northgate redevelopment implementation plan - City of College Station

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NORTHGATE REDEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN SHORT TERM TACTICS HIGHLIGHT: PARKING POLICY Parking in the district should be thought of as a common utility, just as water or sewer service, to serve all patrons, residents, and land-owners. One must therefore create a clear and aggressive parking management policy under the proposed Northgate Management District which would combine all district parking under one entity. Whether it's the public garage, the onstreet parking, church parking or private parking lots, parking must be organized as a whole, with usage access and hours made clear. This includes not only meeting the specific time demands of group like churches, but also the off-street versus on-street parking, and paid versus free parking. Parking was the issue that stakeholders most repeatedly expressed frustrations and concern about. However, a real lack of parking in the district seems not to be the issue as much as the need for carefully coordinated parking management. Stakeholders also mentioned the need for a more user-friendly exiting sequence. It was pointed out that it is very difficult to get out of the garage after a major event due to the method of payment. This delay causes people to avoid the garage rather than use it regularly. 40
NORTHGATE REDEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN SHORT TERM TACTICS HIGHLIGHT: UNIVERSITY DRIVE TRAFFIC CALMING At present University Drive is an intimidating, unfriendly barrier to pedestrians. Reworking the lane arrangement would: 1. Slow the speed of thru traffic allowing motorists to be more aware of both pedestrians and retail outlets in the corridor. 1. 2. Lessen the crossing distance for pedestrians and provide a center median for refuge. 3. Visually improve the corridor adding to the image of both College Station and TAMU. 4. Provide opportunities and identify Northgate entry points. College Main and University Drive intersection after road enhancements and traffic calming 3. College Main University Drive 2. Illustrations 1. College Main and University Drive intersection existing. 2. College Main and University Drive intersection plan showing traffic calming and road enhancements. 3. University Drive plan showing traffic calming road enhancements including street trees, parallel parking, islands, and new A&M structures proposed by the university master planners. Two key ideas could achieve this end. First the drive could be maintained as six lanes with a median separating the directions; the median would be continuously landscaped throughout the length of the district. In addition, narrowing the College Main and University Drive existing lanes by a foot each and allocating the space to the boulevard's north edge where the existing sidewalk widths are deficient would contribute to making University Drive a more pedestrian oriented urban boulevard. This would deliver between six to eight feet of sidewalk width which would enhance the retailer visibility and create pedestrian-queuing areas at the corners of the major north/south streets that connect the campus. TAMU should be approached to allow the roadway to expand along the south curb line enough to widen the center median by an additional ten feet. This would allow room for a pedestrian refuge in the median. 41
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northgate redevelopment implementation plan - City of College Station

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