HomeMy WebLinkAboutLAKE STREET APARTMENTS - PDP - PDP160007 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDY821 WEST LAKE STREET
TRANSPORTATION IMPACT STUDY
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
FEBRUARY 2016
Prepared for:
Student Housing CSU, LLC
2249 Pinehurst Drive
Middleton, WI 53562
Prepared by:
DELICH ASSOCIATES
2272 Glen Haven Drive
Loveland, CO 80538
Phone: 970-669-2061
FAX: 970-669-5034
Project #1593
DELICH 821 West Lake Street TIS, February 2016
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1
II. EXISTING CONDITIONS .......................................................................................... 2
Land Use ......................................................................................................................... 2
Roads .............................................................................................................................. 2
Existing Traffic ................................................................................................................. 5
Existing Operation ........................................................................................................... 5
Pedestrians Facilities ...................................................................................................... 5
Bicycle Facilities .............................................................................................................. 8
Transit Facilities .............................................................................................................. 8
III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................. 9
Trip Generation ............................................................................................................... 9
Trip Distribution ............................................................................................................... 9
Background Traffic Projections ....................................................................................... 9
Trip Assignment ............................................................................................................ 13
Signal Warrants ............................................................................................................. 13
Operation Analysis ........................................................................................................ 13
Geometry ...................................................................................................................... 13
Pedestrian Level of Service ........................................................................................... 19
Bicycle Level of Service ................................................................................................ 19
Transit Level of Service ................................................................................................. 19
IV. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................. 20
LIST OF TABLES
1. Current Peak Hour Operation .................................................................................... 7
2. Trip Generation ......................................................................................................... 9
3. Short Range (2020) Background Peak Hour Operation .......................................... 16
4. Short Range (2020) Total Peak Hour Operation ..................................................... 17
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LIST OF FIGURES
1. Site Location ............................................................................................................. 3
2. Existing Intersection Geometry.................................................................................. 4
3. Recent Peak Hour Traffic .......................................................................................... 6
4. Site Plan .................................................................................................................. 10
5. Trip Distribution ....................................................................................................... 11
6. Short Range (2020) Background Peak Hour Traffic ................................................ 12
7. Site Generated Peak Hour Traffic ........................................................................... 14
8. Short Range (2020) Total Veicle Peak Hour Traffic ................................................ 15
9. Short Range (2020) Geometry ................................................................................ 18
APPENDICES
A. Base Assumptions form and related information
B. Recent Peak Hour Traffic
C. Current Peak Hour Operation/Level of Service Descriptions/Fort Collins LOS
Standards
D. Short Range (2020) Background Peak Hour Operation
E. Short Range (2020) Total Peak Hour Operation
F. Pedestrian/Bicycle Level of Service
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I. INTRODUCTION
This intermediate transportation impact study (ITIS) addresses the capacity,
geometric, and control requirements at and near the proposed 821 West Lake Street. The
proposed 821 West Lake Street site is located north of (adjacent to) Lake Street and east
of Shields Street in Fort Collins, Colorado.
During the course of the analysis, numerous contacts were made with the project
developer (Student Housing CSU, LLC), the project planning consultant (Ripley Design),
and the Fort Collins Traffic Engineering staff. This study generally conforms to the format
set forth in the Fort Collins transportation impact study guidelines contained in the “Larimer
County Urban Area Street Standards” (LCUASS). The study involved the following steps:
• Collect physical, traffic, and development data;
• Perform trip generation, trip distribution, and trip assignment;
• Determine peak hour traffic volumes;
• Conduct capacity and operational level of service analyses on key intersections;
• Analyze signal warrants;
• Conduct level of service evaluation of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit modes of
transportation.
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II. EXISTING CONDITIONS
The location of the 821 West Lake Street site is shown in Figure 1. It is important
that a thorough understanding of the existing conditions be presented.
Land Use
Land uses in the area are primarily institutional (CSU) or residential. Land adjacent
to the site is flat (<2% grade) from a traffic operations perspective. This site is near the
center of Fort Collins. Colorado State University and the Fort Collins CBD are north of the
proposed 821 West Lake Street site. This site is adjacent to the CSU Campus.
Roads
The primary streets near the 821 West Lake Street site are Prospect Road,
Shields Street, Whitcomb Street, and Lake Street. The existing geometry at the key
intersections is shown in Figure 2.
Prospect Road is to the south of the 821 West Lake Street site. It is classified as
a four-lane arterial street on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. Currently, Prospect
Road has a four-lane cross section in this area. At the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection,
Prospect Road has eastbound and westbound left-turn lanes and two travel lanes in
each direction. According to LCUASS, a westbound right-turn lane is required with the
existing traffic volumes at the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection. Typically with
constrained conditions, when turn lanes are shown to be required based on volumes,
they are not built unless the operation at the subject intersection is determined to be
unacceptable. The Prospect/Whitcomb intersection has signal control. The existing
speed limit in this area is 35 mph.
Shields Street is to the west of the 821 West Lake Street site. In this area, it is a
north-south street designated as a four-lane arterial street on the Fort Collins Master
Street Plan. Currently, it has a four-lane cross section with a center median lane. At
the Shields/Lake intersection, Shields Street has a southbound left-turn lane and two
through lanes in each direction. According to LCUASS, a northbound right-turn lane is
required with the existing traffic volumes at the Shields/Lake intersection. The
Shields/Lake intersection has signal control. The existing speed limit in this area is 30
mph.
Whitcomb Street is a north-south street designated as a local street on the Fort
Collins Master Street Plan. Currently, Whitcomb Street has a two-lane cross section
with parking on both sides of the street. At the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection,
Whitcomb Street has the northbound movements combined in a single lane, a
combined southbound left-turn/through lane, and a southbound right-turn lane. The
existing speed limit in this area is 25 mph.
Shields
Prospect
Rolland
Moore
Centre
Lake
Whitcomb
Laurel
Pitkin
South
University
Plum
Meridian
East
SCALE: 1"=1000'
SITE LOCATION Figure 1
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EXISTING INTERSECTION GEOMETRY Figure 2
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Prospect
Lake
Shields
Whitcomb
- Denotes Lane
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Lake Street is an east-west street designated as a collector street on the Fort
Collins Master Street Plan. Currently, Lake Street has a two-lane cross section with
parking on both sides of the street. At the Shields/Lake intersection, Lake Street has
separate westbound left-turn and right-turn lanes. The existing speed limit in this area
is 25 mph.
Existing Traffic
Figure 3 shows the recent peak hour traffic counts at the Prospect/Whitcomb and
Shields/Lake intersections. Recent count data at the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection
was obtained in November 2014 by the City of Fort Collins. Recent count data at the
Shields/Lake intersection was obtained in May 2014 by the City of Fort Collins. Raw
count data is provided in Appendix B.
Existing Operation
The Prospect/Whitcomb and Shields/Lake intersections were evaluated and the
peak hour operation is displayed in Table 1. Calculation forms are provided in Appendix
C. The Prospect/Whitcomb and Shields/Lake intersections are currently operating
acceptably with existing signal control, geometry, and signal timing in the morning and
afternoon peak hours. The intersections were evaluated using techniques provided in
the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual (2010HCM). A description of level of service for
signalized and unsignalized intersections from the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual and
a table showing the Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standards (Intersections) are also
provided in Appendix C. The Prospect/Shields intersection is in an area termed “mixed-
use district.” In areas termed “mixed-use districts,” acceptable operation at signalized
intersections during the peak hours is defined as level of service E or better for the
overall intersection, and level of service E or better for any leg or movement. It is
important to note that, since the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection has shared left-
turn/through lanes on the Whitcomb Street legs, the signalized analysis, using the
2010HCM software, has anomalies using shared lanes. The anomalies have been
recognized by the City of Fort Collins Traffic Engineer also. Therefore, the
Prospect/Whitcomb intersection was analyzed using the 2000 Highway Capacity
Manual (2000HCM) software and the operation is also shown in Table 1. Subsequent
analyses for the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection use the 2000HCM software.
Pedestrian Facilities
There are sidewalks along Prospect Road, Shields Street, Whitcomb Street, and
Lake Street.
AM/PM
RECENT PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 3
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7/5
2/6
25/24
23/161
0/5
37/250
61/35
994/747
13/5
184/89
391/1019
11/45
744/1344
123/92
1104/1180
154/48
37/157
11/116
Prospect
Lake
Shields
Whitcomb
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TABLE 1
Current Peak Hour Operation
Intersection Movement Level of Service
AM PM
Prospect/Whitcomb
(signal)
EB LT A (A) C (A)
EB T A (A) B (A)
EB T/RT A (A) B (A)
EB APPROACH A (A) B (A)
WB LT A (A) B (A)
WB T A (A) B (B)
WB T/RT A (A) B (B)
WB APPROACH A (A) B (B)
NB LT/T/RT D (D) C (C)
SB LT/T D (D) F (D)
SB RT A (D) C (D)
SB APPROACH D (D) F (D)
OVERALL A (A) C (B)
Shields/Lake
(signal)
WB LT E E
WB RT D D
WB APPROACH E E
NB T A A
NB T/RT A A
NB APPROACH A A
SB LT A A
SB T A A
SB APPROACH A A
OVERALL A A
(2000HCM)
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Bicycle Facilities
Bicycle lanes exist on Shields Street and Lake Street. Prospect Road has no
bicycle lanes. Bike lanes are not required on local streets.
Transit Facilities
Currently, Transfort serves this area of Fort Collins with Routes 2, 7, 19, and 32.
There are transit stops very close to this site.
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III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
The 821 West Lake Street development is a proposed residential redevelopment
with approximately 400 beds. Figure 4 shows a site plan of the 821 West Lake Street
development. The site plan shows access to/from Lake Street. he 821 West Lake Street
development will replace the Beebe Christian School building. The short range analysis
(Year 2020) includes development of the 821 West Lake Street site and an appropriate
increase in background traffic, due to normal growth, and other approved developments
in the area.
Trip Generation
Trip generation is important in considering the impact of a development such as this
upon the existing and proposed street system. A compilation of trip generation information
contained in Trip Generation, 9
th
Edition, ITE is customarily used to estimate trips that
would be generated by the proposed/expected use at a site. However, the City of Fort
Collins has developed trip generation rates for apartment projects similar to 821 West
Lake Street. The Fort Collins trip generation rates are specifically applied to student
housing projects. Table 2 shows the daily and peak hour trip generation for the 821 West
Lake Street site. It is assumed that alternative modes (pedestrian, bicycle, and transit)
have been compensated for with the City of Fort Collins’ rates for apartments.
TABLE 2
Trip Generation
Code Use Size
AWDTE AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Rate Trips Rate In Rate Out Rate In Rate Out
220 Apartment 400 Beds 2.65 1060 0.04 15 0.15 61 0.27 108 0.15 60
Trip Distribution
Directional distribution of the generated trips was determined for the 821 West Lake
Street site. Figure 5 shows the vehicle trip distribution used for the 821 West Lake Street
site.
Background Traffic Projections
Figure 6 shows the short range (2020) background peak hour traffic projections
at the key intersections. Traffic at the key intersections was increased at a rate of one
percent per year for the short range (2020) background traffic forecasts. In addition to
this, site generated traffic from the 808 W. Prospect development (The Slab) was
included in the traffic forecasts.
SCALE: 1"=50'
SITE PLAN Figure 4
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Shields
Prospect
Lake
Whitcomb
Pitkin
South
Meridian
5% 50%
20% 20%
NOM
5%
NOM
SCALE: 1"=500'
TRIP DISTRIBUTION Figure 5
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AM/PM
SHORT RANGE (2020) BACKGROUND
PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 6
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7/5
2/6
25/24
25/176
0/5
39/265
65/37
1055/793
13/5
195/94
417/1096
11/45
790/1427
132/103
1175/1256
163/51
39/167
12/123
Prospect
Lake
Shields
Whitcomb
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Trip Assignment
Trip assignment is how the generated and distributed trips are expected to be
loaded on the street system. The assigned trips are the resultant of the trip distribution
process. Using the trip distribution shown in Figure 5, Figure 7 shows the assignment
of the site generated peak hour vehicle traffic. The site generated vehicle traffic was
combined with the background traffic to determine the total forecasted vehicle traffic at
the key intersections. Figure 8 shows the short range (2020) total peak hour vehicle
traffic at the key intersections.
Signal Warrants
As a matter of policy, traffic signals are not installed at any location unless warrants
are met according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). None of
the stop sign controlled intersections are expected to meet peak hour signal warrants.
Operation Analysis
Operation analyses were performed at the key intersections. The operation
analyses were conducted for the short range analysis, reflecting a year 2020 condition.
As mentioned earlier, the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection has shared left-turn/through
lanes on the Whitcomb Street legs. Therefore, the Prospect/Whitcomb intersection was
analyzed using both the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual (2010HCM) and the 2000
Highway Capacity Manual (2000HCM) software.
Using the short range (2020) background peak hour traffic volumes, the
Prospect/Whitcomb and Shields/Lake intersections operate as indicated in Table 3.
Calculation forms for these analyses are provided in Appendix D. The key intersections
operate acceptably with existing control, geometry, and signal timing in the morning and
afternoon peak hours.
Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 8, the key intersections operate in the
short range (2020) total condition as indicated in Table 4. Calculation forms for these
analyses are provided in Appendix E. The key intersections operate similar to the
background operation with existing control, geometry, and signal timing in the morning
and afternoon peak hours.
Geometry
The short range (2020) geometry is shown in Figure 9. The geometry at the
Prospect/Whitcomb and Shields/Lake intersections is the existing geometry. As
mentioned earlier, according to LCUASS, a northbound right-turn lane at the
Shields/Lake intersection and a westbound right-turn lane at the Prospect/Whitcomb
AM/PM
SITE GENERATED
PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 7
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3/22
3/26
12/12
12/12
Prospect
Lake
Shields
Whitcomb
9/60
6/48
24/24
37/36
Site Access
3/3
31/30
8/54
AM/PM
SHORT RANGE (2020) TOTAL
PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 8
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Prospect
Lake
Shields
Whitcomb
48/285
9/60
291/150
6/48
24/24
37/36
Site Access
7/5
2/6
25/24
28/179
0/5
70/295
65/37
1055/793
13/5
103/148
417/1096
11/45
790/1427
135/125
1175/1256
166/77
51/179
24/135
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TABLE 3
Short Range (2020) Background Peak Hour Operation
Intersection Movement Level of Service
AM PM
Prospect/Whitcomb
(signal)
EB LT A (A) C (B)
EB T A (A) B (B)
EB T/RT A (A) B (B)
EB APPROACH A (A) B (B)
WB LT A (A) B (A)
WB T A (A) B (B)
WB T/RT A (A) B (B)
WB APPROACH A (A) B (B)
NB LT/T/RT D (D) C (C)
SB LT/T D (D) F (E)
SB RT A (D) C (D)
SB APPROACH D (D) F (D)
OVERALL A (A) D (B)
Shields/Lake
(signal)
WB LT E E
WB RT A D
WB APPROACH E E
NB T A A
NB T/RT A A
NB APPROACH A A
SB LT A A
SB T A A
SB APPROACH A A
OVERALL A A
(2000HCM)
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TABLE 4
Short Range (2020) Total Peak Hour Operation
Intersection Movement Level of Service
AM PM
Prospect/Whitcomb
(signal)
EB LT A (A) C (B)
EB T A (A) B (B)
EB T/RT A (A) B (B)
EB APPROACH A (A) B (B)
WB LT A (A) B (A)
WB T A (A) B (B)
WB T/RT A (A) B (B)
WB APPROACH A (A) B (B)
NB LT/T/RT D (D) C (C)
SB LT/T D (D) F (E)
SB RT A (D) C (C)
SB APPROACH D (D) F (D)
OVERALL A (A) D (C)
Shields/Lake
(signal)
WB LT E E
WB RT A D
WB APPROACH E E
NB T A A
NB T/RT A A
NB APPROACH A A
SB LT A A
SB T A A
SB APPROACH A A
OVERALL A A
Lake/Site Access
(stop sign)
NB LT/RT B B
WB LT/T A A
(2000HCM)
SHORT RANGE (2020) GEOMETRY Figure 9
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Prospect
Shields
Whitcomb
- Denotes Lane
Lake
Site Access
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intersection are required with the existing traffic volumes. Typically at constrained
locations, when turn lanes are shown to be required based on volumes, they are not
built unless the operation at the subject intersection is determined to be unacceptable.
According to the “West Central Area Plan” (adopted March 17, 2015), the right-
of-way of Lake Street will be widened to 75 feet from the existing 60 foot right-of-way.
There will still be a two-lane cross section with on-street parking on both sides of Lake
Street. A “planted buffer” will shield the bike lanes and sidewalks from the roadway.
Pedestrian Level of Service
Appendix F shows a map of the area that is within 1320 feet of the 821 West
Lake Street site. The 821 West Lake Street site is located within an area termed as a
“pedestrian district,” which sets the level of service threshold at LOS A & B for all
measured factors. There are three destination areas within 1320 feet of the proposed
821 West Lake Street: 1) the Colorado State University Campus; 2) the residential
neighborhood west of the site; and 3) the residential neighborhood to the southwest of
the site. In most cases, sidewalks exist within the pedestrian influence area. It is
assumed that sidewalks will be completed as properties develop. Appendix F contains
a Pedestrian LOS Worksheet.
Bicycle Level of Service
Based upon Fort Collins bicycle LOS criteria, there is one destination area (CSU)
within 1320 feet of the 821 West Lake Street. The bicycle level of service is acceptable.
The bicycle LOS Worksheet is provided in Appendix F. There will be bicycle storage
facilities on site.
Transit Level of Service
Currently, Transfort serves this area of Fort Collins with Routes 2, 7, 19, and 32.
There are transit stops very close to this site. There is a bus stop just north of the
Shields/Lake intersection. According to the “West Central Area Plan,” there will be
transit stops on Lake Street in the future.
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IV. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
This study assessed the impacts of the 821 West Lake Street development on the
short range (2020) street system in the vicinity of the proposed development. As a result
of this analysis, the following is concluded:
• The development of the 821 West Lake Street site is feasible from a traffic
engineering standpoint. At full development, the 821 West Lake Street site will
generate approximately 1060 daily vehicle trip ends, 76 morning peak hour
vehicle trip ends, and 168 afternoon peak hour vehicle trip ends.
• Current operation at the Prospect/Whitcomb and Shields/Lake intersections is
acceptable.
• In the short range (2020) future, given development of the 821 West Lake Street
site and an increase in background traffic, the key intersections operate
acceptably with existing control, geometry, and signal timing at the
Prospect/Whitcomb, Shields/Lake, and Lake/Site Access intersections in the
morning and afternoon peak hours.
• Acceptable level of service is achieved for pedestrian, bicycle, and transit modes
based upon the measures in the multi-modal transportation guidelines.