Title
Adopting the City of Saint Paul Bicycle Plan as an addendum to the City of Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan includes a number of strategies for improving the bicycle network and increasing bicycling in Saint Paul, such as:
T3.4 Develop and maintain a complete and connected bikeway system.
T3.5 Support existing off-street shared-use paths and add facilities and amenities supportive of active living principles.
T3.6 Fill gaps in the bikeway system.
T3.8 Promote "bicycle boulevards as a new type of bikeway; and
WHEREAS, staff from the Departments of Public Works, Planning and Economic Development, and Parks and Recreation, contributed to a draft "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan"; and
WHEREAS, from 2011 to 2013, city staff solicited input to help in the drafting of the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" through holding open houses, web-based surveys, and through Open Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, in January 2014, a first draft of the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" was released; and
WHEREAS, between January and April, 2014, a series of open houses were held and presentations made to various District Councils and other interested community groups; and
WHEREAS, comments from the open houses and other community meetings were overwhelmingly positive regarding the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan," with specific requests to enlarge the scope of the Plan, change certain bikeway alignments in the Plan, and clarify certain components in the Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Transportation Committee of the Planning Commission considered the Plan and the comments received on 5/19/2014 and provided recommendations for revisions to the Plan; and
WHEREAS, revisions were made to the draft "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" to reflect and address the input of the community and the Transportation Committee; and
WHEREAS, a second draft of the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" was released in October 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission, on 10/17/2014, released the draft of the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" for formal public review, and set a public hearing for 12/5/2014; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing notice was published pursuant to Minnesota Statute ยง 462.357, Subd. 5, and sent to the early notification list and other interested parties; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing on the draft "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" was conducted by the Planning Commission on 12/5/2014, at which all persons present were allowed to testify; and
WHEREAS, the written record was left open until 4:30 PM on 12/8/2014; and
WHEREAS, the public hearing comments generally supported the draft "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" with specific comments on impacts to parking, bikeway maintenance, ordinance revisions regarding bicycle parking, and education and enforcement efforts; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission referred the draft "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" to the Transportation Committee for consideration of the public testimony and possible revisions to the draft Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Transportation Committee discussed the comments, draft "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan", and proposed changes on 1/12/2015 and 2/9/2015; advised on revisions to the Plan and Figures; and forwarded its recommendation to the Planning Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission considered the public testimony and the recommendations of the Transportation Committee on the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan"; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission recommended approval of the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan," with amendments detailed in a memorandum from staff to the Commission dated February 27, 2015, at its meeting on Friday, February 27th, 2015, and
WHEREAS, the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" is found to be consistent with the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan and other addenda; and
WHEREAS, a study of downtown parking will be completed shortly and further public engagement will be taking place to understand the concerns of residents, business owners, visitors, and employees in downtown as further planning and design of the proposed downtown bike loop progresses; and
WHEREAS, the Implementation Chapter of the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan outlines the anticipated design and public involvement process for the development of a bicycle network; the Council desires a robust public engagement process scaled appropriately to each project; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council seeks to make our streets safer for people who bike, including students who want to bike to school; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council finds that the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" is consistent with the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan; and
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council makes the amendments to the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" reflected in the attached document, "Proposed City Council Changes to the Saint Paul Bicycle Plan -3/18/2015"; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council adopts the "Saint Paul Bicycle Plan" as an addendum to the City of Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan as recommended by the Planning Commission and subject to review and acceptance by the Metropolitan Council.