Cherry Creek Transportation and Land Use Forum September 25, 2013 Meeting Summary

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Gillian May
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1 Cherry Creek Transportation and Land Use Forum September 25, 2013 Meeting Summary I. LEAD-IN TO SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION, POLLING AND STEERING COMMITTEE/TECHNICAL TASK FORCE DISCUSSION The meeting began with a one-hour open house that included staffed information tables on the 1 st and Steele Intersection Study; proposed storm water improvements and concrete repaving of University from 1 st Ave to 6 th Ave; the city s parking and traffic conditions inventory completed earlier this year; the CCNNA/CCHN Cumulative Traffic Study; the RTD bus/transit/connector study for Union Station, Cherry Creek, & Glendale; the Cherry Creek Area Plan; the Cherry Creek District Zoning process; Bike Denver; Transportation Solutions; and Denver Moves and Cherry Creek Area Plan bicycle facility recommendations. Following the open house and introductory remarks from city officials regarding the important relationship between land use and transportation, the participants discussed the greater Cherry Creek area s transportation needs. This meeting is linked to and will inform the work of a community task force that is seeking consensus recommendations to the city on the zoning in the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District. II. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Each small group summarized their discussion and offered the ideas they found most promising: A transit circulator for Cherry Creek would reduce the need for short auto trips and invigorate the business area Creating a vibrant area that is welcoming to regional visitors is important these visitors should be able to navigate clearly to off-street, safe and secure parking places on the perimeter of the district with easy access to the BID Getting transit planned and funded is important; the quality and character of that transit service is essential it should be dependable, with multiple stops inside the district but fewer and faster outside the district A multimodal center/transit center at (or under) Burns Park could work with a park-n-ride, free shuttle into district and transit to downtown These discussions have to be integrated with the future plans for the shopping center; we need the shopping center ownership to be engaged in dialogue like this Pedestrian safety and safe parking real and perceived safety are essential Connectivity between the neighborhood and arts district/downtown/lodo is needed Provide nearby parking for employees working in the BID Preserve on-street parking in the neighborhood Keep traffic calm in the BID keep two-way streets, etc. Could 1 st Avenue be rebuilt below grade making the area at grade much more of a pedestrian space and connecting the mall and the BID? We need rickshaws, pedicabs and other creative, fun alternatives to cars We have to plan for the transportation preferences of different generations Transportation and Land Use Forum Cherry Creek September 25,

2 The pedestrian crossings on 1 st, east and west of Steele are essential A shuttle, circulator, or trolley to Denver Performing Arts Complex and/or Denver Union Station could be very successful Traffic calming is important Make named streets one-way between 3 rd and 6 th (This idea was opposed by some groups)car sharing programs can help Can we build a subway? Other cities have done it We need a big idea Some ideas were repeated by every group and other ideas came up in a large majority of the groups. Among the most often repeated: improving way-finding and parking information; maximizing the use of off-street parking spaces; advancing transit solutions within the district and between Cherry Creek and regional destinations including downtown, Union Station, etc. III. POLLING After each small group reported a summary of their discussion the participants answered one question in an electronic poll: With the limited resources available, how would you prioritize spending on transportation improvements in Cherry Creek? (choose 3); the polling software recorded up to three responses for each participant Polling Results 1. Improve existing bus service 2. Study opportunities for new priority transit that connects to regional hubs 3. Residential neighborhood traffic calming 4. Bike and pedestrian facility improvements 5. Information parking in the business area 6. Improvements to 1st Avenue between Steele and Colorado cars, bikes, pedestrians, transit 7. New bus-bike-pedestrian bridge across the creek at Alameda 8. Improve Alameda Parkway with landscaping and safe bike/pedestrian connections Responses Percent Count 10% 12 22% 28 14% 18 10% 13 11% 14 24% 30 2% 3 6% 7 Totals 100% 125 Transportation and Land Use Forum Cherry Creek September 25,

3 IV. STEERING COMMITTEE/TECHNICAL TASK FORCE DISCUSSION What made the greatest impression; what s most important to take away from this meeting? Connectivity to key downtown destinations (Union Station, Convention Center/Performing Arts Complex) is a top priority We need to improve transit service to and from Cherry Creek Provide better way-finding and information regarding parking locations and provide parking that people will use The sense of common purpose and of the need to work together to advance shared solutions Provide transit service that connects to regional hubs while investing in improvements to 1 st Avenue we can do both at once We have to keep this area walkable We need a long-term, big idea one that will create lasting improvement The future of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center has to be integrated into the future of the whole area There are different visions we have to find ways to address these and move through them to a sense of balance and a common vision Cherry Creek North should be a place to live and work The need for partnerships in order to develop significantly better transit We are beginning here to link zoning, parking, and transportation We should help create transportation options bike parking, pedicabs, more We need the City, RTD, private land owners and other individuals to work toward transportation solutions together Demographics matter helping older residents get where they need to go while planning for a generation that is driving less, sharing cars, etc. Transportation and Land Use Forum Cherry Creek September 25,

4 Appendix Individual Written Comments Submitted at the Forum at Discussion Tables or on Comment Cards - Parking center at Sears - Median on 1 st between Steele and Colorado not just turn lanes keep visibility so drivers can see pedestrians in the median - Valet Pura Vida parking structure - Explore one-ways on named streets (like Clayton) between 3 rd and 6 th - Increase on-site parking requirements - 1 st and University needs better bike accessibility - More parking on the edge of the BID - Apps for pedicabs and real-time available parking - Trolley around the whole area - Pedicab subsidies - Valet at Whole Foods - Park once - Reduce density - Make it easier to use parking structures we already have - Circulator shuttle 1 st and 2 nd E-W - Increase bus services CC to 14 th, CC to DIA, CC to Light rail - City should fund infrastructure along 1 st and Steele - Make all larger residential projects include car share spots - Straighten Steele/Speer/1 st - Improve Alameda/Steele intersection - Streamline traffic lanes - Set parking ratios higher and allow for lower parking ratios if the owner commits to travel demand management, shared parking, transit funding - Median on 1 st West of Colorado - Avoid what Glendale did in redesigning Virginia one lane each way - Improve commuter to downtown - Make it easier to get to CC without a car - More residential - More of a mix of retail - More affordable housing - Balance growth and stability - Need more entertainment in CCN (dancing, night life) - Parking on Colorado with shuttle into CC - Need to know what the future of the mall will be - Accommodate through-traffic and destination traffic - Each development needs to address travel in and out of the development - Hotel guests should be walking improve communication with them - Better parking signs - Subsidized transit passes for CC - Improve transit to DIA - Transportation improvements need to be out in front of redevelopment - Mixed use helps mitigate traffic issues live, work, play - Street car would be good - Connect to Union Station - Need better short connections shuttle CC East to CCN - Transit to get tourists downtown and back again easily Transportation and Land Use Forum Cherry Creek September 25,

5 - DRCOG should be funding improvements - We need a coordinated lobbying effort city, regional and state resources - Buses need to be convenient, frequent, clean (a special bus for CC?) - Get parking at the mall for employees working in CCN - Cars roll through stop signs make it feel unsafe for pedestrians - Lights should be more coordinated - Shoppers park in the residential area - Parking on both sides of named streets makes them one-lane and it s hard to get cars through - Need to know how many structured parking spaces there are, where and how many are free - Bikes need a way to get across 1 st from the south side - Increase the number of parking spaces/residential unit in new development - Buses not being on time keeps people from using transit - Renovating existing retail can increase value without reconstruction - Construction traffic needs to be required to use specific routes - Pedestrian safety - Speer needs to have a dedicated route/system from CC to downtown - Keep the mix of retail, keep small shops - Diversity of uses is important - Increase short-term parking for quick errands - Need walkability - Need a champion to help everyone align goals - More private solutions car-to-go - Need density to make transit work - Transit center on the edge of CC - Circulator and shuttle - Parking - first hour free - Strategy to use existing parking more effectively - Subsurface corridor - Streetcar - Plan land use and transportation simultaneously don t let redevelopment come first - Improve buses - Transit and parking have to go together - Subsidize employee parking - Adequate parking in zoning - Have to deal with traffic moving through the area and not coming to CC - Bypass for 1 st - Put 1 st underground - Resident-only parking north of 3 rd create employee parking elsewhere - Keep all on-street parking spaces - Shuttle CC-cultural complex-library-dcpa-union Station and back again - Make sure small businesses that serve the community can afford to stay (deli, dry cleaners) rent control for these - Clear signage for existing parking structures, affordable rates so they are used - Pedestrians and bikes safe, well-marked areas and crossings - Traffic and parking on the perimeter - Pedestrian crossing at 6 th and St. Paul or 6 th and Steele signal and crosswalk needed - Developments need to produce their own plans for traffic and parking that address the problem - Need mall to participate in these discussions what they do will have significant influence - Invest tax revenue into transportation Transportation and Land Use Forum Cherry Creek September 25,

6 - Connect to Union Station - Mixed use reduces transportation - Local connectivity car-to-go, and other reliable alternatives - Big investment needed - Street cars - Educate to reduce car ridership - Buses convenient, reliable, cheap - Look to other cities for examples - Higher density = more amenities - Parking management problem timed sharing, perception of lack of parking - Road on the south side of the mall - Congestion pricing but careful not to create disincentive for new development - Alameda BRT or street car stop at Colorado, Alameda parkway, needs to be fully funded - St. Paul bike route width is a problem - Small shuttle service - Need to help tourists get information about where to park Transportation and Land Use Forum Cherry Creek September 25,

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