City Council Agenda and Packet 2009 03 10 Joint Meeting

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For west bound drop-off, buses would come in from Short Street and leave on South Street, where there is no signal. Northbound buses would need to make an un-signalized left turn onto Highway 42. Potential removal of the Tebo property as an opportunity for commercial development on Highway 42. Requires the acquisition of two parcels totaling about 5.4 acres (about $1.2 million if priced at $5.00/SF) from two property owners Conclusion: From RTD's perspective, the ultimate goal for this review is to determine which option would create the optimum environmental footprint for RTD's EE: Option 1 shows the largest footprint (12.5 acre) acquiring 3 parcels; while Option 2a provides the smallest environmental footprint and only requires the acquisition of 1 parcel. Although each option provides certain design elements that are better than the next, RTD is only asking for the City of Louisville to create a footprint that delineates the potential environmental impact that will result from the proposed Fastracks Station and parking lot. Using the Louisville Sports Complex site as remote parking for FasTracks would minimize an expanse of parking in highly desirable land in the middle of the Revitalization Area. While options that do this provide the lowest impact on developable land in the Revitalization Area, they also require the greatest parking management solution and require the expenditure of the associated capital costs for pedestrian connection across Highway 42. Other potential design considerations would be the bus drop off and making sure that the buses have the opportunity to make their way to the proposed signalized intersection at Highway 42 and Short Street. By choosing one of the above options, the City of Louisville is not locked into a specific design. Because this exercise is primarily to achieve the best footprint for the EE, staff will continue to work with RTD to make sure that all of the design concepts are addressed during the more detailed station planning. Staff recommends that City Council consider approving Option 2a. This would maximize the land available for redevelopment, minimize the visual impact of parking, and allow the savings from land acquisition to be used for pedestrian improvements to the Highway 42 crossing and other amenities in the redevelopment area. However, this option may not provide sufficient convenient parking to satisfy demand and will require effective parking management as well as cooperation with Lafayette and Boulder County to provide parking for uses other than that associated with the ball fields. 4