The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About05-09-24 Public Comment - Z. Osman - Fowler Avenue Connection Public Comments for 30% design meetingFrom:Zehra Osman To:Bozeman Public Comment Cc:Mike Roser; Adrianne Wallace; Daniel Carty; Professional Subject:[EXTERNAL]Fowler Avenue Connection Public Comments for 30% design meeting Date:Tuesday, May 7, 2024 12:07:49 PM Attachments:Comments and questions for City.pdf30% Design Comments .pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or openattachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Honorable City Commissioners, Takami Clark, Nick Ross, and Taylor Lonsdale, Please see the two attached pdf documents for our comments on the City’s 30% Design for theFowler Avenue Connection Respectfully, Zehra Osman, Dan Carty, Adrianne Wallace, and Mike Rosen Honorable City Commission Members, Takami Clark, Nick Ross, and Taylor Lonsdale, The City of Bozeman’s (City) Fowler Ave Connector (FAC) road project, extending from Oak St to Hufﬁne Lane, will forever change the face of our part of town. As such, we— as Friends of Fowler Connector and concerned Bozeman residents—are committed to work with the City to ensure the FAC is built to be neighborhood-friendly and environmentally responsible. To that end, Friends of Fowler Connector offers the following list of questions and comments for the City in preparation for the May 8 FAC open house and also as formal written and oral public comment to the City. We are also attaching a pdf that illustrates comments on the 30% design (see attached). The following list of comments and questions are organized by the following categories, with some intentional crossover: (1) Commitment to Public Transparency and Flexible Design, (2) Land Use, (3) Road Use, (4) People Use, and (5) Ecological Function- Ecosystem Services. 1.Commitment to Public Transparency and Flexible Design   In 2022, the City of Bozeman committed to public transparency and ﬂexibility in all phases of the FAC design; however, the City’s published 30% plans are currently incomplete. Not all residents can read plan drawings. In order for the public to clearly understand all phases of the FAC design, we have the following questions: A.When will detailed, annotated plans and section elevations be available? B.When will detailed, annotated sketches of vegetation disturbance and loss— especially loss of mature, native trees—due to grading and construction be available? C.When will detailed, annotated sketches of where the City proposes to pipe or culvert the Section Line Irrigation Ditch (irrigation ditch) be available? We note that piping the irrigation ditch will eventually cause the loss of the riparian vegetation along the irrigation ditch. D.When will the City provide detailed plans for the land adjacent to the road? E.Has the city committed to development between the FAC and the existing neighborhoods? 2.Land Use Some land (or rights-of-way) in the FAC corridor was previously owned by the City or has been recently purchased, while other parcels of land in the FAC corridor are privately owned. Consequently: A.Which land in the corridor is City-owned? Page of 1 4 B.Which land does the City plan to claim via eminent domain? C.In what order does the City plan to build or modify the three sections of the FAC (e.g., Oak to Durston, Durston to Babcock, and then Babcock to Hufﬁne)? D.What are the planned uses for the City-owned land adjacent to the expanded road? E.What are the planned uses for privately owned properties adjacent to the expanded road? F.How is the City planning to incorporate public parks and trail systems along this corridor? 2.Road Use Fowler Ave is slated to become a minor arterial road. Other minor arterials shown in the City’s Transportation Master Plan include Willson, Mendenhall, and Babcock. Willson Ave, like the FAC, runs through established neighborhoods and is a mostly 2-lane road with low-speed limits, which protect the safety, livability, and walkability of the neighborhoods. Consequently: A.How will the city protect safety, livability, and walkability for neighborhoods in areas slated for road expansion in and along the FAC? B.What will be the speed limit on the FAC, and how will the city enforce that speed limit? C.How will the city protect commuter cyclist safety AND school-age cyclist safety in the FAC corridor? D.The Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) have determined that raised medians are most useful on high-volume, high-speed roads. The FHWA/USDOT state that in neighborhood applications, raised medians can actually increase speed of trafﬁc, create the need for unsafe U-turns, and take up space that can better be used for separated bike and pedestrian paths and vegetated buffers. Knowing these facts proves medians DO NOT calm trafﬁc. How can the FAC incorporate trafﬁc calming designs that actually DO work? Please see https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ saferjourney1/library/countermeasures/16.htm E.Turn lanes favor convenience for the vehicle over pedestrians. Turn lanes also increase the width of the road, which increases the amount of time a pedestrian spends within the road prism while crossing. Additionally, turn lanes increase the number of lanes where vehicles must stop to allow a pedestrian to cross; with Page of 2 4 not all vehicles being able to see the pedestrian attempting to cross. The FAC can function as a two standard-width (11.5 foot) lanes, minor arterial, without turn lanes—like Willson Ave and other minor arterials in the City. F.Keeping the FAC road limited to two standard-width (11.5 foot) lanes allows for more design ﬂexibility in the goal of saving existing mature vegetation and allows for a well-separated, shared-use path along the shade of existing vegetation that maximizes a buffer between it and the road prism.   4.People Use Bozeman’s Community Plan outlines a commitment to “accessibility and mobility” for people of all ages. It also commits to being “diverse, healthy, and inclusive, deﬁned by our vibrant neighborhoods, quality housing, walkability, excellent schools, numerous parks and trails, and thriving areas of commerce.” Its commitment to planning for climate change dictates that development must support “Diverse & Accessible Transportation Options.” and “Regenerative Green-space, Food Systems, and Natural Environments.” Consequently: A.Who is the City consulting about walking path designs? B.Who is the City consulting about biking access? C.Who is the City consulting about accessibility for people with disabilities? D.Who is the City consulting about safe accessibility for school children? E.How is the City planning to determine community-use needs such as bike lanes on roads vs off- road, shared-use bike and walking paths? 5.Ecological Function and Ecosystem Services The City’s commitment to planning for climate change dictates that development must support “Regenerative Green-space, Food Systems, and Natural Environments.” The City’s Community Plan outlines commitment to “our natural environment, parks, and open lands.” The FAC corridor includes ditch that runs and other wildlife. The FAC corridor an approximately 124-year-old (circa 1900), mostly open irrigation the entire length of the FAC, supporting self-sustaining native cottonwood trees, diverse populations of migratory birds, and other wildlife. The FAC corridor also provides important summer shade for community members and natural play areas for children. The FAC corridor is a part of Bozeman’s urban forest—the web of mature trees on public and private lands that functions to moderate extreme temperatures across the Gallatin Valley. Page of 3 4 A.How does the City plan to honor its commitment to protect the natural environment of mature trees and riparian areas in the FAC corridor? B.How does the City plan to preserve open water sources for birds and other animals who have depended on the open irrigation ditch water since circa 1900? C.How does the City plan to inform residents of where the irrigation ditch will continue to be an open water source and where the City plans to pipe or culvert the water underground? D.How does the City plan to preserve the trees and shade the FAC corridor currently provides for wildlife as well as community members? E.How does the City plan to stay committed to its climate action plan by preserving the important function of these mature trees for moderating extreme temperatures? F.How does the City plan to show community members which trees it plans to destroy and remove and which trees it plans to maintain? When will this information be available? G.How will the City maintain the water needs for mature trees that depend on the now-open irrigation ditch in areas where the irrigation ditch is slated to be culverted? H.Where does the City plan to leave dedicated green space in and along the FAC corridor? Comments on the 30% Design Drawings Please see attached pdf of our comments on the design drawings. Respectfully, Dan Carty, Adrianne Wallace, Mike Roser, and Zehra Osman Page of 4 4 Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 FAC 30% Design Comments of 111 FAC Project Area H u ff in e Babco c k Durst o n Oak of 112 Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 Future Gallatin Valley Land Trust Raptor Route Separated shared-use trail along FAC provides safe connection The GVLT Raptor Route will be a welcomed addition to Bozeman’s West Side, which currently lacks “Mountains to Main Street” type of amenities. The FAC project includes both a road and pathways and presents an opportunity to provide a N-S shared-use trail that is separated from the road prism. It will be more safe and more natural. Raptor Route Trail by GVLT of 113Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 FAC is to be a “minor arterial” of 114Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 No medians, no turn lanes Other Minor Arterials Through Neighborhoods The FAC is identified as a “Minor Arterial” Willson Avenue is another Minor Arterial that runs through neighborhoods Therefore it is possible to keep the road width narrow by not including raised medians and turn lanes, which add almost 20-feet extra width of 115 Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 Area Between Durston and Oak NKeep shared-use trail along park- like setting of riparian area Preserve mature vegetation and the open Section Line Ditch that provides the water that sustains mature trees Do not further bisect the riparian area and trail with Annie Street extension Discourage short cuts through neighborhoods such as along Meagher and New Holland of 116Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 Extraneous intersections encourage rush-hour short cuts through neighborhoods Riparian area and trail bisected by proposed Annie Street extension Shared-use 2-way path separated from road and is adjacent to trees Extraneous intersections eliminated to eliminate traffic short cuts through neighborhoods Open Section Line Ditch retained, which sustains existing riparian vegetation. Width of road is narrowed by 19’ by eliminating raised medians and turn lanes. Recommend 23’ road width, which includes 2 11.5’ lanes Proposed FAC 30% Design Comments & Changes to 30% Design Continuous raised medians adds an extra 12’ to the overall road width. Lanes are shown extra wide (14’ each), which encourages speeding Path is too close to the road edge Proposed Annie Street extension eliminated to prevent bisecting of riparian area Putting the existing section line ditch into a pipe will kill existing vegetation that is sustained by this water of 117 Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 Area Between Babcock and Durston Preserve mature vegetation and the open section line ditch that sustains it Do not further bisect the riparian area and trail with extraneous extensions Very limited space between houses of 118Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 No need for another trail and bike lane , which adds to disturbance width Extraneous intersections bisect riparian area, encourage rush-hour short cuts through neighborhoods, and add unsafe pedestrian crossings Putting open section line ditch into a pipe will kill existing vegetation.15 mph school zoneWidth of road is narrowed by 12’ by moving all trail and bike path functions to separated shared use path. Recommend Bity Standard 11.5’ lanes Proposed FAC 30% Design Comments & Changes to 30% Design Shared-use 2-way path separated from road Extraneous intersections eliminated to provide continuous riparian area and trail and eliminate traffic short cuts through neighborhoods Open Section Like Ditch is retained which sustains existing riparian vegetation. What will this land use be? of 119Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 Area Between Huffine and Babcock Preserve mature vegetation and the open Section Line Ditch that provides the water that sustains mature trees Keep shared-use trail for bikes and pedestrians along park-like setting of riparian area Maintain 15 mph zone at kids’ ballfields of 1110Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024 Putting the existing section line ditch into a pipe will kill existing vegetation that is sustained by this water. There are very few treed and shaded areas to walk and bike on Bozeman’s West Side, so these existing trails are precious No need for bike lane in the road prism, which adds to disturbance width. Instead keep that function in shared- use path along trees and separated from the road. Proposed FAC 30% Design Create safe pedestrian crossings to the park Maintain 15 mph speed zone at kids’ ballfields Area Between Huffine and Babcock of 1111Friends of Fowler 05/03/2024