Traffic Impact Study Proposed AltSchool Development Chicago, Illinois Prepared By November 13, 2015 Contents I. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 1 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2 2. Existing Conditions ............................................................................................................. 5 Site Location .................................................................................................................. 5 Existing Street System Characteristics .......................................................................... 5 Alternative Modes of Transportation ............................................................................. 8 Existing Traffic Volumes ............................................................................................. 11 Accident Data............................................................................................................... 11 3. Traffic Characteristics of the Proposed AltSchool Development ..................................... 14 Site Location ................................................................................................................ 14 Proposed Site and Development Plan .......................................................................... 14 Site Access ................................................................................................................... 14 Pedestrian Access......................................................................................................... 14 Loading Access ............................................................................................................ 14 Drop-off and Pick-Up Operations ................................................................................ 14 Directional Distribution ............................................................................................... 16 Development Traffic Generation ................................................................................. 18 Development Traffic Assignment ................................................................................ 19 Comparison to Alcott College Prep School Traffic ..................................................... 20 4. Projected Traffic Conditions ............................................................................................. 21 Background Growth ..................................................................................................... 21 Other Planned Developments ...................................................................................... 21 Total Projected Traffic Volumes ................................................................................. 21 5. Traffic Analysis and Recommendations ........................................................................... 23 Traffic Analyses ........................................................................................................... 23 Discussion and Recommendations .............................................................................. 26 6. Traffic Management Plan ................................................................................................. 27 7. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 30 Appendix Proposed AltSchool Development Chicago, Illinois i List of Figures and Tables Figures 1. Site Location ...................................................................................................................... 3 2. Aerial View of Site Area ..................................................................................................... 4 3. Existing Street Characteristics ............................................................................................ 7 4. CTA Public Transportation ............................................................................................... 10 5. Existing Peak Hour Vehicle Traffic Volumes .................................................................. 12 6. Existing Peak Hour Pedestrian and Bicycle Volumes ...................................................... 13 7. Directional Distribution .................................................................................................... 17 8. Estimated Site-Generated Traffic Volumes ...................................................................... 19 9. Total Projected Traffic Volumes ...................................................................................... 22 Tables 1. Projected Site-Generated Traffic Volumes ....................................................................... 18 2. Capacity Analysis Results – Existing Traffic Volumes .................................................... 24 3. Capacity Analysis Results – Projected Year 2021 Traffic Volumes ................................ 25 Proposed AltSchool Development Chicago, Illinois ii I. Executive Summary This report summarizes the results of a traffic impact study conducted by Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc. (KLOA, Inc.) for the redevelopment of The Edge Bar and Grill with a 150-student primary school and 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space in Chicago, Illinois. The site is located in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Clark Street and Schubert Avenue. The objectives of the traffic study are as follows: • Determine the existing vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation conditions in the study area to establish a base condition. • Assess the impact that the proposed redevelopment will have on transportation conditions in the area, including the operation of drop-off and pick-up procedures. • Determine any street, access, bicycle, and pedestrian modification and/or improvements that will be necessary to effectively accommodate and mitigate future conditions. Vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle counts were conducted during a weekday morning and afternoon peak periods in order to determine the general peak hours of activity during the time periods that coincide with start and finish times of the school. The intersections of Shubert Avenue with Clark Street, Orchard Street, and Halsted Street were counted for this study. Accessibility to and from the area is enhanced by various alternative modes of transportation. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) rapid transit Brown and Purple Lines are provided at the Diversey Station within a half-mile of the site and multiple CTA bus routes have stops within the study area. In addition, pedestrian facilities including sidewalks and crosswalks are generally provided in the area. Mode-sharing facilities, including Divvy bike stations and car-sharing vehicles, are also located within a quarter-mile of the proposed site. As proposed, the site will be developed with a 2-story building that will contain 9,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school with a maximum enrollment of 150 students. On site five parking spaces will be provided off the alley to the west of the site. Drop-off and pick-up will occur on the north side of Schubert Avenue along the site frontage with the frontage on the west side of Clark Street utilized for additional pick-up area during the afternoon dismissal period. With the addition of site-generated traffic as well as background growth, the study area intersections will continue to operate at acceptable levels of service. Some queuing was observed to originate outside the study area which occasionally impacted the intersection of Clark Avenue/Schubert Avenue. However, all movements at the intersection will continue to operate at acceptable levels of service during both the morning and afternoon peak hours under future conditions. The proposed school, given its proposed staggered start and finish times, will not overlap with those of Alcott College Prep School. Further, the proposed school will have a lesser impact on Schubert Avenue than Alcott College Prep School. Proposed AltSchool Development Chicago, Illinois 1 1. Introduction This report summarizes the results of a traffic impact study conducted by Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc. (KLOA, Inc.) for the proposed AltSchool to be located in Chicago, Illinois. The site, which currently contains The Edge Bar and Grill with approximately 18 parking spaces, is located in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Clark Street and Schubert Avenue. As proposed, the development is to consist of a two-story structure that will include approximately 9,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school with a maximum enrollment of 150 students. Drop-off and pick-up activities will occur on the north side of Schubert Avenue along the site frontage, with additional space for pick-up to be provided along the frontage on Clark Street. Five parking spaces will be provided to be located off the north-south alley that runs along the western border of the site. Figure 1 shows the location of the site in relation to the area street system. Figure 2 shows an aerial view of the site area. The purpose of this study was to examine background traffic conditions, assess the impact that the proposed school will have on traffic conditions in the area, and determine if any street improvements or