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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTRANSPORTATION BOARD - MINUTES - 06/12/2024 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR June 12, 2024, 6:00 p.m. Online Via Zoom or In-Person at 281 North College Avenue 6 /1 2 /202 4 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Ed Peyronnin Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Alexa Nickoloff Susan Gutowsky Staff Liaison: Melina Dempsey 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Peyronnin called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Ed Peyronnin, Chair Jerry Gavaldon James Burtis David Baker Lourdes Alvarez Amanda Finch BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Alexa Nickoloff, Vice Chair Indy Hart Emily Felton CITY STAFF PRESENT: Melina Dempsey, FC Moves Kendra Boot, Forestry Cyril Vidergar, City Attorney’s Office PUBLIC PRESENT: Steve Hedrick 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Peyronnin stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Steve Hedrick from Vuba introduced himself and information about the company he works for. Vuba envisions an Automated Transit Network (ATN) which are elevated personal transport. He’s interested in presenting to the TBoard in the future. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 2 Gavaldon asked if there is a process related to hearing full presentations from members of the public. Chair Peyronnin replied Board members could always request a more formal presentation. Cyril Vidergar introduced himself as an Assistant City Attorney who will be the primary advisor for the Board. He outlined the process by which the Board could place new topics on an agenda. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MAY 2024 Lourdes Alvarez made a motion, seconded by Amanda Finch, to approve the May 2024 minutes as amended. Yeas: Peyronnin, Burtis, Baker, Alvarez, and Finch. Nays: none. Abstain: Gavaldon. THE MOTION CARRIED. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Forestry Plan Presentation and Input – Kendra Boot, City Forester Kendra Boot, City Forester, stated the Urban Forest Strategic Plan has been in the works for about a year with the assistance of Davey Resource Group. Boot noted the urban forest is defined as the trees that grow within the built environment , including public and private trees, and the Plan creates a 20-year vision for the trees in the Fort Collins growth management area. Boot noted the Plan is slated to go before Council in October. Boot outlined the current tree resources noting there is a 14% canopy cover within the city limits and a 13% canopy cover in the growth management area. Boot stated there are about 60,000 public trees within the city limits, about 60% of which are less than eight inches in diameter currently; therefore, when those trees age, different maintenance resources will be required. Boot outlined the public engagement process for the Plan which included public meetings, community events, and an online community survey. General input included that trees are an integral part of Fort Collins, tree maintenance resources are desired for private property, and there are concerns around development and trees in the future. Chair Peyronnin asked if there is a model related to trees dying off. Boot replied there are a number of variables that can impact the health and longevity of trees, including climate, site characteristics, and early and late freezes. She noted new development adds about 1,500-2,000 new street trees per year and some policy work TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 3 will help with inheriting more healthy trees through the development process. Chair Peyronnin asked how much influence the City has over the types of trees planted by developments. Boot replied Forestry has a very heavy hand in the development review process and the focus is on preserving and protecting existing trees while also looking at diversifying the types of trees that are planted. Gavaldon asked if staff has contacted existing HOAs to get information regarding private trees and noted his HOA did an inventory of all trees and uses it for tree replacement. Boot replied staff has not contacted HOAs as part of this effort. Gavaldon asked if the Rigden Farm HOA that halted watering its greenbelt ever reimbursed the City for the costs it incurred in stepping in to save the greenbelt trees. Boot replied the HOA did replace some of the trees. Boot noted the tree inventory trends young and commented on the importance of planning for sustainable growth to keep pace with an urban forest that is growing in age and number. Additionally, Boot commented on the importance of equitable distribution of the tree canopy throughout the community. She noted climate change will lead to more insects and disease; therefore, creating a resilient and diverse urban forest is important. Boot outlined the eight recommendations and their associated initiatives which are broken into foundational, or easier, shorter-term items, and transformational, or more impactful, initiatives. The recommendations included creating a tree planting plan for both public and private property, completing the shift to proactive management, and strengthening City policies to protect trees. Boot noted the City has a public tree inventory available. Chair Peyronnin asked if there are citizens who provide input regarding the tree inventory or if staff handles it. Boot replied there is a set of volunteers called Urban Forest Ambassadors which helps to update the inventory and prune small trees. Boot noted public input showed a desire for more resources around private tree stewardship. Amanda Finch discussed research on urban forests and transportation and noted having trees on both sides of a roadway can create an illusion to drivers that the road is narrower than it actually is and can therefore lead to drivers going slower. Additionally, she commented on Washington placing reflective tape around trees that can only be seen at night and noted trees can provide shade for transit stops and reduce traffic noise. Boot noted the canopy survey did look at transit stops and bike lanes and it was found that canopy at transit stops has been lost over the past ten years. Alvarez commented on different neighborhoods having different levels of opportunity TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 4 for public trees depending on how sidewalks are located. Boot replied the Code supports planting trees behind the walk in new developments that may have narrow street cross sections. Alvarez asked who manages park and natural areas trees. Boot replied Forestry maintains street trees, park trees, cemetery trees, golf courses, and other trees that are on City property; however, the Natural Areas department maintains the trees on natural areas and those are not included in the built environment tree inventory, though they are part of the canopy study. Burtis asked if there is a plan to work with private landowners to incentivize or encourage replacement as trees die off. Boot replied that is part of the first two recommendations of the Plan, but there is currently a Community Canopy Program that sells about 1,000 $25 trees each year for planting on private property. She noted staff is looking at opportunities to expand the program. Burtis asked how many tree species have been successful in Fort Collins. Boot replied it depends on the part of town and soil, but there are a number of tree species that can grow in Fort Collins, though they are limited in the public right -of-way to large shade trees. She noted there are over 200 different species of trees in City Park . She stated the approved tree list is available on the City’s website. Boot commented on the importance of partners such as nurseries and landscape contractors in helping private property owners select the right trees for the right places. Gavaldon asked where other public entities such as CSU, Larimer County, and Poudre School District fall and suggested some gaps need to be narrowed, including those related to metro districts and HOAs. Boot replied that falls under recommendation number eight related to expanding the network in the community and regionally. She stated good relationships already exist with CSU and PSD and noted the County no longer has a forester position, though there are contacts in the County planning department. She stated there is more opportunity for expanding relationships. Gavaldon discussed the HOA list resources available. He complimented Boot and the work of the Forestry Department. Boot outlined the options for input from the Board and noted it would be needed by October 1st. Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Finch, that the Transportation Board recommended to Council approval of the Urban Forest Strategic Plan as presented with the suggestions and recommendations of individual Board members. Alvarez suggested it may be more valuable for the Board to write a letter as a more TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 5 impactful and thoughtful way of supporting the work. Gavaldon accepted the suggestion as a friendly amendment to follow up at a date certain with a letter. The seconder also accepted the amendment as friendly. The vote on the motion was as follows: Yeas: Burtis, Gavaldon, Alvarez, Peyronnin, Baker, and Finch. Nays: None. THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Transit Discussion to Establish a Vision for Future Transportation Board Meetings – All Dempsey provided the summary of the role of the Transportation Board from the Boards and Commissions website. Gavaldon stated there is a great deal of overlap between this Board and the Active Modes Advisory Board (AMAB) and stated the AMAB will need to determine its role in concert with the Transportation Board as a peer entity. Finch suggested Transportation Board members read the minutes of each AMAB meeting and determine whether there are items that need to be discussed. Gavaldon concurred and suggested the AMAB should do the same with Transportation Board until such time as the roles of the Boards can be better clarified. He also commented on the importance of the role of staff. Baker suggested having a liaison between the two Boards. Alvarez concurred with the previous comments and stated having two Boards can create a stronger voice for helping to preserve aspects that make Fort Collins special. Baker questioned the differences between the two Boards. Gavaldon replied the Master Street Plan falls under the purview of the Transportation Board and it will be important for the AMAB to provide input on that as well. Alvarez commented on the social component of the AMAB in terms of changing hearts and minds through education and promotion. Chair Peyronnin commented on the ‘Shift Your Ride’ goals of the Active Modes Plan. Burtis commented on the Transportation Board being more focused on infrastructure. Chair Peyronnin asked about the Transfort bus system. Dempsey replied the Active Modes Plan defines active modes as bicycling and walking; therefore, transit does not fall under the purview of the AMAB. Chair Peyronnin stated transit and Transfort were large discussion points for the Transportation Board over the past year. He commented on the importance of TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 6 discussing routes, ridership, reliability, metrics, and quality control. He asked members what other transit topics should be discussed moving forward. Burtis asked if there is an upcoming route realignment. Dempsey replied the Transfort Optimization and Action Plan is forthcoming and the scope of work for the project is in the Board’s packet. Dempsey noted a consultant was just hired and work will be started in about two weeks. She noted the effort is a joint partnership between Transfort and FC Moves and the Board will be receiving an early presentation on the effort. Burtis commented on the benefits of the early presentation to allow for more input from the Board. Gavaldon suggested any meeting involving Transfort should perhaps be the only topic for a given meeting. He also commented on the lack of Sunday service and on asset efficiency. Dempsey stated Transfort will visit this Board and others incrementally throughout the process as the Plan is very focused on public involvement. Baker suggested members provide Transfort with information at the August meeting as to what would be helpful for Transfort to provide at subsequent meetings. Members concurred it would be most appropriate for the Board to go through staff to request data from Transfort. Alvarez commented on parking as a component of transportation and stated the Board should not lose sight of that. Chair Peyronnin concurred and suggested the Board should hear from parking staff. Gavaldon stated the placement of parking meters on downtown streets has been an ongoing conversation and noted the Downtown Business Association is concerned it could be a deterrent to shoppers and diners. Chair Peyronnin commented on the suggestion by the Dutch coalition that parking garages be placed further away from downtown allowing people to park and take a bus into downtown. Finch discussed her focus on safer streets and the federal Safer Street Program initiative and suggested that topic and others could be touched upon. Members discussed upcoming meeting scheduling and having one longer meeting to discuss the Work Plan. c. Input for Streets Department Tour in July Chair Peyronnin stated he would like to ask Streets about why there are speed bumps on Fossil Creek Parkway when few houses face the street and the parallel roadway, Huntington Hills, which does have houses facing the street, has no speed bumps. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 7 Dempsey requested members send her any other requested topics for the Streets meeting. d. Continuation of the Discussion About the Relationship Between, and Roles of, the Transportation Board and the Active Modes Advisory Board Chair Peyronnin discussed the AMAB meeting he attended and noted his participation occurred during the public participation portion of the meeting. He stated he will let the AMAB know the Transportation Board members will be reviewing their minutes and stated he would be happy to continue attending the meetings. Burtis asked about sending a liaison in a more official capacity, and vice versa. Members concurred they would like to have a discussion with the AMAB about inviting a member to be a liaison to the Transportation Board. Chair Peyronnin stated he would discuss the topic and note the overlap between the Boards as part of his comments at the next meeting. Gavaldon stated he would like to encourage the member from the AMAB to actively participate, though be non-voting, and not solely be limited to comments during public participation. Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Alvarez, to invite a member of the Active Modes Advisory Board to attend the Transportation Board meetings and participate as an active, non-voting member. Yeas: Burtis, Gavaldon, Alvarez, Peyronnin, Baker, and Finch. Nays: None. THE MOTION CARRIED. Finch noted she and Alvarez are alternating attending the Planning and Zoning Commission meetings. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Burtis reported on using the bike intersection at Mulberry at City Park and stated it is a large improvement, but was slightly unclear as to how bikes are meant to proceed. Other members noted the intersection is under construction currently which should improve the situation. Gavaldon reported on attending the Boards and Commissions Super Issues meeting regarding Natural Areas. Additionally, Gavaldon commented on seeing large E-bikes on trails and noted the class 3 E-bikes are not allowed on trails. He expressed concern trail speeds are constantly increasing. Chair Peyronnin concurred with the trail speed concern and asked what is planned to be done for enforcement. Gavaldon replied rangers do not enforce speeds on trails and cannot easily determine the difference between the E-bike classes. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 8 Gavaldon reported a SPIN bike parking box is going in at the Museo de las Tres Colonias. Finch commented on possible ways to address trail speeds and suggested the neighborhood vehicular speeding program could potentially be extended to bike trails as an initiative for the AMAB. Finch stated she will be making a document that contains transportation related links as well as a summary document about the new roadway rules and laws, including the new traffic cameras. Finch stated the goal of the cameras should be decreased speeds, not increased revenue. Alvarez commented on issues the City needs to address with E-bikes, including people abusing the power the E-bike gives them to travel at dangerous speeds on trails and bike parking shortages. Gavaldon noted the Parking Advisory Board disbanded a number of years ago and suggested the Transportation Board may want to pick up that additional role. Chair Peyronnin concurred that may be a good role for the Board and questioned how bike parking is regulated. Gavaldon noted spaces are required for new development, though there may not be a retroactive requirement. Additionally, he noted the larger size of E -bikes has not been considered and suggested that could be part of the upcoming Land Use Code update. Baker reported that despite the construction hassles on Harmony Road, the repaving is an improvement. Additionally, Baker asked about the possibility of off-site visits during meetings occurring jointly with the AMAB. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Dempsey reported Council will be discussing defining speed corridors, the quarter- cent tax renewal for the street maintenance program, advancing transit initiatives, and the budget process, at upcoming meetings and work sessions. b. Staff Liaison Report Dempsey discussed developing a Share Point page for the Board as a central repository for various items members would like to share, but noted no comments could be made. Members agreed and Dempsey will ensure open meetings laws are taken into account. Dempsey announced Bike to Work Day will be on June 26 th and Open Streets will be on September 15th on Shields in the area of CSU. Gavaldon stated the Board may want to have information on the Land Use Code’s plan to increase density along transit corridors. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 6 /1 2 /2024 – MINUTES Page 9 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m. by unanimous consent.