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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 06/02/2015 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE 070, 2015, APPROPRIATINAgenda Item 14 Item # 14 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY June 2, 2015 City Council STAFF Rick Richter, Director of Infrastructure Services Erika Keeton, Special Project Engineer SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance 070, 2015, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for Transfer to the Capital Projects Fund for the Lincoln Corridor Improvements Project and Transferring Appropriations to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund for the Art in Public Places Program. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to appropriate the remaining funding for design, right of way acquisition and construction of the Lincoln Avenue Improvements from 1st Street to Lemay Avenue. The scope of the proposed improvements is based on the concepts approved in the Lincoln Corridor Plan with a reduced level of enhancement consistent with the proposed budget. Based on the Lincoln Corridor Plan estimated cost of $19.3 million for the entire project from Jefferson to Lemay, the cost to improve the section from 1st Street to Lemay Avenue is $8 million. With the reduced level of enhancements currently approved, the project is estimated to cost $6.5 million. This Council action would appropriate $1,968,119 from General Fund Reserves. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION The Lincoln Corridor is unique. The Corridor is growing and already reflects an eclectic mix of existing uses, historic neighborhoods, retail, industrial, and natural areas-as well as a developing technology campus. In addition, this portion of Lincoln Avenue lacks basic infrastructure in many places and needs to be brought up to current City standards. Years ago Lincoln Avenue was a main entrance to downtown, and over the years it has declined in prominence. City Plan (2011) identified the Lincoln Corridor as an important project and a gateway for the downtown and East Mulberry corridor area. In addition, City Plan recognized the potential for Lincoln to become a “Great Green Street” by developing a new road design to address context-sensitive solutions to connect with Downtown and surrounding areas. The Lincoln Corridor is also recognized as a priority gateway in the Downtown Plan (1989) and the adopted Streetscape Standards, which indicate where a standard arterial streetscape approach should apply and where other corridor segments and gateway intersections warrant their own tailored and more enhanced approach to streetscape design and management. Based on this guidance, the new design for Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Corridor Plan seeks to provide an enhanced level of amenities and a design that restores its importance as a primary entry to the heart of the City as well as providing an important connection from Downtown to the east and northeast. Agenda Item 14 Item # 14 Page 2 The Lincoln Corridor Plan (“the Plan”) was approved by City Council in 2014 (Resolution 2014-040). The Plan developed a vision and a preliminary multi-modal design for Lincoln Avenue between Jefferson Street and Lemay Avenue. On March 3, 2015, Ordinance No. 028, 2015, appropriated $4,106,000 of General Fund Reserves and Street Oversizing Funds for this segment of the Lincoln Avenue Improvements. Including developer local street obligations and interim improvement savings, there still remains a funding gap of $1,968,119 in the $6.5 million budget. This council action would appropriate the remaining funding for design, right of way acquisition and construction of the Lincoln Avenue Improvements from 1st Street to Lemay Avenue. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The Lincoln Corridor Plan estimated the total cost of the Lincoln Avenue improvements to be $19.3 million. This estimate includes Final Design, construction, and a planning-level contingency of 30% for the full project limits from Jefferson to Lemay and including replacement of the Poudre River Bridge. This equates to $8 million for the section from 1st Street to Lemay Avenue. The Lincoln Corridor Plan presents a design framework with the flexibility for refinement, scalability, and phasing during the Final Design process, including potential opportunities for cost savings. Based on this idea and feedback from Council that the project does not need to include the complete level of envisioned enhancements, the budget for this section was reduced to $6.5 million with the understanding that the enhancements will be scaled back as needed to meet the budget. Source Amount General Fund Reserves $ 3,000,000 Street Oversizing Fund $ 1,106,000 Previously committed Developer Local Street Obligations $ 155,881 Savings from Woodward Interim Improvements* $ 270,000 Unfunded $ 1,968,119 Total $ 6,500,000 *Requires Woodward Redevelopment Agreement Modification BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Board or Commission recommendations are not applicable to this council action. However, as a part of the Lincoln Corridor Plan process, the Transportation Board, Parks and Recreation Board and the Planning and Zoning Board all recommended that Council adopt the Plan. PUBLIC OUTREACH The development of the Lincoln Corridor Plan included extensive public outreach including:  2 large public workshops  Multiple open houses  3 online surveys  Regular Boards/Commissions updates  3 Council Work Sessions  4 formal Stakeholder Group meetings  Multiple small group/individual meetings Since adoption of the Plan, the City has conducted additional public outreach consisting of an open house on January 12, 2015 and two different survey options - an online survey and a text survey. Agenda Item 14 Item # 14 Page 3 ATTACHMENTS 1. Location map (PDF) 2. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) Jefferson St Riverside Ave E Lincoln Ave N Lemay A ve 1st St 2nd St 3rd St City of Fort Collins Lincoln Avenue Improvements - 1st Street to Lemay Avenue © ATTACHMENT 1 Lincoln Avenue Improvements Appropriation of Remaining Funding – 1st June 2, 2015 Street to Lemay Avenue ATTACHMENT 2 2 Lincoln Corridor Plan • Approved in 2014 • Phased Implementation • Variety of Funding Sources • Reduced Level of Enhancements Approved Typical Cross Section 3 2 travel lanes Buffered bike lanes On-street parking Wide sidewalks Reduced speed limit Implementation Plan 4 Current Funding 1st Street to Lemay Avenue Reduced Level of Enhancement: Budget $6.5 Million March 2015 Appropriation • $3.0 Million General Fund Reserves • $1.1 Million Street Oversizing Funds Previously Committed Developer Local Street Obligations • $155,881 Resulting Funding Gap: $2.24 Million 5 Proposed Funding Summary 6 Source Amount General Fund Reserves $ 3,000,000.00 Street Oversizing Fund $ 1,106,000.00 Previously committed Developer Local Street Obligations $ 155,881.00 Anticipated Savings from Reduction of Woodward Interim Improvements $ 270,000.00 Unfunded $ 1,968,119.00 Total $ 6,500,000.00 This Council Action • Appropriates remaining funds for design and construction of Lincoln from 1st Street to Lemay Avenue $1.97 million • Implements intent of Lincoln Corridor Plan with lower level of enhancements 7 Next Steps • June 2015 – Release RFP for design services • Explore alternate project delivery models using a design/build process • Begin construction in 2016 8 9 Potential Cost Savings • Phase median construction with redevelopment • Limit the intensity of the landscaping along the Woodward frontage • Phase urban design with redevelopment - plaza areas for food trucks, benches and flower pots 10 Implementation Plan 11 - 1 - ORDINANCE NO. 070, 2015 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR TRANSFER TO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND FOR THE LINCOLN CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT AND TRANSFERRING APPROPRIATIONS TO THE CULTURAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES FUND FOR THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM WHEREAS, the Lincoln Corridor Plan (the “Plan”) was approved by City Council pursuant to Resolution 2014-040 and the Plan developed a vision and a preliminary multi-modal design for Lincoln Avenue between Jefferson Street and Lemay Avenue; and WHEREAS, City Plan recognized the potential for Lincoln Avenue to become a “Great Green Street” by developing a new road design to address context-sensitive solutions to connect with Downtown and surrounding areas; and WHEREAS, the Lincoln Avenue corridor is also recognized as a priority gateway in the Downtown Plan (1989) and the City’s adopted streetscape standards; and WHEREAS, at the level of enhancements currently approved, the Lincoln Corridor Improvements project from 1 st Street to Lemay Avenue is estimated to cost $6.5 million, of which $4,106,000 was appropriated in March of this year with Ordinance No. 028-2015; and WHEREAS, in addition to the $4,106,000 that is already appropriated $155,881 was previously committed from Developer local street obligations and $270,000 in savings from Woodward interim improvements, which leaves a funding gap of $1,968,119 to be funded from available General Fund Reserves; and WHEREAS, this Ordinance appropriates from the General Fund Reserves the remaining funding needed for the design, right-of-way acquisition and construction of the Lincoln Avenue Improvements from 1st Street to Lemay Avenue; and WHEREAS, one percent of the appropriation for the construction project, net of right of way cost, ($19,681) must be transferred to the Cultural Services and Facilities fund for a contribution to the Art in Public Places (APP) program, with $15,351 reserved for the APP artwork project and $4,330 reserved for the maintenance of the artwork and operations of the APP program; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 10 of the City Charter authorizes the City Council to transfer by ordinance any unexpended and unencumbered appropriated amount or portion thereof from one fund (project) to another fund (project), provided that the purpose for which the transferred funds are to be expended remains unchanged. - 2 - NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That there is hereby appropriated from prior years reserves in the General Fund the amount of ONE MILLION NINE HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN DOLLARS ($1,968,119) and authorized for transfer to the Capital Projects Fund and appropriated therein for the Lincoln Corridor Improvements Project. Section 2. That the unexpended appropriated amount of FIFTEEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED FITY-ONE DOLLARS ($15,351) in the Capital Projects Fund - Lincoln Corridor Improvements Project is authorized for transfer to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund and appropriated therein for the APP artwork project. Section 3. That the unexpended appropriated amount of FOUR THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED THIRTY DOLLARS ($4,330) in the Capital Projects Fund - Lincoln Corridor Improvements Project is authorized for transfer to the Cultural Services and Facilities Fund and appropriated therein for the APP Program maintenance and operations. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 2nd day of June, A.D. 2015, and to be presented for final passage on the 7th day of July, A.D. 2015. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 7th day of July, A.D. 2015. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk