Tomball Assistant City Manager Rob Hauck proposed adding handicapped parking spaces to the northwest (yellow) and northeast (red) corners of Heritage Plaza in downtown Tomball during a July 18 city council meeting. This would provide handicapable access to Main Street.[/caption]
The city of Tomball is looking to add handicapped parking spaces to its downtown parking lots as parking is removed from Main Street, Assistant City Manager Rob Hauck said.
As on-street parking will soon be eliminated in the downtown area as part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s overlay project of FM 2920, Hauck said some Tomball residents have expressed concern over available handicapable access to Main Street businesses. As a result, Hauck said he and his team are exploring handicapped parking options in downtown parking lots.
“We don’t necessarily need to [add] any number [of spaces] as far as any requirement, because we have added parking spaces and we’re not removing any [handicapped] parking spaces off of Main Street. But from a practical standpoint, there is some potential access issues,” Hauck said. “A couple members of the community have raised this [concern], so we started to take a look at it.”
Hauck proposed two options to Tomball City Council members during a July 18 meeting for adding handicapped parking spaces in Heritage Plaza—the parking lot located between FM 2920 and the city hall building on Market Street. Other options will be further researched and presented to the council at a later meeting, he said.
If handicapped parking spaces are added to the northwest corner of Heritage Plaza, Hauck said the project is estimated to cost the city $40,000. The project would include changing a few of the existing parking spaces into handicapped parking spaces and adding the necessary sidewalks and ramp entrances, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Hauck said the sidewalk would need to be built along South Pine Street from the corner of the parking lot to FM 2920 and around the corner to meet up with the existing sidewalk further down on FM 2920. This would run along the parking lot where Buzzles Shaved Ice is currently located.
If handicapped parking spaces are added to the northeast corner of Heritage Plaza, Hauck said the estimated project cost is $10,000. This project would only require the city to add a sidewalk connecting the existing pieces of sidewalk between the parking lot and FM 2920 along South Oak Street.
“If we look at the northeast area of Heritage Plaza, we have sidewalk that extends partially south off of FM 2920. But we have a gap,” Hauck said. “If we created the appropriate access [and] added that sidewalk to connect, that would connect that parking lot to City Hall and connect that parking lot to the Main Street area.”
The existing pieces of sidewalk along South Oak Street connect the parking lot to a telephone pole and Main Street to a tire shop.
“That’s really been one of our focuses [recently] to connect sidewalks [that lead] to nowhere,” Hauck said.
While providing handicapable access to Main Street from the northwest corner of Heritage Place is more expensive, the sidewalk along South Pine Street would lead to a traffic light and crosswalk at the corner of FM 2920. Therefore, the added expense may be a safer option, council members said. Adding a sidewalk on the northeast corner of the lot would lead up to Main Street but would not immediately provide access to cross the street.
The council said it will revisit adding new handicapped parking spaces downtown at a later meeting.
Upcoming meeting:
Tomball City Council will hold a special meeting regarding annexation at 5 p.m. July 26 in City Hall, 401 Market St., Tomball.
Tomball Assistant City Manager Rob Hauck proposed adding handicapped parking spaces to the northwest (yellow) and northeast (red) corners of Heritage Plaza in downtown Tomball during a July 18 city council meeting. This would provide handicapable access to Main Street.[/caption]
The city of Tomball is looking to add handicapped parking spaces to its downtown parking lots as parking is removed from Main Street, Assistant City Manager Rob Hauck said.
As on-street parking will soon be eliminated in the downtown area as part of the Texas Department of Transportation’s overlay project of FM 2920, Hauck said some Tomball residents have expressed concern over available handicapable access to Main Street businesses. As a result, Hauck said he and his team are exploring handicapped parking options in downtown parking lots.
“We don’t necessarily need to [add] any number [of spaces] as far as any requirement, because we have added parking spaces and we’re not removing any [handicapped] parking spaces off of Main Street. But from a practical standpoint, there is some potential access issues,” Hauck said. “A couple members of the community have raised this [concern], so we started to take a look at it.”
Hauck proposed two options to Tomball City Council members during a July 18 meeting for adding handicapped parking spaces in Heritage Plaza—the parking lot located between FM 2920 and the city hall building on Market Street. Other options will be further researched and presented to the council at a later meeting, he said.
If handicapped parking spaces are added to the northwest corner of Heritage Plaza, Hauck said the project is estimated to cost the city $40,000. The project would include changing a few of the existing parking spaces into handicapped parking spaces and adding the necessary sidewalks and ramp entrances, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Hauck said the sidewalk would need to be built along South Pine Street from the corner of the parking lot to FM 2920 and around the corner to meet up with the existing sidewalk further down on FM 2920. This would run along the parking lot where Buzzles Shaved Ice is currently located.
If handicapped parking spaces are added to the northeast corner of Heritage Plaza, Hauck said the estimated project cost is $10,000. This project would only require the city to add a sidewalk connecting the existing pieces of sidewalk between the parking lot and FM 2920 along South Oak Street.
“If we look at the northeast area of Heritage Plaza, we have sidewalk that extends partially south off of FM 2920. But we have a gap,” Hauck said. “If we created the appropriate access [and] added that sidewalk to connect, that would connect that parking lot to City Hall and connect that parking lot to the Main Street area.”
The existing pieces of sidewalk along South Oak Street connect the parking lot to a telephone pole and Main Street to a tire shop.
“That’s really been one of our focuses [recently] to connect sidewalks [that lead] to nowhere,” Hauck said.
While providing handicapable access to Main Street from the northwest corner of Heritage Place is more expensive, the sidewalk along South Pine Street would lead to a traffic light and crosswalk at the corner of FM 2920. Therefore, the added expense may be a safer option, council members said. Adding a sidewalk on the northeast corner of the lot would lead up to Main Street but would not immediately provide access to cross the street.
The council said it will revisit adding new handicapped parking spaces downtown at a later meeting.
