Loading...
11.14.22 TAB Agenda 2A 09.12.22 DRAFT TAB Meeting MinutesDRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 1 of 7 CITY OF BOULDER BOULDER, COLORADO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING MINUTES Name of Board/ Commission: Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) Date of Meeting: September 12, 2022 Contact Information Preparing Summary: Meredith Schleske 303.441.3204 Board Members Present: Alex Weinheimer, Chair; Rebecca Davies; Tila Duhaime; Ryan Schuchard; Triny Willerton Staff Present: Natalie Stiffler, Interim Director for Transportation and Mobility Gerrit Slatter, Principal Transportation Projects Engineer Mark Shisler, Civil Engineering Principal Project Manager Devin Joslin, Transportation Engineering Senior Manager Mike Sweeney, Transportation Engineer Senior Project Manager Valerie Watson, Transportation Planning Manager Chris Hagelin, Transportation Principal Planner Danny O’Connor, Principal Transportation Planner, Transit Program Manager Melanie Sloan, Transportation Principal Project Manager David Kemp, Transportation Senior Planner Nathan Pope, Transportation Senior Planner Daniel Sheeter, Transportation Senior Planner Scott Schlecht, Transportation Maintenance Manager Gastonia Anderson, Budget Senior Analyst Cris Jones, Community Vitality Interim Director Reegan Brown, Community Vitality Senior Project Manager Chelsea Sullivan, Community Vitality Project Analyst Meredith Schleske, Board Secretary Also Present: Nicole Speer, City Council Member Angel Bond, Boulder County Mobility for All Program Manager Cammie Edson, Boulder County Mobility Youth Transportation Program Manager Jessica Villena Sànchez, Mobility for All Bilingual Planner Type of Meeting: Advisory/Regular Agenda Item 1: Call to Order [6:00 p.m.] Instructions to Virtual Meeting Participants (not an agenda item) – Nathan Pope, technical host reviewed rules and technical operations on the virtual platform. Agenda Item 2: Approval of Minutes [6:01 p.m.] A. 08.08.22 DRAFT TAB Meeting Minutes –amend: 1. Item 4 TAB Discussion bullet one - replace “dangerous driving" with "vulnerable road user" 2. Item 7 TAB Feedback bullet two – add, “When originally presented, the justification for bridge replacement was to avoid a structural collapse and the loss of property and life. It was later determined the bridge sufficiency rating had been inaccurately communicated by CDOT, and the bridge is not deficient. TAB would welcome a case for bridge replacement if staff thought it was justifiable.” B. 08.09.22 DRAFT TAB Retreat Part 2 Special Minutes Motion: Approval of 08.08.2022 Minutes as amended and 08.09.2022 Special Minutes as presented. Motion: Duhaime Second: Schuchard 5:0 Motion Passes. Agenda Item 3: Public Comment [6:04 p.m.] • Kurt Nordback speaking on behalf of Community Cycles – sent email recommending that TAB request council to maintain the West Pearl pedestrianized space pending further study. During the pandemic, it attracted wide DRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 2 of 7 diversity, most urban area in city, creative and innovative, provides car-free mobility for blind or other users. Staff recommendation to restore pre-pandemic motorized access appears to be based on feedback from a few retail businesses. Improvements could include better handicapped parking and two-way travel on 10th Street south of Spruce. • Craig Terence – thanks to TAB members by name for efforts to make older streets better. Live near Celestial Seasonings, seven-year-old son. Ongoing challenge to balance transportation; please revisit Spine Road and Deerfield community project identified in discontinued Neighborhood Speed Management Program (NSMP). Traffic speeds continue to increase, especially with planned Celestial Seasonings development. Kids now cross Spine without signals or signage to get to school bus stops. Please implement two raised crosswalks on Spine at intersections of North and South Orchard Creek Circle. • Jonathan Singer, Boulder Chamber Senior Policy Program Director - support staff recommendation to reopen West Pearl Street while keeping door open for future considerations. Historically, city has been innovative, transparent, equitable in deliberations concerning new regulations and use of public spaces. Business community worked to participate constructively. Recent public health emergency forced fast, necessary, and lifesaving changes; businesses sacrificed in support. West Pearl sales tax 78% pre-covid levels. Chamber framework emphasizes comprehensive review, creating spaces to grow and flourish; street closure would violate tenets. Reset, deliberatively explore further. • Calan Anderson – encourage TAB to consider putting at least two raised crosswalks on Spine and Richard Creek and Southwestern Creek and Wellington. Traffic and speed continue to increase. Young elementary and middle school students cross that road every day, twice a day, wait minutes and minutes because cars will not stop for them. There are also two trails that cross with no crosswalks. Thank you for time and consideration. Staff response: received messages regarding Spine Road, currently focused on Core Arterial Network (CAN) per council direction. Staff spoke with some residents, will collect speed and volume data, vehicle classification data, crosswalk study including bus times, lunch, afternoon. Agenda Item 4: Staff presentation and TAB Feedback regarding Mobility and Access [6:17 p.m.] for All Ages and Abilities (MAAAA) Angel Bond, Cammie Edson and Jessica Villena Sanchez PhD made the report to the board. Program seeks to improve mobility for seniors, people with disabilities, low-income individuals & youth. • Organizations involved coordinate and provide transportation services. • Federal transit law requirement for Section 5310 (Enhanced Mobility for Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities Program) project funding. • Projects "must be included in a locally developed coordinated plan." • This is the first such plan of its kind for Boulder County. Goals and Objectives • Accessibility, equity, reliability, efficiency, sustainability, safety Questions for TAB 1. Which strategies seem most relevant to the City of Boulder? 2. What opportunities are there to integrate the strategies into the City of Boulder’s efforts? TAB Feedback • Comment that it fits in well with Safe Routes to School; Safe Streets for All grant is open until 9/15/22. o Boulder County response: Vision Zero group is collaborating with a few municipalities to submit an application. • Comment that it is wonderful to have county involved, work together, supportive, BCSD involvement for safe routes. Lives on Linden, no shoulders at county portion, massive trucks flying by. o Boulder County response: BVSD has two staff members focused on youth, mobility, family mobility, can rally the troops, reach out to trail planners. Agenda Item 5: Staff briefing and TAB Feedback regarding West End Pearl Update [6:52 p.m.] Cris Jones and Natalie Stiffler made the report to the board. Executive Summary Memo provides context regarding the planned end of the COVID-19 related temporary vehicle closure of west Pearl Street and next steps regarding exploration of street repurposing and its relationship to current and upcoming planning processes such as the Downtown Boulder Partnership’s Downtown Vision Plan and various city-led planning initiatives in and around the downtown area. DRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 3 of 7 Staff Recommendation With the expiration of Covid-19 emergency orders and given the existing safety and equity concerns, in addition to the lack of support from the immediately impacted businesses in this area, staff from Community Vitality, Transportation and Mobility and Planning and Development Services recommend that we both discontinue the Covid-19 related temporary closure of west Pearl Street between 9th and 11th streets to vehicle traffic in as timely a manner as possible AND work with various stakeholders to pursue planning processes that will help inform near- and long-term possibilities for transformation in the downtown and civic areas that could include a permanent closure of west Pearl or possibly other city streets in downtown and across the city in the future. Questions for TAB 1. In consideration of the planned end of the COVID-19 related temporary closure of west Pearl Street, what questions does TAB have regarding the staff recommendation to begin a new workplan item to pursue a West End Multimodal Analysis, to inform possible options for future reconfiguration of streets in the west end of Pearl area? 2. Does TAB have questions regarding the current and upcoming planning processes that will help inform the near- and long-term possibilities for west Pearl Street and other areas in and around the downtown area? TAB Feedback • Request for clarification regarding retail closures and if they are like-to-like, where the business closures are located; if Pearl Street west end business closures are different from other sections of Pearl Street Mall, whether continued sales tax receipt decline correlates to the street closure to traffic. o Staff response: first-floor retail spaces are being leased throughout the downtown but vacancies persist in this part of downtown, anecdotal comments that there is not enough ADA access, will pursue locations and monitor sales tax results when street is reopened, commented to City Council that correlation does not equal causality. • Davies - reluctance to make a decision based on sales tax results without causality. Appreciates that survey was not an overriding factor but difficult to feel good about success of businesses being the driver, should be safety and equity among modes. Feels imbalanced. All that other data should be included, would like context using what we already have including safety/crash data, provision for all ages/all abilities. • Duhaime – appreciation for transparency, concern that criteria such as equity are not being applied. 2020 recommendation from TAB to close streets was based more on community needs. Explore thinking outside of yes/no, consider lessons learned about well-loved space and safety. It is time to change, not just plan to plan to change. Keep the good parts of what we have done. Data does not really support preference to go back to cars on west end, we have adjusted and adopted the new normal. City of Boulder has been repeating history since 1956. Agrees survey is not unanimous but appears to be some consensus to keep Pearl Street West End closed for next few months anyway. Be creative, ways to scale back such as restore ADA spaces. Also interested in what Longmont & Louisville have applied. • Weinheimer - comments that data is incomplete, not fair to blame street closure for retail closures entirely – economic issue. The Pearl Street Mall demonstrates success, huge disservice to close. 10th Street is underutilized – could improve ADA access, very solvable, noted specific closures during the pandemic. • Schuchard - discussion when implementing CAN was, “Can we do this? Be bold, steady forward motion.” Is there an empirical factual basis to close? Decision impacts more than businesses, involves values, political nature, potentially far-reaching consequences. TAB is asked to process a huge amount of information in a short time - question regarding status of a potential decision and recommendation to council and whether it is already the plan to reopen the West End to cars. News of the decision having been made was in the press September 7th. Before and after that, TAB has asked to be involved and to have a public hearing. • Staff response: requesting TAB feedback to recommend to City Council tomorrow that West Pearl be restored to motor vehicles, which is within purview and authority of city. Closure happened very rapidly in response to businesses and public health emergency. Staff wishes to understand if there is appetite to move forward with a study, is requesting opportunity to consider deliberately, explore many possibilities, will share TAB feedback with council. Public comment does not show consensus but it is not a surprise that Boulder appreciates well-planned community pedestrianized space. Maybe the east end is a better place. There are mixed desires from council, original reason for closure has dissipated. Focused on businesses because closure was in response; downtown businesses paid for the infrastructure. High-designed bus stops just built in 2015 as part of $1.2 million Streetscape Improvement Project on West Pearl, first major investment on West Pearl in decades. Very excited to offered outdoor dining program all over town. To date, 32 have applied. • Schuchard – four points to make to council: DRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 4 of 7 1. What do we have here/what are we/what are we doing as a city? Decision has potential consequences, including on public opinion and support. 2. Process is moving out of sequence. In Boulder Revised Code section TAB is chartered to opine on matters regarding the Transportation Master Plan (TMP). Have we gone through the procedures needed for staff to have a recommendation so centered in parking and traffic management without having TAB involved? Does not believe it is ready to go to council. 3. This is not only about Covid and retiring the emergency order; it is also about transportation, cars and parking in the center of our town and impact on TMP goals and CAN. Not associated with intent or requirements of having an advisory board. Quote in memo referencing success equals revenue is not complete. It really refers to the direction of the values that the city goes with respect to its plans. 4. Circulated summary of observations and recommendations to TAB, invited one-way feedback directly to Schuchard and any TAB member(s) wishing to cosign to tell him. • Comment that Schuchard can forward to council independently, suggestion to send TAB representative to council meeting if invited. Agenda Item 6: Public hearing and TAB feedback and consideration of a recommendation [8:21 p.m.] regarding the DCS (Design and Construction Standards) Transportation Standards Update Phase 2 project Review Gerrit Slatter and Edward Stafford made the report to the board. Executive Summary This memo provides a summary of the revisions and additions to the ‘Phase 2’ effort of the transportation infrastructure related portion of the City of Boulder Design and Construction Standards (DCS) Update. Phase 1 updates, which took place in 2019/2020, provided specific updates to Chapter 2, with a focus on clarification of standard, buffered and separated bike lane standards such that the DCS would be consistent with the Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan. Phase 1 also updated the pedestrian ramp standards in Chapter 11. The Phase 1 update was adopted by City Council in February 2020. The Phase 2 DCS update has been focused on Street Geometric Design Standards, Streetscape and Landscaping Design and Maintenance Standards and also updates portions of the Sight Triangle section of the Boulder Revised Code 9-9-7 (BRC) (The BRC are regulations adopted though the legislative process by the City Council.) The purpose of the Phase 2 update is to align these sections with recently adopted policy and technical documents (e.g., Transportation Master Plan, Low-Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan, and internal Transportation Landscapes Plan) and to ensure that industry best practices are being followed. The DCS is used to help guide public infrastructure built by both private development and city funded capital infrastructure and maintenance projects. The Phase 2 project was initiated in June 2021, with an initial round of community engagement in September 2021. The 60% level review entailed community and board engagement and feedback regarding the proposed recommendations. Staff have considered the feedback provided and integrated additional changes that reflect this input which is now included in this final document of recommended changes for which TAB recommendation is requested. TAB Clarifying Questions • Question whether proposed changes specify default design, for example, requires truck apron but may choose to delete? o Staff response: correct. • Question whether proposed changes for a street of a particular width or speed suggest that a level of protection for bike lane should be default, i.e. should it be buffered versus protected, based on the strict geometric criteria of the street. o Staff response: would be in the low stress walk and bike network standards. • Appreciation expressed for required director approval for dual left turn lanes in addition to triple. • Question regarding which director would provide approval. o Staff response: currently, “Public Works Director”, defined in BRC. City Attorney is reviewing. In any case, Director of Transportation and Mobility would have strong influence. Public Hearing [8:39 p.m.] • Chuck Brock for Community Cycles Advocacy Committee – communicated with transportation staff over years regarding these revisions. Very detailed but help to define how our streets are designed and how safe they are. DRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 5 of 7 Current proposals are very limited, appreciates effort and consideration of council input. Would have liked more wholesale review – proposed changes do not address traffic calming or sidewalk standards and size of trucks allowed on residential streets is excessive. Requests staff relay comments and not consider tonight’s revisions as set in stone, to allow standards to be updated as needed to achieve transportation, Vision Zero and climate and energy goals. • Lynn Segal – would be great to offer a technical detail workshop/education for public to explain what an apron is, etc. Covering eight boards, appreciate clarity. CU South will change all of this. CU is expanding, not shrinking. West Pearl End – more parking and infrastructure cot more tax money, don’t want it spent inefficiently. Brother said let’s get rid of Pearl Street Mall as well. We might need another, more severe pandemic to force us to do things differently. Never suggested outdoor dining at all but need heat recovery ventilator systems. Listening to budget discussions, all based on sales tax revenue – what parking is going to generate when parking is more than enough. “Twenty is Plenty” won’t work in CU South, should have had electric shuttles from east decades ago. TAB Discussion • Question regarding side street design vehicle size requested for emergency, transit turning, representative of trash trucks and emergency vehicles. • Appreciation expressed for changes since last discussion; hope that scope will increase. Staff Recommendation Staff recommends TAB consider the following motion: TAB recommends approval of the proposed revisions to the DCS to the Planning Board and City Council. Motion: TAB recommends approval of the proposed revisions to the DCS to the Planning Board and City Council. Motion: Davies Second: Weinheimer 5:0 Motion Passes. Agenda Item 7: Matters [8:52 p.m.] A. Matters from Staff/Non-Agenda 1. Staff presentation and TAB feedback – TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) Call #4 Update (Watson, Slatter) • Updates TIP call #2 – 853 $6,402,000 total for all three projects submitted; procedural Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) affirmation next month, anticipate starting work August 2024. • TIP Call #3 – participating in three projects: 1) CO119/Diagonal Mobility & Safety Improvements (Boulder County submittal) 2) CO119/City of Boulder & City of Longmont local BAT Lanes (City of Longmont and City of Boulder submittal) 3) CO7 Bus Rapid Transit Starter Service, Boulder to Brighton (Boulder County submittal) • DRCOG Subregional TIP Call #4/2024-2027 – added projects per TAB suggestions. Limited dollars, if not awarded, could be called up later from waitlist. Four proposed projects are all along a corridor in Northwest Area Mobility Area (NAMS) or CAN or both, complete key connections. 1) CO7/Arapahoe Avenue & 30th Street Multimodal Intersection 2) West Colorado Avenue Multimodal Improvements (Regent -Folsom) 3) 30th Street Multimodal Improvements (Baseline Road -Colorado Avenue) 4) Folsom St Multimodal Improvements Pre-Design (Pine Street – Colorado Avenue) Questions for TAB 1. Does TAB support next steps for the 4 selected projects? 2. Any additional feedback on non-selects? TAB Clarifying Questions • Question why applying for funds would delay work on Iris. o Staff response: TIP requires some design work and community engagement having been completed; would not be ready to submit for construction. Staff are already initiating design and community engagement on Iris Q4 2022 and Q1 2023; if apply for and awarded TIP funds for this, money would not be available until Q4 2024, a long delay from current timeline for Iris. DRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 6 of 7 • Question why $1.5 million is estimated for Folsom compared to $1 million for similar length on 30th Street. o Staff response: we had done some preliminary work on the 30th Street project and Folsom has different right-of-way constraints. • Question regarding the plan for Valmont, which TAB recommended for this call cycle. o Staff response: not ready yet; further out. • Question regarding scoring candidate project evaluation and safety slides with empty/half full/full circles and criteria, what they represent. TAB Feedback • Folsom – Weinheimer support, no further questions. • 30th Street – question why range is so wide ($6-7 million) - staff is working on getting closer estimate. Weinheimer support, no further questions, no opposition. • Colorado Avenue – Weinheimer comment that dollar amount keeps declining (more input, scope adjustment, TAB suggestions.) Need to look at Folsom intersection, crux. Hard to get it right without including Folsom down to Boulder Creek or Arapahoe, current pedestrian scramble. Creates more focused engagement discussions. Southbound double left turn shown in study encourages cars turning into bus lane. Hard to support without some certainty that we can narrow the crossing distances and not build an intersection at a high cost or peak our vehicle capacity. Question whether there would be CU input – they are withholding decision pending updated cost assessment. Comment that having CU as financial and design partner would make it more appealing. • 30th Street & Arapahoe – Weinheimer not convinced it would reduce crashes without reduction in left turn lanes, on CAN corridor with an intersection involving bikes and transit/equity reason to take action but not ready to support as drawn. Duhaime inquiry regarding reason for cost increase, whether better to support three projects with fourth as alternate. Davies reluctant to support cost without potential safety improvements. o Staff response: pending community engagement on all four projects, actively working on reducing cost, TAB can provide feedback on abstracts in November. B. Matters from the Board [9:30 p.m.] 1. TAB Retreat part 2: Debrief. Chair Weinheimer conducted conversations with individual TAB members and how each can contribute/lead in their areas of interest and expertise. Concerned about strained TAB/staff relationships, frustrating to be lectured on how to have meaningful discussions and how staff, TAB, city manager and council are all supposed to work together and to trust staff but they don’t need to trust us or assume good intent, disappointed that it was not a retreat topic. Fortunately, the city will take those concerns about ethics, candor, and transparency seriously. Just recently had a good discussion about completing Folsom and fulfill a rare transformative opportunity for the community. Some of us have experienced undermining based on who and how information is revealed. Distrust uncovered the truth, might be beneficial. It is why we are going to be able to better advise council in this upcoming TIP process. TAB was livid about the facilitator lecture. It was not a facilitated conversation about both sides’ concerns. Duhaime: Sorry the Chair feels that way, has worked hard to resolve, sometimes better outside of public view. One thing that came out was appreciation of councilmember time and involvement, thinks there is a way forward to being able to constructively work together, but it does involve being able to speak your mind and make a case, and be heard and validated. Retreats are least favorite thing to do. Tried to make retreats substantive and useful, will continue to watch and try to learn. Second session with virtual post-it notes was not what she hoped for. Weinheimer: Hope there’s some outcome of post-it notes, up to TAB to do so but unable to meet outside of regular meetings. Schuchard: Liked post-it exercise, grateful for willingness to start with different ideas about how we can fulfill our mission. Should be focusing our reasoning around some of the points raised. Not very straightforward, appreciation for directness, staff applying a lot of our work. Willerton: Grateful to be a part, so much passion, Chair’s conduct right now is commendable, need to be upfront, appreciates Stiffler sharing crash data. DRAFT TAB Minutes September 12, 2022 Page 7 of 7 Stiffler: Not aware of details of Weinheimer’s ethics concerns after returning from leave, had conversation prior to first retreat and several one-on-one conversations since. Trying to go forward in ethical, candid manner. TAB member areas of interest and expertise: • Schuchard - preliminary ideas on engaging climate office. • Willerton and Davies - transparency in data, loop in one another. • Willerton and Duhaime - messaging about traffic violence, safety and education initiatives. • Duhaime – messaging about parking, community vitality. • Davies – TMP standards for streets, long-term play, especially important to carry forward. • Davies and Weinheimer - interest re parking reform. 2. Open Board Comment • Weinheimer: West End Pearl – Mayor Brockett approved TAB representative to address city council at September 15th meeting. Duhaime will attend. TAB members should send one-way comments about Schuchard’s proposed letter to city council directly to him and advise if interested in signing on. Schuchard and Davies focus on brevity in finalizing letter. Duhaime: Use what we’ve learned over Covid downtown pilot street closure to apply to other opportunities, not just West End Pearl. • Schuchard: Met with Watson and Joslin concerning crash evaluation and design factors, shared some best practices including how police can share crucial forensics and bike crashes – good meeting. Agenda Item 10: Future Agenda Items [10:00 p.m.] Duhaime: Knollwood is now a city street but there is still no on-street parking. Staff response: signs team removed no parking signs, investigating whether legal for residents to post. Agenda Item 9: Adjournment [10:02 p.m.] There being no further business to come before the board at this time, by motion regularly adopted, the meeting was adjourned at 9:02 p.m. Motion: Moved to adjourn: Weinheimer, declared after twenty seconds. Date, Time, and Location of Next Meeting: The next meeting will be a regular virtual meeting on Monday October 10, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. unless otherwise decided by staff and the Board. APPROVED BY: ATTESTED: ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Board Chair Board Secretary ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Date Date An audio recording of the full meeting for which these minutes are a summary is available on the Transportation Advisory Board web page.