hour, on a typical weekday. Under Existing Conditions, all signalized study intersections are operating at acceptable service levels (LOS D or better). During the AM peak hour, the minor approach of the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way operates at LOS E with 36.9 seconds of delay. This location does not meet the Caltrans warrants that would justify the installation of a traffic signal. Given the traffic signals at the adjacent intersections, there are sufficient gaps in the through traffic to allow traffic from the side streets to operate without excessive delay. Further explanation of warrants and significant impacts at Berkeley Way intersection. Describe the other factors involved. There are several projects that are planned or under construction in the study area. The traffic from these “Approved” projects has been added to the existing traffic conditions. Under Existing plus Approved plus Project Conditions, all signalized study intersections are operating at acceptable service levels (LOS D or better). During the AM peak hour, the minor approach of the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way operates at LOS E with 42.2 seconds of delay. With the addition of the 127 vehicle trips, all signalized study intersections are operating at acceptable service levels (LOS D or better). During the AM peak hour, the minor approach of

39

ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way operates at LOS E with 45.4 seconds of delay and LOS E with a delay of 40.4 seconds during the PM peak hour. Cumulative traffic conditions (Year 2035) were also reviewed. With this scenario, all signalized study intersections are operating at acceptable service levels (LOS D or better). During the PM peak hour, the minor approach of the intersection of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way operates at LOS F with a delay above 50 seconds. For an unsignalized intersection, a LOS E or F that is associated with a side street left turn movement is not considered to be a significant impact. This issue would be resolved if a traffic signal were to be installed, but this intersection does not meet the peak hour signal warrants.

Access Conditions Abrams Associates reviewed the project site plan to evaluate on-site circulation and access. The access point to the on-site 50-space parking lot on Berkeley Way is expected to be adequate for cars and small trucks accessing the site. It is recommended that a minimum width of 24 feet (i.e. 12-foot lane for inbound traffic and 12-foot lane for outbound traffic) be provided for the project driveway on Berkeley Way. “STOP” signs should also be installed facing exiting vehicles at the project driveway. In addition to the signs, street-level audible systems and flashing lights that alert pedestrians of exiting vehicles should be installed at the project driveway.

Parking Conditions The proposed project exceeds the City of Berkeley’s parking requirement, which is a total gross parking requirement of 189 spaces. The existing land uses on the site are legally nonconforming and they do not provide the parking required by the current zoning ordinance. The current property, which includes residential, office, food service and retail land uses, would require 144 off-street parking spaces. With the requirement of 189 spaces for the new land use, and a credit of 144 spaces for the legal non-conforming aspects of the previous land uses, the net new parking requirement would be 43 spaces. The project proposes to provide 50 new spaces at the rear of Building C with access to Berkeley Way. The on-site structure parking area (50 spaces) will be used for the residents and building management staff. When the project has additional parking demand for visitors and additional resident vehicles, then on-street parking and public and private off-street parking lots would be used to accommodate this additional demand. Special parking for the commercial-visitor uses would not be provided. This parking demand can be accommodated by on-street parking, and by public and private off-street parking lots. On-street parking occupancy surveys show that there are 294 parking spaces that could be used by the public within a two-block radius of the project. The on-street parking is approximately 70% full during the weekday morning peak period between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM. Of the study area’s 294 on-street parking spaces, a total of 87 on-street parking spaces were available for parking during this peak period. During the evening peak period after 7:00 PM. there are generally fewer on-street spaces available. At this time, the project area has approximately 53 on-street parking spaces available and is approximately 82% full. Overall, by combining this surplus of on-street parking with the on-site parking supply, the project is expected to have enough short-term parking available between 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM and long-

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ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011

SHATTUCK AND UNIVERSITY TRAFFIC AND PARKING STUDY

term parking is also readily available. The maximum on-street occupancy in the area occurs on a weekday evening between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM when surveys indicate there is normally a total of about 87 spaces available. This is more than adequate to cover the 40-vehicle spillover that may occur with this project. It should also be noted that about 7-8 on-street spaces will be gained as various driveways are closed. This factor has not been included in the calculations. The applicant could, if deemed necessary by his tenant demand, reserve some other nearby private parking spaces for the use of this project. For example, there are about 40 spaces potentially available on a property across the street from the project on Walnut Street. The applicant is the owner and manager of several of these properties, and future parking arrangements can be arranged.

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TECHNICAL APPENDIX

SHATTUCK & UNIVERSITY MIXED USE PROJECT

Prepared by:

Abrams Associates 1875 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 210 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Tel: 925.945.0201

Abrams Associates TRAFFIC ENGINEERING, INC.

JUNE, 2011

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