| Clocktower Commons access still up for debate |
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| Wednesday, 27 May 2009 | |
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Staff writer The Andover City Council is willing to give extra access to a shopping center, but what the access and Crosstown Boulevard will look like is still being debated. After a lengthy discussion during its May 19 meeting, the council ultimately tabled a proposal for a three-quarters access that would access Clocktower Commons on the west side of Crosstown Boulevard between Hanson Boulevard and Bluebird Street. The council reached some consensus with the shopping center’s ownership group BDT Holdings, LLC. The city is willing to look at a shorter right-hand turn lane off westbound Crosstown Boulevard, but the length would be determined after the city engineer reviews the plans. BDT Holdings is concerned about storm sewer and gutter improvements that are part of the city’s proposal. The city and BDT Holdings also agreed to make the “pork chop median” a little larger. This is a small concrete median that would channel traffic west on Crosstown Boulevard and prevent the left turn out of the development. A nearby example of a three-quarters intersection is at Hanson Boulevard and Bluebird Street. However, an agreement could not be reached regarding a concrete median on Crosstown Boulevard. Hanson Boulevard at Bluebird Street has a concrete median to prevent motorists from driving around the “pork chop median.” BDT Holdings’ concern was because it will pay for this access improvement project, it wanted to keep costs down. If the city and BDT Holdings can agree on an access design, construction would occur this summer. Why this came up BDT Holdings at a September 2008 council meeting requested an additional access off Crosstown Boulevard to help out businesses in Clocktower Commons and to make two vacant parcels on the east side of the shopping center more attractive to buyers. City Attorney Scott Baumgartner said the request was not an incidental change, so BDT Holdings would have to go through a planned unit development process. Darran Lazan and Tom Roberts of BDT Holdings on Feb. 17 presented a sketch plan to the council for a full access intersection. The city of Andover and BDT Holdings eventually agreed that a three-quarters intersection would address the access concern of the businesses and the safety concerns of the city because it would not allow left turns out of Clocktower Commons. Motorists would have to take this left turn at the Bluebird Street intersection. The Andover Planning Commission had voted for a right-in, right-out intersection, but Roberts told the council Feb. 17 that this intersection would make no financial sense for Clocktower Commons. He said the left turn into the development is the most important turning movement. The traffic study that BDT Holdings’ hired engineering firm did conclude that a full access intersection allowing all turning movements would operate at a high level of service. A second study that the engineering consultant conducted looked out to 2030. This study concluded that traffic should continue to be monitored and if there were stacking problems on Crosstown Boulevard, the access may have to be converted to a right-in, right-out. It also concluded that a right-turn lane for westbound Crosstown Boulevard traffic is not needed at this time, but may be needed in the future. The city of Andover hired its own engineering firm to study the access request and it originally recommended a right-in, right-out access. After consulting with the shopping center ownership and again with its engineering firm, the city determined that a three-quarters intersection would be viable, but there is disagreement over how to develop it. Concrete medians The biggest contention is whether Crosstown Boulevard should have striping to designate the new turn lanes and median or whether traffic should be channelized by concrete barriers. Mayor Mike Gamache was absent from the May 19 meeting, but said in a next day phone interview with the Anoka County Union that he agrees with the viewpoint of Councilmember Don Jacobson that the concrete curb that the city engineer proposed should be constructed. Councilmembers Sheri Bukkila, Mike Knight and Julie Trude are fine with only having painted medians that BDT Holdings wants instead of the concrete median. City Engineer and Public Works Director David Berkowitz said if there is not a concrete median and it is only striped, motorists can cheat the system and still turn left, which he has seen happen at other intersections. Berkowitz also said if there is not a concrete median separating traffic turning left into the shopping center from westbound Crosstown Boulevard traffic, there is a greater risk for head-on collisions. “This is an opportunity to build it right the first time,” Berkowitz said in summarizing city staff’s opinion. Lazan said these type of painted medians and left turn lanes can be found all over and mentioned the Andover and Crosstown boulevards intersection as an example, which Andover High School traffic utilizes. Jacobson asked how much of the median would have to be torn out when property on the south side of Crosstown Boulevard owned by Winslow Holasek develops. Berkowitz replied that if the access to Holasek’s property is right-in, right-out, then most of the improvements for the Clocktower Commons access could remain. If a future council wants access improvements at Crosstown Boulevard and Bluebird Street and some other access improvements along this stretch of Crosstown Boulevard, that could have an impact on the medians. It all depends on what type of access a future council approves for the Holasek property, Berkowitz said. Lazan noted that even with this new access there would still be minimal accesses east of Hanson Boulevard on Crosstown Boulevard compared with west of Hanson Boulevard where there are numerous full accesses for Andover City Hall, Andover Elementary, the Andover YMCA/Community Center, the public works building and Sunshine Park. There will also be access to the new outdoor ice rinks west of the public works building. Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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