HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 01/18/2022 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 007, 2022, APPROPRI Agenda Item 7
Item # 7 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY January 18, 2022
City Council
STAFF
Seth Lorson, Transit Planner
Drew Brooks, Director of Transit
Aaron Guin, Legal
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 007, 2022, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Tr ansit Services Fund to
Expand the Scope of Work for North College MAX Plan.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to appropriate $48,340 from Transit Services Fund Reserves to expand the scope
of work for the North College MAX Plan to include additional public engagement and emphasis on land use
and transit-oriented development.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The North College MAX Plan (“the “Plan”) explores bringing MAX Bus Rapid Transit to the North College
Avenue Corridor, with primary emphasis on transportation visioning, transit service modeling and alignment,
and integration into Transfort’s expansion per the Transit Master Plan. The Plan currently is funded by a
Federal Transit Administration Section 5338 grant of $350,000, which required a local match of $70,000, and
was appropriated in 2021. Of this total amount of $350,000 in grant funds, $320,000 have been set aside for
consultant services (Fehr & Peers) and $3 0,000 for equitable engagement practices, including hiring
community-based organizations to encourage public engagement, provide incentives for public participation,
and provide language translation services.
The proposed appropriation of $48,340 from Transit Services Fund Reserves would allow for a greater
emphasis on evaluating land use and transit-oriented development issues and increasing associated public
engagement, which would add several new tasks for the consultant team (and extend the project tim eline from
June to August 2022):
• Engage the community to establish a future land use vision
• Develop land use and transit-oriented development alternatives
• Model building height massing and transit-supportive densities
• Provide resources for amendments to the Master Street Plan and the North College Access Control Plan
• Coordinate and modify alternatives for the North Transit Operations Center
This expanded scope of work is needed because the current land use vision that was established in the 2007
North College Corridor Plan is now out of date, and there are several public projects and development
proposals that would benefit from additional public engagement and a renewed vision for land use in the area:
Agenda Item 7
Item # 7 Page 2
• 24/7 consolidated homeless shelter
• North Transit Operations Center
• Re-zoning of mobile home parks for conservation purposes
• North Mason stormwater outfall
• Several private development projects
The North College MAX Plan currently is the largest public engagement and planning effort in the area,
creating an opportunity to discuss future and changing land uses with the public prior to an update to the North
College Corridor Plan, which is not planned for the immediate future.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
This Ordinance will appropriate $48,340 of Transit Services Fund Reserves to be added to the North College
MAX Plan project budget.
Previously Appropriated Funds
FTA 5338 Grant $280,000
Local Match $70,000
Total Previously Appropriated Budget $350,000
Funds to be Appropriated with this Action
Transit Services Fund Reserves $48,340
Total Budget $398,340
ATTACHMENTS
1. Scope of Work (PDF)
518 17th Street | Suite 1100 | Denver, CO 80202 | (303) 296-4300 | Fax (303) 296-4302 www.fehrandpeers.com
December 1, 2021
Melina Dempsey & Seth Lorson City of Fort Collins
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Subject: Task Order 4 Scope of Work for North College MAX Plan
Dear Melina and Seth,
I have worked with the project team to craft the Task Order 4 Scope of Work for Phases 3 through
7 (completion) of the North College MAX Plan. Phases 3 through 7 include:
•Phase 3: Summarize visioning in a short corridor Vision, Purpose, and Need that Fehr &
Peers will use in the final plan report. IBE has already completed engagement activitiesassociated with Phase 3.
•Phase 4: Alternatives Development
•Phase 5: Alternatives Evaluation
•Phase 6: Preferred Design and Implementation
•Phase 7: Plan Adoption and Documentation
With the introduction of a more intensive outreach and technical process related to land use, we
propose completing plan adoption and documentation by August 2022. This letter includes our
fee for Task Order 4 using the billing rates from our Professional Services Agreement. We are
ready to begin work upon receiving notice-to-proceed.
Sincerely,
FEHR & PEERS
Charles D. Alexander, PE, AICP, RSP1
Principal
DN21-0684
Attachment:
Task Order 4 fee estimate (MS Excel)
ATTACHMENT 1
Melina Dempsey & Seth Lorson December 1, 2021
Page 2 of 6
Scope of Work
Fehr & Peers prepared this scope of work based on the project RFP and recent conversations with
city staff. We will coordinate each phase of technical work with IBE’s implementation of the Public
Involvement Plan. This scope of work includes development and presentation of material at the
following meetings:
• One meeting of the Transportation and Right-of-Way Working Group
• Two meetings of the Land Use and Economic Development Working Group
• One meeting of the Equity and Engagement Working Group
• Two meetings of the Community Advisory Committee
• Two meetings of the Business Advisory Committee
We assume that city staff will lead meetings with Planning and Zoning Board, Transportation
Board, and City Council using material developed by the Fehr & Peers team, as described in this
scope of work.
Phase 3 – Visioning
Based on community engagement that IBE completed, Fehr & Peers will author a concise Vision,
Purpose, and Need for the corridor. The Vision will convey the desired end state for North College
Avenue for both transportation and land use. The Need will use key data from the Existing
Conditions Report to identify problems that the plan will solve. The Purpose will convey the aim
of proposed solutions, responding to the project Need.
Deliverables:
Concise Vision, Purpose, and Need document (draft) for City review. Fehr & Peers will incorporate
city comments into the final project report.
Phase 4 – Alternatives Development
4.1 Transportation Infrastructure and Services
The Fehr & Peers team will develop alternatives for primary and secondary corridor elements.
Primary elements include:
• Restructuring transit routes in the North College area (up to 3 alternatives), including service frequency and fleet requirements (including propulsion options)
• Turnaround options (up to 6 alternatives)
• The corridor cross-section (up to 3 alternatives) including guideway options and active
transportation infrastructure
Melina Dempsey & Seth Lorson December 1, 2021
Page 3 of 6
Fehr & Peers will recommend secondary corridor elements. Secondary corridor elements support
primary elements and generally have less variation or alternatives. Secondary elements include:
• Station locations/areas
• Mobility hubs, including integrating micro-transit and micro-mobility with BRT
• Access infrastructure: walkways, bikeways
• Park-n-rides
• Public spaces
Fehr & Peers will coordinate with the city regarding plans for the North Transit Maintenance
Facility and develop/modify alternatives based on the city’s study of this facility.
Deliverables:
• Graphics depicting corridor alternatives including transit route maps, turnaround maps,
cross-sections, intersection lane configurations, and secondary elements.
• Presentation material summarizing corridor alternatives.
• Technical memorandum summarizing corridor alternatives.
4.2 Land Use and Transit Oriented Development
Russell + Mills Studios will develop a land use vision for North College Avenue, referencing the
Urban Renewal Authority’s previous work as a starting point. This includes:
• Identifying guiding policies and principles based on public involvement.
• Develop up to three land use/TOD alternatives including:
o Future land use type/configuration, including TOD-compatible land uses.
o Diagrams showing access, connectivity, and key site configuration objectives. As a part of this, the team will evaluate the Master Street Plan’s proposals for
Mason Street between Hickory Street and Willox Lane. The team will also
evaluate the North College Access Control Plan and North College Corridor Plan to propose revised access in conjunction with alternatives related to land use
type/configuration. The team will make a recommendation for changes to the
Master Street Plan’s proposals for Mason Street in this area.
o Building heights.
o Transit-supportive densities (providing estimates of area
population/employment that Fehr & Peers can use for transit ridership estimation).
o Key areas/elements for preservation.
• Alternatives will include a “no action” alternative as well as three land use/TOD
alternatives. At least one alternative will include densities adequate for Bus Rapid Transit.
Russell + Mills and EPS will identify strategies (including possible code revisions) to incentivize
TOD and to minimize displacement/gentrification in coordination with the North Fort Collins URA.
Melina Dempsey & Seth Lorson December 1, 2021
Page 4 of 6
Russell + Mills will coordinate their work on this task with the project team and IBE to complete
public involvement related to land use as a part of the project’s Phase 2 (Alternatives
Development and Analysis) and Phase 3 (Preferred Design) public involvement.
Opportunity Site Development Capacity
EPS will estimate the development capacity of the identified opportunity sites (by unit type and in
total) consistent with the land use vision identified by Russell + Mills, CityPlan recommendations,
and market potentials for the Study Area. This is not intended to be a prescriptive
recommendation for each site but rather an order of magnitude estimate of growth potential
given land capacity and market conditions.
Residential Development Target Mix
EPS will complete a residential affordability analysis to determine the appropriate affordability mix
for the opportunity sites given existing area demographics and city affordable housing goals and
policies. A targeted housing mix of units by AMI level will be provided for both for-sale and for
rent units.
Commercial Development Target Mix
In many “main street” commercial districts, the rent affordable by local businesses is below the
cost of new construction. Building on the business inventory completed in the Existing Conditions
Task, EPS will compile data on the commercial space occupied by these businesses including type
of buildings (e.g. single tenant vs. multitenant), estimated property values, lease rates, and
occupancy data in the North College area corridor. The supportable lease rates for local
businesses in the corridor will be compared to the rates needed to support new construction to
estimate the gap needing public financing assistance or other strategies to support maintaining
locally owned and locally serving businesses.
Affordable Housing Incentives
EPS will recommend funding and financing incentives to achieve the affordable housing targets
for the opportunity sites as well as in the larger Study Area. This could potentially include
acquiring properties for the City’s Land Bank, establishing a community land trust, utilizing
property tax abatement, and/or other mechanisms for addressing the feasibility gap. Working
with Russell + Mills, we will also recommend incentive-based zoning modifications to achieve the
recommended housing mix.
Local Commercial Incentives
Locally owned and locally serving retail, restaurant and service businesses is integral to supporting
area households and maintaining and improving the quality of the neighborhood in the Study
Area corridor. EPS will recommend incentives and programs for assisting local businesses with
Melina Dempsey & Seth Lorson December 1, 2021
Page 5 of 6
building and business improvements and subsidies to support leases at affordable rates. Potential
options include targeted grants, revolving loan fund, and sales tax sharing for economic
development goals. We will also evaluate the feasibility of establishing a business improvement
district for part or all North College Avenue.
Deliverables:
• Graphics depicting land use/TOD alternatives.
• Presentation material summarizing land use/TOD alternatives.
• Technical memorandum summarizing land use/TOD alternatives.
• North College MAX Plan content summarizing land use and TOD vision, strategies to
incentivize TOD, and strategies to minimize displacement/gentrification.
Phase 5 – Alternatives Evaluation
The Fehr & Peers team will evaluate the alternatives to arrive at a preferred alternative for
transportation infrastructure and services. This includes applying Measures of Effectiveness
including:
• Bus travel efficiency (travel time)
• Multimodal safety
• Comfort for people walking and biking
• Access to corridor destinations
• Transit passenger ease of use
• Vehicular travel efficiency (Level of Service, travel time)
• Right-of-way needs
• Capital costs (based on planning level cost estimates)
• Maintenance costs
• Operations costs
• Ability for land use to support BRT (dwelling units, commercial square footage)
• Land use impacts (mix of uses, displacement/affordability)
• Public support
As a part of this phase, Fehr & Peers will coordinate with the city who will lead a Triple Bottom
Line Scan and Health Impact Assessment. We will incorporate the outcomes of these processes
into the alternatives evaluation.
Deliverables:
• Technical memorandum summarizing alternatives evaluation, including evaluation criteria
rubric, and alternative pros/cons.
• Presentation material, including graphics, summarizing alternatives evaluation.
Melina Dempsey & Seth Lorson December 1, 2021
Page 6 of 6
Phase 6 – Preferred Design and Implementation Plan
The Fehr & Peers team will create a corridor design and implementation plan for the preferred
alternative that we select as an outcome of Phase 5. As a part of this task, we will prepare:
• A conceptual design roll plot of the corridor (North College Avenue from Laporte Avenue
to Terry Lake Road, including the proposed turn-around if off North College Avenue). The
conceptual design roll plot will identify cross-section measurements, intersection
improvements, access control, station locations/layouts, and bikeways/walkways on North
College Avenue. FHU will lead this task.
• A map showing the proposed locations and types of transit access bikeways and
walkways.
• A prototype for urban design on the North College Avenue corridor.
• Cost estimates for capital improvements and operations. FHU will lead this task.
• A phasing plan (with anticipated timeline) for transportation services and infrastructure
on the corridor, including funding options for capital- or operations-intensive phases. We
will identify a state or federal funding strategy for the ultimate buildout of BRT on the
corridor.
• Transit ridership estimates corresponding to each infrastructure/service or land use
implementation phase.
Deliverables:
• Draft North College MAX Plan. Fehr & Peers will incorporate one round of consolidated comments into the revised draft plan.
• Revised Draft North College MAX Plan.
• Presentation summarizing the revised draft plan for boards and City Council.
• Technical appendices.
Phase 7 – Plan Adoption
Fehr & Peers will support the city in plan adoption. We assume that city staff will lead
presentations to Planning and Zoning Board, Transportation Board, and City Council. We assume
up to eight hours (total) to incorporate comments on the revised draft plan into the final plan.
Deliverables: Final North College MAX Plan.
North College MAX Plan - Task Order 4
Chris Breiland Charlie Alexander Jason Miller Sydney Provan Nadia Jones Cady Dawson Joseph Haberl Jessica Strege Zach Topoleski Craig Russell John Beggs Elena Murphy Dan Guimond Matt Prosser Sarah Dunmire
Principal III,
Principal-in-
Charge
Principal II, Project
Manager
Senior Associate,
Deputy Project
Manager
Engineer/
Planner I
Business Services
Administrator II
Senior
Transportation
Planner
Engineer IV Engineer II Graphic Design
IV Principal Associate
Principal
Landscape
Architect Principal Vice President Associate
Phase 3 Visioning 2 8 8 12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 5,437.85$
Phase 4 Task 4.1: Transportation Infrastructure and
Services 4 20 40 60 2 8 16 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 190 28,998.10$
Phase 4 Task 4.2: Land Use and TOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 129 160 20 36 64 479 58,655.00$
Phase 5 Alternatives Evaluation 4 40 60 100 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 208 33,421.76$
Phase 6 Preferred Design and Implementation Plan 8 40 40 80 4 32 60 72 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 348 53,836.60$
Phase 7 Plan Adoption 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1,860.56$
Total Hours 18 116 148 252 11 40 76 112 12 70 129 160 20 36 64 182,209.87$
$313.66 $232.57 $201.96 $104.03 $85.93 $190 $155 $115 $135 $140 $115 $87 $240 $185 $135
Labor Costs $5,645.88 $26,978.12 $29,890.08 $26,215.56 $945.23 $7,600 $11,780 $12,880 $1,620 $9,800 $14,835 $13,920 $4,800 $6,660 $8,640
Direct Costs (travel, printing)500.00$
Total Fee 182,709.87$
TOTAL COST BY TASK
Fehr & Peers
Rate
Total Hours
by Task
FHU Russell + Mills EPS
Phase Description
-1-
ORDINANCE NO. 007, 2022
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE TRANSIT SERVICES FUND TO
EXPAND THE SCOPE OF WORK FOR NORTH COLLEGE MAX PLAN
WHEREAS, the North College MAX Plan (the “Plan”) explores bringing MAX Bus
Rapid Transit to the North College Avenue Corridor, with primary emphasis on transportation
visioning, transit service modeling and alignment, and integration into Transfort’s expansion per
the City’s Transit Master Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Plan currently is funded by a Federal Transit Administration Section
5338 grant of $350,000, which required a local match of $70,000, and was appropriated in 2021;
and
WHEREAS, the total amount of $350,000 in grant funds, $320,000 have been set aside
for consultant services (Fehr & Peers) and $30,000 for equitable engagement practices, including
hiring community-based organizations to encourage public engagement, provide incentives for
public participation, and provide language translation services; and
WHEREAS, Transfort seeks to emphasize evaluation of land use and transit-oriented
development issues and increase associated public engagement, which would add several new
tasks for the consultant team (and extend the project timeline from June to August 2022),
including: engaging the community to establish a future land use vision, developing land use and
transit-oriented development alternatives; modeling building height massing and transit-
supportive densities; providing resources for amendments to the Master Street Plan and the
North College Access Control Plan; and coordinating and modifying alternatives for the North
Transit Operations Center; and
WHEREAS, the expanded scope of work for which this appropriation is requested is
needed because the current land use vision that was established in the 2007 North College
Corridor Plan is now out of date, and there are several public projects and development proposals
that would benefit from additional public engagement and a renewed vision for land use in the
area, including: 24/7 consolidated homeless shelter; North Transit Operations Center; re-zoning
of mobile home parks for conservation purposes; North Mason stormwater outfall; and several
private development projects; and
WHEREAS, the Plan currently is the largest public engagement and planning effort in the
North College area, creating an opportunity to discuss future and changing land uses with the
public prior to an update to the North College Corridor Plan, which is not planned for the
immediate future; and
WHEREAS, to address evaluation of land use and transit-oriented development issues
and increase associated public engagement, as well as to address the increase in associated tasks
and expansion of the scope of consultant’s work for the Plan, Transfort requests appropriation of
$48,340; and
-2-
WHEREAS, this appropriation benefits the public health, safety, and welfare of the
residents of Fort Collins and serves the public purpose of improving public transportation across
the City; and
WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council, upon the
recommendation of the City Manager, to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal
year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years,
notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated; and
WHEREAS, the Interim City Manager has recommended the appropriation described
herein and determined that this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the
Transit Services Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Transit Services
Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues and all other funds to be
received in that Fund during this fiscal year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the Transit
Services Fund the sum of FORTY-EIGHT THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED FORTY
DOLLARS ($48,340) for expenditure in the Transit Services Fund for the North College MAX
Plan.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 18th day of
January, A.D. 2022, and to be presented for final passage on the 15th day of February, A.D.
2022.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 15th day of February, A.D. 2022.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk