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Report regarding development of a shared streets pilot program in the City of South San Francisco to enhance physical distancing during COVID-19. (Christopher Espiritu, Senior Planner and Sailesh Mehra, Planning Manager)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council review the information in this staff report and provide staff with direction regarding the proposed shared streets pilot program outlined below. There are no actions for consideration at this time.
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BACKGROUND
Beginning June 1, 2020, San Mateo County has a revised shelter in place order which aligned with the Governor’s Phase 2 modifications to the statewide stay-at-home order. As cities around the world begin recovering, one way to meet the challenges ahead is to explore shifting how public space is allocated or shared and which uses are prioritized, as a way to mitigate COVID-19’s mortality, health, economic, and social impacts.
Exploration of a shared streets program (also known as slow streets or friendly streets) would support the gradual re-opening of a city’s economic activity centers by allowing defined spaces in the public right-of-way for businesses and restaurants to use sidewalks and/or adjacent parking spaces for outdoor dining areas, or allocating dedicated spaces to queue for take-out. Some shared streets efforts to support businesses also include diverting vehicles from specific streets to create a car-free plaza or market space and emphasize a safe and accessible area for the public.
In addition, shared streets programs can also provide residential neighborhoods with extended open spaces by temporarily limiting through traffic from certain neighborhood streets. This would enhance residents’ capabilities for physically distant socialization that complies with social distancing protocols, and residents can more comfortably use these low-traffic streets for physically distant walking, wheelchair rolling, jogging, and biking in neighborhoods throughout the city.
As shown in Attachment 1, cities around the world, the country, and in the Bay Area, have taken this approach to support the changing needs of businesses and residents for additional spaces for physical distancing. Shared streets programs are temporary in nature and can be implemented on the public right-of-way using various methods, depending on the needs of each city. This effort is not intended to result in negative effects to emergency vehicle access, transit service, the ability for residents on shared streets to receive deliveries, nor prevent a resident or business owner from accessing their property.
DISCUSSION
Staff believes that a shared streets program, similar to the ones implemented in nearby cities in San Mateo County and the City of Oakland, can be implemented in South San Francisco as a limited pilot program, provided that there is support and participation by business owners, residents, and other members of the community.
City staff used available information ranging from guidance on shared streets published by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), SSF Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, SSF Chamber of Commerce outreach (See Attachment 2 for the full text), and internal consultation with other City Departments and Divisions. In selecting initial locations for the shared streets pilot program, Staff considered geographic constraints, preliminary community feedback (small businesses), proximity to existing facilities, and how inclusion into the pilot program would align with the City’s long-term sustainability and mobility goals.
In order to aid the Council’s discussion of the appropriate program for the City, Staff has prepared the following information for consideration:
Summary of Community Business Outreach by SSF Chamber of Commerce
Since implementation of the shelter-in-place order in March, small businesses and restauranteurs have not been able to operate and have lost revenues. Adding to their problems, the employers in the East of 101 area, a traditional source of revenue, have sent their employees home and do not plan to have them return to office work anytime soon. According to the Chamber, there are 11 restaurants that are identified as preferred caterers for Genentech. Catering services amounts to 60 -70% of a restaurant’s revenues during normal times. Even when the SIP order is lifted, our downtown restaurants will not see an immediate return to normality.
A number of localities are pondering outside dining as a solution to the requirement of social distancing in restaurants. San Francisco’s program called “Shared Spaces” will allow pick-up services in public spaces like sidewalks, streets, or parks and plazas now. As a first step to determine if a similar program is feasible, City staff and the SSF Chamber have surveyed downtown businesses.
Twenty-three (23) businesses responded to the survey, with 100% in support of outdoor dining. The responses favored both parklets and temporary street closures. Staff and the Chamber were able to round off the percentage as follows:
• 75% in favor of Parklets
• 25% in favor of Temporary Street Closures
• Concerns fell under Temporary Street Closures: location, what streets, SSF wind impacts, and hours of closure
Downtown (Grand Avenue)
Given that initial feedback from the SSF Chamber showed support for outdoor dining, Staff identified Grand Avenue (between Spruce and Cypress Avenues) for the shared streets pilot program in the downtown area. Grand Avenue’s existing configuration, with angled parking on both sides, and one travel lane in each direction of the street, can accommodate various shared streets designs, but will depend on further feedback and other considerations by the Council.
While support for outdoor dining was unanimous, only a quarter of businesses supported closing streets to implement the shared streets concept. However, Council should consider all available options (and combinations of options) for Grand Avenue as illustrated in Attachment 3 and described below:
Option 1: Full Closure of Grand Avenue
- Full closure of Grand Avenue to vehicles and parking
- Allows only people walking, or people bicycling, and transit routes as needed
- Parking restricted on Grand Avenue
Option 2: One-Way Traffic on Grand Avenue
- Partial closure of Grand Avenue
- One travel lane remaining in operation (one-way only for vehicles and buses)
- Speed limit reduction for remaining lane
- Allows people walking, or people bicycling on other side of the street
- Parking restricted on one side of Grand Avenue
Option 3: Grand Avenue Parking Repurposed for Outdoor Dining
- No street closures (two-way travel remains)
- Speed limit reduction on Grand Avenue
- Grand Avenue-fronting, ground floor businesses can apply to City to use the directly adjacent parking areas for outdoor dining or pick up/take out use.
Advantages
- Grand Avenue has additional street space (sidewalks and diagonal parking spaces) available for dining area extensions
o Dining areas can be developed on the parking spaces or on sidewalks
- Additional space can be used to provide expanded take-out areas for restaurants with queuing spaces outside restaurants
- Grand Avenue provides transit connections and is a main route for the internal City Shuttle which can facilitate travel to other areas of the City
- Existing connections to existing bicycle lanes would effectively provide a continuous bike facility through Grand Avenue
o Grand Avenue between Spruce and Eucalyptus can provide direct connections to the trail and other bike facilities
- Grand Avenue can function as a main connector to other potential shared streets in neighborhoods near downtown
o Maple Avenue and Cypress Avenue (See map in Attachment 3)
Disadvantages
- Potential loss of parking meter revenue during meter operation hours
- Other retail uses (community market/groceries) may not benefit from outdoor dining and may prefer designated pick-up/take out spaces
- May require meters at side streets to be designated for restaurant pick-up only, leading to further loss of parking meter revenue
Residential Areas (Various Neighborhoods in SSF)
Shared streets as implemented in other municipalities and counties have utilized neighborhoods to create expanded outdoor space for residents to practice social distancing. City Staff also considered shared streets for other areas of the City using a few guiding principles, which are consistent with similar implementation of this concept (See Attachment 4):
1) The street will be closed to automobile through traffic (residents, emergency vehicles, essential visitors, and delivery vehicles will be allowed).
2) All non-automobile traffic would be welcome, which means cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, scooters, skateboards, wheeled vehicles, etc.
3) People from other neighborhoods would be allowed on the restricted streets.
4) The speed limit would be lowered to 15 MPH for local essential neighborhood traffic (although unenforceable).
5) Residents on selected streets should park off-street in driveways/garages as much as possible.
6) The street closure will be terminated if:
a. The people using the street for recreation purposes do not comply with the County Health Order (social distancing and face coverings), and;
b. If the City receives three or more shut-down requests from residents of the closed street.
As illustrated in Attachment 4, Staff identified several potential streets for consideration, but these should be modified based on City Council feedback and outreach to residents.
These streets were identified since these were typically streets that led to an existing park (such as Eucalyptus Drive) or open space (such as South Magnolia Drive) and would effectively function as an extension of that park or open space. Also, implementation of shared streets to specific neighborhoods were meant to avoid collector or arterial streets which would typically have high traffic volumes, or typically function as the main thoroughfare for neighborhoods, thus closure would not be ideal for those street types.
Advantages
- Using nearby parks as a destination, neighborhood streets can be transformed and function as an extension of the park and safely allow for a greater number of users
- Neighborhood streets are not typically used for “cut-through” travel by vehicles and would not require severe changes to traffic flows, except for local-only traffic
Disadvantages
- Restricting vehicular access on certain streets may lead to temporary secondary effects such as parking loss during neighborhood restrictions
- Temporary increase in vehicular travel on adjacent streets
CONSIDERATIONS
If the City Council determines that a shared streets pilot program would be appropriate for South San Francisco, an inter-departmental team with representatives from City Manager’s Office, Economic and Community Development, Department of Public Works, Fire Department, Police Department, and Parks and Recreation Department, would need to convene and proceed with the next steps in establishing the program.
These next steps include:
• Developing a formal list of potential shared streets locations
o Downtown Streets
o Neighborhood Streets
• Outreach with City Boards and Commissions
o Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), Parking Place Commission (PPC), Traffic Safety Commission (TSC), and others
• Determine pilot program operations for street closures
o Weeknights or weekends only for shared streets in Downtown
o Weekends only for neighborhood streets
• Determine costs to the City
• Identify appropriate design standards
o Outdoor dining equipment standards (as proposed by businesses)
o Signs and barricades at selected streets and intersections
• Liability and Code issues (ADA, insurance, etc.)
• Community outreach
• Monitoring Process and ensuring public safety
• Process for continuation or deactivation of program elements once the shelter-in-place orders have been lifted (or sooner if directed by City Council)
FISCAL IMPACT
This is a study item only and there is no Fiscal Impact. Subsequent actions may result in reduced parking meter revenues, minor City expenditures (e.g., barricades, signage, etc.) and/or increased maintenance, sidewalk cleaning or street cleaning costs.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the Council authorize staff to develop a shared streets program - on a limited pilot basis - in the Downtown with the following parameters:
• Option 3: Grand Ave. (Cypress to Spruce) parking areas made available to ground floor businesses for outdoor dining or pick up/take out use.
• Two-way vehicular traffic maintained, with reduced speed limit.
• Prior to implementation, staff would return to Council with proposed design and maintenance standards, along with an analysis of any outstanding logistical issues, including any upfront or ongoing City costs that would require funding to be identified.
• Due to the potential loss of parking meter revenue, the pilot program would need to be brought to the Downtown Parking Commission for approval.
• Initial pilot program would sunset after 90 days, and would be evaluated by staff and presented to Council for potential extension.
Additionally, staff recommends further study, including public discussion at the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, to identify one or more opportunities for a potential shared streets program in one or more neighborhoods.
City staff requests feedback from the City Council and direction on the next steps in reviewing the proposed shared streets pilot program for South San Francisco.
Attachments:
1. Shared Streets Programs in Other Cities
2. SSF Chamber of Commerce Outreach
3. Grand Avenue Shared Streets
4. SSF Neighborhood Shared Streets