Downtown BozemanImprovement Plan

AUGUST 17, 2018

SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY INPUT & EARLY IDEAS

INTRINSIK ARCHITECTURE

LELAND CONSULTING GROUP

GROUNDPRINT

The following pages include a preliminary summary of what we learned from our Engagement Week during

August 13-17, and through on-line feedback. The ideas represent a few key ideas that were present in early

brainstorm sessions that week.

Please stay tuned to watch the plan develop and continue to give your feedback!

PRESENTATION CONTENT

Community ConversationsFeedback Summary

METHODSTHEMES

WHAT WE HEARD

GETTING THE WORD OUTHow did people find out about the plan and ways to engage?

Downtown Bozeman website

Downtown Bozeman Facebook/ Instagram

Press Release

Bozeman Chronicle

City of Bozeman

Email list servs and stakeholder invitations

Engagement postcards

Storefront Activity

Parklet signage

ENGAGEMENT WEEKFeedback to 8.17.2018

120+ online survey responses

Numbers are approximate based on sign-in sheets and head counts*not including Bogert Farmer’s Market

68 stakeholder interviews

165+ participants in five community workshops*

155 comment flags placed

227 comments overall - sticky notes, flags, postcards

Advisory Committee

Business Owners

City Staff

Community Leaders

Developers and Builders

Downtown Office Employers

Historic Preservation

Neighbors

Property Owners

Young Professionals/Next Gen Group

STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONSFocus groups were held on the following topics:

Congestion is not all bad, means stuff is happening.

STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONSTakeaways

Transform the relationship of city nodes like Downtown and The Cannery to create exciting destinations and connections between.

Neighborhood character is an important element.

Parking is the elephant in the room - it is still a challenge.

We need to think multi-modal, what does the future hold for cars?

Address homelessness downtown.

Development projects are challenged by expenses and timeline for approvals.

Parking restrictions disincentivize office development.

Can we open up parking downtown in underutilized, private lots?

To make downtown a livable retail center – access to grocers are important to have downtown.

STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONSTakeaways

Keeping downtown sustainable means preserving the mix of retail and restaurants.

The east and west edges of downtown are gaps in the street experience.

Invest in bike infrastructure between MSU and downtown.

Soroptomist Park is great for those who use it, but it breaks up the Main Street experience.

This is a crucial time to re-prioritize historic preservation in the city.

Find ways to imagine an incubator space downtown.

Don’t make Main do everything!

This is an opportunity to rethink side street businesses

WORKSHOP KEY THEMES

LivabilityCharacterHousingAffordabilityStudentsFamiliesSafety

MobilityParking BikesStreetsPublic TransitTruck AccessAlleysDirectionalitySignage

DevelopmentScaleMateriality Approval ProcessBuilding HeightsInfillParking ViewsRentalsCostsDevelopersPreservationHistoryADU

Public RealmOpen SpaceOutdoor diningSidewalksHomelessnessEvents

BusinessRetailOfficeCommercial

WORKSHOP KEY THEMES

MOBILITY SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...

Redirect semi-trucks around Main Street

Wilson as an important potential grand boulevard to the north

Make Main Street with turn lanes, one-lane only to drive, add bike lanes

Metered Parking Downtown, especially on Main

Adapt to new paradigms for parking and vehicular movement

Keeping one way streets

Parking for visitors, lack of connectivity to the rest of town, overbuilding and congestion

Clearer parking spots and bike lanes on Babcock for easier and safer access to downtown

LIVABILITY SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...

Consider ADU’s responsibly as way to encourage density, not new apartment buildings

Don’t demolish historic structures - like the Armory travesty

Regulating the development of housing out of town/ considering a farther reaching public transit system.

Unoccupied pied-a-terres for the private jet set

Very important to keep it alive - retail shopping, preserve the mom and pop stores

Too much, too fast! You must appreciate how unique what you have now really is, Be different! Be unique!

Loss of charm

DEVELOPMENT SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...

Consider ADU’s responsibly as way to encourage density, not new apartment buildings

Important to step down heights further from downtown

Develop better and larger office spaces to bring more high paying employees downtown

large, over tree top grey block buildings and out of scale and character with historic downtown

Too much infill that it makes Bozeman too metropolitan

New developments will not respect the architectural “elements” that give Bozeman its character.

BUSINESS SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...

Traffic calming on Mendenhall and Babcock. Make them human scale. Encourage retail there.

Need neighborhood retail locations, drug store, grocery, office supplies - not just galleries and restaurants

Support locally-owned businesses.

Very important to keep it alive - retail shopping, preserve the mom and pop stores

Don’t take away more parking for new offices

Rental rates driving out all but high end business

PUBLIC REALM SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...

Create other “centralities” that allow for more pedestrian traffic beyond Main Street

Better utilization of green space in and near downtown

Heated Patios for Winter

Congested sidewalks, bikers, pedestrians and outdoor dining

off leash dog parks are encouraging owners to take their dogs off leash outside of parks - concerning for children

We need to require public squares and gathering places integrated into new development. Not just green space.

congestion in business districts

Make Bozeman Creek an amenity (open it up)

ONLINE FEEDBACKTell us a fond memory of Downtown.

First Christmas Stroll - froze our butts off. Sitting outside at the Garage

restaurant in the summer and listening to Music on Main, greeting friends on the Art Walks and appreciating the creative talents of the Bozeman community.

Thirty years ago, before moving to Bozeman, my mom was describing the downtown and she used the word old fashioned so I imagined dirt streets and wooden sidewalks. I was pleasantly surprised!

Walking down Main Street, seeing friends, and making new friends out of strangers by making eye contact, smiling, saying hi and stopping to chat.

I proposed to my wife in Downtown!

ONLINE FEEDBACKIf you could fix one thing about Downtown today, what would it be?

The newest large buildings are ugly and not in keeping with the character of our historic downtown. not overwhelm it and detract from it.

I would like to see the road network reevaluated. Consider converting Main Street to a three lane road with a dedicated turn lane and back-in diagonal parking.Less expensive store front

leasing for local business owners, more bike friendly lanes, slower speed limits (like 15mph).

Left hand turns. Take out parking every other block for turn lane with arrow. Left hand turns not allowed anywhere else

All the side streets from Grand to Black would be as popular as Main Street. More variety and attention toward promoting businesses located on the side streets.

ONLINE FEEDBACKIn 10 years, what is your dream for Downtown? How should it grow and change, or what is important to retain?

Light transit on Main Street to get folks from parking areas in surrounding areas to Downtown. Make Downtown, more user friendly without pollution, noise, etc. It is not sustainable as is.

It’s important to retain the “small town” downtown feel. Keep the buildings short, quaint and original.

More affordable housing--keep a diverse residency--service industry employees should be able to rent within the area.

More bike and pedestrian friendly areas. And public space, affordable housing, on site parking, community rooms, etc.

Re-route the semis. I have no idea how, but sitting outside during the few months of summer are ruined by a large, dirty , noisy truck!

IMAGINE DOWNTOWN...

SCALE TRANSITION PER EXISTING CODE

MAIN ST

MENDENHALL STKEY MAP FOR SECTION

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BABCOCK ST

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RECENT TRANSPORTATION IDEAS

NEW BIKE BOULEVARD POSSIBLE ON LAMME MENDENHALL & BABCOCK

REQUIRE NARROW LANES FOR DEDICATED BIKEWAYS

REDUCE MAIN TO 3 LANES & ADD BIKE LANES

PARTS OF OLIVE MAY CARRY TOO MUCH TRAFFIC FOR BIKES

Bike Lane

Designated Bicycle Route

Shared Use Path

Trail

LENGTH OF AVERAGE BOZEMAN COMMUTE (MIN)

COMMUTERS WHO TRAVEL BY BIKE OR WALK

14.6 15%

TMP 2017, CITY GIS, MDT

2017 Transportation Management Plan tested ways to expand bikeways.

MDT vehicular counts show that vehicular traffic has not increased over the last 30 years, but it may feel more congested due to more pedestrians and no clear route for bikes.

POTENTIAL CHANGES “LET MAIN BE FOR PEDESTRIANS”

FUTURE SIGNAL AT BLACK

ADD WESTBOUND BIKE LANE TO MENDENHALL

ADD EASTBOUND BIKE LANE TO BABCOCK

LINK TO HIGH SCHOOL

BIKE LANE TO MSU

LINK TO TRAILS & VILLAGE

LINK TO TRAILS

REDUCE MAIN TO 3 LANES & ADD DIAGONAL PARKING

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PROS:

Lets the streets work as a system

Net increase in 40+ on-street parking spaces

New bike lanes link well into existing network

8TH

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PEACH ST

New Bike Lane

Street Reconfiguration

New Signal

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POTENTIAL CHANGES “URBAN STREETS”

BIKE LANE INTERRUPTION AT 7TH

STUDY IMPACT OF 2-WAY CONVERSION CHANGE MENDENHALL TO

2-WAY; RETAIN PARKING

REDUCE MAIN TO 3 LANES & ADD BIKE LANESCHANGE BABCOCK TO

2-WAY; RETAIN PARKING

LINK TO TRAILS & VILLAGE

PROS:

Creates safe biking on Main

No net loss of parking

As two-way streets, Mendenhall and Babcock have better development character and traffic calming

8TH

AV

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PEACH ST

New Bike Lane

Street Reconfiguration

New Signal

EXISTING STREET CHARACTER Historic Main Street (State Highway)

~15’ 8’ 11.5’ 11.5’ 11.5’ 11.5’ 8’ ~15’

Center used for stockpiling snow during the winter

OPPORTUNITYHistoric Main Street(Back-in) Angled Parking

15’

Angled Parking(@ 45°)

~15’ 15’ 11.75’ 11’ 11.75’ ~15’

OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPANDED PARKING WITH ANGLED SPACES

15’

OPPORTUNITYHistoric Main StreetBike Lanes

5-6’ min

Bike Lane

~15’ 8’ 5’ - 6’ 5’ - 6’11.75’ 11’ 11.75’ 8’ ~15’

OPPORTUNITY FOR TWO WAY BIKE LANES

Cities all drawn to relative scale, active downtown blocks sourced from Google Maps.

LIVABILITYVibrant Downtowns

Bellingham

BoiseBend Missoula

Bozeman

MAIN ST

MENDENHALL ST

BABCOCK ST

Fort Collins

In Bozeman, downtown retail activity is focused along Main Street. Peer downtowns are active district-wide and provide more space for people and businesses.

LIVABILITYNeighborhood CharacterEncourage diverse housing options and improve affordability for people who want to live Downtown.

Preserve neighborhood character and scale through clear building design standards.

Bottom image: Greenville, South Carolina

A GREAT URBAN PLAZA

An outdoor living room for downtown

SOROPTOMIST Bozeman

0.25 ACRES

PEARL STREET MALL Boulder

0.5 ACRES

DIRECTOR PARK Portland

0.5 ACRES

A GREAT URBAN PLAZA

SOROPTOMIST Bozeman, Montana

This small park is currently a landscaped garden with a meandering path. The park offers limited opportunities for diverse programming beyond people watching and places to sit during lunch.

A GREAT URBAN PLAZA

WATER PLAZAGAMES

EVENTS AND GATHERINGS

DIRECTOR PARK PORTLAND, OREGON This former parking lot was converted into a public square in 2009. Located just a block from Pioneer Courthouse Square, the park features a café, ample outdoor seating and a fountain, and plays host to occasional events in the summer.

A GREAT URBAN PLAZA

WATER PLAZAGAMES

PEARL STREET BOULDER, COLORADO Year-round, Pearl Street is a gathering place for Boulderites and visitors, where musicians and performers fill the air with festive noise, kids clamber on play installations their parents once clambered on themselves, and strolling couples peer in shop windows.

PARKING UTILIZATION

Blocks with over 85% occupancy during peak times

High Utilization

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WESTERN TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

INCREASE & OPTIMIZE PARKING

UNLOCK EXISTING SPACESDuring peak hours, parking can be ~65% full; 100’s of under-utilized space should be maximized.

New residential requirement of 0.75 spaces per unit to encourage small, affordable housing.

Reduce office parking minimums to 2/1000SF (from 4).

Unencumber buildings before 1980 from UDC reqs.

Clarify management strategies (ie. public/private sharing.)

DIVERSIFY MULTI-MODAL CHOICES Create an urban express transit loop, linking Downtown, Midtown, the Cannery District, and the Fairgrounds (potential park-and-ride site).

Expand bicycle infrastructure.

EXPAND CAPACITY Complete the existing garage to host 2 additional levels (200+ spaces).

Test key sites for future structured parking.

Expand public-private benefits in future projects.

Ensure street parking is an accessible public parking resource.

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Thank You!For all of your ideas so far.

Please stay in touch via www.downtownbozeman.org/plan

for more updates and ways to participate.