Downtown BozemanImprovement Plan
AUGUST 17, 2018
SUMMARY OF COMMUNITY INPUT & EARLY IDEAS
INTRINSIK ARCHITECTURE
LELAND CONSULTING GROUP
GROUNDPRINT
The following pages include a preliminary summary of what we learned from our Engagement Week during
August 13-17, and through on-line feedback. The ideas represent a few key ideas that were present in early
brainstorm sessions that week.
Please stay tuned to watch the plan develop and continue to give your feedback!
PRESENTATION CONTENT
GETTING THE WORD OUTHow did people find out about the plan and ways to engage?
Downtown Bozeman website
Downtown Bozeman Facebook/ Instagram
Press Release
Bozeman Chronicle
City of Bozeman
Email list servs and stakeholder invitations
Engagement postcards
Storefront Activity
Parklet signage
ENGAGEMENT WEEKFeedback to 8.17.2018
120+ online survey responses
Numbers are approximate based on sign-in sheets and head counts*not including Bogert Farmer’s Market
68 stakeholder interviews
165+ participants in five community workshops*
155 comment flags placed
227 comments overall - sticky notes, flags, postcards
Advisory Committee
Business Owners
City Staff
Community Leaders
Developers and Builders
Downtown Office Employers
Historic Preservation
Neighbors
Property Owners
Young Professionals/Next Gen Group
STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONSFocus groups were held on the following topics:
Congestion is not all bad, means stuff is happening.
STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONSTakeaways
Transform the relationship of city nodes like Downtown and The Cannery to create exciting destinations and connections between.
Neighborhood character is an important element.
Parking is the elephant in the room - it is still a challenge.
We need to think multi-modal, what does the future hold for cars?
Address homelessness downtown.
Development projects are challenged by expenses and timeline for approvals.
Parking restrictions disincentivize office development.
Can we open up parking downtown in underutilized, private lots?
To make downtown a livable retail center – access to grocers are important to have downtown.
STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONSTakeaways
Keeping downtown sustainable means preserving the mix of retail and restaurants.
The east and west edges of downtown are gaps in the street experience.
Invest in bike infrastructure between MSU and downtown.
Soroptomist Park is great for those who use it, but it breaks up the Main Street experience.
This is a crucial time to re-prioritize historic preservation in the city.
Find ways to imagine an incubator space downtown.
Don’t make Main do everything!
This is an opportunity to rethink side street businesses
WORKSHOP KEY THEMES
LivabilityCharacterHousingAffordabilityStudentsFamiliesSafety
MobilityParking BikesStreetsPublic TransitTruck AccessAlleysDirectionalitySignage
DevelopmentScaleMateriality Approval ProcessBuilding HeightsInfillParking ViewsRentalsCostsDevelopersPreservationHistoryADU
Public RealmOpen SpaceOutdoor diningSidewalksHomelessnessEvents
BusinessRetailOfficeCommercial
MOBILITY SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...
Redirect semi-trucks around Main Street
Wilson as an important potential grand boulevard to the north
Make Main Street with turn lanes, one-lane only to drive, add bike lanes
Metered Parking Downtown, especially on Main
Adapt to new paradigms for parking and vehicular movement
Keeping one way streets
Parking for visitors, lack of connectivity to the rest of town, overbuilding and congestion
Clearer parking spots and bike lanes on Babcock for easier and safer access to downtown
LIVABILITY SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...
Consider ADU’s responsibly as way to encourage density, not new apartment buildings
Don’t demolish historic structures - like the Armory travesty
Regulating the development of housing out of town/ considering a farther reaching public transit system.
Unoccupied pied-a-terres for the private jet set
Very important to keep it alive - retail shopping, preserve the mom and pop stores
Too much, too fast! You must appreciate how unique what you have now really is, Be different! Be unique!
Loss of charm
DEVELOPMENT SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...
Consider ADU’s responsibly as way to encourage density, not new apartment buildings
Important to step down heights further from downtown
Develop better and larger office spaces to bring more high paying employees downtown
large, over tree top grey block buildings and out of scale and character with historic downtown
Too much infill that it makes Bozeman too metropolitan
New developments will not respect the architectural “elements” that give Bozeman its character.
BUSINESS SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...
Traffic calming on Mendenhall and Babcock. Make them human scale. Encourage retail there.
Need neighborhood retail locations, drug store, grocery, office supplies - not just galleries and restaurants
Support locally-owned businesses.
Very important to keep it alive - retail shopping, preserve the mom and pop stores
Don’t take away more parking for new offices
Rental rates driving out all but high end business
PUBLIC REALM SAMPLE COMMENTSMy ideas are... My concerns are...
Create other “centralities” that allow for more pedestrian traffic beyond Main Street
Better utilization of green space in and near downtown
Heated Patios for Winter
Congested sidewalks, bikers, pedestrians and outdoor dining
off leash dog parks are encouraging owners to take their dogs off leash outside of parks - concerning for children
We need to require public squares and gathering places integrated into new development. Not just green space.
congestion in business districts
Make Bozeman Creek an amenity (open it up)
ONLINE FEEDBACKTell us a fond memory of Downtown.
First Christmas Stroll - froze our butts off. Sitting outside at the Garage
restaurant in the summer and listening to Music on Main, greeting friends on the Art Walks and appreciating the creative talents of the Bozeman community.
Thirty years ago, before moving to Bozeman, my mom was describing the downtown and she used the word old fashioned so I imagined dirt streets and wooden sidewalks. I was pleasantly surprised!
Walking down Main Street, seeing friends, and making new friends out of strangers by making eye contact, smiling, saying hi and stopping to chat.
I proposed to my wife in Downtown!
ONLINE FEEDBACKIf you could fix one thing about Downtown today, what would it be?
The newest large buildings are ugly and not in keeping with the character of our historic downtown. not overwhelm it and detract from it.
I would like to see the road network reevaluated. Consider converting Main Street to a three lane road with a dedicated turn lane and back-in diagonal parking.Less expensive store front
leasing for local business owners, more bike friendly lanes, slower speed limits (like 15mph).
Left hand turns. Take out parking every other block for turn lane with arrow. Left hand turns not allowed anywhere else
All the side streets from Grand to Black would be as popular as Main Street. More variety and attention toward promoting businesses located on the side streets.
ONLINE FEEDBACKIn 10 years, what is your dream for Downtown? How should it grow and change, or what is important to retain?
Light transit on Main Street to get folks from parking areas in surrounding areas to Downtown. Make Downtown, more user friendly without pollution, noise, etc. It is not sustainable as is.
It’s important to retain the “small town” downtown feel. Keep the buildings short, quaint and original.
More affordable housing--keep a diverse residency--service industry employees should be able to rent within the area.
More bike and pedestrian friendly areas. And public space, affordable housing, on site parking, community rooms, etc.
Re-route the semis. I have no idea how, but sitting outside during the few months of summer are ruined by a large, dirty , noisy truck!
SCALE TRANSITION PER EXISTING CODE
MAIN ST
MENDENHALL STKEY MAP FOR SECTION
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BOZE
MAN
BABCOCK ST
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MAIN ST
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RECENT TRANSPORTATION IDEAS
NEW BIKE BOULEVARD POSSIBLE ON LAMME MENDENHALL & BABCOCK
REQUIRE NARROW LANES FOR DEDICATED BIKEWAYS
REDUCE MAIN TO 3 LANES & ADD BIKE LANES
PARTS OF OLIVE MAY CARRY TOO MUCH TRAFFIC FOR BIKES
Bike Lane
Designated Bicycle Route
Shared Use Path
Trail
LENGTH OF AVERAGE BOZEMAN COMMUTE (MIN)
COMMUTERS WHO TRAVEL BY BIKE OR WALK
14.6 15%
TMP 2017, CITY GIS, MDT
2017 Transportation Management Plan tested ways to expand bikeways.
MDT vehicular counts show that vehicular traffic has not increased over the last 30 years, but it may feel more congested due to more pedestrians and no clear route for bikes.
POTENTIAL CHANGES “LET MAIN BE FOR PEDESTRIANS”
FUTURE SIGNAL AT BLACK
ADD WESTBOUND BIKE LANE TO MENDENHALL
ADD EASTBOUND BIKE LANE TO BABCOCK
LINK TO HIGH SCHOOL
BIKE LANE TO MSU
LINK TO TRAILS & VILLAGE
LINK TO TRAILS
REDUCE MAIN TO 3 LANES & ADD DIAGONAL PARKING
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PROS:
Lets the streets work as a system
Net increase in 40+ on-street parking spaces
New bike lanes link well into existing network
8TH
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PEACH ST
New Bike Lane
Street Reconfiguration
New Signal
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POTENTIAL CHANGES “URBAN STREETS”
BIKE LANE INTERRUPTION AT 7TH
STUDY IMPACT OF 2-WAY CONVERSION CHANGE MENDENHALL TO
2-WAY; RETAIN PARKING
REDUCE MAIN TO 3 LANES & ADD BIKE LANESCHANGE BABCOCK TO
2-WAY; RETAIN PARKING
LINK TO TRAILS & VILLAGE
PROS:
Creates safe biking on Main
No net loss of parking
As two-way streets, Mendenhall and Babcock have better development character and traffic calming
8TH
AV
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PEACH ST
New Bike Lane
Street Reconfiguration
New Signal
EXISTING STREET CHARACTER Historic Main Street (State Highway)
~15’ 8’ 11.5’ 11.5’ 11.5’ 11.5’ 8’ ~15’
Center used for stockpiling snow during the winter
OPPORTUNITYHistoric Main Street(Back-in) Angled Parking
15’
Angled Parking(@ 45°)
~15’ 15’ 11.75’ 11’ 11.75’ ~15’
OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPANDED PARKING WITH ANGLED SPACES
15’
OPPORTUNITYHistoric Main StreetBike Lanes
5-6’ min
Bike Lane
~15’ 8’ 5’ - 6’ 5’ - 6’11.75’ 11’ 11.75’ 8’ ~15’
OPPORTUNITY FOR TWO WAY BIKE LANES
Cities all drawn to relative scale, active downtown blocks sourced from Google Maps.
LIVABILITYVibrant Downtowns
Bellingham
BoiseBend Missoula
Bozeman
MAIN ST
MENDENHALL ST
BABCOCK ST
Fort Collins
In Bozeman, downtown retail activity is focused along Main Street. Peer downtowns are active district-wide and provide more space for people and businesses.
LIVABILITYNeighborhood CharacterEncourage diverse housing options and improve affordability for people who want to live Downtown.
Preserve neighborhood character and scale through clear building design standards.
Bottom image: Greenville, South Carolina
A GREAT URBAN PLAZA
An outdoor living room for downtown
SOROPTOMIST Bozeman
0.25 ACRES
PEARL STREET MALL Boulder
0.5 ACRES
DIRECTOR PARK Portland
0.5 ACRES
A GREAT URBAN PLAZA
SOROPTOMIST Bozeman, Montana
This small park is currently a landscaped garden with a meandering path. The park offers limited opportunities for diverse programming beyond people watching and places to sit during lunch.
A GREAT URBAN PLAZA
WATER PLAZAGAMES
EVENTS AND GATHERINGS
DIRECTOR PARK PORTLAND, OREGON This former parking lot was converted into a public square in 2009. Located just a block from Pioneer Courthouse Square, the park features a café, ample outdoor seating and a fountain, and plays host to occasional events in the summer.
A GREAT URBAN PLAZA
WATER PLAZAGAMES
PEARL STREET BOULDER, COLORADO Year-round, Pearl Street is a gathering place for Boulderites and visitors, where musicians and performers fill the air with festive noise, kids clamber on play installations their parents once clambered on themselves, and strolling couples peer in shop windows.
PARKING UTILIZATION
Blocks with over 85% occupancy during peak times
High Utilization
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WESTERN TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE
INCREASE & OPTIMIZE PARKING
UNLOCK EXISTING SPACESDuring peak hours, parking can be ~65% full; 100’s of under-utilized space should be maximized.
New residential requirement of 0.75 spaces per unit to encourage small, affordable housing.
Reduce office parking minimums to 2/1000SF (from 4).
Unencumber buildings before 1980 from UDC reqs.
Clarify management strategies (ie. public/private sharing.)
DIVERSIFY MULTI-MODAL CHOICES Create an urban express transit loop, linking Downtown, Midtown, the Cannery District, and the Fairgrounds (potential park-and-ride site).
Expand bicycle infrastructure.
EXPAND CAPACITY Complete the existing garage to host 2 additional levels (200+ spaces).
Test key sites for future structured parking.
Expand public-private benefits in future projects.
Ensure street parking is an accessible public parking resource.
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