Land Use and Transportation staff are currently drafting alley guidelines based on the traffic analysis

Boulder County, Colo. - The adoption of Land Use Code Docket DC-18-0004 Niwot Rural Community District Amendments, which was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on April 23, 2019, and adopted in Resolution 2019-42, effective April 23, 2019, required the county to conduct an initial traffic count within 3 months of the adoption of the amended Code section.

Traffic counts were obtained between June 21 and 26, 2019 and the results provided to the county last week after verification.

The study included the following:

• Driveways (Block 5)
• Franklin Street (between Block 3 and 5)
• Alley (Block 5; between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
• Sidewalk pedestrian counts (Block 5)

Maximum count numbers from each location are used to show the highest potential use and conflict as the baseline activity. The results of the projected alley trips will determine the necessary standards and parameters regarding its design and improvements.

Land Use and Transportation staff will use the traffic study baseline activity, on-street parking, and building potential under the current NRCD I zoning to generate estimated trips into the alley.

Next Steps

Land Use and Transportation staff are currently drafting alley guidelines based on the traffic analysis. Staff will send out a draft to the Land Use Code news list the week of August 12, 2019.

Staff is in the process of scheduling a community meeting with Niwot commercial property owners in Block 5 and residents on 3rd Avenue to discuss the results of the traffic analysis and draft alley guidelines to be held the week of August 19.

Based on feedback from the community meeting staff will finalize the guidelines and send the final guidelines to the community the week of September 9. These guidelines would then be applied to any planning applications which utilize the alley.

For more information, contact Jose Ruano at jruano@bouldercounty.org or 303-441-3922.