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Home My WebLink About04/05/1973 MINUTES AprilS, 1973 A Special Meeting of the Wheat Ridge City Council was called to order at 7 45 p.m by Mayor Albert E. Anderson in the Wheat Ridge Grange at 39 Avenue and High Court. Attending were Mayor Anderson, Aldermen - Dr. Paul Abramson, Mary Jo Cavarra, Joseph Donaldson, Robert Howard, Calvin Hulsey and Ray Pepe, City Clerk Louise Turner, City Attorney Maurice Fox, guest speakers and approximately 350 interested citizens. Guest Speakers were Dave ~lotz, Regional Director of Planning, Robert Friis, Senior Transportation Planner, and Frank Burton, Transportation Studies Engineer from the division of highwa~who had been asked to come to explain the plan that has been recommended to DRCoG as it applies to Wheat Ridge. Topic for discussion was "Concept 2000' - A highway plan proposed bV Joint Regional Planning Program, i e., Denver Regional Council of Governments, Regional Transportaion District, and the Colorado Division of Highways. Mr. Klotz stated that in order for the metropolitan area to continue to get federal aid for planning, construction and maintenance of highways, it must have a continuous, cooperative, coordinated, regional plan. He added 1. That the plans were a staff effort and no decision had as yet been made. 2 That the plan was not likely to be adopted for several months and not until there had been careful consideration. 3. That member governments needed to understand the problems. 4 That comments of the attending public in the spirit of cooper- ation would be welcome. 5. That a moderate figure used in the study indicated a population of 2,450,000 by the year 2000 which meant an increase of 10,900 in the urban area each year until the year 2000 or an increase of one million in the next 30 years. The annual projected growth figure used was far below the 40,000 increase of last year. 5. The lower figure had been used because the region wants a low growth profile. 7 Staff had needed to determine where an additional million people would live and work in order to come up with transportation requirements. 8. They had first listed places where people should not live, such as flood plains, high water areas, landslide areas, and places where soil was not suitable 9. They then, studied plans of local governments, each of which appeared optimistic about its own growth, and collectively planned to accomodate (unrealistically) over 5 million. 10. They had contacted Denver Water Board and Public Service Co. etc. 11. They had chosen Broadway and Colfax corridors as locations for populations centers and determined transportation was needed between population and activity centers. 12. They felt the region wanted a transit plan but must have heavier population in order to pay operating costs, or else be subsi- dized. 13 There should be more people in high density corridors. 14. In the yellow area on the map, building should be continuous and contiguous with no open spaces between developments 15. Job areas were shown in purple to show where transit was needed. 16 For mobility, streets and highways were needed. - MINUTES - AprilS, 1973 - Continued -2- Mr. Frank Burton who said that DRCOG and others were working together in order to come up with plans for transportation and for a map which could be adopted. He stressed cooperation and explained additional studies and emphasized that there is a need to accommodate large move- ments of traffic necessitating a limited access highway in the Kipling corridor between 50uth Lakewood and Arvada and that the need was not so great from east to west. He said 38 Avenue is over capacity now, and has more cars than it had before 1-70 was built, that 32 Avenue should be four lanes divided, and that all others should be four lanes or a minimum of 120 feet, and that a high grade plan was needed to preclude congestion in 15 to 20 years. In answer to a question as to whether or not the purpose of the plan was to keep from losing federal funds, he said "Yes." In answer to a question "Who determines congestion?", he answered traffic engineers do by studying time, convenience and safety, and that there were fewer accidents per mile at high speed. In answer to comments of Alderman Abramson that though cooperation was stressed, Wheat Ridge's (on record) opposition to the Kipling proposal had been ignored, he answered not because of unwillingness and that they were aware of a problem with the Wheat Ridge Council Alderman Abramson also questioned the 100 foot east-west streets when projected east-west growth was small. Mr Burton gave as reasons for choosing Kipling to be the north-south location the following 1 Wadsworth, Sheridan and Federal were all at capacity. 2. Wadsworth was more centrally located, but no matter how large it would be it would always be under capacity. 3. It was impossible to have transit lines only. 4. There was need between Arvada and Lakewood. 5 Without additional carrying capacity both Kipling and Wadsworth would be congested. 5. The only other solution which would be no solution was to do nothing (applause in audience) and the results of this would be waiting through more than one stop cycle and increased pollution from immobile cars The planners had consequently concluded that a freeway was needed at the Kipling location and the need would become significant within the next 15 years A citizen expressed opposition to 120 foot width for 32 Avenue and recommended substituting mass transit. A citizen questioned the choice of Kipling after that statement that Wadsworth would be more centrally located, he questioned whether a highway should be built through Wheat Ridge only to serve areas outside of Wheat Ridge, and he questioned the statement that more oeople were needed to "serve busses " Homer Roesener stated that the Wheat Ridge Planning Commission was "unalterably opposed to Concept 2000" and asked if opposition continued what different ideas might evolve. The answer from Mr. Burton was the Division of Highways would "not build it over your objections, even if it is approved by DRCOG." In answer to the question "Was Kipling chosen because there was more residential and less commercial building?", he answered they preferred not to demolish houses Ben Chastain, Chairman of the Mass Transit Task Force read a statement from the Mass Transit Committee expressing total opposition to the Kipling Proposal and to Concept 2000 which it considered not responsive to the people or the times, that the answer is not more freeways, but fewer cars and increased mass transit. A copy of the statement is attached. MINUTES - April 5, 1973 - Continued -3- Mr. Burton answered that $1 5 billion for mass transit would carry less than 10% of the total trips, that only 2% in this region ride busses and highways are essential. In response to a citizen who expressed opposition to the plan and who asked why 32 Avenue was chosen as a primary arterial, Mr. Burton answered that in Denver, 32 Avenue intersects Speer Blvd., has inter- changes on 1-25 and 1-70 and goes to Golden. He added the alternatives are widening more streets or making east-west streets one way. Other comments and questions from citizens included What would the ROW be on 32 Avenue? Could Wheat Ridge stop growth to the norfu-south by interfering with highway plans for Kipling? What would be the effect on the quality of life on 32 Avenue? Why couldn't the people from other areas go aroung Wheat Ridge? That backing out of a driveway into 32 Avenue would be impossible. That trees are not guaranteed by nurseries on 32 Avenue because of the pollution kill. Additional comments from Mr. Burton and Mr. Friis included Quality of life would improve with more rapid movement of traffic, the proposed plan called for acquisition not condemnatio~ forcing traffic to go around might be a possible plan for Wheat Ridge, that Wheat Ridge couldn't stop growth in Arvada, but could in Wheat Ridge, if everyone wanted growth controlled it could be done, that a four lane divided highwsy didn't have to be 120 feet, it could be as Evans is which is 53 feet from curb to curb or 58 feet from curb to curb as Kipling is near 1-70 Meeting was adjourned at 10 DO p.m. /'.,P -~'~)-r~~'-7 Ir ''- -;f.... <.C /A ___rL.f--r ~./ rouise F. Turner City Clerk . "// /,:). 7 -{ ~ /" . 4/5/73 CONCEPT 2000 -- Ei: r r 1 T 1. H~HT P 0:...= :tSs TP ~ ':;IT C~, TTCc THi: luGe ('~-:-I E; r S i","';')0 TP4.i' ~IT C:i :TTEE c~ TO EAPFE~~ ITS F.1. '"9/V/'-J/A,t! (cpt/t1'~51'f;1~~~"''''M'>S~./y/s 2L~:) 'I-I c (' _. - ;--C':[ I -'~'JI'~~L- il! 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