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2024-11-13 SRA TC Joint Meeting MinutesSRA and Transportation Commission November 13, 2024 Page 1 of 3 City of Salem, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board or Committee: Redevelopment Authority and Transportation Commission Joint Public Meeting Date and Time: Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 6:00 pm Meeting Location: Virtual Zoom Meeting SRA Members Present: Acting Chair Dean Rubin, Christine Madore, Christopher Dunn SRA Members Absent: Grace Napolitano Transportation Commission Members Present: Jeff Swartz, David Tucker, Jaime Garmendia, Brendan Casey, Erin Turowski Others Present: Kate Newhall-Smith, Principal Planner, Tom Daniel, Executive Director, David Kucharsky, Director and Christina Hodge, Assistant Director of the Transportation Department. Presentation: Downtown Parking Analysis Michael Clark and Jason Schrieber, from Stantec, were present. Mr. Clark presented the background, methodology, findings, and recommendations of the Salem Downtown Parking Analysis. They provided mapping, reviewed history, construction feasibility, capacity, costs/revenue, site specific concepts and considerations. Ms. Madore thanked Mr. Clark for the presentation and findings. She asked for a reminder as to why the Crombie Street and Salem Green lots were not included in the study. Mr. Kucharsky noted that there is not much capacity at those locations. The Salem Green lot is partially owned by Salem Five Bank. She also asked about expanding capacity of lots on the outer sites. Mr. Clark said they looked at zoning, site constraints, access, adjacent buildings, etc. They noted that some of the sites had major constraints, but that anything is possible given resources and cooperation. But some of the more challenging sites still won’t yield many spaces given the required investment. She noted that the MBTA site still appears to have a low utilization rate. Mr. Schrieber said one hindrance to MBTA garage utilization is that the access point is not obvious, you have to cross a large street, and the pricing structure isn’t what other City lots have. Ms. Madore noted there are several pedestrian improvement plans in place for Bridge Street which may help with those connections. She noted her preference for Scenario B given the housing crisis and wanting Salem to be a place for people, not parking cars, and wants to see more connectivity in downtown. Mr. Dunn asked how many more years we can expect in the life of the garage. Mr. Kucharski said a 2018 plan noted roughly 20 more years. Mr. Rubin noted that his understanding is that there are enough spots for residents in Salem, but that people are unwilling to walk. Mr. Clark said there are roughly 900 spots available during peak periods (not including October). He thought there must be a better way, through Waze or Google Maps to direct people to the MBTA parking garage. He acknowledges that Klopp Alley wasn’t part of their scope due to the access constraints and the adjacent Fire House, but that there are opportunities to expand the number SRA and Transportation Commission November 13, 2024 Page 2 of 3 of spaces. There are tools, such as pricing, that can drive people to use other lots. Mr. Rubin also wondered whether the MBTA would be open to leasing a number of spots. Mr. Daniel and Ms. Newhall-Smith did not have any comments or questions. Mr. Garmendia, who works for the MBTA, said they are looking at increasing capacity of the Salem station, perhaps through a second platform. He asked about the ownership structure of the mall. Mr. Daniel said the garage is owned by the City. He said the ground floor is owned by a private party. He said the SRA owns easements that run through the property allowing for walking through the mall. He said it is a complicated ownership structure. He said any redevelopment would require a look a timing, cost, community input, etc. Mr. Garmendia said there is much that can be done, through streetscape design, for example, that can improve pedestrian flow. He is also interested in looking at Klopp Alley and feels the Church Street lot is not well designed. He thinks there are many businesses in Salem that would love additional commercial capacity. He thinks the City does need to think about timing in regards to October. Mr. Casey said an AUL on a property can be manageable depending on the issue. He feels the Riley Plaza lot and the MBTA lot should be considered downtown, not downtown edge. He thinks some of the lots outside the “core” should be included. Mr. Schrieber agreed that edge parking is walkable, but that some people don’t agree and are not willing to walk that far. Mr. Casey prefers Scenario C. Mr. Garmendia noted that Scenario C maxes out housing but would require a lot of investment and would be difficult to make a reality. Ms. Turowski felt the Church St. lot would be wonderful as a multiuse lot, particularly adding a grocery store. She feels the streets are already overloaded and worries about directing a lot of traffic into the core downtown. She asked for clarification about breaking up the museum place parking. Mr. Clark said the mall would be reconfigured. Her preference is for Scenario B as it would provide for both some parking and some housing. Mr. Swartz said he thinks what happened with the onsite parking at Brix is a unique situation. He thinks the ownership structure at the mall needs to be addressed. He thinks a mixed-use development could be more beneficial than just parking above the mall. Mr. Tucker noted that from a traffic perspective, the more parking at the edge, the better. He worries that increasing housing without capacity for parking could backfire. He noted the logistical difficulty during September and October with tourists. He would like to see something mixed use, with a large parking capacity. Mr. Schrieber said the width and slope is insufficient at Klopp Alley to maximize the area. 408 spaces are depicted in the presentation. A lot of area is needed for ramps and circulation. Parking Benefit Districts were discussed. The Department of Transportation did a feasibility study a few years ago that looked at this concept for Salem. The concept is that all, or a portion, of the parking fees charged are used to improve the area so that users see the benefits in the streetscape. The idea is that you price the parking fee based on the location and type of parking and can garner public support. Mr. Swartz suggested that a Master Parking Plan should be a first step before creating a parking benefit district. SRA and Transportation Commission November 13, 2024 Page 3 of 3 Any members of the public wishing to ask questions or provide comment should email Ms. Newhall- Smith. Mr. Rubin thanked everyone for their time and Stantec for the presentation. Mr. Kucharsky said the Mayor is reviewing the plan. Mr. Daniel said conversations will happen regarding community engagement in 2025. Adjournment of Joint Public Meeting Transportation Commission VOTE: Turowski made a motion to adjourn meeting. Seconded by: Swartz Roll Call: Swartz, Tucker, Garmendia, Casey, Turowski. 5-0 in favor. Transportation Commission adjourned. Redevelopment Authority VOTE: Madore made a motion to adjourn meeting. Seconded by: Dunn Roll Call: Dunn, Madore, and Rubin. 3-0 in favor. SRA adjourned. The Joint Public Meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.