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Home My WebLink About12/16/2022 - 1st Traffic & Parking Peer Review - - 149 MAIN STREET 282 Merrimack Street,2nd IFIoor Lawrence l MA 011843 u, .. TEE; old The Engineleri'lig Co y 0 9poal@Uiuuemmumamm�i i�oN 01 Jean Enright December 16, 2022 Planning Director Town of North Andover 120 Main Street North Andover, MA 01845 Ref. T1295.02 Re: Proposed Mixed-Use Development— 149 Main Street— North Andover, MA Traffic & Parking Peer Review Dear Ms. Enright: On behalf of the Town of North Andover's Planning Board, TEC, Inc./The Engineering Corp (TEC) reviewed documents as part of the traffic engineering peer review for the proposed mixed-use development project at 149 Main Street in North Andover, Massachusetts. Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. (Langan) submitted the following documents on behalf of the Applicant, which TEC reviewed for conformance with local and State regulations and generally accepted industry standards for traffic engineering: • 149 Main Street & 14 Second Street Development Permit Site Plans — North Andover, Massachusetts, prepared by Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc., November 21, 2022; • Traffic Assessment& Parking Utilization Study- 149 Main Street Mixed-Use Development - North Andover, Massachusetts; prepared by Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc., November 18, 2022; and • Other application materials and related correspondence. Upon review of the documents and plans, TEC compiled the following comments for the Planning Board's consideration: 1. Langan estimated the site trip generation for the proposed mixed-use development. Development includes twenty-four residential units and approximately 6,700 square-feet of ground floor intensive commercial use. Using standard trip rates published in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) publication entitled, Trip Generation, 11t" Edition. They employed Land Use Code (LUC) 220 — Multifamily Housing (Low-Rise) and LUC 822 — Strip Retail Plaza (<40,000 SF). Langan did not take credit for the existing unoccupied buildings and reasonably calculated the number of new trips. The proposed level of traffic will be comparable to the trip generating characteristics for the former bank use and will not result in a noticeable change in traffic in this area. No response required. 2. Langan estimated the site's parking demand for the proposed mixed-use development using standard parking demand rates published in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) publication entitled, Parking Generation, 5t"Edition. They employed Land Use Code (LUC)220 — Multifamily Residential Use and LUC 820 — Shopping Center. These rates are reasonable for a non-restaurant retail type of use. TEC does not recommend a restaurant or cafe on this site given the higher parking demand (greater than 10 spaces per 1,000 SF), which may also compete with the residential parking needs during the overlapping morning and evening peak hours. J Proposed Mixed-Use Development— 149 Main Street— North Andover, MA %,,,,............ TEE; Traffic & Parking Peer Review The E iryee g Corp December 16, 2022 Page 2 of 3 3. The Town's zoning allows a parking ratio of 4.5 per 1,000 square feet for a medical office use, whereas a clinic use would have a higher demand. ITE data suggests that the 85t" percentile parking demand for a medical-dental office will be similar to the Town's rate listed above. Given the downtown overlay district, TEC believes that the actual parking demand for a medical- dental office could be even lower due to the mix of other uses in close proximity to the site and the potential for shared trips. 4. The Town should consider limiting the use of the proposed tandem parking spaces to the tenants of the 2-bedroom residential units given the operational challenges associated with the logistics of using the inner stall. TEC recommends that the Applicant formally assign and sign/number the spaces accordingly. 5. The parking spaces under the proposed building will be difficult to access given the presence of structural columns and constraints of the proposed 20-foot travel aisle. However, these residential spaces are not likely to see considerable turnover. 6. The Applicant seeks a reduction of 35 percent in parking supply when compared to the town's zoning bylaws. Based on the parking utilization assessment, the Town appears to have surplus on-street parking stalls available for the proposed commercial use within the "downtown area" limits as defined by Section 195-8.4 A, Note 7. 7. TEC agrees with the Applicant's proposal to limit the driveway flow to one-way clockwise around the building. However, the use of a 20-foot access aisle will be challenging for high- turnover parking needs that may be associated with the proposed retail use because there are structural elements of the building, such as columns, at the edge of the aisle. Although the 20- foot aisle is permitted in the Town's zoning regulations, it may be prudent to consider angled parking stalls along the southerly edge of the parcel to facilitate easier parking maneuvers. This may affect the proposed landscape buffer strip. 8. TEC recommends that the project team review the fire truck access with the Fire Department. There are areas near the proposed exit where the truck movement may conflict with the curb line or may not provide sufficient flexibility for snowbanks. 9. The site plan does not depict an area for loading or dumpster operations for the residential and commercial uses. The Applicant should provide a description of their intended loading operations either on-site or off-site. 10. The Applicant should review any temporary traffic control plans with the Department of Public Works for work related to the utility modifications within Main Street. Given the extent of trenching to terminate existing services and construct new services, TEC recommends that the Planning Board consider a requirement for milling, overlay, and new roadway striping within Main Street along the property frontage. 11. The Langan traffic study documented the sight lines for the proposed driveway location on Second Street at approximately 300 feet. This assessment does not appear to consider the presence of vehicles that may be parked on Second Street. At a minimum, TEC recommends that the sight lines meet the minimum safe stopping sight distance recommendations for approximately 20 miles per hour (115 feet). This assumed speed would be reasonable for vehicles approaching the stop sign at the end of Second Street or turning from Main Street onto Second Street. T:\T1295\T1295.02\Docs\Letters\1295.02_149 Main Street—Peer Review Ltr 1.docx Proposed Mixed-Use Development— 149 Main Street— North Andover, MA %,,,,............ TEE; Traffic & Parking Peer Review The E iryee g Corp December 16, 2022 Page 3of3 12. The study did not describe the sight distance characteristics for the intersection of Main Street at Second Street,which is currently obstructed by the existing building to the south and partially obscured by on-street parking to the north. The property is located on the "inside" of the horizontal curve on Main Street. TEC recommends that the proposed building edge be offset from the front property line to provide the AASHTO-recommended intersection sight distance of 280 feet for the 25-mph posted speed zone in front of the site. w, .............. 17 ; 1 / / "r i J„i r n'I &;'//�� „; I Ij' ✓%;;, I r F,fin„ / '` I I r w 1 I/ Ir�� e� 'v r^^ /1 I H,.r.t.<R, � I ✓'"v ^ l l f 'Ni l r ��j,m � I, ..., l Fr ! I I ly ✓ 1 1 / / ,v. ' u W v, r ✓i Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions concerning our team's peer review comments at (978) 794-1792. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, TEC, Inc. "The Engineering Corporation" Kevin R. Dandrade, PE, PTOE Principal T:\T1295\T1295.02\Docs\Letters\1295.02_149 Main Street—Peer Review Ltr 1.docx