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CONTRACT K-1617-140: A CONTRACT AMENDING A PRIOR AGREEMENT BETWEEN CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA AND KIMLEY-HORN AND ASSOCIATES TO ADD THE CITY OF NORMAN AS A PARTY TO THE CONTRACT, EXTEND THE TERM, SUBSTITUTE THE SCOPE OF SERVICES AND PROVIDE FOR JOINT FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $90,000, $30,000 OF WHICH TO BE PAID BY THE CITY, TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PARKING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE MUTUAL BENEFIT OF CLEVELAND COUNTY AND THE CITY OF NORMAN; AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION FROM THE CAPITAL FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: On January 28, 2003, City Council approved Contract K-0203-100 with Carter & Burgess, Inc. to provide engineering services for a comprehensive Downtown/Campus Corner Parking Study that evaluated parking supplies, parking demands (both existing and future), parking alternatives, and financial considerations. The study was completed in December of 2003 and included a recommendation to develop a new, public parking lot on Gray Street, which was constructed by the City of Norman and opened to the public in January 2007.
On November 13, 2012, City Council approved Contract K-1213-86 with Freese & Nichols for the development of the City’s first Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). The contract provided a framework for the development and implementation of an efficient and comprehensive transportation system within Norman and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. The plan was completed in the early spring of 2014 and was adopted by City Council on May 13, 2014. There are specific Action Items within the CTP dealing with the management of high demand on-street parking as well as with the creation of a Parking Management District for the Downtown and Campus Corner areas.
Prior to establishing a Parking Management District or Authority, the City Council and the Norman Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) determined that the original 2003 Norman Parking Study, completed by Carter & Burgess, Inc., should be updated. Doing so was anticipated to provide a more accurate framework for the establishment of a future Parking Management District.
On June 23, 2015, City Council approved contract K-1415-145 with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., to update the 2003 Parking Study of the Downtown and Campus Corner Areas. The $170,000 study was funded by the City of Norman ($120,000), Cleveland County ($40,000), the Norman Downtowners Association ($5,000) and the Campus Corner Merchants Association ($5,000).
On March 24, 2016, EDAB recommended that the 2016 Parking Study Update be accepted by the Norman City Council.
On May 16, 2016, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners accepted the 2016 Parking Study Update, which included a recommendation to build a parking structure on the County-owned property directly north of the Cleveland County Courthouse.
On July 19, 2016, City Council met in Study Session and was presented with an overview of the Parking Study Update and a summary of its recommendations, and requested that formal acceptance of the study be scheduled by staff.
On August 9, 2016, City Council adopted Resolution R-1617-15, accepting the 2016 Downtown and Campus Corner Parking Study and its recommendation.
During Council’s goal setting retreat on September 12, 2016, the decision to participate in the formation of a parking trust or authority was set as a secondary short-term goal for City Council. Members of Staff, the Economic Development Advisory Board and representatives of Cleveland County have continued to have discussions regarding a collaborative approach to parking.
DISCUSSION: The 2016 Downtown and Campus Corner Parking Study identified and evaluated alternatives and candidate sites for the development of additional off-street parking facilities in the Central Business District and in the Campus Corner Area, while considering the following factors:
§ Surface vs. structured parking alternatives;
§ Vehicular traffic access;
§ Pedestrian access and circulation;
§ Net gain in parking supply;
§ Functional layout;
§ Projected utilization and financial performance;
§ Potential for joint use (incorporating retail, office, or residential uses in the parking facility or site);
§ Proximity to major generators;
§ Visual and aesthetic impacts;
§ Compatibility with adjacent land uses;
§ Generalized environmental impacts;
§ Alternative use of the site
Furthermore, the contract required Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., with input from citizens, key stakeholders and City staff, to identify up to three candidate sites in each district for future construction of parking structures and to make a recommendation on the preferred site(s) based upon results of the evaluation. Further evaluation of two sites in the Downtown Area and one site in the Campus Corner Area, was also included in the scope of services, including a detailed financial analysis of the proposed parking facilities.
After three public meetings and several monthly meetings with key stakeholders (Jim Adair, representing the Downtowners, Rainey Powell, representing Campus Corner, Commissioner Darry Stacy, representing Cleveland County, and Mr. Chuck Thompson, representing the Economic Development Advisory Board), the Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. recommended the following sites for future consideration:
In Downtown Norman
§ The property owned by Cleveland County along the north side of Comanche Street, between Jones Avenue and Peters Avenue
§ The property owned by the City of Norman along the south side of Gray Street, between Peters Avenue and Crawford Avenue.
In Campus Corner
§ The property owned by the University of Oklahoma and First Presbyterian Church along the west side of University Boulevard, between OU’s Boyd House and White Street.
• The property owned by Orient Express and e-Tec west of Asp Avenue and north of White Street was identified as an alternative site if property could be acquired and the First Presbyterian Church property was not feasible for the project.
The 2016 Parking Study Update sought to answer the following questions:
1. How do stakeholders and the community at large feel about parking conditions in Norman?
2. How many parking spaces are available, and how are they being used?
3. How many and what type of parking spaces are needed to serve current and future needs (an approximate ten-year time frame, through the year 2025)?
4. How might potential parking improvements be developed and managed to support future growth and continued investment in Norman’s core?
The results of this effort can be summarized in the following key findings:
1. Continued growth has led to increased parking demands in these areas.
2. There are suitable sites to build parking improvements.
3. The Public Trust or Authority could feasibly finance or pay for these improvements.
4. The approach to parking management can support the City’s other Core Area Plan Initiatives.
The 2016 Parking Study was not designed to provide a detailed analysis of the structure, governance or finances of a potential parking authority. Cleveland County officials indicated a desire for a third-party, independent study of a parking authority that would involve the City of Norman, Cleveland County and perhaps the University of Oklahoma. Cleveland County officials solicited the assistance of ADG, PC and Kimley-Horn and Associates to provide these services.
Cleveland County entered into the Cleveland County Parking Authority Study Consulting Agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates on November 14, 2016. Cleveland County is now requesting City of Norman participation to fund a portion of the cost of the consultant study. The request is for 50 percent (50%) of the cost of Tasks 2 and 3 in Exhibit A of the attached contract, not to exceed $30,000, as an amendment to the previously-referenced contract (Cleveland County is funding the full cost of Task 1, in the approximate amount of $30,000). The study will continue the stakeholder engagement process and further explore the organizational structure for a collaborative parking management strategy to assist the City and the County in deciding whether the formation of a parking authority is in the collective best interest of the parties. Contract K-1617-140 was developed for this purpose and has been reviewed by Legal Department staff.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Contract K-1617-140 amending a prior agreement between Cleveland County, Oklahoma and Kimley-Horn and Associates to add the City of Norman as a party to the contract, extending the term, substituting the Scope of Services and providing for joint funding in the amount of $90,000, $30,000 of which shall be paid by the City, to develop recommendations for a parking management system for the mutual benefit of Cleveland County and the City of Norman.
If the contract is approved, staff further recommends a $30,000 appropriation from the Capital Fund Balance (account 050-0000-253.20-00) to Downtown Traffic/Parking, Design (account 050-9069-431.62-01; project TC-0157) to pay for the City’s share of the study cost.