HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - COMPLETE AGENDA - 05/13/2025Fort Collins City Council
Work Session Agenda
6:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, 2025
300 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521
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A solicitud, la Ciudad de Fort Collins proporcionará servicios de acceso a idiomas para personas que
no dominan el idioma inglés, o ayudas y servicios auxiliares para personas con discapacidad, para
que puedan acceder a los servicios, programas y actividades de la Ciudad. Para asistencia, llame al
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City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 2
City Council
Work Session Agenda
May 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Jeni Arndt, Mayor
Emily Francis, District 6, Mayor Pro Tem
Susan Gutowsky, District 1
Julie Pignataro, District 2
Tricia Canonico, District 3
Melanie Potyondy, District 4
Kelly Ohlson, District 5
Council Information Center (CIC)
300 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins
Cablecast on FCTV
Channel 14 on Connexion
Channel 14 and 881 on Comcast
Carrie Daggett Kelly DiMartino Delynn Coldiron
City Attorney City Manager City Clerk
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
6:00 PM
A) CALL MEETING TO ORDER
B) ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Community Report: Visit Fort Collins 2024-2025 Update
The purpose of this item is for Visit Fort Collins to provide a yearly update on local tourism activities
and outcomes.
2. Transfort Optimization Study
In 2024, Transfort and FC Moves launched the Transfort Optimization Plan to ensure Fort Collins’
transit system reflects community priorities and operates within sustainable financial limits. The
plan aims to balance community priorities, explore innovative options like microtransit, and
incorporate lessons from peer agencies. This effort will help the City make informed, community-
driven decisions about how to invest in transit for the greatest impact. The Optimization Plan will
serve as a roadmap for delivering safe, reliable, and efficient transit service well into the future.
3. Council Priority Update: Reduce Climate Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best
Practices, Emphasizing Electrification
The purpose of this item is to provide an update on work supporting the Council Priority to Reduce
Climate Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best Practices, Emphasizing Electrification.
4. Civic Center Master Plan
The purpose of this item is to present proposed updates to the 2021 Civic Center Master Plan,
including changes to the previously proposed site configuration and sequencing of the site
components.
C) ANNOUNCEMENTS
D) ADJOURNMENT
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City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 2
Upon request, the City of Fort Collins will provide language access services for individuals who have limited
English proficiency, or auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities, to access City services,
programs and activities. Contact 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Dial 711 for Relay Colorado) for assistance.
Please provide advance notice. Requests for interpretation at a meeting should be made by noon the day
before.
A solicitud, la Ciudad de Fort Collins proporcionará servicios de acceso a idiomas para personas que no
dominan el idioma inglés, o ayudas y servicios auxiliares para personas con discapacidad, para que
puedan acceder a los servicios, programas y actividades de la Ciudad. Para asistencia, llame al
970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Marque 711 para Relay Colorado). Por favor proporcione aviso previo. Las
solicitudes de interpretación en una reunión deben realizarse antes del mediodía del día anterior.
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File Attachments for Item:
1. Community Report: Visit Fort Collins 2024-2025 Update
The purpose of this item is for Visit Fort Collins to provide a yearly update on local tourism
activities and outcomes.
Page 3
City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 1
May 13, 2025
WORK SESSION AGENDA
ITEM SUMMARY
City Council
PRESENTER
Cynthia Eichler, Visit Fort Collins President/CEO
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Community Report: Visit Fort Collins 2024-2025 Update
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is for Visit Fort Collins to provide a yearly update on local tourism activities and
outcomes.
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2024 –2025 Update
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website engagement
New Look
I
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10,000+
2025 FoCoMX
2025 YTD
6,400+
10441
2024
Ram Talk Series
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Thank you!
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File Attachments for Item:
2. Transfort Optimization Study
In 2024, Transfort and FC Moves launched the Transfort Optimization Plan to ensure Fort
Collins’ transit system reflects community priorities and operates within sustainable financial
limits. The plan aims to balance community priorities, explore innovative options like
microtransit, and incorporate lessons from peer agencies. This effort will help the City make
informed, community-driven decisions about how to invest in transit for the greatest impact. The
Optimization Plan will serve as a roadmap for delivering safe, reliable, and efficient transit
service well into the future.
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May 13, 2025
WORK SESSION AGENDA
ITEM SUMMARY
City Council
STAFF
Kaley Zeisel, Transfort Director
Melina Dempsey, FC Moves Senior Transportation Planner
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Transfort Optimization Study
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2024, Transfort and FC Moves launched the Transfort Optimization Plan to ensure Fort Collins’
transit system reflects community priorities and operates within sustainable financial limits. The plan
aims to balance community priorities, explore innovative options like microtransit, and incorporate
lessons from peer agencies. This effort will help the City make informed, community-driven decisions
about how to invest in transit for the greatest impact. The Optimization Plan will serve as a roadmap
for delivering safe, reliable, and efficient transit service well into the future.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
1. What additional questions or feedback do Councilmembers have about the three concepts?
2. What feedback do Councilmembers have on the proposed criteria to evaluate the transit
scenarios?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
In late 2024, Transfort and FC Moves launched the Transfort Optimization Plan, a strategic initiative
aimed at aligning Fort Collins’ transit system with community needs, financial realities, and future
growth. The Optimization Plan seeks to recalibrate services to balance community priorities, best
practices and financial sustainability while exploring innovations such as micro-transit and post-
pandemic recovery lessons from peer agencies. Budgetary constraints remain a critical factor, which
are1umarized in the bullets below:
The current deficit to operate 2019 service levels today, combined with the funding needed to
build out the Transit Master Plan, results in a total gap of $13 million annually. A further
breakdown of this funding gap is provided in the next bullets.
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Item 2.
Fully building out the Transit Master Plan by 2040 necessitates an additional $15 million
annually, however the passage of the dedicated transit tax is expected to provide $5 millio n
annually narrowing this gap to approximately $10 million.
Additionally, operating 2019 service levels under current conditions would require an
additional $2.7 million annually, driven by increased inflationary costs in personnel, fuel, and
maintenance.
Project phases: Each project phase will be informed by prior work and build on that information
to provide a clear and consistent narrative of this planning process to assist in final decision
making.
Project Work Plan & Kick-Off (Sept. – Nov. 2024): Develop work plan and public involvement
plan. Stakeholder kick-off meeting and project introduction to select city boards and commissions.
Complete.
Best Practices & Literature Review (Oct. – Dec. 2024): Review peer transit agencies for
pandemic recovery and microtransit best practices. Complete.
Background & Current Conditions (Oct. 2024 – Jan. 2025): Review Transfort’s background
and current conditions and compare with best practices. Complete.
Innovation Zone Discovery & Analysis (Jan. – Mar. 2025): Develop goals, review operational
parameters, and cost/benefit analysis for microtransit. Complete.
Scenarios & Trade-Offs (Mar. – Jun. 2025): Develop three system alternatives for growth and
adaptation under resource constraints. In progress.
Community Dialogue (Jun. – Aug. 2025): Engage community with scenarios and trade-offs to
determine recommendations.
Summary of Work Completed to Date
As part of the foundational work of the project, several reviews and analyses were conducted.
Background & Current Conditions
A complete review of Transfort’s current conditions was completed to understand recent
performance, trends, best practices, organizational dynamics, ridership recovery, opportunities
and challenges. The report documented the challenges to rebuild service with existing resources,
current service development processes, recent system performance analysis and the financial
picture for operations and capital. The review found that:
Ridership is starting to rebound but is still significantly below 2019 levels and has not kept
pace with return to service efforts.
MAX and HORN ridership have been disproportionately impacted, declining at higher rates
than other routes.
System productivity has declined while costs have gone up.
Operators are overall pleased with work conditions.
Service changes are operationally difficult to implement due to internal technological
limitations.
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Item 2.
Marketing fare free is important and showing results.
Travel Market Assessment
Using a travel market analysis tool called Replica, our team analyzed travel patterns within Fort
Collins to understand what’s changed between 2019 and now. Key findings included:
Use of private auto as the primary mode has increased between 2019 and 2024.
Transit use, biking, and walking have decreased between 2019 and 2024.
AM and PM travel peaks that existed in 2019 have smoothed out in 2024 with travel in 2024
more concentrated and distributed between noon and 6PM.
Trip duration has decreased between 2019 and 2024 with a higher percentage of short trips
in 2024.
Overall travel patterns are similar but show increases in travel within and between south and
southeast Fort Collins as well as midtown.
Ridership Recovery Best Practices Review
Every transit agency in the country lost ridership and experienced challenges since the COVID-
19 pandemic. Many agencies like Transfort continue to struggle to fully recover lost ridership to
pre-pandemic levels due to a variety of factors, but many agencies have had success adapting to
internal and external factors to grow ridership. This review provided information about similar-
sized transit agencies in peer communities (college towns with similar demographics) that have
successfully recovered ridership faster than the national average, strategies employed to bring
back service, and examples of successful implementation practices.
Key findings included:
Demographic Alignment Drives Success: Agencies that tailored services to specific
demographic groups—such as students, low-income populations, or commuters—achieved
stronger ridership recovery.
Flexibility Boosts Resilience: Implementing flexible service features, such as dynamic
scheduling or flex stops, allowed agencies to adapt more effectively to changing ridership
demands.
Focus on Core Efficiency: In most cases, agencies found that reducing service areas and
prioritizing high-frequency, reliable service in key demand zones—such as university corridors
or commuter routes—proved to be more effective than maintaining broad, less targeted
coverage.
Community Engagement Is Critical: Transparent, inclusive public engagement processes built
trust, aligned services with community needs, and strengthened recovery efforts.
Innovative Workforce Solutions Are Essential: Partnerships with educational institutions and
creative recruitment models, like Unitrans’ part-time student drivers, effectively addressed
operator shortages.
Fare Policy Matters: Fare-free or reduced-fare initiatives played a significant role in restoring
ridership confidence, particularly for transit-dependent and underserved populations.
Microtransit Best Practices Review
A comprehensive review of microtransit best practices and an analysis of peer communities that
provide microtransit services was completed to gain valuable insights about what makes
microtransit succeed. We also interviewed several peer agencies and microtransit service
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Item 2.
providers to enhance our analysis and deepen our understanding of challenges and successes
related to planning and implementing microtransit programs.
Key findings included:
Establishing clear goals at the onset of the planning process is essential
Communicate the benefits and tradeoffs of microtransit to the public and elected officials early
in the process, which may not be seen through financials
Comingling paratransit and microtransit services increase efficiency and reduce demand for
paratransit services
Comprehensive community engagement and marketing is key to the success of microtransit
services and helps drive demand
All parties involved in the implementation of the microtransit service should be involved and
informed early in the planning process
It is important to identify long-term funding sources to sustain microtransit services past initial
grant funding
For microtransit services to be inclusive and accessible, multiple booking options such as via
an app, website, and call center must be available
Zone size greatly impacts demand, service level, and customer wait times. Example: Larger
zones can result in longer wait and travels times and less wait and travel times for s maller
zones.
Microtransit can be an effective transit solution for areas with lower population density that
may be hard to serve with fixed-route services
Service reliability and regular, low wait times are important for retaining ridership
System Concepts
The project team worked with the Community and Technical Advisory Committees (CAC and
TAC) to define how future Transfort system scenarios would be developed. We proposed six
possible concepts that the CAC and TAC distilled down to three including:
1. Travel Patterns. High frequency routes for highest demand travel patterns:1 Prioritizes a
targeted number of high frequency, direct fixed routes in areas with highest amount of existing
travel.
2. Rider Demand. Focused on rider demand / transit propensity: Prioritizes direct fixed routes
with targeted high frequency to best serve areas with the highest current or anticipated rider
demand, based on demographic factors or likelihood to use transit.
3. Condensed Fixed Route + Microtransit. Condensed fixed-route network with microtransit
coverage options: Provides a more condensed fixed-route network for only the areas with a
combination of highest demand and need, and microtransit coverage for low density areas.
These concepts are currently being developed into three detailed transit system scenarios which
will be complete ahead of public outreach in June and July. These scenarios will provide a
framework for showing the community contrasting ideas for how Transfort service could operate
in the future. The scenarios will differ from each other and from how services are currently
operated. However, there will be some shared commonalities. For example, there are areas with
1 Travel refers to all modes of travel and is predominantly single-occupant vehicles (SOVs).
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Item 2.
both high demand travel patterns and high transit demand/propensity (E.g. West Elizabeth
Corridor).
In addition to the detailed scenarios, evaluation criteria are being developed to help assess the
impact of each scenario. In the next stage of public engagement, each criterion and its level of
impact (e.g. high, medium, low, none) will be displayed alongside each of the three scenarios.
The criteria, combined with the proposed routes and level of service in each scenario, will assist
the community in making informed decisions about the future of transit service. Criteria under
consideration include: environmental impacts, ridership implications, equity considerations, City
priorities (Land Use, 15-Minute Cities), cost effectiveness, community health impacts, and
mitigation strategies to offset impacts.
As we move beyond summer outreach around these scenarios, we will then work towards building
the preferred, final vision for Transfort – this vision will likely not be one of the three scenarios but
will rather be a blend of elements from the three scenarios.
Public Engagement – Past and Upcoming
Central to this effort is a robust and inclusive public involvement process designed to ensure
meaningful participation from diverse populations, with a particular emphasis on transit-
dependent groups. This approach will help prioritize community needs and set measurable
outcomes.
As mentioned above, a CAC and TAC were formed to meet at key points throughout the project
to provide guidance on analyses and materials. The CAC is comprised of representatives from
different organizational and community groups, whereas the TAC is comprised of City of Fort
Collins staff with planning and technical expertise from FC Moves and Transfort. The CAC and
TAC meetings are combined throughout the entire project. There are four key project milestones
where the CAC and TAC are meeting and providing feedback:
1. Project Kickoff Meeting (Inform) – October 2024
2. Vision and Prioritization (Collaborate) – March 2025
3. Scenarios & Tradeoffs (Collaborate) – June 2025
4. Project Recommendations (Inform) – Late Summer 2025
The CAC is comprised of members from the following organizations or groups:
Active Modes Advisory Board
ARC of Larimer County
Bohemian Foundation
CARE Housing
CSU
DARTAC
Front Range Community College
Housing Catalyst
Large Employers (e.g. Advanced
Energy, Broadcom)
NFRMPO
PSD
Rescue Mission
Strong Towns
Summit Stone Health
Transportation Board
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Item 2.
A summary of public engagement conducted to date
Prior to this effort, extensive public engagement was undertaken as part of the Transit Master
Plan (TMP), adopted in 2019. The following high-level themes summarize the transit elements
that received strong and consistent support from the public: faster and more frequent service,
better multimodal connections, more regional service and willingness to invest in transit. These
elements are reflected in the transit concepts developed for this study.
In summer and fall of 2024, staff conducted the first phase of engagement with the CAC and TAC,
as well as a variety of Boards and Commissions including: Transportation Board, Senior Advisory
Board, Disability Advisory Board, Climate Equity Committee, and Dial-A-Ride & Transit
Accessibility Committee to introduce this effort and obtain high level feedback. A second meeting
was held in March 2025 with the TAC and CAC to obtain input on six proposed concepts. The top
three concepts selected in the engagement process are being used as guiding principles in
developing three detailed transit scenarios. This stage of engagement confirmed that the priorities
of the TMP are still relevant today, especially faster and more frequent service.
The next phase of public engagement
The three detailed transit scenarios, currently in development, will be ready to present to the
public for feedback by the end of May. The next phase of public engagement to obtain input on
the three contrasting scenarios will be extensive and concentrated throughout June. The goal is
to conduct transparent, inclusive public engagement processes to build trust, and align services
with community needs, and strengthen recovery efforts.
Because two key stakeholders, Colorado State University and Poudre School District are not in
session during June, staff have been conducting outreach to both entities in April and May in the
form of surveys, tabling at events, and social media. The surveys include questions about what
is currently working with the transit system, which routes they are using, gaps and barriers using
the system, questions about the West Elizabeth corridor and what service hours would best meet
their needs. The surveys also include several open-ended questions so specific feedback can be
provided.
This phase of engagement will be both targ eted and broad-based, capturing as many people as
possible in the process including both current and potential transit riders. The following groups (in
alphabetical order), identified in the PIP are populations that the public involvement strategies will
seek to engage but are not limited to:
Boards and Commissions
Business representatives
Colorado State University
Community members with disabilities
Culturally diverse community members
Fort Collins transit riders
Latino/Hispanic and Spanish-speaking
community members
Lower-income and underserved
community members
Older adults (Ages 60+)
Residents in Fort Collins
Transit-dependent populations
Transit, active modes and sustainability
advocates
Unhoused community members
Youth/schools
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Item 2.
City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 7 of 8
Engagement has been planned in some capacity with the following organizations:
Active Modes Advisory Board
Chamber of Commerce – Local Legislative Affairs Committee
City Council
Climate Equity Committee
Colorado State University
Community Connectors
Dial-a-Ride and Transit Accessibility Committee
Disability Advisory Board
Housing Catalyst
Larimer County Mobility Committee
Larimer County Office on Aging
Lived Experience Advisory Council
Midtown Business Improvement District
North Fort Collins Business Association
Poudre School District
Senior Advisory Board
Transportation Board
Staff cross-referenced the groups identified in the Public Involvement Plan with planned engagement
efforts to ensure they were all being included in the process. In addition to targeted outreach, broad-based
outreach will be conducted to capture people who live and work in Fort Collins.
Engagement Tools
A variety of engagement tools will be employed throughout the month of June to obtain feedback on the
three transit scenarios. The goal is to share information about the project and direct people to the Our City
project webpage where there will be a link to provide input on the scenarios. Additionally, there will be
opportunities to provide input on the three scenarios verbally and on physical boards at in-person meetings
and events. Specific tools being used include:
Advertising, information sharing and survey links
o City of Fort Collins website – Our City project webpage
o Social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, NextDoor, etc.)
o Physical flyers (posted at key locations such as libraries, government buildings, and at events)
o Emails to key partners
o Press release with links to Our City project webpage
Open House
Tabling at events – both project-specific and other City and stakeholder events
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 8 of 8
Meetings
o Boards and Commissions
o TAC and CAC
o Targeted groups (e.g. Chamber, Lived Experience Advisory Council (LEAC), etc.)
Focus Group
o Some organizations have been offered an opportunity to hold focus groups, if interested.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Presentation
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Item 2.
Headline Copy Goes Here
Kaley Zeisel, Transfort Director
Melina Dempsey, Sr. Transportation
Planner
Jason Miller, Consultant, Fehr &
Peers
Transfort
Optimization Plan
05-13-25
Page 25
Item 2.
Headline Copy Goes HereAgenda
2
1.Project Overview
2.Key Takeaways from Analysis
3.Transit Concept & Scenario Development
4.Next Steps
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Headline Copy Goes Here
3
Questions for Council
•What additional questions or feedback do Councilmembers have about the three concepts?
•What feedback do Councilmembers have on the proposed criteria to evaluate the transit
scenarios?
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Item 2.
Headline Copy Goes Here
Project Overview
4
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Headline Copy Goes Here
5
Project Need
Even with 2050 Tax, there is a significant
gap in available resources which requires:
•Assess ways to retool and focus service
•Frequency and coverage considerations
•Evaluation of goals and desired outcomes
•Prioritization of 2019 Transit Master Plan
elements
$3 Million
Operating Gap
$15 Million
TMP Buildout
$5 Million
2050 Transit
Sales Tax
$13M annual gap if:
•2019 full-service levels
were restored
•Transit Master Plan was
fully built out
•Cost increases & inflation
are accounted for
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Item 2.
Headline Copy Goes Here
6
Project Process
1. Analysis
Analyze existing
conditions
Conduct literature
review of best
practices
Interview agencies
with successful
recovery
2. Concepts
Develop draft
concepts
Establish initial
impact criteria
3. Feedback
Revisit TMP goals
Gather input from
CAC and TAC
Align with Council
Gather community
feedback
4. Evaluation
Finalize evaluation
criteria
Evaluate based on
criteria metrics
5. Final
Recommendation
We are
here!
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Headline Copy Goes Here
Analysis: Existing Conditions &
Best Practices
7
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Headline Copy Goes Here
8
Existing Conditions: Current Service Levels & Ridership
Recent Ridership and Service Recovery, as Compared to Percent of 2019 Levels
33%
59%
53%
77%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2021 2024
Pe
r
c
e
n
t
o
f
2
0
1
9
L
e
v
e
l
s
Percent Ridership Percent Service
2025 is continuing
to improve, with
ridership at nearly
70% and service
levels at 86%
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Headline Copy Goes Here
9
Existing Conditions: Travel Demand Analysis
2019
2024
Travel Demand Patterns Time of Day Travel Comparison
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Headline Copy Goes Here
10
Best Practices: Microtransit
Zone size matters
The size of the service
zone greatly impacts
demand, cost, service
level, and customer wait
times
Keep wait times low
Consistent arrival and low
wait-times are important
for retaining ridership
Easier driver access
In-house drivers reduce
costs, and more drivers
are eligible because a
CDL is not required
It is expensive
Microtransit is more
expensive than fixed-
route service (cost per
passenger is higher)
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Headline Copy Goes Here
11
Best Practices: Peer Agency Ridership Recovery
Themes
•Peer agency recovery rates
range from 89% to 156%
(average 107%)
•Most peer agencies reduced
their transit service area by ~6%
•Operating funds increased
across all peer agencies due to
cost increases and service
improvements
•Productivity (passengers per
vehicle hour) declined by 9% to
22% for most agencies (though,
significantly increased for 2
agencies)
Lessons Learned from Agencies With Successful Recovery
Increase
frequencies
Maintain fare
free
Focus on students,
coupled with limited
parking
Prioritize
frequent riders
Find innovative
workforce solutions
that retain and
attract drivers
Engage with
community
Focus on core
network with direct,
corridor-based
connections with
higher frequencies
Page 35
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Headline Copy Goes Here
Transit Concept & Scenario
Development
12
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Headline Copy Goes Here
13
Initial Six Concepts
Existing RoutesTravel Patterns Rider Demand
Condensed with Microtransit CoverageSpecialty-Transit
High-Frequency
Amount of Microtransit
Ridership Impact
Supportive of Best Practices
Service Area Footprint
Equity Impact
Cost-Effectiveness
Decrease, less, not supportiveNeutral, no change/impactSome increase, improvementLarge increase, very supportive
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Item 2.
Headline Copy Goes Here
Six Proposed Concepts
Three Concepts for
Scenario Development
14
Concept to Scenario
Best Practice Research
Input from Community and
Technical Advisory
Committee Members
Previous Community
Engagement Efforts for
Transit Master Plan
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Headline Copy Goes Here
15
Final Three Concepts
Travel PatternsRider DemandCondensed with microtransit
High-Frequency
Amount of Microtransit
Ridership Impact
Supportive of Best Practices
System Footprint
Equity Impact
Cost-Effectiveness
Decrease, less, not supportiveNeutral, no change/impactSome increase, improvementLarge increase, very supportivePage 39
Item 2.
Headline Copy Goes Here
16
Concept Summaries
Travel Pattern
High-frequency, direct
routes on major traffic
corridors
•Key Features:
•Emphasizes direct service on
high-traffic roads
•No microtransit included
•Geared toward overall travel
flow rather than individual rider
needs
•Data Sources:
•Traffic volumes, car travel
•patterns, roadway networks,
•dense land uses
Rider Demand
Service for transit-reliant
communities
•Key Features:
•Direct routes connecting the
most transit-reliant populations
•Some microtransit included
•Optimized for equity and
access
•Data Sources:
•Demographic analysis, land
•use, existing ridership patterns
Condensed Fixed Route +
Microtransit
Limited fixed route,
microtransit for lower density
•Key Features:
•Core network for most transit-
propense areas
•Microtransit fills gaps in less
dense neighborhoods
•May require more transfers but
increases overall coverage
•Data Sources:
•Highest performing routes,
•land use, current ridership,
•demand indicators
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Headline Copy Goes Here
17
Keep in Mind
The final scenario will not be one of these three
scenarios –it will be a blended hybrid based on
analysis and public input.
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Headline Copy Goes Here
18
Final Evaluation Considerations
Environmental
Impacts
Cost
Effectiveness
Community
Health Impacts
Mitigation
Strategies
(Dial-A-Ride)
Ridership
Implications
Equity
Considerations
City Priority
Alignment
(Land Use, 15-
Min Cities)
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
Scenarios will be analyzed considering these elements:
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Headline Copy Goes Here
Next Steps
19
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20
Project Process
1. Analysis
Analyze existing
conditions
Conduct literature
review of best
practices
Interview agencies
with successful
recovery
2. Concepts
Develop draft
concepts
Establish initial
evaluation criteria
3. Feedback
Revisit TMP goals
Gather input from
CAC and TAC
Align with Council
Gather public
feedback
4. Evaluation
Finalize evaluation
criteria
Evaluate based on
criteria metrics
5. Final
Recommendation
Next Steps
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21
Next Steps: Community Engagement
In-Person Events
•Open houses
•Intercept events
•Focus group meetings
•Boards & Commissions
•Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC) meetings
•Community Advisory Committee
(CAC) meetings
Hybrid & Virtual Engagement
•Online surveys with interactive
maps
•Hybrid meetings in combination
with in-person
•Press release with website and
survey link
•Social media posts
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22
Questions for Council
•What additional questions or feedback do Councilmembers have about the three concepts?
•What feedback do Councilmembers have on the proposed criteria to evaluate the transit scenarios?
Concepts Evaluation Criteria
Travel Pattern: High-frequency,
direct routes on major traffic corridors
Rider Demand: Service for transit-
reliant communities
Condensed Fixed Route +
Microtransit: Limited fixed route,
microtransit for lower density
•Environmental Impacts
•Ridership Implications
•Equity Considerations
•City Priority Alignment
•Cost Effectiveness
•Community Health Impacts
•Mitigation Strategies
•Community Feedback
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Thank you!
23
Page 47
Item 2.
File Attachments for Item:
3. Council Priority Update: Reduce Climate Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best
Practices, Emphasizing Electrification
The purpose of this item is to provide an update on work supporting the Council Priority to
Reduce Climate Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best Practices, Emphasizing Electrification.
Page 48
City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 7
May 13, 2025
WORK SESSION AGENDA
ITEM SUMMARY
City Council
STAFF
Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer
Honore Depew, Climate Program Manager
Brian Tholl, Energy Services Director
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Council Priority Update: Reduce Climate Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best Practices,
Emphasizing Electrification
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to provide an update on work supporting the Council Priority to Reduce Climate
Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best Practices, Emphasizing Electrification.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
1. What questions do Councilmembers have about the elements underway in this Council Priority?
2. Does the OCF approach align with Councilmember expectations for this priority area?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The City of Fort Collins has long been a regional and national leader in efforts to improve air quality and
decrease emissions contributing to climate change. In early 2024 Council established a specific Council
Priority for this term to Reduce Climate Pollution and Air Pollution Through Best Practices, Emphasizing
Electrification. This update for Council and the community is shared in three parts: Context, Current Efforts,
and Building to the Future.
The first section describes community-wide indicators that help inform the City’s and community’s efforts
to reach Council-adopted goals. The second section highlights specific implementation initiatives that are
driving change in key areas. And the final section summarizes how Our Climate Future (OCF) is evolving
as a framework to help the City organization and the community strategically move forward together.
1) Context
Our Climate Future (OCF) is the community guide to reducing pollution and waste and adapting to the
changing climate in Fort Collins, with a focus on people’s day-to-day needs. OCF was adopted by Council
in 2021 and continues the City’s commitments to the specific data-based, timebound targets laid out in the
previous Climate Action Plan, Energy Policy, and Road to Zero Waste.
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 7
The 2030 Council-adopted targets are:
1. Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to 2005 levels.
2. 100% renewable electricity from both the grid and local sources.
3. Reach zero waste, meaning nothing goes to landfill.
OCF uses a systems approach for solutions addressing those climate, energy, and waste goals while
positively impacting the daily lives of residents and supporting community-defined priorities.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
In addition to the 2030 goal of 80% reduction in climate pollution by 2030, Council has adopted a goal of
reducing community-wide emissions 50% below baseline by 2026 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
In 2023, the Fort Collins community reduced community-wide greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) 27%
compared to 2005 baseline levels. Per capita emissions were down 44% over the same time period.
In the long term, electrification supports GHG reduction goals by transitioning energy loads from natural
gas (methane) and petroleum to renewable sources; in the short term, electrification can lead to an
increase in emissions from electricity generation until all Fort Collins electricity comes from renewable
sources.
Key climate pollution reduction areas include:
Lower community electricity use (3% decrease in electricity consumption since 2022)
Increased local solar (36% increase in local electricity generation from 2022)
Decrease in electricity emissions factor (lower GHGs / MWh) due to a decrease in coal at the utilit y
scale
Lower industrial manufacture emissions (69% reduction in emissions from 2022)
Decreased materials going to landfill (13% decrease in tons of waste from 2021)
Air Quality
Consistently, Fort Colins’ air quality measurements indicate numerous days each year deemed “unhealthy”
or “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI). The number of unhealthy days
fluctuates between 5 or 6 days per year to over 30 days in a single year.
Drivers of poor air quality in our region include:
Environmental sources (e.g., wildfires)
Regional sources (e.g., oil & gas extraction, transportation)
Local sources (e.g., transportation, industry, small engines)
Indoor sources (e.g., cleaning products)
Key air pollution area of focus:
Summertime Ozone – the North Front Range continues to violate federal health-based standards and
earn “F” grades from the American Lung Association. Ozone levels are impacted by regional emissions
from oil and gas, plus other local emissions. Electrification is an important strategy because vehicles
and small gas engines, such as lawnmowers and leaf blowers, are a large part of the local contribution
to air pollutants.
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 3 of 7
Renewable Electricity
Fort Collins electric utility customers currently receive more than half of their electricity from renewable
sources, with Platte River’s (PRPA) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) helping the community reach its
Council-adopted goal of 100% RE by 2030. The Our Climate Future goal is based on annual energy
consumption, meaning that when the community generates more renewable electricity than is consumed,
we will have met our OCF-defined goal. PRPA’s Resource Diversification Policy targets operational
achievement of 100% renewable electricity, meaning, all electricity generated would be from non-carbon
resources. Forecasts currently identify that our consumption-based OCF goal can be met by 2030, while
PRPA’s generation-based goal will likely reach approximately 88% by the end of 2030.
Key statistics regarding renewable electricity:
Between 2005 and 2023, consumption on the electric grid has advanced from 20% non-carbon
(renewable) resources to 49%
The Our Climate Future plan identifies 5% of local generation coming from local resources, with a
current local distributed solar contributing approximately 3.4%
The local goal was developed as part of a larger strategy for reducing emissions from electricity use,
including by driving more energy efficiency and encouraging electrification. At the time the goals were
developed, Fort Collins local DERs accounted for approximately 1.5% of community electricity, and
therefore the goal represented an increase of 233%. At the end of 2024, local distributed generation
accounted for approximately 3.42%, and on track for achievement of the 2030 goal.
The establishment of the 5% goals was informed by an analysis of local solar rooftop potential (availability
of physical space), economics – including available and/or uncertainty of tax credits and incentives, and
local resources available to drive solar, including Utility incentives and available workforce. Staff have
confidence the existing and forecasted Utilities budget has the right levels of incentives and infrastructure
to achieve the existing goal. An expansion of the goal would likely require additional resources that we do
not believe are the best use of funds at this time.
2) Current Efforts
The focus of this Council Priority has been on strategic, achievable, near-term initiatives to reduce
pollution, primarily through electrification in three key areas, to help advance toward community goals
during this Council term.
A) Electrification of Buildings
B) Electrification of Transportation/Fleet Vehicles
C) Electrification of Small Engine Equipment
Buildings
Economic and behavioral efforts: City programs have a long history of financial and behavioral based
efforts encouraging efficiency and conservation of energy in buildings, and Staff have continued to evolve
voluntary programs to include electrification-based incentives and advising services. For the context of this
Council priority, it’s important that effort continued to prioritize efficiency ahead of electrification to minimize
grid infrastructure impacts.
Utilities residential programs have included addition of residential heat pump and heat pump water
heater incentives, phase out of natural gas furnace incentives, and introduction of electric panel
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 4 of 7
upgrades incentives. Across programs, $4.4 million in incentives were paid for community through
participation in voluntary programs with Utilities.
Utilities continues to evaluate effectiveness of the time-of-day rate structure and other behavioral
program efforts such as behavioral home reports.
Regulatory efforts: Staff continue to evaluate regulatory emissions and electrification-based efforts in the
context of other Council priorities as well as from a community member perspective.
Staff are currently in 3-year cadence of updating codes and local amendments. Last updated on April
22, 2022, this code update includes alignment with new state requirements and legislation,
enhancements to simplify the building energy codes framework, and potential inclusion of wildfire
resiliency code requirements. Legislative efforts through the City Manager’s office and the Legislative
Review Committee also support bills and other legislation at the state level supporting community and
Council priorities.
The Building Performance Standards policy has been discussed with Council and is currently in a pilot
phase to test the assumptions used in policy development, validate the requirements and resources
required for implementation, and to continue the economic impacts and feasibility of the policy. Staff
are currently working with six building owners of a diverse set of commercial properties and foresee
completing this pilot effort in the summer of 2025, and plan to report back to Council with findings.
Infrastructure updates: City efforts continue to advance the existing infrastructure, and are often embedded
in existing processes across City service areas.
Utilities continue evaluating existing electric grid infrastructure and our future asset management plans
to support building and transportation electrification. For example, field staff are currently upsizing
distribution transformers when replacing existing infrastructure anticipating the need for additional
loads.
Staff continue to work with partners to ensure the existing and future operational technology is in place
and recently completed a Utilities technology Assessment roadmap to identify a future state application
landscape that best support utilities customers and City goals.
Staff continue supporting workforce development through education and alignment with local trades
and developers.
Transportation and Fleet Vehicles
In 2024 and 2025, the City has been updating the Electric Vehicle Readiness Roadmap (EVRR) to support
current and future adoption of EVs in our community. This plan identifies tactics and strategies that align
with the Transportation Master Plan and Active Modes Plan to advance toward City goals. The vision for
the plan is Fort Collins will promote the community’s adoption of electric vehicles through equitable access
to charging infrastructure, engaging outreach and education, innovative policy approaches, and leading by
example.
Economic and behavioral efforts: Utilities has supported community awareness and education for electric
transportation options through the launch of several resources, including incentive-based and technical
advising services related to electric vehicles.
The Efficiency Works EV shopper tool allows community members to compare electric vehicles with
traditional combustion engine and hybrid vehicles. This tool can be used for both personal and fleet
electric vehicle exploration and shows the total cost of ownership evaluation and available incentives
by eligible vehicle.
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 5 of 7
Efficiency Works supports upfront incentives for the installation of public level 2 EV charging
infrastructure
Efficiency Works also supports fleet electrification through study-based incentives and a planner tool
Regulatory efforts: During the 2022 code adoption process, Council supported adding EV infrastructure
requirements into building code, represented as percentage of parking spaces for new construction for EV
capable, EV ready and EV installed categories of infrastructure. In 2025, Council will likely be presented
with options and recommendations for:
Evaluate and refine the EV charging requirements within the Building Code
Incorporate elements of the proposed statewide EV Model Code language into the Land Use Code
Infrastructure: The EVRR includes several benchmarks for comparing existing quantity of EV charging
infrastructure across communities. The study identifies that the community is close to the appropriate
estimated number of level 2 chargers (147 existing public level 2 ports out of recommended 151 ports),
while falling shortly behind for level 3 charging (6 existing public level 3 ports out of recommended 15
ports).
Lead By Example for EV Adoption: City of Fort Collins Fleet Vehicle Conversion continues with many new
purchases of vehicles including hybrid or battery electric vehicles.
989 Total Vehicles, Including Police Patrol Vehicles
o 36 Battery Electric Vehicles
o 38 Hybrid Vehicles
Transfort Transit Conversion
- 57 Total Transfort Buses in Service
o 6 Battery Electric
o 5 Additional Battery Electric Buses Expected Delivery: Early 2026
Small Engine Equipment
The City has long supported transitions of small engine equipment to electric alternatives, especially as
electric options have become more reliable. Recently, Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission adopted
Regulation 29 restricting the use of push/hand-held gas-powered landscaping equipment under 10
horsepower by public entities and their contractors during ozone season (June 1 through Aug 31)
beginning in 2025. Public entities will be required to report their compliance to CDPHE’s Air Quality Control
Division on an annual basis beginning June 1, 2026. Relevant City departments are working to conform to
Regulation 29, building on existing efforts towards electrification of equipment.
Natural Areas: 80% Electrified
Parks: 91% Electrified
Other Departments actively converting and cataloguing
2050 Tax Impacts
Additionally, a 2023 voter-approved sales tax provides dedicated sustainable revenue to advance several
of the above efforts and additional initiatives. In 2024 alone, nearly four million dollars in funding from the
climate and air quality portion of the 2050 Tax delivered direct impacts for the Fort Collins community.
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 6 of 7
Funding was prioritized for projects that focused on transportation, buildings and electricity (primary
contributors to air & climate pollution) while also improving community resilience, safety and accessibility.
2024 Outcomes from 2050 Tax Investments:
Projects helped reduce the impact of rising energy costs, benefitting affordability, comfort and
safety, especially for low income and underserved households.
Projects that engaged with community members and small businesses helped build relationships and
create opportunities for the City to learn from our community.
Direct home improvements and loans increased climate resilience and health for residents, especially
regarding increasing summer temperatures and poor air quality.
Several projects contributed to foundational planning or research on topics including integrated
community transportation systems, under-resourced community buildings, and riparian carbon
sequestration and watershed health.
2024 Direct Impacts from 2050 Tax Investments:
75 direct home upgrades and 31 loans for residential energy efficiency, comfort and safety
60 residential indoor air quality assessments
27 sustainability workforce scholarships
16 grants to local food service businesses to reduce single-use plastics
7 electric utility carts to replace gas carts
3 major Active Modes infrastructure improvements for safety, connectivity and accessibility
3 comprehensive lighting upgrades to community centers
Support for 140 affordable homes to go above-and-beyond code for sustainability
Repair of community solar project, supporting 500 kW of local solar generation
3) Building to the Future
Climate change threatens not just the environment around us but also the local economy, living costs, and
human health. The ambitious Council-adopted goals and community-driven Big Moves established in Our
Climate Future require bold and transformational action to achieve. Sustained, transformational change
can be in tension with near-term priorities and resource constraints associated with two-year and four-year
budget and election cycles.
OCF is a framework designed to help bridge that divide and guide Fort Collins toward a sustainable
future while focusing on the needs of community members and putting people first. With the advent of the
2050 Tax revenue for helping achieve carbon neutrality in the next 25 years, there is an increasing need
for a more comprehensive and long-term strategy to map out the effective use of local government “levers”
for progress (i.e., Economic, Regulatory, Infrastructure Investment, and Behavior Change).
After several years of OCF being leveraged to coordinate, guide, and report on sustainability efforts related
to the three goal areas, an evolution of the structure and systems is underway to enhance strategic
implementation. Much has changed – in the City organization and the world – since OCF was developed
in 2019-21. And we continue to be in a time of growth and transition that allows for OCF to become more
effective, integrated and inclusive of the City’s sustainability efforts.
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City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 7 of 7
This work will lead to an OCF Strategic Funding Plan later this year to effectively map and resource
implementation strategies with timely accountability to Council and taxpayers to meet goals, steward
taxpayer funds, and report on progress.
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue supporting electrification efforts for the City organization and the community, while
partnering with PRPA to achieve 100% renewable electricity for Fort Collins. Several key Council Advisory
Boards are being engaged as strategic thought partners for this work. A Council Work Session will be
scheduled in Q4 to review final 2025 outcomes from this Council Priority and to discuss the OCF Strategic
Funding Plan.
Staff are currently exploring a number of potential pathways to increase efficiency and curb emissions in
our built environment, prioritizing a Building Performance Standards (BPS) policy framework and pilot
program, and an update to the building & energy code. Staff are exploring if and how a proposal for a
Large Methane User Fee (LMUF) complements the policies that are already under development to
determine impact, efficacy, and timing, in addition to the trade-offs that may exist if such a policy was to
be implemented.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Presentation
Page 55
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
Climate Program Manager
Honore Depew
Council Priority
Update:
Reduce Climate and
Air Pollution Through
Best Practices,
Emphasizing
Electrification
5-13-2025
Brian Tholl
Energy Services DirectorPage 56
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here 2Strategic Alignment
City Plan
Reduce Climate and
Air Pollution Through
Best Practices,
Emphasizing
Electrification
Principle ENV 2:
Become a carbon
neutral community by
2050 and improve the
community’s
resilience to prepare
for and adapt to the
impacts of climate
change.
Environmental Health
1:Implement the Our
Climate Future Plan to
advance the City’s
greenhouse gas, energy
and waste goals; reduce
air pollution; and improve
community resilience.
Strategic PlanCouncil Priority Our Climate Future
80% greenhouse
gas emissions
reduction by 2030
100% renewable
electricity
Page 57
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
3
Questions
1.What questions do Councilmembers have about the
elements underway in this Council Priority?
2.Does the OCF approach align with Councilmember
expectations for this priority area?
Page 58
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HerePresentation Contents
4
1)OCF Context
2)Current Efforts
3)Building to the Future
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Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
Our Climate Future Context
5
Page 60
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
6
Our Climate Future –Big Moves
BETTER TOGETHER RESOURCE BETTER
LIVE BETTER
BREATHE BETTER
• Shared Leadership and Community Partnership
• Zero Waste Neighborhoods
• Climate Resilient Community
• Convenient Transportation Choices
• Live, Work, and Play Nearby
• Efficient, Emissions Free Buildings
• Healthy Affordable Housing
• Local, Affordable and Healthy Food
• Healthy Local Economy and Jobs
• Zero Waste Economy
• Healthy Natural Spaces
• 100% Renewable Electricity
• Electric Cars and Fleets
Equity –Resilience –Mitigation
Page 61
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereCommunity-wide OCF Goals
7
•Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
•50% below 2005 baseline by 2026
•80% below 2005 baseline by 2030
•Carbon Neutral by 2050
•100% renewable electricity by 2030
•Zero waste, or 100% landfill diversion, by 2030
Page 62
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Headline Copy Goes Here
8
Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory
*IPPU: Industrial Process and Product Use –non-energy emissions that are used as an input or created as a byproduct from indust rial activitiesPage 63
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HerePathways to Progress (2030 OCF Renewable Electricity Goal)
Page 64
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Headline Copy Goes Here
10
Air Quality Data
Drivers of poor air quality:
•Environmental sources (e.g., wildfires)
•Regional sources (e.g., oil & gas
extraction, transportation)
•Local sources (e.g., transportation,
industry, small engines)
•Indoor sources (e.g., cleaning products)
AQ Index: Monitor ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM2.5), plus
special studies for Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPS, such as benzene)
Oil and Gas
33%
Vehicles
22%
Other
Engines
(e.g., L&G)
13%
Industrial
(non-EGU)
11%
Environmental
6%
Electricity
Generation
(EGU)
4%
Other
11%
Page 65
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here2050 Tax –2024 Impact Summary
•75 direct home upgrades and 31 loans for residential
energy efficiency, comfort and safety
•60 residential indoor air quality assessments
•27 sustainability workforce scholarships
•16 grants to local food service businesses to reduce
single-use plastics
•7 electric utility carts to replace gas carts
•3 major Active Modes infrastructure improvements for
safety, connectivity and accessibility
•3 comprehensive lighting upgrades to community centers
•Support for 140 affordable homes to go above-and-
beyond code for sustainability
•Repair of community solar project, supporting 500 kW of
local solar generation
$4M funded 16 projects
across 8 OCF Big Moves
Focus on transportation,
buildings and electricity
(primary contributors to
air & climate pollution)
and improving community
resilience, safety and
accessibility
Leading by Example:
City efficiency,
renewables and
electrificationPage 66
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
Current Efforts
12
Page 67
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
13
Strategic Impact –Organizing the Work
1313
Utility Rates
Incentives
Financing
Other City Fees
Distribution Grid
Contractors
& Workforce
Advanced Grid
Management
Education
Awareness
Transparency
Technical Assistance
Policies
Building Codes
Standards
The City of Fort Collins has four key tools to
drive community progress to electrification
and decarbonization.
A balanced and strategic approach supports:
•Customer service
•Achievement of goals
•Triple-bottom line benefits
Areas of Influence
•Economic Drivers
•Regulations & Policy
•Infrastructure Investments
•Behavior Change (Education)
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Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
14
Council Priority:
Reduce Climate and Air Pollution Through Best Practices, Emphasizing Electrification
Electrification of Buildings
Electrification of Transportation/Fleet Vehicles
Electrification of Small Engine Equipment
Page 69
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereCurrent Building Efforts
•$ Incentive based
programs framework
•Operational technology
enhancements
Investments in Virtual
Power Plant (VPP)
efforts
Distribution planning
enhancements
•Support electrification
through asset
management
•$4.4M incentive
based programs
framework in '24
Enhance incentive and
educational initiatives
for efficiency,
electrification and grid
Flexibility efforts
•Time of Day Utility
rates and electric
capacity fee evaluation
Evaluate rates and
fees framework to
eliminate barriers
•Pilot underway
supporting policy
development
Development of Building
Performance Standards
framework
•2025 work session
and/or adoption
Zero carbon building
code framework, new
construction
Infrastructure
Investments
Regulation &
Policy
Economic &
Behavioral
Page 70
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereCurrent Transportation/Fleet Efforts
•Optimize EV
infrastructure
requirements in new
development
Evaluation of EV
infrastructure in Building
code
•Supporting alternative
electric transportation
options
•EV ownership and
charging availability
•EV Readiness
Roadmap Update to
be published soon
Supporting community
education and
awareness on electric
transportation options •74 out of 989 Vehicles
are EV or Hybrid
•SMART Grant
implementation
Electrification of fleet
vehicles
•6 Electric Buses in
Service
•5 Additional expected
delivery by Early 2026
Electrification of
Transit Vehicles
Infrastructure
Investments
Regulation &
Policy
Economic &
Behavioral
Page 71
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereCurrent Small Engine Equipment Efforts
Promoting clean air
benefits within
municipal operations
•Regional rebates for
electric lawn and
garden equipment
•Natural Areas: 80%
•Parks: 91%
•Other Departments
actively converting
and cataloguing
Electrification of gas-
powered landscape
equipment
Electrification of Utility
task vehicles
•7 utility carts replaced
•2050 Tax supported
•Municipal operations
on track for
compliance, Summer
2025
•Electrification
underway for all
relevant departments
Compliance with CDPHE
Regulation 29
Infrastructure
Investments
Regulation &
Policy
Economic &
Behavioral
Page 72
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereNext Steps
18
Building Electrification
•Continue incentive
development using
enterprise and 2050 Tax
•Implement 2028 and
2031 Building Energy
code implementation
Lead by Example:
•Continue to seek grant
funds for municipal
operations
Transportation/Fleet
•Publish and begin
implementation for EV
Readiness Roadmap
•Revisit LUC/building
code requirements for EV
infrastructure; evaluate
alignment with State
Lead by Example:
•Implement and
operationalize SMART
grant
Small Engines
•Continued Engagement
with relevant City
Departments to prepare
for compliance
Lead by Example:
•Compliance with
Regulation 29
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Item 3.
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Building to the Future
19
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20
Our Climate Future Strategic Alignment
Strategic Objective ENV 1:Implement the Our Climate Future Plan
to advance the City’s greenhouse gas, energy and waste goals;
reduce air pollution; and improve community resilience.
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21
The Big Question of Local Gov Sustainability
How do we achieve medium-and long-term goals for our community when
commitments to transformational change can be in tension with near-
term priorities and resource constraints of two-/four-year budget and
election cycles?
Our Climate Future as
Strategic Framework:
Goals, Vision &
Implementation
Areas of Influence
•Economic Drivers
•Regulations & Policy
•Infrastructure Investments
•Behavior Change (Education)
Page 76
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereOur Climate Future –2025 Strategic Refresh & Funding Plan
22
Process
•Gaps assessment to better understand organizational needs; peer city research
•Assessment of current revenue streams, funding priorities, and sequencing
Outcomes
•Enhanced Our Climate Future Framework
•More effective and inclusive of the City’s sustainability efforts (e.g., air quality)
•Aligned & integrated with municipal sustainability & adaptation efforts
•Coordinated planning, implementation, and storytelling
•Strategic Funding Plan
•Strategy and guidance document with 25-year time horizon (to 2050)
•High-level vision and guidance in the med/long term
•Clarity and focus for implementation strategy in the near term
Page 77
Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes HereOCF Strategic Refresh & Funding Plan: Project Timeline
Project
Initiation
Consultant hired
Compile historic
OCF-related
material
Dec—Jan
SWOT Analysis
Targeted Survey
1-1 Interviews
Dept. Focus Groups
February—May
OCF Framework Refresh
Aligned w/ Muni Sustainability
Enhanced Our Climate Future
Framework
June—July
OCF Strategic Funding /
Next Moves Plan
Assessment of
funding/revenue priorities &
needs
Sequencing of Next Move
strategies
July—Q4
Council Work Session
Strategic Funding Plan
completed for 2026
Council Priority Setting
Q4 2025
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Item 3.
Headline Copy Goes Here
24
Questions
1.What questions do Councilmembers have about the
elements underway in this Council Priority?
2.Does the OCF approach align with Councilmember
expectations for this priority area?
Page 79
Item 3.
File Attachments for Item:
4. Civic Center Master Plan
The purpose of this item is to present proposed updates to the 2021 Civic Center Master Plan,
including changes to the previously proposed site configuration and sequencing of the site
components.
Page 80
City Council Work Session Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 3
May 13, 2025
WORK SESSION AGENDA
ITEM SUMMARY
City Council
STAFF
Sylvia Tatman-Burruss, Sr. Policy & Project Manager
Ginny Sawyer, Lead Policy & Project Manager
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Civic Center Master Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to present proposed updates to the 2021 Civic Center Master Plan, including
changes to the previously proposed site configuration and sequencing of the site components.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
1. What questions/suggestions do Councilmembers have regarding the Master Plan and the proposed
next steps on the Parking Garage?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
Civic Center Planning History
The Civic Center Master Plan is a dynamic document created to respond to changing conditions while
providing a vision and guidelines for future buildings, renovations, and place making activity in the civic
core.
In 1996, Council adopted, by Resolution 1996-86, the Civic Center Master Plan, as an amendment to the
Downtown Plan, which was an element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan; the 1996 Civic Center Master
Plan was prepared in cooperation with Larimer County to guide the development of a twelve-block area of
downtown. In 2014, specific planning for City buildings on two blocks within the Civic Center Master Plan
area was set forth in the Block 32/42 Civic Center Vision Plan.
In 2021, Council funded an update to the 2014 Civic Center Vision Plan, called the Civic Center Master
Plan (the “CCMP”), which focused planning on two blocks (rather than the twelve block area of the 1996
plan). The CCMP created a long-term plan for the future facilities and amenities as well as current buildings,
including the Municipal Court. Council adopted the CCMP, by Resolution 2021-105, as an amendment to
the 2017 Downtown Plan and the 2019 City Plan, finding that the CCMP was a capital improvements plan
for purposes of general government capital expansion fee revenues for purposes of Section 7.5-31 of the
City Code.
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In addition to the Municipal Court expansion, the Civic Center Master Plan also includes several other
components, including a proposed parking garage on Cherry Street, moving the Downtown Parks Shop,
relocating CityCare and the Wellness Center, and design and construct ion of a new City Hall facility. The
purpose of the CCMP is to consolidate City services for better customer service, create more expansive
and vibrant public spaces, and create a more collaborative environment for City staff.
Goals and Guidelines
The current CCMP outlined several goals and guidelines:
World Class Leadership: become a point of community pride in performance, innovation, and
regenerative design that set an example for the private sector in its reflection of Fort Collins’ character
and culture while being good stewards of City of Fort Collins taxpayer dollars.
Vibrant Community Spaces: contribute nature and ecology to the City while establishing places for
public engagement that promote social and individual health, safety and accessibility for all.
Resilient design: create lasting quality that is climate adaptive, accommodates growth, flexibility, and
a universal community.
Intuitive organization: support and activate site connectivity externally and create a collaborative
environment internally.
Enhance the civic heart: promote physical embodiment of the City’s mission and plan that meets
immediate needs; establish a vision that can be invested in and realized.
While these were adopted with the CCMP in 2021, these might shift today to focus on moving from
complexity to simplicity in customer service and service access, enhancing wayfinding throughout the City
campus, and enhancing public engagement and public facilities access
Municipal Court and Civic Center Components
The Municipal Court was housed in the County Justice Center from 2000, when the building opened, until
2007, when County space capacity demands necessitated that the Municipal Court be moved into the 215
North Mason Street building. The area of the 215 North Mason Street building in which the Court was
moved was not designed or constructed for purposes of the administration and conduct of a municipal
court. Therefore, the area in the 215 North Mason Street building used by the Municipal Court has had
numerous retrofits over time to accommodate security, functionality, and user experience.
On May 1st, 2025, staff recommended approval of 3 forthcoming ordinances, scheduled for a regular
Council meeting on May 20th for first reading. These include funds to relocate Parking Services from 215
Mason to space within the Civic Center Parking Garage and subsequently expand the Municipal Court to
meet growing demands.
Parking Garage and Project Components
Parking demand within the downtown area and on the City’s main campus has grown, especially since
employees have returned to the office and staff numbers have grown. Growing pressure within the
Municipal Court due to increased caseloads has also put pressure on the surface parking lot north of 215
Mason. There is also a growing need for fleet vehicle storage and accessibility. Staff are exploring a
public/private partnership with a housing developer who has proposed a residential building along Cherry
Street. Proposed components of this partnership include:
City owns and operates entire facility
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Lease spaces to partner on a long-term basis
Proposing approximately 600 parking spaces
Spaces available for fleet vehicles, public parking, and leased spaces from adjacent residential
development
Rationale
Growing demand for parking, including municipal court visitors and staff, museum of discovery staff
and visitors, growing City staff demands, and growing fleet vehicle storage needs.
Providing parking within garages allows for greater on-street multi-modal facility design and execution.
Parking structure can serve long-term needs as development density increases within the area.
Potential Partnership
A public/private partnership is being explored with a housing developer who is developing a residential
project directly to the east. The proposed terms include:
Developer is requesting 100-125 stalls be leased on a long-term basis
City will own and operate the entire facility
Civic Center Master Plan Components
Realization of the Civic Center Master Plan is a long-term process that includes several interlocking
components and steps. Those currently include:
Parking Services move from 215 Mason to the Civic Center Parking Garage
Municipal Court expansion within 215 Mason
Cherry Street Parking Structure
Trolley Car Barn renovation/stabilization (through CCIP funds)
Downtown Park Shop relocation (through CCIP funds)
New City Hall
New Municipal Court facility
NEXT STEPS
Staff will finalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with proposed partner and draft an
Ordinance for Council consideration.
Begin an internal engagement process for fleet parking needs and coordination.
Explore and finalize proposed funding sources and timeline.
RFP for design
Upon 50% design, full extent of construction costs will be known.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Presentation
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Headline Copy Goes Here
05-13-2025Sylvia Tatman-Burruss, Ginny Sawyer
Civic Center Masterplan
1
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Headline Copy Goes Here
2
Questions for Council
What questions/suggestions do Councilmembers
have regarding the Master Plan and the proposed
next steps on the Parking Garage?
01
02
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Headline Copy Goes HereBackground& Update
3
Civic Center Master Plan
•1996: First Downtown Master Plan
•2014: Block 32/42 Civic Center
Vision Plan
•2021: Civic Center Master Plan
•Municipal Court expansion
addressed in the Civic Center
Master Plan
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Headline Copy Goes Here
4
Goals and Guidelines
•From November 2021:
•World Class Leadership: become a point of community pride in performance, innovation, and regenerative
design that set an example for the private sector in its reflection of Fort Collins’ character and culture while
being good stewards of City of Fort Collins taxpayer dollars.
•Vibrant Community Spaces: contribute nature and ecology to the city while establishing places for public
engagement that promote social and individual health, safety and accessibility for all.
•Resilient design: create lasting quality that is climate adaptive, accommodates growth, flexibility, and a
universal community.
•Intuitive organization: support and activate site connectivity externally and create a collaborative environment
internally.
•Enhance the civic heart: promote physical embodiment of the city’s mission and plan that meets immediate
needs; establish a vision that can be invested in and realized.
Page 87
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Headline Copy Goes HereCurrent Civic Center Campus
5
•215 Mason currently houses
Municipal Court and Parking Services
•May 1st Council Finance presentation
included recommendation for 3
Ordinances (May 20th full Council)
•Move Parking Services to Civic
Center Parking Garage
•Renovate first floor of 215 Mason
for Municipal Court expansion
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Headline Copy Goes HereCity Owned Properties
6
•Current surface lot for City vehicles
•Trolley Car Barn
•City Hall
•Operations Services
•Downtown Parks Shop
•Wellness Annex and CityCare
•222 Laporte
•215 Mason
•281 North College
•Transit Center
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Headline Copy Goes HereProject Impact
7
•Centralize Services
•Improve Customer Experience
•Improve Wayfinding
•Reinforce Sustainability Goals
•Improve and Expand Local Cultural
Experiences
•Increase Civic Transparency &
Accessibility
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Parking Garage proposal
8
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Headline Copy Goes HereParking Garage Proposal
9
Cherry Street Parking
Garage
•Locate the garage on the current
fleet surface parking lot (south of
Trolley Car Barn)
•600 spaces
•Fleet vehicles
•Public Parking
•Potential public/private
partnership
•Utilize debt financing
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Headline Copy Goes HereCherry Street Parking Garage
10
Rationale
•Capacity needs
•Reinforcing Council goals, active modes
and climate
•Moving cars off streets to move toward
more active mode support
•Long-term planning for increased
complexity and customer needs
Potential Partnership
•Developer is requesting 100-125
stalls
•Proposing the City owns and operates
•Lease spaces to the development
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11
First
Moves
•Parking Services Move
•Municipal Court Expansion
•Cherry Street Parking Structure
Mid-Term
•Trolley Barn renovation/stabilization (Proposed CCIP)
•Downtown Park Shop Move (Proposed CCIP)
Long-Term
•New Municipal Building/City Hall
•Municipal Court
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Headline Copy Goes HereNext Steps
•Develop partnership agreement and draft
accompanying Ordinance for Council review
•Internal engagement for parking needs
•Exploration of funding and sequencing
•Utilize appropriated funding for design through an
RFP process
•Upon 50% design, more will be known about the full
extent of construction costs
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Headline Copy Goes Here
13
Questions for Council
What questions/suggestions do Councilmembers
have regarding the Master Plan and the proposed
next steps on the Parking Garage?
01
02
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