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Home My WebLink About05-23-24 Public Comment - Z. Osman - Public Comment for 05_23_24 Urban Parks and Forestry Board Meeting_ Fowler Avenue Connection and Urban Parks and ForestryFrom:Zehra Osman To:Bozeman Public Comment Cc:Mitchell Overton; Joey Morrison; Takami Clark; Nicholas Ross; Daniel Carty; Adrianne Wallace; Mike Roser; Angie Kociolek Subject:[EXTERNAL]Public Comment for 05/23/24 Urban Parks and Forestry Board Meeting: Fowler Avenue Connectionand Urban Parks and Forestry Date:Thursday, May 23, 2024 11:39:50 AM Attachments:Comments and questions for City.pdf30% Design Comments .pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. (Dear City Clerk: Please forward this email to the Urban Parks and Forestry Board Members and those City Staff members from the Parks and Forestry Department so they have adequate time to read them. Additionally, please post these comments in the public record for this meeting, including the email and each of the 2 attachments. Thank you.) Honorable Urban Parks and Forestry Board Members and City Staff, The goal of our organization, Friends of Fowler Connector, is to work constructively with the City to make the FAC as neighborhood friendly and environmentally responsible as possible. As such, we — as Friends of Fowler Connector and concerned Bozeman residents — submit the following comments on the 30% Design for the Fowler Avenue Connection prior to your board meeting on 05/23/24. Most of these comments were also submitted to the City Commission and the Transportation and Engineering Staff in preparation for their Transportation Board meeting on 5/22/24 and the open house on 05/8/2024, and include the two pdf attachments below. One of the pdfs shows drawings the illustrate our recommendations. At the May 8, 2024 open house, we were pleased to have meaningful dialogue with Director of Transportation and Engineering Nick Ross. We appreciate the City’s response to the 2022 public comments and how the road has been reduced from 5-lanes to 2-lanes. We also appreciate our mutual commitment to preserving the existing trees, which are part of a riparian corridor that includes mature trees, birds, and wildlife that are all sustained by an irrigation ditch. We look forward to continuing this constructive, productive, and meaningful relationship with the City as we continue to engage in the design process. We presented our comments and questions both in written public comment and orally at the May 8, 2024 FAC Open House. Mr. Ross responded to many of our comments and question (see attachments below) and expressed that the City would consider some of them: Preserve 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 an approximately 124-year-old (circa 1900), mostly open irrigation ditch (aka Section Line Ditch) that runs 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. In order to achieve our mutual goal of protecting these trees and the riparian system: Determine the extent of the root zones of these mature trees. Provide as much buffer as possible between the road development/construction and the root zones of the mature trees to avoid/mitigate impacts to this root zone. This would require a narrow road profile, narrower than what is shown in the 30% design. Protect the tree root zones from compaction during construction activities. Install construction fencing that prevents storage of construction materials and parking of construction equipment within the root zones of these mature trees. Allow the shared-use path to lie lightly on the landscape. Use permeable paving materials that allow water to recharge and regenerate the riparian area. Do not excavate deeply when installing the shared-use path. Trail placement should be separated enough from the ditch to avoid erosion. Embrace the opportunity of allowing the FAC’s well-separated shared-use path to become the N-S connection to GVLT’s Raptor Route trail. The Raptor Route will connect the Gallatin River at Four Corners to the M Trail. See KBZK’s video on this trail https://www.kbzk.com/news/local- news/gallatin-valley-land-trusts-raptor-route-to-make-bozeman-trails-safer-from-west-side-to-the-m . The FAC can be the west-side’s N-S connection to the Raptor Route, providing a beautiful trail that winds along the existing riparian corridor with mature trees, which is preferable than a sidewalk up against the FAC roadway. The 30% design shows instead two sidewalks along the edge of the FAC roadway, which is expected to have 14,000 average daily vehicles, which does not provide a pleasant experience. Let’s embrace a unique opportunity we have with walking/biking along the preserved riparian corridor. This is an opportunity to get people out of cars and use the Active Transportation (AT) system. See ways to protect the riparian area (above). Give the shared-use path and riparian corridor a maximum amount of buffer from the FAC roadway Keep the FAC narrow as a 2-lane road with 11.5-foot wide lanes (without medians, without turn lanes, without bike lanes in the road) to maximize the buffer between the road and the pathway. Keep the shared-use path along the riparian corridor; well-separated from the FAC roadway Allow users of the shared-use path to remain in the shade, enjoy the sights and sounds of the running water, wildlife, and birds. This would allow a safe and natural N-S connection of West Side neighborhoods to the GVLT’s Raptor Route. Eliminate the raised medians: These medians add excess road width (19 feet extra width) Other "minor arterials" within Bozeman neighborhoods, such as Willson Ave, do not have raised medians. The Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) do not recommend raised medians on roads within neighborhoods and state that they are most useful on high-volume, high-speed roads (FAC goes through neighborhoods). The FHWA/DOT link below states that this is because raised medians can cause unsafe U-turns, increase traffic speeds by decreasing the perceived friction through separating traffic flow directions, take up space that can be better used for wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and landscape buffer. (see https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferjourney1/library/countermeasures/16.htm ). Since curbs along raised medians can catch a vehicle tire, lanes are increased in width. In this case the 30% design show the width increasing from 11.5’ width to 14’ width. Again, this adds to the overall width of the road prism. The natural vegetated “landscaped median” could instead be incorporated into the existing, natural-vegetated buffer between the road and existing tree canopy. No one wants to picnic on a landscaped median, and that space could instead easily accommodate a picnic blanket next to the shared use path within the canopy of trees. Please see the attached pdf of our 30% design comments to see our drawings that illustrate what can be gained by eliminating raised medians. Eliminate the center turn lanes to the extent possible: Center turn lanes favor vehicular traffic convenience over pedestrian/school kid safety and convenience. Neighborhood pedestrians/school kids would have to cross a wider road. Turn lanes increase the number of lanes where vehicles must stop to allow a pedestrian/school kid to cross; with not all vehicles being able to see the pedestrian/school kid attempting to cross. The 30% design for the FAC between Durston and Huffine already does not show center turn lanes except at major intersections, therefore it must be an acceptable approach. Other “minor arterials” within Bozeman neighborhoods, such as Willson Ave, do not have center turn lanes. Move all bike lanes and pedestrian path functions to one wider shared-use path: Currently the 30% design has shared-use paths in close proximity to the road at 17’ from the road edge, which is too close to the traffic. To put this into perspective, a typical parking space is 10-feet wide by 20-feet long. So, in this scenario, a pedestrian/school kid would be separated from FAC traffic by the mere length of a parking space. Pedestrians deserve a much wider buffer. Bike lanes are currently shown at 6-feet wide and within the road. These bike lanes may be convenient for our most ardent cyclists who are fast, fit, and confident in their biking skills. However, this type of bike lane is not as accessible, favored, or used by our cyclists who are either more mobility-challenged, who are not as experienced, who go slower, who are intimidated by cars rushing past, and/or those who have kids and pets in tow. It is better to have a bike lane that is well-separated from vehicles in the road prism. Bike lanes within the road often contain gravel, broken glass, and debris that can cause a cyclist to fall and, most concerning, they may also fall into traffic. Of course the most ardent cyclists may be able to skillfully navigate this. However, this condition is not considered accessible those cyclists who might be mobility-challenged, are young, who lack experience, etc. Instead, keep only one shared use path along the side of the tree canopy and riparian environment along the creek (open Section Line Ditch), which would be much more shaded, pleasant, natural, and conducive to walking/biking Universally accessible bike paths should be the goal. Combine all shared-use path function into one shared-use path to lessen the overall impact width. Eliminate intersections at FAC for neighborhood streets at Cascade and Annie: We appreciate how the City is making an effort to preserve the riparian corridor and mature tree canopy along with the irrigation ditch (open Section Line Ditch) that sustains it. Places where this tree canopy and open Section Line Ditch cannot be preserved, however, is at new intersections. At these new intersections, trees are lost due to road work and grading, and the open Section Line Ditch is put into a pipe, where it can no longer sustain existing vegetation, birds, and wildlife. Some intersections such as Huffine, Babcock, Durston, and Oak may make sense for connectivity, and they are only 0.50 miles apart. However, the 30% design goes further and connects the neighborhood streets of Annie and Cascade with the FAC, adding vehicular connectivity at 0.25 miles. This connectivity is excessive and is meant for the convenience of vehicles. It disrupts/compromises the pedestrian connectivity and safety of shared use paths and also disrupts and unnecessarily negatively impacts the riparian corridor. Like the Gallagator Linear Trail on Bozeman’s south side, it is OK to decide to preserve a continuous, existing, mature, riparian corridor and shared-use path on the city’s west side. It’s a remarkable opportunity to have this connectivity for the west side! Eliminate intersections at FAC for neighborhood streets at Farmall, Annie, Lily, Rose, Oliver, and Cascade: As mentioned above, FAC intersections at Huffine, Babcock, Durston, and Oak may make sense for connectivity; they are only 0.50 miles apart. However, the 30% design goes further and connects the FAC with every other neighborhood street including Farmall, Oliver, Rose, Lily, Annie, and Cascade with the FAC, some of which are only 250 feet apart! This causes safety concerns on neighborhood streets. At the 05/08/24 FAC meeting, the public expressed concern about traffic short-cutting and speeding through these existing neighborhood streets, adversely affecting residents, kids, and pedestrians, including kids walking to schools. Already, folks in Valley West have expressed on social media that they were looking forward to accessing the FAC by using Cascade Street — in order to avoid the school speed zone on Babcock. Unfortunately, over-connecting these neighborhood streets provides too much convenience for cars at the price of neighborhood pedestrian and school kid safety. It also encourages traffic short cuts from other neighborhoods. If it is impossible to eliminate one or more of these intersections, we recommend the following mitigations: stop signs speed bumps curb extensions posted 15 mph speed zones at parks and playgrounds flashing light crossings for school kids (such as what we have on Babcock and Durston) Finally, during the May 8, 2024 FAC Open House, Mr. Nick Ross suggested a field trip to walk the length of the project. The Friends of Fowler Connection is in favor of this form of publicengagement in addition to other opportunities. We look forward to working with you. Respectfully, Zehra Osman, Adrianne Wallace, Dan Carty, Mike Roser, and Angie Kociolek **NOTE: Please see 2 pdf attachments with drawings illustrating our recommendations Begin forwarded message: From: Zehra Osman <zosman534@gmail.com> Subject: Fwd: Fowler Avenue Connection Public Comments for 30% design meeting Date: May 8, 2024 at 10:09:12 AM MDT To: Takami Clark <tclark@bozeman.net>, nross@bozeman.net, tlonsdale@bozeman.net, jmadgic@bozeman.net, dfischer@bozeman.net, jmorrison@bozeman.net, TCunningham@bozeman.net Cc: Mike Roser <mikeroser13@gmail.com>, Adrianne Wallace <avwallace@gmail.com>, Daniel Carty <dgc12@hotmail.com>, Professional <zosman534@gmail.com>, friendsoffowlerconnector@gmail.com Honorable City Commissioners and City Staff, Friends of Fowler Connector (FFC) submitted these public comments yesterday. For your convenience, we are submitting these comments and questions to you directly in preparation for tonight’s meeting. Please see the email and attachments below. The goal of Friends of Fowler Connector is to work constructively with the City to make the FAC as neighborhood and environmentally responsible as possible. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We have a group email (cc’d) and a Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/friendsoffowlerconnector Respectfully, Mike Roser, Adrianne Wallace, Daniel Carty, and Zehra Osman Begin forwarded message: From: Zehra Osman <zosman534@gmail.com> Subject: Fowler Avenue Connection Public Comments for 30% design meeting Date: May 7, 2024 at 12:06:50 PM MDT To: comments@bozeman.net Cc: Mike Roser <mikeroser13@gmail.com>, Adrianne Wallace <avwallace@gmail.com>, Daniel Carty <dgc12@hotmail.com>, Professional <zosman534@gmail.com> 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 the Fowler 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