To: Members of the Public Works Commission
From: Thomas Reiff, Transportation Planner
Title
Informational - Castle Rock Downtown Alley Plan
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the Downtown Alley Plan (DAP) to the Public Works Commission. No formal action is being requested with this update. During the development of the plan, the Town will explore ways, and develop a framework, to activate the Downtown alleys into creative and functional spaces. Downtown alleys are an untapped opportunity to support economic development and provide opportunities for local businesses to thrive. This project has been awarded an $180,000 grant as part of the DRCOG Community Mobility Planning and Implementation program.
The proposed DAP is one of the next steps in the Town’s Downtown Mobility Master Plan (DMMP) for improving bike and pedestrian mobility. In the mobility plan, the alleyways were identified as a means to improve safe bicycle and pedestrian mobility. While the Town has an excellent off-street trail system to bring people downtown, there are no designated bicycle routes and facilities that provide a low-stress bicycling environment in downtown. In fact, many of the roadways are considered high stress for cyclists and some sidewalks are very narrow. Only 40% of the downtown area is currently accessible by low stress facilities, and with the alleyway improvements and some roadway restriping, over 85% of the downtown will be accessible by low stress facilities, see Attachment 1. The alley plan will design and coordinate the bicycle/pedestrian improvements to activate the shared alleyways thereby making them safer for people walking or biking to reach their destinations. Improving the pedestrian environment will also create unique opportunities for businesses to expand outdoor dining, install entrances off of the alleys, or simply improve the aesthetics of their property. Several businesses and property owners have already expressed these interests to the project team. Major project components will include extensive public outreach, utility coordination, and a comprehensive design process that will include detailed analysis and conceptual design elements, such as pavement that is welcoming to bikes and pedestrians, street furnishings, opportunities for public art, increased lighting, and overall aesthetics. Feasible design options will be explored for future implementation. Upon completion of the plan, the Town will have a framework that will allow the Town to easily move into the implementation phase.
Discussion
The Town has retained the services of HDR, Inc. to help develop the Downtown Alley Plan (DAP). The scope of work includes an extensive public outreach and engagement, which includes stakeholders like Downtown businesses and property owners, as well as utility companies such as IREA and trash/recycling companies. Outreach efforts will include an interactive web page, a project newsletter (Attachment 2) and hotline, community ambassadors, public events, stakeholder meetings, and a social media campaign.
In addition to the community and stakeholder involvement, the study will also consider and evaluate the following:
• Assess existing conditions and create a baseline report. This will include a walking audit, land use assessment, utility identification, and other elements to identify potential constraints and opportunities
• Analyze Downtown destinations and linkages
• Generate a prioritized list for alleys for improvements
• Create a concept plan for several Downtown alleys that includes sketches, renderings, and other visualizations of the proposed alley improvements
• Develop cost estimates for each alley and the proposed improvements. This will be a line item list of improvements and the associated costs with each improvement
Town staff is currently in the public engagement phase of the plan through October 30, 2021. The plan is expected to be completed by April 2022. When finished, the Town will have a plan that can be used to implement and improve Downtown mobility for bikes and pedestrians on several alleys. The plan can also be used to seek outside funding sources, such as public or private grants.
For the discussion with the Commission, Town staff is asking the Commissioners five basic questions.
1. Do you currently use the Downtown alleys to get around?
2. If you use the alleys, do you feel safe?
3. What improvements would make you use the alleys (lighting, artwork, outdoor dining/patios, sitting areas, landscaping, quality pavement, etc…)
4. Do you have a vision for the Downtown alleys?
5. Is there anything else the project team should know?
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: DMMP - Improved Alleyway pages
Attachment B: Summer 2021 Newsletter