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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 07/19/2023 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR July 19, 2023, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom 7/19 /202 3 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Cari Brown Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Ed Peyronnin Emily Francis Staff Liaison: Aaron Iverson 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Peyronnin called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Ed Peyronnin, Vice Chair Jerry Gavaldon James Burtis Indy Hart Rob Owens Jess Dyrdahl (remotely) BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Cari Brown, Chair Nathalie Rachline Stephanie Blochowiak CITY STAFF PRESENT: Megan Keith Ryan Mounce PUBLIC PRESENT: Clint Burkholder 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no other changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Clint Burkholder from the Larimer County Jail, stated he is present to observe the meeting in an unofficial capacity. He commented on efforts by the Jail to find innovative ways to help inmates after they are released make their way from the Jail to appointments, housing, or other destinations. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 2 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY AND JUNE 2023 Iverson outlined the wording changes suggested by Hart for the June 2023 minutes and noted Rachline approved the wording changes per her suggestions for the May 2023 minutes. Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Owens, to approve the June 2023 minutes as amended. Yeas: Gavaldon, Burtis, Owens, Peyronnin, and Hart. Nays: none. THE MOTION CARRIED. Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Owens, to approve the May 2023 minutes as amended. Yeas: Owens, Burtis, Hart, Peyronnin, and Gavaldon. Nays: none. THE MOTION CARRIED. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. East Mulberry Plan – Megan Keith and Ryan Mounce Megan Keith, Long Range Planning Senior Planner, discussed the borders of the East Mulberry Plan Area specifically noting the boundary of the East Mulberry enclave which has yet to be annexed into the City. She noted the current version of the East Mulberry Plan was jointly adopted by the City and Larimer County in 2002 and it focuses primarily on existing conditions and issues as well as streetscape design and public facilities; however, it does not specify an annexation strategy. Keith outlined the need for an update to the Plan, including its age and changing conditions, specifically the formation of the enclave in 2018 which made it eligible for annexation in 2021. She stated there is also a desire to better align the Plan with other adopted plans. Keith discussed the recent history and planning efforts related to the Plan update, including the public outreach efforts and touch points with Council. She discussed the approach presented by staff in December related to meeting certain thresholds to inform and make annexation decisions, which was formally called “Tipping Points.” She stated the updated East Mulberry Plan is slated to go before Council in September. Keith outlined additional community engagement work which resulted in direct touch points with over 100 people. She stated general feedback included the importance of preserving the industrial character of the area and maintaining the mix of uses that exists there now, improving the appearance and function of Mulberry Street, particularly at the I-25 interchange, and improving connectivity for multi-modal travel. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 3 Concerns involved businesses and residents worried about increased costs. Keith discussed the draft updated 2023 East Mulberry Plan, noting it has three main sections: introduction, goals and strategies, and impleme ntation. She provided additional detail on the seven goals, which include the importance of preserving the area as a commercial and industrial hub, including preserving some of the existing agricultural service uses, improving stormwater infrastructure, improving multi-modal connectivity and increasing mobility, increasing access to community amenities and services such as parks, ensuring housing affordability, protecting historic, cultural, and natural features, and ensuring the area is an aesthetically pleasing gateway to the city. She provided additional information on the goal and strategies related to improving safe and comfortable infrastructure for multi-modal transportation. Ryan Mounce, Long Range Planning Planner, stated staff has been working very closely with corridor stakeholders and Council regarding the annexation strategy, and the resulting threshold approach is new to Fort Collins and it is intended to follow a more natural progression for annexation and offer both the City and areas being annexed some flexibility in terms of size, location, and timing of annexation. Additionally, the approach can help ensure the City can adequately serve an area once it is annexed. Mounce stated there are multiple strategies about how a threshold for annexation may be reached, including maintaining logical boundaries to avoid a patchwork of different City/County services and providers or allowing the City to be proactive in different policy or community priorities such as resource protection or redevelopment risk. He stated a potential constraint with the threshold approach is that it is uncertain when all of the corridor or pieces thereof may be annexed . Mounce provided additional detail regarding the transportation goal area. He noted there will be a transportation framework map in the Plan and its strategies are geared toward priority opportunities and interim needs. He stated the transportation specific plan will focus on the area around the Mulberry/Timberline/Lincoln intersection area and the Mulberry and I-25 interchange, which is slated for redevelopment in the future. He discussed certain strategies that could be utilized to augment connectivity in the area until full build-out to LCUASS standards can be realized, including multi- use paths parallel to roadways. Mounce noted there are a number of transportation stakeholders in the corridor, including CDOT for I-25 and Mulberry, adjacent business owners, and private landowners. Mounce stated another important piece to which the Plan will speak is looking to identify different strategies and costs for City acceptance of public streets and maintenance, including some of the CDOT right-of-way. He stated one possible solution could be the use of various improvement districts as a m echanism to fund either ongoing maintenance or to upgrade streets to the City’s level for areas that are TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 4 currently struggling with street maintenance. Mounce stated the transportation framework map will also highlight additional potential trail corridors and identify different areas for connectivity to the community. Additionally, he noted some Master Street Plan amendments may be proposed, such as an extension of Airpark Drive to the future extension of International Boulevard. Gavaldon asked what outstanding issues remain unresolved after the public outreach. Keith replied the strategy has been to attempt to be transparent that many of these changes could take some time and one of the difficulties in communicating to residents and businesses is the uncertainty of the timing of when a threshold might be reached to trigger annexation. She stated efforts have been made to be as communicative as possible about what will happen upon annexation. Gavaldon asked if staff has any documentation of concerns and staff responses that could be separately provided. Keith replied in the affirmative. Gavaldon noted Mulberry Street is extremely busy with commercial traffic and truck traffic and he suggested bike and pedestrian uses not be placed on the roadway itself but rather on parallel paths. He asked if area residents and businesses are aware that special improvement districts are being considered and whether they understand the potential impacts thereof. Mounce replied the level of need, and potentially prolonged need that might exist, has been difficult to communicate. He stated some special improvement districts are already operating in the corridor either in HOA’s or business parks to maintain roadways as is and there are other areas wherein little maintenance is occurring at all. He stated funding shortfalls may make it difficult or impossible for the City to take on maintenance after annexation without special improvement districts. He noted a Mulberry specific transportation plan would be in place prior to annexation to help identify more specific costs and funding sources as well as funding shortfalls. Gavaldon asked if a metro district exists in the area. Mounce replied there is a residential metro district for the Bloom development and it is somewhat unique in that it was recently annexed and is a new greenfield development so it will already be meeting all of the LCUASS standards and more current development standards for transportation infrastructure. He noted the public right-of-way will be operated and maintained by the City once constructed. Gavaldon encouraged staff to ensure residents and businesses are aware of the impacts of various districts and commended Mounce on his work. Hart stated he has heard from residents northeast of this area and within the area to be annexed that bike connections to the City’s existing trails would be welcome. Additionally, he suggested ensuring that when a trail connection is made in the area just north of Cattail natural area is made, some type of underpass is included to help ensure cyclists and pedestrians do not have to interact with vehicles along Mulberry. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 5 Burtis echoed previous comments about ensuring pedestrians and bikes not be placed directly along Mulberry. He stated one of the big challenges for the corridor will be connecting pedestrian and bike infrastructure with the rest of the city without putting those users in danger. He asked if there are FAA rules about waiting to build trails or roads on old airport properties. Mounce replied he was unsure about that specific regulation, but noted old runways and taxiways still exist and there are other private properties to the north that include some natural features and floodplains that are preventing that area from being developed now. He stated there are thoughts about using that area for multiple uses. Burtis asked if there is a more extensive plan for a mobility hub. Mounce replied a park-n-ride was identified in the 2002 plan; however, it could be utilized for some regional transit, EV charging, and multi-modal transportation in the future. Dashiell Bubar-Hall, FC Moves Transit Planner, stated the space will be envisioned as a mobility hub with much more parking to hopefully allow people park and commute into town with a more sustainable multi-modal option. He stated the space will include EV charging, ride share, and micro-mobility options if feasible. He stated funding is being pursued to do a more robust mobility hub plan that will flush out the amenities and features that would be maintained as sites such as this. b. Discuss Proposed Changes to Bicycle Advisory Committee Iverson stated the adopted Active Modes Plan contains a recommendation to change the name of the Bicycle Advisory Committee to Active Modes Advisory Committee and broaden the reach of the committee to include pedestrians, micro-mobility, wheelchairs, and other devices that would more accurately reflect the way the City has moved. He noted there has been some discussion within the BAC regarding the BAC becoming its own Board rather than an advisory committee. Additionally, he stated Council’s ad hoc committee on Boards and Commissions discussed the BAC at it’s meeting today and the group generally supported the idea of broadening the reach of the BAC to Active Modes. The ad hoc committee requested staff bring forward a structure that would rename the committee and change its function to being a Board which would have nine at-large members versus representation from other Boards and Commissions, with the possibility of including some ex officio members. He stated Council will be participating in a full work session on the item in August. Hart requested clarification regarding the scope of what Board feedback can provide stating his understanding is that all Boards and Commissions structure is under Council’s purview as is the extent to which feedback or recommendations are considered by Council. Iverson replied that is generally the case and Council looks to the expertise of Board members to help inform decisions; however, Council can choose the extent to which it takes feedback and recommendations. Hart questioned what the goals and scope would be for the Transportation Board TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 6 should the BAC change to Active Modes and if, by default, the Transportation Board would become powered vehicle focused. He stated he understands the process is slowed by the BAC having to run things through the Transportation Board ; however, having the structure of the committee as it is to include different voices from different Boards on a shared platform is a good idea to avoid a disconnect between various foci and siloing of ideas. He questioned what advantage is being sought by having the BAC or Active Modes Committee be its own Board. He suggested a super board for specific needs could work better if the idea is for Council to get more feedback about more active modes. Iverson stated the question of roles did come up in the ad hoc committee discussion, and one of the members made the point that there is often overlap between Boards, which would be the case between the Transportation Board and an Active Modes Board. He stated he would advocate that any new Board continue to have a Transportation Board representative to ensure that connectivity. Gavaldon stated the proposed name change is significant and will cause power and influence concerns. He stated the name change is giving some degree of division and the hierarchal structure will need to be flushed out. He asked when any type of change would go into effect. Iverson replied the ad hoc committee will be presenting to full Council at an August work session. Davina Lau, Public Engagement Specialist, stated today’s meeting of the ad hoc committee was its last and recommendations will be presented to the full Council at a work session on August 8th with first reading for Code changes set for September 5th. Gavaldon discussed the importance of continuity and questioned what Active Modes would cover versus Transportation. Iverson replied that has yet to be detailed; however, Active Modes would likely include bicycling, walking, micro-mobility, and wheelchairs or other historically disadvantaged modes. Gavaldon expressed concern Active Modes would address the same modes being promoted by the Transportation Board and suggested leaving the Active Modes Committee as a sub-committee of the Transportation Board would provide for that single voice moving up to Council given all modes share the same infrastructure. Burtis concurred the roles for the two Boards need to be clearly defined given the overlap, particularly with bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. He also commented on the desire to save staff time by not having them make the same presentation twice. He also suggested including wheelchair users and other disabled users on both Boards. Owens noted the BAC and Transportation Board already receive many of the sam e presentations and he does not believe a change to an Active Modes Board should necessarily limit the scope of the Transportation Board to consider active modes. He stated there could be some reduction in City staff work by having the liaison report to TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 7 the Board on BAC/Active Modes items to allow for the Board to hear other items. He supported the name change to Active Modes given the same infrastructure is utilized for all modes. Hart commented on the previous informal liaison connections made by Board members noting similar presentations were often heard at those other meetings because City projects frequently touch on a lot of different areas. He suggested one way to ensure multiple similar presentations are heard in the transportation realm would be to place all modes related to moving people under one Board. He commented on previous discussion related to aligning Boards with key outcome areas and stated, if that were to occur, the Transportation Board would include what it currently does with some additional items. Gavaldon stated there is a Dial-a-Ride and transportation accessibility committee in existence and stated he does not believe the Board has ever heard from that committee formally and he believes better cross-communication would be valuable. Vice Chair Peyronnin stated he is having difficulty understanding what problem is being solved and stated these changes may be introducing problems. He did support changing the BAC to Active Modes Committee; however, he did not support making it its own Board stating it should still fall under the Transportation Board. Lau stated the reimagining Boards and Commissions effort pulled away from aligning Boards with key outcome areas due to the desire to diversify Boards and Commissions. She stated she has reinstated super issue meetings to encourage Boards and Commissions to hear presentations and allow for collaboration between Boards; however, she stated Council has not been particularly receptive to those meetings. She stated she would like to make it easier for Boards to meet with one another to avoid the siloing effect that has been mentioned. She stated a forthcoming change will allow for joint meetings to occur if Council liaisons approve that. c. Snow Routes Letter to City Council Vice Chair Peyronnin suggested postponing consideration of this item to the August meeting to allow for participation by Chair Brown and Rachline. Gavaldon noted Dyrdahl has been participating in the meeting via chat remotely. Hart stated he would be abstaining from a motion on this item given he was not present at the May meeting and concurred the item could be postponed. Gavaldon concurred with postponing the item and stated he would like to receive some historic information on snow routes in the city. Other members concurred with postponing the item to August. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 8 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Dyrdahl reported on the recent Planning and Zoning Commission work session during which Land Use Code updates were discussed. She stated the Commission was curious as to how the snow route conversation came to be and she would share that information at a future meeting. Owens reported this will be his last meeting with the Board as he is moving outside City boundaries. Gavaldon commended Owens on his service and stated he will be missed. Vice Chair Peyronnin commended Owens on his service. Iverson asked if another member would like to attend the BAC meeting Monday. Gavaldon volunteered. Gavaldon reported on the Halloween bike-in movie night at the Museo de las Tres Colonias. He asked if there are any performance reports on the SPIN contract and asked if SPIN is actually picking up bikes as it is supposed to. Additionally, he requested Dave Dixon make a presentation on intersections and commented on excessive speeds he has observed on bike trails. Burtis reported on upcoming opportunities to provide feedback on the North Front Range MPO 2050 plan and CSU’s alternative transportation route plan. He stated the Elizabeth and Overland Foothills Campus transportation center roundabout has been funded which is a significant step for the West Elizabeth MAX corridor project. He stated he has started going through FTA data comparing Transfort ridership and budget to similar systems across the country and he is hoping to put together a presentation to share with some community groups to help work toward rebuilding transit ridership. Hart reported on June’s Bike to Work (Wherever) Day and stated having some type of booklet stamp program for the various stations to receive a small prize could be a fun addition to the day. He commented on the statewide ‘zero fare for better air’ initiative and stated the City is seeking feedback on Transfort going fare free. Additionally, he commented on the Timberline expansion and stated he is eager to see what type of bike lane is chosen. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Owens reported the BAC went on a seven-mile bicycle ride to tour some completed and upcoming infrastructure projects in the CSU and Old Town areas , including the convertible Linden Street, the upcoming Laurel Street buffered bike lane restriping , the new East Pitkin advisory bike lanes, new paths at CSU, the new bike/pedestrian crossing at Magnolia and Shields, the improvements at City Park and Mulberry, and the Loomis and Laporte bike and pedestrian crossing. Additionally, the BAC discussed the change from BAC to Active Modes and comments were similar to TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 7/19/2023 – MINUTES Page 9 those made at this meeting. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson reported Council will be considering sustainable funding , Land Use Code updates, recommendations from the ad hoc committee on Boards and Commissions, the transportation capital project prioritization study, the East Mulberry annexation, downtown parking initiatives, and advancing transit updates at upcoming work sessions and meetings. c. Staff Liaison Report Iverson reported on the high number of stations and high attendance at Bike to Work (Wherever) Day. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. by unanimous consent.