Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE CARPET EXCHANGE PUD - PRELIMINARY - 94-88 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDY0 Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING & TRAFFIC ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS Offices in Denver and Colorado Springs November 22, 1988 Mr. Kenneth P. Goff Hunter Architecture Group, Ltd. 5378 Sterling Drive Boulder, CO 80301 1889 York Street Denver. Colorado 80206 (303) 333-1105 RE: Traffic Impact Report The Carpet Exchange Fort Collins, CO ( I,SC *881130 ) Dear Mr. Goff: In accordance with our agreement, we are pleased to submit our report of the traffic impacts associated with the proposed Carpet Exchange project in Fort Collins, Colorado. This report provides a summary of existing and future roadway and traffic conditions in the vicinity of the development, estimates of the amount and directional distribution of vehicular traffic to be generated, and an evaluation of the ability of the future roadway system to accommodate the traffic. The following summarizes our findings. Introduction and Background The Carpet Exchange is a planned, 3.2-acre retail sales complex for home improvement merchandise. The proposed development will include approximately 64,000 square feet of floor area. The purpose of the project is to provide space for the sale of home improvement items to the public at discount prices. The complex will include an approximate 20,000-square- foot furniture store, an 18,000-square-foot carpet store, and miscellaneous other home improvement stores including paint stores, wallpaper stores, drapery shops, etc. The location of The Carpet Exchange is shown in Figure 1. It will be located on the east side of South College Avenue approximately 3,000 feet south of Harmony Road. The site will be adjacent to, and immediately south of, the existing Fred Schmid appliance store. Existing- Traffic Conditions The Carpet Exchange center will have about 460 feet of frontage along South College Avenue, College Avenue (US Highway 287) is an 88- to 96-foot wide major arterial roadway with two moving lanes in each direction, a 16- to 20-foot wide painted median, and a continuous right -turn lane along each side of the roadway. It has complete curb and gutter construction along Transportation Systems • Transit • Parking • Vehicular Access 0 Pedestrian & Bicycle Planning • Traffic Operations & Safety • Signal Design • Traffic Impact Studies • • Mr. Kenneth P. Goff the edges of the pavement miles per hour. Page 2 November 22, 1988 The speed limit along College Avenue is 50 As shown in Figure 1, The Carpet Exchange site is located midway between existing, full -movement intersections at Fairway Lane and Fossil Creek Parkway. The northern site boundary is about 400 feet south of the Fairway Lane intersection; the southern boundary is about 150 feet north of the Fossil Creek Parkway intersection. Figure 1 also shows estimated 1988 average weekday traffic volumes along College Avenue, together with the results of recent peak -hour turning -movement traffic counts at the intersection of College Avenue and Fossil Creek Parkway. The peak -hour counts verify that the estimated average daily traffic along College Avenue in the vicinity of the site is approximately 27,000 vehicles per weekday. Future Traffic Conditions The section of South College Avenue from Harmony Road south to Trilby Road is part of a comprehensive corridor study now under way by the City of Fort Collins. The purpose of this study is to develop a master plan for the corridor, establishing the location of major intersections which would be signalized, together with the locations and characteristics of minor intersections which may be allowed between the signalized intersections. In the vicinity of The Carpet Exchange site, it appears that the Corridor Study will recommend potential future signalized intersections at Fairway Lane north of the site and at a relocated intersection between College Avenue and Fossil Creek Parkway. This latter intersection would be located approximately 300 to 400 feet south of the present intersection. The City's preferred access plan for South College Avenue is shown in Figure 3. In addition to the access control plan along College Avenue, the Corridor Plan envisions the construction of a system of east and west reliever roadways parallel to College Avenue and set back a distance of 200 to 300 feet or more from College Avenue. In the vicinity of the site, Snead Drive, which is an existing short north -south roadway along the east side of the Fred Schmid store, would be extended southward to Fossil Creek Parkway along the rear, or east boundary, of The Carpet Exchange stores. Thus, future access to The Carpet Exchange could be provided from both the Fossil Creek Parkway and Fairway Lane full -movement access (FMA) points. Traffic Generation The Carpet Exchange Center, with 64,000 square feet of gross floor area, is planned to contain a 20,000-square-foot furniture store, an 18,000-square-foot carpet store, and other smaller stores featuring paint, wallpaper, drapery, and other home improvement types of merchandise. Traffic -generation rates for these kinds of uses typically range from a low of less than five trips per 1,000 square feet for typical furniture stores to a high of over 50 trips per 1,000 square feet for paint and hardware stores. Because the exact mix of stores is not known, and generation rates Mr. Kenneth P. Goff Page 3 November 22, 1988 have not been established for shops such as drapery and wallpaper stores, a composite traffic -generation rate has been assumed for the whole complex. As shown in Table 1, it is estimated that the complex would generate about 30 trips per 1,000 square feet per day. During the morning peak hour, about 0.5 trips per 1,000 square feet would be generated and during the afternoon peak hour, approximately 4.5 trips per 1,000 square feet would be generated. These estimates represent reasonable rates, probably on the high or conservative end, for estimating traffic associated with The Carpet Exchange stores. Based upon these generation rates, the Carpet Exchange complex would generate approximately 1,900 vehicle -trips on an average weekday. The evening peak -hour traffic associated with the complex would be heaviest with approximately 290 vehicle -trips generated during that time. Distribution of Generated Traffic The Carpet Exchange stores, as specialty retail stores, will have a regional draw within both Loveland and Fort Collins. Thus, the directional distribution of traffic to the north and south is expected to be about 60 percent to the north and 35 to 40 percent to the south. Assuming that Fossil Creek Parkway will be extended eastwardly to Lemay Avenue, a minor amount of traffic, two to five percent, has been assigned to that direction. Site Access and Resultant Traffic Volumes Because of the preliminary nature of the access control plan for South College Avenue, and the undeveloped state of much of the surrounding property and roadway systems, two different access systems have been planned for The Carpet Exchange stores. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the initial access plan while Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the ultimate access plan. In each case, Figures 4 and 6 illustrate the directional distribution of generated traffic associated with each access plan while Figures 5 and 7 illustrate the assigned morning and evening peak -hour traffic. Initially, it is planned to serve The Carpet Exchange site with a temporary roadway extension to the site from existing Fossil Creek Parkway. This extension, through property not a part of The Carpet Exchange site, would be located approximately 100 feet east of College Avenue, as shown in Figure 4. This temporary access road would provide access to Fossil Creek Parkway which now has full access at the College Avenue intersection. In addition to the temporary access road, the site would be served with a temporary right -in, right -out access along the north boundary of the site. Figure 6 illustrates the ultimate access plan following the relocation of Fossil Creek Parkway to a point approximately 300 feet south of the existing alignment. In conjunction with this realignment, it is planned to extend Snead Drive to the south to intersect with the realigned Fossil Creek Parkway. Under the provisions of this plan, there would be a Mr. Kenneth P. Goff Page 4 November 22, 1988 right -in, right -out access to The Carpet Exchange development on the south boundary of the development. The primary access to the site would be by way of the Fossil Creek Parkway intersection with direct service to the site from Snead Drive. Snead Drive to the north would also provide access to the site by way of the Fairway Lane intersection located on the north side of the Fred Schmid store. As shown in Figure 6, the right -in, right -out access would provide for about 60 percent of the exiting traffic and 33 percent of the entering traffic. When the traffic distribution percentages of Figures 4 and 6 are applied to the generation amounts in Table 1, the corresponding morning and evening peak -hour traffic volumes at the access points can be calculated. These are shown in Figures 5 and 7 for the initial and ultimate access plans, respectively. Future Background Traffic Estimated Year 2010 traffic on the roadway system in the vicinity of The Carpet Exchange is depicted in Figure 8. Because of the retail nature of this site, only evening peak -hour traffic volumes have projected, because they represent the "worst case" situation relative to traffic operations. On College Avenue, traffic volumes are estimated to be in the 1,900 to 2,300 vehicles per hour range which is equivalent to an average weekday traffic volume on this roadway of 40,000 to 42,000 vehicles per day. Traffic volumes at the intersection of College Avenue and relocated Fossil Creek Parkway assume full development on all four quadrants of this intersection. Traffic_. Impac_.ts When site -generated traffic is added to background traffic, the resultant total traffic volumes can be determined. These are illustrated in Figure 9, which shows traffic volumes associated with the ultimate access system for The Carpet Exchange. As shown in Figure 9, traffic volumes generated by The Carpet Exchange will constitute about 2 percent of the traffic on College Avenue south of Fossil Creek Parkway and from 2 to 3 percent of the traffic on College Avenue north of Fairway Lane. On Fairway Lane, Carpet Exchange traffic will constitute about 12 to 13 percent of the total traffic while on Snead Drive east of the site, the site -generated traffic will constitute about 15 to 20 percent of total traffic. Based upon an evaluation of the traffic volumes at the intersection of Fossil Creek Parkway and College Avenue, this intersection would operate at Level of Service "C" or better. Because of the uncertainties relating to the extension of Fossil Creek Parkway eastward to Lemay, it is difficult to estimate the amount of through traffic on this roadway. With a strong eastern extension, through traffic could be higher than indicated, but the intersection would still operate well within Level of Service "C." E Mr. Kenneth P. Goff Page 5 November 22, 1988 Access Conclusions The access plan for The Carpet Exchange complex should work well under both initial and ultimate plans. For the initial access, the temporary access road to Fossil Creek Parkway can be located at the indicated 100-foot distance from College Avenue. Because of the low traffic volumes on this roadway at the present time, there would be negligible interference between traffic associated with The Carpet Exchange complex and existing traffic on Fossil Creek Parkway. The latter traffic now amounts to 150 trips per hour in the evening peak hour. Left -turn stacking for four cars will provide more than enough capacity for the intersection. The ultimate access plan for The Carpet Exchange should be implemented following the southward relocation of Fossil Creek Parkway or the eastern extension of Fossil Creek Parkway to Lemay Avenue, whichever comes first. Because this access plan depends upon the extension of Snead Drive, the City of Fort Collins will have to assume leadership for the construction of this extension. It is suggested that the access plan for The Carpet Exchange might provide for an access to Snead Drive along the northern boundary of the complex. This drive could also serve the existing Fred Schmid appliance store to the north. Summary The 64,000-square-foot Carpet Exchange Center will be a moderate generator of traffic, generating no more than 1,900 vehicle -trips per day at full buildout of the center. The consequent traffic impacts associated with the development will also be moderate. Access can easily be accommodated during both the initial and ultimate buildout development stages with the access plans as shown. I hope the preceding information will be useful in the planning of The Carpet Exchange. If you have any questions please feel free to call. Respectfully submitted, LEIGH, SCOTT & CLEARY, INC. A� - By _ Robert E. Leigh, P.E. REL/mlc Enclosures: Table 1 Figures 1 through 9 Table 1 ESTIMATED TRAFFIC GENERATION THE CARPET EXCHANGE Fort Collins, Colorado Trip Generation Rates/Unit(1) ------------------------------- A. M. P. M. Trip Average Peak Hour Peak Hour Generation Weekday --------- ---------- Land Use Units Traffic In Out In Out Home Improvement Stores Trips Generated ------------------------------ Average A M. P. M. Weekday Peak Hour Peak Hour --------- --------- Traffic In Out In Out 64,000 30.00 0.40 0.10 2.00 2.50 1,920 26 7 128 160 Planned uses in The Carpet Exchange Center include a 20,000-square-foot furniture store, an 18,000- square-foot carpet store and several other home improvement stores including paint and wallpaper stores, drapery shop, etc. Trip -generation rates for these types of stores range from a low of 4 trips per 1,000 square feet for furniture stores to a high of over 50 trips per 1,000 square feet for paint and hardware stores. The rates shown above represent a reasonable composit of generation rates. Source: Institute of Transportation Engineers, "Trip Generation," 1987, and estimates by Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. •I • cr cc C0 etf U X X 27,000 Vehicles / Day X tn__( / LL Peak HourTraffic8-19-88 a m a cr m m cv c 0 LL 27,600 Vehicles / Day Harmon Rd SH-68 Palmer Dr irwav Lane vol „�—x Site _---- 26,500 Vehicles / Day Fossil Creek A &/I e 3 919 1s o Figure 1 9N U ' SITE LOCATION AND ESTIMATED TRAFFIC VOLUMES The Carpet Exchange <DNO SCALE Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. PREFERRED ACCESS PLAN South College Avenue QDNO SCALE Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc_ LEGEND: AND ASSIGNMENT OF G1� Percent Generated Traffic (73 GENERATED TRAFFIC V (70) Averagea Daily Traffic <DNO SCALE The Carpet Exchange Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc_ L60% F3% 5% Fairway Lane O m m X Temporary Access Road I X—�-- X X--1 I � t-10% L2� 33%43% , I os Is�� ae A� I wy Figure 4 DIRECTIONAL DISTRIBUTION AT SITE ACCESS INITIAL ACCESS PLAN The Carpet Exchange Leigh. Scott & Cleary, Inc_ 16 77 9 42 2 7 LEGEND: AM PM Fairway Lane a 4 80 1 2 \ 7 1 I Temporary Access Road 3 I 0 I ?6 9 3 6 2 \ 1 I 53 ' I I 25 _J I 119 JS I s�� C I �99 Figure 5 GENERATED PEAK -HOUR TRAFFIC INITIAL ACCESS SYSTEM The Carpet Exchange Leigh. Scott & Cleary, Inc_ 40% 20' i L X Fairwav Lane X 60% X X F33 40% 20% X 0%, --� -�*l 40% 47% 5% 35% �5 % (Assumes Fossil Creek Extends East To Lemay) �2% Figure 6 DIRECTIONAL DISTRIBUTION AT SITE ACCESS ULTIMATE ACCESS PLAN The Carpet Exchange Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. Fairway Lane X X 4 96 X X 9 42 0 0 3 56 1 3 9 42 LEGEND: 9 AM 42 PM 0 5 26 X_ 0 0 3 64 1 3 6 56 12 60 6 11 54 Figure 7 GENERATED PEAK -HOUR TRAFFIC ULTIMATE ACCESS SYSTEM The Carpet Exchange Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. 1.15/42.0/50.0 J m Q m m 0.77/41.6/50.0 0.38/3.0/5.0 Fairway Lane X X 150 X X 100 1850 N 150 l f 150 300 �+ ` 200 100 150 150 !— 160 250 210 1600 O 100 50 —) 1 —X 50 65 --) 8075 110 60 I � 60 Fossil Creek Pkwy 110 400 Figure 9 2010 TOTAL TRAFFIC 0.7/41.2/50.0 AND TRAFFIC IMPACTS The Carpet Exchange LEGEND: 0.7/41.2/50.0 = Site Total Roadway Traffic Traftic / Capacity Leigh. Scott & Cleary, Inc.