City of FARGO

NP AND 1ST AVENUE NORTH

NP and 1 st Avenue North Corridor Development Plan

CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Study Mission Statement

This Study will recommend a plan that

accommodates all travelers: pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and drivers. The plan’s design and safety features will improve the physical health of individuals, the environmental quality of the community, and further increase opportunities for development.

Study Background

• Conversion of one-way pairs – This study recommended by the 2007 update to

Fargo-Moorhead Downtown Framework Plan

– Reflects nationwide trend since 1990s • Two-ways are now thought to be more friendly and appealing to pedestrians and businesses

Plan Elements

• • • • • • • Economic Analysis Traffic Engineering Transit Streetscape Bicycles/Pedestrians Public Involvement

We are here

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Process / Schedule

Alternatives Evaluated

• • • • No Build One‐Way Operation Reduced to 2‐Lanes 2‐Way With 2‐Way Left Turn Lane 2‐Way With 2‐Lane in One Direction, One in the Other

Engineering and Design

Engineering and Design

Engineering and Design

Roadway Capacity Comparison

18 000 17 000 16 000 15 000 14 000 13 000 12 000 11 000 10 000 9 000 8 000 7 000 6 000 5 000 4 000 3 000 2 000 1 000 0

Existing/No Build

One-way, 3-lane

Alternative 1

2+1 Source: Alfred Benesch & Company, calculations from NCHRP 365, Chapter 10. Capacities based on signalization set to high priority with high turns, parking on both sides.

Existing and future ADT volumes provided by Metro COG.

Alternative 2

Two-way, 2-lane

Alternative 3

One-way, 2-lane NP Ave (Year 2035) 1st Ave N (Year 2035) LOS E LOS D LOS C LOS B LOS A NP Ave (Year 2008) 1st Ave N (Year 2008)

Roadway Examples

Comparable Streets

Approximately 10,000 vehicles per day

• • •

24 th St & M St, South Omaha, NE

2 lanes - 1 lane in each direction Diagonal parking on both sides Commercial district • • •

50 th St & Underwood Ave, Dundee (Omaha, NE)

2 lanes – 1 lane in each direction Diagonal parking on both sides Commercial district

Roadway Examples

Comparable Streets

Approximately 17,000 vehicles per day

• • •

60 th St & Maple St, Benson (Omaha, NE)

3 lanes – 1 lane in each direction with a center turn lane Parallel parking on both sides Commercial district

Public Outreach Summary

• • • • • September 2009 – Public Meeting 1 – Transit Open House March 2010 – Public Meeting 2 – Transit/Pedestrian/Bicycle Workshop – Business Stakeholder Workshop – Downtown Community Partnership Workshop May 2010 – Freight Workshop September 2010 – Public Meeting 3 November 2010 – Planning Commission Presentation

Public Meeting Questionnaire Results: Priority

1. Safety 2. Bicycle Access 3. Ped Access / Walkability 4. Neighborhood Benefit 5. Economic Impacts 6. Business Impacts 7. Redevelopment Potential 8. Transit Access 9. Property Access 10. Traffic Flow (stops) 11. Visual Impacts 12. Cost 13. Traffic Disruption 14. Indirect Travel 15. Congestion Relief 16. Construction Issues

Transit Update

• Outreach – GTC Open House – MAT Driver and Administration Input – Stakeholder Workshop • • • No Existing Route Structure Modifications are Planned Existing Bus Stops will Remain in the Current Location Possible addition of Downtown Circulator Routes

Streetscape:

Example Section Curb Extension 2-Way 2+1 Curb extension reduces crossing distance by 16’

Streetscape: Opportunities

• • • • • • • • Bike/Pedestrian Friendly (Complete Streets) Street Trees Lighting Enhancements Street Furniture Updates Enhanced Crosswalks and Curb Extensions Entrance features at both University and 10th St.

New public space (Re-design of Ole Tangen Park) Economic Development = new canopies, outdoor dining, and more street life which in turn brings new development.

Pedestrian Facilities

No-Build = 164,150 sq.ft.

2-Way - 2+1 = 177,900 sq.ft.

2-Way = 164,150 sq.ft. 1-Way = 241,100 sq.ft.

Landscape Improvements

No-Build = 17,000 sq.ft.

2-Way - 2+1 = 27,000 sq.ft.

2-Way = 17,000 sq.ft. 1-Way = 36,250 sq.ft.

Economic Analysis

• Determined Economic Impacts: – Evaluated Experiences/Impacts in other Downtowns – Evaluated Economic Conditions in Downtown Fargo – Project Economic Impact of Potential Street Conversions on Downtown Fargo

Survey of Other Downtown Two-Way Conversion Projects: Objectives & Impacts

Downtown

Des Moines, Iowa Fort Collins, Colorado Lafayette, Indiana Vancouver, Washington Austin, Texas

GOAL 1: Enhance Traffic and/or Transportation Systems

Important Very Important

GOAL 2: Support Redevelopment / Stimulate New Development Most Significant Economic Impact(s)

Significant Impact Planned 1. New Offices 2. New Hotel 1. New Retail (planned) 2. New Residential Very Important Important Somewhat Important Favorable Impact 1. New Retail Significant Impact Favorable Impact 1. New Residential 2. New Offices 3. New Hotel 1. New Mixed Use 2. New Residential

Benchmark Survey of Other Downtown Two-Way Conversion Projects

Major Findings and Conclusions . . .

1.

Conversion from one-way to two way on major streets had positive economic impacts on existing development, stimulated new investment and/or furthered redevelopment in other Downtowns.

2.

Projected development and redevelopment if NP Avenue and 1 st Avenue North are converted under Alternatives #1 and #2 will result in the same economic impacts. The critical factor is having two-way traffic - the differences in the specific two-way configurations are not measurable in economic terms.

Benchmark Survey of Adding Bike Lanes: Objectives and Findings

Location, Year of Study Study Objective Key Findings Study Conclusion

Toronto, Canada, 2009 Outer Banks, North Carolina, 2004 Evaluate addition of bike lanes to a major commercial district Measure the economic benefits on an area’s tourism economy Shoppers arriving by foot and bicycle visit more often and spend more money The spending habits of cyclists will likely increase commercial activity • Bicycle facilities were important • for many tourists to the region • Visitors who used bicycles extended their stay, increasing sales to restaurants, hotels and stores 12% surveyed reported visiting longer because of bicycling The $6.7 million to construct bicycle facilities found an annual economic impact of $60 million - nine times the cost of construction Austin, Texas, 2010 Project the economic impact of adding bicycle lanes to two major commercial streets near Downtown Adding new bicycle lanes are projected to have a net increase of approximately 0.28% to 0.77% to the two street’s retail sales by the 10 th year after installation

NP Avenue and 1 st Avenue North Corridor Study Area 2010 – Existing Inventory

1,846,367 Built Square Feet (Private buildings only)

700 000 525 000 350 000

619 663

175 000

342 947 304 578 346 935 232 244

0 Residential 291 Units Office Industrial Mixed Use Retail & Restaurant

Note: Does not include Study Area’s public space and properties including Art Museum, BNSF Railroad Company, Federal Building, Federal Court, Fire Hall, Parking Garage, NDSU and City of Fargo Park District.

Office Corridor Study Area Projected New Development - Percent Increase by Year 25

Alt. 1, 2 Alt. 3 20% 7% -20%

Industrial

-5% 33%

Mixed Use

17% 41%

Retail & Restaurant

-20% 0% 20% 20% 40%

150 000 126 560 100 000

Corridor Study Area Projected New Development in Square Feet

Alt. 1, 2 Net Change: 326,000 sq. feet = +17.7% Alt. 3 Net Change: 137,000 sq. feet = +7.4% 99 990 86 465 50 000 42 860 37 522 38 860 57 500 30 000 0 -50 000 -46 444

Office Industrial

-12 244

Mixed Use Retail Restaurant

2 000

Corridor Study Area Projected Employment Impact by Year 25

Restaurant; 493 1 600 Retail; 311 1 200 Mixed Use; 514 800 400 0 Office; 579 Industrial, -155 Restaurant; 286 Retail; 155 Mixed Use; 214 Office; 214 Industrial, -41 -400 Alternatives 1, 2 = 1,742 Jobs Alternative 3 = 828 Jobs

Alternatives #1 and #2 New Revenue Sources

Parking Lot Revenues 10,5% Property Taxes 42,7% Lodging Taxes 0.1% Franchise Fees 12,2% City Sales Tax 34,5%

10%

Impact and Absorption Projections: Years 1 - 10

(Assumes Alt. # 1 and #2 street construction impacts occur during years 3, 4 & 5) Alt. 1, 2 Alt. 3 8% 5% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 2% 2% 4% 4% 2% 4% 5% 5% 4% 4% 4% 4% 0% Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Projected Economic Impact at Years 10 & 25

$100 000 000 No Build Alternative 3 Alternatives 1, 2 $92,922,000 $75 000 000 $50 000 000 $15,722,000 $25 000 000 $0 $5,674,000 10 Year Total $33,535,000 25 Year Total

Summary of Benefit / Cost by Alternative

Alternative 1 Alternative 2 Alternative 3

Benefit: At Year 10 At Year 25 (Less Probable Costs) $15,722,000 $92,922,000 ($1,958,100) $15,722,000 $92,922,000 ($2,014,850) $5,674,000 $33,535,000 ($2,463,082) Net Benefit: At Year 10 At Year 25 $13,763,900 $90,963,900 $13,707,150 $90,907,150 $3,210,918 $31,071,918

Note: Alternatives #1 and #2 include adjustment factors during construction of improvements.

Alternative Analysis

Recommended Alternative

• • • Determine how to proceed Study Review Committee approval Start on Design

Next Steps

Questions the came up during the Study

1. Disruption to Business During Construction 2. Freight and Delivery Items 3. What do businesses on corridor think?

4. Snow Clearance 5. Two-way Traffic on NP Ave between 10 th University Dr Street and 6. Bike Lanes vs. Shared Lane Pavement Markings 7. What will streetscaping look like?

8. Left turns from single lane onto Broadway, 10 th and University Dr 9. Lane Widths Street

Freight and Delivery

1. Reviewed existing city ordinance – Chapter 8, Article 8-10, Section 8-1005 2. Existing ordinance addresses many of the existing issues Double Parking is allowed except during 4 PM to 6 PM (Monday through Saturday).

No semi loading/unloading on minor arterials. No vehicles should be parked in alleys unless loading/unloading & not left unattended.

Semis must be parked parallel to the curb in direction of travel.

Semis and trucks over 1-ton capacity shall provide a flagger.

Freight and Delivery

Solutions: 1. Enforce existing ordinance of time exclusions – No double parking for loading/unloading from 7am to 9 am and 4 pm to 6 pm.

2. Modify ordinance to restrict deliveries in single lane direction unless parking spaces are available.

3. Modify ordinance to exclude NP and 1 st allow semis to Load/Unload.

Ave to 4. Loading zones can be developed at the request of the business owner.

Downtown Construction

1. Improvements in the downtown area to replace worn-out infrastructure 2. Major street improvements are planned 3. 8 construction seasons to complete (See next slide) 4. NP Avenue and 1 st Avenue N are tentatively scheduled to be the first two construction seasons

Downtown Construction

Downtown Business Surveys

5 0 15 10 25 20 35 30 Retail Tenants Office Tenants Business/Property Owners For Against No Preference

Downtown Business Surveys

No Preference 24 Against Conversion 20 For Conversion to Two-Way 56

Average Daily Parking Utilization 9:00 AM to 6:00PM

PM Parking Utilization 4:00 PM to 6:00PM

City of FARGO

NP and 1 st Avenue North Corridor Development Plan

On-Street Bicycle Facilities

0. No-Build = 0.00 sq.ft.

2-Way - 2+1 = 85,000 sq.ft.

(17,000 l.f.) 2-Way = 42,500 sq.ft.

(8,500 l.f.) 1-Way = 42,500 sq.ft. (8,500 l.f.)