[bouldercouncilhotline] Hotline: Boulder Junction Bus them Bike Shelter Update

[cmosupport at bouldercolorado.gov]

Sender: Stafford, Edward


Boulder Junction - Bus then Bike Shelter Update, June 2, 2015
 
>From the beginning of the Transit Village Area Plan and as part of the Boulder Junction site review, city staff has viewed bicycle access and secure parking as a critical component of the transit-oriented development. The approved site review for Boulder Junction includes 30 short term bike parking spaces, 130 long term bike parking spaces and a 23 space B-Cycle station. These spaces are a part of the current construction and are separate from this bike shelter, which would provide additional bike parking (approximately 75 – 100 spaces) above the requirements of the site review.
 
In December 2014, Boulder County approached city staff with an opportunity to apply to CDOT for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant for federal funding to expand the County’s regional “Bus then Bike” shelter system and enhance
 long-term secure bicycle parking at Boulder Junction’s Depot Square. The grant was awarded and includes $93,600 in federal funding, with matching funds of $18,400 from the city and $5,000 from the county. The grant is for the FY 2016 fiscal year (7/1/15 –6/30/16) which therefore requires a construction contract be executed prior to June 30, 2016.

 
As with the rest of the Bus then Bike shelters, Boulder County would operate and maintain the Depot Square location and Community Cycles would promote its use.  The entity that will be responsible for building the bike shelter will be based upon the selected site location.
 
After Boulder County received the federal grant, city and county staff, RTD, the Depot Square developer, property owners and Community Cycles have been working together to evaluate several different potential interior and exterior locations to site the bike shelter. 
 
At this time, the search has been narrowed down to two locations and city staff is working out the details in making the final decision with the other stakeholders (county, Community Cycles, developer, RTD, property owners, etc.)
 
One of the site options involves locating the bike shelter in the proposed park located on the west side of Junction Place and adjacent to the Goose Creek access path with a direct line of sight to transit station entrance.  The location would also serve to minimize bicycle and pedestrian conflicts in the plaza area. City staff is working on how this facility could be integrated into the park.
 
The second location is near the entrance to the underground transit station.   This potential site has number of construction and property owner concerns that would need to be mitigated.  While FAR is one of the concerns, this is not the primary issue for this location, and in fact we believe that there is a solution working within the current code for FAR.  Other concerns for this location include design concerns for the existing RTD structure that is under the site, impacts to the plaza area, including the patio for the Boulder Jaycee’s Depot, and visual impacts to both the RTD facility and the residential facility. 

 
While there are challenges, city staff remain committed to finding a location for this transit oriented development amenity that works for stakeholders and future bicycle and transit station users.
 
 
Edward Stafford, P.E., PTOE
Development Review Manager - Public Works City of Boulder