HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 14 Proposed Amendments to the City's Engineering Design Standards and Procedures Manual AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 12/3/2012
Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
Staff Contact/Dept.: Ken Vogeney/ DPW
Staff Phone No: 541-736-1026
Estimated Time: 05 Minutes
S P R I N G F I E L D
C I T Y C O U N C I L
Council Goals: Maintain and Improve
Infrastructure and
Facilities
ITEM TITLE: PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY’S ENGINEERING DESIGN
STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES MANUAL
ACTION
REQUESTED:
Conduct a public hearing and adopt/not adopt the following resolution:
A RESOLUTION ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO THE ENGINEERING
DESIGN STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD
ISSUE
STATEMENT:
Staff has developed several new design standards for public infrastructure to
incorporate into Springfield’s Engineering Design Standards and Procedures
Manual for use with implementing the updated Glenwood Refinement Plan. In
addition, staff proposes numerous other updates that address current practice and
other needs.
ATTACHMENTS: 1. Resolution
2. Memorandum Concerning Sidewalk Standards
DISCUSSION/
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
Updates are proposed in the following Chapters of the Manual:
Chapter 1 – Streets and Sidewalks
Chapter 3 – Stormwater Quality
Chapter 4 – Stormwater Capacity
Chapter 5 – Traffic Standards
Chapter 6 – Landscape Vegetation
Chapter 8 – Erosion and Sediment Control Plan Design
Chapter 13 – City Contract Projects
Staff has prepared a summary of the proposed updates by chapter and has posted
the summary and the proposed changes on the City’s website at
http://www.springfield-
or.gov/Engineering_Design_Standards_Manual_Summary_Table.htm.
Staff presented the proposed updates to the Council during their work session on
October 15, 2012. Per Council’s requests at that meeting, staff added references to
Chapter 6 where someone could see the various plant species in the Street Tree and
Vegetation Lists. Staff also deleted proposed changes to Section 1.02.11 Sidewalks,
in response to some concerns from Council. As a result, adoption of the resolution
will retain the sidewalk standards from the current version of the Manual. This topic
is discussed in more detail in Attachment 2.
On October 17, staff sent an email invitation to 50 members of the engineering and
development community, including the members of the Joint Work Team and the
Development Advisory Committee, asking for their comments on the proposed
updates. In addition, links were added on other pages of the City’s website to
direct interested members of the public to the page with the proposed updates. To
date, we have received no responses or requests to modify the proposed updates.
Staff recommends that Council conduct a public hearing and then adopt the
proposed resolution.
ATTACHMENT 1 - 1
ATTACHMENT 1 - 2
M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield 11/29/2012 Page 1
ATTACHMENT 2 - 1
M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield
Date: 11/16/2012
To: Gino Grimaldi
From: Ken Vogeney, City Engineer
Len Goodwin, DPW Director
Subject: Sidewalk Design Standards in the Engineering
Design Standards and Procedures Manual
On October 15, 2012, staff presented to Council at work session proposed amendments to the City’s
Engineering Design Standards and Procedures Manual. During the discussion of the proposed changes to
require all new sidewalk construction to be setback sidewalks, Council expressed concern over how this
provision would be implemented. Council suggested that the text be revised to be similar to the text for using
wood poles for City street lights.
Although staff revised the text, Council remained concerned as the revisions did not give clear guidance on
sidewalk design for infill, redevelopment, or unimproved streets with developed lots, and particularly
regarding right-of-way width or dedication, and potential impacts on the required minimum setbacks for
buildings from the right-of-way. Council requested at their regular meeting on November 5 that the sidewalk
design topic be brought back to them for further discussion at work session.
There are several other activities now ongoing which may have impact on sidewalk standards. These include
the Transportation System Plan update and compliance with new guidance expected from the United States
Access Board concerning standards for applying the Americans with Disabilities Act in the public right-of-
way, and a separate project for a comprehensive review of the City’s street standards. This project is
scheduled to begin after the first of the year.
Since sidewalk placement and design affects the use and configuration of the public right-of-way, addressing
the Council’s concerns about sidewalk design at this time may have unintended consequences in the broader
context of street design standards, resulting in further revisions to these same design standards. Accordingly,
staff believes that we can best address the Council’s concerns as part of the comprehensive street standards
review. As such, the proposed revisions to Section 1.02.11 of the Manual discussed on October 15 have been
removed and the current text from the 2006 version of the Manual will be retained for now. This text can be
viewed on the website at the following link:
http://www.springfield-or.gov/Engineering_Design_Standards_Manual_Summary_Table.htm and viewing
the final version of Chapter 1, Streets and Sidewalks.