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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 05/16/20181 MINUTES of the CITY OF FORT COLLINS TRANSPORTATION BOARD May 16, 2018 6:00 p.m. Conference Room A 28 North College Ave 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 Cari Brown Karl Ayers Nathalie Rachline Indy Hart Valerie Arnold ABSENT: Andrew Bondi York Ryan Mounce Megan Overton Timothy Wilder Sarah Morgan Joe Olson Martina Wilkinson PUBLIC PRESENT: 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 None. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Rachline made a motion, seconded by Berklund to adopt the April 2018 minutes as written. The motion was approved unanimously. 5. COUNCIL LIAISON Councilmember Cunniff was unable to attend. 6. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT – Ayers Ayers reported on the recent BAC meeting during which the CSU Earth Day Week, a state DocuSign Envelope ID: 624584C6-4D95-468A-9D70-512772DC5A56 2 yield equals stop law for bicyclists, and the ongoing alley projects were discussed. An update on the budgeting process and the Bicycle Master Plan update were also heard. He asked Hart if back-in diagonal parking has been discussed at the Parking Advisory Board meetings. Hart replied in the negative. Ayers stated the Mulberry pilot project will continue throughout the summer and Zagster is moving toward its new bike share model on June 1st with additional bikes and the option to leave bikes on any bike rack. 7. DISCUSSION/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS • City Plan Update – Mounce, Overton, Wilder Mounce discussed the City Plan vision and themes of innovate, sustain, and connect and had Boardmembers complete the values exercise given to citizens at workshops. Boardmembers discussed their responses, many of which placed livability or sustainability as the top priority and distinctiveness as the bottom priority. Mounce stated overall community responses were similar to those of the Board and provided a high-level overview of the exercise. Hart Suggested priority lists be alphabetized in order to avoid bias. Overton stated staff wants the language of the whole process more accessible which is why modes are listed. She stated multi-modal transportation is not necessarily widely understood. Boardmembers discussed the differences between transit, mass transit, and transportation. Mounce stated Council will be receiving a presentation at its next work session. Brown commended the work of staff from the perspective of a community partner. Wilder provided copies of last year’s Transfort annual report. He stated the 365-day service has been successful and approximately 2,000 passengers are riding on Sundays, which is well greater than the anticipated 1,200. He stated an on-board survey regarding Sunday service was conducted in March; however, results are still pending. Wilder stated game day service has also been very successful and ridership is generally increasing. Wilder stated the Transit Master Plan update, electric bus purchase, and work on corridors for future transit service will be upcoming. He discussed various scenarios for future Transfort service based on community transportation desires and budget and asked the Board for input. He stated Transfort’s operating budget is $14.5 million. Arnold asked if there is any data as to how many of the 47% of employed riders are employed by CSU. Wilder replied it is likely significant; however, there is no specific data. Hart recommended walkability to bus stops as a measurable metric. He also discussed the importance of connecting northeast and southeast Fort Collins to central Fort Collins. DocuSign Envelope ID: 624584C6-4D95-468A-9D70-512772DC5A56 3 Berklund suggested targeting new service to areas where more affordable housing exists. She asked if renewable energy will be integrated into the grid if electric busses are being added. A boardmember suggested incentivizing new developments with physical bus passes. Brown noted 43 bus stops were updated in 2017 to become ADA compliant. A boardmember suggested advertising the accessibility and WiFi benefits of Transfort and MAX. • NFRMPO 2045 Regional Transit Element – Martin Sarah Martin, North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, stated the NFRMPO represents 15 Northern Colorado communities in terms of transportation and air quality planning. Martin stated the Regional Transit Element (RTE), a component of the Regional Transportation Plan, is updated every four years. She discussed the recommendations from the last 2040 RTE plan, which included adding Sunday service to the Fort Collins system, extension of the FLEX route to Boulder, and the study of a regional route from Greeley, through Windsor, to Fort Collins. For the 2045 plan, the MPO is in the process of transitioning from visioning to scenario planning. Getting transit to under-served areas in a more major way is a primary goal. Berklund asked if Bustang connections are being examined. Martin replied a Bustang park-n-ride is being added on I-25 but stated she will examine the topic. A boardmember questioned if Fort Collins is the most efficient location for a hub. Martin replied that could be part of the scenario development. Arnold asked how the business community was reached. Martin replied she wished they had reached out to the Chambers of Commerce and talking to top employers is planned for upcoming steps. Martin discussed topics discussed at the Northern Colorado Bicycle and Pedestrian Collaborative Group. She stated the upcoming RTE will focus on first and last mile options. Rachline discussed pedi-cabs as being an option. Boardmembers discussed various incentives for taking surveys. Martin expressed appreciation for Boardmembers’ suggestions. 8. ACTION ITEMS • Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance – Olson and Wilkinson Joe Olson, Traffic Engineer, stated the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APF) was adopted as part of the Land Use Code in 1997, almost simultaneously with the Street Oversizing Program, now the Transportation Capital Expansion Fee. Both programs were designed to ensure development pays its own way. Olson stated the challenge with the APF Ordinance is its lack of flexibility and lack of DocuSign Envelope ID: 624584C6-4D95-468A-9D70-512772DC5A56 4 variance process. Another challenge is that the City cannot require developers to pay for improvements that are much greater than their impact. Martina Wilkinson, Assistant Traffic Engineer, stated Council has directed the Ordinance to remain; however, including additional flexibility. Staff has suggested an alternative mitigation strategy that would apply for developments wherein the level of service cannot be met, and the location will not work for typical improvements. A team of City staff members will look for a multi-disciplinary, context-sensitive approach specific to the site that is feasible and proportional. If developers are not in favor of that strategy, there will be a way to appeal it to the Planning and Zoning Board. Wilkinson provided examples for how this strategy would be implemented at various intersections. The process would include both APF and the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS). Olson described the difference between the APF and LCUASS stating the LCUASS criteria looks at intersection level of service on a movement by movement basis. Wilkinson stated the development community is concerned about the legality of the current APF. Berklund asked if APF could include funding for a new bus line if it is a large enough development. Olson replied in the negative stating attorneys have stated APF cannot fund service; however, it can fund facility capital improvements. Arnold asked if the alternative would ever be more expensive to the developer than the typical APF improvements. Olson replied that would be possible; however, it would still be proportional to their impact. Wilkinson discussed next steps and stated the hope is to have this before Council in July or August. Chair Shenk made a motion, seconded by Brown, to support the proposed changes to the transportation section of the Adequate Public Facilities and process as presented. The motion was adopted unanimously. 9. REPORTS • City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Sizemore presented the Council 6-Month Calendar noting the Sign Code update will be going before Council at an upcoming worksession and an I-25 update will also occur. Brown asked if Council will approve the new Transfort Director. Sizemore replied that is an administrative decision made by Laurie Kadrich. He stated interviews with the top three candidates have occurred. • Boardmember Reports Rachline discussed the options for Board input on the budgeting process. Chair Shenk stated he is working to acquire anecdotal information from Portland regarding the electric bicycle issue. DocuSign Envelope ID: 624584C6-4D95-468A-9D70-512772DC5A56 5 Hart reported on the recent Parking Advisory Board meeting during which the vision workshop was completed, and the main theme was prioritizing housing and multi-modal transportation. There was also a discussion regarding the relationship of parking to the City’s needs and issues. He stated he would discuss back-in diagonal parking with the Board. Ayers reported the Youth Advisory Board finalized its survey on transportation which will go live on-line in August. • Staff Report Sizemore reported Parks Department staff will make a presentation on the nature and history of City trails in June. Additionally, the Board will receive a presentation on Art in Public Places and BFO. 10. OTHER BUSINESS None. 11. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. by unanimous consent. DocuSign Envelope ID: 624584C6-4D95-468A-9D70-512772DC5A56