Division II. North Avenue West Corridor Plan

Chapter 32.28
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Sections:

32.28.010    Executive summary.

32.28.010 Executive summary.

The planning for the North Avenue West Corridor Plan is an offshoot of a larger effort to address planning issues throughout the North Avenue Corridor. Over the years North Avenue has lost a significant amount of business to relocations to the west side of the City, and the recent recession has resulted in many business closures. These changes present the City with an opportunity to bring together City planners, residents, and business owners to examine ways to encourage redevelopment along the corridor and envision what the future might look like along North Avenue.

In 2007, the City Council adopted the North Avenue Corridor Plan for the area from 12th Street east to the I-70 Business Loop. This North Avenue West Corridor Plan addresses the area from 12th Street west to I-70B. Once both plans have been adopted, implementation of these plans will include creating an overlay district for the entire corridor that establishes a street cross-section and landscape standards. Over time as redevelopment and new development occur in the corridor, North Avenue will begin to transform into the long-range vision outlined in these plans.

The North Avenue West Corridor Plan envisions North Avenue between 12th Street and west to I-70B as a mix of retail, office, commercial and residential uses that will provide services for the student population of both high school and college students, and provide mobility for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.The vision for this area includes safety, enhanced aesthetics, and a “sense of place.” It will be a neighborhood that attracts residents and students with entertainment, educational opportunities, and public activity areas.

This plan divides the corridor from 12th Street west into three “districts.” The first would be Automotive Sales and Service from I-70B to First Street. The second “district” is the Sherwood Park Mixed-Use District from 1st Street to 5th Street, and the third would be the Educational/Student Commercial and Entertainment District from 5th to 12th Streets.

In order to accomplish these goals, much discussion took place about the elements of the street that would contribute to creating a “sense of place” as well as other guiding principles of safety, aesthetics and minimizing neighborhood impacts. These elements consist of consolidating existing curb cuts and parking lots, adding sidewalks and planting, and adding pedestrian-scale street lights, trees, signs, benches and other outdoor spaces to bring people back into the corridor.

The public process for this plan was as inclusive as possible, involving focus groups with residents, businesses, and Colorado Mesa University personnel and students, who were asked to fill out a questionnaire. This was followed by an open house and questionnaire for the public. The second public open house introduced concepts and design elements and asked for comments. Six options for street cross-sections were developed and presented to the public for input, and an online survey was made available that was promoted to all previous open house attendees and the public at large through the media and the City’s website and social media sites. There were 351 people who filled out the online survey.

Of the six street cross-sections the first option was the most inexpensive option of just restriping the street with a five-foot-wide bike lane. The other five options all included adding 10 feet of right-of-way on either side of the street. Options 2 and 5 did not include bike lanes. Options 3, 4, and 6 included varying widths of sidewalk, buffer areas, and bike lanes.

Support was strongest for Options 3 and 4, which both included the 10 additional feet of right-of-way on each side of the street, eight-foot detached sidewalks, buffer areas and a bike lane.

From the comments received on the online survey, residents and business owners alike are concerned about the future of North Avenue, and wish to see it restored as a place which attracts people and businesses, and remains a vital part of our community and contributes to our local economy. These plans and the adoption of a unified street cross-section and design standards will enable North Avenue to grow and change in the future, and remain a viable, vibrant part of our community.

(Ord. 4486, 11-2-11)