To: From: Re: Mayor and City Council Patricia Nilsson, AICP, Comprehensive Planning Manager Boise Central Bench Neighborhood Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan Date: August 24, 2012 Requested Action Provide comments on the draft Boise Central Bench Neighborhood Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. Provide direction on City adoption. Overview ACHD budgeted funding in FY12 for the completion of neighborhood level pedestrian and bicycle plans. Boise staff expressed a desire to complete a plan for the Central Bench Planning Area to implement a goal in Blueprint Boise to provide a safe environment for walking and bicycling in the Central Bench. This planning area is one of the most populated in the City, with a 2010 population of 38,689. The area is home to many refugee families and other households who rely on public transit or pedestrian and bicycle routes for their mobility. Since the area was developed many decades ago, the existing pedestrian system is fragmented. The planning area is home to the Central Rim, Depot Bench, Morris Hill, Central Bench, Vista and Borah Neighborhood Associations. ACHD staff worked with City staff to develop a scope of work, and Kittleson & Associates was hired earlier this year to develop the plan. The intent is to develop a template for pedestrian and bicycle planning at a neighborhood level that can be replicated throughout Ada County as funding is available. For Boise, this means developing walking and bicycling plans for each Planning Area. The first areas through the process are the Central Bench and downtown Meridian. Various opportunities were provided to obtain feedback from the public on the existing needs and issues in the planning area. Three separate open houses were held in different locations throughout the area, and an on-line survey was available on the ACHD web site. The neighborhood associations also circulated information on the project through their communication networks, and the ACHD and City provided information at the Central Bench Spring Festival held in June. Summary of Plan A copy of the draft plan is available at: http://www.achdidaho.org/projects/publicproject.aspx?projectid=235
The major sections of the plan include an introduction that describes how the plan can be used, a review of existing plans and policies relevant to this area, a review of existing conditions in the planning area and demographics, a needs analysis based on existing travel characteristics and existing facilities, a set of recommended projects, and an implementation strategy. Existing Plans and Policies The plan summarizes the relevant recommendations of existing neighborhood plans in the study area, Blueprint Boise, the Pedestrian-Bicycle Transition Plan, the Roadways to Bikeway Plan and the Ridge-to-Rivers Plan. All of the existing plans express a desire to improve the pedestrian and bicycle network on the Central Bench. Existing Conditions and Demographics The plan includes recent bicycle counts, and the highest count location in the Central Bench is the Americana/Emerald/Latah intersection, which consistently sees over 100 bicycles on weekday afternoons during the two-hour count time periods. Population density in the Central Bench is 6.5 people/square mile, which is higher than the citywide average of 5 people/square mile. The population is forecasted to increase by 10,000 people over the next 25 years to almost 50,000. The Central Bench is also an important job center within Boise. Employment is projected to increase from 22,200 jobs in 2012 to approximately 26,600 jobs in 2035. Major employers include St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and the surrounding health-related services. An important aspect of the Central Bench is the relatively high number of households without a motor vehicle. 6.1% of all households in the Central Bench do not have access to a motor vehicle compared to a countywide average of 4.6%. Needs Analysis Land uses or features that attract pedestrian and bicycle trips were mapped and analyzed relative to the existing networks, barriers to walking and biking, and the location of bike and pedestrian crashes (maps attached). In addition, at the open houses and the on-line survey, citizens mapped the specific locations of concern to them. A total of 367 comments were received, and 332 were location-specific. The following key trends were identified: 1. Alpine Street from Orchard Street to Roosevelt Street: Motor vehicle speeds, lack of sidewalks and bicycle facilities, and difficulty crossing at the Orchard Street intersection. 2. Crescent Rim Drive, near Capitol Boulevard: Motor vehicle speeds and lack of bicycle facilities. 3. Emerald Street from Orchard Street to Americana Boulevard: Lack of sidewalks and bicycle facilities and difficulty crossing at the Americana Boulevard intersection. 4. Garden Street from Cassia Street to the Greenbelt: Access to Cassia Park and lack of bicycle facilities. 5. Kootenai Street from Vista Avenue to Federal Way: Lack of sidewalks and bicycle facilities.
6. Liberty Street from Franklin Road to Emerald Street: Lack of sidewalks. 7. Orchard Street from Overland Road to Emerald Street: Lack of sidewalks and bicycle facilities, difficulty crossing Orchard Street, and a mixture of support for, and opposition to, a potential road diet. 8. Vista Avenue/Overland Road intersection: Difficult to navigate for bicyclists. Project Recommendations As a result of the needs analysis, 129 sidewalk projects and 57 bicycle projects are recommended (map attached). To facilitate possible area-wide implementation of recognized needs, projects were grouped as follows: Pedestrian Projects: Sidewalks Shared-Use Path (overlaps with bicycle project) Traffic Calming Intersection Bicycle Projects Bike Lanes Shared-Use Paths (overlaps with pedestrian project) Bike Routes Traffic Calming Intersections Implementation and Funding The plan will take several years to fully implement. The primary source of funding will come from ACHD s Community Programs, a dedicated local funding source for pedestrian and bicycle projects. Other possible sources include the City s Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant Program and federal grants. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities can be constructed in concert with associated roadway projects. Projects such as new striping, signs, and some ADA improvements may be integrated into ACHD s normal business practices for completion, such as restriping after scheduled roadway overlay or resurfacing projects. Staff Recommendation Staff will prepare a comment letter to ACHD following Council direction. Subsequent to ACHD s approval of the plan, staff recommends City approval through an amendment to Blueprint Boise. Adoption as part of the comprehensive plan provides a foundation for pursuing funding and requiring improvements when redevelopment occurs. Attachments Map of Pedestrian and Bicycle Attractors Recommended Pedestrian Projects Recommended Roadway Projects I:\PDS\P and Z\Transportation Projects\Central Bench Pd Bike Plan\CentBenchCCAug28.doc