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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/15/2022 - SECOND READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 007, 2022, APPROPR Agenda Item 2 Item # 2 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY February 15, 2022 City Council STAFF Seth Lorson, Transit Planner Drew Brooks, Director of Transit Aaron Guin, Legal SUBJECT Second Reading of Ordinance No. 007, 2022, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Transit Services Fund to Expand the Scope of Work for North College MAX Plan. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on January 18, 2022, appropriates $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 Second Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Councilmember Ohlson asked staff to include in the North College MAX Plan effort a review of adding medians to North College Avenue as originally recommended for safety and aesthetics. Staff Response: During the 2010 North College Corridor Improvements, the medians wer e not constructed south of Hickory Street to Woodlawn Drive because, at the time, the City could not develop parallel rear access roads that would offset the loss of access due to installation of the medians. The City anticipated that this area would redevelop and construct a parallel roadway network, after which the medians would be constructed. As part of the North College MAX Plan effort, staff is considering medians and access control as a part of the Plan and is working with the Colorado Department of Transportation to understand whether this Plan can recommend specific location changes, or whether that needs to be part of an Access Control Plan. Construction of medians could be included as a part of the implementation of the North College MAX or possibly sooner depending on adjacent development and available funding. ATTACHMENTS 1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, January 18, 2022 (w/o attachments) (PDF) 2. Ordinance No. 007, 2022 (PDF) 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 Transit 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 $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. 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 timeline 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: ATTACHMENT 1 COPY 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) COPY -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 WHEREAS, this appropriation benefits the public health, safety, and welfare of the -2- 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