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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
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