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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 06/15/2004 - RESOLUTION 2004-077 AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT BETWE ITEM NUMBER: 24 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: June 15, 2ooa FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Mark Jackson Ron Phillips SUBJECT Resolution 2004-077 Authorizing the Mayor to Execute an Agreement Between the City and the Colorado Department of Transportation for the Purpose of Transferring Ownership of Carpenter Road/Larimer County Road 32 and all Construction and Maintenance Obligations Appertaining Thereto from the City to the Colorado Department of Transportation. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends Council adopt the agreement assigning jurisdiction of Carpenter Road from the City of Fort Collins to CDOT. FINANCIAL IMPACT Unlike other jurisdictions involved in discussion with CDOT, the City of Fort Collins assumes no new road miles from the State as part of this agreement. The City is divesting itself of financial responsibility for improvements and operation and maintenance of Carpenter Road. Transferring jurisdiction of Carpenter Road/LCR-32 to CDOT will relieve the City of Fort Collins of as much as $15-33 million dollars in future capital and Street Oversizing costs,and as much as$20,000-46,000 dollars per mile,per year in Operating&Maintenance(O&M)costs,depending on roadway design. Failure to cede jurisdiction of Carpenter Road to CDOT will continue to add fiscal pressure to the City's growing transportation infrastructure needs, and will likely delay needed capacity and safety improvements. Failure to improve Carpenter Road will have spillover congestion effects to surrounding roads,including the Harmony Road corridor. These collateral negative effects will not help commerce and economic vitality along this key employment corridor in Fort Collins. The City and County have invested a great deal of money in natural area land nearby this road. Great care must be taken by CDOT in the planning and design of future improvements to this corridor. Improvements must minimize the road's impact and maximize mitigation of impacts in order to preserve the City's natural areas investment. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CDOT has entered into discussions with Larimer County, Weld County, City of Greeley, and now the City of Fort Collins,to explore the trade of jurisdiction on several Northern Colorado roadways. June 15, 2004 -2- Item No. 24 Of particular interest to the City of Fort Collins, is the proposal that CDOT assume jurisdiction of Larimer County Road 32 (Carpenter Road) from Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins. Ceding jurisdiction of Carpenter Road could save the City of Fort Collins millions of dollars in future capital, Street Oversizing, and maintenance costs. These savings could be applied to other priority needs in the City's transportation system. Portions of the Carpenter Road/LCR-32 corridor are near environmentally sensitive areas owned by either Fort Collins orLarimer County. Great care must be taken to ensure the preservation of this natural areas investment in the area. Similarly, nearby residents and property owners'concerns and quality of life must be considered when planning and designing improvements to this road. Mobility needs must be balanced with environmental preservation and protection. Future CDOT improvements to this road will be subject to strict National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and mitigation policy and procedures. BACKGROUND CDOT has entered into discussions with Larimer County, Weld County, City of Greeley, and now the City of Fort Collins,to explore the trade of jurisdiction on several Northern Colorado roadways. Of particular interest to the City of Fort Collins, is the proposal that CDOT assume jurisdiction of Latimer County Road 32(Carpenter Road)from Latimer County and the City of Fort Collins. Under this arrangement, Carpenter Road/LCR 32 between Interstate 25 and US-287 would become the extension of SH-392. Currently, Carpenter Road/LCR 32 operates as a two lane County Road. Larimer County currently controls 3.2 miles of this road,while 1.3 miles fall within the City of Fort Collins limits. Most of this corridor lies within the Fort Collins Growth Management Area(GMA) boundary and may come under City control in the future.The City is currently considering expanding the GMA boundary to include all of the Carpenter/LCR-32 corridor. The Carpenter Road/LCR-32 corridor is important to Fort Collins for both natural lands/environmental preservation,as well as for current and future mobility needs both from a local and regional transportation perspective. Mobility needs, environmental concerns, and financial impacts must be considered in deciding on a course of action. Mobility Issues • Carpenter Road/LCR 32 has been identified by the Transportation Master Plan (2004) as a key southern gateway into and out of the community. • The North Front Range MPO and CDOT have identified Carpenter Road/LCR-32 as a Regionally Significant Corridor. • Carpenter Road/LCR-32 acts as a regional roadway. North Front Range MPO analysis shows over 50 percent of all trips using Carpenter Road have an origin or destination other than Fort Collins. • Traffic volumes on this corridor are forecast to reach 45,000 vehicles per day(vpd)by 2025, regardless of 4 lane or 6 lane roadway classification. • As a result of current travel patterns and forecast travel demand,this road classification was recently changed from a four lane arterial street to a future six lane major arterial facility on the City's Master Street Plan (Transportation Master Plan, March 2004). • Failure to make necessary capacity improvements on Carpenter Road/LCR-32 will result in negative spillover of congestion and air quality issues on surrounding roads, including Harmony Road,LCR-30, Timberline, Lemay, and South College/US-287. June 15, 2004 -3- Item No. 24 • The City and CDOT have an on-going agreement that roadway improvements to State Highways within our community are designed according to the adopted Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards,rather than the typical CDOT highway design standards.This agreement facilitates multimodal transportation improvements and context sensitive design strategies in future roadway improvement projects. Environmental Issues • Some of the land proximate to the roadway consists of sensitive natural areas land owned by the City of Fort Collins and Latimer County (see attached graphic). • Environmental interests in the community,including the Natural Resources Advisory Board, are very concerned that this road will negatively impact nearby City and County natural areas and open lands. They are concerned that ceding jurisdiction of this road to CDOT will minimize the ability to protect the City's natural resources investments. • Future improvement to the corridor would be subject to rigorous federal and state environmental study and mitigation mandates as part of the National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA). This in-depth process requires high levels of public input from all stakeholder interests and communities,and requires design and mitigation measures to minimize impacts to a full range of potential environmental assets and to surrounding communities. • CDOT has a strong history of environmental mitigation in or near sensitive areas. CDOT is currently performing an Environmental Analysis according to the NEPA requirements on the North College Avenue✓US 287 corridor widening project from SH1 to the LaPorte Bypass. This project has been in the works for over 5 years. Previously, CDOT has done environmental mitigation on several major corridor projects throughout Colorado,including Big Thompson Canyon, Cameron Pass, and Glenwood Canyon. Financial Issues • Unlike other jurisdictions involved in discussion with CDOT, the City of Fort Collins assumes no new road miles from the State as part of this agreement. The City is divesting itself of financial responsibility for improvements and operation and maintenance of Carpenter Road. • Transferring jurisdiction of Carpenter Road/LCR-32 to CDOT will relieve the City of Fort Collins of as much as$15-33 million dollars in future capital and Street Oversizing costs in the future. • Transferring jurisdiction of Carpenter Road/LCR-32 to CDOT will relieve the City of Fort Collins of as much as$20,000-46,000 dollars per mile,per year in Operating&Maintenance (O&M) costs, depending on roadway design. • Capital and O&M savings can be used for other necessary high priority transportation infrastructure improvements in the City. OUTREACH Transportation staff is actively providing information and soliciting input from key advisory boards and property owners/residents along this corridor regarding the various benefits and concerns related to CDOT's proposal. Outreach efforts include: Growth Manaeement Lead Team (GMLT) Transportation Staff met with the GMLT in mid-April, 2004 to introduce the CDOT proposal and to solicit input and assistance from relevant departments. Representatives (staff and management) June 15, 2004 -4- Item No. 24 from Transportation Services Management, Transportation Planning, Engineering, Traffic, Stormwater,CPES Management,Advance Planning,Current Planning,and Natural Resources were in attendance and provided feedback. Public Meetin&Open House A public meetinglopen house was held on June 3 . This meeting was conducted in conjunction with the Advance Planning department, who is presenting a proposed expansion of the Growth Management Area(GMA)boundary in this area. This meeting was held at the Lutheran Redeemer Church, located at the corner of Timberline and Carpenter Road, from 6:30-8:30 pm. Over 3,000 invitations were mailed to nearby residents, property owners and businesses. A press release was issued as well as notice of the meeting placed on the City's Calendar of Events and Advance Planning and Transportation Planning web pages. The meeting was very well attended by nearly 100 residents, business owners, and interested stakeholders. Representatives from CDOT,Larimer County and the North Front Range MPO were also in attendance. Comments were generally supportive of any measure that might increase the likelihood of making needed safety and capacity improvements to this road in the future. There was concern that care be taken in designing future improvements so as to minimize impacts to nearby residents and natural areas,but most were satisfied that the NEPA process would provide guidance and control to ensure protection. See Attachment 4 for a log of comments received. Advisory Board Input To date,staff has met twice each with the Transportation Board and the Natural Resources Advisory Board as well as the Planning and Zoning Board. General comments received from these groups include: Natural Resources Advisory Board (05/05/04, 06/02/04) NRAB has many concerns about the proposed jurisdictional change and does not support staff's recommendations at this time. They urge that City staff undertake a City-sponsored and funded preliminary corridor study before considering ceding jurisdiction of the road. This analysis must show benefit to the City and intent to minimize and mitigate impacts to nearby City and County- owned natural areas.They also question the urgency of adopting the proposal by MOU on June 15'. The NRAB also asks that the MOU contain language that binds the parties to mitigate the impact of a state highway on the natural areas land nearby. NRAB will review the most recent draft MOU/Agreement at their June 2nd meeting. A follow up meeting with NRAB was held June 2'to discuss the draft MOU and update the Board on progress,changes,and additional information. While there were some elements of the draft MOU that the NRAB agreed with,they still maintain their original position that the City should not cede jurisdiction of Carpenter Road to CDOT until such time as the City has undertaken a Preliminary Corridor Analysis. NRAB is still cautious and concerned about CDOT's commitment to preserving and protecting City and County owned natural areas near the corridor. Planning and Zonine Board (05/15/04) While some members of the P&Z Board had remaining questions as to the relative benefits and costs to the City, the Board in general supports continued efforts, analysis, and communication with CDOT. Some members of the Board felt the City should allow CDOT to assume jurisdiction of Carpenter Road, calling it a "no brainer". June 15, 2004 -5- Item No. 24 Transportation Board(04/21/04 & 05/19/04) The Transportation Board initially had several questions about the NEPA process and asked staff to return on May 19th with follow up information. The Transportation Board appreciates the potential savings in capital dollars but some members had concerns as to environmental impacts to the nearby natural areas. A subsequent follow up presentation provided greater detail as to the NEPA process, relative benefits, and review and comment on the form of the MOU. The T-Board reviewed the exchange proposal and made a recommendation(see Attachment 5)to the City Council to approve with conditions, 5-1. Those conditions state that the final MOU contain language that reinforces: t. CDOT's roadway design is comparable to the design standards employed by the City and Latimer County. 2. CDOT design Carpenter Road improvements with a minimal footprint and in such a manner that minimizes the road's environmental impacts and maximizes mitigation. 3. The recommended Preliminary Corridor Study includes potential design alternatives and alignments that minimize the road's environmental impacts and maximizes mitigation. 4. Capital and maintenance costs shift to CDOT. SUMMARY Staff has made a great effort to solicit input and direction from the community at large, affected stakeholders,and relevant City advisory boards. Staff has incorporated comments and suggestions received to the greatest degree possible. The potential financial benefits to the City($18-33 million savings in capital costs, plus additional operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of $25-40 thousand per mile, per year), combined with the rigorous environmental analysis, protection, and mitigation afforded nearby sensitive natural areas by the National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) make this proposal worthy of Council consideration. It is important for the City of Fort Collins to be involved in this proposed trade with CDOT since other agencies—particularly Weld County and Larimer County—are in position to take the CDOT highways as County roads, and the City of Fort Collins is not required to take any additional roadways as a part of this larger trade scenario. If the City waits until later,we may have to deal with CDOT alone and take some CDOT highway in trade for Carpenter Road. The City's position at this time is ideal. ATTACHMENTS 1. Loveland-Reporter Herald article on 06/03 Open House 2. Summary of public comments received from public open house 3. Transportation Board memo recommending approval of MOU, with conditions RESOLUTION 2004-077 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRANSFERRING OWNERSHIP OF CARPENTER ROAD/L.ARIMER COUNTY ROAD 32 AND ALL CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OBLIGATIONS APPERTAINING THERETO FROM THE CITY TO THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WHEREAS, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has entered into discussions with Latimer County, Weld County, the City of Greeley and the City of Fort Collins to explore the trade of jurisdiction of several northern Colorado roadways,and in particular,the transfer of ownership of Latimer County Road 32/Carpenter Road, from the City and Latimer County to CDOT; and WHEREAS,this transfer would relieve the City of financial responsibility for improvements, operation and maintenance of Carpenter Road and is estimated to save the City transportation expenses in the range of$15 to$33 million for future capital and street oversizing costs and as much as $20,000 to $46,000 per mile, per year, in operation and maintenance costs; and WHEREAS, after receipt of the recommendations and advice of the Natural Resources Advisory Board, the Planning and Zoning Board, and the Transportation Board, the Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the City to cede jurisdiction of Carpenter Road to CDOT, thereby relieving the City of a substantial financial obligation by making it possible for CDOT to fund improvements to Carpenter Road and with the ancillary effect of relieving congestion on surrounding roads, including the Harmony Road Corridor; and WHEREAS,the Council has further determined that it is important to ensure that CDOT,in its operation of Carpenter Road,respect and protect the natural area lands that adjoin Carpenter Road and that care must be taken in the planning and design of future improvements of the road to ensure that CDOT minimizes the potential for impacts to the natural areas and maximizes the mitigation of any impacts that are unavoidable; and WHEREAS,the proposed agreement requires CDOT to incorporate context-sensitive design principles and the findings and recommendations of the applicable National Environmental Protection Act(NEPA)analysis in constructing future improvements to Carpenter Road in order to ensure that great care is taken to mitigate environmental impacts and find solutions that balance environmental sensitivities with mobility needs. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the Mayor is hereby authorized to enter into an agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation for the transfer of ownership(and all attendant ownership obligations) of Carpenter Road from the City to CDOT in accordance with the terms and conditions of that certain agreement attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit "A", and in particularly in accordance with the terms and conditions pertaining to environmental protection; with such modifications and additional terms as the City Manager, in consultation with the City Attorney, determines to be necessary and appropriate to protect the interests of the City. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 15th day of June,A.D. 2004. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk AGREEMENT THIS AGREEMENT,dated this day of ,2004,is by and between the City of Fort Collins,a political subdivision of the State of Colorado,hereinafter referred to as"City,"and the Colorado Department of Transportation, a department of the State of Colorado, hereinafter referred to as "CDOT." WITNESSETH: WHEREAS,the City owns and maintains 1.335 miles of Carpenter Road(Latimer County Road 32) between Interstate 25 and US Highway 287; and WHEREAS,the City and CDOT mutually desire to transfer ownership and maintenance of that length of Carpenter Road located within the City to CDOT. NOW,THEREFORE,in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises stated herein, the parties hereto agree as follows: 1. TRANSFER OF CARPENTER ROAD/L.ARIlyIER COUNTY ROAD 32: On or before the 31 st day of December,2004,the City shall convey to CDOT,by quitclaim deed, that length of Carpenter Road located within the City, between Interstate Highway 25 and US Highway 287, which portion is more particularly described as extending from milepoint 1.010 (Lemay Avenue) to milepoint 2.240 (City limit). CDOT agrees to accept said conveyance and, upon delivery of the deed,CDOT will commence maintenance of the road conveyed to it by the City. 2. EACH ENTITY TO BEAR ITS OWN COSTS: The City and CDOT agree to each bear its own costs of effectuating the conveyance. 3. PRELMIINARY CORRIDOR ANALYSIS: Within three years of execution of this Agreement,CDOT,in cooperation with the City and Larimer County, shall conduct a preliminary corridor analysis to examine relevant environmental and natural areas issues, anticipated future roadway demand, and potential roadway alignments that minimize impacts to key environmentally sensitive areas. This analysis shall be contingent upon sufficient funds therefor being appropriated, budgeted, and otherwise made available for such purpose from the funding agency or agencies. 4. ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT. Roadway design for Carpenter Road in the corridor shall comport with the design standards of the City as contained in the "Latimer County Urban Area Street Standards." 5. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: For future improvements to Latimer County Road 32 and Carpenter Road, CDOT shall incorporate context sensitive design principles and the findings and recommendation of the applicable National Environmental Protection Act(NEPA)analyses,in order to ensure that great care is taken to mitigate environmental impacts and find solutions that balance environmental sensitivities with mobility needs. 6. ENTIRE AGREEMENT: This writing constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter herein, and shall be binding upon said parties, their officers, employees, agents and assigns and shall inure to the benefit of the respective survivors, heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of said parties. 7. NO WAIVER OF IMMUNITY: No portion of this Agreement shall be deemed to constitute a waiver of any immunities the parties or their employees may possess, nor shall any portion of this Agreement be deemed to have created a duty of care which did not previously exist with respect to any person not a party to this Agreement. 8. NO THIRD PARTY BENEFICIARY ENFORCEMENT: It is expressly understood and agreed that the enforcement of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and all rights of action relating to such enforcement, shall be strictly reserved to the undersigned parties, and nothing in this Agreement shall give or allow any claim or right of action whatsoever by any person not included in this Agreement. 9. SUBJECT TO APPROVAL: This agreement is subject to approval by the Colorado Transportation Commission. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement effective the day first above written. ATTEST: CITY OF FORT COLLINS, a Colorado municipal corporation By: By: City Clerk Mayor Approved as to form: COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION By Deputy City Attorney By: Title: t_owC lnM Ra.�a/'+r-. ' t}CM)n 3ri� •1wa 0.1� O4 STREET SWAP State may get jurisdiction over Carpenter Road in trade BY BACHEL CARTER where," said COOT engineer ReponerHer.ld Siff w.to, Rick Gabel.'If we could trade, Sylvia Myw's house backs up `x'e could maintain the major to affiCC on arpenter Road. corridors." S�e tloesn�t It- to Lorimer County maintains bad k up in herbs kl yard about three miles of Carpenter It was 7uat a tlut road a few Road, and the city, of Fbrt years ago,"she said of the two- Collins maintains a little more lane road that intersects U.S. than a mile. Both Lorimer 287 with Qf Fort Collins. County and Fort Collins would 'When rt was a dirt road hand over control of Carpenter they probably never imagined Road to CDOT,making it an ex- it would grow so much in this tension of Colorado 392, which sho t of a himee.." nuns east into Windsor. Tie Colorado Department of Iarimer County would then Transportation wants to swap assume jurisdiction of three roads with Larimer County. miles of Colorado 56 just west The state has proposed taking of Berthoud and 14 miles of over jurisdiction of Carpenter Colorado 66 near Estes Park. Road (also known as County •It's a whole balancing act," Road 32),between U.S.287 and Gabel said. "No one wants to Interstate 25, and would swap take extra miles if they don't portions of Colorado 56 in have to.' Berthoud and Colorado 66 west Fort Collins Transportation of Estes Park with the county. Planning Manager Mark Jack- At a public open ouse son said the road has turned in- Thursday night,nearly 100 resi- to a regional road: a southern dents questioned the effects of gateway for Fort Collins and a the switch,including increased northern gateway for Loveland. traffic, maintenance, mad ex- Of the 22,000 daily trips on pansion and improvements to the road today, transportation the 1-25-interchan¢e. officials estimate that 56 MY- to shhg lover di oppose cent come from Loveland while the state taking over the road. 23 percent originate in Fbrt But she worries that officials Collins. Officials also estimate might deciddee to extend Carpen- that the number of trips will in- ter Road west past the point crease to 45,000 a day in the where it T-bones U.S. 287,fur- ther next 20 years. increasing traffic,and she Both county and city officials women that widening the road said the potential swap could to a four or six-lane hi way qualifythem for more regional, could bring the roadside into tate nd federal funding and her back Ae part o�a regional effort that would take the burden of a includes both Lorimer and Weld soon-to-be major arterial off counties,the state hopes to swap their shoulders. If city, county some of its"minor"roads with and state officials agree, the thesounties'mpor corridors. switch would happen this fall. "From CDO' s perspective, "We anticipate this being a we have all these little stubs of very busy road in the future," roads 'that ^don't really go any- Jackson said."It already is." ## (a) sauece cur ul Port corm: Fe.on"r N.mep WIC/u NHl KM City of Fort Collins Transportation Board (0;6;�M Rnice t Iaidcrsoq Chair City of Fort Collins MEMORANDUM DATE: June 3, 2004 TO: Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Bruce Henderson, Transportation Board Chair RE: Carpenter Road At its May 19 meeting, the Transportation Board expressed support for the transfer of jurisdictional control of Carpenter Road to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The Board recognizes the efficiencies that might occur by transferring control to CDOT, but has concerns about losing options for development control and habitat protection. To address its concerns, the Board recommends that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) contain as a minimum the following four points: 1. Requirement for a corridor study of the Carpenter Road area, including concepts like roundabouts, potential for realignment, and use of a Prospect- like streetscape. 2. Any development in the corridor should incorporate design standards that minimally are comparable to those of the City of Fort Collins. 3. Development should exercise responsible environmental stewardship in roadway construction and operation. This means minimal environmental impact and mitigation of these impacts. 4. The City of Fort Collins should be protected from exposure to excessive Capital and Operating cost. Support for this motion passed with a 5-1 vote. Several of the Board members expressed concern over the speed with which the Staff is moving this agreement forward, and the fact that we were asked for approval before the MOU existed. Transportation Services Transportation Planning City of Fort Collins Written Comments from: Proposed Jurisdiction Change of Carpenter Road/LCR 32 to the Colorado Department of Transportation, Open House on June 3, 2004. (92 people in attendance) • 1 think that the jurisdiction change is a good idea, but CDOT will need to keep in mind that 32 abuts neighborhoods and always will. • Should include noise and visual mitigation at all residential neighborhoods, i.e. berms, fencing, landscaping. Limit to 4 lanes, Reconstruction of 1-25/392 intersection to be completed prior to road expansion. Improved road quality and maintenance a must! • After Carpenter Road is turned over to the State, I would like input prior to road widening regarding bike lanes, sidewalks, etc. Also, I have major concerns regarding big-rig tractor trailer rigs compression breaks and the noise created through a basically residential corridor. — Becky Lessman 482-5420, bblessman(obatt.net • Do some long term planning to purchase the sludge farm as part of the county open space. This should provide a large contiguous block of open space along CR32 between 1-25 and Timberline Road. • Please put in,a sidewalk/bike path along Carpenter/SH392 from 287 to Lemay, to connect with other sidewalks/bike paths • The City of Fort Collins should negotiate with Larimer County to assume management responsibilities for the Fossil Creek Open Lands Natural Area. The number of users will largely be Fort Collins urban folks in the southeast and the intensity of use will likely be more than the County should handle. • The City should provide a bike/ped trail connection between the Provincetown neighborhood and Carpenter through City-owned open space. • Support for extension south along UPRR (Timberline?) from Carpenter Road to Centerra area of Loveland (by 1-25) like what was shown on the MPO Regional Plan for Regionally Significant Corridors. • Please send write-up of public comments/feedback to Larimer County Public Works department and to the MPO and CDOT. • Noise buffers are needed along CR32, especially if road is widened. Prefer buffer of trees and berms for mitigation instead of sound walls. Do not allow whole corridor to be all untouchable open space, provide for access to open space and tree-lined street with paths. Do a Corridor design/landscape plan for CR32 like was done by City for Harmony Road and Prospect—something unique though for Carpenter area. Carpenter Open House Comment Log June 3,2004 Page 2 of 3 • Reduce speed limit on Timberline so that it changes farther south from existing point and add turn lanes at intersections or big driveways for safety concerns due to speeding traffic. • CDOT control is a great idea. The road should be constructed as a 6-lane road; fly-over Duck Lake, posted 55 mph, and have limited access. • Carpenter Road should incorporate roundabouts at Lemay and at Timberline. This would increase capacity of Carpenter and postpone the 6-lane alternative. • Please mail copy of maps: natural areas/open lands on Carpenter corridor to: Kenneth Schwindt 7936 Mockingbird Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525 • The idea of CDOT assuming Carpenter Rd. is a natural fit. This route is becoming more and more of a commuter route each year to 1-25. The temporary fix of oil and gravel lasted almost as long as it took to complete the work. It will be my hope with CDOT taking over this road we would have a much superior road. Maybe less broken windshields. With the increase in vehicular traffic over the last 10 years, the road is in need of state control and improvement. • 1 strongly oppose the conversion of Carpenter Road (Larimer County Road 32) to a state highway, and the Fort Collins recommendation that it be improved to a six-lane road per the latest revision of the Transportation Master Plan. Widening this road will only exacerbate the costs of sprawl well beyond our City's center, and serve to increase VMTs at a time when our nation's oil dependency threatens our national security. Today's story in the Coloradoan cleary illustrated how Fort Collins Transfort is unusable as a mode of transportation, and the City should instead use the money available to widen Carpenter Road for more helpful projects. Waiting another 10 years to create a usuable bus system doesn't seem wise. Oral comments/themes from the Open House: • Many comments of support for road transfer to CDOT, particularly due to the financial benefits to City and Larimer County. • Several residents wanted Carpenter Road improved soon to safely accommodate bikes and pedestrians, particularly between Lemay and College. • Also, many people wanted a signal at the intersection of Carpenter and Lemay. • People understood why CDOT was interested in this piece of Carpenter/CR32 — it makes logical sense considering SH392 goes from 1-25 east to Briggsdale so why not take over the small section remaining between 1-25 and US287? • Several people commented that they didn't want Carpenter Road to extend west of US 287. Carpenter Open House Comment Log June 3,2004 Page 3 of 3 • A lot of interest in the NEPA process and future opportunities for public input in to the design issues. They wanted assurance that CDOT would include local citizens in the future planning and design phases for the area. • Several people residing near the corridor commented that this is proposal is a "no brainer" (their words) if it means accelerating needed safety and capacity improvements on Carpenter Road. It was suggested that the City use the money saved from Carpenter Rd. on fixing Prospect and Timberline and other areas of need around the City. • Make sure you fix the intersection of S. College and Carpenter Road. It is too narrow and dangerous when trucks are turning onto Carpenter.