Agenda Date: 11/12/2024
Subject:
Title
Project Downtown Final Concept
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From: |
James L. Becklenberg, City Manager |
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Prepared by: |
Adrienne Burton, Manager of Innovation and Performance Excellence |
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Presentations: |
Brent Soderlin, Interim Director of Public Works & Utilities |
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Adrienne Burton, Manager of Innovation and Performance Excellence |
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Kenna Davis, Transportation Planner |
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Josh Mehlem, Consor Engineers |
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Jason Rutt, Consor Engineers |
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Meredith Wenskoski, Livable Cities Studio |
PURPOSE:
The project team will present the refined Village concept, or preferred alternative, for Project Downtown in addition to the cost model for the major projects identified as part of this long-term vision for Littleton’s historic downtown.
LONG-TERM OUTCOME(S) SERVED:
Vibrant Community with a Rich Culture; Sustainable Community with Natural Beauty; Robust and Resilient Economy; Safe Community
DISCUSSION:
Project Downtown is the guide for the city’s long-term investment decisions to improve mobility, connectivity, parking, pedestrian safety, wayfinding, and streetscape enhancements (i.e., lighting, trees, and wider sidewalks) in Downtown Littleton. This plan provides a prioritized list of major projects with recommendations for funding strategies and mechanisms in addition to minor projects that can be accomplished as part of existing city initiatives and programs for greater distribution of enhancements throughout downtown. The project study area includes a larger area to wholistically consider gateways, wayfinding, access, circulation, and connectivity; however, the core project focus is defined as the area within the boundary of Santa Fe Boulevard, Rio Grande Street, Powers Avenue, and Little’s Creek approximately.
These investments will enhance mobility and streetscapes for a more vibrant, connected, comfortable, inclusive, resilient downtown to celebrate and enrich the historic character of this local and regional destination. Project Downtown represents a transformative opportunity for the city with significant areas of impact as detailed below:
• Preserve cultural heritage and identity -
Historic downtown Littleton is more than just a collection of buildings; it is a repository of local history and a reflection of the city's unique identity. Enhancements are made in a way that respects the district's historic character, ensuring that modern upgrades blend with the aesthetic and cultural heritage of the area.
• Serve as a catalyst for community engagement and interaction -
Project Downtown introduces spaces where people naturally gather, fostering social interaction and contributing to the vibrancy of the area. These gathering spots help maintain the cultural and economic vitality of the city’s historic downtown and enhance the appeal as a hub for dynamic activity.
• Future-proof downtown infrastructure -
Project Downtown addresses both current and future transportation needs by improving sidewalks, roadways, technology, and pedestrian areas, making them more adaptable to changes in traffic patterns and mobility trends.
• Enhance economic sustainability and supports local business -
While the initial investment may be significant, public investments in historic downtown areas often serve as a catalyst for private investment, and this symbiotic relationship fosters long-term economic growth.
• Enrich heath, wellness, and the environment -
By introducing green infrastructure and promoting walkability and the use of alternative modes of transportation, the project aims to mitigate environmental impacts, contributing to long-term ecological sustainability.
• Address decades of underinvestment -
Decades of underinvestment has led to visible wear and inefficient infrastructure. By addressing deferred maintenance and upgrading key opportunity areas, this project will revitalize downtown and modernize existing assets, maximizing their use and relevance for years to come.
• Promote holistic and inclusive urban development -
Whether through public art, accessible design, or culturally diverse programming, the goal is to create a downtown that serves as a true public asset for every resident of Littleton.
• Delivers legacy placemaking -
Investing in placemaking ensures that the traditions and character are preserved for future generations. This isn't just a financial investment; it's about maintaining the cultural fabric of Littleton, reinforcing a sense of place that strengthens the community’s collective identity as well as driving competitive opportunity in the downtown and the region. This project marks a pivotal moment for Littleton. With the realization of Project Downtown, the city is poised to create a legacy that not only honors its heritage but also embodies a future of vibrancy, resiliency, and inclusivity.
The preferred alternative resulted from further refinement of the Village presented during the concept alternatives phase of this planning process. Approximately 45% of the survey respondents preferred this concept, including the Littleton Downtown Development Authority (LDDA) and council. Modifications to the Village concept includes locating the north-south bike facilities on Prince Street as well as extending Main Street placemaking elements to all four blocks per stakeholder input. This concept plan proposes 5 major projects, listed in order of priority, and a series of minor projects as part of the long-term implementation of Project Downtown, and these include:
1. Main Street
Defining features of this project include a curbless street from Curtice Street to Prince Street, and amenity zones including a diverse tree canopy, gathering spaces, raised planter beds with integrated seat walls, bike racks, water quality features, specialty paving, festival and pedestrian lighting, bollards or other design solutions for event closures, wayfinding, and intersection improvements. Gateways are located on the west and east end of Main Street as a threshold signifying arrival to this historic destination. Based on stakeholder input, Main Street has been recommended as the first priority for implementation, and those anticipated cost impacts are detailed under “Fiscal Impacts” (includes a breakdown of all proposed major projects).
2. Prince Street
Prince Street features a north- and southbound off-street, protected bikeways in addition to amenity zones with widened sidewalks, water quality areas, raised planting beds, wayfinding, and a diverse tree canopy.
3. Alamo Avenue
Enhancements along Alamo Avenue include many of the same amenity zone improvements identified on Main Street in addition to intersection upgrades for safer crossings. These design features create a stronger connective character for the downtown couplet in addition to outlining a succession plan for replacing trees along Alamo Avenue as the majority of the ash trees are near the end of life.
4. Nevada Street
Nevada Street would be transformed into a shared street where the car is the visitor, elevating pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic patterns would not be altered, so local access and some parking would still be available, however, vehicular speeds would be reduced significantly.
5. Little’s Creek Trail
This project would enhance the existing multi-use trail while introducing gathering spaces, public art, and opportunities to interact with the creek and other landscape features. This is a narrow corridor so trails would still need to cross at grade, however, given the existing conditions, the project team recommends additional study of this project.
Minor project enhancements include curb ramp replacements, additional gateways, new sidewalks, minor streetscape improvements, protected bike lanes, additional rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) as well as re-configured intersections.
Phase I design would continue the development of the Main Street concept, and this would also include an economic impact analysis, parking management study as well as continued coordination with the LDDA regarding operations and maintenance of proposed improvements. Council would continue to provide input regarding design decisions as well as approvals at key milestones throughout the design process. Additional information regarding funding for Main Street improvements is further detailed in the FISCAL IMPACTS section of this document.
BACKGROUND:
Envision Littleton encompassed the concurrent development of the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan as well as the city’s first-generation Transportation Master Plan in 2018 - 2019. These planning efforts coordinated joint community and leadership engagement processes with corresponding input and an integrated set of goals, policies, and actions. Downtown parking considerations, multi-modal connectivity, pedestrian-oriented safety improvements, clear wayfinding, and streetscape enhancements were identified as high community priorities. The Denver Water main street replacement (scheduled to begin in February of 2025) also catalyzed Project Downtown given the opportunity to re-invest in the city’s public infrastructure and enhance the existing level of service. Additionally, downtown streetscape and mobility improvements were recognized as a significant consideration as part of the 3A ballot measure as well.
With the formation of the LDDA in 2022, the LDDA Plan of Development provided the vision for Downtown Littleton and identified Project Downtown as an action item to establish gateways and enhance gateway streets through streetscape and landscape improvements, more comfortable environments to encourage people to stay longer, enhanced connectivity with Little’s Creek, and focused improvements at Main Street and Alamo Avenue to create an iconic pedestrian-first environment. The newly formed LDDA has been a close working partner throughout this process, and the LDDA Plan of Development served as a critical reference in defining the project scope and goals. The project team has worked closely with the LDDA at each milestone to ensure Project Downtown bolsters the priorities identified in the Plan of Development as well as identifies clear roles and responsibilities and a path for the shared implementation of recommendations.
The City of Littleton issued a Request for Proposal on October 17, 2022, and received multiple proposals from highly qualified teams. Consor was ultimately selected as the successful consultant team to lead this effort after a rigorous evaluation process. Consor is a transportation planning, engineering, and ITS consulting firm whose goal is to deliver sound solutions that improve the safety of transportation systems for users of all travel modes. They are partnered with multiple teams (Livable Cities Studio, Matrix Design Group, Currie Consulting Group, Pinyon Environmental, ArtHouse Design, and Triunity) that have brought well-established relationships, deep technical expertise, comprehensive public engagement strategies as well as extensive multimodal and streetscape design experience to this process.
To ensure a strong network of community champions, Project Downtown developed a Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) comprised of 30 members which represent various organizations or are residents and / or business or property owners. Representative organizations include the following:
• Arapahoe Community College
• Arapahoe County
• Arts & Culture Board
• City Council
• Denver Water
• DISH
• Historic Downtown Littleton Merchants’ Association
• Historic Littleton Inc
• Historic Preservation Board
• Littleton Business Chamber
• Littleton Downtown Development Authority
• Littleton Courts
• Littleton Library
• Littleton Museum
• Littleton Police Department
• Next Generation Advisory Board
• Planning Commission
• South Metro Fire Rescue
• Town Hall Arts Center
• Transportation & Mobility Board
• Environmental Sustainability Committee
• Western Welcome Week
• Residents
• Business / Property Owners
SWG representatives and alternates were appointed in the late spring of 2023. The intention of the SWG was for each representative to share content covered at SWG meetings with their respective organization and then provide comments to the project team. This allowed for all feedback to be considered by the SWG and the project team in combination with the community response for a more meaningful, systematic engagement cycle. This approach was consistent with how engagement was successfully managed during the Envision Littleton process as well.
The project team completed a detailed existing conditions analysis and evaluation of the Downtown Core to establish a benchmark for guiding discussions around key opportunities for future improvements. A summary of this quantitative analysis is featured in the project story map located on the project webpage (project downtown (arcgis.com) <https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/8eed16a0f1bd428a9aefb02b9b9e2d7a>, and information is grouped into six major categories including mobility and connectivity, parking, safety, environment, vibrant destinations, and historic character. Each category includes a summary of observations, opportunities, and a detailed map for context. In addition to this analysis, the project team performed a qualitative evaluation of the Downtown Core using the Twelve Quality Criteria, a tool developed by Gehl Architects for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users, looking at protection, comfort level, and experiential qualities. Each observation location was given an overall score for protection, comfort, and experience. The higher the score, the more comfortable the location is for pedestrians and cyclists.
In the initial phases of public engagement (July 2023 - November 2023), the team led approximately 150 1-on-1 interviews and discussions, two Stakeholder Working Group meetings, one virtual public meeting, two small group workshops focused on mobility and environment, and two presentations to the Littleton Downtown Development Authority (LDDA). The first project survey closed in early November, and the city received 675 responses. Major themes and takeaways obtained through these touchpoints provided the framework for the development of the following project goals which were utilized to evaluate and measure success of concepts:
• Placemaking & Activation
• Mobility & Connectivity
• Safety & Accessibility
• Sustainability & Resiliency
After the initial phases of public engagement, the project team spent several months developing and refining three concepts based on feedback received. Resounding community themes included reinforcing the downtown core, enhancing the connectivity of multimodal corridors, and creating iconic destinations and green streets. These themes were interpreted into the following three concept alternatives: Chicane on Main, Multimodal Network, and the Village.
The project team kicked off the second phase of public engagement by presenting these concepts to the LDDA (February 2024) and the Stakeholder Working Group (April 2024) in addition to a virtual community meeting, in-person Open House, and council study session in April 2024. The project StoryMap was updated to provide a detailed overview of the opportunities each concept presents, and the second survey was open through mid-May. There were 664 respondents to the second survey, and the feedback received during the second public engagement phase in addition to the project goals ultimately informed the preferred alternative (the Village) and implementation plan (or roadmap) for the long-term infrastructure investments that will bring Project Downtown to life.
The final phase of public engagement began in mid-October with a presentation of the preferred alternative to the LDDA (October 16, 2024) followed by the fourth Stakeholder Working Group meeting (October 21, 2024) and public Open House (October 28, 2024). The project StoryMap was also updated with a detailed overview of the preferred alternative. The team was focused on soliciting feedback regarding the order of prioritization during this phase of engagement, and final input supported Main Street as the first priority from all stakeholders. The LDDA recommended Alamo Avenue as the second priority in order to establish more consistent character for the couplet while also encouraging focus and growth opportunities in the immediate north-south streets. 125 people attended the Open House, and the preferred order for implementation based on a voting exercise by attendees denoted Main Street as the priority followed by Little’s Creek, Prince Street, Alamo Avenue, and Nevada Street.
The planning process for Project Downtown was designed to be robust, transparent, and interactive. There have been a variety of touchpoints with the community and intentional opportunities to provide feedback throughout this planning effort. Project Downtown has been a community-driven planning process and will ultimately tell the story of a Downtown that is well-connected, balances the needs of all modes of transportation, and identifies urban design and streetscape strategies to improve the experience for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
Prior Actions or Discussions
The project team presented three concept alternatives developed from stakeholder input at the city council study session on April 23, 2024. Council expressed their support for the Village.
At the July 16, 2024, Study Session, council further discussed the potential for additional traffic analysis to study the removal of one or both westbound travel lanes on Main Street. Given the fiscal impact required to address operational and safety improvements required to support the additional traffic volume at intersections outside of the downtown core, council approved moving forward with the refinement of the Village concept with existing traffic patterns.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
The consultant team developed a detailed cost estimate to understand the potential financial impacts of realizing all 5 major projects identified in the plan. A cost per linear foot was utilized for most improvements while a single cost was selected for larger items, such as intersection improvements and signal replacements. Surface removals, roadway surface, curb and gutter, amenity zones, sidewalks, and lighting were considered in the development of the cost per linear foot. Additional items considered as part of the cost model include unquantifiable items (e.g., additional demo, drainage, utility relocation, grading, and hazardous materials), miscellaneous construction costs (e.g., mobilization, erosion and traffic control, construction surveying, materials testing, utility investigation and coordination as well as public information services), design soft costs (e.g., plans, specifications, and estimates, survey and geotechnical analysis, utility potholing, construction management, and inspection) in addition to hard cost (or unknown), environmental, and owner contingencies. The table below denotes the cost estimated for each major project:
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Priority # |
Project |
Extents |
Cost Estimate |
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1 |
Main Street |
Curtice Street to Prince Street |
$19M |
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Rapp Street to Curtice Street |
$9M |
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Prince Street to Rio Grande Street |
$8.5M |
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Main Street TOTAL |
$36.5M |
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2 |
Prince Street |
Santa Fe Drive to Church Avenue |
$20M |
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3 |
Alamo Avenue |
Rapp Street to Littleton Boulevard |
$25M |
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4 |
Nevada Street |
Main Street to Church Avenue |
$12M |
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5 |
Little’s Creek |
Santa Fe Drive to Prince Street |
$50M |
The city will have options to pay for Phase I improvements that range from paying cash for the project, which would effectively delay the project indefinitely, to financing improvements with debt. Debt financing could ensure implementation in the next couple years and lock-in prices at current rates. If the Concept Plan is approved, staff would recommend council’s direction to research debt options and strategies. Staff has tentatively planned for a study session on debt options and strategies in January, 2025.
Additionally, staff would recommend proceeding to 30% design, which would further refine the cost for Phase I and provide options for value engineering the project to reconcile the costs with the financing strategies that will be developed concurrently. The cost for 30% design is estimated to be $1.0-$1.5 million and could be paid from funds anticipated to be appropriated in the 2025 budget, as currently proposed. Staff estimates that the 30% design products could be ready for council discussion in April 2025. At this time, the Phase I project options and financing strategies can be considered together, for final Council decision-making about the best Phase I project.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Direction to present the Concept Plan, as presented, for council’s consideration of adoption at the November 19, 2024, council meeting.
ALTERNATIVES:
Provide direction to staff to modify the Concept Plan and present it for consideration as amended.