What are the overall goals of the Downtown Next Step (DNS) Project?

Downtown’s Next Step was originally prioritized by the Multimodal Advisory Board to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility on downtown Main Avenue. At the same time, Community Development was going through a public visioning process for downtown Main Avenue. Through the conceptual visioning process, the following goals for Downtown’s Next Step were created from public input.

Goal 1: Support and Grow Thriving Local Businesses

1. Safe opportunities for businesses to share the public realm
2. Convenient business access for all modes
3. Optimal supply of on-street vehicular and bicycle parking
4. Accommodate and support truck deliveries

Goal 2: Make Main Avenue More Walkable and Bikeable

1. Enhanced/expanded pedestrian space
2. Additional shade
3. Increased bicyclist safety
4. Safer street crossings
5. Support transit service and highlight trolley stops

Goal 3: Create Memorable Experiences Unique to Durango

1. Increased opportunities for public art
2. Increased infrastructure to support and streamline special events
3. Additional landscaping

Goal 4: Include and Invite all Local Residents and Visitors

1. Accessibility for all abilities and ages
2. Additional public gathering spaces
3. Nighttime and year-round activation opportunities
4. Access for emergency services
5. Event and other safety infrastructure

Goal 5: Ensure Flexibility and Resiliency Seasonally and Over Time

1. Flexibility in use of public realm
2. Inclusion of climate-sensitive elements
3. Improved snow clearance and storage
4. Durability and ease of maintenance

Since these goals were created, the City has surveyed and investigated the utilities further and included the need for updated utilities as an important objective in the scope of the overall project to support and grow thriving local businesses.

How were these goals determined?

These goals came from substantial community input during the conceptual visioning process. The City held 19 meetings ranging from advisory groups, one-on-one meetings, BID meetings, and 2 questionnaires that received over 2200 responses.

The first questionnaire, which had no design and was asking for feedback on what people wanted to see downtown, 12% or 113 of the respondents were downtown Main Avenue business and property owners.

The second questionnaire, which asked about 4 design concepts, had 142 respondents that were downtown Main Avenue business and property owners. Four of the 19 meetings held were stakeholder advisory groups that included various business owners. This initial community engagement was extensive and included multiple perspectives of the community, visitors, business owners, employees, residents, and event organizers.

How will the City make a decision about final approval or disapproval of the project?

Support of all Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) is a City Council decision that they make by approving the budget. Council approves every phase of a CIP project from design to construction. The design of DNS is broken into 3 different phases. 2 of the 3 phases of design have already been approved through budget adoption, and the final phase of design is being requested for 2025.

Engineering design documents will give us an engineering cost estimate for the construction phase. Council would have a full picture, including cost, to base their decision on whether or not to approve the project for construction funding.

Is it possible, at this point, not to pursue this project?

That is always an option. A Council decision is required at every step. Their funding of this project directs staff action.

What are the ramifications of not proceeding?

Street improvements will need to be made within the next several years and the utilities will need to be completed before those street improvements. This project presents the city with the opportunity to make all the improvements concurrently and be efficient and fiscally responsible by making multiple improvements at once.

Crashes and serious injuries will also continue. In the last year, there have been 3 pedestrians hospitalized from crashes on Main Avenue and 5 serious injuries. Despite a reduction in crashes in 2019, 2021, and 2022, pedestrian crashes have continued in 2023 and thus far in 2024. Crashes are awful by themselves, but they also cost the community in multiple ways. A 2018 report by the Federal Highway Administration estimated the cost of a serious injury to a community is $655,000 per injury.

How is the City taking feedback and is the City open to further discussion with business owners and the community about changes to the project?

The City has been taking feedback in various forms from public meetings, emails, in-person meetings with individual businesses and property owners, and questionnaires. Multiple changes have been made from feedback and observations thus far. Changes will continue to be made from feedback. Examples of changes include extending parking space lengths, proposing flexible loading zones.

The City has actively been receiving feedback regarding trees, ADA space locations, loading zones, lane widths, sidewalk widths, and curb extension length. We have also slowed the process down to receive more community feedback and ensure we get this project right for the community.

What is the estimated total cost of the DNS Project including both design and construction?

Total design cost for the entire corridor from 5th-14th Street is $1,320,000. The City received a $640,000 grant from the Department of Local Affairs (this grant is not a tax program, but is funded through oil and gas leases and royalties paid to the federal government for mining and drilling). The total cost for design to the City is $680,000. The local portion is coming from the 2015 Half Cent Sales Tax, which can only be used for multimodal and parks and recreation projects based on the ballot language.

For construction, we know that the community wants us to be able to provide this information, but we are not yet at a place in design where we are able to estimate that cost with any accuracy. Any cost range that has been guessed at this point is not based on any fact. We are only at a 30% design phase for the first two blocks of this project, and we don’t know for certain what we will encounter on the remaining blocks. One big variable is how much sidewalk we’ll be replacing in the final version of the design. We aren’t far enough along to know how much sidewalk will be added and how much will be replaced. A lot of that will be determined by the outcome of the community engagement process that we are currently in.

Once we get to the 60% design for the full corridor, the consultants will be able to determine an engineer’s cost estimate. We can promise and commit that once we receive construction cost information, it will be public knowledge and shared with the community. We know it will be expensive, but we are not far enough along in the design for an estimate to be accurate or based on fact.

How is the City planning to finance the entire project and will a tax increase be required?

Again, this is too early to answer thoroughly. We don’t know yet what the total cost will be for the full construction of the project and aren’t far enough along in the design to be planning construction funding plan. This will ultimately be a Council decision. We are not currently talking about a tax increase to fund this project.

When the time comes to develop a funding plan, we will be pursuing a number of different federal and state grant opportunities once we have a clearer picture of the cost for construction and shovel-ready design plans. There is a significant amount of transportation funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We are tracking 6 specific federal and state grant programs that could help fund construction in a very significant way. The City received a Department of Local Affairs grant to fund a portion of the design, and that sets us up well to receive more funding from the source in the construction phase.

What restrictions exist or are there alternative uses of these funds?

The current funds being expended on the multimodal design portion of the project are the 2015 Half Cent Sales Tax. They are restricted to use of multimodal or parks and recreation projects, and can’t be used for anything else. Funding for Utilities improvements will come from the water fund and sewer fund. Street improvements from the 2019 Sales Tax.

What are the trade-offs of funding other multi-modal projects?

At any given time, there are millions of dollars worth of capital needs and every Capital Improvement Project is competitive. No matter what project is funded, there is a trade-off related to other projects on the list.

Multimodal projects are prioritized for funding using a criteria framework that considers 12 different categories including things like crash and speed history. Once this project was elevated from an identified need in several master plans to a short-listed project, it ranked high in the criteria framework for crash history, road classification, commercial zone impact, and its status as a connection corridor.

What is the projected timeline for each phase of the project?

The rest of the design will continue until at least the end of 2025. The design of the rest of the blocks will be caught up to the 600 and 700 blocks before moving the design onto 60% design. This will allow more questions to be answered and for the plan to be looked at holistically instead of block by block.

Once the design is completed, the final design will dictate the schedule/timing of construction and phasing of construction. The intent will be to phase the construction by a few blocks a year. Construction is not budgeted at this point, but 2027 is the earliest timeline for starting construction of the first phase. Subsequent phases would occur the following years if funding is secured.

What specific measures will be in place to ensure the project stays on schedule?

The design team will do their due diligence during the design process to mitigate as many unknowns and surprises as possible. This includes potholing and surveying utilities and cavities under roadway to the greatest extent feasible. We do know that sometimes things just happen you don’t expect, but we will work to mitigate this as much as possible.

Once the design is complete the project will move to the City’s CIP division for construction management. That division is solely focused on construction projects and a dedicated person will be assigned to Downtown’s Next Step. The City’s construction manager will have regular meetings with contractors to monitor progress and will conduct regular site visits to ensure things are occurring appropriately. The City also uses contracts and liquidated damages to ensure the project stays on schedule. The City will further look into options of incentives to keep contractors on schedule.

How will the City keep businesses informed about the project’s progress and any changes to the schedule?

The city will create an email distribution list that will be utilized to update businesses about construction updates. There will be one point of contact to communicate with the public and businesses via the CIP division. We would lean on BID and other organizations to assist with communicating with businesses and ensuring they are informed. The City will also use mailers and door hangers to notify businesses prior to the start and during construction.

What are the specific plans for utility upgrades (water, sewer, gas, electricity, etc.)?

Complete replacement of waterline and new services to buildings that currently have shared services. Each building will have its own service line. Complete replacement of sewer main and services to each building will be replaced where necessary. No plans for gas or electric upgrades. Stormwater will be upgraded as necessary per design and to meet MS4 permit requirements for water quality.

What is the budget & estimates for costs of the utility upgrades to completion?

Without having complete 60% design for the street and utility improvements, accurate cost estimates are not available. When design is farther along, cost estimates will be developed and released to the public.

How do utility upgrades impact the overall project (DNS+utility upgrades) construction timeline, and business impact?

Utility upgrades increase impact to downtown businesses by increasing scope. Additionally, it significantly increases the amount of construction time. However, emergency outages are more costly and more impactful to the corridor and businesses than planned upgrades. This is renewing the infrastructure rather than putting some duct tape on it.

How would these needs be met if the DNS Project is not done?

The existing infrastructure has exceeded its useful life and will need to be replaced sooner rather than later. This will happen in the future whether this project occurs or not. This would still involve cutting into the street and reconstruction of the street with significant impacts to downtown. It will essentially be the same whether we due DNS or not. That will include closures and other impacts. Additionally, emergency reactionary repairs will continue to occur.

What specific measures will the City implement to mitigate the impact of construction on businesses and customers? What financial and marketing support can downtown businesses expect from the City during construction, considering a significant portion of the City’s revenue comes from downtown sales tax?

The city will take measures to mitigate impacts to businesses. Traffic control for sidewalks and clear access to businesses, phasing of construction, additional signage for businesses during construction, and creating a parking plan are some examples. Ensuring the sidewalks are open during business hours will be a priority, which may require some concrete work at night. Additionally, there are ways to make construction detours and traffic control a more pleasant experience that the city will employ including art.

The City will work with businesses to create temporary signage for parking, business access, and advertising construction. A specific parking plan will also be created for construction of Downtown’s Next Step. Night construction is another opportunity to mitigate impacts, but adds considerable cost. However, this is something the city can look into closer to construction.

The City will work with BID, Local First, and Chamber on incentive programs to promote traffic to impacted businesses. This will help drive business to those business that are being most impacted by construction.

The City will ensure there is budget set aside for incentive programs to mitigate the impacts of construction downtown.

When will construction be scheduled and how many blocks at a time? Will it be during slower businesses seasons?

March to October is primary construction season and timing for working with asphalt and concrete. Construction has to evolve around asphalt supplies and snow and ice seasons. Scheduling construction during the slower business seasons, March-May and September-October, with a stop during the busy season will add significant costs to the overall construction and add significant time. This is a discussion that will need to be continued as the city knows more about the 60% design.

Phasing is anticipated to be 1-2 blocks at a time. Utility upgrades will take the most amount of time compared to the sidewalk and street reconstruction.

What plans does the City have to address parking needs (for both customers and employees) downtown to make up for the proposed reduction in parking spaces?

We hear from some of you that your experience parking downtown is frustrating and we accept that parking is a concern for you.

Currently as of this morning (8/27/24), parking supply on Main is reduced by 36 parking spaces by the bump-outs program and the temporary pedestrian walkways (or pedlets) that are installed downtown. The original conceptual plan for the full corridor from 5th to 14th is the most aggressive scenario related to parking impacts, and we aren’t going to be reducing the number of parking spaces that it envisioned, which was 49 parking spaces. We aren’t going to be close to that high of a reduction in the final design. Even in the first two blocks under design, we have incorporated community feedback and are planning for more parking than the conceptual proposed for the two blocks. But just for the sake of this conversation, even if 49 spaces were reduced from Main Avenue, that would only take out 13 additional spaces to what is available downtown this morning. And again, it won’t be that large of a reduction.

Industry best practice is to begin looking at increasing parking supply once we hit an average occupancy over 85% in all public parking facilities on a typical day on a regular basis. Even in our busiest months at our busiest times of day, we aren’t near that consistent average in Durango. We take parking counts several times a week and aggregate that data to make sure that we have the true vacancy of the downtown parking supply. With bump outs installed, during our busiest months, we are still less than 75% occupied in on-street parking. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the available spaces at the Transit Center, which is consistently underutilized.

Our data is clear that a reduction can be absorbed at this time. We aren’t saying never to a parking garage, but we are saying that we aren’t there yet. We aren’t discrediting that parking supply is a concern for people. It is unpopular, but the reality is that there is enough parking available for people to find a space within two blocks of their destination the majority of the time.

This project will install accessible parking spaces on each block, which we have received feedback from businesses and residents for years is an issue for anyone living with disabilities to access downtown.

Also, the plan proposes going from 20-foot long spaces to 22 foot long spaces to accommodate larger vehicles, which is another issue that we’ve heard frequently. Once in operation, the new City Hall and Police Department at the end of 2nd Ave will free up over 100 on-street parking spaces from the current locations of City Hall and Police Department.

What is the City’s holistic plan to address parking needs and avoid parking moving to other residential streets like Third Ave?

We just adopted the Comprehensive Parking Management Plan last year, which gives us an excellent guide and a long list of recommendations for addressing parking through a variety of different approaches, and it looks at our parking supply holistically as part of our transportation network.

The first approach is “parking demand management” solutions, which are strategies to influence people’s parking behavior, and include things like:

• Parking validation
• Parking pricing to redistribute parking demands to underutilized areas
• Flexible parking passes to provide discounts for frequent downtown parkers
• Expanding parking management and adjusting enforcement hours
• Implementing permit programs

Secondly, the Parking Plan makes recommendations for improving Communication about our existing parking supply and programs through:

• Wayfinding and signage
• Increased education and promotional communications. For instance, you can park at the Transit Center for $5 a day, or even less than $1/day if you purchase a monthly pass, and we’re finding that many people don’t know about that.

A third strategy is called Transportation Demand Management, and that focuses on improving alternative options like transit and car share to reduce the actual number of cars downtown.

Technology options is the fourth strategy in the plan, and covers recommendations like multi-space parking meters and mobile payment apps.

And finally, Parking Supply Options:

• Code updates
• Additional parking supply. That requires asking questions like:

1. Are existing parking facilities being utilized as efficiently as possible? For instance, can we encourage more downtown employees to utilize the very affordable parking at the Transit Center?
2. Can certain parkers be encouraged to park in other locations or park and rides?
3. Is transit service being maximized?

We will be working to implement the strategies and recommendations of the parking plan.

What is the rationale for the proposed 3-foot sidewalk extensions and the narrowing of traffic lanes?

We are planning expanded sidewalks throughout the corridor, which is separate of the curb extensions. The project is currently proposing a 5-foot sidewalk widening by using the extra 3 feet between the travel lane and parking, removing 6 inches from the travel lanes, and reducing the center left turn lane to10-feet. Narrowing of travel lanes is proven to improve safety by slowing vehicles down, even with parallel parking adjacent. Johns Hopkins recently released a comprehensive study that showed the safety benefits of narrow lanes from case studies around the country.

The extra 5-feet on the sidewalk allows for more space for pedestrians, especially in the constricted areas where there are trees, signs, newspaper stands, bike racks, trash and recycling and meters. It will also allow more space for bistros and for people to in general chat or gather and not be in the way of people walking. Additionally, it makes the added sidewalk space outside of the trees to the parking lane more usable by pedestrians and others.

Could sidewalk extensions be reduced to 1 or 2 feet to meet these goals so as to reduce the extent that parking and/or traffic lanes must be narrowed?

The City is considering narrowing the width to 3 feet and maintaining the current travel and center left turn lane widths. Any narrower, 3 feet, the trees would inhibit any real gain from the sidewalk widening.

What uses could be made of the additional sidewalk space? Will the City offer the opportunity for bistro licenses to all areas that have widened sidewalks?

Public uses of the sidewalks. One of the biggest benefits of additional sidewalk space is for having less congested sidewalk and having better flow along the sidewalks.

Explain the City’s thoughts on the potential challenges curb extensions could pose for delivery trucks and larger vehicles?

Since the beginning of the project, the City has been focused on delivery trucks and larger vehicles operating downtown. This includes observing deliveries and how everyone is moving about downtown. The design team uses turning templates to simulate turning movements of vehicles within the proposed design for downtown. These templates included fire trucks, snowplows, recycling trucks, and large 18-wheelers. We put cones out at 7th and College to test snowplow and recycling trucks and they were able to navigate the proposed curb extensions in real life. We are also installing a pilot of the curb extensions with paint and flex posts to further test and demonstrate turning radiuses.

Have the designers incorporated the turning radius of Durango’s largest fire apparatus from the Main Avenue lanes of travel onto side streets and vice-versa?

Durango Fire Protection District has been involved in this project since the beginning. We have discussed their needs for the largest fire apparatus and even had them on downtown Main Avenue to demonstrate how it works. The 26-foot width of the fire apparatus will be met since the lane configuration is not changing. Even if the lanes are narrowed, the street width inside the parking lanes will still be 30-feet. The design team has also run the turning template for the larger fire apparatus to ensure it is able to negotiate the curb extensions. The City will continue to work with DFPD through the design and will be able to collect further data points in reality with the pilot curb extensions over the next few months.

Would the City consider alternatives such as adjusting the timing for pedestrian crossings at lights to allow for longer periods to get across the street?

The City has been actively adjusting the timing at signals for pedestrians. This past winter, city staff worked with Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to adjust the timing of the signal at College and Main after there were two serious pedestrian crashes that resulted in hospitalizations in a few month periods at that intersection. After the signal timing was changed, staff continually monitored it and further adjusted it. The City is consistently having conversations about the signal timing and will continually work with CDOT.

Will the City keep the curb extension/bulb out pilot project up during winter to gauge snow removal and maneuverability?

The current plan is to keep it out during the winter. However, the pilot is using paint and delineators which function very differently than sidewalks, so staff are still trying to figure out the logistics of this. The idea would be to test the plowing around the simulated curb extensions, but the snow within the paint and delineators will need to be removed differently, which is logistically different and more difficult than a sidewalk is.

How does the design accommodate the presence of delivery trucks to be in conjunction with the above fire code? The presence of delivery trucks dramatically complicates the placement of fire equipment.

The design does not differ than the current lane configuration on Main Avenue, so the design will accommodate the presence of delivery trucks in conjunction with fire code the same as it does now. However, the design team is looking at defining more specific locations for deliveries within the center left turn lane, to move them further away from the intersections and help organize it better.

In addition, the City is maintaining some delivery zones on the side of the street at the end of the blocks so that all deliveries do not have to be conducted within the center left turn lane and to accommodate deliveries in the winter.

How will the City ensure that Durango remains unique and the old-town vibe of Main Avenue is preserved and find balance between modern development with the preservation of the historic ambiance that attracts visitors?

Quote from the Downtown District Design Guidelines: “The success of downtown has been, and continues to be, the result of a combination of factors. Of these, the preservation of historic resources, a pedestrian orientation and a concentration of successful businesses are key. In this regard, historic preservation, urban design and economic development are partners in the city’s strategy for downtown.”

This project will not touch the facades of the historic buildings. The design preserves trees and viewsheds along Main Ave.

What alternatives were considered and why were they rejected?

The city design team looked at a one-way street; however, it was determined that the negatives outweighed the positives in regard to a potential reconfigurations of Downtown Main Avenue from a two-way street to a one-way street.

A pedestrian mall was discussed, but it was determined to not be a feasible solution to best achieve the community’s goals on Downtown Main Avenue. Additionally, based on reports and case studies, pedestrian malls have had varying success with 2/3 of the ones created in the 80’s being reopened to cars. The design team also looked at bike lanes. Due to the limited public right-of-way on Downtown Main Avenue, there is not enough space to provide safe, dedicated, buffered bike lanes in addition to sidewalk space, loading/unloading, and parking.

The city took four alternative options to the public during the conceptual design process, the preferred alternative with curb extensions, an alternative with a cycle track, a chicane, and a flexible festival blocks alternative. The community chose the curb extensions as their most preferred alternative with flexible blocks being the second.

How does the City plan to ensure that existing infrastructure, sidewalks and alleys are adequately maintained with a sufficient budget?

Maintenance is typically performed through the city’s streets division in Public Works. In 2024, a $200,000 transfer to the Public Works Department from the 2015 Half Cent Fund for the maintenance of multimodal facilities with the acknowledgement that additional maintenance is necessary for new projects. During the design process, maintenance is being incorporated into the design to ensure any new facilities are efficiently and appropriately maintained.

Have the designers considered emergency vehicle access and operations for firefighting apparatus in the downtown corridor? We have historical requirements and needs from prior downtown fires.

The Durango Fire Protection District (DFPD) has been involved in this project since the beginning. The design team has discussed their needs for the largest fire apparatus and even had them on downtown Main Avenue to demonstrate how it works. The 26-foot width of the fire apparatus will be met since the lane configuration is not changing. Even if the lanes are narrowed, the street width inside the parking lanes will still be 30-feet. The design team has also run the turning template for the larger fire apparatus to ensure it is able to negotiate the curb extensions. The city will continue to work with DFPD through the design and will be able to collect further data points in real life with the pilot curb extensions over the next few months.

Have the designers taken into consideration the obstruction the trees will cause for ladder access (aerial and ground) in structural firefighting?

This has been discussed with Durango Fire Protection District (DFPD) staff during the conceptual and early preliminary design stages. Tree location and types have not been confirmed at this point. The design team will continue to work with DFPD to ensure tree types and locations do not inhibit ladder access.

How does this design incorporate the pending state WUI code regarding the proximity of trees to the buildings?

Tree locations and types have not been confirmed. The design team will work with DFPD to ensure tree types and locations meet pending state WUI codes.

Does the design incorporate structural capacity on the sidewalks for aerial firefighting apparatus (ladder trucks)? Current code says you need a surface 26’ wide, 13’6” tall, rated for 75,000lbs.

The current design has 30-feet in width between the three 3 travel lanes, which meets the 26-feet requirement. As noted previously, the lane widths design has changed to keep lane widths the same as they are currently, which provides 33-feet in pavement width, not including parking lanes. Nothing new over the street is being proposed with this design. The design team will continue to work with DFPD to ensure the design meets these needs to the highest extent.

Is there enough room for emergency vehicles to navigate between delivery trucks using the center lane and parked cars given the narrowed lanes?

The travel lane configuration is not changing from the current configuration on Main Avenue, so the proposed design conditions will be the same as they currently are; however, the design team will continue to coordinate with DFPD to ensure emergency vehicles have the necessary ability to navigate during the busiest time downtown to respond effectively and efficiently to emergencies.

How many pedestrian/vehicle accidents, injuries, and fatalities have occurred on Main Avenue between College & 14th Street over the past 5 years?

There have been 7 pedestrian crashes in the past 5 years on Downtown Main Avenue resulting in 5 injuries. There have been a total of 12 injuries on Main Avenue including people in vehicles in the past 5 years. Vehicle crashes with injuries were front to rear and front to side (t-bone) crashes.

How would the proposed design have prevented or reduced these specific accidents?

The pedestrian crashes that resulted in an injury were at an intersection. For two of the crashes that details are known, the driver did not see the pedestrian crossing while making a left turn. Curb extensions associated with the design will shorten the time a pedestrian is vulnerable and make them more visible, reducing the chances of these types of crashes. Additionally, it will narrow the field of view for drivers and reduce the turning radius further slowing vehicles and making drivers more cautious and aware while turning. Other vehicle crash injuries will be reduced by the design by slowing speeds.

Won’t narrowing parking and traffic lanes increase the risk of accidents?

Analysis of existing crashes, comprehensive studies on the topic, and best practices in roadway design show that narrowing lanes with parking adjacent improves safety instead of decreasing it. The parking lane is not proposed to be narrower than it currently is. It should be noted that the design team is no longer considering narrowing the travel lanes from their current dimensions.

What specific design elements are required, at a minimum, to meet ADA accessibility requirements?

Sidewalks must be 4-feet in width with 5-feet being the recommendation by the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). They must be made of durable surfaces, have discontinuities less than a half inch in height, a cross-slope less than 2%, and curb ramps with truncated domes and slope less than 8%.

An accessible parking space must be 8-feet wide with a 5-foot access aisle and have less than a 1.48 slope in all directions. There must be 1 accessible parking space per every 25 parking spaces on the block perimeter.

Can downtown businesses be sued if ADA requirements are not met?

The city is responsible for ensuring that city owned infrastructure improvements are compliant with ADA requirements.