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February 2011  

Study Team Presents Recommendations 

Stakeholders Envision Neighborhood Oriented Development 

 

Following eight months of studying transportation and revitalization options, the Academy Boulevard Corridor Great Streets project team presented its findings Jan. 26 to the public during the second of two public meetings.  Thank you to the approximately 75 residents, business owners, property owners, developers and other stakeholders who attended.

GS Public Meeting 

The study team presented its recommendations for transit, roadway, pedestrian, bike and other transportation options for a six-mile segment of Academy Boulevard from Maizeland Road on the north to Drennan Road on the south.  The City of Colorado Springs also presented the modeling results of future development visions and land use and revitalization options along the study corridor. Although the study is nearing completion, additional public input and comments will continue to be taken over the next four weeks and incorporated into the report.

 

The Great Streets study team's presentation covered the topics noted above.  Additionally, a number of boards were on display to help illustrate those topics and how recommendations were reached. Several large land use node maps were also available, but are too large to display on the Web site. Call Carl Schueler, the city's project manager, at 385-5391 if you would like to view those maps. 

 

Public Outreach

Since the beginning of the project the study team has met with numerous stakeholders to discuss transit options, environmental impacts, land use and potential funding sources for recommended changes.  

 

Meetings with stakeholders have been very informative and productive. They know firsthand the impacts of Academy Boulevard's current conditions and their participation is vital to the success of any potential revitalization efforts.  


Alternatives Considered

Among the alternatives examined by the study team:

 

  • Transit options, including bus rapid transit, streetcar, light rail and personal rapid transit
  • Roadway configurations including access options, frontage roads, and dedicated transit lanes
  • Non-motorized options including bike lanes and sidewalks

Each of the alternatives was evaluated against a set of criteria established by the study team and vetted with stakeholders during an open working meeting in August. The preliminary results were shared with stakeholders in September, which resulted in some minor changes to the evaluation results.  Technical land use and traffic modeling has now been undertaken to further evaluate the finalist alternatives.

What are Great Streets? 

The Great Streets web site describes them as "a new respect for local communities and traditions in how streets are planned, built and maintained. Streets are central to building these new, 'traditional' communities because of the critical role they play in creating a unique community identity, healthy business environment and public space for citizens to use and enjoy." 

 

See what City officials and project stakeholders are saying about Great Streets and the Academy Boulevard Great Streets project

Next Steps

The study team is in the process of finalizing its report of findings and recommendations which are expected to be presented to the Colorado Springs City Council during the informal Council meeting April 11.  At that time, the report will be available on the project Web site.   

 

Concurrently, we are continuing to meet with community boards and stakeholder groups to solicit input on these recommendations and to make further refinements to the study report.  

Share this e-mail

Please share this information by forwarding this e-newsletter to others who have an interest in the Academy Boulevard Corridor Great Streets project.  Encourage them to subscribe by sending an email to receive future issues.  
Visit the project Web site frequently for project updates. You're also encouraged to provide the team feedback by emailing us.   
Sincerely,

Academy Boulevard Corridor Great StreetsTeam

The Academy Boulevard Corridor Great Streets Plan is being conducted by the City of Colorado Springs and Mountain Metropolitan Transit. 
 
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