C7U-Approve Closure Of 400 Block Of Espanola Way Between Washington And DrexelLUMMISSIUN I I TM SUMMAKY
Gondensed Title:
A Resolution Of The Mayor and City Commission Of The City Of Miami Beach, Florida, Approving The Permanent Closure Of The 400
Block Of Esoafrola Wav Between Washinoton Avenue and Drexel Avenue.
Commission A Comprehensive Mobility Plan Which Gives Priority Recommendations (From Non-Vehicular to Vehicular and
Parki
Supporting Data (Surveys, Environmental Scan, etc.): The closure was requested and approved by the property owners
by more than two-thirds (2/3) vote. The traffic study showed that the proposed closure would not affect the Level of Service of the
corridors and intersections nor adverselv i inq the street closure.
Item Sum mendation:
ln May 2012, City officials attended an Espafrola Way merchants meeting with representatives of property owners and business owners.
At the meeting, Espaflola Way merchants requested the extension of the street closure duration from 11:00 AM to 6:00 AM in order to
enhance the commercial viability of the corridor and improve pedestrian safety; thus, this one block of portion Espafrola Way would be
closed to traffic for nineteen hours each day. During this meeting, the City was informed that most deliveries occur from Drexel Avenue
and Washington Avenue because trucks cannot operate safely on Espaffola Way. Based on the input from the property owners and
merchants, the City committed to conducting a traffic study in order to evaluate the impact of the full (24 hours) closure of the 400 block
of Espafrola Way on the community and the adjacent roadway network.
As part of the traffic study, the consultant collected data on April 24, 2013. The data collected and the subsequent traffic modeling
demonstrated that the permanent closure of Espaffola Way from Drexel Avenue to Washington Avenue would not have any adverse
impacts on the traffic conditions of the adjacent corridors. ln May 2013, the City conducted a balloting process consistent with the
Miami-Dade County Traffic Flow Modification(s)/Street Closure(s) Procedure. Over two{hirds (2/3) of lhe respondents voted in favor of
the street closure, thus meeting one of the required criteria for closure.
The vehicular closure of the 400 Block of Espafrola Way was discussed at the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) on
September 30,2013 and at the October 16,2013 Commission meeting. At the October 16,20'13 City Commission meeting, the
Commission passed a motion directing the Administration to move forward with the project. However, the Commission expressed
concerns with the deliveries that will be displaced by the closure of the road and the impact of these deliveries on the adjacent
roadways.
The City hosted a public hearing on June 3,2014 at the Miami Beach Police Athletic League. At the meeting, the City was able to collect
valuable information regarding the sentiment of the merchants concerning the proposed closure and their delivery schedules. This
information was analyzed by the traffic engineering consultant and subsequent recommendations were made regarding loading zones
and delivery operations. The traffic engineering consultant recommended the addition of loading zones along the West side of
Washington Avenue immediately south of Espafiola Way. Following a review of the traffic study, the proposed vehicular closure has
been approved by Miami-Dade County. The methods of closure evaluated as part of the study were automatically retractable bollards
and manually removable bollards. The retractable bollards options include a remote control activated alternative (Option A) and a
universal key activated alternative (Option B). Design and installation costs of each one of these options were estimated at $100,000. lt
is worth noting that Option A was preferred by the Clty's emergency response departments. The installation of Option A or Option B
would facilitate the access of emergency service vehicles to Espafiola Way; however, given that these systems are more complex,
maintenance costs may be higher than other options. The other option reviewed as part of the study was the installation of manually
removable bollards (Option C). The advantage of the manually removable bollards is that the system would be less complex and require
less long-term maintenance. Since emergency response personnel would have to manually remove the bollards, this system may have
an adverse impact on the ability of emergency response vehicles to quickly access Espafiola Way during emergencies, thus not a
recommended alternative. The installation of these manual bollards is estimated to cost $60,000. Given the characteristics of Espafiola
Way, the consultant's design team recommends a bollard system that is sensitive to the corridor's architectural context.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on the current operations of corridor, the results of the traffic study, and the desire of the property owners and merchants to
permanently close Espafrola Way between Washington Avenue and Drexel Avenue, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and
City Commission approve the permanent closure of Espafrola Way between Washington Avenue and Drexel Avenue to vehicular traffic.
ln addition, the Administration recommends the installation of an automatic retractable bollard system (Option A) and is requesting the
necessary funding as part of the Fiscal Year 201412015 budget process. Pursuant to the Miami Dade County Traffic Flow Modification
Procedures, a resolution from Citv Commission authorizino the closure is necessary to finalize the approval process.
Clerk's Office slative T
n-Offs:
lntended Outcome
,TE$A Cl q
nAre'7-a3-/t/
Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee supported the closure at the September 30, 2013 meeting. City Commission Passed a
motion directinq the Administration to move forward with the proiect at the October 16,2013
Financial lnformation :
Source of
Funds:
Amount Account
1 $ 100.000 FY 2014115 budqet request
2
3
Total
Financial lmpact Summary: $1oo,O0o. Funding is being requested through lheFY2O14I15 budget process
Jose R. Gonzalez. Ext. 6768
MIAAAI BTACH 498
g MIAMIBf;&CH
City of Miomi Beoch, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miomi Beoch, Florido 33139, www.miomibeochfl.gov
COMM]SSION MEMORANDUM
Mayor Philip Levine and Members
Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: July 23,2014
SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE MA D CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAM! BEACH, FLORIDA, AP THE PERMANENT CLOSURE OF THE 4OO
BLOCK OF ESPANOLA WAY BETWEEN WASHINGTON AVENUE AND DREXEL
AVENUE
FUNDING
Should the City Commission authorize the vehicular closure of the 400 Block of Espafrola Way,
a capital budget request will be included in the City's Fiscal Year 2014115 budget process.
BACKGROUND
Currently, the 400 Block of Espafrola Way (between Washington Avenue and DrexelAvenue) is
closed from 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM every day. This block functions as a pedestrian mall with
numerous sidewalk cafes, retail and restaurants. When open to traffic, the 400 Block operates
as a one-way street in the westbound direction only.
!n May 2012, City officials attended an Espafrola Way merchants meeting with representatives
of property owners and business owners. At the meeting, Espafrola Way merchants requested
the extension of the street closure duration from 1 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM in order to enhance the
commercial viability of the corridor and improve pedestrian safety; thus, this one block of portion
Espafrola Way would be closed to traffic for 19 hours each day. During this meeting, the City
was informed that most deliveries occur from Drexel Avenue and Washington Avenue because
trucks cannot operate safely on Espafrola Way. Based on the input from the merchants, the
City committed to conducting a traffic study in order to evaluate the impact of the lull (24 hours)
closure of the 400 block of Espahola Way on the community and the adjacent roadway network.
As part of the study, the City completed a balloting process consistent with the Miami-Dade
County Traffic Flow Modification(s)/Street Closure(s) Procedure. ln May 2013, the City initiated
the balloting process. Ballots were mailed to 53 properties within the area bounded by 14th
Street on the south, 15th Street on the north, Washington Avenue on the east and Pennsylvania
Avenue on the west. Over two-thirds (2/3) of the respondents voted in favor of the street
closure, thus meeting one of the required criteria for closure.
This item was discussed at the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) on
September 30, 2013. A motion was made by the Committee recommending that the
Administration conduct some outreach to the affected business owners and that the
Commission item should be time-certain so that residents may be present to opine on the
TO:
FROM:
499
Commission Memorandum - Permanent Closure of the 400 Block of Espafiola Way between Washington
Avenue and Drexel AYenue
July 23,2014
Page 2 of 3
permanent closure of the 400 Block of Espafrola Way. At the October 16,2013 City Commission
meeting, the Commission passed a motion directing the Administration to move forward with the
project. However, the Commission expressed concerns with the deliveries that will be displaced
by the closure of the road and the impact of these deliveries on the adjacent roadways.
Once the traffic study was completed, the City hosted a public meeting on June 3, 2014 at the
Miami Beach Police Athletic League. At the meeting, the City was able to collect valuable
information regarding the sentiment of the merchants concerning the proposed closure and their
delivery schedules. This information was analyzed by the traffic consultant and subsequent
recommendations were made regarding loading zones and delivery operations.
ANALYSIS
As part of the traffic study, the consultant collected data on April 24,2013. The data collected
showed that only 17 motorists accessed Espafrola Way during peak hours. Based on these
figures, the consultant constructed a traffic model to evaluate the impacts of the closure on the
existing and future traffic conditions. Following these two tasks, it was concluded that the
permanent closure of Espaflola Way between Washington Avenue and Drexel Avenue would
not have any adverse impacts on the Level of Service (LOS) of the adjacent corridors and
intersections. ln addition, the traffic consultant also studied the loading and unloading conditions
and schedules for the businesses along the proposed closure site and recommended the
addition of loading zones on the adjacent corridors to mitigate the loss along Espafrola Way.
The consultant proposed the installation of three (3) loading zones along the West side of
Washington Avenue immediately south of Espafrola Way. This option has been reviewed and
approved by the City of Miami Beach Parking Department.
Pursuant to the Miami-Dade County Traffic Flow Modification(s)/Street Closure(s) Procedure,
the City fonruarded the study to the Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management
Department's Traffic Engineering Division (County) for its review. After reviewing the study, the
County approved the permanent closure of the street, however, the County has advised that
once design plans are available for the closure, County review and approval will be required.
The methods of closure studied as part of the traffic study were automatically retractable
bollards and manually removable bollards. The retractable bollards options include a remote
control activated alternative (Option A) and a universal key activated alternative (Option B).
Design and installation costs of each one of these options were estimated at $100,000. lt is
worth noting that Option A was preferred by the City's Police and Fire Departments. The
installation of Option A or Option B would facilitate the access of emergency service vehicles to
Espafrola Way; however, given that these systems are more complex, maintenance costs may
be higher than a manual system. The other option reviewed as part of the study was the
installation of manually removable bollards (Option C). The advantage of the manually
removable bollards is that the system would be less complex and require less long-term
maintenance. The City has already installed this type of device at other locations; however,
since the system is removed by hand, it may be subject to vandalism. ln addition, since
emergency response personnel would have to manually remove the bollards, this system may
have an adverse impact on the ability of emergency response vehicles to quickly access
Espafrola Way during emergencies, thus not a recommended alternative. The installation of
these manual bollards is estimated to cost $60,000. Given the characteristics of Espafrola Way,
the consultant's design team recommends a bollard system that is sensitive to the corridor's
architectural context.
500
Commission Memorandum - Permanent Closure of the 400 Block of Espafiola Way between Washington
Avenue and Drexel Avenue
July 23, 2014
Page 3 of 3
RECOMMENDAT!ON
Based on the current operations of corridor, the results of the traffic study, and the desire of the
property owners and merchants to permanently close Espafrola Way between Washington
Avenue and Drexel Avenue, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City
Commission approve the permanent closure of Espafrola Way between Washington Avenue
and Drexel Avenue to vehicular traffic. ln addition, the Administration recommends the
installation of an automatic retractable bollard system (Option A) and is requesting the
,4ecessary funding as part of the Fiscal Year 201412015 budget process.
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T:\AGENDA\201 4\July\Espaiola Way Permanent Closure MEMO
501
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING THE PERMANENT CLOSURE TO
VEHICULAR TRAFFIC OF THE 4OO BLOCK OF ESPANOLA WAY, BETWEEN
WASHINGTON AVENUE AND DREXEL AVENUE.
WHEREAS, currently, the 400 Block of Espafrola Way (between Washington Avenue
and Drexel Avenue) is closed from 6:00 PM to 5:00 AM every day, and functions as a
pedestrian mall with numerous sidewalk cafes, retail businesses, and restaurants; and
WHEREAS, when open to vehicular traffic, the 400 block of Espafrola is a westbound
one-way street; and
WHEREAS, at a meeting with City officials in May 2012, merchants and property owners
requested the extension of the existing closure hours from g hours aday to 19 hours a day, to
improve pedestrian safety and enhance commercial viability; and
WHEREAS, based on the input from the merchants and property owners, the City
conducted a Road Closure Feasibility Study for Espanola Way between Washington Avenue
and Drexel Avenue (the "Road Closure Study") to evaluate the impact the proposed 24 hour
vehicular closure on the community and adjacent roadway network; and
WHEREAS, in May 2013, the City mailed ballots to property owners within a one-block
radius requesting their decision on the project, as described in the Miami-Dade County Traffic
Flow Modification(s)iStreet Closure(s) Procedure; and
WHEREAS, eleven (11) of the fifteen (15) ballots received voted in favorof the closure
of Espafrola Way, between Washington Avenue and Drexel Avenue, thus exceeding the two-
thirds (2/3) concurrence required in the Miami-Dade County Traffic Flow Modification(s)/Street
Closure(s) Procedure; and
WHEREAS, on October 16, 2013, the City Commission passed a motion directing the
City Administration to move fonruard with the study and the project; and
WHEREAS, once the traffic study was completed in draft form, the City hosted a public
meeting on June 3, 2014 to discuss the result of the Road Closure Study and obtain feedback
regarding deliveries; and
WHEREAS, the Final Road Closure Study demonstrated that the proposed closure of
Espafrola Way to vehicular traffic, between Washington Avenue and Drexel Avenue, would not
have any adverse impacts on the traffic conditions of the adjacent corridors and intersections;
and
WHEREAS, in accordance with the Miami Dade County Traffic Flow
Modification(s)iStreet Closure(s) Procedure, the Road Closure Study was reviewed and
approved by Miami Dade County on June 20,2014; and
WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County Public Works Traffic Engineering Division also
approved the relocation of the three (3) loading zones on Espafrola Way between Washington
Avenue and Drexel to the West side of Washington Avenue south of Espafrola Way; and
502
WHEREAS, the two methods of closure evaluated in the Road Closure Study were
automatically retractable bollards, with an implementation cost of $100,000, and manually
removable bollards, with an implementation cost of $60,000; and
WHEREAS, based on advantages identified in the Road Closure Study, the
Administration recommends the implementation of automatically retractable bollards as the
method of closure of the 400 Block of Espafrola Way.
WHEREAS, the approval of the closure of the 400 Block of Espanola pursuant to this
Resolution does not approve the implementation costs for the closure, which costs will be
considered pursuant to a Capital Budget Request for $100,000 and which will be submitted by
the City Administration for consideration in the budget process for Fiscal Year 201412015.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE !T RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City Commission hereby
approve and authorize the permanent closure to vehicular traffic of the 400 Block of Espaflola
Way, between Washington Avenue and DrexelAvenue.
PASSED and ADOPTED this
ATTEST:
day of ,2014.
Philip Levine, Mayor
Rafael E. Granado, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO
FORM AND LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUTION
-?{o*LCity Attorn"y t(
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