HomeMy WebLinkAboutODELL BREWING COMPANY EXPANSION - Filed GC-GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE - 2010-04-16October 10, 2008
Kathleen Bracke
Denise Weston
City of Fort Collin!
City of Fort Collin:
250 North Mason
Fort Collins, CO
Transportation Planning
80522
RE: Odell Brewing, request to reclassify Lincoln Avenue from 4 lane arterial to
two lane arterial
Dear Kathleen and Denise,
Attached please find 5 copies of a traffic analysis completed by Matt Delich, P.E. on
behalf of Odell Brewing Company. The attached study was prepared by Delich and
Associates at the request of Odell Brewing Company in order to determine if a two
lane arterial would be a suitable cross section for Lincoln Avenue. As we have
discussed with you and engineering previously there has been substantial previous
discussion regarding the designation of this roadway. In particular it was a part of the
Downtown River District Master Plan study and we have had meetings with you and
other city staff to review the appropriateness of this section of roadway being
reclassified.
Our request is based on the following considerations:
• According to the attached traffic study a two lane arterial is an appropriate
solution based on projected traffic volumes.
• Building road width greater than necessary is expensive and unnecessary and
adds to maintenance cost for the city. It also adds more heat sink which
increases city average temperatures.
• A four lane cross section attracts more vehicles and negatively impacts
Buckingham Neighborhood residents with sound and risk
• A four lane cross section limits access for adjoining industrial properties
• Lincoln Avenue is in an urbanizing area and should be considered to be more
of a downtown street than a suburban roadway.
• A two lane arterial allows for a middle left turn lane and greater potential
access from adjoining properties. We feel this is appropriate and important.
• There are other similar locations in the city where there is no median
adjoining industrial zoned land and traffic flow and safety work effectively.
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For example Riverside Drive between Lemay and Prospect, or to a lesser
degree Midpoint Dr.
While our request is more general in nature our specific two issues for Odell Brewing
are 1) the importance of being able to obtain access onto Lincoln from a proposed
new location and 2) to not have a median obstructing access. As you are aware
Lincoln Avenue today abuts an industrial zone district and has several industrial
properties along its length.
Industrial uses by nature require greater roadway access than traditional suburban
development. Due to the use of industrial parcels by large scale vehicles and the
layout of sites with dedicated service yards, employee and visitor parking, the site
often requires perimeter circulation and access onto public roadways from more than
one point. A three lane cross section with a travel lane in each direction allows large
vehicles to safely enter and exit the property. The center lane in this instance provides
a cueing space in the center lane for vehicles turning eastbound onto Lincoln Ave.
A current problem with the Odell site is the need for trucks to back into loading docks
off of Lincoln Ave. This means trucks need to block Lincoln during backing operations
into their loading bay. The proposed site plan eliminates this need but requires an
additional access point. We anticipate that other industrial users will have similar
needs as they redevelop overtime.
We would be happy to meet with you to discuss this request in more detail if desired.
Thanks for your consideration. Please let us know if you need additional information.
Sincerely
For BHA Design, Inc.
ruce A. Hendee, ASLA
Principal
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