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
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
Signal
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
V/C
LOS
PM Peak Hour Delay
V/C
LOS
13.6 0.33
B
13.5 0.36
B
36.9
N/A
E
26.3
N/A
D
Signal
14.5 0.53
B
14.0 0.52
B
Signal
14.1 0.42
B
14.9 0.42
B
Signal (Offset)
16.0 0.50
B
16.9 0.59
B
Signal
17.7 0.66
B
20.0 0.77
B
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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ABRAMS ASSOCIATES, INC. MAY, 2011
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
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
Signal
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
V/C
LOS
PM Peak Hour Delay
V/C
LOS
14.1 0.37
B
14.1 0.39
B
42.2
N/A
E
32.4
N/A
D
Signal
14.6 0.56
B
14.1 0.54
B
Signal
14.4 0.43
B
15.4 0.44
B
Signal (Offset)
16.2 0.52
B
17.6 0.60
B
Signal
19.0 0.69
B
20.8 0.79
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.
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
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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
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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
8
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
8
20
37
38
75
292
4
3
7
12
13
25
567
8
5
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
13
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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
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
Signal
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
V/C
LOS
PM Peak Hour Delay
V/C
LOS
14.1 0.38
B
14.1 0.39
B
45.2
N/A
E
40.4
N/A
E
Signal
14.8 0.58
B
14.0 0.55
B
Signal
14.3 0.44
B
15.6 0.45
B
Signal (Offset)
16.2 0.52
B
16.9 0.60
B
Signal
19.0 0.69
B
20.9 0.79
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 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
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
>50.0
N/A
F
49.9
N/A
E
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
Signal
16.3
0.73
B
14.6
0.61
B
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
Signal
15.5
0.54
B
16.4
0.52
B
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
Signal (Offset)
18.5
0.67
B
18.7
0.69
B
6
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
B
14.4
0.44
B
> 50.0 N/A
F
> 50.0 N/A
F
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
Signal
16.5
0.75
B
14.6
0.62
B
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
Signal
15.4
0.55
B
16.8
0.53
B
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
Signal (Offset)
17.9
0.68
B
17.8
0.70
B
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
Signal
26.9
0.87
C
26.0
0.89
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 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
8
8
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
5
5
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
B
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
30.3
N/A
D
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
Signal
13.4
0.55
B
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
Signal
16.3
0.49
B
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
Signal (Offset)
12.5
0.37
B
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
Signal
15.3
0.58
B
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
B
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
31.7
N/A
D
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
Signal
13.4
0.56
B
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
Signal
16.4
0.50
B
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
Signal (Offset)
11.9
0.38
B
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
Signal
15.2
0.59
B
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
B
13.3
0.33
B
1
Berkeley Way and Oxford St
2
Shattuck Ave and Berkeley Way
Side Street Stop
40.7
N/A
E
46.9
N/A
E
3
Shattuck Ave and University Ave
Signal
14.1
0.62
B
14.4
0.63
B
4
University Way and MLK, Jr. Way
Signal
17.4
0.60
B
17.5
0.61
B
5
Shattuck Avenue and Center St
Signal (Offset)
12.3
0.42
B
12.3
0.43
B
6
Shattuck Avenue and Dwight Way
Signal
16.7
0.65
B
16.9
0.66
B
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-
40
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.
41
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