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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 02/20/2019TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR February 20, 2019, 6:00 p.m. 281 North College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 2/20/2019 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Indy Hart Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Nathalie Rachline Ross Cunniff Staff Liaison: Paul Sizemore 970.224.6140 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Rachline called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Nathalie Rachline, Vice Chair York Cari Brown Jerry Gavaldon Karl Ayers Ellen Boeke BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Eric Shenk Indy Hart, Chair Valerie Arnold CITY STAFF PRESENT: Tim Kemp Nicole Hahn PUBLIC PRESENT: Bob Meyer TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2/20/2019 – MINUTES Page 2 3. AGENDA REVIEW Sizemore stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION Bob Meyer introduced himself and stated he is interested in transportation issues and possibly being on the Board at some point. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JANUARY 2019 Brown made a motion, seconded by Gavaldon, to approve the January 2019 minutes as amended. The minutes were adopted unanimously with Ayers abstaining. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Gavaldon stated he approached City Council with his concern about the pledge of allegiance not being recited at meetings. York made a motion, seconded by Brown, to nominate Ayers to be the Bicycle Advisory Committee representative. The motion was adopted unanimously. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. 2019 Engineering Projects – Tim Kemp Kemp outlined 2019 projects stated bike and pedestrian improvements will occur on North College Avenue following the CDOT completion of the roadway. Brown asked about the pedestrian crossings in the area. Kemp replied the two current options are Highway 1 and Willox. Kemp discussed other projects including the Sharp Point/Nancy Gray area at-grade railroad crossing, the Suniga Road extension and possible future transit in the area, ADA bus stop improvements, whitewater park construction management and Vine Drive right-of-way improvements, and the Riverside Bridge replacement, which is significantly behind schedule. Gavaldon expressed disappointment with the Riverside Bridge project and selected contractor. Kemp went on to discuss the Lemay Avenue realignment, Vine Drive bridge over I- 25, various intersection signal projects, railroad maintenance projects, 3 miles of street maintenance work, work in the Linden area, and the I-25/Prospect interchange, among others. He also discussed outreach strategies and events. b. Willow Street Improvement Project– Nicole Hahn Hahn stated this project includes improvements on Willow from Linden to College TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2/20/2019 – MINUTES Page 3 with River District goals of creating a sense of place, multi-modal connectivity, urban design, celebrating history, and addressing parking needs. Hahn discussed the project budget and detailed aspects of the proposed project. Rachline suggested adding bike racks in the area. Hahn replied that is part of the project. Gavaldon asked if 2-hour parking restrictions will be in place in the area. Hahn replied she was unsure. Kemp replied discussions are underway regarding those details. Staff discussed the utilities funding of art aspects of the project and discussed the projects themselves. Hahn outlined the construction project goals which include minimizing inconvenience to the travelling public and businesses, real time coordination and communication with the public, developing positive relationships, and providing high-quality finishes. She stated the goal is to complete the project by the fall of 2019. c. City Plan – Aaron Iverson Iverson discussed the overall roll of City Plan and outlined key changes in the update. York suggested there may need to be language improvements to help people understand the Transportation Master Plan is a subsection of City Plan. Board members discussed various ways of approaching the new organization. Iverson stated part of the City Plan update ensures the transportation and land use plans support the Climate Action Plan. Gavaldon commented on his experience in developing the original City Plan in 1997. Iverson discussed the three keys values being used as guiding elements: livability, community, and sustainability. He discussed the Structure Plan which provides the vision for how the city is going to grow and provides land use patterns. He outlined the development of place types involving land uses, transportation options, access to amenities, form, and other conditions. Iverson stated the Transportation Master Plan provides the big vision for transportation and mobility in Fort Collins, aligns with land use plans, and introduces a layered network approach. York asked if the streets master plan should be considered as a supporting document. Iverson replied the streets master plan is the map showing street classifications and alignments and the Transportation Master Plan speaks to all modes. Iverson stated there are six sections in the Transportation Master Plan: infrastructure, mobility and travel choices, health and equity, innovation, safety, and sustainability TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2/20/2019 – MINUTES Page 4 and resiliency. Iverson discussed the Transit Master Plan which provides the operational vision guiding Transfort and the City on how to improve and expand transit service while strategically adapting to land uses. Gavaldon asked about the inclusion of rail options in town. Iverson replied the evaluation of technology choices for Mason Street included light rail and heavy rail, and the ultimate option chosen was the articulated buses as they are the most cost effective and flexible technology. Gavaldon encouraged keeping an open-ended group of options stating he would like rail to be included or he may not support the plan. Iverson replied he will take that suggestion back to the team. Iverson stated the Transit Master Plan identifies a shift to high-frequency transit and discussed the high-priority action item of a housing dialogue around housing choices within neighborhoods. He stated the next bus rapid transit line is planned for West Elizabeth Street and stated a transit funding study will also occur as part of that. Brown suggested a special meeting be held for the purpose of making a recommendation once a more complete draft is formed. York made a motion to have a special meeting to consider the final draft and make a recommendation at that point. The motion failed for lack of a second. Rachline stated she would support moving forward now as the draft will not likely change much. She noted the plan can always be updated in the future. Brown stated there are omissions of mentions of people with disabilities; however, she could support moving forward as well. Iverson stated members could provide written comments moving forward, which is actually more helpful to staff. Brown made a motion, seconded by Boeke, to take a preliminary vote this evening and calling a special meeting to take a final vote depending on changes made to the plan. York asked how the Board will determine whether or not to have a special meeting. Members discussed possible options. The motion was adopted unanimously. Rachline stated members should individually submit written comments. Boeke made a motion, seconded by Brown, to take a preliminary vote to support the City Plan updates, including the Transportation Master Plan, Transit Master Plan, and other sub-plans. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2/20/2019 – MINUTES Page 5 Gavaldon stated he would not support the motion as he would like to see rail added as an alternative mode option. The motion was adopted with Gavaldon opposing. Sizemore thanked Board members for their time commitment to this process. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS York reported on the Planning and Zoning Board's preference for showing example roads on the Master Street Plan. Gavaldon asked about the process for modifying the Master Street Plan. Sizemore replied outlining the process. York stated there will be a public session on the Harmony gateway on February 27th at the Senior Center. He also stated the transportation page of fcgov.com needs to be updated. Boeke asked if the Transportation Board has ever looked at working with Poudre School District to teach students how to use Transfort to get to school in school of choice situations. Ayers replied the charter school he works at has a carpool list and stated the Youth Advisory Board is working with transit to get surveys out to high school students. He recommended contacting school principals. York noted funding for more frequent service is an issue. Rachline suggested the Board discuss placing new members in liaison roles at the next meeting. She thanked the City for allowing Board members to utilize Transfort at no cost. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Ayers reported the BAC re-elected Luke Caldwell and Aaron Buckley as Chair and Vice Chair. He stated the Bicycle Co-op is seeking board members and discussed the topics of the last BAC meeting including the electric scooter update, information on bicycle and pedestrian counts, and the bicycle safety report. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Sizemore stated Council is considering E-scooter regulations with second reading on March 5th. Also on March 5th, Council will consider the E-bikes on trails pilot project. City Plan adoption and digital billboard regulations are also scheduled for March 19th. c. Staff Liaison Report Sizemore stated Traffic Operations and Streets will be providing updates and mentioned other items the Board will be discussing. TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 2/20/2019 – MINUTES Page 6 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m. by unanimous consent.