PRESENTER: Presenter
Carly Farmer, Assistant City Engineer
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SUBJECT: Title
Public hearing and first reading of an ordinance to amend Section 126-346 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of New Braunfels to restrict parking on Kentucky Boulevard and Canyon Drive.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Capital Improvements
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: 3
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Engineering staff received multiple requests from the community around New Braunfels High School (NBHS) concerning school traffic on Kentucky Boulevard. NBHS students, residents, and New Braunfels Police Department staff have requested that engineering staff investigate the issue of parked vehicles obstructing through traffic on the street and causing hazardous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. NBHS is located along Loop 337 near SH 46. Kentucky Boulevard is a local street that provides access from the surrounding residential areas to the rear of the school where the majority of the on-campus parking is located. Kentucky Boulevard has a pavement width of approximately 30 feet and is uncurbed with no sidewalks. The posted speed limit on Kentucky Boulevard is 20 mph.
Site visits were conducted by staff in Spring and Summer 2025 on Kentucky Boulevard. Heavy parking activity has been documented along both sides of Kentucky Boulevard between Canyon Drive and Ohio Avenue. Staff consulted with New Braunfels Police Department and NBHS Student Resource Officers, who indicated that the daily parking activity resulted in congestion of the street, especially during morning drop-off/arrival and afternoon pick-up/departure for NBHS. Students walking to and from the parked vehicles and walking or biking to and from home were observed weaving between the parked vehicles or walking in the narrowed roadway while navigating the vehicular traffic moving through the street.
A no parking zone is recommended on the west side of Kentucky Boulevard between Ohio Avenue and Canyon Drive. At the intersection of Kentucky Boulevard and Canyon Drive, additional no parking areas are recommended to preserve intersection safety and operations. A pavement marking plan has been prepared that allocates two ten-foot lanes for two-way traffic and a seven-foot parking lane with a three-foot buffer on the east side of Kentucky Boulevard. Removing parking on one side of the roadway maintains two-way traffic flow that is needed to efficiently funnel traffic between the school and the area neighborhoods. Providing a parking lane and buffer will reduce conflict points between through traffic, parked vehicles, and pedestrians and cyclists while preserving some of the on-street parking inventory for students and the adjacent residences. The recommendation was reviewed and is supported by the New Braunfels Police Department and NBHS Student Resource Officers.
ISSUE:
The community surrounding New Braunfels High School has requested parking restrictions and safety improvements on Kentucky Boulevard.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
☐Economic Mobility ☒Enhanced Connectivity ☐Community Identity
☐Organizational Excellence ☒Community Well-Being ☐N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
The signs and pavement markings have a total cost estimate of $6,000. There is sufficient funding in the FY 2025 Streets and Drainage Budget to cover this expenditure.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Transportation and Traffic Advisory Board
The Transportation and Traffic Advisory Board unanimously recommended approval at their July 10, 2025 meeting.
Staff
Staff recommends restricting parking on portions of Kentucky Boulevard between Ohio Avenue and Canyon Drive and on Canyon Drive at the intersection with Kentucky Boulevard.