Planning Commission

1 of 7 AGENDA PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP Date: Wednesday, OCTOBER 25, 2023 Time: 4:00 P.M. Where: Room 301, City Hall 1. Call to Order 2. Attendance 3. Correspondence 4. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda 5. Item for Discussion: Update to the 2006 Non-motorized Transportation Plan 6. Comments by the Public 7. Comments by the Staff and Commission Members 8. Adjournment 10 N. DIVISION ST. P.O. BOX 1717 BATTLE CREEK MICHIGAN 49016-1717 PHONE (269) 966-3320 FAX (269) 966-3555 WWW.BATTLECREEKMI.GOV  2 of 7 Battle Creek City Planning Commission Staff Report for the October 25, 2023 workshop To: Planning Commissioners From: Darcy Schmitt, Planning Supervisor Date: October 17, 2023 Subject: Update to the 2006 Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Summary In the spring of 2019, City staff with the support of seven community members, and a representative from the Bicycle Advisory Committee formed the Non-motorized Transportation Plan Advisory Committee. This committee with the assistance of a planning consultant kicked off the planning effort to update the 2006 Non- motorized Transportation Plan. It involved an extensive public participation process that included but was not limited to public workshops, mapping exercises, social media outreach, and a community-wide survey to gather input on which streets, paths, rivers, etc. are used by the community; and where issues with those areas exist. Due to COVID and staffing changes creating a gap in time between activities to solicit input and the plan completion, additional outreach took place in June of this year. Outreach included placing the updated 2006 Non-motorized Transportation Plan on the City website in early June of 2023 along with an electronic form to encourage additional comments on the updated plan. The comment form was open to the community until the beginning of August 2023. On June 21, 2023, the City held a virtual meeting to allow planning consultant Lynee Wells to introduce the plan, provide a brief description of each section of the document, answer questions, and receive additional comments. The updated plan strives to accomplish the following:  Improve pedestrian and bicycle connections and safety  Enhance canoe/kayak/stand up paddle board water trails and amenities  Maintain existing infrastructure for continued use  Strategic decision-making for growth and value-added features  Examine sidewalks, bike lanes, Linear Park (multi-use pathway), and trails for safety, extensions, and maintenance  Increase healthy outdoor options for neighbors and visitors  Ensure safe routes to school for kids, parents, and teachers  Reduce pollution by providing more route options for non-motorized transportation users  Enhance connections to the Iron Belle Trail, North Country Trail, and Great Lakes-to-Lakes Trail systems  Add more connections between people and places  3 of 7 Update to the 2006 Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Page 2 of 3 There are six sections dividing the plan making it easy to read and understand. It will guide decisions for future non-motorized transportation infrastructure for the next 15 years with a goal of revisiting the plan yearly for changes in the City’s non-motorized transportation needs. Executive Summary: The Executive Summary summarizes the goal areas and strategies for the multi- modal community, educates the reader on the 2006 Non-motorized Plan and the changes made in the updated plan. The 2006 Non-motorized Transportation Plan was the first for the City. The City’s non- motorized transportation system includes public use of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Rivers and Goguac Lake, connections to employment nodes, public parks, schools, downtown and connections to regional trails. Between 2006 and 2019, the City established 40 miles of new non-motorized transportation routes, consisting of new bike lanes, shared use trails, and wide street shoulders. Introduction and Background: The Introduction and Background summarizes the background on creating non-motorized transportation systems, public engagement, highlights the vision statements, and lays out the roles and coordination needed to implement the plan. The importance placed on health and the high cost of gasoline has increased the demand for and investment in safe non-motorized transportation infrastructure. Nationally, regionally and locally, incidents of crashes between cars, bicycles and pedestrians continue to increase. Reducing these statistics through improvements to non- motorized transportation infrastructure is vital. Public involvement in the development of the plan was essential to determining the route priorities of those in the community that are most affected. The plan summarizes these efforts. The responsibility to implement this plan includes the Planning Commission and City Council, several City departments, representatives of area schools, and various community groups. Terms and Current Conditions: The Terms and Current Conditions discuss the existing conditions, defines the key terms, and describes the existing network and plans. An understanding of all of the City’s transportation networks is important in the development of the plan. Understanding how each of these modes of transportation interface provides a better picture of where gaps in the system are located and important insight into how to bridge the gaps. Facility Types and Best Practices: The Facility Types and Best Practices describe the facility types, their dimensions, best placement and standards, and key findings. There are multiple types of non- motorized facilities tested over time. These include on-street bike lanes, sidewalks, multi-use pathways, intersection crossings, and bus facilities. The plan highlights different options for each type and explains the best circumstance for using each type. Support facilities are also important when planning for non-motorized transportation facilities. These facilities include bike racks, use and wayfinding signage, seating, shade and lighting. The plan also describes how to best implement the support facilities. Recommended Bicycle, Pedestrian and Water Trail Facility Improvements: The Recommended Bicycle, Pedestrian and Water Trail Facility Improvements describes the core routes for improvements, provides standards for ranking projects, and provides maps for existing and proposed facilities. Implementation: The Implementation describes the many processes and recommendations for implementation. This document will be revisited annually and its recommendations will be incorporated into the upcoming update to the Master Plan and be utilized during the development of the Capital Improvement Plan, which is updated annually.  4 of 7 Update to the 2006 Non-Motorized Transportation Plan Page 3 of 3 Recommendation: The Non-motorized Transportation Plan was developed with the assistance of the Non-motorized Transportation Steering Committee, which consisted of seven members of the community, a member of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, and City staff. Community engagement included Neighborhood Planning Council meetings, public service announcements through social media, a webpage devoted to meeting announcements and project updates, a community-wide survey about non-motorized transportation needs and opportunities (completed by 226 people), workshops, public walking and biking tours, and a virtual meeting to introduce the final document and take additional comments. The recommendations in the plan will be incorporated in the upcoming update to the Master Plan. For these reasons, staff recommends that the Planning Commission recommend to the City Commission approval of the update to the 2006 Non-motorized Transportation Plan at their November 15, 2023 meeting. 5 of 7 6 of 7 7 of 7