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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-10-06 City Council (31)City of Palo Alto C ty Manager’s Re TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT:POLICE UTILITIES PUBLIC WORKS COMMUNITY SERVICES PLANNING AGENDA DATE: OCTOBER 6, 1997 CMR:410:97 SUBJECT:RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING SAFETY AND LIGHTING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that the City Council directs staff to: 1),include in requests for funds in the 1998-99 Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding for: 2) b) c) d) increased lighting in downtown City parking lots that would make levels more consistent with Illuminating Engineering Society’s (IES) guidelines; additional lighting at Johnson Park; a formal study on lighting needs at other City parks and facilities; installation for emergency notification units in Johnson and E1 Camino Parks; initiate formal discussions with the Joint Powers Board (JPB) regarding specific upgrades and funding for additional lighting in the JPB parking lots east of the railroad tracks; and 3)conduct a more detailed analysis to develop a proposal to increase the number and location of additional pay telephones in the downtown area. CMR:410:97 Page 1 of 9 " BACKGROUND Atter the tragic homicide of Herbert Kay in early summer, the City Council at its June 23, 1997, meeting, asked the City Manager to work with st~ff from the Police, Utilities, Public Works, Planning, and Community Services Departments to determine which streets and public facilities might need additional lighting or tree trimming to increase safety; and to return to Council with a report on what, if any, additional police crime prevention resources might be needed to enhance prevention and safety efforts. This report provides information and recommendations associated with the preliminary review of those issues. ~~SSION Before presenting the findings of the pre "Imainary evaluation and the associated conclusions that have led to the recommendations, staff believes it is important to provide some limited information about the Kay homicide. Because the case is still under investigation and still sealed at the direction of the District Attorney’s Office and the Court, specific details about the incident cannot be released at this time. However, it is still possible to share the fact that the incident was a random act that could have occurred at any location, in any city, at any time, or under any lighting condition. The brutal reality is that the only certain way this violent crime could have been prevented from occurring was if a police officer had been on that street at the time of the attack. Because this is not realistic, the evaluation of the conditions listed above and the development of the associated recommendations provide only means to improve and enhance the perception of safety and should notbe construed as absolute affirmations that such acts will not occur in the future. In response to the City Council’s assignment, a committee was formed with representatives from the City Attorney’s Office, Police, Public Works, Utilities, Planning, and Community Services Departments. The committee conducted preliminary evaluations into several areas including: ® ® ® street and sidewalk lighting, tree trimming, parking lot and garage lighting, park lighting, emergency notification systems, and police crime prevention resources. The intent of the evaluation was to determine what, if anything, could be done to increase safety and the community’s perception of safety. While the committee focused on the downtown area, at the Council’s direction, some recommendations developed involve further study at City parks CMR:410:97 Page :~ of 9 and facilities in other parts of the community. For this report, the downtown is defined as the area bordered by E1 Camino Real to Webster Street and Forest Avenue to Lytton Avenue. Street and Sidewalk Lig~tiag The Utilities Department, who owns and is responsible for most streetlights, follows IES guidelines when designing roadway and parking lot fighting systems. Guidelines issued by IES are simply recommendations and not meant to serve as legal standards. The main purpose of providing fighting is to safeguard, facilitate and encourage vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Lighting levels should accommodate the visual needs of vehicular and pedestrian nighttime traffic. For street lights, the average recommended luminance is between 0.3 and 0.6 foot candles measured from the ground, depending upon the area classification (e.g., commercial, intermediate, residential). By utilizing an average foot candle, some areas are much darker and some lighter, depending upon the height of the light pole. Lights on shorter poles create "hot spots" and therefore require more fixtures to light an area. It is important to emphasize that street lights are intended to illuminate streets and not sidewalks. The Utilities Department tries to meet these guidelines whenever possible. Sometimes, the design has to be modified due to different field conditions such as trees, buildings, and the layout of the streets. The Downtown Urban Design Improvements Master Plan was recently approved by the City Council. Council has also approved the details and funding for the completion of Phase One of the Plan. Phase One includes improved street lighting at major intersections and comers on University Avenue. Work on Phase One should begin in Spring of 1998. The acorn lights on University Avenue will be raised to 12’-13’ in height; luminaires with the same form but With less glare will eventually replace the existing acorns and will create pools of"white" light with more natural color rendition. Those additions and improvements will create adequate lighting for the sidewalk area on University Avenue. Elements of Phase Two have generally been discussed, but funding and specific details have yet to be developed. Some preliminary consideration has been given in Phase Two to inclusion of side street lighting for the area. These elements include improving the side street sidewalk areas, especially on Florence and Kipling Streets where both one block sections are used for access to public parking and dead-ends at University Avenue, and for installation of moonlights in trees to create additional lighting for pedestrian areas. Staff does not anticipate the development of specific recommendations or funding requests until 1999. If Council feels that the work on the side streets should be expedited, staff would need specific direction in that regard. CMR:410:97 Page 3 of 9 Tree Trimming Coordination with the City’s Tree Management’Program to improve street and parking lot lighting is required to achieve IES lighting guidelines. Trees provide shade and cover while street and parking lot lights are designed to provide illumination. When trees are next to light fixtures, a conflict occurs if the tree growth interferes with the intended light pattern. After a preliminary analysis of the street lighting conditions in the downtown area, staff determined that possible removal of a few trees and/or possible relocation of street lights is needed in order to meet IES guidelines. The trimming will be accomplished as part of the regular tree management program. Trimming frequency of London plane trees on University Avenue has been changed from a five- year to a three-year cycle. The more frequent trimming will not only reduce leaf drop, but also provide improved lighting. The next tree trimming along University Avenue is scheduled to be completed before the holiday season. Trees along the side streets off University Avenue will be reviewed every three years and will be trimmed on an as needed basis. The Downtown Urban Design Improvements Master Plan includes ongoing care and priming programs to optimize the trees’ vigor and appearance. The Plan also addresses the species selection to identify preferred replacement trees, with the intent that the replacements should be similar in character to those that would be removed. Parking Lot and Garage Li_dating Utilities and Public Works Departments staff conducted an assessment of lighting in all downtown parking lots..Utilities is responsible for maintaining the lights in 15 downtown open parking lots where standard utility light poles and luminaries have been installed. All of the lights in the downtown area, including those in parking lots, have been upgraded during the last ten years as part of a Capital Improvement Project to convert all City street lights to the more efficient high pressure sodium luminaires. In 1994, in an effort to increase the lighting in the downtown lots, Utilities upgraded many of the fixtures to 150 watts. The result has more than doubled the average light levels in the downtown lots. Based upon the most recent assessment of parking lot lighting, Utilities staff compared existing light levels with IES guidelines for open parking facilities. The intent was to assess the lighting needed for pedestrian safety in a medium activity parking lot. The recommended level is 0.6 foot candles at ground level. The assessment concluded that in order to achieve the light level consistent with IES guidelines, existing lamps would have to be retrofitted and/or the number of poles and luminaires would have to be increased where necessary. CMR:410:97 Page 4 of 9 During the assessment, Utilities staff studied the photometric analysis of the existing and proposed recommended changes. Where new street light poles and luminaires are recommended for installation, locations were chosen carefully to avoid any conflicts with existing trees in the area. Where alternative locations were not feasible, trees would need to be trimmed to maintain the desired lighting levels. Attachment A provides a summary of the upgrades and retrofitting that is recommended for downtown parking lots. The City receives a number of claims resulting from people tripping and/or falling in parking lots. The recommended upgrades in the fighting levels in parking lots should not only enhance people’s perception of safety but also provide better illumination to help reduce these accidents. Lighting levels in the City parking garages in the downtown area have already been addressed. Significant "white and lighf’ improvements resulting from painting and improved lighting were made in the Civic Center and Lot Q garages. The City is currently in the process of preparing for some improvements to the Webster/Cowper garage. Staff also conducted a preliminary review of lighting levels at the JPB parking lots east of the railroad tracks, both north and south of University Avenue and concluded that some upgrades would be needed. Costs for the upgrades are estimated to be approximately $50,000. JPB staff indicated in an initial conversation that they would be willing to entertain ideas to improve the lighting in their lots. Further discussions would be required to determine specific upgrades, costs, and funding. Staff recommends that Council direct staff to proceed with formal discussions in this regard. Due to the Council’s direction to focus on the downtown area, staff has not conducted an assessment of lighting levels in other City parking lots in the California Avenue or Midtown areas. Downtown Parks In addition to street, sidewalk and parking lot lighting, staff also looked at downtown parks to assess fighting levels and safety considerations. They included Johnson, Scott, Cogswell, and El Camino Parks. The ilktmination was increased in Cogswell Park about a year ago when the trees and shrubs were trimmed and additional lighting installed. Staff has determined that additional lighting is not needed in Scott Park. While outside the boundaries of the defined downtown area used for this report, due to the proximity to the downtown and the number of complaints that have been received from citizens, Community Services staff and the CIP Design Consultant conducted a preliminary lighting CMR:410:97 Page $ of 9 analysis of Johnson Park. Staff concluded that the four existing light fixtures do not provide sufficient light on the pathways and in the middle of the park. In addition to tree trimming that needs to be completed in the middle of the park, the installation of seven new acorn luminaries around the park perimeter, the addition of two cobra head fixtures on existing light poles at the intersection of Kipling and Hawthorne Streets, and conversion of two fixtures to luminaries in the center of the park are recommended. Cost for this work is estimated to be about $21,000. Before the lighting improvement plan for the park would be finalized, Community Services staff would ensure that input was received from members of the Downtown North Neighborhood Association. Staff also briefly looked at the fighting situation in E1 Camino Park. The initial review indicates that some additional lighting would be beneficial. Due to the size and location of the park, a more detailed study would be needed before specific recommendations could be developed. Because the focus of this assignment was the downtown, staff has not developed any recommendations regarding security and lighting at other parks, around libraries, or City community centers. However, staff believes that a formal analysis should be conducted to determine what lighting improvements would be needed to enhance user safety for El Camino Park and other City facilities. Depending upon the scope of work, costs for a lighting study would range between $15,000 and $35,000. Staff will return during the 1998-99 Budget process with a more detailed scope of work and more precise costs for the study. Emergency Communication Systems In addition to lighting, a person’s sense of safety is often enhanced by their ability to request assistance in emergency situations. As a.result, staff reviewed three types of emergency communication mechanisms: police call boxes, emergency "blue phone" units, and traditional pay telephones. Police call boxes are used in some cities, providing direct communications to police dispatch centers. However, they have significant limitations. The call box connection to the dispatch center is made on a regular business line, not a 9-1-1 line, because of the way they must be installed. In addition to initial purchase and installation cost of $400 per unit, there are ongoing costs for monthly telephone line usage (about $20 per line per month), maintenance and cleaning. Emergency "blue phone" units, like those that were recently installed around Stanford University Campus, reflect a newer technology than call boxes. Not only have they been installed on college campuses, but also along freeways. The units can be powered by direct current using solar power battery packs or alternating current with a hard line telephone CMR:410:97 Page 6 of 9 connection, or a combination. The system can be used for 9-1-1 use only or for non-emergency type calls. The added feature to these units is the flashing strobe light that is activated when the emergency button is pressed. The strobe light draws attention to the area as it generates one million candle power. The system does require daily checks to ensure proper operation. The units are quite expensive, with a one time cost of about $18,000 per unit and annual maintenance costs of almost $400 per unit. A review was completed to determine the number of units needed for adequate coverage in the downtown area. Staff estimates that approximately 27 units would be needed. Traditional pay phones are also used as an emergency communication mechanism. While there are telephones in businesses in the downtown area, a quick assessment revealed that there are only about ten outside pay phones. Pay phones do provide users with the ability to request emergency assistance by dialing 9-1-1 without charge. Initial cost for pay phones ($400) is about the same for call boxes and considerably less than "blue phones." A monthly service charge is required if the revenue generated by the individual unit is less than $40. Staff has determined that while the "blue phone" system is probably the most effective for emergency notification, the amount of funding needed to purchase, install, and maintain a system with adequate cover is cost prohibitive. However, after reviewing the number of calls for service in some of the downtown parks, staff recommends the installation of a unit in Johnson, El Camino, and Cogswell Parks. Staffwill consider including request for funding for these units in the 1998-99 CIP budget. Ira unit is approved in E1 Camino Park, it is possible that Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority may assist in its funding. Staff will continue to pursue the placement of more pay phones in the downtown area that are available on a 24 hour basis. Police Crime Prevention Resources. A part of the Council assignment was to review the level of police crime prevention resources to determine what, if any, additional resources may be needed. Staff believes that additional police personnel, other than~ those recommended in the staff report on the evaluation and recommendations associated with the Downtown Health and Safety Detail (CMK:411:97) are not warranted. While an increase in the number of police officers obviously adds to visibility, there is no guarantee that such incidents like the Kay murder would not occur. Based upon the currently authorized number of officers in Palo Alto, together with the relatively low violent crime rate compared to cities of similar size, staff cannot justify a request for additional police officers at this time. CMR:410:97 Page 7 of 9 As part of the Police Department’s implementation of its community policing philosophy, there are potential strategies that may be applied to increase individuals’ sense of safety and reduce the potential for crimes to occur. Because crifiaes, especially violent incidents, are often connected to the use of alcohol, recent efforts have been made to educate owners, managers, and bar tenders of restaurants and bars all over the City about Alcohol Beverage Control laws, monitoring alcohol consumption of patrons, how to handle unruly patrons, when to call the police, etc. This Bar Safe Program wi!l be continued in the future. Another strategy Police staff will be pursuing includes the offering of personal safety classes for citizens. There are a number of simple tips and tactics that individuals can use to decrease their vulnerability and enhance their personal safety while outside their homes. Several classes on personal safety were presented by the Police Department some years ago. FISCAL IMPACT Preliminary cost estimates for the recommendations that staffwill include in the 1998-99 CIP budget are as follows: 1)Increase lighting levels in the downtown City parking lots - $156,000 2)Upgrades of lighting in Johnson Park - $21,000 3)Installation of emergency notification units in Johnson, El Camino, and Cogswell Parks - $54,000 4)Study of lighting needs at El Camino Park, other City parks and facilities - $15,000- $35,000 The cost for upgrades to lighting in JPB Lots is estimated to be about $50,000. At Council direction, staff would work with JPB regarding funding and return to Council with additional. information. I I All lighting upgrades that would be completed would be consistent with the Downtown Urban Design Improvements Master Plan. CMR:410:97 Page 8 of 9 E E~LT Feasibility and Planning studies are statutorily exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As projects are developed and specific proposals are made, additional CEQA review may be required. Attachment A - List of Recommended Parking Lot Lighting Upgrades PREPARED BY:Michael Jackson, Acting Deputy Public Works Director Paul Dias, Director of Parks Larry Starr, Assistant Director Utilities Electric Operations Lynne Johnson, Assistant Police Chief Jim Gilliland, Assistant Planning Official REVIEWED BY:Glenn Roberts, Public Works Director Paul Thiltgen, Community Services Director Ed Mrizek, Utilities Director Chris Durkin, Police Chief Ken Schreiber, Director of Planning and Community Environment REPORT COORDINATOR: Lynne Johnson, Assistant Chief CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: Dan Lorimer, Downtown North Neighborhood Association Pat Burr, University Soufla Neighborhood Association Susan Frank, Chamber of Commerce Downtown Marketing CMR:410:97 Page 9 of 9 ATTACHMENT A Parking Lot A Emerson Street and Lytton Avenue Parking Lot C Ramona Street between Lytton Avenue and University Avenue Parking Lot D Hamilton Avenue and Waverley Street Parking Lot E Gilman Street between Hamilton Avenue and Forest Avenue Parking Lot F Florence Street between Lytton Avenue and University Avenue Parking Lot G Gilman Street between Hamilton Avenue and Forest Avenue Parking Lot H Hamilton Avenue and Cowper Street Parking Lot K Lytton Avenue and Waverley Street Parking Lot L Lytton Avenue and Bryant Street Parking Lot N Emerson Street between University Avenue and Hamilton Avenue Parking Lot O High Street between Lytton Avenue and University Avenue Parking Lot P High Street between University Avenue and Hamilton Avenue Parking Lot R AlmaJHigh Street between University Avenue and Hamilton Avenue Parking Lot S Bryant/Florence Street betweenLytton Avenue and University Avenue Parking,Lot T Kipling street and Lytton Avenue Below is a preliminary breakdown of the design requirement for each individual parking lot: Parking Lot # A C D E F G H K L* N 0 P R* S* T Total= # Poles Needed 2 3 6 2 2 2 4 3 1 2 3 3 3 4 3 4.3 # Lumin- aires 6 7 12 5 5 3 7 6 4 5 7 6 5 8 6 92 # Photo Cells 6 7 12 5 5 3 7 6 4 5 7 6 5 8 6 92 F’i’. Wire 100 150 300 100 100 100 200 150 50 100 150 150 150 200 150 2150 # ST. LT. Boxes 2 1 2 2 2 2 # ST. LT. Base/ Found. 2 1 2 2 2 2 Conduit 8 65 60 20 20 1 1 5 1 1 14 1 1 10 3 4 130 3 3 80 20 21 408 *Because there are sites for proposed parking structures, upgrades may not occur in these lots.