09.09.24 TAB Agenda 5 - EBSP Connections Plans editsC I T Y O F B O U L D E R
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD
AGENDA ITEM
MEETING DATE: September 9, 2024
AGENDA TITLE: Mobility Amendments to the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan
PRESENTER/S:
Valerie Watson, Interim Director, Transportation and Mobility
Brad Mueller, Director, Planning & Development Services
Kristofer Johnson, Comprehensive Planning Manager, Planning & Development Services
Sarah Horn, Senior City Planner, Planning & Development Services
Kathleen King, Principal City Planner, Planning & Development Services
Stephen Rijo, Transportation Planning Manager, Transportation and Mobility
Jean Sanson, Transportation Principal Planner, Transportation and Mobility
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In 2022, Planning Board and City Council adopted the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan (EBSP)
and an attachment to the subcommunity plan, the 55th and Arapahoe Station Area Plan. In 2023,
implementation of the subcommunity plan began with the East Boulder Zoning Update, a project
identified in the EBSP, to consider whether Form Based Code (FBC) should be applied to “Areas
of Change” identified in the plan and to update the city’s Form Based Code (B.R.C. 1981,
Appendix M). Form Based Code establishes building form and design standards for development
within designated areas with the goal of ensuring that Boulder’s buildings and public spaces are
designed to create high-quality, enduring places that are interconnected, accessible and
appropriately scaled.
As the project team considered regulations within these areas of change, some connections
identified in the EBSP Connections Plan were reconsidered for quality of connection and
feasibility. The project team recommends an amendment to the EBSP to revise the Connections
Plan to align with the proposed Form Based Code and better meet the needs for future
connection and redevelopment. The team seeks TAB feedback on the revised Connections Plan,
which will be presented for review and approval by Planning Board on October 15, 2024, and
City Council on December 5, 2024.
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KEY ISSUES:
1. Does the Transportation Advisory Board have any feedback regarding the proposed
amendments to the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan and the 55th and Arapahoe
Station Area Plan?
2. Does the Transportation Advisory Board support the amendments to the East Boulder
Subcommunity Plan and 55th and Arapahoe Station Area Plan?
BACKGROUND:
Subcommunity Plan Connections
The EBSP describes a future for the East Boulder subcommunity where:
East Boulder residents, employees and visitors of all ages and physical abilities will
safely navigate multi-use paths, public transit, protected bike lanes, and roadways as
they make their way around the community. Future infill and redevelopment will enhance
streetscapes to create places where people want to be, while businesses have reliable
access to move goods and freight through the subcommunity. (pg.49)
The Connections Plan includes two components (1) New Connections and (2) System
Enhancements. The proposed amendment would revise new connections 1A and 1E in the plan
(highlighted in red boxes on the diagram below):
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Figure 1: East Boulder Subcommunity Plan Connections Plan
The plan describes these New Connections:
1A. Southern extension of Sterling Court (Park West)
Sites, buildings and parcels located south of Sterling Drive and north of Pearl Street are currently
accessed through a series of parking lots. To support redevelopment, potential residential access
and create safe walking/biking/scooting options for residents and visitors, Sterling Court will be
extended south of Sterling Drive. The proposed connection is located along 4850 Sterling Dr.
and 4840 Sterling Dr. The blockface distance between Valmont City Park and the proposed
connection is approximately 325 feet, creating an easy-to-walk block size. The proposed street
type is Local as described in the Design and Construction Standards (DCS).
1E. New North-South Street (Station Area) A new north-south street from Arapahoe Avenue
to Western Avenue, between Conestoga Street and 55th Street, consistent with the 55th and
Arapahoe Station Area Plan. This connection supports a pedestrian-scale street grid and
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additional access to the core area businesses and placemaking amenities. The street will provide
on-street parking and better connectivity to the planned BRT stations at the corner of 55th Street
and Arapahoe Avenue.
Connection 1E’s designation as a Local Street, is reinforced in the 55th and Arapahoe Station
Area Plan:
Figure 2: 55th and Arapahoe Station Area Plan Street Types Diagram
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Proposed Revisions
TAB is asked to consider the following revisions to Connection 1A to align with the regulatory
needs of the Form Based Code and be consistent with the described intent of Connection 1A:
- Terminate the vehicular connection north of Goose Creek.
- Create a new north-south Off-Street Bike/Ped Facility using the existing bridge that
crosses Goose Creek to connect this area with Pearl Street (Connection 1N).
Figure 3: Proposed Amendments to the East Boulder Subcommunity Plan Connections Plan
TAB is asked to also consider the following revisions to Connection 1E to align with the
regulatory needs of the Form Based Code and be consistent with the described intent of
Connection 1E:
- Terminate the planned north-south vehicular connection one block north of Arapahoe and
extend a new east-west connection north of Arapahoe Avenue and south of Conestoga
Court (Connection 1Q).
- Create a new north-south Off-Street Bike/Ped Facility to connect Arapahoe with the
realigned street (Connection 1M).
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ANALYSIS:
Connection 1A:
The proposed revisions to Connection 1A will more equitably distribute right-of-way needs for a
new street connection among property owners in the Valmont Park West neighborhood by better
aligning the proposed connection with existing property/parcel lines. Additionally, it was
determined that the feasibility of installing a new vehicular bridge over Goose Creek to connect
with Pearl Street on the other side is unrealistic within the horizon of the subcommunity plan. A
revised approach incorporates a north-south bicycle/pedestrian connection on the existing bridge
that crosses Goose Creek, allowing bicyclists and pedestrians to move between neighborhoods
on either side of the creek.
Connection 1E:
Access management strategies along the Arapahoe Avenue corridor include reducing the number
of curb cuts and consolidating access off East Arapahoe when possible. For this reason, the
proposed revision to Connection 1E uses an existing curb cut (and traffic signal) at Conestoga to
provide north side access into the 55th and Arapahoe neighborhood rather than incorporating a
new vehicular curb cut immediately to the east. Connection 1Q will provide east-west access at
the mid-block between Conestoga St and 1E. While the vehicular connection has been revised,
the proposed north-south connection (Connection 1M) will be designated as a paseo, creating
pedestrian and cycling access through this area from Arapahoe Avenue to the new street and
creating a new walkable frontage to this new block face in the neighborhood.
Next Steps
The project team will share TAB feedback with Planning Board on October 17, 2024 and City
Council on December 5, 2024. Both bodies will consider amendments to the East Boulder
Subcommunity Plan and 55th and Arapahoe Station Area Plan in concert with implementation of
those plans through revisions to Title 9 of the B.R.C. including the city’s Form Based Code
(Appendix M) and Form Based Code Areas Map (Appendix L).
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Proposed East Boulder Subcommunity Plan Amendment to the Connections Plan
(Diagram)
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51 52EAST BOULDER SUBCOMMUNITY PLAN MOBILITY AND CONNECTIONS
THE CONNECTIONS PLAN
1
0
3
4
5
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
WELCOME TO EAST
BOULDER
THE VISION FOR EAST
BOULDER
EVOLVING
NEIGHBORHOODS:
LAND USE
MOBILITY AND
CONNECTIONS:
TRANSPORTATION
ACHIEVING THE VISION:
IMPLEMENTATION
2
Valmont City Park
Valmont
Bike Park
1A
1B
1D
1F
1J
Valmont RdValmont Rd
Pearl Pk
wy
Pearl Pk
wy
55th Street55th StreetArapahoe AveAirport RdAirport Rd63rd StIndependence Rd
Foothills PkwyBNSF Railroad
Pearl StPearl St
48th Ct48th Ct49th St49th StPearl E CirPearl E Cir
Walnut StWalnut St
Sterling DrSterling Dr Sterling CtSterling Ct47th St47th StAirport BlvdAirport Blvd
Airport RdAirport Rd
Sterling DrSterling DrSterling CtSterling CtFlati
r
o
n
P
k
w
y
Flati
r
o
n
P
k
w
y
Central AveCentral Ave
Central AveCentral Ave S
F
l
a
t
i
r
o
n
C
t
S
F
l
a
t
i
r
o
n
C
tN 57th CtN 57th Ct56th St56th StConestoga Conestoga
CtCt
Conestoga StConestoga StWestern AveWestern Ave
Range StRange StCommerce StCommerce St48th St48th StPeak AvePeak Ave
Old Tale RdOld Tale RdCherryvale RdCherryvale RdOreg AveOreg Ave
EisenhowerEisenhowerDrDrMacArthur DrMacArthur Dr
Patton DrPatton Dr55th St55th St63rd St63rd StValmont RdValmont Rd
CONNECTIONS PLAN
Legend
Existing Connections
Roads/Streets
Off -Street Bike/Ped Facility
On-Street Bike/Ped Facility*
EBSP Connections
Street
Off -Street Bike/Ped Facility
City Limit
Rail
Proposed Area of Change
Parks & Recreation
Water Body
Gerald
Stazio
Ballfi elds
Flatirons Golf
Course
1C
1E
1G
1H
1I
1L
1K
TMP Connections
Off -Street Bike/Ped Facility
Facility Upgrade
*For visual clarity, not all on-street facilities are
displayed
1M
1N
1Q
A hallmark of any great city is that its
transportation system is designed with
consideration for all people and designed in
support of community values. Mobility is not
a means in and of itself, but rather a function
that supports a vital, healthy, and sustainable
community.
Today, East Boulder is an area that, over the years, has
largely been designed for motor vehicles. Options to travel
by any mode other than a vehicle are limited. Dispersed
patterns of development have grown up around the car and
street blocks are typically long and disconnected. As land
uses change, and infill and redevelopment bring a greater
mix of jobs and housing to the area, the transportation
network and the mobility options will evolve to support this
transformation and offer safe mobility choices.
In the future, traveling in East Boulder will look remarkably
different than what it does today. East Boulder residents,
employees and visitors of all ages and physical abilities will
safely navigate multi-use paths, public transit, protected bike
lanes, and roadways as they make their way around the
community. Future infill and redevelopment will enhance
streetscapes to create places where people want to be,
while businesses have reliable access to move goods and
freight through the subcommunity.
WHAT IS A CONNECTIONS PLAN?
The East Boulder Connections Plan is created alongside
the Land Use Plan to support proposed land uses and
contribute to citywide and local goals for access and
mobility. The plan includes two key components: (1) New
Connections; and (2) System Enhancements. The plan
serves as a right-of-way plan that will be land development
and transportation connections as described in the Boulder
Revised Code Section 9-9-8. The plan will be incorporated
into the TMP and replace portions of earlier network plans
that cover East Boulder. Transportation improvements
included in the Connections Plan will be built by property
owners as part of redevelopment and through city projects
or a combination of the two.EAST BOULDER SUBCOMMUNITY PLANPROPOSED CONNECTIONS PLAN WITH DRAFT 2024 AMENDMENTSAttachment A
Proposed East Boulder Subcommunity Plan Amendment to the Connections Plan
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