6 3 26 WO PB Draft Minutes

9 - Highlighted landscaping and storefront design intended to shorten the perceived walking distance, provide shade, and improve wayfinding - Proposed detectable warning surfaces at street corners by changing sidewalk texture or adding highly visible painted signs. - Proposed bollards to separate vehicles from pedestrians near the entrance and reduce the likelihood of vehicle-pedestrian accidents. - Proposed decorative street murals between the store entrance and parking lot, explaining this naturally encourages drivers to slow down. - Included bicycle racks for employees and other cyclists. - Discussed maintaining adequate sight triangles for motorists. - Suggested creating painted curb bump-outs (rather than constructing permanent ones) in coordination with the Township traffic engineer and Essex County. - Mentioned working with a company that has implemented similar artistic traffic-calming treatments in South Orange. - Explained these painted bump-outs would both beautify the area and improve pedestrian safety at crossings. - Explained, using rain gardens, creates a landscaped buffer between the parking lot and the sidewalk - Said this landscaped edge provides tree canopy, serves as a living screen between pedestrians and parked vehicles, and makes walking along Main Street more attractive. - Introduced loading operations, explained that the team extensively researched "last-mile" delivery practices because the issue arises in many municipalities. - Referenced several sources studied during the design process: ○ A Montgomery County, Maryland case study ○ New York City's freight parking policy research ○ A publication by Nan Chen, Smart Solutions for the Loading Zone Revenue Dilemma - Summarized the research findings: ○ Off-street loading works well for industrial uses or long-duration deliveries. ○ For short 20–30 minute "last-mile" deliveries, dedicated on-street loading zones ("smart loading zones") are generally considered better urban planning solutions - Explained that the largest delivery vehicle expected is a lowboy trailer under 53 feet. - Said simulations and videos demonstrate that bringing such a truck into the site's parking lot would require approximately 20 minutes of difficult maneuvering. - Described how the truck would need to occupy opposing traffic lanes while maneuvering into the site. - Stated that exiting would also be problematic

pproximately 20 minutes of difficult maneuvering. - Described how the truck would need to occupy opposing traffic lanes while maneuvering into the site. - Stated that exiting would also be problematic because Essex County does not permit trucks to reverse onto county roads. - Explained another operational issue: during the designated delivery window (approximately 8:00 a.m. to noon), adjacent parking spaces would have to remain vacant because delivery arrival times cannot be predicted precisely. - Pedestrian safety concerns with on-site truck loading ○ Argued that having large delivery trucks enter the parking lot creates a significant pedestrian safety hazard. ○ Explained that trucks maneuvering through the lot would temporarily block pedestrian circulation for several minutes. - Applicant's proposed loading solution ○ Concluded that a dedicated on-street loading zone is the safest solution for short- duration (20–30 minute) deliveries in an urban environment.