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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOLD TOWN FLATS - FDP - FDP130049 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDY· ELBEnSineerins,LLC Transporta lion EnSineerins Solll tions Transportation Impact Study Old Town Flats - Preliminary Development Plan Fort Collins, Colorado REVISED: October, 2013 Old Town Flats Project Transportation Impact Study Fort Collins, Colorado October 17, 2013 Prepared for: Brinkman Partners 3003 Harmony Road Suite 300 Fort Collins, CO 80528 Prepared by: Eric L. Bracke, P.E., P.T.O.E. 5401 Taylor Lane Fort Collins, CO 80528 Office:970-988-7551 ELBEngineering@lpbroadband.net This document, together with the concepts and designs presented herein, as an instrument of service, is intended only for the specific purpose and client for which it was prepared. Reuse of and improper reliance on this document without written authorization from ELB Engineering, LLC shall be without liability to ELB Engineering, LLC. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction 1 2. Agency Discussions 1 3. Existing Conditions 3 4. Project Description 6 5. Traffic Projections 10 6. Traffic Analysis 13 7. Improvements 16 8. Multimodal Analysis 17 9. Conclusions 21 List of Tables Table Page 1. 2. ,3. 4. 5. 6. LOS Definitions Existing Operation Trip Generation 2018 Background Capacity Analysis 2018 Total Traffic Capacity Analysis Transit Travel Time Comparisons/Analysis 5 6 8 14 15 19 Figures List of Figures Page 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Vicinity Map Existing Peak Hour Traffic Site Plan Trip Distribution Site Distributed Traffic Year 2018 Background Traffic Year 2018 Total Traffic Multimodal Evaluation Area 2 4 7 8 9 11 12 17 APPENDIX A. Base Assumptions/Scoping Form B. Traffic Counts C. HCM Capacity Analysis - Base Condition Year 2013 D. HCM Capacity Analysis - Background Year 2018 E. HCM Capacity Analysis - 2018 Total Traffic Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 1 I. Introduction This transportation impact study addresses the Old Town Flats Development Project located in Fort Collins, CO. The project is a multi-family housing project being proposed by Brinkman Partners of Fort Collins, CO. The site encompasses the southwest quadrant of the block (Block 23) in downtown Fort Collins and is bounded by Cherry Street, College Avenue, Maple Street, and Mason Street. The western half of the property is currently vacant and the eastern half of the block has vacant buildings on the site. The project entails the construction of apartment units consisting of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments consisting of 123 bedrooms in 94 apartment units. Figure 1 on the following page is a vicinity map displaying the location of the project. II. Agency Discussions Discussions with City staff indicated that an intermediate level transportation study as described in Chapter 4 of the Larimer County Urban Area Streets Standards (LCUASS) would be appropriate for this particular development. Staff also requested that an alternative modes analysis be conducted as part of the TIS. Background traffic is assumed to be 1.5% per year. The short-range horizon for the project is the year 2018. The site is adjacent to the transit center, the Mason Corridor, and in the downtown area. However, no trip reductions by active modes of transportation have been assumed. Therefore, the analysis presented herein can be considered conservative. Appendix A contains the scoping form (Attachment A), which outlines the agreed extent and terms of the study Figure 1: Vicinity Map Site Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 2 III. Existing Conditions A). Current Traffic Recent peak hour turning movements at the key intersections were obtained during August 2013. The morning and afternoon peak hour traffic counts at the key intersections are displayed in Figure 2. The peak hour counts were conducted over a 2- hour period in 15 minute increments for the periods of 7:00-9:00 AM and 4:00-6:00 PM. The raw information regarding the turning movements is provided in Appendix B. B). Current Street System College Avenue (US 287) is the principal north-south arterial that travels through Fort Collins. In the area of the site, College Avenue is a 4-lane arterial with auxiliary turn lanes where needed and a speed limit of 30 mph. College Avenue is the most heavily traveled roadway within the community and carries approximately 40,000 vehicles per day adjacent to the site. The roadway is classified as an NR-B under the State Highway Access Code. The intersections on College Avenue/Jefferson and College Avenue/Cherry are signalized and have been improved within the last ten years. There are bike lanes and sidewalks in this area. Cherry Street is a collector roadway on the Master Street Plan that has a speed limit of 25 mph and parking is allowed. There are bike lanes and sidewalks along Cherry Street. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 3 Maple Street is a local street with a speed limit of 25 mph, pavement in fair condition, and has diagonal parking. Mason Street is a critical roadway to the development. The current Mason Street has recently been converted from a one-way north roadway to two way traffic as part of the MAX BRT project. The roadway is unique in that the Burlington-Northern Railroad tracks are in the middle of the roadway. The site is directly adjacent to the downtown transit center that will function as the hub for the MAX project. The land uses in the area are primarily office, residential, and retail. The site is considered part of the Fort Collins downtown area. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 4 Maple Street 183/189 714/757 55/80 12/14 22/47 12/16 Mason Street College Avenue Cherry Street 5/27 70/97 33/35 19/38 389/611 71/96 312/290 98/98 56/69 14/15 615/634 284/269 18/16 354/420 5/9 3/10 3/6 18/42 33/23 286/440 19/17 2/6 17/49 11/31 0/12 112/136 10/23 126/275 143/135 148/107 83/61 571/831 42/32 33/75 75/205 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 5 C). Current Traffic Conditions Capacity analyses were performed at the key intersections to determine if existing deficiencies exist on the roadway network. The analyses followed the procedures of the Highway Capacity Manual. Level of Service (LOS) is a qualitative term describing operating conditions and expressed in terms of delay. Table 1 below provides the definitions of LOS for both signalized and unsignalized intersections. Table 2 displays the results of the analyses. The worksheets from the analyses can be found in Appendix C. Table 1 Level of Service Definitions Level of Service Signalized Intersection Average Total Delay (seconds/vehicle) Unsignalized Intersection Average Total Delay (seconds/vehicle) A <10 <10 B >10 and ≤20 >10 and ≤15 C >20 and ≤35 >15 and ≤25 D >35 and ≤55 >25 and ≤ 35 E >55 and≤ 80 >35 and ≤50 F >80 >50 It is noted that the City has prohibited the northbound and southbound left turns from Mason Street onto Maple. However, the prohibition is relatively new and folks are still making this maneuver regardless of the signage. The intersection was modeled and analyzed as it is functioning today. Future years treat the intersection as though the left turn prohibition is being obeyed. As can be seen in Table 2, the key intersections are currently operating at acceptable levels of service. Table 2 Year 2013 Capacity Analysis Existing Traffic - Year 2013 AM PM Intersection Movement LOS Delay(sec/vehicle) LOS Delay(sec/vehicle) College/Cherry/Willow EB L C 28.1 C 27.0 (Traffic Signal control) EB T D 39.0 C 34.5 EB R A 0.1 A 0.1 EB APPROACH C 21.9 C 23.6 WB L C 33.6 C 31.1 WB T D 40.4 D 45.7 WB R D 38.0 D 36.3 WB APPROACH D 38.1 D 41.2 NB L A 6.7 A 7.8 NB T A 9.2 B 13.6 NB R A 1.5 A 1.7 NB APPROACH A 8.5 B 15.2 SB L A 8.1 B 14.6 SB T B 14.2 C 21.2 SB R B 11.7 B 16.5 SB APPROACH B 13.4 B 18.7 OVERALL B 15.1 C 20.7 College/Jefferson/Maple EB L D 35.1 D 36.2 (Traffic Signal control) EB T/R D 40.4 D 46.0 EB APPROACH D 40.2 D 44.3 WB L C 28.8 C 33.0 WB T D 35.0 D 4.7 WB R A 0.3 A 0.3 WB APPROACH B 11.1 B 14.2 NB L B 11.2 B 14.6 NB T B 15.1 C 22.7 NB R A 0.1 A 0.1 NB APPROACH B 12.7 B 15.5 SB L B 16.1 B 15.6 SB T/R A 5.4 A 3.1 SB APPROACH A 8.8 A 6.9 OVERALL B 12.0 B 15.1 Mason/Cherry EB L A 8.0 A 8.6 STOP WB L/T/R A 0.8 A 0.6 NB L/T C 23.5 D 30.0 NB R B 12.6 B 11.8 NB APPROACH C 15.3 C 15.2 SB L/T/R C 21.3 E 11.8 OVERALL A 1.5 B 41.0 Mason/Maple EB APPROACH B 10.1 B 11.5 STOP WB APPROACH B 10.3 B 12.0 NB L A 0.5 A 0.8 SB LEFT A 0.4 A 0.8 OVERALL A 8.0 A 8.2 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 6 IV. Project Description A. Project The project is a multifamily housing project consisting of 94 dwelling units and comprises 123 bedrooms. There is no retail associated with the project. The project will set on the southwest quadrant of Block 23 in downtown Fort Collins. The site is bordered by College Avenue, Cherry Street, Mason Street, and Maple Street. The site is adjacent to the Mason Street Corridor and within close proximity to Colorado State University and City and County offices and will offer excellent opportunities for residents to use alternative modes of transportation for primary trip ends. Access to the site is being proposed on Cherry Street as well as Maple Street via the alley. No direct access is proposed on Mason or College. The curb cut on Cherry Street is directly adjacent to the eastbound double left turn lanes for the intersection of College/Cherry and should be controlled as a right-in/right-out access. The access on Maple will be full movement. A preliminary site plan is displayed in Figure 3 on the following page. Figure 3: Block 23 Site Plan Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 7 B. Trip Generation Trip generation rates for the proposed project are based on Trip Generation, 8th Edition (Institute of Transportation Engineers). The manual presents trip generation rates from numerous land use studies. Table 3 below summarizes the proposed trip generation for the project. During the morning peak hour, 48 trip ends can be expected and 59 trip ends can be expected from the project during the afternoon peak hours. No trip reductions were assumed as part of the analyses. Table 3 displays the trip generation estimate for the Block 23 project. Table 3 – Trip Generation Estimate AM Rate AM Trips AM Rate AM Trips PM Rate PM Trips PM Rate PM Trips Use ITE CODE Size Daily Rate Daily TripsININOUTOUTININOUTOUT Apartments 220 94.0 6.72 632 0.1 9 0.41 39 0.4 38 0.22 21 TOTAL 6329393821 C. Trip Distribution Trip distribution is the process of determining where the trips are coming to and from the site. The distribution was based on the sites proximity to CSU and to shopping opportunities as well as engineering judgment. The distribution is expected to remain fairly constant over the long term. The distribution for the project is displayed in Figure 4. Site distributed traffic is shown in Figure 4. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 8 College Avenue Cherry Street 30% 5% Figure 4: Trip Distribution >5% 10 % Old Town Flats 30 % 20 % Mason Maple 5% North Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 9 Maple Street Mason Street site 5/5 nominal 15/15 5/5 10/1 10/10 5/10 5/10 5/10 5/5 5/5 5/5 15/15 25/25 20/25 15/20 Cherry Street Nominal 10/10 Nominal 5/5 <5/<5 5/5 5/5 College Avenue 5/5 5/5 10/10 North Figure 5: Site Distributed Traffic (AM/PM) Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 10 V. Traffic Projections Background traffic for the year 2018 was estimated by assuming that all traffic movements on the public roadway system would increase by approximately 1.5% per year, as agreed to in the initial scoping meeting with the Traffic Operations Department. It was assumed that the remaining portions of Block 23 would remain undeveloped in the short-term (5-year) time frame. The 1.5% per year growth factor takes into account any other projects that may develop in the area. This traffic projection is consistent with the recent history of traffic growth in the area. Within the past year, Mason Street was converted to two-way traffic. The volumes on Mason Street are significantly less than originally projected as part of the conversion. There are more than likely two reasons for the low volumes on Mason Street. The first would be that people are not yet used to the change and a normal traffic pattern has not yet formed. The second explanation for the lower than expected volumes on Mason Street would be that access along the corridor has been restricted by the removal of turning movements across the center railroad tracks. Background traffic is displayed in Figure 6 on the following page. Site-generated traffic was then added to the background traffic to determine the total traffic volumes at the key intersections. Total traffic for the year 2018 is displayed in Figure 7. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 11 Maple Street 200/205 765/810 60/85 15/20 15/20 25/50 Mason Street College Avenue Cherry Street 5/30 75/10 5 35/40 20/40 415/655 75/105 335/310 105/105 60/75 15/15 660/680 305/390 20/20 380/450 10/10 5/15 5/10 20/45 35/25 305/470 20/20 20/55 15/35 15/15 120/145 15/25 135/295 155/145 160/115 90/65 610/890 45/135 35/80 80/220 40/50 10/5 35/40 5/5 105/140 5/10 North Figure 6: Year 2018 Background Traffic (AM/PM) Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 12 Maple Street 205/210 765/810 60/85 15/20 15/20 25/50 Mason Street College Avenue Cherry Street North 10/5 120/155 5/10 5/5 10/35 85/11 5 45/50 20/40 415/655 75/105 335/310 105/105 60/75 20/20 615/634 284/269 20/20 385/455 10/10 10/20 5/10 25/50 35/25 305/470 20/20 30/65 20/45 20/20 125/150 20/30 145/305 155/145 160/115 90/65 615/895 45/135 35/80 80/220 40/50 20/25 125/180 360/595 425/545 5/5 15/15 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 13 VI. Traffic Analysis Capacity analysis was performed at the key intersections for the Year 2018 background traffic as well as the total traffic for the year 2018. The analyses followed the procedures of the Highway Capacity Manual 2000. Table 4 and 5 display the results of the analyses. As can be seen in Table 4 (2018 background), all the key intersections continue to operate at acceptable levels of service with just the growth in background traffic. The southbound approach at Mason and Maple begin to experience delay, albeit still within the LOS standards. Table 5 is the capacity analysis for the Year 2018 with the project traffic added to the background traffic. The analysis shows that there is not a noticeable impact on the surrounding intersections with the implementation of the project and acceptable levels of service are still maintained. Capacity worksheets for the two scenarios are found in Appendices D and E. Table 4 Year 2018 No-Build Scenario Capacity Analysis YEAR 2018 BACKGROUND TRAFFIC AM PM Intersection Movement LOS Delay(sec/vehicle) LOS Delay(sec/vehicle) College/Cherry/Willow EB L C 27.5 C 27.1 (Traffic Signal control) EB T D 38.8 C 34.9 EB R A 0.1 A 0.1 EB APPROACH C 21.6 C 23.4 WB L C 33.2 C 31.5 WB T D 40.1 D 45.1 WB R D 37.6 D 36.8 WB APPROACH D 37.8 D 41.5 NB L A 7.5 A 8.7 NB T A 8.8 B 16.1 NB R A 1.1 A 3.8 NB APPROACH A 8.2 B 12.8 SB L A 8.5 B 13.5 SB T B 15.0 C 20.0 SB R B 12.1 B 15.9 SB APPROACH B 14.1 B 19.8 OVERALL B 15.2 C 21.1 College/Jefferson/Maple EB L C 33.8 D 36.4 (Traffic Signal control) EB T/R D 38.8 D 45.9 EB APPROACH D 38.6 D 44.3 WB L C 27.6 C 33.7 WB T C 33.7 D 41.4 WB R A 0.3 A 0.3 WB APPROACH B 10.6 B 14.0 NB L B 12.9 B 11.9 NB T B 17.5 B 18.2 NB R A 0.1 A 0.1 NB APPROACH B 14.7 B 19.5 SB L C 21.8 B 16.8 SB T/R A 5.8 A 2.7 SB APPROACH B 10.8 A 6.7 OVERALL B 13.2 B 13.8 Mason/Cherry EB L A 8.0 A 8.6 STOP WB L/T/R A 1.1 A 0.6 NB L/T C 20.2 D 30.0 NB R B 10.9 B 11.8 NB APPROACH B 14.0 C 18.3 SB APPROACH C 19.9 E 41.0 OVERALL A 2.4 A 4.6 Mason/Maple EB APPROACH B 10.2 B 11.1 STOP WB APPROACH B 10.5 B 11.5 OVERALL A 8.0 A 8.1 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 14 Table 5 – Year 2018 Build Scenario Capacity Analysis Year 2018 - TOTAL TRAFFIC AM PM Intersection Movement LOS Delay(sec/vehicle) LOS Delay(sec/vehicle) College/Cherry/Willow EB L C 27.6 C 27.0 (Traffic Signal control) EB T D 38.8 C 34.4 EB R A 0.1 A 0.1 EB APPROACH C 21.8 C 23.5 WB L C 37.6 C 31.0 WB T D 40.1 D 45.5 WB R D 37.6 D 36.2 WB APPROACH D 37.8 D 41.3 NB L A 8.3 C 24.7 NB T A 7.2 B 11.5 NB R A 0.4 A 1.3 NB APPROACH A 6.9 B 13.2 SB L A 8.5 B 15.5 SB T B 15.0 C 23.7 SB R B 12.1 B 18.3 SB APPROACH B 14.1 C 22.0 OVERALL B 14.9 C 21.3 College/Jefferson/Maple EB L C 33.0 D 35.1 (Traffic Signal control) EB T/R D 38.4 D 46.4 EB APPROACH D 38.0 D 44.4 WB L C 27.1 C 32.6 WB T C 33.2 D 39.9 WB R A 0.3 A 0.3 WB APPROACH B 10.7 B 13.7 NB L B 12.8 B 13.9 NB T B 18.0 C 22.7 NB R A 0.1 A 0.1 NB APPROACH B 15.2 B 19.3 SB L C 21.6 C 20.7 SB T/R A 6.2 A 2.9 SB APPROACH B 11.0 A 8.1 OVERALL B 13.7 B 15.8 Mason/Cherry EB L A 8.1 A 8.6 STOP WB L/T/R A 8.2 A 0.7 NB L/T C 20.0 D 32.6 NB R B 11.0 B 12.0 NB APPROACH B 14.4 C 19.7 SB APPROACH C 19.4 E 44.1 OVERALL A 2.3 A 5.0 Mason/Maple EB APPROACH B 10.6 B 11.8 STOP WB APPROACH B 10.8 B 12.3 OVERALL A 7.9 A 8.2 Cherry/North Alley NB R B 11.1 B 12.2 OVERALL A 0.1 A 0.1 Maple/South Alley EB APPROACH A 1.2 A 1.1 WB APPROACH A 0.0 A 0.0 SB APPROACH B 10.2 B 11.0 OVERALL A 1.7 A 1.5 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 15 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 16 VII. Improvements A. Traffic Signals Traffic signals are never installed until Warrant is satisfied under the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2000. In a preparing a transportation study, Warrant #3, the Peak Hour Warrant, is usually the best indication of a whether or not a traffic signal will be needed in the future. Based on a review of the two STOP sign controlled intersections, the following can be concluded: • The intersection of Maple and Mason will continue to operate at acceptable levels of service under STOP sign control • The intersection of Mason/Cherry will not likely need a traffic signal in the long range future. B. Auxiliary Lanes A review of the LUCASS was conducted regarding auxiliary lanes was undertaken as part of this study. In particular, Figure 8-01 and 8-04 were reviewed to determine if the thresholds for right and left turn lanes were satisfied. Based on the review and in consideration of the “built environment” of the area, no new auxiliary lanes are required with this project. The intersection of the alley and Cherry Street has come into question. There is an issue on whether auxiliary lanes should be required. At this time, it is not known if the intersection will remain open if a “quiet zone” is implemented by the City. An eastbound right turn lane is not warranted at this time and would be difficult to construct with such close proximity to the RR tracks. A westbound left turn from Cherry to the alley should not be allowed. Cherry is only one lane, would have to cross over an eastbound double left turn lane at College and would back Cherry Street traffic into College Avenue. B. Sight Distance The project proposes a full movement access on Maple Street. The City currently allows diagonal parking on Maple Street. At the location of the driveway, sufficient parking needs to be removed to allow adequate sight distance at the intersection. This distance should be a minimum of 30 feet on either side of the driveway. The removal of parking will also allow for more efficient egress and ingress for turning movements at the driveway. VIII. Multi-Modal Evaluation Section 4.5.3 (B) of the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards requires that projects undergo a level of service analysis for alternative modes of transportation. The modes of transportation that must meet LOS standards are bicycles, and pedestrians. Transit service LOS must also be analyzed at the time of development review. However, transit LOS is not part of the Adequate Public Facilities test. The area of interest for the alternative modes of transportation is shown below in Figure 8. It is likely that the project will generate numerous transit trips, bicycle and pedestrian trips and it is therefore important that the alternative mode system be adequate to serve this need. The area of the project is considered the “Downtown District” based on the City Structure Plan and for purposes of these analyses. Block 23 Figure 8: Multimodal Evaluation Area Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 17 Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 18 A. Pedestrian Level of Service The project area was evaluated for compliance with the pedestrian level of service standards. When the TIS was scoped, no specific pedestrians destinations were provided for analyses. However, it is assumed that the key destination from this site were the following: • Transit Center • Downtown (in general to the south) • City and County Buildings to the south • Lee Martinez Park/Poudre River Trail Currently, the site satisfies the required standards of the City. Sidewalks along College Avenue are attached and improved to enhanced standards. The project will improve the sidewalks along Mason, and Maple as part of the construction project. There are improved/enhanced pedestrian crossings, constructed by the City, at the following intersections: • Mason/Maple • Cherry/College • Jefferson/Maple/College On the north side of Block 23 (not in this development project), the east-west sidewalk from Mason to College is absent. It is assumed that when a development project comes to this site, it will be responsible for the sidewalk construction. The area is also in a grid street pattern. Pedestrians coming from destinations from the north can easily use Mason or College without adding distance to their trip. From the northern property line on the west side of the site, the sidewalk and RR track crossing will need to be discussed. There is a sidewalk in place with sections in both asphalt and concrete. The results of the analysis reveal that the project is in compliance with the standards. The following is a review of the evaluation. Directness – The project is adjacent to the Mason Street Corridor that will allow direct pedestrian access to CSU to the south and shopping opportunities to the south. The project will greatly enhance the sidewalk system adjacent to the site on both Maple and Mason. Continuity – The area is surrounded by well used sidewalks. There is not a lack of continuity in the pedestrian system within the study area with the exception of the sidewalk on the south side of Cherry between Mason and College. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 19 Street Crossings – The majority of street crossings in the area are currently to the highest standard that the city requires. Visual Interest and Amenity – The project is located in the downtown area and is considered to have significant visual interest and amenities for the pedestrian. Security – The sidewalks in the area are well lit, good sight distances, and numerous pedestrians in the area. The intersection of Mason and Cherry is a STOP Controlled intersection. There are crosswalks in place, the intersection is lighted, and provides direct connection from the project to the northern destinations of the Park and the Poudre River. In its current state, visual interest is probably labeled as fair but will improve as other properties in the area develop. Security is good, sight distance isn’t an issue, ADA ramps are in place, and the crossing distance is only two lanes of traffic. It is likely that as traffic increases, a traffic signal will be warranted and it will include pedestrian phases. B. Bicycles Level of Service The surrounding street system was evaluated for compliance with the City of Fort Collins bicycle level of service standards. Acceptable LOS for bicycles is considered B. To achieve LOS B, the project must have at least direct access to either north/south or east/west on-street bike lanes. There are bike lanes on Cherry Street (direct access through the alley) as well as on Mason Street (south of the site) which place the project in the LOS A category. There is an issue with the northbound bike lane on the east side of Mason Street, adjacent to the site. The NB bike lane drops off at Maple through Cherry Street. The site plan, as shown in Figure 3, displays a 10’ wide sidewalk and also a potential bike access that would allow a perpendicular crossing of the railroad tracks. There are several design options to improve the bikeways adjacent to the site. The proposal in the site plan is one of them. Another would be to widen Mason Street to accommodate the bike lane and engineer a perpendicular crossing. In either case, the LOS standard of B is met and can be improved. The project will have excellent connectivity for bikes since the site is located adjacent to the Mason Corridor as well as the Poudre River trail. The functionality of the bicycle system at this location is outstanding. C. Transit Level of Service According to the LUCASS Multimodal Level of Service Manual, transit level of service for the City of Fort Collins is based on the routes and service levels planned for the year 2015. However, the Manual was written in 1997 and is significantly outdated and no longer considered valid. The transit LOS analyses are therefore based on the 2010 Transfort Strategic Plan. The analysis is based on 4 factors – hours of weekday service, weekday frequency of service, travel time factor, and peak load factor. The LOS standard for transit is “B” based on this site location being within a commercial corridor. The 2010 transit plan shows that the site will have close access to the Mason BRT (directly across Maple Street) with bike and pedestrian connections as well as being directly served by all Transfort Routes. The Mason BRT is proposed to have 10-minute service. Hours of Weekday Service: Since the site is directly adjacent to the Mason Corridor and a short walking distance to the primary transit station. it is assumed that the site will be served by 18 hours of service on an average weekday. The standard can be assumed to be met. Weekday Frequency of Service: The site is directly adjacent to the Transfort station and will have access to all routes. The minimum of 15-minute service requirement is met. Travel Time Factor: The travel time factor is portal-to-portal travel time divided by auto travel time (peak hour). The standard for the criteria is for the travel time in bus to be no more than two times that of the automobile. This standard is not met for the project. The BRT line will serve to increase the travel time significantly over standard bus service. The downtown trip was not evaluated for obvious reasons. However, all other destinations meet the required standard as shown in Table 6 below. Table 6: Transit Travel Time Comparisons Destination Mode Distance (miles) Travel Speed (mph) Travel Time (hours) Walk/Park Time (hours) Transfer/ Wait Time (hours) Total Travel Time (hours) Time Differential (bus/auto) LOS Standard Met? Downtown Bus NA automobile NA 0.08 Foothills Mall Bus 3.75 20 0.19 0.25 0.44 1.88 Yes automobile 3.75 25 0.15 0.08 0.23 FC High School Bus 6.25 20 0.31 0.30 0.61 1.80 Yes automobile 4.5 25 0.18 0.16 0.34 CSU Campus Bus 1.5 20 0.08 0.15 0.23 1.61 Yes automobile 1.5 25 0.06 0.08 0.14 Peak Load Factor: The standard for the peak load factor is calculated by dividing the number of passengers by the peak time of day by the available seats. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 21 Based on the above, the transit LOS achieved 4 out of the 4 criteria and is therefore the LOS is calculated at “A”, which is obviously acceptable. IX. Conclusion This TIS assessed the impacts associated with the Old Town Flats Development Project located in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado. The project is a mixed use development consisting of 94 apartments. Based on the analyses, investigations, and findings documented in the various sections of this Transportation Impact Study, the following can be concluded: o Current operation is acceptable at all of the key intersections. o During the morning peak hour, 48 trip ends can be expected and 59 trip ends can be expected from the project during the afternoon peak hours. o No new traffic signals or signal modifications will be required with the construction of the project. o A new traffic signal/roundabout may be needed in the long-range future at the intersection of Mason/Cherry. o Traffic LOS for the short-term build scenario is acceptable based on the LUCASS standards. o Sight distance should be maintained at the driveway on Maple Street. o In terms of multi-modal LOS, the project will meet all of the Alt-Modes LOS standards. o The northbound bike lane on Mason Street should be accommodated in the site design. o No new auxiliary lanes are required with this project. o The project is feasible from a traffic engineering perspective. Statement of Adequacy: The transportation facilities will be adequate and available to serve this development as contained in the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards. All applicable LOS standards will be met since all transportation facilities are in place or will be in place upon issuance of a certificate of occupancy. The standard requires that this value be ≤ 1.2. Based on the LOS Manual, for all future routes, the presumed peak load factor is 1.0 and therefore the standard is satisfied. Old town Flats Development Project – Fort Collins, CO ELB Engineering, LLC Transportation Impact Study 5401 Taylor Lane REVISED: October, 2013 Fort Collins, CO 80528 20 25/25 20/30 140/160 5/5 45/60 Figure 7: Year 2018 Total Traffic (AM/PM) 38/47 3 / 4 99/1 2 31/38 2/1 3 5/10 9/1 North Figure 2: Existing Peak Hour Turning Movements (AM/PM)