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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/18/2024 - TRANSPORTATION BOARD - AGENDA - Regular Meeting (2)12/18/2024 Agenda Page 1 TRANSPORTATION BOARD SUMMARY AGENDA December 18th, 2024, 6:00PM – 8:00PM In person at 281 N. College, 1st Floor Conference Rooms or online via Zoom This hybrid TRANSPORTATION BOARD meeting will be conducted in person at 281 N College Ave, 1st floor conference rooms or you may join online via Zoom. Participants should join at least 5 minutes prior to the 6:00 p.m. start time. ONLINE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: You will need an internet connection on a laptop, computer, or smartphone, and may join the meeting through Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/join Webinar ID:992 3667 9837, Passcode 735155. (Using earphones with a microphone will greatly improve your audio). Keep yourself on muted status. For public comments, the Chairperson will ask participants to click the “Raise Hand” button to indicate you would like to speak at that time. Staff will moderate the Zoom session to ensure all participants have an opportunity to comment. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BY PHONE: Please dial +1-719-359-4580 and enter Meeting ID 99236679837; Passcode 73515. Keep yourself on muted status. For public comments, when the Chair asks participants to click the “Raise Hand” button if they wish to speak, phone participants will need to press *9 to do this. Staff will be moderating the Zoom session to ensure all participants have an opportunity to address the Transportation Board. When you are called, press *6 to unmute yourself. Documents to Share: Any document or presentation a member of the public wishes to provide to the Transportation Board for its consideration must be emailed to mdempsey@fcgov.com at least 24 hours before the meeting. Provide Comments via Email: Individuals who are uncomfortable or unable to access the Zoom platform or participate by phone are encouraged to participate by emailing comments to mdempsey@fcgov.com at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. If your comments are specific to any of the discussion items on the agenda, please indicate that in the subject line of your email. Staff will ensure your comments are provided to the Transportation Board. (Continued on next page) TRANSPORTATION BOARD SUMMARY AGENDA December 18th, 2024, 6:00PM – 8:00PM st 1. CALL TO ORDER [10 minutes for items 1-6] 2. ROLL CALL 3. AGENDA REVIEW 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION [3 minutes per participant] 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS [80 minutes] a. A discussion on red light and speeding cameras with representatives from Fort Collins Police Department followed by Q&A [50 minutes] b. The future of Board Reports [30 minutes] 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS [27 minutes] a. Note: 3 minutes per member 9. OTHER BUSINESS [3 minutes] a. Staff Liaison Report  Transfort Monthly Report (presentation included in the packet) b. City Council 6 Month Calendar Review 10. ADJOURNMENT TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR November 20, 2024, 6:00 p.m. Online Via Zoom or In-Person at 281 North College 1 1 /20/2024 – 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 Alexa Nickoloff, Vice Chair James Burtis David Baker Jerry Gavaldon Lourdes Alvarez Emily Felton Amanda Finch Indy Hart BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: None CITY STAFF PRESENT: Melina Dempsey, FC Moves Dashiell Bubar-Hall, FC Moves Eric Keselburg, Parking Services Clay Frickey, Planning PUBLIC PRESENT: Rebecca Stein Jim Fellion Matthew Behunin, YIMBY 3. AGENDA REVIEW Chair Peyronnin stated there were no changes to the published agenda. Gavaldon expressed concern about not having Board Member Reports as part of the agenda and Chair Peyronnin noted members could submit written reports following the meeting. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 2 Gavaldon expressed concern about overcrowding agendas and preventing members from giving reports. 4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Rebecca Stein stated she recently moved to Fort Collins and is interested in transportation. Jim Fellion expressed interest in transportation options for low-vision individuals. 5. APPROVAL OF MINTUES – OCTOBER 2024 Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Alvarez, to approve the October 2024 minutes as written. The motion was adopted unanimously. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Presentation on the Update to the City’s Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap – Dashiell Bubar-Hall, FC Moves Dashiell Bubar-Hall, FC Moves Transportation Planner, noted electric vehicles (EVs) in this case are typically considered the full battery-electric vehicles, not plug-in hybrids or full hybrid vehicles. He stated there are three types of chargers: level one which uses a regular outlet but charges very slowly, level two which requires a 240-volt outlet and charges a bit quicker, and level three, which requires 480-volt service but charges very quickly. He noted there are only two level three chargers in the city. Bubar-Hall stated the Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap (EVRR) is formatted in two parts with the first half being an educational document about the pros and cons of EVs and the second half involving strategies to increase EV adoption and support EV owners throughout the community. He stated the update includes a focus on equity, providing an evenhanded portrayal of EVs, and highlighting other electric transportation options. Bubar-Hall provided a snapshot of EV costs versus gasoline vehicle costs. He noted insurance rates for EVs have been increasing at a greater rate than rates for internal combustion vehicles. Bubar-Hall also outlined the greenhouse gas impacts of each type of vehicle. Bubar-Hall stated there are now about 4,000 EVs in the Fort Collins area and there were only about 600 on the road during the 2013 EVRR iteration. He stated the final draft of the EVRR should be completed soon and it will come to the Board for comment at that time. Hart commended the presentation and look at pros and cons. He noted Fort Collins TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 3 recently retired its residential green energy program which allowed users to pay a premium for renewable energy sources. Bubar-Hall noted Utilities is expanding a managed charging pilot program that allows Utilities to charge EVs when there is additional wind on the grid. Alvarez suggested the presentation could more clearly indicate that the main goals of the EVRR are education and assessing the adequacy of charging infrastructure to meet demand. She stated that would make the presentation easier to follow. Bubar-Hall concurred. Burtis commended the presentation and included background information; however, he stated it is a bit unclear as to what the goals of the program are. Bubar-Hall stated the outcome of the program is recommending that the City should be helping to facilitate increased public charging and potentially deploying some additional public charging infrastructure. Ideally, the City would be reducing barriers and potentially incentivizing the private sector to build that charging infrastructure. However, there have been some very distinct needs voiced by the community that may need to be fulfilled by the City in the short term. Finch asked if staff views EVs as being here to stay. Bubar-Hall replied in the affirmative and stated the infrastructure needs to be growing to support the growth of the industry without overextending and getting ahead of the demand. He noted that while there are questions around upcoming federal funding given the incoming administration, state funding is stable. Vice Chair Nickoloff encouraged the inclusion of more microtransit information as well as EV battery recycling. Bubar-Hall replied both items are being discussed for inclusion. Gavaldon reiterated his concern about overcrowding agendas and limiting member input. He noted there is a great deal of information about the negative aspects of EVs, including cost and charging availability. He opposed government subsidies of charging stations noting there are no subsidies for gas stations, hydrogen, or natural gas. He also commented on a study that indicated EVs have a larger carbon footprint than gas vehicles and noted battery replacement costs are quite high. He encouraged Bubar- Hall to include additional information about the negative aspects. Bubar-Hall concurred with having an evenhanded approach and stated negative aspects of EVs will be discussed in the document. Additionally, he noted that while it may seem that charging infrastructure is being subsidized up front, the stations are designed to be revenue-neutral and the initial costs are recovered over time. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 4 b. Parking: A Panel Presentation Followed by Q & A – Eric Keselburg, Parking Services, Clay Frickey, Planning Manager, and Matthew Behunin, YIMBY Fort Collins Eric Keselburg, Parking Services, provided an overview of the City’s Parking Services program and detailed the program’s focus on the downtown area. He outlined the revenue streams for Parking Services: citation collection, permits, and general fund, which will no longer be a revenue source in 2025. Keselburg commented on the 2013 Parking Plan and 2017 Downtown Plan which included a robust section on parking. He noted the parking pricing structure in the Downtown area has the closest, most convenient parking being free with the further away, less convenient parking being paid. Keselburg discussed the Downtown Parking Study which will be examining curb management, better management tools to address demand crunches, and support for broad community goals. He noted a vendor of choice for the study has been decided and community engagement should begin in January with a plan to go before Council in late summer with a recommendation about future parking methodology and an associated implementation plan. Keselburg noted transportation demand management (TDM) is also part of the study. Keselburg discussed the residential parking permit zones around the CSU campus area. Clay Frickey, Planning Manager, stated staff is currently working on the second phase of Land Use Code updates which are being done to ensure the built environment is helping the City achieve the goals in its adopted plans. Frickey commented on the aspects of parking that are impacted by the Land Use Code and discussed the place types that will be affected by the second phase of the updates. Frickey noted there are other ongoing initiatives related to becoming compliant with some state legislation that was recently passed dealing with transit-oriented development, accessory dwelling units, and eliminating parking requirements for multi-family developments located close to transit. Frickey provided a timeline for the phase two updates which will include work with focus groups in the community and Boards on addressing issues and drafting language. He stated the full draft is expected to be ready by June of 2025. Frickey provided the draft guiding principles that will be utilized for the updates, including enabling more housing and compatible infill close to transit, creating more resilient commercial areas, creating building form standards, and improving the predictability of the Land Use Code. Frickey discussed recent walking tours of commercial centers related to 15-minute cities and provided information on how parking is handled in the Land Use Code. He asked the Board to weigh in on whether the City should eliminate parking minimums or adjust parking maximums and how the design of parking lots could be improved to be TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 5 more accessible and easy to navigate for all modes of travel. Gavaldon asked if there would be a presentation in support of maintaining existing parking regulations given that YIMBY is making a presentation about eliminating parking minimums. Chair Peyronnin asked what that group would be. Gavaldon replied he was unsure; however, he expressed concern about there being a lack of balance and equity. Gavaldon asked if an invitation had been extended to Preserve Fort Collins. Baker noted Preserve Fort Collins has not asked to be a part of the conversation, while YIMBY has. Gavaldon reiterated his concern about equity. Chair Peyronnin suggested Preserve Fort Collins be invited to present at the next meeting. Gavaldon suggested YIMBY be allowed to present at this meeting with the caveat that the group has no direct association, authority, or influence with the City of Fort Collins. He stated the presentation should have been made during public comment. Alvarez stated she was at the Land Use Code meeting on Monday and commended YIMBY for the public outreach it has undertaken and on its website. She expressed support for the presentation. Matthew Behunin, YIMBY Fort Collins, noted he has no affiliation with the City and requested this opportunity to present. Behunin commented on the importance of housing for all and stated using market-based pricing is the best way to allocate a scarce resource, such as land. He stated parking minimums impact people as parking takes up so much land which could be utilized for housing. He cited the Oak 140 affordable housing project which was required to have a full floor of parking. Behunin stated there is research to show that having free parking available encourages people to drive individual vehicles rather than use transit. He also noted a parking space takes up 150 square feet and seven spaces are required for every 1,000 square feet of a fast food restaurant, making the parking actually consume more space than the restaurant. Behunin commented on the cost of building parking and stated the desire of YIMBY is to have the businesses, builders, and architects who have land to decide how much parking to include. He noted there is still plenty of parking in cities that have eliminated parking minimums. Behunin requested the Transportation Board write a memo to Council in support of eliminating parking minimums. Gavaldon requested staff send a copy of the scope of work and information on consultant costs for the parking study. He commented on a parking issue at Mountain and Howes. Kesselburg stated he would discuss the issue with appropriate staff. Gavaldon suggested Behunin make a presentation to the Downtown Business Association and stated eliminating parking minimums could have a negative impact on affordability. He stated the market will control affordability and government will only TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 6 interfere with it. Additionally, he stated the federal government and Amazon are looking at pulling people back into offices rather than allowing remote work. Felton asked about the items in the 2013 parking plan that were not implemented. Keselburg concurred. Felton asked how it can be guaranteed that this new study, if adopted, will be implemented. Keselburg replied that has been a topic of discussion and noted this new study will also include an implementation plan. Felton expressed support for eliminating parking minimums in walkable areas, but not in less walkable areas. Vice Chair Nickoloff opposed metering for downtown parking as it would discourage people from going into a shop quickly. She expressed support for having some type of parking monitoring however. Keselburg noted no decisions have yet been made about downtown parking recommendations and concurred there is technology available for monitoring. Vice Chair Nickoloff commented on poorly built housing units near Old Town and the mall. Frickey stated he would share that information with appropriate staff. Baker asked Keselburg what feedback is being sought from the Board. Keselburg replied he is seeking engagement and recommendations and noted there may be an ad hoc parking advisory board formed. He stated this meeting was meant to be informational in nature. Frickey stated staff will come back before the Board seeking a more formal recommendation once a draft Code is developed. Baker concurred with Felton and Gavaldon about letting the market determine what parking is needed with maximum parking being capped. He commented on the importance of getting the prime real estate in parking lots to be more walkable, bike- able, and micro-mobility focused. Finch concurred, but stated there should be some governmental controls. She supported reversing the upside-down downtown parking structure by charging for more convenient parking. She commented on a good example of a neighborhood in Greeley and asked if there has been any thought going into narrowing streets. Frickey replied the street standards are separate from the Land Use Code, but stated that type of change would be critical in attaining Vision Zero goals, though he noted fire truck access is one of the biggest barriers to narrowing streets. Alvarez commented on the benefits of a parking app and expressed support for charging for more convenient parking. She also expressed support for removing parking minimums and allowing businesses to determine parking needs. Hart noted developers would be the true deciders of parking, not business owners. He supported eliminating parking minimums and suggested those conversations could TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 7 occur between the City and developers. He stated it may be difficult to put a number on maximum parking and stated parking lots cannot be designed to accommodate all users and therefore should not be designed in that manner. Burtis concurred developers should be allowed to determine parking needs and supported eliminating parking minimums but having maximums. He stated parking lots can be made more friendly for all users by building fewer of them and commented on the amount of space taken up by one parking space noting most of our land is dedicated to parking. Additionally, he noted Old Town tends to be the focus of these conversations; however, most of the city is not Old Town and there are unoccupied parking lots all along College and Harmony. He stated overbuilt parking lots increase costs and hurt small local businesses in addition to making the city less walkable. He noted other cities that have eliminated parking minimums have seen no negative impacts. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Chair Peyronnin commented on the disappearing bike lane on Stewart near Lemay and noted Hart sent a message to staff and a subsequent meeting occurred regarding process and how the Board can bring up substantive specific issues resulting in action. He suggested Board Member Reports could be more focused on that type of thing and requested some time at the next meeting be dedicated to discussing the topic. Gavaldon suggested Board Member Reports could be utilized to discuss specific issues and also to provide information. Members discussed what other types of issues should be discussed as part of that conversation. Hart noted there is nothing historically that limits the Board from being able to request a memo for any topic per a vote of the members. Alvarez expressed support for moving to having the Reports be more actionable would assist the Board in feeling like it is having an impact. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Dempsey outlined upcoming topics that will be considered by Council. b. Staff Liaison Report Dempsey read a letter from Transfort thanking the Board for its support of transit in the community. She noted a joint meeting with the Active Modes Advisory Board is being considered for January. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 1 1 /20/202 4 – MINUTES Page 8 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m. by unanimous consent. Transportation Board – Staff Report and Council 6-month calendar – December 2024 Staff Report • Transfort monthly report: Please email me if there are additional items you would like this report to include, and I will share with Transfort to see what is doable. (David Baker – I submitted your requests already). • Boards and Commissions (including TBoard) applications due January 6th https://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/boards/ • January 2024 – Joint meeting with the Active Modes Advisory Board • Transportation Fair – Thursday, March 6th, 2025, 5-7 PM at the Lincoln Center • March TBoard – need to move the date due to conflict with PSD Spring Break. Council 6 -month calendar • Tuesday, January 7th: Ordinance-1st Reading of the Appropriation of the Transit Fund • Tuesday, January 14th: Work session to include Community Report: I-25/Mulberry Interchange, 10-Year Capital Improvement Program (TCIP), Strategic Trails Plan Update • Tuesday, January 21st: Ordinance-1st Reading of Compliance with State Legislation for Accessory Dwelling Unites and Parking Requirements for Multi-unit development • Tuesday, April 8th: Work session to include EV Readiness and Electrification • Tuesday, April 22nd: Work session to include update on the Transfort Optimization Study Transfort Data Update November 2024 2Future Layout We would like to solicit feedback from TBOARD of what they would like to see moving forward in a standardized report. Transfort’s current proposal: Ridership •System Wide •West Elizabeth Corridor * •HORN •MAX On Time Percent •System Wide Paratransit Services •Ridership •On Time Percent * Excluded from this report due to data quality concerns we are resolving with vendor, identified as a hardware issue. Data error artificially deflates ridership numbers. 3Ridership- System Wide From the beginning of the Fall Signup (Aug – Nov), Transfort has seen a 17% increase in ridership over 2023. Two primary drivers of this growth have been the return of 10-min frequency on the HORN in Aug and a return of 10-min frequencies on MAX from 11-6PM on weekdays. * Numbers subject to change upon data issue resolution. Current readings artificially deflated. 4Ridership- MAX MAX has seen significant YOY improvements with the reinstatement of 10 minute frequencies 11-6PM. Year to date, the MAX has increased 24% and in November has increased 30% over 2023. In November, MAX demonstrated 40% of 2019 levels. 5Ridership- HORN The HORN has demonstrated significant growth (93% in November) that seems to track 1:1 with frequency return. In November, HORN demonstrated 50% of 2019 levels. 6On Time Performance •Fall 2024 saw changes to schedules (5-14-18, 8, 81) intended to improve performance •Setbacks where new routings involved railroad crossings and significant detours to key routes, including 2, FLEX and HORN •2025 slated for additional fine tuning 2024 to date: 85% On Time Transfort considers anything 1 min early up to 5 min late as “On Time” 7Paratransit – Dial A Ride