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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWEST PLUM HOUSING - PDP - PDP160029 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDYDELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 II. EXISTING CONDITIONS .......................................................................................... 2 Land Use ......................................................................................................................... 2 Streets ............................................................................................................................. 2 Existing Traffic ................................................................................................................. 5 Existing Operation ........................................................................................................... 5 Pederstrian Facilities ....................................................................................................... 8 Bicycle Facilities .............................................................................................................. 8 Transit Facilities .............................................................................................................. 8 Neighborhood Meeting .................................................................................................... 8 III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................. 9 Trip Generation ............................................................................................................... 9 Trip Distribution ............................................................................................................... 9 Background Traffic Projections ..................................................................................... 12 Trip Assignment ............................................................................................................ 12 Signal Warrants ............................................................................................................. 12 Operation Analysis ........................................................................................................ 12 Geometry ...................................................................................................................... 16 Pedestrian Level of Service ........................................................................................... 16 Bicycle Level of Service ................................................................................................ 20 Transit Level of Service ................................................................................................. 20 IV. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................... 21 DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES LIST OF TABLES 1. Current Peak Hour Operation .................................................................................... 7 2. Trip Generation ......................................................................................................... 9 3. Short Range (2021) Background Peak Hour Operation .......................................... 17 4. Short Range (2021) Total Peak Hour Operation ..................................................... 18 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Site Location ............................................................................................................. 3 2. Existing Geometry ..................................................................................................... 4 3. Recent Peak Hour Traffic .......................................................................................... 6 4. Site Plan .................................................................................................................. 10 5. Trip Distribution ....................................................................................................... 11 6. Short Range (2021) Background Peak Hour Traffic ................................................ 13 7. Site Generated Peak Hour Traffic ........................................................................... 14 8. Short Range (2021) Total Peak Hour Traffic ........................................................... 15 9. Short Range (2021) Geometry ................................................................................ 19 APPENDICES A. Base Assumptions Form B. Peak Hour Traffic Counts C. Current Peak Hour Operation/Level of Service Descriptions/Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standards (Intersections) D. Short Range (2021) Background Peak Hour Operation E. Short Range (2021) Total Peak Hour Operation F. Pedestrian/Bicycle Level of Service Worksheets DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 1 I. INTRODUCTION This intermediate transportation impact study (TIS) addresses the capacity, geometric, and control requirements at and near the proposed development of the West Plum Housing site. The proposed West Plum Housing site is located on the south side of Plum Street between Scott Avenue and City Park Avenue in Fort Collins, Colorado. During the course of the analysis, numerous contacts were made with the owner/developer (EDR), the project planning consultant (Ripley Design), the project architects (Humphreys & Partners Architects L.P.), and the Fort Collins Traffic Engineering staff. The Transportation Impact Study Base Assumptions form and related documents are provided in Appendix A. This study generally conforms to the format set forth in the Fort Collins TIS Guidelines in the “Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards” (LCUASS). A scoping discussion was held with the Fort Collins Traffic Engineering staff. Due to the trip generation, this is an intermediate transportation impact study. It was requested that the afternoon peak hour level of service at the Plum/City Park intersection be analyzed, since there was a comment about it at the neighborhood meeting. 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 DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 2 II. EXISTING CONDITIONS The location of the West Plum Housing 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 residential and commercial. There are existing residential land uses to the north, east, and west of the site. There are existing commercial land uses to the south of the site. The center of Fort Collins is east of this site. Streets The primary streets near the West Plum Housing are Shields Street, Plum Street, City Park Avenue, Scott Avenue, and Blue Bell Street. Figure 2 shows a schematic of the existing geometry at the Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, and Plum/City Park intersections. Shields Street is east of the proposed West Plum Housing site. It is a north- south street classified as a four-lane arterial on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. Currently, Shields Street has a four-lane cross section. At the Shields/Plum intersection, Shields Street has a northbound and a southbound left-turn lane and two through lanes in each direction. The Shields/Plum intersection has signal control. The posted speed in this area of Shields Street is 30 mph. Plum Street is north of (adjacent to) the proposed West Plum Housing site. It is an east-west street classified as a two-lane collector on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. Currently, Plum Street has a two-lane cross section. At the Shields/Plum intersection, Plum Street has a westbound left-turn/through lane, a westbound right-turn lane, and eastbound all movements are combined into a single lane. At the Plum/Scott- Blue Bell intersection, Plum Street has all movements combined into a single lane. The Plum/Scott-Blue Bell intersection has stop sign control on Scott Avenue and Blue Bell Street. At the Plum/City Park intersection, Plum Street has all movements combined into a single lane. The Plum/City Park intersection has all-way stop sign control. The posted speed in this area of Plum Street is 25 mph. City Park Avenue is west of the proposed West Plum Housing site. It is a north- south street classified as a local street on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. Currently, City Park Avenue has a two-lane cross section. At the Plum/City Park intersection, City Park Avenue has all movements are combined into a single lane. The posted speed in this area of City Park Avenue is 25 mph. SCALE: 1"=500' SITE LOCATION Figure 1 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 3 City Park Avenue Shields Street Blue Bell St. Scott Ave. Plum Street Elizabeth Street Laurel Street EXISTING GEOMETRY Figure 2 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 4 Shields Street City Park Avenue Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street Plum Street - Denotes Lane DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 5 Scott Avenue is east of the West Plum Housing site. It is a north-south street classified as a local street on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. There is perpendicular parking on the west side of the Scott Avenue. It primarily serves the existing adjacent properties. It does not connect to West Elizabeth Street. At the Plum/Scott-Blue Bell intersection, Scott Avenue has all movements combined into a single lane. There is no posted speed on Scott Avenue. Blue Bell Street is north of the West Plum Housing site. It is a north-south street classified as a local street on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. It primarily serves the adjacent properties. At the Plum/Scott-Blue Bell intersection, Blue Bell Street has all movements combined into a single lane. There is no posted speed on Blue Bell Street. Existing Traffic Recent morning and afternoon peak hour traffic volumes are shown in Figure 3. The traffic counts at the Shields/Plum and Plum/Scott-Blue Bell intersection were obtained in May 2016. The afternoon traffic count at the Plum/City Park intersection was obtained in March 2016 by the City of Fort Collins. Raw traffic count data are provided in Appendix B. Existing Operation The Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, and Plum/City Park intersections were evaluated using techniques provided in the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual. Using the peak hour traffic shown in Figure 3, the peak hour operation is shown in Table 1. The key intersections meet the City of Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standard during the morning and afternoon peak hours. Calculation forms are provided in Appendix C. 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 West Plum Housing site is in an area termed “mixed use district.” In areas termed “mixed used district,” acceptable overall operation at signalized intersections during the peak hours is defined as level of service E or better. At signalized intersections, acceptable operation of any leg and any movement is level of service E. At arterial/arterial and collector/collector stop sign controlled intersections, acceptable operation is considered to be at level of service E, overall and level of service F, for any approach leg. At arterial//collector, arterial/local, collector/local, and local/local stop sign controlled intersections, acceptable operation is considered to be at level of service D, overall and level of service F, for any approach leg. RECENT PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 3 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 6 Plum Street AM/PM Shields Street 22/60 1160/1329 35/66 30/91 806/1395 8/4 45/46 29/34 30/59 2/10 19/32 22/53 38 159 61 38 130 19 48 71 27 24 92 53 City Park Avenue 2/1 0/0 3/5 1/10 0/1 7/11 8/10 96/128 0/5 6/14 60/179 6/4 Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street PM ONLY DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 7 TABLE 1 Current Peak Hour Operation Intersection Movement Level of Service AM PM Shields/Plum (signal) EB LT/T/RT D D WB LT/T D D WB RT A A WB APPROACH D D NB LT A A NB T/RT A A NB APPROACH A A SB LT A A SB T/RT A A SB APPROACH A A OVERALL A A Plum/Scott-Blue Bell (stop sign) EB LT/T/RT A A WB LT/T/RT A A NB LT/T/RT A A SB LT/T/RT A B OVERALL A A Plum/City Park (all-way stop sign) EB LT/T/RT B WB LT/T/RT B NB LT/T/RT B SB LT/T/RT B OVERALL B DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 8 Pedestrian Facilities Pedestrian facilities in this area were built under earlier street standards. Generally, sidewalks exist along all streets in this area. Sidewalks exist along this site. There are pedestrian crosswalks and ramps at all key intersections. At the Shields/Plum intersection, there were 46 pedestrians in the morning peak hour and 106 pedestrians in the afternoon peak hour. At the Plum/City Park intersection, there were 127 pedestrians in the afternoon peak hour. These pedestrian volumes were considered in the Shields/Plum intersection operation analysis. Bicycle Facilities There are bicycle lanes along Shields Street and Plum Street. City Park Avenue, Scott Avenue, and Blue Bell Street are local streets, therefore, do not require bicycle lanes. At the Shields/Plum intersection, there were 64 bicyclists in the morning peak hour and 76 bicyclists in the afternoon peak hour. At the Shields/Plum intersection, westbound Plum Street has a “bike box” to help move bicycle cross Shields Street. At the Plum/City Park intersection, there were 101 bicyclists in the afternoon peak hour. These bicycle volumes were considered in the Shields/Plum intersections operation analysis. Transit Facilities This area of Fort Collins will be served by Transfort Routes 3, 31 and 32 on Plum Street, Route 2 on West Elizabeth Street, and Routes 7 and 19 on Shields Street, effective August 22, 2016, which is the start of the fall semester at CSU. According to Transfort, the Plum Street routes have very high ridership. Anecdotally, during peak times ridership exceeds the capacity of the buses. Exceeding the capacity for the Plum Street routes (2 routes during the 2015-2016 school year) is expected to be remedied by the three Plum Street routes described above. The three routes will provide more frequent service. Neighborhood Meeting At the neighborhood meeting held on July 27, 2016, there were a number of transportation related comments. These do not pertain specifically to the West Plum Housing proposal, but were expressed by individuals living in the area. Delivery trucks (UPS, FedEx, etc.) often stop in the travel lanes on Plum Street, west of Shields Street. They can remain, unattended, for a number of minutes depending on the nature of the delivery. This can present congestion issues on Plum Street. Management at Ram’s Village indicated that 60 per cent of their residents drive to CSU on any given day. This is puzzling, since Ram’s Village is less than one mile from the center of campus and is on both the Plum Street and West Elizabeth Street Transfort routes. Perhaps the improved Transfort schedules will reduce this private vehicle use. DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 9 III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The West Plum Housing is a student residential development with 230 beds (62 apartment dwelling units), located on the south side of Plum Street, between Scott Avenue and City Park Avenue. Figure 4 shows a site plan of the West Plum Housing. The short range analysis (Year 2021) includes development of the West Plum Housing and an appropriate increase in background traffic due to normal growth and other potential developments in the area. The site plan shows that the West Plum Housing will have access to Plum Street. 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, 9th Edition, ITE is customarily used to estimate the trips that would be generated by the proposed/expected uses at a site. However, the City of Fort Collins has performed a trip generation study for student oriented apartments in Fort Collins. Therefore, the trip generation rates calculated by the City will be used. Each unit will have 1 to 4 bedrooms. Therefore, a person/bed was used as the trip generation variable. A trip is defined as a one-way vehicle movement from origin to destination. Table 2 shows the expected trip generation on a daily and peak hour basis. The trip generation of the West Plum Housing development resulted in 610 daily trip ends, 44 morning peak hour trip ends, and 97 afternoon peak hour trip ends. TABLE 2 Trip Generation Code Use Size AWDTE AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour Rate Trips Rate In Rate Out Rate In Rate Out Apartments 230 Beds 2.65 610 0.04 9 0.15 35 0.27 62 0.15 35 Trip Distribution Trip distribution for the West Plum Housing was based on existing/future travel patterns, land uses in the area, consideration of trip attractions/productions in the area, and engineering judgment. Figure 5 shows the trip distribution for the short range (2021) analysis future. The trip distribution was agreed to by City of Fort Collins staff in the scoping discussions. SITE PLAN Figure 4 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 10 TRIP DISTRIBUTION Figure 5 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 11 Plum Street AM/PM Shields Street City Park Avenue Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street 30% 30% 25% Site 15% DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 12 Background Traffic Projections Figure 6 shows the short range (2021) background peak hour traffic at the Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, and Plum/City Park intersections. Background traffic projections for the short range future horizon were obtained by reviewing various traffic studies prepared for this area of Fort Collins. Traffic volumes on the area streets were increased at a rate of 1.0 percent per year. 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. The site generated trip assignment for the West Plum Housing development is shown in Figure 7. The site generated traffic was combined with the background traffic to determine the total forecasted traffic for the study area. Figure 8 shows the short range (2021) total (site plus background) peak hour 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. For the streets in the vicinity of the West Plum Housing development, four hour and/or eight hour signal warrants are applicable. These warrants require much data and are applied when the traffic is actually on the area street system. It is acknowledged that peak hour signal warrants should not be applied, but since the peak hour forecasts are readily available in a traffic impact study, it is reasonable to use them to get an idea whether other signal warrants may be met. If peak hour signal warrants will not be met at a given intersection, it is reasonable to conclude that it is not likely that other signal warrants would be met. If peak hour signal warrants are met, it merely indicates that further evaluation should occur in the future as the development occurs. However, a judgment can be made that some intersections will likely meet other signal warrants. Using the short range (2021) total peak hour traffic (Figure 8), the Plum/Scott-Blue Belle intersection will not meet the lower threshold volume for the minor street approach (75 vehicles). The Shields/Plum intersection is currently signalized. The peak hour signal warrant will not be met at the Plum/City Park intersection in the afternoon peak hour. Operation Analysis Operation analyses were performed at the Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, Plum/Site Access and Plum/City Park intersections. The operations analyses were conducted for the short range future, reflecting the year 2021 condition. SHORT RANGE (2021) BACKGROUND PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 6 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 13 Plum Street AM/PM Shields Street 23/63 1219/1397 37/69 32/96 847/1466 8/4 47/48 30/36 32/62 2/11 20/34 23/58 40 167 64 40 137 20 50 75 28 25 97 56 City Park Avenue 2/1 0/0 3/5 1/10 0/1 7/11 8/10 101/135 0/5 6/14 63/188 6/4 Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street SITE GENERATED PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 7 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 14 Plum Street AM/PM Shields Street 3/19 3/19 11/10 9/9 10/11 2/15 0/4 0/1 1/4 1/1 3/3 1/1 City Park Avenue Site Access 30/30 8/53 Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street 8/53 1/9 5/5 30/30 SHORT RANGE (2021) TOTAL PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 8 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 15 Plum Street AM/PM Shields Street 26/82 1219/1397 37/69 35/115 847/1466 8/4 58/58 39/45 42/73 2/11 22/49 23/58 40 167 68 40 137 21 50 79 28 26 100 57 City Park Avenue Site Access 2/1 0/0 3/5 1/10 0/1 7/11 8/10 131/165 0/5 6/14 71/241 6/4 Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street 66/199 8/53 109/150 1/9 5/5 30/30 DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 16 Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 6, the Shields/Plum, Plum-Blue Bell, and Plum/City Park intersections operate in the short range (2021) background traffic future as indicated in Table 3. Calculation forms for these analyses are provided in Appendix D. The key intersections will meet the City of Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standard during the morning and afternoon peak hours. Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 8, the Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, Plum/Site Access, and Plum/City Park intersections operate in the short range (2021) total traffic future as indicated in Table 4. Calculation forms for these analyses are provided in Appendix E. The key intersections will meet the City of Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standard during the morning and afternoon peak hours. Geometry Figure 9 shows a schematic of the short range (2021) geometry. This is the existing geometry at the key intersections. Right-turn lanes are required on northbound and southbound Shields Street at the Shields/Plum intersection. These are required with existing traffic. Due to physical constraints at the Shields/Plum intersection, it is not likely that any improvements will be made at these locations. Since these turn lanes are required with or without the West Plum Housing, the intersections were analyzed with the existing geometry. Pedestrian Level of Service Appendix F shows a map of the area that is within 1320 feet of the West Plum Housing site. The West Plum Housing site is located within an area termed as “pedestrian district,” which sets the level of service threshold at LOS A for all measured categories, except for street crossing at LOS B. There are four pedestrian destinations within 1320 feet of the proposed West Plum Housing development. These are: 1) Colorado State University to the east of the site; 2) the commercial uses to the south of the site; 3) the residential to the west of the site; and 4) the residential uses to the north of the site. The Pedestrian LOS Worksheet is provided in Appendix F. Pedestrian facilities in this area were built under earlier street standards. The West Plum Housing site will improve the Visual Interest & Amenities along the front of their site. Bicycle Level of Service Appendix F shows a map of the area that is within 1320 feet of the West Plum Housing site. This area is considered to be a community/neighborhood commercial center. Based upon Fort Collins bicycle LOS criteria, the level of service threshold for bicycles is LOS B. There are two bicycle destinations within 1320 feet of the proposed West Plum Housing development. These are: 1) Colorado State University to the east of the site; and 2) the commercial uses to the south of the site. There are bicycle DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 17 TABLE 3 Short Range (2021) Background Peak Hour Operation Intersection Movement Level of Service AM PM Shields/Plum (signal) EB LT/T/RT D D WB LT/T D D WB RT A A WB APPROACH D D NB LT A A NB T/RT A A NB APPROACH A A SB LT A A SB T/RT A A SB APPROACH A A OVERALL A A Plum/Scott-Blue Bell (stop sign) EB LT/T/RT A A WB LT/T/RT A A NB LT/T/RT A A SB LT/T/RT A B OVERALL A A Plum/City Park (all-way stop sign) EB LT/T/RT B WB LT/T/RT B NB LT/T/RT B SB LT/T/RT B OVERALL B DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 18 TABLE 4 Short Range (2021) Total Peak Hour Operation Intersection Movement Level of Service AM PM Shields/Plum (signal) EB LT/T/RT D D WB LT/T D D WB RT A A WB APPROACH D D NB LT A A NB T/RT A A NB APPROACH A A SB LT A A SB T/RT A A SB APPROACH A A OVERALL A A Plum/Scott-Blue Bell (stop sign) EB LT/T/RT A A WB LT/T/RT A A NB LT/T/RT A A SB LT/T/RT B B OVERALL A A Plum/Site Access (stop sign) WB LT/T A A NB LT/RT A A OVERALL A A Plum/City Park (all-way stop sign) EB LT/T/RT B WB LT/T/RT B NB LT/T/RT B SB LT/T/RT B OVERALL B SHORT RANGE (2021) GEOMETRY Figure 9 DELICH ASSOCIATES West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 Page 19 Plum Street AM/PM Shields Street City Park Avenue Site Access Scott Avenue Blue Bell Street DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 20 facilities along Plum Street and Shields Street. Bike Lanes are not required on local streets. The West Plum Housing site is connected to the bike lanes on Plum Street, which satisfies the LOS B criteria. The bicycle LOS worksheet is provided in Appendix F. Transit Level of Service This area of Fort Collins will be served by Transfort Routes 3, 31 and 32 on Plum Street, Route 2 on West Elizabeth Street, and Routes 7 and 19 on Shields Street. This is effective August 22, 2016 according to the new Transfort bus schedules. According to Transfort, the Plum Street routes have very high ridership. The Transfort schedule changes will provide more frequent service in the area, especially on Plum Street between Shields Street and City Park Avenue. DELICH West Plum Housing TIS, September 2016 ASSOCIATES Page 21 IV. CONCLUSIONS This study assessed the impacts of the West Plum Housing development on the street system in the vicinity of the proposed development in the short range (2021) future. The West Plum Housing site is a proposed 230 bed apartment development located on the south side of Plum Street between Scott Avenue and City Park Avenue in Fort Collins, Colorado. As a result of this analysis, the following is concluded:  The development of the West Plum Housing site is feasible from a traffic engineering standpoint. At full development, the West Plum Housing will generate approximately 610 daily trip ends, 44 morning peak hour trip ends, and 97 afternoon peak hour trip ends.  Current operation at the Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, and Plum/City Park intersections meet the City of Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standards.  In the short range (2021) future, a signal will not be warranted at any of the key stop sign controlled intersections.  In the short range (2021) future, given development of the West Plum Housing and an increase in background traffic, the Shields/Plum, Plum/Scott-Blue Bell, Plum/Site Access, and Plum/City Park intersections will meet the City of Fort Collins Motor Vehicle LOS Standards.  Figure 9 shows the short range (2021) geometry.  Acceptable level of service will be achieved for pedestrian modes based upon the measures in the multi-modal transportation guidelines. Acceptable level of service will be achieved for bicycle modes based upon the measures in the multi-modal transportation guidelines. Transit frequency will be improved in this area.