DOWNTOWN PARKING

Many of you know that a consultant has been looking at ways to improve parking and pedestrian circulation in our downtown. This, my third weblog, will address some background on this project, the original results of the study (released about a month ago), the public meeting held January 17th at the Surfsand, the Council worksession on February 14th to review public input and where we go from here.

Parking has been an on-going issue in Cannon Beach for many years. While the number of visitors to our town has increased over the years, the number of available parking spaces has actually slightly decreased. The City's Public Works Committee, Plan Commission and Council all addressed this issue in late 2004 and the first half of 2005. In the summer of 2005, the City received a grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to study downtown parking and pedestrian circulation issues. The ODLCD then hired Urbsworks, Inc. out of Portland to conduct the study.

The results of the Urbsworks study focused on three main areas. The first was parking over the northwest lagoon. The consultant presented three alternative, varying sizes of parking lots that would provide from 109 to 325 additional parking spaces at the present lagoon site. The second area dealt with the sidewalks on Hemlock. Urbsworks presented alternative concepts to widening these to 12 feet with a resulting elimination of three dozen or so parking spaces. The third area of study involved selling part of the municipal parking lot for private development. The study also addressed other concepts directly related to the three main ones mentioned above such as landscaping and natural areas, walkways across and around the wetlands, elevated viewing stands, seasonal sidewalk widening, RV parking, Spruce from 1st to 3rd and one-way streets.

On January 17th, the City held a public meeting at the Surfsand ballroom to consider the results. About 80 citizens attended the meeting which included a presentation from Urbsworks, a Q & A session and distribution of a questionnaire so attendees and others interested could put their feelings about the consultants' concepts in writing. About 60 people filled out and submitted the questionnaire.

Most all of the public verbal and written comments were against any parking on the lagoon site, against any widening of the sidewalks on Hemlock and against selling any portion of the municipal lot for private development. The limited support for a parking lot favored the alternative with the least additional parking and with an emphasis on preserving and enhancing as much of the lagoons and wetlands as possible. While there was little support for widening the Hemlock sidewalks (very little - one reason being the elimination of some on-street parking), there was mention of favoring elimination of parking and adding sidewalks on the east side of Spruce.

There was some support for a boardwalk system in the wetlands but most of the respondants wanted to limit pedestrians on the interior and direct them toward the exterior. Finally, there was very minimal support for one-way streets and some for a seasonal and "green" parking area but only to the extent the City was going to construct any new parking.

The City Council held a worksession on February 14th at City Hall to review the public's comments and to provide direction to the staff and consultants as follows.

1) Develop a plan to eliminate parking and add sidewalks or a boardwalk system on the east side of Spruce between 1st and 2nd.

2) Develop a plan to reconfigure parking on the east side of Spruce between 2nd and 3rd.

3) Investigate marked mid-block crosswalks across Spruce.

4) Study reconfiguring existing parking on East 2nd and the existing city facilities north of the lagoons in order to add parking lost due to eliminating parking on Spruce.

5) Study possibility of creating a limited number of new parking spaces through limited encroachment of the northwest lagoon.

6) Investigate "green" design and permeable material for any new seasonal parking area.

7) And, study restoring one of the lagoons to natural wetlands.

In summary, it's fair to say that a large parking lot in the lagoon area, wider sidewalks on Hemlock and selling any part of the municipal lot are not under further consideration at this time. The next public meeting regarding the issue of parking and pedestrian circulation in the downtown area will be held Wednesday, March 15th, 7 pm at the Surfsand. At this meeting, Urbsworks will bring back their ideas and concepts related to the above 7 items.

THE 'S' CURVES

First, some housekeeping stuff. I've had a couple of subscribers ask if they post comments or questions on my weblog. The answer is not yet but I am working on making this happen. In the meantime, I would encourage you to respond to my blog by emailing me at mays@ci.cannon-beach.or.us.

Today, I'd like to discuss a topic that I'm sure is of interest to most everyone who is reading this - the situation with the 'S' Curves. As you know, they have been closed since January 10th so what follows is a summary to let you know what the city is doing about the current situation. Now, I'm not an engineer so I will attempt to communicate in layman's terms. Like many of you, I don't understand technical jargon related to things like water level fluctuations or vertical displacement or inclinometers. So, here goes:

Simply put, a landslide is caused by one or both of two counter-balancing factors - an increase in a driving force (like a rising water table) or a decrease or erosion of a resisting force (like some kind of stabilization at the foot of a hill). The problem with the 'S' curves is both. All the rain has caused the water table to rise (the driving force) by 15 or 20 feet which can have the effect of weakening the soil on a hill with any kind of significant slope. On the other hand, higher sea levels have allowed waves to wash away part of the upper portions of the beach just below the hill (the resisting force) thus reducing the counter-balancing mass of sand at the foot of the 'S' curves.

As far as the latter is concerned, the City and private parties have considered carrying out minor bank stabilization projects near some of the beach accesses. However, something more significant and more effective in solving the problem at the foot of the 'S' curves has the potential to be unsightly and would require state approval. Therefore, in light of the above, the city is not pursuing major projects that would have the effect of stabilizing the foot of the 'S' curve hillside.

That leaves us with the first counter-balancing factor - reducing the driving force by lowering the water table. City engineers think the most economical and feasible method to accomplish this is to install three (mostly) horizontal drains from each of four different locations. (See diagram.) Three of these locations would originate from the beach with one location further up the hill. The drains would range in length from 150 to 300 feet and would run roughly parallel to the slope of the hill.

We expect acquisition of necessary easements for construction to take several months. Once that occurs, invitations to bid will be sought after which construction would take place. Hopefully, this long-term solution can be in place by the end of the calendar year.

In the meantime, the City will work toward effecting a short-term solution which would involve laying what's known as geotextile fabric over crushed rock. While construction is expected to begin in March, there are three immediate concerns with moving ahead. First, the wet weather in the most recent past which has kept the bank destabilized; the Northwest Natural gas line which needs to be rerouted; and the City's damaged sewer force main which runs from the Matanuska pump station, through the 'S' curves to our main sewage pump station at 2nd and Spruce.

As indicated above, if you're interested in responding to this or any other city subject, you can reach me through my city email address listed above. Thanks for tuning in.