The planning for the North Avenue West Corridor Plan is an offshoot
of a larger effort to address planning issues throughout the North
Avenue Corridor. Over the years North Avenue has lost a significant
amount of business to relocations to the west side of the City, and
the recent recession has resulted in many business closures. These
changes present the City with an opportunity to bring together City
planners, residents, and business owners to examine ways to encourage
redevelopment along the corridor and envision what the future might
look like along North Avenue.
In 2007, the City Council adopted the North Avenue Corridor
Plan for the area from 12th Street east to the I-70 Business Loop.
This North Avenue West Corridor Plan addresses the area from 12th
Street west to I-70B. Once both plans have been adopted, implementation
of these plans will include creating an overlay district for the entire
corridor that establishes a street cross-section and landscape standards.
Over time as redevelopment and new development occur in the corridor,
North Avenue will begin to transform into the long-range vision outlined
in these plans.
The North Avenue West Corridor Plan envisions North Avenue between
12th Street and west to I-70B as a mix of retail, office, commercial
and residential uses that will provide services for the student population
of both high school and college students, and provide mobility for
pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.The vision for this area
includes safety, enhanced aesthetics, and a “sense of place.”
It will be a neighborhood that attracts residents and students with
entertainment, educational opportunities, and public activity areas.
This plan divides the corridor from 12th Street west into three
“districts.” The first would be Automotive Sales and Service
from I-70B to First Street. The second “district” is the
Sherwood Park Mixed-Use District from 1st Street to 5th Street, and
the third would be the Educational/Student Commercial and Entertainment
District from 5th to 12th Streets.
In order to accomplish these goals, much discussion took place
about the elements of the street that would contribute to creating
a “sense of place” as well as other guiding principles
of safety, aesthetics and minimizing neighborhood impacts. These elements
consist of consolidating existing curb cuts and parking lots, adding
sidewalks and planting, and adding pedestrian-scale street lights,
trees, signs, benches and other outdoor spaces to bring people back
into the corridor.
The public process for this plan was as inclusive as possible,
involving focus groups with residents, businesses, and Colorado Mesa
University personnel and students, who were asked to fill out a questionnaire.
This was followed by an open house and questionnaire for the public.
The second public open house introduced concepts and design elements
and asked for comments. Six options for street cross-sections were
developed and presented to the public for input, and an online survey
was made available that was promoted to all previous open house attendees
and the public at large through the media and the City’s website
and social media sites. There were 351 people who filled out the online
survey.
Of the six street cross-sections the first option was the most
inexpensive option of just restriping the street with a five-foot-wide
bike lane. The other five options all included adding 10 feet of right-of-way
on either side of the street. Options 2 and 5 did not include bike
lanes. Options 3, 4, and 6 included varying widths of sidewalk, buffer
areas, and bike lanes.
Support was strongest for Options 3 and 4, which both included
the 10 additional feet of right-of-way on each side of the street,
eight-foot detached sidewalks, buffer areas and a bike lane.
From the comments received on the online survey, residents and
business owners alike are concerned about the future of North Avenue,
and wish to see it restored as a place which attracts people and businesses,
and remains a vital part of our community and contributes to our local
economy. These plans and the adoption of a unified street cross-section
and design standards will enable North Avenue to grow and change in
the future, and remain a viable, vibrant part of our community.
(Ord. 4486, 11-2-11)