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Home My WebLink AboutM-75-0279TO Honorable Members of the City Commission FROM• 6)e(.1400-4to,' P. W. Andrews City Manager C'%TY Or `A AM'. r10t4 A INtER-O F10E.: MEMORANDUM C) AT U. !1AJLCT. REFERENCES ENCLOSURES. MAP 1 11975 1;C Rapid Transit Stations and Route Alignment Recommendations - I)ade County Transit Improvement Program The purpose of this memorandum is to assist the Commission in establishing its official policy regarding the proposed rapid transit portion of the Dade County Transit Improvement Program. PUBLIC HEARING DATA The Dade County Transit Improvement Prograrn has been extensively discussed before the Commission, most recently in a series of three public hearings in various parts of the City on February 18, 20, and 25, 1975. Both the consultant (Kaiser Engineers) and the administration have presented recommendations and suggestions at the City Commission meeting of January 27, 1975. Citizens' corn- - ments at these hearings generally were concerned with the entire Transit Improve-' ment Program rather than particular alignments. Specific alignment issues as presented by citizens are as follows: 1, the issue of the alignment of the Coral Gables Service Route between S. W. 8 Street and South Dixie Highway - Ponce de Leon Boulevard or Dougla; Road. 2. the issue of the alignment of the West Service Route between Downtown Miami and Douglas Road - the East-West Express- way, Flagler Street, S. W. 1 Street/2 Street, S. W. 4 Street, or S. W. 8 Street. Mr. Robert Kunst has also made a series of comments both orally and in a letter forwarded separately to you. Mr. Kunst has suggested that a transfer terminal be provided at the Orange Bow.; that an alignment utilizing the Airport Expressway connect the Coral Gables Alignment and the North Alignment; that the downtown be served by a loop system; that a station be provided in the Brickell Area and that the stations at S. W. 27 Avenue and S. W. 17 Avenue be shifted one-half mile to S. W. 32 Avenue and S. W. 22 Avenue respectively and that a new station he added .Lt Vizcaya. Page 1 of 5 44',/;"4:e'ce 279 l-lonorable Members of the City Commission ADMINISTRATION DATA The City Administration has in the past suggested certain modifications to Kaiser engineers' recommendations to Metropolitan Dade County. lz esponse to they City Administration's original suggestion has been obtained from Metro and Kaiser engineers. As a result of the detailed review of these matters, the following comments are submitted for City Commission policy consideration: 1. Route Algnment and Station Location a. The following are determined to be technically feasible suggestions that are recommended to the City Commission for adoption as official City policy. It is recommended that the following modifications for proposed rapid transit stations and route alignments for the Dade County Transit Improvement Program be made in the final Milestone 8 report. Coral Gables Alignment. To serve Miracle Mile, the Coral Gables alignment shall be shifted to LeJeune/ Uni•.-ersity Drive/Ponce de Leon Boulevard with stations appropriately located. West Alignment. To utilize the available right-of-way on Flagler and reduce commercial/residential displacement and relocation, the West Alignment shall utilize Flagler Street westerly to W. 12 Avenue and then transition at approximately Flagler Terrace back to the consultants' recommended alignment on the north side of S. \V. 2 Street and the south side of S. W. 1 Street. Downtown. To properly distribute patrons of the rapid transit system to major activity centers within the downtown, the consultants shall propose a mini-syutetn, including service to the Brickell and Midtown areas. b. It is recommended that the other elements of Kaiser's route alignment and station location proposal be accepted as a conceptual plan to enable Metropolitan Dade County to file an application for Federal financial. assistance. It is further recommended that in the final engineering phase, that the conceptual plan receive addi- tional study and review regarding the following objectives: -- Underground Construction in the Downtown Area. An engineering study pinpointing all benefits and co:it $ to Page 2 of 5 a Honorable Members of they City Commission determine the practicality of constructing the (?o•.vntown segment of the Rapid 'Transit System as an underground rather than as an elevated facility. East Alignment. That a station to serve the midtown areas (Soto:Ian Marsh, Sears and Omni) be re -studied to deterrnine technical possibility of construction. Preliminary informa- tion indicates that such service would not be feasible due to the elevation of the guideway system in this vicinity after crossing the lrttercoastal Waterway. That a station to serve Watson Island be considered if antic- ipated patronage increases from new development. South Alignment. "o properly serve the growing Brickell Area, the engineering feasibility of a station there should be investigate, • North Alignment. To properly serve the Civic-Center/Medical Center Complex, and Miami Stadium, the feasibility of stations at N. W. 12 Avenue/N. W. 14 Street .ind N. W. 14 Avenue/ N. W. 23 Street should be investigated. - I-95 Busway. To utilize existing I-9 ) and I ?5, the feasibility of extending the I-95 Busway south from N. W. 3F, Street on I-95 and then east on 1-395 should be investigated. - Downtown Stations. Examination in detail the feasibility of providing station service in the Dupont Plara area. 2. Rapid Transit Developmend and Land Use a. The following criteria is recommended for adoption as to policy governing land use and rapid transit development procedures. In residential areas, the route right-of-way should be acquired in half -block depths to provide boulevard concept where possible, landscaping, adequate sound buffers, improved circulation and neighborhood upgrading. In viahte commercial areas, the transit rout.• : hould primarily utilize available rights -of -way where pt).;siule and secondly half-hlock acquisitit n whip h t. ill a ;,,i st in removal of sub -standard or obsolescent strut ture .:•hieh are a part of ,t t••.developmertt plan. Page 3of5 iionorable Mernbt s of the City Commission Arterial street improvements should be planned in conjunction «•ith the rapid transit project utilizing the State Secondary Road Program gasoline taxes and Dade County's Decade of Progress bond funds to augment and support the rapid transit system. Every feasible means should be taken to avoid the acquisition and utilization of public park lands for the rapid transit route and stations. To minimize disruption and displacement, construction contracts should require all construction improvements to be started and completed by specific time periods for critical alignment segments. The City should be a party to this construction scheduling. All downtown improvements should be completed expe- ditiously and in accordance with an adopted schedule and program that will minimize disruption and project impact. All businesses and residents fronting on transit construction should have reasonable daily access to their property. The provision of automobile parking facilities for the transit system should be minimized in the central city and insurance given that central city neighborhoods will not be impacted by transit patron cars parked at curbside. A pricing policy in the fare structure should he utilized to encourage the use of outlying parking lots and discourage the use of parking 1•ots in areas of high intensity. A fare structure graduated with distance, patterned after the BART systerri, with those journeying the farthest, paving the most should be seriously considered. Control of premature or undesirable development should be exercised through either in -term zoning, building permit review or designation of zoned rights -of -way while Federal funding decisions are being made. Further, that the County and the municipalities should eooperati:-el;, develop model zoning controls to be implemented upon Federal funding ap- proval. Page 4 of 5 lam" Ionorable Memb : s of the City Conntnission The plans and policies of the incorporated areas shonild be followed in the final planning for route alignments and station areas, The cities should retain control of development and plan approval within station inf;uenLe zones, It is recommended that the City Commission, either at the City Commission meeting of March 12 or at a specially called meeting, take action o1 establishing the official City of Miami policy as to the proposals for the Dade County Transit Improvement Program. It is further suggested that the City Commission adopt specific motions on each item of policy so that a formal resolution covering each item of policy may be drawn up for final adoption. On March 12, the Board of County Commissioners will sponsor three separate public hearings at various locations in Dade County on Rapit Transit Route Alignments and Station Locations. The adopted policy of the Commission of the City of Miami should be available for submission and presentation by City of Miami representatives prior to and at the time that the County Commission takes formal action on the Milestone 8 Final System Concept. cc: Honorable Maurice A. Ferre, Mayor Honorable J. L. Plummer, Jr, , Vice Mayor Honorable Theodore R. Gibson Honorable Rose Gordon Honorable Manolo Reboso Page 5 of 5