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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 11/16/20161 MINUTES of the CITY OF FORT COLLINS TRANSPORTATION BOARD November 16, 2016 6:00 p.m. Community Room 215 North Mason Street Fort Collins, CO FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Eric Shenk Vice Chair: Annabelle Berklund Staff Liaison: Paul Sizemore 970.224-6140 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Eric Shenk, Chair Annabelle Berklund, Vice Chair Gary Thomas York Cari Brown Tim Sutton Olga Duvall ABSENT: Pat Jordan Councilmember Ross Cunniff Mark Jackson Amy Lewin Pete Wray Aaron Iverson PUBLIC PRESENT: Andrew Bondi Nathalie Rachline 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Shenk called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. AGENDA REVIEW Sizemore stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Andrew Bondi introduced himself and stated he has applied to be on the Transportation Board. Nathalie Rachline introduced herself and stated she has also applied to be on the Transportation Board. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Thomas made a motion, seconded by York to adopt the October 2016 minutes as presented. The minutes were adopted unanimously. 2 5. COUNCIL LIAISON Councilmember Cunniff was unable to attend. 6. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT - York York stated the Committee has a new at-large member, Terri Marty. He noted three new bike friendly businesses have applied and Fort Collins’ traffic safety classes were listed in Bike Magazine as one of the 17 coolest bike things in the country. Seasonal bike campaigns were discussed and Bike Fort Collins has received a Kaiser Permanente grant to work with North College trailer park communities to promote better health through active transportation. 7. DISCUSSION/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS • Interstate 25 Update – Mark Jackson Jackson stated CDOT was granted a $15 million TIGER Grant (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) and noted local regional entities and the private sector have pledged $25 million toward the Northern Colorado I-25 improvements. The project is on a fast track to be completed by the end of 2020. Jackson noted the Berthoud Hill climbing lane project is nearing completion and the Crossroads Boulevard bridge replacement is underway. The North I-25 project will bring an additional 3rd lane in each direction for HOV and toll uses, widen and replace key bridges, and provide an opportunity for a key regional bike/pedestrian trail connection. The northern terminus of the project is Mulberry/State Highway 14, and the southern terminus is Highway 402, the southernmost exit in Loveland. This will create an issue with two and three lane sections, but is a start to the project. The project is slated to be a design/build project which opens opportunities for cost efficiencies and savings. The possibility of adding the Prospect interchange into the project’s base case scenario has been presented and will hopefully be included as part of CDOT’s January request for proposal. Jackson went on to discuss political aspects of state transportation funding and discussed the possibility of vehicle mileage travelled funding. In terms of project funding, an IGA signed by the funding partners and CDOT will occur by March 2017. Mr. Bondi asked if the 3rd lane will ever shift out of a pay lane. Jackson replied in the negative. Mr. Bondi asked how much of the CDOT bridge fund will be used to pay for the Prospect interchange work. Jackson replied he has been told half of the funding will come from the bridge fund. Brown asked if there is a projection on how long the 3rd HOV lane will last before the same congestion is found on it as well. Jackson replied the ultimate cross section identified in the 2011 EIS had four lanes. 3 8. ACTION ITEMS • Downtown Plan – Amy Lewin Lewin discussed the area of the Downtown Plan and stated a working group for each of 6 topic areas met throughout the development of the Plan. The draft plan is currently undergoing a public review period. The option for multiple transportation options with a focus on pedestrians is highlighted throughout the document. A comprehensive network of transportation options for getting to and from Downtown is also included as is a section on communication and marketing. Per previous Board suggestions, language addressing parking management for people with disabilities has been added, wayfinding topics have been combined, and safety improvements have been emphasized. Sutton asked about the inclusion of parking garages away from Downtown rather than in Downtown. Lewin replied the Plan includes a policy relating to park-n-rides and a parking management plan. In terms of bicycle parking, Lewin stated a policy exists with the main action item being a comprehensive bicycle parking management plan. York made a motion, seconded by Thomas, to recommend to Council approval of the Downtown Plan as presented, with the understanding that minor amendments may occur before Council adoption. The motion was adopted unanimously. • Old Town Neighborhoods Plan – Pete Wray/Aaron Iverson Wray stated four primary categories exist in the Plan: design, character and compatibility, land use, transportation and mobility, and sustainability. The Plan examines enhancements to levels of service for bikes and pedestrians, coordination for transit vehicle level of service for the West Mulberry and North Shields corridors, local street network enhancements for walkability and safety, and other infrastructure improvements. Iverson went into further detail regarding the Mulberry and Shields corridors and noted many gaps exist in the bicycle and pedestrian systems along those corridors. Sutton commented on buffered bike lanes and suggested additional striping for those lanes. Wray discussed potential future greenways and low-stress networks. In terms of parking, this Plan relies to a certain extent on the potential recommendations of the Downtown Plan. Wray noted Land Use Code requirements for non-residential projects have been revised to add new minimum requirements and alter maximum requirements. Wray discussed improvements for walkability, including prioritizing the needed sidewalk infrastructure improvements and detailed information regarding crosswalk and intersection crossing enhancements. York asked about the source for Art in Public Places funding given these are not all capital construction projects. Wray replied future budget cycles could be utilized. 4 York stated funding for art must be built in if Art in Public Places is to be used as a selling point. Thomas made a motion, seconded by Berklund, to recommend to Council approval of the Old Town Neighborhoods Plan as presented. The motion was adopted unanimously. 9. REPORTS • Boardmember Reports Thomas reported on funds from the Volkswagen settlement which will be available in Colorado for clean air transportation projects. The regional air quality council has recommended 50% of the funds going to transit, and half of that going toward electric transit. York reported on the Commission on Disabilities Mayor award luncheo, the Built Environment Working Group, the Climatewise bicycle friendly business gathering, and the Boards and Commissions get together. He announced a community issues forum at the Lincoln Center. Chair Shenk stated the December meeting will be the last meeting for Duvall and Jordan. • Staff Report Sizemore reported on the upcoming super-issue Board meeting on November 30th and noted the 2017-2018 budget was approved and benefits transportation and FC Moves. He stated street maintenance has continued late into the season due to the warm weather. Sizemore stated Fort Collins was not selected as a Baldridge award recipient. 10. OTHER BUSINESS None. 11. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. by unanimous consent.