For decades now,
residents, business owners, and City representatives have recognized the need
for improved safety, connectivity, and walkability in the downtown core.
In
1997, the Steamboat Springs Mobility and Circulation Plan advocated a
mulit-model approach to improving mobility in Steamboat Springs. Furthermore, In 1999 The Mountain Town Sub-Area plan
identified downtown Steamboat Springs as lacking a safe, high-quality
pedestrian environment.
In 2006 (updated in 2016) the
Steamboat Springs Sidewalk Master Plan was developed to provide guidelines for
pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist facility improvements. One of the primary recommendations of these
community plans included sidewalks and on-street bike lanes for Oak Street. These improvements have been supported by the
Area community plan which identified the community’s desire for increased
investment in our core downtown.
In a
collaborative effort with The City of Steamboat Springs, the citizens of
Steamboat Springs, and the Steamboat Springs Maintstreet Group, the Britina
Design Group produced the Downtown Design Guidelines in 2009.
Finally, the Vision 2020 included involvement
from community members and City officials within Routt County and recommended
the following: “Create a multimodal transportation system of corridors, highways and
pathways that will relieve congestion and move people throughout the Yampa
Valley in an efficient, environmentally sound, affordable and appealing
manner.
The project will improve connectivity and mobility. With mixed land uses and consistent traffic volumes, Oak
Street is considered a major collector roadway.
This designation refers to streets that assemble traffic from the
interior of an urban area and deliver it to the closest arterial street. These streets provide for both mobility and
land access to properties. Sidewalks and
connectivity improvements are vital to the function and accessibility of
collector streets.
In July 2015, the City Council authorized staff to move forward with a Downtown Improvement Plan that would have a three year targeted implementation based on a specific project list including construction on Yampa and Oak streets and side-streets between 3rd and 12th street. Each project has a well-defined scope and associated cost estimate.
Funding for the proposed project list includes certificates of participation, general fund revenue, grants, franchise fee restricted reserves, and a private property assessment for the cost associated with sidewalk improvements that were found deficient or missing.
