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Raysor Transportation Consulting - Letter regarding Sand Key Hotel & Restaurant Site RA YSOR Transportation Consulting TR/lFRC ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT July 21, 2008 Mr. Todd Pressman Pressman & Associates, Inc. 28870 U.S. Highway 19, N., #300 Clearwater, FL 33761 Subject: Sand Key Hotel & Restaurant Site Dear Mr. Pressman, At your request, I have evaluated whether a proposed restaurant within a hotel site on Sand Key should be considered as an accessory use in regard to transportation, with specific attention placed on the adequacy of parking. It is my understanding that the subject hotel is proposed to consist of 38 units and the restaurant is proposed to consist of 4,500 square feet with 125 seats and a bar area; with the restaurant open to the general public, but without signage. It is my understanding that the applicant has stated that the restaurant will cater to "outside" patrons from the pubic in addition to the guests at the 38 room hotel. Specifically, the hotel guests at the Bellview Biltmore will be targeted and pursued for patronage at the proposed Sand Key restaurant; as the Bellview Biltmore, located in Bellaire with 448 rooms, is also under the operation of the applicant. As it is my understanding that parking at the Sand Key site is only currently planned to be provided to accommodate the 38 room hotel (@ 56 spaces), additional parking will be necessary to accommodate restaurant patrons arriving by private auto. Shared parking is commonly considered between multiple uses, however, given that peak restaurant demands typically occur during evening hours concurrent with the period that hotel guests would typically be residing at the hotel, these uses are not complimentary in terms of parking. Thus, shared parking should not be given much consideration for these uses, if any. Furthermore, in addition to restaurant patrons, dedicated parking will also need to be provided for restaurant staff. Based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers reference document "Trip Generation", a 4,500 square foot restaurant typically generates between 50 and 90 vehicular trips during peak hours (entering & exiting). Assuming a dining turn-over rate of only one hour, 25 to 45 parking spaces would be necessary to accommodate patrons arriving by private auto (not including the parking spaces required by restaurant staff). It is noted that as dining periods extend longer than one hour, the number of parking spaces required to accommodate patrons will also increase. I Thus, the parking needs exclusively for the restaurant are estimated to be in line with City code, with a requirement of 67.5 spaces (i.e., 15 per 1,000 square feet). These parking demand estimates are further supported by data contained in the Institute of Transportation Engineers reference document "Parking Generation"; which identifies the need for parking at a rate of 13.3 to 17.2 spaces per 1,000 square feet. In the absence of providing adequate parking for the restaurant, unintended negative consequences will result, including illegal off-site parking (such as on private property and on public rights of way). In addition, inadequate parking often results in traffic circulation problems, which can negatively affect site ingress and causes pedestrian and vehicle safety issues. r RAYSOR Transportation Consulting Mr. Todd Pressman July 21, 2008 Page 2 of 2 The following summarizes my evaluation, findings, and conclusion based on professional judgment and experience: . It is ygry reasonable to assume that a 38 unit hotel cannot exclusively support a 4,500 square foot restaurallt. . "Outside" patronage typically suggests arrival by private auto, which requires dedicated parking. . Restaurant staff also require dedicated parking.- . The parking spaces required just for the hotel are generally equivalent to the rough number of parking spaces estimated to be needed by the restaurant indicating that parking demands on the site may exceed supply by a factor of two. . Inadequate parking directly and/or indirectly causes the following harm to the public health safety and welfare: · Pedestrian safety problems. · Vehicular safety problems. · Traffic circulation problems. · Illegal off-site parking (Le., public rights of way, private property, etc.) . In order to avoid significant and serious impacts to the public transportation network and into the immediately surrounding residential uses, it is recommended that adequate parking, dedicated to the proposed restaurant, be provided in accordance with applicable City codes and standards. If you should have any questions regarding the information discussed herein, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, RAYSOR Transportation Consulting, LLC. Michael D. Raysor, P.E., PTOE President MICHAEL D. RAYSOR, P.E., PTOE President AS the president of RAYSOR Transportation Consulting, LLC., Michael D. Raysor, P.E., PTOE, brings over 10 years of relevant and credible traffic engineering experience to each of the firm's assignments, and is fully involved in every project from start to finish. Throughout his career, Mr. Raysor has worked with several City and County public works/engineering departments within the State of Florida, assisting with the analysis and design of transportation infrastructure improvements. Predominantly, these services have been provided to government agencies in southwest Florida, such as Lee and Collier counties, and have included design traffic studies for new corridors, construction plans for new and modified traffic signals, and construction plans for roadway lighting installations. For these projects, Mr. Raysor has served the roles of both project engineer and project manager, which has provided him with a comprehensive understanding of both project needs and client goals. Additionally, Mr. Raysor has provided consultant review services to several jurisdictions for the review of traffic impact studies, development of regional impact (DRI) transportation studies, and notice of proposed change (NOPe) transportation studies. Among these jurisdictions are the City of Fort Myers, Polk County, and Pasco County. Most notable is his work with Pasco County, where Mr. Raysor has worked extensively with County staff in developing the framework and rules applicable to the private sector in regard to traffic impact studies and the resulting mitigation of development impacts. Mr. Raysor has significant experience in the application of traffic engineering software and in the interpretation of its results; having been an active user for over 10 years and having been to several training seminars sponsored by McTrans and Trafficware. Mr. Raysor is a routine user of Synchro, SimTraffic, HCS+, and the FOOT's level of service software. In addition, Mr. Raysor is well versed with the input and output files associated with FSUTMS, including the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Model. Mr. Raysor has been involved in numerous traffic safety studies ranging in size from single residential streets, to large intersections and interchanges, to entire roadway corridors. Existing deficiencies were identified and cost- feasible solutions to resolve the deficiencies were established, including cost-benefit analysis. ~ TRAFfiC ENGINEERING EDUCATION MS Civil Engineering, University of South Florida BS Civil Engineering, University of South Florida REGISTRATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS Florida Professional Engineer #60919 Professional Traffic Operations Engineer #1686 AFFILIATIONS Institute of Transportation Engineers #35042 International Municipal Signal Association #77832 PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE . Traffic Impact/DRI Studies . Capacity Analysis . Traffic Engineering Software (Synchro/HCS+/QLOS) . Traffic Simulation Modeling . Queuing Analysis . Traffic Data Collection/Reduction . Travel Demand Modeling/Forecasts . Signal Warrant Analysis . Traffic Signal Design . Traffic Signal Timings . Highway Lighting Design . Maintenance of Traffic . Signing and Marking . Crash Data Analysis . Traffic Calming . Access Analysis and Design . Agency Review Consultant . Expert Witness 19046 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Suite 308 . Tampa, Fl 33647 . (813) 625-1699 . (813) 907-1434 Ix . www.roysor-tronsportotion.com . MICHAEL D. RAYSOR, P.E., PTOE Raysor Transportation Consulting, LLC. 19046 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard #308 Tampa, Florida 33647 mdr@raysor-transportation.com (813) 625-1699 fx (813) 907-1434 EDUCATION . University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Master of Civil Engineering (May 2002) . University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (May 2000) REGISTRATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS . Professional Engineer #60919, State of Florida Board of Professional Engineers Oanuary 2004) . Professional Traffic Operations Engineer #1686, Transportation Professional Certification Board (February 2006) AFFILIATIONS . Institute of Transportation Engineers, #35042 . International Municipal Signal Association, #77832 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE . President, Raysor Transportation Consulting, LLC., (09/07 - Present) . Senior Project Manager, Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc., (02/06 - 09/07) . Project Manager, Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc., (05/02 - 02/06) . Traffic Engineer, Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc., (05/00 - 05/02) . Engineering Technician, Tindale-Oliver & Associates, Inc., (05/97- 05/00) TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE o Traffic Data Collection/Reduction o Travel Demand Modeling/Forecasts o Traffic Signal Design o Highway Lighting Design o Maintenance of Traffic o Signing and Marking o Capacity Analysis o Traffic Simulation Modeling o Scope of Services/Contracts o Technical Report Writing o Quality Control/Quality Assurance o Client Liaison o Queuing Analysis o Auxiliary Lane Design o Signal Warrant Analysis o Traffic Signal Timing Plans o Crash Data Analysis o Traffic Impact/DRI Studies o Transportation Planning Studies o Access Analysis and Design o Project Budgeting o Meetings with Regulatory Agencies o Public Hearing Testimony o Expert Witness ...~.....