HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOARDWALK CROSSING, LOT 2, FILING 2 - PDP - 76-93B - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDYI
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There are three existing destinations and one future destination that is included. An office building to the
north (Larimer County Workforce Center), and Commercial to the east and south (for example Shop-Ko, and
Target). The future destination includes the Mason Street Corridor once it is constructed.
The pedestrian LOS worksheet is provided in Appendix H. This area is in an Activity Corridor as it is within
1320 feet of College Avenue. The standard Level of Service is B in all factors. This level of service is
satisfied for some categories, while other, such as continuity have a LOS C since existing sidewalks have
variable width and some are attached. The required crossing of College Avenue with its multiple lanes shows
the eastbound pedestrian LOS also at C. A potential future crosswalk has been discussed that would provide
a connection to the Mason Street Corridor which will provide LOS A and B for pedestrians.
Bicycle Levels of Service Analysis
The bicycle level of service analysis sheet is shown in Appendix H. With existing bike lanes along Mason
and Boardwalk, this analysis shows a LOS of A.
Transit Levels of Service Analysis
Current transit service exists on College Avenue. Future transit along Mason Street Corridor is anticipated,
but not within the short-term time horizon. The analysis included in Appendix H shows a Level of Service B
with 3 of the 4 standards being currently met.
STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS
This study identified the transportation related impacts of the proposed Boardwalk Crossing Final Two
Buildings infill development. As a result of the analysis, the following conclusions can be drawn:
• The existing vehicular traffic shows no operational difficulties
• The impact of the proposed development on vehicular traffic was analyzed for the immediate time frame
and the short term time horizon. Each of the study intersections (Mason and Boardwalk, and the two
existing access locations) operates at an acceptable level of service in both time horizons, with and without
the development. The westbound left turns from Boardwalk onto Mason have a LOS F in the future time
frame both with and without the development. However, the queue does not exceed the length of turn bay.
This is considered acceptable for a minor street movement at a stop -controlled intersection.
• The potential for a northbound right turn lane from Mason onto Boardwalk was analyzed. The need for a
lane is not warranted, there are no queues developing, and given the nature of the corridor (including
limited right of way, lower level speeds, and no right turn lanes at other intersections), it is not anticipated
to occur at this location.
• A sidewalk along the development frontage along both Mason and Boardwalk, and direct connections to
both the south and east will accomplish pedestrian access to and from the proposed development. Once
the Mason Street Corridor is constructed, and the location of pedestrian access identified, a mid -block
pedestrian crossing could be constructed to provide direct connections to the corridor.
• Existing bike lanes along Mason and Boardwalk will adequately serve the proposed development.
• Transit LOS is acceptable.
/ SEAR BROWN
Board%kall. Cru,>me
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Figure 6. 2009 Total Volumes / LOS
Intersection
LOS c A
Intersection
U
^' LOS=A
26
dJ 170 / A
i
} Mason
39 W m Approach
13 tl L
�n�� n OS E
N O n t7
s
Access
from Mason ^ a m 3
Access from
1 / c
Boardwalk 1 17
Inbraectlon
LOS n A
� � 1 /�
Approach 29 / C 1
OS B 108 / A
Special Analysis of Northbound Right Turn Lane from Mason onto Boardwalk: Initial discussions with City of
Fort Collins Planning Department indicated a need to provide analysis for the northbound right turn
movement from Mason onto Boardwalk.
Based upon the volumes shown above and the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards, an
exclusive right turn auxiliary lane is not currently warranted, nor will it be warranted in the time
frames analyzed either with or without the proposed development.
Right turn lanes are important for stop and signal controlled approaches (where queues can
develop), or where there is a substantial speed differential between through traffic and turning
vehicles. In this location, the northbound traffic is free flowing, and although it is classified as
an arterial, the speed limit is only 30 mph.
Mason Street between Horsetooth and Harmony has a limited 60 ft right of way width, and does
not include any exclusive right turn lanes either north or southbound at any of the five
intersections in the corridor. Should right turn lanes be considered for the future, a more logical
potential location would be at the higher volume intersection of Troutman and Mason.
Given the three reasons stated above, it is the recommendation of this report (and concurred with Traffic
Engineering at the City of Fort Collins), that an exclusive right turn lane is not necessary northbound from
Mason onto Boardwalk.
Pedestrian Levels of Service Analysis
As noted above, the study area for pedestrians is by definition destinations which are within 1320 feet of the
proposed development. This area is shown on the vicinity map on page 1. Although there is a residential area
west of the proposed development, the railroad tracks are a non-transversable barrier, and the route to get to
the residential area includes a trip back north to Horsetooth. Therefore, there is no residential destination in
the analysis.
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Figure 4. Immediate Total Volumes / LOS
Intersection
LOS=A
V
15
428 / A —►
S p
N O V
Access
from Mason
Figure 5. 2009 Background Volumes / LOS
Intusedlon
LOS = A
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10 U
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Access
from Mason
Mason
Site
Access from
Boardwalk
Mason
Site
Intersoodon
L09. A
♦— 432
155/A
y1 m Aciorosd,
o LOSC
3
1/C
1s
IrserseclIon
1 L08. A
Aw-,:h 23 /8--/"' I
LOS B 1
87 / A
Access from
Boardwalk
Intersection '
LOS . A
489
175/A
LL m AgxoacA
n LOSE
a2
om
3
1/C
17
Intersection
LOS = A
LO8 B
dc
98 / A
F-
F4 V
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BACKGROUND TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS
In order to properly evaluate the potential impact of the proposed development on the local traffic conditions,
future traffic volumes were estimated for a 5-year time horizon without the development. These future
forecasts reflect the growth that is expected from overall continued development in the city. At the scoping
meeting it was agreed that a growth rate of 2.5% per year should be used on the background traffic. The
background traffic volumes expected in the study area intersections in 2009 are shown in Figure 5.
TOTAL TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS
Using the existing volumes (background) and the site volumes, the total traffic upon completion of the
development is shown in Figure 4. The total traffic for the 5-year time horizon (shown in Figure 6) is
calculated by taking the background volumes from Figure 5 and adding the site traffic from Figure 3.
TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS
Motor Vehicle Analysis
t The above information has described the development of background and site traffic, as well as total traffic
for the immediate time frame and the 5-year time horizon. Intersection capacity analysis was completed on
the following scenarios:
Existing Traffic (as shown in Figure 1 and already discussed. Calculations sheets in Appendix D)
Immediate Total Traffic (Figure 4. Calculations sheets in Appendix E)
Short Term Background Traffic (Figure 5. Calculations sheets in Appendix F)
Short Term Total Traffic (Figure 6. Calculations sheets in Appendix G)
' Immediate Total Traffic: Figure 4 shows that the intersection at Mason and Boardwalk is still well within
acceptable limits, and the access locations level of service have not declined from the existing values. This
indicates that the proposed development will not have a significant impact on the adjacent roadway operations
(percent increase in turning movement volumes in the peak hour are approximately 3% at Mason Boardwalk
and 5% at the Boardwalk access). The Level of Service for the westbound left turning traffic at Boardwalk
' onto Mason is at a LOS E. This is normal for a minor street left turn movement onto an arterial during the
peak hour. The queue does not exceed the bay length, and does not impact either access drive.
Short Term Background Traffic: Figure 5 shows the result of this analysis. Even with area growth, the three
intersections continue to operate at acceptable levels. The westbound left turn lane at Boardwalk is now a
LOS F, although the approach is functioning at a LOS E. As noted above, this is typical, and is expected to
occur without the development.
Short Term Total Traffic: Figure 6 shows the volumes, and Levels of Service for the Short Term Total
Traffic. The impact of the development can be seen by comparing Figure 5 (short term background) to Figure
6 (short term total). At this time frame with both the background and the development traffic, the westbound
left turn lane at Boardwalk onto Mason has a queue of 92 feet. With a bay length of 150' this does not
significantly negatively impact traffic flow. All access drive approaches are functioning very well.
The addition of the development will not create significant negative impacts on the vehicular operations of the
existing roadways.
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are the resultant of the trip distribution process. The site traffic assignment per the distribution in Figure 2 is
shown in Figure 3.
Figure 2. Trip Distribution
I •— 5 %
35 % ,
25 % ar ae
O N
N
Access
from Mason
xx % general volume dlatributic
[u jincoming %
xx % Outgoing %
Figure 3. Site Volumes
1 —Ji I I
3
Y Access
from Mason
�— 10 %
r— 20 %
Mason 46 %
Site
Access from
Boardwalk
3
Mason
Site
14 In
21 out .._
a F
Access from
Boardwalk
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the site. Once the Mason Street Corridor and connection locations to it from Mason Street are established, a
pedestrian crosswalk across Mason could be added.
Bicycle Facilities
There are existing bike lanes along Mason Street from Horsetooth south past Troutman throughout the entire
1/4 mile study area. There are also existing bike lanes along Boardwalk between Mason and JFK (there are a
few locations where the bike lanes drop at an intersection to make room for vehicle auxiliary lanes).
Transit Facilities
Transfort currently serves the study area with Route 1 along College Avenue. The route operates Monday
through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. with headways of 20-minutes. The closest bus stop to the
proposed development is at Boardwalk and College.
PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT / SITE GENERATED TRAFFIC
The Boardwalk Crossing Final Two Buildings Development includes the following land use:
North Building: 4,000 SF of general office space and 6,000 SF of specialty retail.
South building: 5,000 SF specialty retail
Trip Generation
Trip generation is important to establish how many trips the proposed development will likely generate during
the peak hour. Site generated traffic was estimated using the standard generation rates and procedures
consistent with the latest Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual.
The Trip Generation rates were taken from the ITE Land Use 814 (Specialty Retail Center) and 710 (General
Office). These are shown below in Table 2. As discussed at the scooping meeting, only a PM peak hour
analysis will be completed. The AM peak hour along Mason Street and Boardwalk have substantially lower
traffic volumes due to the commercial land use in the area.
Table 2 — Trip Generation
Code
Use
Size
AWDTE
PM Peak Hour
Rate CTrips
Rate I In
Rate
I Out
710
General Office (N. Bldg)
4,000 sf
11.01 ! 44
.25 1
1.24
5
814
Specialty Retail Center (N. Bldg)
6,000 sf
40.67 j 244
1.11 7
1.48
9
814
Specialty Retail Center S. Bldg)
5,000 sf
40.67 203
Ill 6
1.48
7
As indicated in the table it is anticipated that the site would generate approximately 491 average weekday
daily trip ends (AWDTE), with 35 total site trips in the PM peak hour (14 incoming trips and 21 outgoing).
Due to the type of proposed business and the neighboring land use and in order to be conservative in analysis,
there is no reduction for pass -by trips, no internal trips, and no mode share assumed (i.e. all trips are by car).
Trip Distribution and Assignment
The directional distribution of the generated trips (as agreed to in the scooping meeting) was based upon an
analysis of the existing traffic patterns in the area. These percentages are shown in Figure 2. Trip assignment
is how the generated and distributed trips are expected to be loaded on the street system. The assigned trips
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Table 1
Motor Vehicle Level of Service Definition — Intersections
Unsignalized Intersection
LOS
Delay (sec/veh)
A
510.0
B
> 10.0 and 515.0
C
> 15.0 and 525.0
D
>25.0 and 535.0
E
>35.0 and 550.0
F
>50
The intersections are all operating at a LOS of A with the minor approach at Mason / Boardwalk operating at
a LOS of C. Calculation forms are included in Appendix D. An acceptable approach level of service within
the Fort Collins City Limits at stop sign controlled intersection is E and certain movements with Level of
Service F are considered normal in an urban environment.
Figure 1. Existing Volumes / LOS
Intersection
LOS . A
7 J
427 / A —�
5
Pedestrian Facilities
Intersection
LOS . A
Mason
4311-�
mod
Site
Access
from Mason
a
N � f
ofrom
Boardwalk
a'J it
20/S
LOS B 120
—+
771 A
f— 431
152/A
� D
ID AeProact
LOS C
Y
3
�— 1/B
15
InWssction
LOS . A
sum
As discussed above, there are pedestrian facilities adjacent to and near the proposed development. The widths
of the sidewalks vary, with some in the study area as narrow as four (4) feet. The only break in connectivity
of pedestrian facilities is along currently undeveloped properties (i.e. the parcel containing this proposed
development). The site plan for the proposed development shown in Appendix B includes sidewalks along
Mason and Boardwalk, direct connecting pedestrian facilities to the existing developments south and east of
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SEAR•BROWN
Boardwalk Crossing
Final Two Buildings
east of the proposed development, a paint store under construction west of the development, restaurant and
parking lot to the north, and big box retail to the south. The College Avenue corridor to the east is a
commercial corridor with mostly retail and restaurant uses in this area. The topography is generally flat.
Area Roadways, Pedestrian and Bike Facilities
The streets that will serve the development are Mason Street to
the west and Boardwalk to the north. Mason is a 30 mph
roadway classified as a minor arterial. It is a north -south two-
lane roadway with existing bike lanes and attached or detached
sidewalks in all locations except for undeveloped lots. Mason
Street has a short (75') southbound left turn bay onto
Boardwalk.
Boardwalk west of College is a 25 mph two-lane collector with
a westbound dedicated left turn bay at the existing access point
and another left turn lane at Mason. There is an eastbound left
turn lane into the restaurant access and full range of auxiliary
lanes at the approach to College Avenue. There are
existing bike lanes between Mason and College, and
sidewalks are in included along developed lots (see photo
at right).
The two proposed accesses are shown in the aerial at
right. The access onto Boardwalk has a landscape island,
and a westbound left turn lane into it on Boardwalk. The
access onto Mason is a two-lane access. These accesses
will continue to serve the existing businesses and provide
access to the proposed development.
Existing Motor Vehicle Traffic
PM peak hour turning movement counts at the
intersection of Mason and Boardwalk were completed in
January of 2003 and were deemed acceptable for use
during the scoping meeting. PM peak hour turning
movement counts were completed at each existing access
location to be used by the proposed development. The
counts were completed in 15-minute intervals for a total
of two hours. The peak four consecutive intervals are
used in the analysis. The counts are shown in Figure 1.
Raw traffic counts are provided in Appendix C.
Existing Motor Vehicle Operations
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Roadway Classifications
(source — City (if Fort Collins)
Boardwalk at Mason Looking East
Existing Accesses To Be Used by Development
(soun:e — City of Fort Collins)
Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 1, and the existing geometries and control of the roadways, the
three intersections were evaluated. The analysis is based on procedures outlines in the Highway Capacity
Manual (HCM 2000) published by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). This type of analysis assigns a
letter value based on average delay experienced by vehicles to indicate the level of service (LOS) of the
intersection. The letter values assigned range from A to F with A being the best. A summary and definition
of each LOS letter designation is provided in Table 1 for unsignalized intersections.
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Final Tvw BuilJim'�
INTRODUCTION
This transportation impact study addresses the potential impacts of an in -fill development entitled Boardwalk
Crossing, Final Two Buildings. The development is in Fort Collins along the east side of Mason Street, and
just south of Boardwalk. The proposed use is as follows:
North Building: 4,000 SF of general office space and 6,000 SF of specialty retail.
South building: 5,000 SF specialty retail
The development will use existing accesses located along Boardwalk and Mason. No new accesses are
proposed.
A scoping meeting was held with City of Fort Collins Traffic Engineer Eric Bracke on January 27, 2004 and
it was determined that an intermediate TIS was required. The worksheet from this meeting is included in
Appendix A. Further communications indicated a requirement to complete the sidewalk system along the
development frontage and identified no additional pedestrian, bicycle or transit concerns. The site plan is
included in Appendix B.
This analysis addresses the immediate time
frame, and a short range 5-year horizon. Per
the scooping meeting, only the weekday PM
peak hour will be analyzed. The vehicular
study area includes the two existing access
points (one onto Mason Street and one onto
Boardwalk), and the intersection of
Boardwalk and Mason. Pedestrian, Bike and
Transit availability analysis will include a'/a
mile study area, which is shown within the
yellow circle at right.
Determining the effects of the proposed
development on the transportation system
was accomplished by collecting existing
traffic data and first measuring the
performance of the existing street network
without the development. Then the trip
generation, distribution, and trip assignment
for the proposed development was
established. Next, the existing traffic data
was projected to the short-range horizon year
of 2009. Finally, the performance of the
street network in the short range with and
without the development in place was
measured.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
Land Use
Vicinity and Study Area
(source - City of Fort Collins)
The location of the proposed development is shown in the vicinity photo above. This is in south-central Fort
Collins, southwest of the comer of Horsetooth and College. The existing land use is vacant land, zoned for a
commercial development. Surrounding land uses are generally commercial, with an existing bank directly
O SEAR•BROWN 1
Boardwalk Crossing, Final Two Buildings
Traffic Impact Study
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SB Project No. 1032-001
Fort Collins, Colorado
February 9, 2004
Prepared per:
City of Fort Collins
' Larimer County Urban Area Streets
Standards, Reenacted Oct. 1, 2002
Guidelines for Traffic Impact Studies
u�e, U- ■ DONE.
I S EAR • B ROW N 209 South Meldrum, Fort Collins, C.O. 80521 / 970.482.5922 / %k •+��.searhrtmn.com