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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCIVIC CENTER OFFICE BUILDING - PDP - 29-99 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDY (3)3 A& N NO SCALE MOUNTAIN A _ OLIVE MAGNOLIA PROPOSED MASON STREET STRIPING Figure 12B 50 - along Cherry Street there are no pedestrian facilities on the south side of Cherry Street between Howes Street and College Avenue. -adjacent to Maple Street there are sections of sidewalk missing adjacent to the north side of Maple Street between Howes Street and College Avenue. The visual characteristics and amenities are very limited. Street Crossing The following intersections have no marked pedestrian crossings: on Mason Street at the intersections with Cherry and Maple Streets, on Howes Street at the intersections of Cherry and Maple Streets. At the intersections of Mountain i Avenue at both Howes and Mason Streets there is no pedestrian refuge area located within the median. Currently, the proposed 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure is being designed. There will be an exit for pedestrians at a midblock location on Mason Street between LaPorte and Mountain Avenues. As a result of this design, it should be stressed that the west side of Mason Street, which is being developed as the Justice Center, should not have a major pedestrian access located in alignment with the midblock access to the parking structure. Midblock pedestrian crossings could not be accommodated across Mason Street primarily due to the railroad which is located within the center of Mason. The design of buildings on the west side of Mason Street should focus pedestrian flows to the signalized crossings at LaPorte Avenue and Mountain Avenue. The traffic analysis mentioned the need for future signalization of Mason/Maple and Mason/Magnolia, this might be further warranted due to future pedestrian flows in the area. Visual Interest and Amenity There are several sections within the study area which are not visually appealing and would not satisfy the goals of the level of service criteria for LOS A. This is primarily due to these sections being undeveloped with vacant adjacent land use. Each of these sections is described below. - along Mason Street between Cherry Street and LaPorte Avenue. - on Howes Street between Cherry Street and Maple Street. - adjacent to Cherry Street between College Avenue and Howes Street. - on the north side of Maple Street between College Avenue and Mason Street. - on the north side of LaPorte Avenue between Howes and Mason Streets, there is a section of sidewalk which is adjacent to blank walls and a chain link fence. - on the north side of Mountain Avenue between Howes and Mason Streets, there is a parking lot which is currently designed with some spaces which might cause motorists to back into the sidewalk area. Within this same block, the parking lot near Howes Street is not designed with amenities or visual features adjacent to the sidewalk. 35 4 N NO SC, AOUNTAIN n vo n n v v 60/80/45 L 50 OAK) % 45/75/60 f 15/35/40 } 4// 40/4545/65 65� 55/125/60� 15/35/25 --r v u� v O n \v o c n � ^o n 0 un O � O M ^ h LZ �� "'P, f 50/100/110 ,; an r LO 15/30/40 —50/50/95 OLIVE � � � i— 60025 /11/1 35/120/65 --50/100/125 � � � /-15/40/50 60/110 2s �- /55 50/80/ 10 -� 65/170 25/50/30 .n 45/120/135 1z mLn cpy �O W, O N CDr O Ln t0 d N 407 O u7 15/30/25 Ln ^ -125/195/125 170/170/700 N W - 45/70/60 IAGNOLIA r 20/55/70 --135/130/185 + 5/30/30 90/115/160 - 30/45 5 30/60/65 35/75/95 75/95 110/200 250 35/65 95 65/145/155 ZO �O\ ��N NOOi� W CD w 3 (n e7 W cc O1 < � _ AM O U 1LE Legend: AM/Noon/PM } Rounded to the Nearest LONG RANGE 5 Vehicles. BACKGROUND TRAFFIC Figure 8i3 26 IX. CONCLUSIONS This study assessed the potential impacts of developing several projects within the Civic Center area of downtown Fort Collins, Colorado. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: The potential impacts of the proposed project were evaluated at the following intersections: College Avenue at Cherry/Willow Streets, College Avenue and Maple/Jefferson Streets, College Avenue and LaPorte Avenue, College Avenue and Mountain Avenue, College Avenue and Olive Street, College Avenue and Magnolia Street, Mason Street and Cherry Street, Mason Street at Maple Street, Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue, Mason Street and Mountain Avenue, Mason Street and Oak Street, Mason Street and Olive Street, Mason Street and Magnolia Street, Howes Street and Cherry Street, Howes Street and Maple Street, Howes Street and LaPorte Avenue, Howes Street and Mountain Avenue, Howes Street and Oak Street, Howes Street and Olive Street, and Howes Street at Magnolia Street. The traffic impact analyses were performed for existing conditions and the long range future, representing Year 2018. Future background traffic conditions without the project and total traffic conditions, with completion of the proposed project, were evaluated. - Under existing conditions each of the study intersections are currently operating at an acceptable level of service with the exception of selected movements at College/Magnolia and Mason/Magnolia. At College/Magnolia, during the noon peak hour, the northbound left -turn experiences long delays, as noted in Table 1, with the addition of a left -turn phase, this intersection would operate at acceptable levels. At the Mason/Magnolia intersection the eastbound left-turn/through movements experience long delays during the noon peak hour. The overall intersection operations during the noon peak hour are acceptable. After completion of the proposed Civic Center projects, an improvement plan was prepared to address the potential impacts of the proposed projects. The plan includes improvement measures to address vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclist. Suggested design guidelines are also provided for each of the Civic Center projects. The recommended improvements are presented in Chapter VIII. An analysis of the future parking demand and supply in the study area was performed. This analysis was based upon previous parking studies and estimates of parking demand for each of the proposed Civic Center projects. Based upon the results of this analysis, several of the Civic Center projects, specifically the library and the additional government related building, must satisfy their respective parking demands. With the addition of the 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure, it is estimated that there will be a deficit of approximately 138 parking spaces surrounding the Civic Center projects. DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE TRANSIT CENTER The pedestrian flows to and from the transit center should be focused at the intersections of Mason Street at LaPorte Avenue and Maple Street. Between these to intersections landscaping buffers or other feature would be beneficial to discourage midblock crossings. This design should also consider the need of Kiss-n-Ride patrons whom will need access from the drop-off area along Mason Street to the buses. DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE CURRENT COURTHOUSE Currently several individuals were observed crossing Mountain Avenue at mid -block from the current courthouse north to other county offices. As the Civic Center projects are completed, traffic on Mountain Avenue will increase, and demand for parking will be greater. The area surrounding current courthouse should be designed to focus pedestrians to the intersections of Mountain at Howes and Mason Streets. Location of bicycle storage should consider ramps from the bicycle lanes on Howes Street. - DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE LIBRARY AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING The parking demand created by these projects must be accommodated on -site. The Civic Center Parking Structure does not have capacity to support these two facilities. Similar to the other proposed projects, a strong link for both pedestrian traffic and bicycle traffic should be incorporated into the design of the Library and the additional government office building. 55 __j REMINGTON COLLEGE MASON 4 HOWES 4$Zl NO SCALE PROPOSED MAGNOLIA STREET STRIPING 54 Figure 15 a -j COLLEGE MASON HOWES MELDRUM 4 Z NO SCALE PROPOSED MOUNTAIN AVENUE STRIPING Figure 14 I ___j COLLEGE MASON l l HOWES MELDRUM ta loZ NO SCALE PROPOSED LAPORTE AVENUE STRIPING 52 Figure 13 - Provide east/west bicycle facilities on the following roadways: LaPorte Avenue between College Avenue and Meldrum Street, Mountain Avenue between Meldrum Street and Mason Street, and Magnolia Street between Remington and Howes Street. The proposed LaPorte Avenue plan is depicted on Figure 13, Mountain Avenue on Figure 14, and Magnolia Street on Figure 15. These east/west bicycle facilities will require restriping of these roadways and parking removal. DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE CIVIC CENTER PARKING STRUCTURE The design of the 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure should take into account the following guidelines. The pedestrians exiting/entering the structure and traveling to the west should be focused to the intersection of Mason Street at LaPorte Avenue. If a large amount of pedestrian activity is focused at the proposed Mason Street access, this could lead to a high level of mid -block crossings. The location of bicycle lockers should be near the intersection of Mason Street at LaPorte Avenue. A cyclist should be able to access the structure at this location, with a curb ramp, rather than sharing access at the vehicular driveways. The two proposed access driveways, one from Mason Street and one from LaPorte Avenue should be designed for full access. DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE JUSTICE CENTER Pedestrian access to the Justice Center must be focused at the intersection of Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue. This design will minimize the desire of pedestrians to cross Mason Street at a midblock location. Bicycle access to the Justice Center should be designed such that bike stands and other storage areas are located in areas which are easy for cyclist to access from Mason and Howes Street and LaPorte Avenue, and minimize potential for bicycle/pedestrian conflicts. DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS BUILDING The primary pedestrian access should be located at the intersection of Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue. Other pedestrian access north of LaPorte Avenue should be carefully designed such that midblock crossings to the future Transit Center are minimized. Bicycle access should provide easy access to both Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue. The potential for bicycle/pedestrian conflict should be minimized. 51 I I CHERRY ©MN MAPLE LAPORTE. n u MOUNTAIN OAK -- PROPOSED MASON STREET STRIPING 49 A& N NO SCALE Figure 12A BICYCLE FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS The following improvements are suggested to facilitate bicycle traffic within the study area. - The striping and width along Mason Street should be modified as shown on Figures 12A and 1213. This plan would allow for a continuous bicycle lane on the east side of Mason Street within the entire study area. This plan also allows for bicycle lanes on both sides of the roadway between Mountain Avenue and Cherry Street. II_ _ On Mountain Avenue, install a pedestrian refuge area for pedestrians crossing Mountain at Mason Street on both sides and at Howes Street on the east side. Improved railroad crossing at the three intersections noted above. This improvement would require the installation of a rubberized or concrete crossing and should be coordinated with the design of the enhanced crosswalks. - On Mason Street between Cherry Street and Maple Street, a sidewalk should be constructed on both sides of the roadway. On Howes Street the existing sidewalks should be improved to satisfy standards between Cherry and Mason Streets. On Maple Street between College Avenue and Howes Street construct sidewalks on the north side. - Improve pedestrian walkways which are indicated as not meeting the LOS standards for visual interest and amenity by adding street trees or other landscaping, weeding overgrown areas, and utilizing a more appealing fencing material or using landscaping as screening at the following locations: - Mason Street between Cherry Street and LaPorte Avenue - Howes Street between Cherry Street and Maple Street - Cherry Street between Howes Street and College Avenue - Maple Street between Howes Street and College Avenue - LaPorte Avenue on the northside between Howes and Mason Streets - Mountain Avenue on the northside between Howes and Mason Streets (adjacent to parking lots) Improve the current security levels which do not satisfy the LOS standards set forth by the City of Fort Collins for the downtown area. The security LOS B standard requires good lighting levels and unobstructed lines of sight. The following intersections require improvements to achieve this standard: - College Avenue and Olive Street - improve visibility by lowering height of center median landscaping. - College Avenue and LaPorte Avenue - improve visibility within the center median by eliminating excess and overgrown landscaping. - College Avenue and Cherry Street - improve lighting at intersection by relocating existing lights closer to the intersection. - Mason Street and Magnolia Street - improve lighting on the north side by adding an additional light. - Howes Street and Cherry Street - add a light to this intersection. - Howes Street and Maple Street - add a light to this intersection. 47 VIII. RECOMMENDATIONS A plan of proposed improvements required to maintain acceptable levels of service for the transportation system surrounding the Civic Center projects was developed. These recommended improvements include the transportation areas previously identified in this study namely to improve vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle operations within the study area. In addition, where appropriate, development guidelines are set forth for each of the Civic Center projects to guide site development such that it supports the recommended improvements and enhances the flow of each of the transportation modes. IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC OPERATIONS The following improvements are suggested to maintain acceptable intersection operations at the study intersections. After completion of the proposed Justice Center and the City of Fort Collins building, lengthen the northbound left -turn lane on College Avenue at LaPorte Avenue from it's current 50 feet to 100 feet. This will require the removal of 3 parking spaces. Air completion of the proposed Civic Center projects, additional of a northbound left - turn phase at the intersection of College Avenue and Maple/Jefferson. In the long range future, signalization of Mason Street at Maple Street. - In the long range future, signalization of Mason Street at Magnolia Street. As a part of the proposed Parking Structure, a westbound left -turn lane should be installed at the LaPorte Avenue entrance. This lane should be installed within the existing median. The median should be extended to the west adjacent to the left -turn lane. The lane should be 150 feet in length. PEDESTRIAN FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS Several improvements are suggested to provide acceptable levels of service for pedestrians visiting the proposed projects. Install marked pedestrian crosswalks at Mason Street and Cherry Street, Howes Street at Cherry Street, and Howes Street at Maple Street. Enhanced crosswalks should be installed at Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue, Mason Street and Mountain Avenue, and Mason Street at Maple Avenue. These enhance crosswalks could be achieved with stamped colored concrete boarders with striping in the center on colored concrete. Special consideration should be given to the area where the railroad exists. 151 PARKING DEFICIT A comparison of the future total new parking demand of 1,543 spaces and the supply of 703 parking spaces indicates a future deficit of 840 parking spaces. It is apparent from this analysis that several of the proposed projects must be required to provide parking for their projected demand on -site. This conclusion is consistent with the findings presented within the Downtown Parking Plan and those within the Downtown Civic Center Master Plan, prepared by Balloffet and Associates Inc. and Calthorpe Associates, July 1996. The Downtown Civic center Master Plan called for approximately 7 parking structures to accommodate the future Civic Center projects. As stated earlier in the description of each project, it was assumed that the proposed library and government related office building would each satisfy their parking demand by supplying parking on -site or near the project site. If these two projects were to satisfy their parking demands, the total new demand for each of the remaining Civic Center projects included in this study would be for 870 spaces, as indicated in Table 6. The estimated supply of 698 spaces would then result in a deficiency of 167 parking spaces. It is important to note that each of the above referenced studies also include other strategies which are needed and should be implemented to address the future parking demand. These include such actions as bicycle lockers in the proposed transit center to serve bicycle commuters, implementation of the TDM tools outlined in the City's Congestion Management Plan, expansion of controlled access parking facility and hourly payment system to reduce the amount of under -used parking supply, and establishment of a transportation monitoring program for Downtown to monitor effectiveness of the measures undertaken as part of the Congestion Management plan. 45 I TABLE 7 AVAILABLE PARKING SUPPLY DISTRICTS 2,3,6 District Existing Capacity (spaces) Maximum Usable Supply (spaces) Current Peak Demand (spaces) Available Supply (spaces) 2 769 654 454 (59% utilization) 200 3 346 294 263 (76% utilization) 31 6 937 796 684 (73% utilization) 112 Total 1 343 Notes: Maximum Usable Supply = 85 percent of the Existing Capacity Current Peak Demand = Number of spaces utilized during the peak hour of downtown parking demand at 1:00 PM. Available Supply = Maximum Usable Supply - Current Peak Demand. TABLE 8 FUTURE PARKING SUPPLY Parking Area I Number of Spaces Available from Current Supply (Districts 2,3,6) 343 905 Sp Civic Center Pk Struc 905 Minus LaPorte Lot -234 Minus Block 31 Lot -361 Total Available 310 Justice Center Parking Lot 50 Justice Center Secured Parking Negligible TOTAL 703 44 a 3 U t_ 4, N I 11 NJ wj M DOWNTOWN PARKING DISTRICTS Figure 11 43 i - Future private development within the Civic Center area was not accounted for in these parking demand estimates shown in Table 6. As shown in Table 6, it is estimated that the total parking demand within the Civic Center due to the proposed projects would be 2,067 spaces. Of this 1,543 spaces represents the total new demand for parking. FUTURE PARKING SUPPLY The future supply of parking available within the Civic Center area is comprised of the following: on -street parking which is currently not fully utilized, off-street parking which would be available to employees and visitors within the Civic Center which is not currently fully utilized, the 310 new spaces available from the proposed 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure, the 50 space parking lot located within the Justice Center project, and some secured parking under the Justice Center for judges and inmate bus transport. Data from the Downtown Parking Plan was analyzed to determine the unused capacity available within an area surrounding the proposed Civic Center projects. The parking plan divided the downtown area into districts. Based upon the location of the Civic Center projects, it was determined that Districts 2, 3, and 6, shown on Figure 11, would represent districts which would be in an acceptable walking distance from the projects (two blocks maximum). The parking plan study investigated peak parking demand within the downtown area. The results of this are provided in Table 7. Table 7 indicates the current capacity of each district (both on -street and off-street parking), the maximum usable capacity, the current peak demand, and the resulting available supply. The maximum usable capacity represents 85 percent of the actual capacity. The 85 percent maximum represents a threshold at which parking facilities have been observed to function optimally. The current peak demand is the existing demand for parking within the district during the peak parking time within the downtown area which occurred at 1:00 PM. The available supply represents the difference between the maximum usable capacity and the current peak demand. As indicated in Table 7, within the districts adjacent to the Civic Center project, approximately 343 parking spaces are currently available. It should be noted that the on -street and off-street parking available within parking Districts 2, 3, and 6 would not be exclusively available to the Civic Center projects and will also serve other future growth of smaller projects within the study area. Table 8 presents the parking which is currently available and planned for the future to serve the proposed projects. A total of 703 parking spaces would be available to serve new parking demand. 42 The increase of 75 visitor parking spaces was estimated based upon the total projected visitor demand of 298 spaces representing a 20 to 25 percent increase over existing _ visitor demand. The total parking demand for the Justice Center is estimated to be 545 spaces with 152 to serve the new parking demand. Larimer County has plans to utilize the current Courthouse to accommodate future staff within the Civic Center. In the long range future, it is estimated that the Current Courthouse will house approximately 500 employees, of which 100 are currently within the Civic Center area. Based upon the parking demand factors utilized for the employee parking demand, this would generate at total parking need for 425 parking spaces, 340 spaces representing the new demand. Based upon previous traffic studies prepared for Larimer County, it was estimated that the future total parking need for visitors would be 71 spaces with a new demand of 40 spaces. The total parking demand is projected at 496 spaces with a total new demand of 380 spaces. The office/retail building proposed at the northeast corner of Howes Street at Mountain Avenue was estimated to generate a demand for 55 spaces for the offices and 11 spaces for the retial use. This was determined based upon the adjusted parking demand rates for offices (2.2 spaces/1,000 square feet) and retail use (2.1 spaces/1,000 square feet) provided in the Downtown Parking Plan. The proposed Library is planned at 100,000 square feet. Based upon estimates provided by Library staff, it was estimated that a total of approximately 460 spaces, 400 for visitors and 60 for staff. This would all represent a new demand for parking in the Civic Center area. The proposed transit center was estimated to generate a new parking demand for 40 spaces, 15 spaces for employees and 25 spaces for park-n-ride vehicles. There could be additional demand for parking as a result of Airporter services operating from the transit center (services which provide transport to DIA of which some patrons may desire to leave a vehicle). The additional government related building located north of Maple Street between Mason and Howes Streets would generate a new parking demand in the Civic Center. It is anticipated that this building would generate a demand similar to the City of Fort Collins office building which would result in a total demand for 213 parking spaces. The proposed expansion of the Saint Joseph's school would result in a need for additional parking for staff and visitors. It was assumed that this need would be satisfied on -site. There will also be an increase in short term parking for parents to drop-off and pick-up students. This activity would have to be accommodated adjacent to the school. The City of Fort Collins is currently investigating the feasibility to assist in accommodating this need on Howes Street. The City is also considering the use of the proposed 50 space parking lot, which is a part of the Justice Center project, for use by the Saint Joseph's church and school functions which do not occur during peak business hours. 41 I TABLE 6 . ESTIMATED PARKING DEMAND CIVIC CENTER PROJECTS Total Parking New Parking Cumulative Total Civic Center Projects Spaces Spaces New Parking Sp City of Fort Collins 156 emp 145 emp Office Building 57 visitor 53 visitor 183 employees 213 total 198 total 198 Larimer County 247 emp 77 emp Justice Center 298 visitor 75 visitor 290 employees 545 total 152 total 350 Old Courthouse 425 emp 340 emp 500 employees 71 visitor 40 visitor 496 total 380 total 730 Office/Retail Building 55 office 55 office at Howes/Mountain 11 retail 11 retail 66 total 66 total 796 Transit Center 15 emp 15 emp 25 park-n-ride 25 park-n-ride 40 total 40 total 836 Civic Center Pk Struc Retail 34 retail 34 retail 870 Library 60 emp 60 emp 400 visitor 400 visitor 460 total 460 total 1,330 Government Office 156 emp 156 emp Building 57 visitor 57 visitor 213 total 213 total 1,543 Private Development 0 0 1,534 TOTAL 2,067 1,543 Notes: Total Parking = The estimated total parking demand of the proposed use. New Parking = The new parking demand which accounts for employees and visitors whom are currently in the Civic Center. 40 f VII. PARKING The previous chapters of the transportation study have addressed impacts regarding vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. The parking demand related to the proposed Civic Center projects is also a key element. This chapter will estimate the parking demand of each of the projects, analyze the current and future parking supply, and determine if any of the proposed projects should be required to provide parking "on -site". PARKING DEMAND The proposed Civic Center projects will generate additional parking demand in the downtown area of Fort Collins. Each of the proposed projects were analyzed to determine the net gain in parking they would generate. A summary of the parking demand is presented in Table 6. The proposed City of Fort Collins office building is planned to accommodate 183 staff, of which 170 staff would be new to the Civic Center. Based upon data within the Downtown Parking Plan, prepared by BRW, September 1996, it was estimated that the parking demand for employees is approximately 0.85 spaces/employee for employee parking, and 0.31 spaces/employee for visitor parking. Use of these parking demand rates would result in: 156 employee and 57 visitor total parking demand (this includes some employees which are currently located within the Civic Center), and a new parking demand for 145 employee spaces and 53 visitor spaces. The total parking demand for the City of Fort Collins office building would be 213 spaces. The new parking demand is estimated at 198 spaces. The new proposed 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure will not generate a parking demand. However, it should be noted that the LaPorte Lot currently occupies the area where the proposed parking structure is to be located. The LaPorte Lot currently provides 234 parking spaces to the downtown area. Based on data in the Downtown Parking Plan, this lot is currently highly utilized and the permit spaces are all sold each month. Additionally, the proposed Justice Center is located in an area currently occupied by the Block 31 parking lot. This lot currently provides 361 parking spaces which are also highly utilized. The true net gain in parking as a result of construction of the 905 space parking structure is 310 spaces (905 - 234 - 361 = 310 spaces). The proposed Civic Center Parking Structure will have approximately 16,000 square feet of retail use. The parking demand for this retail use was estimated at 34 spaces. This was determined based upon the adjusted parking demand rates for retail use of 2.1 spaces/1,000 square feet as provided in the Downtown Parking Plan. The Larimer County Justice Center is planned to accommodate 290 employees in the long range future. After initial completion of the Justice Center, approximately 200 employees would be relocated from the Current Courthouse to the new center. It was estimated based upon the previous parking demand rates that the Justice Center would generate a total future demand for 247 employee parking spaces and 298 visitor parking spaces. Of this the new or increase in parking demand would be for 77 employee parking spaces (90 x 0.85) and 75 visitor parking spaces. 39 TABLE 5 EAST/WEST BICYCLE FACILITY EVALUATION Parking Demand Roadway Section Parking Loss Adjacent Future Meldrum to Howes Howes to Mason Mason to College College to Remngton (spaces) Private Parking Intersection LOS LaPorte - South Side = 18 Howes Mason College to Meldrum North Side = 0 Low High/Med AM = B B Total = 18 Noon = B B PM = C C Mountain - South Side = 0 Howes Mason Meldrum to Mason North Side = 7 Med/Low High AM = B B Total = 7 Noon = B B PM = B B Mountain - South Side = 16 Masan to Remington North Side = 14 High High/Med Total = 30 Olive - South Side = 30 Head -in Pk on Howes to Remington North Side = 18 High/Low High/Med Low north side bet Total = 48 Remington/College Magnolia - South Side = 13 Diagonal Pk on Howes to Remington North Side = 24 Low Low Low south side bet Total = 37 College/Mason On LaPorte Avenue, a designated bicycle route, a vehicle and bicyclist do not have the ability to operate adjacent to one another due to narrow lane widths. On Mountain Avenue, there is a bicycle lane west of Meldrum. This discontinuity is present between Meldrum Street and Riverside Avenue. On Oak Street, a designated bicycle route, there is diagonal parking on both sides of the street. I The Poudre River Trail, which is adjacent to the northern and eastern sides of the study area, does not have an adequate connection from its' access points at Lincoln Avenue and Linden Street. From Lincoln Avenue, there are no bicycle facilities west to the study area along Mountain Avenue. From Linden Street there are bicycle lanes on Linden Street north of Jefferson however, from the intersection of Linden/Jefferson there are no designated facilities. The ability of bicycle traffic to access the proposed projects is acceptable along the north/south corridors with the exception along Mason Street noted above. East/west service is discontinuous and puts bicyclist adjacent to on -street diagonal parking. Several of the east/west roadways were evaluated to determine their potential as east/west corridors which would provide direct connections to Mason and Howes Streets. The results of this evaluation are provided on Table 5. The evaluation considered several criteria. The number of parking spaces which would be removed if diagonal parking were converted to parallel parking was determined. The existing parking demand was determined based upon data from the Downtown Parking Plan. If vehicular traffic lanes would require removal or other changes the future levels of service were determined. Table 5 also indicates where there is diagonal or head -in parking adjacent to the roadway, which is on private property and therefore would not be modified. Based upon the data provided in Table 5, it is recommended that bicycle lanes be added to LaPorte Avenue between Meldrum Street and College Avenue, on Mountain Avenue between Meldrum Street and Mason Street, and on Magnolia Street between Remington Street and Howes Street. The Bicycle LOS Worksheet is provided in Appendix G. TRANSIT LEVEL OF SERVICE The current transit level of service is determined based upon the following data related : hours of weekday service, headways, a travel time factor of 2.0, and a peak load factor of less than 1.2. Based upon the criteria set forth by the City of Fort Collins, the project site is located within an area defined as the "mixed use centers and commercial corridors". Currently the level of service is acceptable for the study area. The City of Fort Collins has plans to improve service in this area with development of the proposed transit center and the potential use of Mason Street as a priority transit corridor. 37 i _ Security The pedestrian level of service guideline indicate that to achieve a LOS of B, there should be good lighting levels and unobstructed lines of sight. Most of the study area has very good lighting and pedestrians are clearly visible to - opposing motorist. However, the following areas do not achieve this LOS B standard. - College Avenue and Olive Street, the landscaped median area did pose a slight obstruction of pedestrians during the evening. Maintenance of the low growing shrubs within the median to a minimum height would improve visibility. - College Avenue and LaPorte Avenue, the landscaped median area does not provide good visibility. - College Avenue and Cherry Street, the lighting levels at this intersection are limited. The lights are not located directly at the intersection and therefore the visibility of pedestrians is poor. Relocation of the lights or a combination of signal pole and light fixture are measures which could improve the lighting levels. - Mason Street and Magnolia Street, this location has two lights however they are both located on the south side of Magnolia Street and therefore lighting levels 'on the north side are limited. - Howes Street and Cherry Street, this location currently has only one light and it does not provide good lighting levels. - Howes Street and Maple Street, the location currently has only one light and it does not provide good lighting levels. The Pedestrian LOS Worksheets are provided in Appendix F. As indicated in the worksheets, the gaps in the sidewalk system result in a poor level of service with regards to continuity. As mentioned above the street crossing could be performed at signalized intersections or stop - controlled intersections. However, additional crosswalks might be necessary to accommodate pedestrians. BICYCLE LEVEL OF SERVICE There are bicycle facilities within the study area. The City of Fort Collins, as stated in their Muitimodai Level of Service Manual, requires that downtown areas achieve a minimum level of service for bicycle facilities of B. There are some areas where the existing bicycle facilities do not satisfy this goal due to the following: discontinuous sections, narrow travel lanes, and lanes adjacent to diagonal parking. These areas are described below: On the east side of Mason Street between Oak Street and Mountain Avenue, the bicycle lane is discontinuous due to the on -street diagonal parking. One Mason Street, the bike lane is reoriented to the west side of Mason Street from Oak to Cherry. 36 INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS In order to maintain acceptable levels of service at the study intersections, the following improvements would be necessary: - At College/Maple/Jefferson, a northbound left -turn phase would be required. - At Howes/LaPorte, a westbound left -turn phase would be required. IPEDESTRIAN LEVEL OF SERVICE Pedestrian circulation within the study area is good and currently the City of Fort Collins has long range plans for improvements on College Avenue and Mason Street: The City evaluates pedestrian circulation based upon the following criteria: directness, continuity, street crossings, visual interest and amenity, and security. The pedestrian level of service was evaluated based upon the criteria set forth in the CityofFort Collins Mu/timodai Transportation Level of Service Manual, March 28, 1997. The Civic Center area is located within a Pedestrian District area, which sets the level of service threshold at LOS A (with the exception of street crossings and security which have a threshold of LOS B). There are some segments within the study area which do not meet the goals set forth for pedestrian levels of service. Each of these is discussed below. Directness Due to the location of the Civic Center projects within the downtown grid system, the goal of LOS A is satisfied. As each individual site plan is designed, directness from the site to the external pedestrian system will need evaluation. Continuity There are gaps in some areas of the sidewalk system within the study area. These areas would result in a LOS D. The following areas currently have gaps: - along Mason Street between Cherry Street and Maple Street, there is no sidewalk on the west side of the roadway.On the east side, the sidewalk ends with a Type III barricade at the location where the railroad crosses the sidewalk as it reorients to the northeast. - on Mason Street between Maple Street and LaPorte Avenue, there is no sidewalk on the west side. - on Howes Street there are very limited pedestrian facilities on the east side between Cherry and Maple Streets. This section of Howes Street does not satisfy the visual and amenities goals of the pedestrian level of service standards. -the pedestrian/ADA ramps are missing at the southeast and southwest corners of Howes/Cherry. - on Howes Street the sidewalk is missing on the eastside north of the City's Parks & Recreation building up to Maple. 34 TABLE 4 INTERSECTION PEAK HOUR LEVELS OF SERVICE LONG RANGE TOTAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Level of Service AM Noon PM Intersection College/Cherry/Willow D D D College/Maple/Jefferson B C C College/LaPorte B 8 C College/Mountain B B B College/Olive B B B College/Magnolia C B D Mason/Cherry NBL D C C NB C B C NB B B B SB L/R F- E C Q EBL A A A Overall A A A Mason/Maple EB L/T B C F WB T/R B C F NB A A A Overall A B F Mason/LaPorte 8 B C Mason/Mountain 8 B B Mason/Oak B B B Mason/Olive B B B Mason/Magnolia , EB L/T F FIF WBT C D WER B B NB L A A Overall C F Howes/Cherry Q WB LT A A Overall B A A Howes/Maple EB T/R A A A WB L/T B B C SBL A A A Overall A 8 8 Howes/LaPorte B B C Howes/Mountain - B B B Howes/Oak B B B Howes/Olive B B B Howes/Magnolia B B B 33 TABLE 3 INTERSECTION PEAK HOUR LEVELS OF SERVICE LONG RANGE BACKGROUND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Level of Service AM Noon PM Intersection College/Cherry/Willow C "C D College/Maple/Jefferson B B C College/LaPorte B B B College/Mountain B B B College/Olive B B B College/Magnolia B B C Mason/Cherry NBL C C C NB C B C NBR B B B SB L/R E C C ESL A A A Overall A A A Mason/Maple EB UT A B B WB T/R A B B NBL A A A Overall- A A A Mason/LaPorte B B B Mason/Mountain B B B Mason/Oak B B B Mason/Olive B B B Mason/Magnolia EB LIT C F E WST C C C WB R A A A NB A A A Overall B F C Howes/Cherry ' WB LT B A A Overall B A A Howes/Maple EB T/R A A A WB L/T B B B SBL A A A Overall A A A Howes/LaPorte B B B Howes/Mountain B B B Howes/Oak B B B Howes/Olive B B B Howes/Magnolia B B B 32 VI. TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS The previous chapters described the development of future traffic forecasts both with and without the proposed projects. Intersection capacity analyses are described in this chapter for both scenarios to assess the potential impact of the proposed project -generated traffic on the local street system. The level of service is also determined for pedestrians, bicycles, and transit. BACKGROUND TRAFFIC ANALYSIS The peak hour background traffic volumes for long range conditions, illustrated on Figures 8A and 8B, were analyzed to determine the intersection delay and corresponding level of service. The level of service worksheets are provided in Appendix D. Table 3 summarizes these results. As indicated in Table 3, the traffic movements at each of the study intersections are projected to operate at an acceptable levels of service under future long range background traffic conditions with the following exception: at the intersection of Mason/Magnolia the eastbound left -turn and through movements will experience long delays. This condition currently exists. A measure to decrease delays for these movements would be signalization. A review of the projected long range background traffic volume data indicate that it is not expected that this intersection would satisfy the peak hour traffic signal warrant. TOTAL TRAFFIC ANALYSIS The long range peak hour traffic volumes for total traffic conditions (after completion of the proposed Civic Center projects), were analyzed to determine the intersection delay and corresponding level of service. The level of service worksheets are provided in Appendix E. Table 4 summarizes these -results. The level of service analysis shown in Table 4 indicates that the study intersections are projected to operate at acceptable levels of service with the exception of: the eastbound/westbound movements at Mason/Maple, and the eastbound left -turn and through movements at Mason/Magnolia. At both of these intersections, the future total long range peak hour traffic volumes are approaching satisfaction of the peak hour signal warrants. Signalization of these two locations should also be considered due to the anticipated increase in pedestrian activity within the Civic Center. It should be noted that at two of the signalized intersections, the. overall intersection is projected to operate at acceptable levels of service, individual traffic movements are projected to experience long delays. This is projected to occur at: College/Mountain for the eastbound and westbound left -turns during the afternoon peak hour, and at College/Magnolia for the northbound left -turn during the morning peak hour. 31 A& N NO SCALE 1T Legend: AM/Noon/PM Rounded to the Nearest 5 Vehicles. LONG RANGE TOTAL TRAFFIC CIVIC CENTER PARKING STRUCTURE DRIVEWAY VOLUMES Figure 10 30 a 11 4 N NO SC. MOUNTAIN ' LO a �n n v 4' f 60/80/45 OAK % 45/75/60 f 15/35 400 { 50/75/45 60/130/65 -f 40/45/65 15/35/25 — v n vo �o 009 LO o \� v LO , n CDpm \� LO O N N _ I L f 50/100/110 � r L' �- 15/30/40 — 50/50/95 I�1 OLIVE.) 1, /r 60/110/125 35/120/65 f 50/100/125 of 15/40/50 / /10 -� 45/55 60 } 10/50/30 - } 50/80/110 70/170 185 to in o 25/70 65 -� �n o 0 i c - �� 50/120/135 u \N� wiLn n LOto *Ile,) ^ o n o\\ �o n ocLn rn \n -15/30/25 �- 125/195/125 200/180/110 N ^ r 45/70/60 MAGNOLIA /`/ 20' 55n0 --135/130%65 *j + 5/30/30 95/1 5 -! 35/55 60 + 30/60/65 -� } 35/76/95/95 110/200 250 o Ln Ln 35/65/95 to tn Ln S,"v� 70/145 155 -�� fA Z oCR-i UJ moo W O 'n Vic' o�v 3 CO � "' Go O � � it kLE y � 0 U Legend: AM/Noon/PM Rounded to the Nearest LONG RANGE 5 Vehicles. TOTAL TRAFFIC Figure 9B w CHERRY 43 LO \N � MAPLE ,� �. 85/55/60 30/30/40 42 0 ono 47, 2o LO LAPORTE J LO N N � o Lo NO SCALE o n N\ I \O �\ LO in \ 15/30/45 Ln CD ..-- 35/2 5/42 ' 5/10 40 r' ^ n !- 45/65/100 2 / / + 510/380/545 J + /' 15/50/40 5/5/5 + l85/340/460 } 340/270/300 o o Ln 125/90/75 O n 155/90/120 Q o c �\ \m m o n c _ Ccmi 33 - 23 CO O �N \ \rn r 220 305/380 +65 85 110 10205 nD`" + 0 70/185/235 215/290/440 /r 50/95/65 5/20 20 85/120/185 — } 5/25/35 } n D o Ln o 50/60/85 wo n c 35/105/160 Q rq N OOD 32 22 n Irmo 15/5 1302250/45 �- 370 / / 0 ^ � �- 55/70/120 - 130/185/375 20/25/20 �- 195/270/355 + 25/55/65 45/40 50� 360/295/340 } 100/125/200 f o in o 1204130/190 u-) o 0 130/255/350 —� w co � . nor moo u) n r O mn� 41 nC� o L CD I� m MOUNTAIN r it 31 + 160/220/320 i 75/'So/i40 21 C4 Ln LosC o�o �o -190/255/335 + i, 1LO + 230/245/350 � 40/95/100 340/270/330 80/0 80 4 t 35 / 65 60 65/55/45 f I I 340/ 270 320 —� LnLnLn 285/ 265 280 y 5/ Ln o 70/190/165 Z V= o� n W o J °° _ J 01 Legend: AM/Noon/PM Rounded to the Nearest 5Vh'1 LONG RANGE a is es. TOTAL TRAFFIC Figure 9A 28 i a _ V. FUTURE TOTAL TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS The future total traffic projections reflect future traffic conditions with the traffic from the proposed Civic Center projects. TOTAL TRAFFIC 1 The total traffic for long range conditions was developed by: adding traffic from the proposed project to the background traffic for Year 2018. The resulting peak hour total traffic projections are shown on Figures 9A and 9B for the overall study intersections. The future total peak hour traffic at the proposed driveways to the Civic Center Parking Structure are depicted on Figure 10. 27 p0 O n � m m 0 On o ��LO NO SCALE O \ n n \ \O N OD u7 LO CD 30/45 f- 235/275/420 �' v 5/10/4°/520 M = "o' 4 /65 100 CHERRY 275/190/210 f � , f 46o/3so + -- 15/50/40 � 330/255270 5/5/5 f - 165/300/375 � 325/260/270� o o 125 90/75 1 1550/120� o 3 1 Q n � o � Ln CD 43 to 33 23 Ln Ln CD q Cb _ O\ N n� M to JJ\\ - ON\ Ln 11 toN �-- c 220 05/380 t C4 - f 65/80/95 �10 20 `V n 70�/130 MAPLE 50/85/80 �— 85/110� 0 50/95/65 /0/0 5/10/10 f r 5/15/25 �--/ } 30/30/40 30 70/55/65 n Ln o 45/45/55 o 0 0 "�, 20/25/35 �o � <� \N n \CD m 42F11 32 22 LO en ' oho LO oCo O N O \� n� ,�n moo\-15/50/45 P1 N +-125/225/370 m N LAPORTE ,J1 so/ioo/65 20/2D/15 -165/255/315 + i, 25/55/65 390/275/295 35/25/30 -� } 90/105/125 -� } 170/75/90 315/280/315 Ln Ln o 110/120/155 0 0 C, 00c 110/200/180 ianPZ 'no N n o \N \ n 41 0 31 Qo 21 LnLn iCO nn AZn � �� M i� o � Ro -�, 35/95/90 n n — 155/220/320 50/75/55 Ln 195/230/325 MOUNTAIN 75/'S°/140 f185/255/335 + 40/95/100 " 295/245/300 65/55/45 40/50 0 -1 f 35/65 60 } 325/270 315 -+ n Ln �n 280/265/280 O60/190/165 CO)Z m 23 'n o�� w o � to w O �,� (g & � ?�, N C " w i LONG RANGE i BACKGROUND TRAFFIC 2 Legend: AM/Noon/PM Rounded to the Nearest 5 Vehicles. Figure 8A - IV. FUTURE BACKGROUND TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS In order to properly evaluate the potential impact of the proposed projects within the Civic Center. on the transportation system, future traffic volumes were first estimated for the study area without the project. These future forecasts reflect the growth that is expected from overall development in and around the City of Fort Collins and within the downtown area. BACKGROUND TRAFFIC The growth reflected in the long range background traffic is based on areawide growth and development within the City of Fort Collins and the downtown area in the next 20 years. Based upon historical traffic growth from the Colorado Department of Transportation and information from the North Front Range Regional Transportation Plan, October 1994, it was determined that traffic on College Avenue within the study area is expected to has increased by approximately 1.5 percent per year. This would result in a total growth of approximately 30 percent over the next twenty years. Information contained within the Downtown Parking Plan, prepared by BRW, September 1996, indicated that the employment in the downtown area of the City of Fort Collins would increase by approximately 13 percent over the next twenty years. Utilizing the above growth data, the traffic volumes at each of the study intersections was increased by 13 percent to reflect growth in the downtown area without the proposed Civic Center projects. Through traffic on College Avenue was increased by 20 percent and an additional 10 percent of growth on College Avenue was shifted to the Howes/Mason Street one-way couplet system. The peak hour background traffic for future long range conditions is depicted on Figures 8A and 86. As mentioned above this was developed by factoring existing traffic to account for overall growth within the City of Fort Collins and the downtown area. 24 N NO M MOUNTAIN m N 1� OAK } 5/3/4— 5/3/4 —� to M m n rl N to 1n OLIVE) < 5/3/4� 5/3/4� j 5/1/1— co � N N n N V' N N C t\7 � 40 N MAGNOLIA 43/16/19 'a 5/3/4 -- 5/3/4 + 5/0/1 !1 n co N �N 3 O _ W � M Legend: AM/Noon/PM kLE FUTURE CIVIC CENTER PROJECTS TRAFFIC Figure 7B 2 s N NO SCALE oa cli to CHERRY /-121/1 51/19/24 i 15/3/5 13/10/28-y 20/38/86 -1' D N 0\O \ \ rl 43 33 23 n� c n �Lo cq 2/7/13 �19/1 ^ co 1/157 �—.89/116/153 —17/16/22 8/7/9y /9/11 15/66/118- n rn 4/16/29-+ rn Lp \�� 16 82//127 �^ aomm nN 42 32 22 0 'p N \\ \\ Lo to -3ijs/38 m\ LAPORTE �82j7/r --3s/1s/22 53 1/ 42 — - 9/22/74 } 44/17/24 co8/ 2/37 - 19/53/1705,4 in O n v N n �\ n N 41 31 21 L coin to w r � � n � _ MOUNTAIN --4/1/1 31 5/22 --4/1/1 1 � f 35 /1s/23 43/23/32 39/22/31� + 4/1/1— 14/2/3 - > 10/1/2� W O�' C7°° W n J _ O U Legend: AM/Noon/PM f FUTURE CIVIC CENTER PROJECTS TRAFFIC Figure 7A 22 TABLE 2 (continued) ESTIMATED TRIP GENERATION Total All Projects Land Use ADT AM Peak Hour Noon Peak Hour PM Peak Hour In Out Tot In Out Tot In Out Tot City of Fort Collins 9,560 344 77 421 323 323 646 420 590 1,010 Larimer County 5,878 453 67 520 162 162 324 256 582 838 St. Joesph's School 272 83 68 151 5 7 12 9 12 21 TOTAL ALL PROJECTS 15,710 880 212 1,092 490 492 982 685 1,184 1,869 N N O TABLE 2 (continued) ESTIMATED TRIP GENERATION Larimer County Projects AM Peak Hour Noon Peak Hour PM Peak Hour Land Use Units ITE ADT In Out Tot In Out Tot In Out Tot Code Larimer Cty 290emp 730, 2,616 199 30 229 95 95 190 118 262 380 Justice Center +vistor 733 542 45 5 50 28 28 56 19 43 62 Total 3,158 244 35 279 123 123 246 137 305 442 Larimer Cty 500emp 730, 2,299 173 25 198 28 28 56 107 239 346 Old -existng 733 Courthouse Office at 25 KSF 710 275 34 5 39 8 8 16 6 31 37 Mtn/Howes Retail at 5 KSF 820 146 2 2 4 3 3 6 6 7 13 Mtn/Howes Sub Total 5,878 453 67 520 162 162 324 256 582 838 Larimer County Saint Joseph's School Land Use Units ITE ADT AM Peak Hour Noon Peak Hour PM Peak Hour In Out Tot In Out Tot In Out Tot Code Saint Joseph's 136 std 242 68 68 136 5 5 10 8 11 15 staff 30 15 0 15 0 2 2 1 1Total rlSchool 272 83 68 151 5 7 12 9 12 TABLE 2 ESTIMATED TRIP GENERATION City of Fort Collins Projects AM Peak Hour Noon Peak Hour PM Peak Hour Land Use Units ITE ADT In Out Tot In Out Tot In Out Tot Code City of FC 170 730 1,533 115 18 133 55 55 110 69 153 222 Building Emp 733 Govern 190 730 1,714 131 19 150 63 63 126 77 172 249 Building Emp 733 Library 100 590 5,400 76 30 106 182 182 364 237 218 455 KSF Office at 7.4 710 81 10 2 12 5 5 10 2 9 11 Transit Ctr KSF Retail at 3.4 820 146 2 2 4 3 3 6 6 7 13 Transit Ctr KSF Retail at 16 820 686 10 6 16 15 15 30 29 31 60 Pk Struc KSF Sub -Total 9,560 344 77 421 323 323 646 420 590 1,010 City of Fort Collins III. PROJECT TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS Development of traffic projections for the proposed Civic Center projects involved the following steps: estimation of trip generation, development of a trip distribution, and assignment of traffic onto the roadway system. TRIP GENERATION Standard traffic generation characteristics compiled by the Institute of Transportation Engineers in their report entitled Trip Generation, 6th edition, 1997, were utilized to develop trip generation estimates for the proposed projects. The trip generation characteristics of the proposed expansion to the Saint Joseph's School were determined based upon a traffic study of another private school in Fort Collins. The estimated trip generation is shown in Table 2. A vehicle trip is defined as a one-way vehicle movement from a point of origin to a point of destination. It should be noted that the proposed Civic Center Parking Structure will not generate trips itself, with the exception of the proposed retail use. The trips which currently occur at the LaPorte Lot and the Block 31 lot and will be destined for the Civic Center Parking Structure were accounted for in the existing traffic data. TRIP DISTRIBUTION The overall directional distribution of the site -generated traffic was determined based on the location of the site within the City of Fort Collins, the existing traffic patterns, and the proposed land use. The trip distribution used in the traffic analysis is as follows: - Approximately 15 percent to the north. - Approximately 10-15 percent to the east. - Approximately 55-60 percent to the south. - Approximately 15 percent to the west. TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT Traffic assignment is how the generated and distributed trips are expected to be loaded on the roadway network. The site -generated trip assignments are shown on Figures 7A and 7B. 18 TRANSIT SERVICE The study area has extensive transit service. The North Transit Center is currently located within the parking area at the southeast corner of LaPorte Avenue and Mason Street. The following routes serve the study area: Route 1, Route 4, Route 5, Route 8, and Route 9. It 1 should be noted that Transfort is now offering evening service which serves the downtown area. Each of these routes is briefly described below: Route 1 provides service from the Front Range Community College and the South 3 Transit Center to downtown, the North Transit Center, and CSU. Route 1 provides 30 minute headways and service is provided for 12 hours during the weekday. 9 - Route 4 provides 30 minute one way service from the North Transit Center to Taft Hill, City Park and into the CSU Transit Center. This route returns to the North Transit Center on Mason Street. Service is provided for 12 hours during the weekday. - Route 5 provides service from the Square to the Foothill Fashion Mall, Poudre Valley Hospital, Greyhound Bus Station, the downtown Library, and downtown Fort Collins. The headway is 60 minutes and service is provided for 12 hours during the weekday. - Route 8 provides 30 minute service from the North Transit Center to The Mission, Social Services, and Poudre Valley Mobile Home Park. It returns to the North Transit Center using College Avenue. Service is provided for 12 hours during the weekday. - Route 9 is a 60 minute service from EPIC to Poudre Valley Hospital, downtown, and to the intersection of Vine Drive at Overland Trail. This route operates for 12 hours per day. 17 BICYCLE FACILITIES There are bicycle facilities within the study area. Each of the following roadways accommodate bicycle facilities. Mason St There is a shared bicycle and parking lane on both sides of Mason Street within south of Oak Street. North of Oak Street bicycle lanes are present on the west side of Mason Street. Bicyclists are directed to the west side of the roadway in at Oak Street. It should also be noted that there is a section of Mason Street between Cherry and Maple Streets where the railroad tracks cross the bicycle lane. There are several signs and pavement markings which warn the bicyclist of this condition. Currently, it is the intent of the City of Fort Collins to provide bicycle lanes on the east side of Mason Street land both the east and west sides where feasible and necessary). These plans will be discussed in detail in subsequent sections of this report. Howes St There is a shared bicycle and parking lane on both sides of Howes Street within the study area. Cherry St There is a shared bicycle and parking lane on Cherry Street west of Howes Street. East of this is an exclusive bike lane. LaPorte LaPorte Avenue is a designated bicycle route from College Avenue west to Taft Hill Road. Within the study area, the travel lanes are narrow such that a bicyclist cannot ride adjacent to vehicular traffic. Mountain Mountain Avenue has bicycle lanes to the west of Meldrum Street. This roadway has been identified in previous studies as a potential east/west connection into downtown. However, due to the existing on -street diagonal parking, the bicycle lanes currently terminate at Meldrum. Oak St Oak Street has designated bicycle lanes to the west of Howes Street. East of this location it is a bicycle route. However, it should be noted that diagonal parking exists on both sides of Oak Street east of Howes Street to College Avenue. Poudre River Trail The Poudre River Trail exists to the east of the study area. Connections to the study area could be made at Lincoln Avenue, Linden Street, or Mason/Cherry. The Lincoln Avenue connection would require bicyclist to utilize Mountain Avenue which has no bicycle facilities east of Meldrum and has diagonal parking on both sides. The Linden Street connection would require use of Walnut Street which has diagonal parking on both sides and LaPorte Avenue. The connection of the bicycle trail to the intersection of Mason/Cherry would allow for use of an off-street bicycle facility to the study area. 16 Mason St. Between Cherry Street and Maple Street, there is no sidewalk on the west side of the roadway. On the east side, the sidewalk ends with a Type III barricade at the location where the railroad crosses the sidewalk as it reorients to the northeast. This section of Mason Street does not satisfy the visual and amenities goals of the pedestrian level of service standards. Between Maple Street and LaPorte Avenue, there is no sidewalk on the west side. This block does not satisfy the visual and amenities goals of the pedestrian level of service standards. There are no marked pedestrian crossings at the intersections with Cherry and Maple Streets. Howes St There are limited pedestrian facilities on the east side between Cherry and Maple Streets. This section of Howes Street does not satisfy the visual and amenities goals of the pedestrian level of service standards. There are no marked crosswalks at the intersections of Cherry and Maple Streets. Additionally, there are no pedestrian/ADA ramps at the southwest and southeast corners of Howes Street at Cherry Street. Cherry St. There are no pedestrian facilities on the south side of Cherry Street between Howes Street and College Avenue. Within this same section, the visual goals and amenities are below the acceptable pedestrian level of service standards. Maple St. There are no sidewalks adjacent to the north side of Maple Street between Howes Street and College Avenue. The visual characteristics and amenities are very limited. There are no marked crosswalks at the intersections of Maple Street at Mason and Howes Streets. LaPorte On the north side of LaPorte Avenue between Howes and Mason Streets, there is a section of sidewalk which is adjacent to blank walls and a chain link fence. This section does not meet the visual interest and amenity level of service standards. Mountain On the north side of Mountain Avenue between Howes and Mason Streets, there is a parking lot which is currently designed with some spaces which might cause motorists to back into the sidewalk area. Within this same block, the parking lot near Howes Street is not designed with amenities or visual features adjacent to the sidewalk. 15 Notes: TABLE 1 INTERSECTION PEAK HOUR LEVELS OF SERVICE EXISTING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Level of Service AM Noon PM Intersection College/Cherry/Willow B B B College/Maple/Jefferson B B B College/LaPorte B B B College/Mountain B B B College/Olive B B B College/Magnolia B F (1) B Mason/Cherry NB C B C NS T B B B NB R A A A S8 L/R B B C EB L A A A Overall A A A Mason/Maple EB L/T A B B WB T/R A B B NB L A A A Overall A A A Mason/LaPorte B B B Mason/Mountain B B B Mason/Oak B _ B B Mason/Olive B B 8 Mason/Magnolia EB L/T C E C WS T B C 8 WB R A A A NB L A A A Overall A C B Howes/Cherry WS LT A A A Overall A A A Howes/Maple EB T/R A A A WB L/T B B B SS L A A A Overall A A A Howes/LaPdrte B B B Howes/Mountain B B B Howes/Oak B B B Howes/Olive B B B Howes/Magnolia B B 8 (1) The northbound left -turn has a LOS F with delays greater than 999 seconds. With a left -turn phase for this movement, the overall intersection LOS is B. 14 INTERSECTION LEVEL OF SERVICE METHODOLOGY Level of service (LOS) is a qualitative measure used to describe the conditions of traffic flow, ranging from excellent conditions at LOS A to overloaded conditions at LOS F. Level of service definitions are provided in Appendix B. Typically, the standard for minimum acceptable .j LOS is D. The Signalized and Unsignalized Intersection Analysis techniques, as published in the Highway Capacity Manual by the Transportation Research Board in 1994, were used to analyze the study intersections for each of the traffic scenarios. The capacity worksheets for a existing conditions are provided in Appendix C. These techniques allow for the determination i of the intersection level of service based on congestion and delay of each traffic movement. EXISTING PEAK HOUR LEVELS OF SERVICE Table 1 summarizes the existing weekday morning, noon, and afternoon peak hour level of service at the study intersections. Under actual, existing conditions, the study intersections are operating at an acceptable level of service during the peak hours, with the exception of selected movements at College/Magnolia and Mason/Magnolia. At College/Magnolia, during the noon peak hour, the northbound left -turn experiences long delays, as noted in Table 1, with the addition of a left -turn phase, this intersection would operate at acceptable levels. At the Mason/Magnolia intersection the eastbound left-turn/through movements experience long delays during the noon peak hour. The overall intersection operations during the noon peak hour are acceptable. PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES Most of the study area currently has facilities to accommodate pedestrian flows. With the study area being in downtown Fort Collins, pedestrian circulation and levels of service are expected to be at the highest standards. The pedestrian facilities within a 1/4 mile of the study area were examined. The pedestrian facilities adjacent to College Avenue have been the focus of long range planning efforts and improvements are outlined in the Downtown Fort Collins' Generallmprovement District Capital Improvement Program which is administered by the City's Advance Planning department. Additionally, the City of Fort Collins currently has a study underway to address the Mason Street corridor which includes pedestrian facilities. The Mason Street Corridor projects includes funds for design of pedestrian improvements along Mason in the downtown area however, construction funds for any of these improvements have not been identified. The evaluation of existing pedestrian facilities was focused on the study area west of College Avenue, east of Howes Street, south of Cherry Street, and north of Oak Street. Within the focused study area the following conditions were found to exist. The existing sidewalks vary in location from being directly attached to the curb and gutter to being detached with a parkway separation between the roadway and the sidewalk. The width of the sidewalks are approximately 5 feet or greater. There are marked pedestrian crossings at all the intersections, with the exceptions noted below. The signalized intersections operate with pedestrian recall to serve a pedestrian walk phase during each signal cycle. The sections of roadway which have gaps within the pedestrian network and other deficiencies are listed below. 13 2 u m O O o N v 0 o-1 /2/3 `" \ O� /1 0 a i /0 CHERRY /� s/3/0 �J { % 1 /0/1 �J + /—0/o/o o ji jo 1 f 0/o/1 ---- l T f 1/o/o o 7/0/3 0/1 2 0/0/1-i c�c �-0 0 1 000 �0 0 0 ovo o n— f 0/1 /6 l/—,/,/ooj 0 0 o f 0/0/1 0 0 0 MAPLE) j L,4., 0/0/0 0/0/0 / / 3 -� 0 0 0 0/ o� �o� oho �o/o� cn, CD 0/1 /1 one '1/5/2 000 LAPORTE) /--0/1/2 l . T r o/o/o �� _ 0/0/2 0 0 0 0/0/0 c<,p -0/1/1 — 0/4/3 0 0 0 0/2/1 0/0/0 -j } I 0/0/0 -1 '� t I 0/3/0 --j 2/1/2 y 4/0/0 �p 3/5/1--- 1/0/1--� 0/0/0 � 2/0/0 —) Ooo coo 0/0/0 0/0/0 P�4zp� CD MOUNTAIN L `o/ /2 ,j1 /o/o / o 0 6/ — 3/0/-- 0 - c o 0%%1 D � c�� 1/0/0 use o n o f 1 /3/2 cD OAK L%jf-0/1/2. �• 0/0/1--F 1 T r 2/1/1--7 4/3/2 — c� � zz, 2/3/1~ 0/2/0 --� o n\ 0/1/0 - y o p\ S000 o c fc li f 1 /2/6 fo j =f 1 2/2/1 f 1 0/0/0 } 2/2/0 6/3/3 N fo 0 7/0/3- 1/2/2 -� ono 0/0/0 �\ \\\_ fo jrn� 0/1/0 ocl\i� 4/4/9 J 1 41/2r/0 6/3�4 I cD I 4/61/'0 1/0/0 - . 0/3/0 --y /p ONO �J 1998 PEAK HOUR BICYCLE COUNTS f I 5/0/7 o N m 0/6/0 o/o/o 1/4/5 r— 0/0/0 n\\ N n o r 2/3/5 00o-1 o m 6//1/5 --- �\� 0/0/1--) 0 N O O 0/2/2 P�4Z� — 3/8/8 O N o -2/0/4 J � 0/0/0 --) u oc\.iCD Noo 0/0/0 0/0/0 �- 0/0/1 0 - 0/0/0 1/2/5 .r- o/o/o I om� 0/0/0 — 0/o/o !- 7/3/12 0/0/1 3/6/8 0/0/0 ono Legend: AM/Noon/PM A& N NO SCALE Figure 6 12 1 CHE Mi LAPC MOUN L MAGNI I /n/n N RRY o o p n n 0/1/3 p 0 4/2 0 4 8/3 43 33 23 0/4 1 1/3 0 2/3 o N ►PLE o N 3/4/1 O 5MTi � 5/1/5 O 42 32 22 4/10 3 2/12/1 12/55/25 iRTE 0 =o n n o N O � h N 13 /0 7 /4 O 15/25/18 N 41 31 21 n N 27/19/14 cpi 10/57/2-3 N 5/150/69 rAINZZ N m � � N 20/35/16 N 9/113/40 N 23 119 59 / / N N n27/53/22 :2 12/89/21 n OAK C2 rlin 8/51/13 nv 5/83/14 go m 7/28/9 a 9/63/16pn O1 0/10 LIVE n ci N =o ,. N 3/39/8 N �+ 5/i6/7 0 5/29/20 1/23/10 m 0/12/4 =0 4/15/11 ILIA N p 1 12/4 "> 1/13/6 to 0/18/20 N Z W w n en a a 1998 PEAK HOUR PEDESTRIAN COUNTS J J O U Legen d: AM/Noon/PM A& N NO SCALE Figure 5 11 N NO SC 4OUNTAIN co n N � � nn� \\ w) n' v 51/71/41 9/50/44 OAK 40/66/11 -11/29/35 } 40/61 /35 — 48/111 /53 35/41/57 11/29/23 -r m \ \o m �n n co v n n to �cll •— ` L N . f 45/86/99 \� c\i CD m Lo " \ 12 24 f 42/45 86 5 OLIVE T /� 53/96/108 30/105 55 �- 45/90/112 10/33/42 54/97/112 — 34/46 48 9/43/26 J/ 44/69/96 56/148/162 Lo to 20/63/59 o ,o 39/105/118 � \erg pp� �C" Nco co n v v .o Lo Lo o mom of Lo \�\ n \PSo \n 25/20 V711) co �-110/170/199 �148/149/86 N La h r 38/63/51 IAGNOLIA 16/47/63 — 119/113/163 � } � � 5/2-9/27 77/101/ - 28/42 47 26/54/57 -4' } 30/67/83 96/176 220 n n o 31/57/83— w to w C4^ 57/129/138� ZR, W 1 WZ v�cni 04\n 3 Nto W O i v U 1998 PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC COUNTS Legend: AM/Noon/PM U Figure 4B .0 ^ N N �M 14/27/39 --207/242/369 N m N �_14/27/39 CHERRY 195/119/130 — 378/290/4a0 292/227� 289/230/239 - 126/233/2 t 79/57/37/238 65 N rn 108 9 65 y m r� N �� 138 104 - ��� �n 43 co 33 23 N9 192 269/336 ^ `N" - 55/72/82 �— 7/19/30 N � 63/881/116 MAPLE ` 44/76/72 f 73/96/130 + �/— 43/83/58 65 42 43 — 2 � 26/27/35 --- 63/50�� ao 39%13/0 r N �^ 15/20/30� co \ ,\,4� \o \n CD N 42 32 °° 22 n 0 cra -W �n — 8/197/ 27 %*-- r'' i ^. 13/43/40 f_ /88 LAPORTE ) %45/90/74 16/18/14 146/226/277 � 50/57 3461 151/66/80 151/66 80 32/23 26—� 78/94/110-� } 279 245 280—� � M N O 98 107/136 m v �m 96/175/159 ,�� �m� N� rn per \ 41 31 `° 21 0 o n N m � n 31/85/78 � n � f-137/193/284 - 42/66/49 n m "173/204/286 MOUNTAIN + % 66/130/123 -- 165/227/294 , + % 35/82/89 261/218 264 53 58/50/37 286/239/2 9 247/245 33/2 9 — o v m ��� 52/168/145 O) Z NNE W 'c" W O mvso (� U7� r LU v J _ Legend: AM/Noon/PM 1998 PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC COUNTS 9 4 N NO SCALE Figure 4A _ Maple Street is a two-lane east/west street which serves the northern areas of downtown and residential uses to the west. There is on -street parking allowed on both sides. Within the block of Maple Street between College Avenue and Mason Street, diagonal parking is allowed. At College Avenue, Maple Street becomes Jefferson Street/Riverside Avenue which serves as a truck route through the City of Fort Collins. There are no bicycle facilities present of Maple Street. LaPorte Avenue is a four -lane east/west arterial roadway which serves the northeastern areas of Fort Collins. This facility provides vehicular access the existing City Hall and pedestrian access to Saint Joseph's School. Several of the proposed projects would be located adjacent to LaPorte Avenue. To the east of College Avenue, LaPorte Avenue becomes Walnut Street which serves the Old Town area of downtown. The speed limit is posted at 25 mph. On - street parking is allowed. Bicycle facilities on LaPorte Avenue vary from on -street lanes and a shared bike route to the west of the study area to the absence of bicycle lanes east of Meldrum Street. Mountain Avenue is a four -lane east/west arterial. This facility serves the existing Larimer County Courthouse, downtown businesses, and residential uses to the west. On -street diagonal parking is allowed on both sides and in the center between College Avenue and Mason Street, and on the north side/center area between Mason and Howes Streets. Parallel on -street parking is allowed within the remainder of the study area. There are on -street bicycle lanes west of Howes Street however no bicycle facilities are present east of Howes Street. The speed limit is posted at 25 mph. Oak Street is a two-lane east/west roadway with on -street diagonal parking between College Avenue and Howes Street. Oak Street is discontinuous at College Avenue where it becomes a plaza on the west side of College. A pedestrian signal is located at Oak/College to accommodate pedestrian flows across College Avenue. Diagonal parking is allowed on both sides of Oak Street between College Avenue and Howes Street. Parallel on -street parking is allowed in the remaining areas. Oak Street is a designated bike route west of Howes Street, while east of Howes Street no bicycle facilities currently exist. Olive Street is a two-lane east/west street which serves the downtown Fort Collins Post Office, other commercial and business uses, and residential areas to the west. On -street parking is allowed with diagonal parking between College Avenue and Howes Street. No bicycle facilities are present on Olive Street. Magnolia Street is a two-lane east/west road which serves the southern areas of the study area. On -street parking is allowed with diagonal parking between College Avenue and Howes Street. No bicycle facilities are present on Magnolia Street. EXISTING INTERSECTION PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES Morning, noon, and afternoon peak hour traffic counts were conducted at each of the study intersections during June 1998. The existing peak hour traffic is depicted on Figures 4A and 4B. The count data is provided in Appendix A. During the data collection effort, data was also collected regarding pedestrian and bicycle flows across the intersections. The existing pedestrian data is depicted on Figure 5 and the bicycle data on Figure 6. 0 II. EXISTING CONDITIONS A comprehensive data collection effort was undertaken to develop a detailed description of the existing conditions within and near the study area. The assessment of conditions relevant to this study include land use, streets, traffic volumes, traffic operating conditions on the street system, pedestrian facilities, bicycle facilities, and transit service. EXISTING STREET SYSTEM College Avenue is a north/south arterial street and a State Highway (US 287). Within the study area, College Avenue is a four lane facility with diagonal parking on both sides and within the center of the roadway. It provides access to the downtown area of Fort Collins and also accommodates through traffic. Each of the -study intersections on College Avenue is signalized. The signals provide for pedestrian crossing during each cycle (referred to as pedestrian recall). The speed limit is posted at 25 mph. Based upon observations and conversations with the City Traffic Engineer, any capacity constraint on College Avenue is not due to the signals but rather the adjacent parking and pedestrian activity. Mason Street is a one-way northbound facility which begins at Myrtle Street and terminates at Cherry Street. This roadway provides for two travel lanes and accommodates a railroad down the center of the street. Parallel parking is provided on both sides of Mason Street throughout the study area. The exception is a section of the east side of Mason Street within the block between Mountain Avenue and Oak Street, where diagonal parking is allowed. There is a shared on -street parking and bike facility along Mason Street with the exception of the section with diagonal parking. The speed limit is posted at 25 mph. The intersections of Mason Street at: LaPorte Avenue, Mountain Avenue, Oak Street, and Olive Street, are all signalized. The stop -controlled on Mason Street are at: Cherry Street, Maple Street, and Magnolia Street. The adjacent land use is predominantly commercial and office. Several of the proposed projects are located directly adjacent to Mason Street. Howes Street is a one-way southbound facility which begins at Cherry Street and terminates at Myrtle Street. Howes Street provides three travel lanes with a shared bike and parking lane on each side of the roadway. Each of the study intersection on Howes Street are signalized with the exception of Cherry and Maple Streets which are stop -controlled. The speed limit is posted at 25 mph. The adjacent land use is a combination of governmental, limited residential, school, commercial, and office. Cherry Street is a two-lane east/west collector street on the northern edge of the study area. Cherry Street continues west of the study area to Shields Street. East of College Avenue, Cherry is renamed Willow Street and reoriented in a northwest direction. Willow Street terminates at Linden Street. There are on -street bike lanes. The adjacent land use includes some commercial uses, vacant parcels, and residential areas west of Howes Street. The speed limit is posted at 25 mph. 7 N CHERRY 43 33 23 _ �y MAPLE 15 8 2 42 32 22 LAPORTE 41 31 21 OUNTAIN d'o, 10 4 OAK 11 OLIVE ZNOLIA 19 12 5 20 13 6 MULBERRY cc z W 30 � O _ U NO SCALE STUDY INTERSECTIONS Figure 3 - Background Traffic - Year 2018 - Future traffic conditions for Year 2018 will be determined. The Year 2018 traffic projections will be determined by accounting for overall future growth in the study area and for traffic generated by proposed projects within the vicinity of the project site. Project Generated Traffic -The traffic generated by the proposed project will be determined. Total Traffic - Year 2018 - This is an analysis of future traffic conditions with traffic expected to be generated by the proposed project added to the Background Traffic forecasts. The impacts of the proposed project on future traffic operating conditions can then be identified. The following intersections, shown on Figure 3, were identified to be analyzed for the scenarios above: 1. College Avenue at Cherry/Willow Sts 3. College Avenue and LaPorte Avenue 5. College Avenue and Olive Street 7. Mason Street and Cherry Street 9. Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue 11. Mason Street and Oak Street 13. Mason Street and Magnolia Street 15. Howes Street and Maple Street 17. Howes Street and Mountain Avenue 19. Howes Street and Olive Street ORGANIZATION OF REPORT 2. College Avenue and Maple/Jefferson Streets 4. College Avenue and Mountain Avenue 6. College Avenue and Magnolia Street 8. Mason Street at Maple Street 10. Mason Street and Mountain Avenue 12. Mason Street and Olive Street 14. Howes Street and Cherry Street 16. Howes Street and LaPorte Avenue 18. Howes Street and Oak Street 20. Howes Street and Magnolia Street The remainder of this report is divided into six parts. Chapter II presents an analysis of the existing street system and traffic conditions for each of the study intersections. Forecasts of long range future background traffic are provided in Chapter III. Traffic projections for the proposed project are discussed in Chapter IV. Chapter V presents the long range total traffic projections. The future intersection operating conditions are presented in Chapter VI. Chapter VII provides an analysis of the future parking characteristics within the Civic Center area. The proposed recommendations for improvements to the transportation system are presented in Chapter Vill. Chapter IX provides a summary of the study results. Appendices are provided in a separate bound document. 5 The City of Fort Collins is proposing to relocate the existing library, located east of downtown, to the Civic Center. The library would be located directly south of Maple Street and north of the proposed City of Fort Collins office building. It is planned that the library would be designed for 100,000 square feet. Based upon analysis of the future parking needs within the study area, it was determined that parking for the proposed library would have to be accommodated on -site. The 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure would not have capacity to serve the library. A transit center is proposed directly.east of Mason Street, between Maple Street and LaPorte Avenue. The center would accommodate bus service to and from the downtown area, and would provide a northern connection to the future transit corridor located long Mason Street from downtown south to Harmony Road. It is anticipated that individuals using the center as a point of origin (their starting point) would be primarily kiss-n-ride users whom are dropped -off at the transit center and individuals walking/biking to the center. A large amount of on -site parking for park-n-ride users is not planned for. The transit center area is also planned to provide for approximately 6,400 square feet of office and retail space. An additional government related office building could be located north of the proposed library, north of Maple Street between Howes and Mason Streets. This building is not currently being designed. However, it is assumed that parking for this future building would be provided on -site. Saint Joseph's school, currently located west of Howes Street, between LaPorte and Mountain Avenues, is planning to expand their school by adding approximately 136 students. Most of the students to the school will be dropped -off and picked -up. Students are currently dropped -off from 7:45 to 8:30 in the morning a picked -up at the 3:15 afternoon dismissal. There is before and after school care from 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 3:15 to 6:00 PM. Each of these projects was included in the transportation analysis. STUDY SCOPE The scope for this study was developed in conjunction with the Fort Collins Transportation Engineering staff. The base assumptions, technical methodologies and geographic coverage of the study were all identified as part of the study approach. The study is directed at the analysis of potential project -generated traffic impacts along the existing and future street system. The following traffic scenarios are analyzed in the study: Existing Conditions - The analysis of existing traffic conditions is intended to provide a basis for the remainder of the study. The existing conditions analysis includes an assessment of traffic volumes and operating conditions atthe study intersections. 0 CHERRY MAPLE t STREET Fort Collins i rice L- � Building i L—� --------i STREET ANN AVENUE A& N NO SCALE � u E3 0 1, -Q 0 Space t 93 ---' Garage i 2 W W 3 3 Iljr]� _ 4O -------'' V w v AVENUE m . FUTURE CIVIC CENTER PROJECT LOCATIONS Figure 2 3 RY 00 sti MA 43✓ 33 23p LAP 42f r r 32 � 22 MO AIN 41 ✓ 31 21 O r OLIVE r ,A4 MA oLu ✓ MULBERRY �1 L z 11 W •' � O LQ 1 1 t--F-1 1* = 1000' STUDY AREA 2 Figure 1 1. INTRODUCTION This report documents the findings of atraffic study conducted to evaluate the potential traffic impacts and circulation needs of several future public development projects in the Civic Center area of downtown Fort Collins. This transportation study will address the long range future transportation system needs in the Civic Center with development of: the Larimer County Justice Center, a new City of Fort Collins office building, relocation of the Library to the Civic Center, the proposed 905 space parking structure, a transit center, additional private offices and retail use, and an additional future government office building. The study area is depicted on Figure 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project is a combination of several future developments within the Civic Center area of downtown Fort Collins. Each of these projects is in differing stages of planning. The most recent available data was utilized for the transportation study. However, if the future projects are modified, the impacts upon the transportation system should be re-evaluated. The location of each of the proposed projects is depicted on Figure 2. The parking demand characteristics of each project is discussed in Chapter VII. The proposed City of Fort Collins office building will be located north of LaPorte Avenue between Mason Street and Howes Street. This City building is planned to accommodate approximately 183 staff. Parking supply for this building would be supplied by the proposed 905 space parking structure. A 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure is planned where the current surface parking lot is directly east of Mason Street between LaPorte and Mountain Avenues. This lot would-be utilized by the City of Fort Collins building, the Larimer County Justice Center and other Larimer County staff in the existing courthouse building, and by visitors and other employees in the downtown area. Access to the parking structure would be from Mason Street, LaPorte Avenue, and the north/south alley which currently exist on the eastern side of the site. The proposed Larimer County Justice Center will be located directly south of LaPorte Avenue between Mason and Howes Streets. It is anticipated that in the long range future this facility could employ up to 290 staff. In the short range future it is anticipated that approximately 200 employees would be located at the Justice Center. Parking for the Justice Center will be provided by the proposed 905 space parking structure. Some secured parking will also be provided on -site for Larimer County enforcement personnel and judges. An office/retail building is also proposed on the same block as the Justice Center, at the northeast corner of Howes Street and Mountain Avenue. This building is in a very preliminary state of planning. It was assumed that 25,000 square feet of office use and 5,000 square feet of ground floor retial uses would be included in this site. Parking for this building would be provided in the proposed 905 space Civic Center Parking Structure and accommodated by some adjacent on -street parking spaces. I A B C D E F G APPENDIX (Separate Document) Traffic Count Data Level of Service Definitions Current Traffic Level of Service Analyses Background Traffic Level of Service Analyses Total Traffic Level of Service Analyses Pedestrian Level of Service Analyses Bicycle Level of Service Analyses I LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Study Area .................................................... 2 2. Project Locations ............................................ 3 3. Study Intersections ......................................... 6 4A. 1998 Peak Hour Traffic Counts ............. :.......... 9 4B. 1998 Peak Hour Traffic Counts ........................ 10 5. 1998 Peak Hour Pedestrian Counts ................... 11 6. 1998 Peak Hour Bicycle Counts ........................ 12 7A. Future Project Traffic ....................................... 22 7B. Future Project Traffic ....................................... 23 8A. Long Range Background Traffic ........................ 25 8B. Long Range Background Traffic ........................ 26 9A. Long Range Total Traffic ................................. 28 9B. Long Range Total Traffic ................................. 29 10. Parking Structure Driveway Volumes ................. 30 11. Parking Districts ............................................. 43 12A. Proposed Mason Street Striping ....................... 49 12B. Proposed Mason Street Striping ....................... 50 13. Proposed LaPorte Avenue Striping ..................... 52 14. Proposed Mountain Avenue Striping ................... 53 • 15. Proposed Magnolia Street Striping .................... 54 I LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Intersection Peak Hour Levels of Service Existing Traffic Conditions ............................... 14 2. Estimated Trip Generation ................................. 19,20,21 3. Intersection Peak Hour Levels of Service Long Range Background Peak Hour Traffic Conditions..................................................... 32 4. Intersection Peak Hour Levels of Service - Long Range Total Traffic Conditions ................... 33 5. East/West Bicycle Facility Evaluations ................ 38 6. Estimated Parking Demand -Civic Center Projects .. 40 7. Available Parking Supply -Districts 2,3,6 ............. 44 8. Future Parking Supply ...................................... 44 I TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 1. Introduction ................................................. 1 Project Description ........................................ 1 StudyScope ................................................ 4 Organization of Report ................................... 5 II. Existing Conditions ........................................ 7 Existing Street System ................................... 7 Existing Intersection Peak Hour Traffic Volumes .. 8 1 Intersection Level of Service ............................ 13 Existing Peak Hour Levels of Service ................ 13 Pedestrian Facilities ....................................... 13 Bicycle Facilities ........................................... 16 Transit Service ............................................. 17 III. Project Traffic Projections ............................... 18 Trip Generation ............................................. 18 Trip Distribution ........................................... 18 Trip Assignment ........................................... 18 IV. Future Background Traffic Projections .............. 24 Background Traffic ........................................ 24 V. Future Total Traffic Projections ........................ 27 Total Traffic .................................................. 27 VI. Traffic Impact Analysis ................................... 31 Background Traffic Analysis ............................ 31 ' Total Traffic Analysis ..................................... 31 Intersection Improvements .............................. 34 Pedestrian Level of Service ............................. 34 Bicycle Level of Service ................................. 36 Transit Level of Service ................................. 37 ' VII. Parking....................................................... 39 Parking Demand ........................................... 39 Future Parking Supply ................................... 42 Parking Deficit ............................................. 45 Vill. Recommendations ........................................... 46 Improvements Related to Vehicular Traffic Operations ................................................... 46 Pedestrian Facility Improvements ..................... 46 Bicycle Facility Improvements ......................... 48 Design Guidelines for the Civic Center Parking Structure ......................................... 51 Design Guidelines for the Justice Center .......... 51 Design Guidelines for the City of Fort Collins Building...................................................... 51 ' Design Guidelines for the Transit Center ........... 55 Design Guidelines for the Current Courthouse .... 55 Design Guidelines for the Library and other Government Office Building ............................ 55 IX. Conclusions .................................................. 56 I 0 I CIVIC CENTER PROJECTS TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY FORT COLLINS, COLORADO September, 1998 Prepared for: Fort Collins Facilities Division 117 North Mason Street Fort Collins, Colorado 80521 Prepared by: MATTHEW J. DELICH, P.E./RUTH ROLLINS, P.E. 2272 Glen Haven Drive Loveland, Colorado 80538 Phone: 970-669-2061 Fax: 970-669-5034