HomeMy WebLinkAbout20230216 118, 121-125 Woodlawn Special Use Permit Qualitative Assessment
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July 13, 2023
Ref: 22258.00
City of Saratoga Springs Planning Board
c/o Susan Barden
City of Saratoga Springs
474 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Re: Qualitative Traffic Assessment, Woodlawn Club, 118 Woodlawn Avenue, Saratoga Springs, New York
Dear Board Members:
VHB Engineering, Surveying, Landscape Architecture, and Geology, PC (VHB) has conducted a qualitative traffic
assessment to identify the operations and potential impacts for the proposed Woodlawn Club located at 118 and
121-125 Woodlawn Avenue in the City of Saratoga Springs, New York. The Proposed Site Plan prepared by C.T.
Male Associates with final revision dated June 8, 2023, is attached to this letter. The proposed project includes the
construction of a 22-space parking lot with full access from Woodlawn Avenue and potential left-turn exit onto
Bolster Lane and rehabilitation of the former church located on the northeast quadrant of the Woodlawn Avenue at
Van Dam Street intersection.
Site Location and Proposed Development
The proposed Woodlawn Club is located at 118 Woodlawn Avenue on the northeast quadrant of the Woodlawn
Avenue and Van Dam Street intersection with a dedicated parking lot with 22 parking spaces located at 121-125
Woodlawn Avenue with full access from Woodlawn Avenue and a potential left-turn exit onto Bolster Lane in the
City of Saratoga Springs, New York. Access to the parking lot is located approximately 175 feet north of Van Dam
Street on Woodlawn Avenue. The Woodlawn Club (Club) is proposed as a private/social club for businesspersons to
meet with other members of the Club, and their guests, in a relaxed, private setting. Operations at the Club would
be limited to members and their guests with no public access to the site.
The existing gravel lot located at 121-125 Woodlawn Avenue will be upgraded to provide a paved parking lot with
22 parking spaces. The existing full access from Woodlawn Avenue will be maintained and the Bolster Lane
driveway will be limited to a left-turn exit only or removed. Based on the existing land use and roadway
characteristics, it is expected that members of the Woodlawn Club will primarily access the parking lot through the
Woodlawn Avenue driveway. The project location is shown in the following aerial image.
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Existing Conditions
Woodlawn Avenue is classified as an urban local roadway providing north-south travel through the City of Saratoga
Springs from Division Street to 4th Street. Adjacent to the project site Woodlawn Avenue provides a single lane in
each direction with parking allowed on one side of the street. Sidewalks are provided on both sides of Woodlawn
Avenue with an area posted speed limit of 30-mph. Land uses north of the project site are primarily single and
multifamily residential with commercial uses south of the project site.
The Woodlawn Avenue at Van Dam Street intersection is a four-leg intersection operating under stop sign control
on the Woodlawn Avenue approaches. Each intersection approach provides a single lane for shared travel
movements. Sidewalks are provided on both sides of Woodlawn Avenue and Van Dam Street approaching the
intersection and there is a marked crosswalk on the Van Dam Street westbound approach to the intersection.
Van Dam Street is a designated truck route, since trucks are restricted on NY Route 50 (Broadway) south of Van
Dam Street, and also provides direct access to the Saratoga Springs hospital located west of the proposed project.
Woodlawn Avenue is located approximately 325-feet west of the traffic signal controlled intersection of Van Dam
Street/NY Route 50 and Broadway. Drivers turning from Woodlawn Avenue to Van Dam Street can experience
delays associated with queues from the adjacent traffic signal, traffic to and from the hospital, and general truck
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traffic. When this occurs, residents on Woodlawn Avenue can travel north to Greenfield Avenue to access the traffic
signal at Greenfield Avenue and NY Route 50 or travel west on Vermont Street to access the traffic signal at Clinton
Street and Van Dam Street.
Future Conditions
Trip Generation
There is no comparable land use code for estimating trip generation at the site using data published by the Institute
of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) publication Trip Generation Manual, the typical trip generation methodology.
Therefore, peak hour trip generation at the site was estimated based upon operational data outlined by the project
applicant and a review of the architectural drawings defining the use of the interior space.
The Club is anticipated to be open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 8:00 a.m. to
11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Club will provide light meals and bar service for members during
operating hours for the approximately 200 members. All services at the Club are reservation based so using the
meeting room or dining services is known in advance and the management team can regulate activity at the site.
Review of the architectural plans shows that the building will include four semi-private lounge areas
accommodating four to eight people, a reading room with seating for 12 to 15 people, and a bar/dining room with
seating for 18 to 22 people on the first floor. The second floor will include a dining loft with seating for 14 to 18
people, three meeting rooms ranging in size from four to 12 people, and two lounge areas seating three to five
people. The basement includes a wine cellar and private dining area that will seat 8 to twelve people. These spaces
will be available to members and their guests, but will not be occupied on a regular basis. Example uses include a
committee meeting in one of the second floor meeting rooms, lunch with a few guests in the dining loft, or meeting
with other members for dinner in the bar/dining area. No events or outdoor activities are included as part of Club
offerings.
Based on the planned uses at the site, the bar/dining room and dining loft, the meeting rooms, and employees are
anticipated to have the potential to generate the most traffic to and from the site at regular intervals. The potential
site generated traffic for the weekday AM and PM peak hours and the Saturday midday peak hour was estimated
using the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) publication Trip Generation,11th Edition 1 and information
provided by the applicant The peak hours are determined based on the time periods when traffic volumes are
highest on the roadway system on a regular basis. These periods are the typical weekday AM and PM commuter
peak periods (7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.) and the Saturday midday peak period from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m.
The number of vehicle trips generated by the bar/dining room and dining loft using the ITE methodology was
estimated based on Land Use Code (LUC) 931 – Fine Dining Restaurant for a maximum of 40 seats. This land use
code most closely resembles dining options at the Club. Trips generated by the use of the meeting rooms are
estimated based on the capacity of the largest meeting room (12 people) and the trips generated by the employees
are estimated based on the number of employees at the Club during a given time period (six). The trip generation
1 ITE Trip Generation Manual, 11th Edition, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Washington D.C., September 2021
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for the employees and meeting rooms assumes that meeting attendees and employees will arrive at the site by
themselves in a personal vehicle. Table 1 summarizes the trip generation for the three peak hours.
Table 1 Trip Generation Summary
Land Use
Peak Hour
Weekday AM Weekday PM Saturday Midday
Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total
Dining Area a 0 0 0 8 3 11 8 5 13
Meeting Space b 12 0 12 0 12 12 6 6 12
Employees c 6 0 6 3 3 6 3 3 6
Total Trips 18 0 18 11 18 29 17 14 31
a Trip generation estimate based on ITE LUC 931 – Fine Dining Restaurant for up to 40 seats b Trip generation based on occupancy of the 12 person meeting room c Trip generation based on 6 employees on site during each time period and potential shift changes
Table 1 shows that the Club could generate 18 new vehicle trips (all entering) during the AM peak hour, 29 new
vehicle trips (11 entering and 18 exiting) during the PM peak hour, and 31 new vehicle trips (17 entering and 14
exiting) during the Saturday midday peak hour. Other member, visitor, and employee trips to and from the Club are
expected to occur during off-peak periods and not result in regular peak period traffic at the site.
The potential site generated trips results in less than the NYSDOT and ITE trip thresholds of the generation of 100
vehicle trips on a single intersection approach for determining the need for detailed off-site intersection analysis.
These agency thresholds were developed as a tool to identify locations where the magnitude of traffic generated
has the potential to impact operations at off-site intersections and to screen out locations that do not meet the
threshold and are therefore, unlikely to require mitigation. The trip generation for the proposed project does not
meet the threshold for analysis of off-site intersections. Additionally, in the Short Environmental Assessment Form
Workbook, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) states that “a project
generating fewer than 100 peak hour vehicle trips per day will not result in any significant increases in traffic”. Table
1 shows that the proposed project is expected to generate a maximum of 31 new vehicle trips, well below the
NYSDOT, ITE, and NYSDEC thresholds. The proposed project can be accommodated on the existing roadway
network.
Based on ITE LUC 560 – Church with regular Sunday services and weekday evening activities, the site could generate
three trips (two entering and one exiting) during the AM peak hour, eight trips (four entering and four exiting)
during the weekday PM peak hour and 104 vehicle trips (50 entering and 54 exiting) during the Sunday morning
peak hour. While the proposed project generates more trips during the typical peak periods, the Club will not
experience a weekly high activity peak like a church would.
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Trip Distribution
The directional distribution of traffic approaching and departing the site is a function of several variables including
population densities, existing travel patterns, and the efficiency of the roadways leading to and from the site. Based
on a review of the existing travel patterns and population centers in the area it is expected that the primary travel
route for members, guests, and employees will be to and from the Woodlawn Avenue at Van Dam Street
intersection. Although there is potential for a left-turn exit to Bolster Lane, use of this access on a regular basis is
unlikely and not needed for site circulation and access. By accessing the parking lot to and from the Woodlawn
Avenue at Van Dam Street intersection, Club patrons would not be travelling past the existing multifamily and
single family land uses north of the site.
Based on the number of potential new vehicle trips associated with the Club and the anticipated access to and from
the site, the site may add one trip at the Woodlawn Avenue at Van Dam Street intersection every three minutes
during the weekday AM peak hour and one new trip every two minutes during the weekday PM and Saturday
midday peak hours. The additional site-related traffic is not expected to impact operations at the Woodlawn
Avenue and Van Dam Street intersection. Consistent with existing conditions, residents on Woodlawn Avenue can
travel north to Greenfield Avenue to access the traffic signal at Greenfield Avenue and NY Route 50 or travel west
on Vermont Street to access the traffic signal at Clinton Street and Van Dam Street.
Parking
Review of the Proposed Site Plan shows that the 22 proposed parking spaces meets the City parking requirement.
The trip generation estimate shows that as vehicles arrive and depart the parking lot, the 22 spaces will
accommodate the anticipated demand. For example, during the weekday PM peak hour, 11 vehicles may enter the
parking lot, but 18 vehicles would also exit during that same timeframe.
Conclusions
VHB completed a qualitative traffic assessment for the proposed Woodlawn Club located at 118 Woodlawn Avenue
with a 22-space parking lot at 121-125 Woodlawn Avenue in the City of Saratoga Springs. The following is noted
regarding the assessment:
› The approximately 200-member club is anticipated to be open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through
Thursday and from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Club will provide light meals and
bar service for members during operating hours. No event space or outdoor activities will be offered at the
Woodlawn Club and the dining and meeting room services require reservations.
› Based on the planned uses at the Club, the site is estimated to generate 18 trips during the weekday AM
peak hour, 29 trips during the weekday PM peak hour, and 31 trips during the Saturday midday peak hour.
This is less than the NYSDOT and ITE thresholds for analysis of off-site intersections and less than the
NYSDEC thresholds for identifying significant traffic impacts. The proposed project can be accommodated on
the existing roadway network.
› The site may add one trip at the Woodlawn Avenue at Van Dam Street intersection every three minutes
during the weekday AM peak hour and one new trip every two minutes during the weekday PM and Saturday
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midday peak hours. The additional site-related traffic is not expected to impact operations at the Woodlawn
Avenue and Van Dam Street intersection.
› Consistent with existing conditions, residents on Woodlawn Avenue can travel north to Greenfield Avenue to
access the traffic signal at Greenfield Avenue and NY Route 50 or travel west on Vermont Street to access the
traffic signal at Clinton Street and Van Dam Street.
Please call with any questions regarding the above evaluation.
Sincerely,
VHB
Alanna Moran, PE, Senior Traffic Designer amoran@vhb.com
Attachments