To: Members of the Public Works Commission
From: Thomas Reiff, Transportation Planner
Title
Discussion - Castle Rock Transit Feasibility Study
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this item is to provide information to the Public Works Commission on the Transit Feasibility Study. Staff will return to Commission on October 5th with the final draft of the report so that a recommendation can be made to Town Council for their October 20th meeting. The Town has been assessing the feasibility of transit for Castle Rock since October of 2019. This pursuit aligns with the Town’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP), and the Downtown Mobility Master Plan. In addition, public interest in transit has also been expressed in the bi-annual community survey. In the 2019 Community Survey, 56% of the respondents expressed somewhat to strong support for public transportation. But when asked their willingness to pay an additional tax to develop public transportation, support dropped with only 35% expressing somewhat or strong support to pay. This feedback implies that the impact to future Town budgets should be a primary consideration for any transit considerations. Since the start of the study it has been very important to manage expectations for our residents and businesses since there are no funds currently budgeted for transit and many transit options are physically unfeasible and/or which public costs are not readily achievable. The objective of the study is to develop scalable transit options that are practical should the Town consider implementing transit in the near and/or distant future.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
Public outreach efforts have been imperative in the development of the Transit Feasibility Study. A comprehensive effort was conducted to collect public and stakeholder input to help develop transit needs and opportunities. The following list shows some of the various efforts the project used to solicit input.
1. Project web page on Town’s website with ability to complete a questionnaire, provide trip information on an interactive map, and share ideas
2. Town wide mailing asking residents to provide input on the project web page and attend a public open house
3. Held one public open house (November 13, 2019)
4. Conduct social media campaign
5. Emails to interested residents from various Town events and survey databases
6. Four Focus Group Meetings (Nov. 2019, February, March, and July 2020)
7. Two meetings with the Downtown Alliance (Downtown Development Authority and Merchants Association Boards (November 2019, September 2020)
8. Two meetings with the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce (May and August 2020)
9. Numerous stakeholder meetings with outside agencies, organizations, and Town departments (e.g. Outlets at Castle Rock, Senior Center, Miller’s Landing development team, Oakwood Senior Housing)
10. Multi-agency outreach and coordination (e.g. Douglas County and CDOT)
11. Meetings with public and private transit providers (e.g. RTD, Via Mobility, RideCo, and Metro Taxi)
12. Presentation and discussion with the Douglas County Transit Solution committee (January 2020)
13. One Town Council study session (April 21, 2020)
14. Two Councilmember’s open houses (January 2020)
15. Two meetings with the Public Works Commission (January 6, 2020 and September 14, 2020)
16. Two study sessions with the Planning Commission (December 12, 2019 and August 27, 2020)
17. News releases and articles
18. Information tables at public events (e.g. Starlighting)
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
In 2019 the Town Council approved funding to conduct the Transit Feasibility Study. Consulting firm Felsburg, Holt, & Ullevig was selected to assist Town staff in the study.
On October 15, 2019 staff presented the study to Council seeking interested councilmembers to participate in the Study’s Focus Group. Three councilmembers agreed to participate in the Focus Group. In addition, three Public Works Commissioners and three Planning Commissioners also agreed to participate in the Focus Group.
On January 6, 2020 the Transit Feasibility Study was presented to the Public Works Commission. During this meeting, input was sought from the Commissioners regarding public transit in Castle Rock. Commissioners were asked if transit was offered what does it look like, where should service be provided, and what other services should be connected. Commissioners were also asked what is the highest priority populations that should be served. The Commission agreed that the vulnerable population, such as the disabled, should be the highest priority. Transit should provide both local and regional service, such as downtown, and connect the neighborhoods.
A work session was later scheduled with Council on April 21, 2020 to review the status of the study and to provide input. Public and stakeholder feedback was shared at the meeting and the four community mobility needs and opportunities identified during the public engagement period. This included serving the vulnerable population, providing regional connectivity, enhancing economic sustainability, and supporting population growth. In addition, Councilmembers were presented with the three service types being recommended for further evaluation with regard to feasibility. These service types were recommended from the first level of screening and include point to point on-demand service, regional service, and local microtransit. Councilmembers agreed with carrying the three service types forward.
Additional presentations were provided to the Planning Commission and the Downtown Alliance Board which is made up of members from the Downtown Development Authority and the Downtown Merchants Association. The Planning Commission appreciated the opportunity to hear about the project and wanted staff check on the ability to contract service with RTD. However, according to RTD staff the organization is not allowed to provide service or spend money outside the District’s boundaries. An additional presentation with the Downtown Alliance is scheduled for September.
Discussion
In October of 2019 the Town kicked off the Transit Feasibility Study. For the first few months an extensive public outreach effort was conducted to collect public and other stakeholder input. Outreach included a number of approaches and efforts, such as mailing a Town wide postcard, interactive project web page, public open house, questionnaires, stakeholder meetings, and a social media campaign. From this input four primary transit needs and opportunities were identified; 1) serve vulnerable populations, 2) provide regional connectivity, 3) enhance economic stability, 4) support population growth.
Many types of transit service models were evaluated for their feasibility and ability to meet the needs and opportunities. Light rail transit and traditional bus service were evaluated but were too expensive to build and operate. The three transit models that were identified as feasible options are Point to Point On Demand, Microtransit, and commuter service to/from the Ridgegate RTD station. The commuter service can also be achieved with the planned CDOT Bustang service from Castle Rock. However, the Bustang stop is likely years away.
The study recommends implementing a phased approach. It starts with expansion of the current taxi voucher program by increasing the hours of operation and allowing all type of rides for people who are eligible for the program. Service would then be opened to the general public as part of phase two. Phase three would transition to an on-demand service which could be provided through a microtransit or ridehailing company (i.e. Uber or Lyft). The last recommendation, phase four, could expand the on-demand service by adding a commuter element to/from the Ridgegate RTD station. It would be designed to complement the Bustang service, not replace it.
Finally, it is important to note that there is no current funding identified for transit service in the Town’s budget or 5-year Capital Improvement Program, other than the taxi voucher program ($25,000) and funds provided to the senior center ($60,000). Additional transit service would need to be part of future budget discussions and compete against other priorities for Town funding. The study has listed potential funding sources but these either need to be approved by Town Council, a public vote, or compete with other transportation projects.
The Transit Feasibility Study provides a fiscally responsible path forward with options for how service could be phased in over time. The phased approach includes all service models that grow incrementally with the final phase providing general public transit service throughout Town. However, it is difficult to put a timeframe on how soon or how long it may take to occur.
Budget Impact
The Transit Feasibility Study was budgeted in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 and FY 2020. No additional budgetary impacts are expected. However, as stated earlier recommendations in the study have not been budgeted in the annual budget or CIP. Implementation of the recommendations will have to be considered against other Town priorities by Town Council during the annual budget and CIP discussions.
Staff Recommendation
At this time, this is an informational item only. Staff will return on October 5th for a recommendation to Council.
Attachments
Attachment A: Draft Transit Feasibility Study