Open House Summary May 22, 2008 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments May 2008 Valley Regional Transit (VRT) and Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) hosted a second open house for the Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study on May 22, 2008. The study involves three interrelated projects: • Multimodal Center: A facility that brings together many transportation modes and services at a single location. • Downtown Circulator: Transit service that provides efficient connections between primary destinations in the downtown area. • I-84 Priority Corridor: A plan for high-capacity transit services along the I-84 corridor within Ada and Canyon counties. The first open house for the study was held in January 2008. The second open house provided a final opportunity for the public to comment on the location of a multimodal transportation center in downtown Boise. VRT will recommend a location in July. The multimodal center will connect various transportation modes and services. It will be the first of a network of facilities around the Valley. Construction is expected to begin in late 2009 or early 2010. At the open house, the public also reviewed and commented on two alternative alignments for a downtown circulator. Also shown were preliminary considerations for the I-84 Priority Corridor plan. VRT and COMPASS are conducting the study in partnership with Ada County, Ada County Highway District (ACHD), the City of Boise, Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC), the Downtown Business Association (DBA) and the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD). RBCI May 2008 Page 2 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments Open House Process Approximately 250 people attended the May 22, 2008 open house. Representatives from VRT, COMPASS, URS, HDR, RBCI, the City of Boise, CCDC and ITD conducted the all-day event. It took place in the Mode Building at 802 W. Idaho Street in downtown Boise. To notify citizens of the open house, VRT and COMPASS mailed a postcard to 22,172 businesses and residents in downtown Boise and the surrounding area and key stakeholders. COMPASS also distributed an electronic postcard invitation to its database (1,300). The DBA distributed the electronic invitation to its members (1,200). VRT, COMPASS, the City of Boise and Ada County also posted a notice of the open house on their respective Web sites. VRT placed two posters on each of its buses in the Treasure Valley. Project staff passed out postcard invitations downtown at the Idaho Green Expo and the Capital City Public Market on Saturday, May 17, 2008. Signs were hung in the windows of the Mode Building one week in advance of the open house. With the help of ACHD, signs were strategically placed in six downtown locations one day before the open house. The Idaho Statesman, NPR News and KBOI announced the open house within two days prior to the event. KBOI followed up with a story. At the open house, participants viewed a series of informational displays regarding the recommended and alternate sites for a downtown multimodal center and alternative alignments for the downtown circulator. They also saw a plan for future regional high-capacity transit services. Other stations included VRT’s Treasure Valley in Transit and COMPASS’ Communities in Motion. RBCI May 2008 Page 3 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments Comment Summary Experts staffed the following display stations to answer questions and encourage written comments. • About this Study: Participants learned about the projects and who is involved. • Multimodal Center: Attendees reviewed and commented on the recommended and alternate sites and site plan alternatives. • Downtown Circulator: Attendees reviewed and commented on alignment alternatives. • I-84 Priority Corridor: Participants saw a plan for regional high-capacity transit. Attendees provided their written comments using comment sheets and Post-it notes. Eighty-six (86) comment sheets were received; another 107 comments were written on Post-it notes. A summary of public comments gathered at the open house follows. Transcribed comments are included in the appendix. RBCI May 2008 Page 4 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments MULTIMODAL CENTER SITE Participants were asked to comment on what they like and dislike about the recommended site for the multimodal center, Site H, as well as the alternate site, A. Of the 118 comments received, the following were the most often repeated or notable comments. SITE H LIKES Site H is a half city block on the east side of 11th Street between Bannock and Idaho streets. • Smaller lot size promotes density. • Central location makes Site H favorable for pedestrians. • Site H would be safer for pedestrians than Site A. • Site H has opportunity for development. SITE H DISLIKES • Site H is too small to accommodate multimodal center needs. • A transit system should intercept people closer to their origin than their destination. Site H is too close to downtown destinations. • A good connection to high-capacity transit service will be crucial for Site H. • Site H is more expensive per square foot than Site A. SITE A LIKES Site A is a city block bounded by 12th and 13th streets and Front and Grove streets. • Locating the center at Site A will promote needed redevelopment in this area. • Site A has enough space to accommodate all multimodal center functions and services. • Large lot size will enable future growth and expansion of the center. • Site A will be a better site in the long run. SITE A DISLIKES • Surrounding busy streets are too dangerous for pedestrians. A pedestrian bridge would be necessary. • Transit vehicles moving in and out of the facility will interrupt traffic. RBCI May 2008 Page 5 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments MULTIMODAL CENTER DESIGN Participants were asked what they would like considered with regard to design and site plans for the multimodal center. Of the 19 comments received, the following were the most often repeated or notable. • Consider pedestrian and bicycle traffic in site plan. • Build to pedestrian-scale. • Design an attractive facility that complements the surrounding architecture. • Offer small-scale retail such as coffee shop, restaurant and newsstand. RBCI May 2008 Page 6 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR ALIGNMENT ALTERNATIVES Participants were asked to write what they like and dislike about two alignment alternatives for a downtown circulator. Of the 67 comments about the circulator, the following were the most often repeated or notable. MAIN, IDAHO COUPLET The Main, Idaho Couplet would circulate Main and Idaho streets between 1st and 16th streets. Likes: • Easy-to-remember loop will be user-friendly. • Connects east and west ends of downtown. • Future extensions will be necessary to make the circulator a success. Dislikes: A total of 9 comments expressed “dislikes” about the Main, Idaho Couplet. • Consider a Main, Bannock Couplet. • Extend the loop further west to promote needed redevelopment. MAIN, IDAHO/ IDAHO, BANNOCK COUPLET The Main, Idaho/Idaho, Bannock Couplet would circulate Main and Idaho streets between 1st and 10th streets. It would also circulate Idaho and Bannock between 10th and 17th streets. Likes: • Gives greater north-south coverage. • Connects more destinations. • Would encourage redevelopment along Main Street west of 10th Street. Dislikes: • Longer route may be more complicated for users. • This alternative will cost more to implement. RBCI May 2008 Page 7 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments GENERAL COMMENTS Overall, participants were very excited about the efforts to improve and expand transit services in the Treasure Valley. Following are the most often repeated or notable comments: MASS TRANSIT IS NEEDED Many participants were supportive of implementing high-capacity transit throughout the V a lley. They said: • Public transportation improvements are needed now. • Transit provides a long-term solution for addressing population growth and air quality in the Valley. • The priority corridor will provide a greater benefit than the circulator. Spend the money on a rail corridor to get people downtown, and then implement a circulator. INVOLVE PRIVATE SECTOR IN FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT Many participants were supportive of public-private partnerships for the development and ongoing funding of transit. They said: • Businesses should provide some of the funding needed for transit improvements. • Plan public-private partnership wisely and to the benefit of both. • A rail system is favorable for downtown development because it is permanent and more appealing to potential riders. • Tie circulator stops to development plans to encourage developers to provide funding for transit. • Ask the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau and downtown hoteliers for input on the multimodal center and circulator projects. ENHANCE CURRENT BUS SYSTEM Many participants said they would like to see improvements to the bus system. They said: • More buses and more frequent stops are desired. • Longer hours of operation and Sunday bus service would be useful to many. • Provide better north-south coverage. • Valley Regional Transit is doing a great job. Keep up the good work. RBCI May 2008 Page 8 of 11 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Summary of Open House Participant Comments MAKE TRANSIT CONVENIENT TO USE Many participants said transit should be easy and convenient for all to use. They said: • Transit stops must be frequent and relevant to encourage busy riders. • Reach out to young people. They represent your future ridership. • Make transit inexpensive for riders. PROVIDE MORE PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE FEATURES Many participants said improvements are needed to accommodate the increasing numbers of pedestrian and cyclists downtown.