M E M O R A N D U M To: City of Wichita From: Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Team Date: July 2, 2019 (Revised October 31, 2019) Subject: Downtown Streets Conceptual Plan June 2019 Design Workshop Trip Summary

OVERVIEW In support of the Wichita Downtown Streets Conceptual Plan, multiple opportunities for public input occurred from Saturday June 1st through Thursday, June 6th, 2019. The project team consisted of city staff, five transportation planners from Nelson\Nygaard, an urban designer and a landscape architect from Perkins & Will, and two public engagements specialists from Shockey Consulting. During that week, the project team hosted a three-day-long public design “charrette”-style workshop, met with community stakeholders, and set up a tent at Riverfest to collect general input. This was the third visit by the project team after several months of ongoing project work; the goal of this visit was to present and receive feedback on design concepts that have been in development. After a week of gathering feedback and refining designs, the week-long engagement culminated in a public presentation hosted on Thursday, June 6 at Candela at the Lux in Downtown Wichita. Boards presented during the workshop are attached to this summary. Figure 1 Thursday Public Presentation of the Downtown Streets Conceptual Plan

215 PARK AVENUE SOUTH, 4TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10003-1624 212-242-2490 FAX 212-242-2549 www.nelsonnygaard.com DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, KEY THEMES Building on work in the months leading up to the workshop, the project team analyzed and designed to opportunities in the downtown Wichita street network to improve conditions for people walking, biking, driving, and taking transit. Street concepts focused on enhancing function, safety, beautification, while also supporting and fostering downtown economic activity, catalyzing private investment, capitalizing on existing assets, retaining talent, and enhancing quality of life. Given their catalytic potential across the above principles, working session efforts were framed around the following focus areas: Creating More Walking and Biking Connectivity Walkability and bikability are key to downtown economic vitality no matter how people travel. Having better walking conditions encourages less driving and re-parking in a downtown area, reducing demand on parking assets and encouraging more drop-in retail activity. In order to encourage more walking and biking, the conditions must be safe, pleasant, comfortable, and well- connected. By collaborating with city staff, engaging with community members, and conducting site visits, the project team identified gaps in the pedestrian and bike networks and produced an updated network map with recommendations to provide more connectivity. Figure 2 lays out a proposed biking network that will connect to existing trail and path networks while also creating an on-street network to and from the heart of downtown from all directions. Various concepts for improving walkability will be illustrated in the sections to follow. Key to each of these: ensuring best practice crosswalk treatments are applied and maintained, formalizing a hierarchy of what goes where on the sidewalk to ensure a clear zone for walking, and increasing comfort through the provision of a more consistent tree canopy. Figure 2 Proposed Biking Network Connects to Pathways on the Edges of Downtown

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 2 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas Increasing Connectivity with the Riverfront The is one of Wichita’s greatest natural and civic assets. Though there are excellent open spaces and trails along the riverfront, access is not necessarily intuitive. Creating public connectivity through long private property blocks could help better reconnect the downtown street network to and from these areas. The conceptual drawing presented in Figure 3 illuminates one possible means of reimagining a connected riverfront district. Figure 3 Illustration Reimagining Century Two Site with Enhanced Riverfront Connectivity

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 3 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas Enhancing Main Street’s Sense of Place Main Street, with monumental buildings along its length and a central location within downtown, could be enhanced into a grand civic boulevard. Transforming Main Street would enliven the downtown streetscape and increase the potential for new economic activity. The current six-lane configuration provides far more capacity than is needed to serve the roughly five to ten thousand vehicles that currently travel per day along Main Street within the downtown. The project team proposed reconfiguring Main Street as a boulevard with a center turn lane, protected bike lanes, and planted medians, and produced design drawings and renderings to illustrate this concept (Figure 4 and Figure 5). Figure 4 Main Street Re-Envisioned as a Civic Boulevard

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Figure 5 Cross-Section Alternatives for Streetscaping along Main Street

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 5 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas Developing Broadway and Douglas Avenue as Signature Streets Broadway and Douglas Avenue could be enhanced as ‘signature streets’ to encourage more active retail and restaurant activity. Doing so could catalyze more of this activity in the heart of downtown and support the livability and attractiveness of nearby housing and offices. Both streets also serve as key transit routes and could be enhanced to support this use. Broadway and Douglas Avenue’s current configurations as a four- and five-lane roads with parking lanes provides more vehicular capacity than is needed for the roughly ten to fifteen thousand vehicles per day that currently travel along them in the downtown area. In order to make both streets safer and more appealing for people walking and to provide features that will drive economic activity, the team examined reconfiguring both as a three-lane roadway, with a single travel lane in each direction and a center-running turn lane. Parking lanes would be retained given their value for stimulating commercial activity, street trees and plantings would be added along sidewalks to increase walking comfort and enhance character, and where possible, parking space could also be used outdoors seating (also known as parklets) and as bus boarding platforms with shelters. Douglas Avenue also has enough width for the provision of signature bicycle lanes. The team produced a hand-drawn design and simple renderings of Broadway to illustrate these concepts (below) and has been coordinating with the City on separate, more detailed evaluations of Douglas Avenue. Figure 6 Proposed Reconfiguration of Broadway

EXISTING

POTENTIAL

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 6 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas Enhance Santa Fe and Mosley Streets for Shared Use Shared-use streets can provide people walking and biking with safe and comfortable routes a. Driving in this areas can be permitted but only if speeds are heavily controlled to encourage safer uses. Santa Fe Street and Mosley Street both have very low traffic volumes due to their light industrial character. Reconfiguring these streets to incorporate shared use pathways, or as shared streets, would enhance north-south bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and would enable people of all ages and abilities to comfortable walk or bike. In the case of Mosely Street, the project team examined converting it into a low-stress shared street, that could provide additional connectivity as a potential rails to (or with) trails path to the south. Cars would share the space with people walking and biking, but pavement design, signage, and some barriers would restrict vehicle speeds. In the case of Santa Fee Street, many of the same principles would apply. Because it is narrower than most streets in Wichita, Santa Fe Street could function more like an alleyway for people walking and biking, with only limited vehicle access providing connectivity north of the arena. Figure 7 A Concept for the Transformation of a Wide Industrial Street as a Shared Way in Pittsburgh

Figure 8 A Narrow Shared Street in Seattle uses Horizontal Deflection to Slow Speeds

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 7 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas Develop a Vision for Waterman Street Waterman Street is currently a major east-west route at the southern end of downtown Wichita and like other streets in the area, it is heavily oriented towards automobile traffic. It consists of four lanes, but transports only four to five thousand vehicles per day. The project team sought to identify a route for a high-quality east-west bicycle connection linking off-street trails on the Arkansas River and east of downtown, and selected Waterman Street for substantial bicycle infrastructure upgrades because of its width and notable excess capacity. The project team examined reconfiguring Waterman Street as a two-lane road with a center turn lane and high quality protected one-way bicycle lanes on either side. They produced a draft cross section, and identified the Indianapolis Cultural Trail as a potential model for future bicycle infrastructure on Waterman Street. Figure 9 Proposed cross section for Waterman Street

Figure 10 Indianapolis Cultural Trail – a Best Practice Precedent for Bikeways within a Downtown

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 8 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas One-way to Two-way Conversions One-way streets can improve traffic flow in congested areas, but often do so at the expense of walking and biking safety. When the friction of two-way travel is removed, one-way streets encourage the ability to travel at faster speeds. When streets feel less comfortable for people walking and biking and when drivers have the option to travel quicker past destinations, this can have significant impacts on street-level economic opportunities. Wichita has already converted several one-way streets to two-way operation in accordance with its 2010 Project Downtown plan, including St Francis and William streets. That plan proposed to also convert Main Street north of Douglas Avenue and English Street to two-way operation; recommendations which the project team supports (as illustrated in Figure 11). The project team expects to further investigate the conversion of Emporia Street to two-way operation, as well. Consideration will be taken in terms of cost and phasing impacts, given some of these concepts could instigate resignalization efforts. The potential for stop-controlled conversion will also be examined in case it can help mitigate these costs.

Figure 11 One-way Streets with the Potential For Two-Way Conversion

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 9 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas Focus Areas Elevated for Further Inspection The project team assessed several challenges they expect to continue evaluate, including: . A road diet on Washington Avenue north of Waterman Street . Striping and configuration improvements on Market and Topeka Streets  Both streets currently have buffered bike lanes but the project team plans to continue to investigate potential improvements for these two routes. . Striping and configuration improvements for Waco and Water Streets . Generic street design guidelines for downtown streets not specifically addressed by this study . Impacts associated with existing and expected downtown development proposals. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Event Outreach/Advertisement In addition to conducting working sessions while in Wichita, the project team conducted a variety of public engagement activities to discuss ideas with concerned and affected stakeholders, and to build community involvement in the planning process. These were promoted via the project website (www.wichita.gov/DowntownStreets), the City’s Facebook page (which was also promoted by the Mayor and City Council members’ pages, Downtown Wichita, the

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Douglas Design District, Bike Walk Wichita, and others), Twitter feeds, and website as well as through an article in the Wichita Eagle, radio advertisements on KMUW, and email notifications to the project email list as well as through organizations such as Downtown Wichita, Old Town, Douglas Design District, and other local groups.

Open House and Riverfest The team hosted several open working sessions at Candela at the Lux in Downtown Wichita, where much of the team’s work was carried out. During these sessions the team presented imagery, maps, and information on boards and posters, and held informal discussions with members of the public. Visitors were engaged by project team members, invited to help the project team to continue to refine project goals, asked to fill out comment cards with written feedback on specific issues and contact information for further correspondence. The project team also carried out similar outreach at Riverfest. Project work and information was displayed at a dedicated and branded booth, where festivalgoers were invited to learn about the Downtown Streets project and discuss their concerns and ideas with project team members. Comment cards were also distributed and collected at Riverfest. Comments Received Comment cards provided to members of the public were relatively simple, and asked respondents to describe their main reason for coming to downtown Wichita, and what they thought were the most important things the project should address in terms of walkability, safety, business development, bicycling, and traffic. The comment cards also provided respondents the

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 11 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas opportunity to comment more generally on the project. In addition, goals feedback was encouraged via an exercise encouraging the public to rank and refined project issues and goals. In all, responses from 95 individuals were recorded in addition to other conversations at Riverfest and the Open Houses. The feedback gathered from these cards and goals exercise revealed several high-level findings about the public’s engagement with downtown Wichita and the project specifically. These include: 1. People are generally supportive of the project and its aims. In their written feedback on the comment cards, most people expressed support for the project and hoped that it would lead to an improved downtown street network for all modes of transportation, particularly including people walking and bicycling. 2. People want to see an improved walking environment. Many people want to see the pedestrian environment made more comfortable and safe, and mentioned beautification investment, lighting, and better infrastructure as things that could help improve the downtown sidewalk network. Some people also connected an enhanced walking environment with economic development by expressing a desire to see more pedestrian traffic downtown that would help support downtown businesses. 3. Safety is a top concern. Many comment card respondents indicated that safety was very important to them and voiced concerns that the downtown street network could be made safer for people walking and biking, and the young and elderly. Some people went further in stating that they view clean and well maintained streets as being important to their feeling safety. 4. People come to downtown Wichitia for a variety of reasons, but primarily for work or other unspecified recreational reasons. Figure 12 Stated reason for coming to downtown Wichita Commute Through 13% Shop Work 19% 46%

21% Live 31%

*Other

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5. People value bicycle infrastructure Bike infrastructure is popular with comment card respondents, who want to see more and better bike facilities, bicycle parking, and traffic control measures in downtown Wichita. 6. Increasing walkability and enhancing safety were viewed as the most important project goals. When asked to prioritize a list of potential project goals outlined in Figure 13, more people ranked walkability and safety issues as important than any other specific goal. Many people also expressed support for increase the availability of diverse mobility options, beautifying downtown Wichita, and attracting and retaining young people. Members of the public were engaged in this question via a spreadsheet, which project team members asked them to rank their preferences for specific project goals. The aim of this form of outreach was to better understand and refine what engaged members of the public hoped to see from the project.

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Figure 13 Public responses to ranking of importance of project goals

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 14 DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN JUNE 2019 DESIGN WORKSHOP SUMMARY City of Wichita, Kansas NEXT STEPS The feedback and ideas developed at the June workshop will serve as the foundation for next steps. Going forward, the project team will continue to work with the City of Wichita to incorporate public feedback into the process, advance specific planning and infrastructural design concepts, and produce a final plan for the downtown Wichita street network. In the Fall of 2019, the team will invite more public engagement, framed around a draft set of recommendations. The full plan is expected to be complete in early 2020.

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