COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Wade Burkholder DEPARTMENT: Community Development DATE: April 1, 2019 SUBJECT: Great Outdoors Colorado Connect Initiative Concept Application
DESCRIPTION: Great Outdoors Colorado Connect Initiative Concept Application
RECOMMENDATION: Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Community Development Staff recommend that City Council approve a Resolution authorizing the submittal of a Concept Paper to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for the Rail Trail project.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: There is no previous Council Action.
SUMMARY: GOCO has announced the final round of the Connect Initiative grant program which is a five- year strategy aimed at increasing access to outdoor experiences through the construction of non-motorized trails of local, regional, and statewide significance. Through Connect Initiative, GOCO seeks to address existing gaps in trails or trail networks, construct new trail systems in high demand, and provide increased access for youth and families to existing parks, open spaces, and natural areas.
Connect Initiative applications are subject to multi-stage review processes. With this initial phase, GOCO is soliciting concept paper proposals and subsequently will invite select applicants among those proposals to submit full grant applications. Concept papers are due April 4, 2019. The GOCO Board will invite full grant applications from those selected at its June 13, 2019 meeting and grant awards would be issued September 27, 2019. If the grant application is successful, the City would have three years from the award date to complete the project and submit final close-out documents.
ANALYSIS: The Englewood Rail Trail project was conceived through the Englewood Light Rail Corridor Station Area Master Plan as a pedestrian/bicycle trail abutting the Southwest Light Rail Transit Line connecting the Big Dry Creek Trail, to Oxford Station, Englewood Station, the Mary Carter Greenway Trails, and ending at the future Bates Station near the Regional Transportation District (RTD) Maintenance Facility and Broadway Avenue. The Rail Trail anticipates three elevated pedestrian/bicycle crossings over Oxford, Hampden (Highway 285), and Dartmouth Avenues and will provide considerable congestion relief and safety benefits for newly developing mixed-use neighborhoods along the corridor route. The Rail Trail will encompass a sixteen (16) foot right- of-way adjacent to the light rail infrastructure and the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe rail corridor. The right-of-way is primarily all city owned; however, a few locations of trail easements across private property will be required. The 2.65 mile proposed trail is considered a critical north-south corridor connecting many user groups to alternative transportation routes within the region. The beginning piece will be with the Oxford bridge connecting the Oxford Station apartments to the Oxford Station light rail station. In the next stage, the Rail Trail will proceed south to the Big Dry Creek Trail connecting that trail system fully to light rail. The Rail Trail will then be constructed north from the Oxford Station Light Rail stop to the terminus of the project at Bates Avenue. Upon completion, the Rail Trail will connect various existing trail networks, such as the Platte River system, Big Dry Creek systems, the NW Greenway, and the SW Greenway areas to various parks, recreational amenities and light rail stations. Submittal of the Rail Trail concept paper to GOCO is supported by the Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Community Development Departments.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: GOCO will fund up to 75% of the proposed project costs, the City is required to contribute a 25% match, of which at least 10% must be cash.
Should the City be invited to submit a full grant application a complete budget will be developed. The following is the likely funding scenario :
GOCO Grant Award: $1,500,000 City of Englewood: $400,000 (leveraged from the Oxford Pedestrian Bridge TIP Grant Match) The Trust for Public Land: $100,000
Total Anticipated Project Cost: $2,000,000
ATTACHMENTS: Resolution Map of City of Englewood Parks, Trails, and Recreational Amenities Letter of Support from The Trust for Public Land
RESOLUTION NO. ____ SERIES OF 2019
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, TO FILE AN APPLICATION WITH THE GREAT OUTDOORS COLORADO CONNECT INITIATIVE GRANT PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the Great Outdoors Colorado (“GOCO”) Connect Initiative grant program provides grant funding for the construction of non-motorized trails of local, regional and statewide significance;
WHEREAS, the City of Englewood (“City”) desires to construct the Englewood Light Rail project which was conceived through the Englewood Light Rail Corridor Station Master Plan (Master Plan);
WHEREAS, the Master Plan calls for the construction of a pedestrian/bicycle trail abutting the Southwest Rail Light Rail Transit Line connecting the Big Dry Creek Trail to Oxford Station, Englewood Station, the Mary Carter Greenway Trails, and ending at the future Bates Station;
WHEREAS, the Master Plan anticipates three elevated pedestrian/bicycle crossings over Oxford Avenue, Hampden Avenue (Highway 285) and Dartmouth Avenue;
WHEREAS, the Trail will be a sixteen foot right-of-way adjacent to the Light Rail infrastructure and the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe rail corridor;
WHEREAS, the majority of the Trail will be located on City owned property, and trail easements will be negotiated where it crosses private property;
WHEREAS, the application and concept papers are due no later than April 4, 2019, with the GOCO Board inviting full proposals from selected concept papers at its June 13, 2019 meeting with grant awards issued September 27, 2019, the City will have three years from the award date to complete the proposed project;
WHEREAS, the City anticipates to request a grant in the amount of $1,500,000.00 from the 8.5 million in funding available from GOCO, and;
WHEREAS, as part of the grant application a letter of support from the governing body, signed by the Mayor, must accompany the application.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, THAT:
Section 1. The City of Englewood, Colorado, through the Community Development Department is hereby authorized to file an application with the Great Outdoors Colorado Connect Initiative Grant Program. Section 2. The Mayor is authorized to sign a letter of support for and on behalf of the City of Englewood and Englewood City Council.
ADOPTED AND APPROVED this _____ day of ______, 2019.
Linda Olson, Mayor
ATTEST:
Stephanie Carlile, City Clerk
I, Stephanie Carlile, City Clerk for the City of Englewood, Colorado, hereby certify the above is a true copy of Resolution ____, Series of 2019.
Stephanie Carlile, City Clerk
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Parks Athletic Fields Trail Network Major Streets Recreational Facilities ^_ Dog Parks Bicycle Routes Local Streets Broken Tee Golf Course k Community Gardens City Limits Other Streets School Playgrounds/Fields City of Englewood Parks, Trails, and Recreational Amenities
Parks and Recreational Facilities Key T r a i l s K e y
1 Baker Park 16 Broken Tee Golf Course A South Platte River Trail (28.5 miles) 2 Northwest Greenbelt 17 Englewood Recreation Center B Mary Carter Greeway (8 miles) 3 Cushing Park 18 Jason Park C Harvard Gulch Trail (West) (1.2 miles) 4 Community Garden 19 Rotolo Park D Harvard Gulch Trail (East) (2.3 miles 5 Bishop Elem. School 20 Southwest Greenbelt E Little Dry Creek Trail (2 miles) 6 Bates-Logan Park 21 Clayton Elem. School (Community Garden) F Bear Creek Trail (14.2 miles) 7 Clarkson-Amherst Park 22 Cherrelyn Elem. School G Oxford Avenue Trail (.76 miles) 8 Emerson Park 23 Duncan Park H Clarkson Street Trail (.75 miles) 9 Barde Park 24 Colorado's Finest Alt. High School I Quincy Avenue Trail (2.3 miles) 10 Charles Hay Elem. School (Community Garden) 25 Belleview Park J Southwest Greenbelt Trail (.77 miles) 11 Romans Park 26 Canine Corral Dog Park K Centennial Park Loop Trail (1 mile) 12 Malley Senior Recreation Center 27 Pirate's Cove Family Aquatic Center L Big Dry Creek Trail (2.5 miles) 13 Miller Field (Baseball-Softball) 28 Cornerstone Park Ball Fields* M University Blvd. Trail (3.5 miles) 14 Englewood HS/Hosana Athletic Fields 29 Cornerstone Park* N Highline Canal Trail (48.1 miles) 15 Maddox Early Childhood Learning 30 Brent Mayne Rockies Field 31 Centennial Park * South Suburban Parks and Recreation District
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Dear GOCO Review Committee,
I am writing this letter to express the Trust for Public Land’s full support for the Englewood Rail Trail project. Through our Colorado Community Trails Program, we have committed up to $100,000 for phase one of the Rail Trail and an additional $100,000 to future phases.
This trail will significantly increase bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and mobility in one of the fastest developing cities in the Denver metro area. The trail’s alignment along RTD’s light rail line will provide new bike and pedestrian access to the public transit system greatly increasing the mobility options to thousands of Denver-area residents. Additionally there are several planned multi-family housing units planned to develop along the trail corridor in the near future and this trail will become an integral part of their everyday life and recreational pursuits.
The Englewood Rail Trail has the ability to alleviate overcrowding and congestion along the South Platte River Trail where project sponsors are looking to widen and in some instances construct adjacent segments to reduce conflicts and mitigate safety concerns. Not only would the Rail Trail ease some of these challenges, but it would also provide a more direct route from the south-metro area to central/downtown Denver.
We have been coordinating with City of Englewood staff for the last several months and have made this project a top priority of our trails program. A partnership with Great Outdoors Colorado would galvanize project partners and rally supporters to see this project become a reality. The project’s ability to connect community members to parks, schools, jobs, and mass transit are significant priorities for the Trust for Public Land and help achieve many goals of the Connect Initiative.
For all of these reasons the Trust for Public Land has committed to providing financial support as well as technical assistance to accomplish this project. We ask that you strongly consider the Englewood Rail Trail for Connect Initiative funding.
Respectfully, Jake Houston The Trust for Public Land Colorado Community Trails Program Director