10.A.
City Council Meeting - FINAL
- Meeting Date:
- 05/19/2015
- Co-Submitter:
- Brian Grube, Recreation Services Director
- From:
- Glorice Pavey, Recreation Supervisor
Information
TITLE:
Consideration and Approval of Street Closure(s): Great Race
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve the street closure at Aspen Avenue (between San Francisco Street and Beaver Street) on Thursday, June 25, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Executive Summary:
Special events are important to our community. They bring excitement to our City and enhance our quality of life. If done correctly, by addressing parking, trash, noise and congestion a community event street closure has the potential to enhance business in the surrounding area.
The City of Flagstaff, Office of Community Events, brings forward requests for street closures on behalf of the applicant. The office encourages the event producer to conduct outreach and address any concerns that the community may have regarding this event. As a courtesy, the Office of Community Events produces a monthly newsletter for downtown residents and business owners to inform them of upcoming City Council meetings, street closures and events at Heritage Square.
The City of Flagstaff, Office of Community Events, brings forward requests for street closures on behalf of the applicant. The office encourages the event producer to conduct outreach and address any concerns that the community may have regarding this event. As a courtesy, the Office of Community Events produces a monthly newsletter for downtown residents and business owners to inform them of upcoming City Council meetings, street closures and events at Heritage Square.
Financial Impact:
Street closures have the potential to change traffic patterns for local businesses.
Connection to Council Goal and/or Regional Plan:
COUNCIL GOALS:
Does not meet a Council goal.
REGIONAL PLAN:
Transportation:
Goal T.1. Improve mobility access throughout the region.
Economic Development:
Goal ED.3. Regional economic development partners support the start-up, retention, and expansion of existing business enterprises.
Goal ED.6. Tourism will continue to provide a year-round source for the community, while expanding specialized tourist resources and activities.
Goal ED.7. Continue to promote and enhance Flagstaff's unique sense of place as an economic development driver.
Has There Been Previous Council Decision on This:
Other events have received this exception in the past. The Great Race event received this exception in 2007.
Options and Alternatives:
Deny the request to hold the proposed downtown streets.
- Pro: Closure of the streets in the north downtown historic district have the potential to negatively impact businesses in this area. By not allowing the closure, these north downtown businesses and residents could count on the ordinary flow of traffic and parking.
- Con: This event has the potential to bring participants into the north downtown historic district and increase retail and restaurant sales.
Background/History:
For 32 years, the Great Race has traveled the backroads of America stopping in small and medium sized communities in order to provide shows of vintage automobiles competing in a nine-day, 2,400-mile event. The event brings out spectators – those interested in antique cars and those just interested in seeing a unique event. In addition to the 400+ participants in the event entourage (drivers, navigators, support and staff from all over the U.S., Europe and Japan), thousands of local spectators will fill the streets. It has been the experience of the event producer that hundreds of people will drive from three and four hours away to attend the Great Race because of its novelty. The vehicles participating in the race range in age from a 1915 Hudson Indy 500 car to a 1968 Camaro convertible.
Key Considerations:
The current special event permit regulations do not allow for the full closure of one-way downtown streets. Deviations from the special event permit packet have been approved by City Council on a case-by-case basis.
The additional two-way street closure involved with this permit does not require City Council approval and includes Leroux Street between Route 66 and Birch Avenue.
The Flagstaff Fire Department requires that there be a fire lane and access to all hydrant and water hook-ups on the streets used for special events.
The Wheeler Park parking lot will be used for overflow parking for the event producer, in case late-coming vehicles are not able to fit in the street closure area.
The additional two-way street closure involved with this permit does not require City Council approval and includes Leroux Street between Route 66 and Birch Avenue.
The Flagstaff Fire Department requires that there be a fire lane and access to all hydrant and water hook-ups on the streets used for special events.
The Wheeler Park parking lot will be used for overflow parking for the event producer, in case late-coming vehicles are not able to fit in the street closure area.
Community Benefits and Considerations:
The Great Race will have more than 400 participants from all over the world who will want to experience the Flagstaff community and its Route 66 heritage. There are eight teams from Japan, three from Europe, one from Canada and the rest from all over the U.S. The support teams will arrive early in the day (around noon) and will explore the downtown shops and dine in downtown restaurants. All are recognizable by lanyards around their necks, which display their name, hometown and car number. The racers will start arriving just before 5:00 p.m. and will start exploring the community soon after. All 400+ participants in the Great Race entourage will eat in downtown restaurants that evening. Additionally, the event producer expects hundreds of spectators from the Phoenix and surrounding areas.
According to the event producer, the Great Race reaches millions of people in the United States each year due to a combined mix of press releases, social media, news stations, TV shows, magazine and newspaper articles. The 2014 Great Race alone was featured in 127 articles last year. There are professional videographers, A television crew filming for the Great Race TV show, photographers, writers, and magazine editors (including editors from five major automotive magazines), who travel along with the Great Race, writing about each of the cities the Race stops in. The Great Race makes a deliberate effort to not stop in large towns during the rally and instead focus on smaller and medium sized communities. The goal of the event is to showcase the town in a very positive light.
According to the event producer, the Great Race reaches millions of people in the United States each year due to a combined mix of press releases, social media, news stations, TV shows, magazine and newspaper articles. The 2014 Great Race alone was featured in 127 articles last year. There are professional videographers, A television crew filming for the Great Race TV show, photographers, writers, and magazine editors (including editors from five major automotive magazines), who travel along with the Great Race, writing about each of the cities the Race stops in. The Great Race makes a deliberate effort to not stop in large towns during the rally and instead focus on smaller and medium sized communities. The goal of the event is to showcase the town in a very positive light.
Community Involvement:
INFORM: The City of Flagstaff, Office of Community Events, produces a Downtown Newsletter which is available to businesses and residents on the 1st of each month. The Great Race agenda item, date and time was included in the May Downtown Newsletter. The Office of Community Events received one negative response about the closure from the Sacred Rites store, whose business owner had concerns that the closure would take away needed parking and was not the type of event that would drive business into his store.
INVOLVE: The Office of Community Events works closely with the Downtown District Manager, Terry Madeksza. The Downtown District Manager is involved in the process of helping to gauge the support of affected businesses and assigning conditions to the event during its review.
CONSULT: The Office of Community Events recommends that event producers conduct outreach with businesses and residents who may be affected by the street closure. The event producer plans on sending letters to all businesses affected by the street closure. Additionally, they will be working with a selection of downtown restaurants to coordinate various deals to incentivize Great Race participants to visit their establishments.
INVOLVE: The Office of Community Events works closely with the Downtown District Manager, Terry Madeksza. The Downtown District Manager is involved in the process of helping to gauge the support of affected businesses and assigning conditions to the event during its review.
CONSULT: The Office of Community Events recommends that event producers conduct outreach with businesses and residents who may be affected by the street closure. The event producer plans on sending letters to all businesses affected by the street closure. Additionally, they will be working with a selection of downtown restaurants to coordinate various deals to incentivize Great Race participants to visit their establishments.