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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - P996 DOWNTOWN RIVER DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTftaa 47 r, t' A f ,,a90 -#4.w a +w tttt x r Design Services Proposal Aujust 30, 2005 August 31, 2005 James B. O'Neill lI, CPPQ, FNIGP Director of Purchasing & Risk Management City of Fort Collins 215 North Mason Street, 2n Floor Fort Collins, GO 80524 Re: Proposal for Downtown River District Improvement Project (No.: P996) Dear Mr. O'Neill II and Selection Committee: "A mile wide and a foot deep"; the Cache la Poudre Inver, once.a seasonally proud river that flooded annually and spread across the plaips, was tamed at the end of the nineteenth century and the historic piedmont began a slow conversion to more agricultural uses. Beginning with a French fur trader's hidden powder cache stowed along the river, the Cache la Poudre became one of the primary avenues for the founding of Fort Collins. Beginning July 22,1862, Fort Collins had its formal beginnings along the Poudre when soldiers were sent from the 9th Kansas Cavalry at Fort Lammie to guard the Cherokee and. Overland trails. The town was named in honor of Lt. Col. William 0 Collins, a popular commander of the Ohio Cavalry. In 1864, Colonel Collins signed an order setting aside the present location of Fort Collins as the new military reservation. Gradually climbing south along Linden Street from the banks of .the Poudre, the town sprouted and began the slow metamorphosis into a City. With agricultural roots founded in Auntie Stone's Mill, Ranchway Feeds and Northern Colorado Feeder's Supply, the evolution of the City began with the area located between the Poudre and Willow Street. With the addition of rail service in 1877, the town changed course again. Rail service began with the Colorado Central and reinforced the growth in Fort Collins. Extending southwest along Linden Street, the Tedmon House, originally the Metropolitan Hotel, formed a cornerstone of the new and bustling young community. Growing more rapidly now, the City expanded southward. along Linden Street.. In these earlydays, the land located along Willow and Linden formed the central axes of the town. Auntie Stone's Milt was fed by a 1 1h mile long,13-foot-wide Mill Race that began at a turnoutupstream of College Avenue and then roughly paralleled Willow Street to her unique horizontal grist mill located deep in the structure today we know as part of Ranchway Feeds. This special and unique area of our community is replete with a rich tapestry interwoven historical threads. Today it is home to manyfamilies with long standing histories in our community; the Moores, Kim and Bonnie Szidon, the Schraders, Kiefers, Dennis Nader and others. Their history is of using this area for industries such as oil, seed. and lumber. . Today the land around the river is poised for a renaissance. With the. inemasing presence of New Belgium Brewing and the recent purchase of the Oxbow by the Bohemian Foundation, the itnpetus is underway for a new look Combine the inherent energy surrounding these new efforts with the blossoming vision of a new Chautauqua envisioned by the DDA, and the future of this area seems bound for greatness. The key to greatness lies in an effective strategy that blends the existing uses, the historic fabric, and the areas. ripe for redevelopment. In speaking with manyof these owners in recent months, we have found that manywant to stayin business where they are but they still want to look to the future and find the potential embedded within their land. In speaking.with recent arrivals such as the.folks at Bas Bleu Theater, we find an excited anticipation; filled with hope of . a new and vibrant lower downtown. Additionally, the soon to be rebuilt Northside Azdan Center will grace this area with a vital civic amenity providing energy and a human presence that will give rise to a robust and energetic outlook that we believe will eventually catapult this area into a truly special addition to the City. Hill Engivariq.lot 1 19Old TownSquare Phone:19701419.4388 Suite 242 Fax:19701419-4389 . - Fort Collins. C080624.2463 www.hclNnc.com There are many issues that face development of a framework plan and development of preliminary streetscape designs for this area. Issues such as parking, pedestrian access., connections with downtown, Jefferson Street traffic, rail lines, and land ownership represent significant considerations for street design and a framework plan To accomplish this important and challenging assignment, we have formed a team that we believe can deliver an outstanding project and can assist in forming.the framework for future greatness. Since 1957, HDR has had the distinguished privilege of providing professional engineering services to a multitude of Front Range clients. We have the roadway and bridge design; traffic; utility relocation; public involvement; and pedestrian facilities experience to get your project done right. John Seyer, the project manager is backed by 80 HDR professionals in Colorado. We have added BHA Design, Inc. (BHA) to our team for streetscape design and public involvement. BHA has worked in the downtown area since 1993. At one point, Bruce Hendee of BHA had proposed a riverwalk for the Poudre River. After an extensive amount of review, the idea was changed to suggest an urban walkway along Willow Street, incorporating the old Auntie Stone Mill Race as a water amenity. In addition, BHA assisted Long Range Planning for the City in developing a vision plan for this area. BHA also developed the streetscape plans, for Linden Street between Walnut. and Jefferson. They have extensive experience in developing streetscapes and are aware of the specific issues associated with development of downtown construction plans in Fort Collins. Another differentiator is the addition of Dana Crawford from Urban Neighborhoods. Dana is the founder and developer of the nationally recognized and immensely popular Larimer Square in downtown Denver. She is also one of the major founders of what is today affectionately know as LoDo, Denver's cultural gem located next to the Platte River. Dana brings two. important attributes to our team Fast, she is exceptionally skilled in working with landowners and the public in developing and understanding issues associated with private land ownership. Second, she has the knowledge and requisite skill to formulate redevelopment plans for historic areas. We believe that we are the right team for this project. We have listened closely to your concerns and the concerns of those at Colorado Department of Transportation, Union Pacific Railroad, and many of the property owners and business owners within the project area. We have the technical expertise and experience of working in highly constrained downtown environments, and we have a proven track record in street and bridge design, traffic calming, pedestrian mobility, parking, public involvement, and landscape architecture. HDR and BHA are local firms that are knowledgeable about the specifics of the project. With HDR's office only a couple of blocks from the project site and Carty offices, your project manager will always be within reach. We are excited about this project and the opportunities that it presents to our community. We hope that you will enjoy reviewing our qualifications and hope to hear from you soon for an interview. Please do not hesitate to call John by phone at (970) 419-4388 with any comments or questions. Sincerely, HDR Engineering, Inc.. SeyEr, E, PTOE Adrian Huckabee, PE jest Manager ` Vice President Downtown River Table of Contents Scope of Proposal Project Understanding............................................................................................ Scope page 1 Summary of Critical Issues................................................................................. Scope page 1 ZoningMap......................................................................................................... Scope page 2 Critical Issues Map.............................................................................................. Scope page 3 Preliminary Scope of Services................................................................................ Scope page 8 Assigned Personnel Project Team.....................................................................................Assigned Personnel page 1 Organization Chart........................................................................ Assigned Personnel Page 3 Resumes Firm Capability Firm Capability ..........................................................................................Firm Capability page 1 Relevant Experience.............................................................................. Firm Capability page 1 References Availability Availability........................................................................................................Availability page 1 Schedule Motivation Motivation......................................................................................................... Motivation page 1 Cost and Work Hours Fee schedule.................................................................................. Cost and Work Hours page 1 Table of Contents - i Downtown River District Project Understanding The HDR/BHA team has met with key stakeholders, conducted several site visits, and conducted pertinent and focused research to establish a firm understanding of the critical issues that challenge this project. The following section demonstrates our team's understanding of this project, its critical issues, and an approach to resolving those issues. The following table depicts our understanding of the issues, while the next two pages illustrate the existing land uses and critical issues. Table 1 — Summary of Critical Issues Scope - Page 1 Downtown River Scope - Page 2 Downtown River District pA�� ggAyq Scope - Page 3 Downtown River District Pedestrian Mobility and Streetscape Design Issues The most critical issue facing this project is pedestrian mobility, particularly access between Old Town and the project area. Jefferson Street (State 1Pighway 14) is a designated truck route and it carries a significant number of large trucks. Adding to this condition is the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), which runs parallel to Jefferson Street between Jefferson and Willow Street. The trains added to the continuous stream of large vehicles along Jefferson Street make this "freight corridor" a formidable barrier for pedestrians. Pedestrian comfort within the project area is another critical Willow Street rendition from Beet Street Concept element of the pedestrian mobility issue. The Gty's and the developed by BHA for the City of Fort Collins. Downtown Development Authority's (DDA) vision for the corridor is expressed in the Downtown River Corridor Implementation Program It includes a pedestrian friendly environment along all streets within the project area. This element of pedestrian mobility will be evident throughout all facets of this project. Resolution First and foremost, our team's study and design will focus on the mitigation of the barrier posed bythe freight corridor. For this project to be a success, it must result in a pedestrian -friendly design that softens the elements of this crossing and invites people to traverse between Old Town and the project area; this goal is included in the Downtown Strategic Plan. One solution that our team envisions is the improvement of the aesthetics of the UPRR crossing, as exemplified in our team's experience on the Salem Walkway project. See Firm Capability Section for details on this successful project. This type of an improvement would augment the improvements that have already been made at the Jefferson Street and Linden Street intersection. In addition, it is important to understand the role human nature will play in pedestrian mobility. For instance, the average person will not likely walk to a destination if it is more than 'A mile away. For streetscape design, this means destinations should be developed each Vi mile to encourage pedestrians to continue walking. Currently, the distance between Old Town Square and the proposed OxBow Theatre destination is just under 'h mile. As a result, there is a need to develop a `destination' mid -way between these features, near the intersection of Willow Street and Linden Street. In the past, our team has developed ideas to incorporate historic imagery to create this destination, such as an urban plaza with a recreation of the Auntie Stone Mill Race as its feature. Finally, it is important to create pedestrian -friendly streets. Willow and Linden Streets and Lincoln Avenue should not be designed for high vehicular mobility but, rather, as slower -speed corridors that increase the feeling of safety for pedestrians and enhance the aesthetic interest of the corridors. Parking Issues Parking supply will drive the viability of businesses within the project area. This issue includes on -street and off-street parking. The key elements surrounding on -street parking supply include quantity, location and design. It is important that the streets offer adequate on -street parking adjacent to businesses, and be designed to enhance the safety and appeal of each street. The parking must be viewed as convenient to the customer traveling by car while not impeding or detracting from the experience for those customers that are traveling to the corridor on foot or by bicycle. Scope - Page 4 E Pedestrian Mobility & Streetscape Design Traffic Calming Stakeholder Historic Involvement Integrity f_ Parknua Roadway F Utility; Storm Wab'` Potential for Archaeological Project Hazardous Materials Priorities Design [ntegrahon