To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Bryan Weimer, Director, Public Works & Development
Prepared By:
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Jason Reynolds, Planning Division Manager, PWD
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presenter
Presenter: Loretta Daniel, Long Range Planning Program Manager, PWD
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Subject:
title
9:45 AM *DRCOG Livable Centers & Innovative Mobility Set-Aside Programs
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
DRCOG’s 2024-2027 Transportation Improvement set-aside program offers two grant opportunities for local governments. These set-aside programs require no local funding match and are managed by DRCOG, which reduces the amount of local staff commitment required to implement. Staff plans to submit letters of interest for the Innovative Mobility and Livable Centers programs, which do not require Arapahoe County financial contributions. Unless directed otherwise by the Board, staff will submit those letters before DRCOG’s Livable Centers deadline of October 7, 2024.
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Background and Discussion: Both the Livable Centers Small Area Planning and Innovative Mobility set-aside programs are funded 2024-2027 through the Transportation Improvement Program. To be eligible for the current funding cycle, communities must submit letters of interest to DRCOG by October 7 (Livable Centers) and October 15 (Innovative Mobility).
The Livable Centers Small-area Planning program is DRCOG-led technical assistance funded through the fiscal years 2024-2027 Transportation Improvement Program. Small-area planning projects will identify ways to enhance and increase livability in connected multimodal centers.
The Innovative Mobility program focuses on preparedness, feasibility, and planning for innovative mobility such as curbside management, emerging modes, shared mobility, mobility as a service, transportation electrification, and mobility hubs.
At the same time that these set-asides are being offered, Arapahoe County has been participating in the Parker Road Corridor Improvements Study and began planning efforts for revisions to the Four Square Mile Subarea Plan. Both of these efforts could benefit from a more granular analysis of the Florida Corridor and the area around the Parker/Florida intersection.
Staff is preparing the following set-aside applications:
Livable Center/Mobility Hub for Parker and Florida - At the first Four Square Mile advisory committee meeting, residents mentioned that the area lacks a unique identity. The Eloise May Library at Parker Road and Florida Avenue is the largest and most centralized community gathering space in the community. The intersection is also located along the Parker Road bus corridor and the Florida bus line, both of which are potential transit areas for transit-oriented communities. Long-term, the corner presents opportunities both for connectivity and design to improve the area’s sense of place and identity.
Innovative Mobility/Florida Avenue Corridor Study - The Florida Avenue corridor connects to Denver, the Highline Canal, the Eloise May Library, shopping at both Parker and Havana, Long’s Pine Grove and Cheyenne/Arapaho Park, and Aurora. The corridor is an essential connection to the proposed livable center/mobility hub. Today, the Florida Avenue corridor is somewhat effective at moving traditional vehicular traffic; however it lacks pedestrian, bicycling, and innovative transportation options. A corridor study would offer the chance to evaluate those options and improve connectivity, both for local destinations and for the region.
Staff has had discussions with the City of Aurora planning staff, and they are supportive of a collaborative approach for the Florida corridor. Staff has contacted the City and County of Denver planning staff and as of this writing, staff is waiting on a response. The benefit that staff sees of these two set-aside programs is that the Florida corridor is approximately four miles long, has been identified as a major bicycle route for the county, and provides an opportunity for partnering with Aurora and Denver to address shared mobility and corridor planning in a suburban situation.
If Arapahoe County’s proposals are accepted, DRCOG anticipates project kickoff in May 2025, which would allow these projects to be coordinated with the Four Square Mile Subarea Plan update.
Fiscal Impact: These set-aside programs are funded through and managed by DRCOG. A minimal amount of Arapahoe County staff time will be required to participate in the program; as project sponsor, Arapahoe County staff would attend monthly meetings, review deliverables, and provide updates to the Board.
Alternatives: Although staff supports proceeding with these DRCOG set-aside applications, Arapahoe County does have the option to wait for next year’s Transportation Improvement Program funding; however that timing would not align with our current planning efforts in the area. Further, the themes of these set-asides are uniquely relevant to our current Planning and Transportation efforts in the area.
Alignment with Strategic Plan:
☒Be fiscally sustainable
☐Provide essential and mandated service
☒Be community focused
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends submitting requests for the DRCOG set-asides.
Concurrence: PWD Planning and Transportation staff prepared this request.