Reference: Starbucks at Academy Gateway

July 18, 2017

NEPCO

P.O. Box 714

Monument, CO 80132-0714

Kari Parsons

Development Services

2880 International Circle, Suite 110

Colorado Springs, CO 80910

Reference: Starbucks at Academy Gateway

NEPCO is providing the collective input from its membership that includes8,000 homeowners, 42 HOAs and 18,000 registered voters within and around Monument. The purpose of NEPCO, a volunteer coalition of Homeowner Associations in northern El Paso County, is to promote a community environment in which a high quality of life can be sustained for constituent associations, their members, and families in northern El Paso County. We collectively address growth and land use issues with El Paso CountyPlanners and the Town of Monument, as well as addressing HOA issues of common interest among the members. NEPCO achieves this by taking necessary steps to protect the property rights of the members, encouraging the beautification and planned development and maintenance of northern El Paso County.

NEPCO’s general comments related to the Starbucks at Academy Gateway

1. NEPCO believes that commercial development is the highest and best use for this property. However, NEPCO also has very serious concerns about existing and future traffic at this site with the Struthers/Gleneagle intersection already operating at LOS E and F during the peak traffic hours. Adding additional venues drawing more traffic to the area will only exasperate the situation.
2. NEPCO is aware that El Paso County Department of Public Works/County Engineering staff has determined that the intersections has met the warrants for improvements and they have determined that a two-lane roundabout is the optimal solution. The County Engineer’s office acknowledges that this approach does not generate gaps in traffic, a significant concern for the Developer, but overall traffic flow through the intersection is their overriding concern.
3. NEPCO cautions that this development should not move forward without the internal roads called out in the Traffic Memo. The combination of the roundabout and the right in/right out access private road will be ineffective without the internal road structure (Gleneagle Gate View Road) opposite Shephard Heights continuing up to the Gleneagle/Struthers roundabout.
4. The Traffic memo notates that delay times of 10 minutes or more are possible with this development. The Traffic Memo also notes on page 12, paragraph that“Estimates of the vehicle-trips to be generated by the site may be conservative and the actual trip generation will depend on the mix or retail land use.”
5. NEPCO is pleased the Developer is using dark sky friendly exterior lighting.

Transportation/Access Concerns

1. NEPCO’s has concerns about the age of the data used for the traffic analysis.
2. Much of the background traffic analysis is based on 2011 data that was used for the Polaris Pointe development located about one half mile east along North Gate Road.
3. Traffic volume at this intersection are over three years old and other development that rely on this intersection have become a reality during the ensuing three years.
4. Full build-out is estimated at 2035, a convenient date but an odd number of years at 18. NEPCO also believes that the Developer would be highly disappointed if it took 18 years to complete this development, a more reasonable estimate for full build-out would be 3-5 years at the longest.
5. No mention was made of the periodic events at the USAF Academy, football and hockey games, graduation related activities, etc. that stress this intersection to the max.

1. The Traffic Memo is inconsistent in methodology.
2. It appears that LOS “D” is satisfactory (35-55 sec at a signalized intersection and 25-35 sec at an un-signalized intersection), and that LOS “C” is “acceptable (20-35 sec at a signalized intersection and 15-25 sec at an un-signalized intersection).
3. Rather than tell us the LOS, whenever the consultant uses “acceptable” or “satisfactory” he is apparently trying to obfuscate!
4. Page 11.The consultant uses the HCM method when convenient, followed by the Sim-traffic method if more favorable to the client, and then the “driver behavior” method if the previous numbers look bad.
5. Page 11.Eastbound Left Turn Queuing. Currently, all drivers on Northgate heading east around the second roundabout to turn north on I-25 assume that virtually no one heading west on Northgate will be U-turning at that roundabout.If westbound U-turns will be needed at the roundabout to turn into the Western Mining Museum, some signage warning east bound drivers may prove useful in the short term when the switch is made.
6. Page 14.NEPCO does not support El Paso County accepting a 5% and 1% queue extension past the turn lane access as requested by the Developer.
7. Table 2.The 9% internal trips for every lot seems incredibly high given the lack of diversity of the projected businesses within the development.
8. Table 7.El Paso County should not accept the premise of the “responsibility” column.Just because a traffic signal is probably warranted now at Struthers/Gleneagle, doesn’t mean that the huge traffic increase from this development should not help pay for it.

Visual Impact Analysis.

1. NEPCO appreciates that the Developer is attentive to the view sheds of the Front Range and the USAF Academy and has taken the time and effort to factor those items into their design.

NEPCO’s final comments:

1. NEPCO is concerned about the impact of this development on the neighborhood and through traffic that relies on Struthers Road, Gleneagle Drive and North Gate Road. The Traffic Memo while stating that they may be underestimating the true impact, still presents a dire outlook for traffic entering and exiting this site.
2. It is NEPCO’s belief that Dark Sky Compliant lighting should be required on all new construction in El Paso County to mitigate the effects of light pollution.

Conclusion:

NEPCO does not have any specific concerns about this development other than those stated above.

Thank you for the opportunity afforded NEPCO to engage in this process to work with the El Paso County to ensure we have planned, responsible growth.

//SIGNED////SIGNED//

Thomas M. VierzbaLarry Oliver

Vice President, NEPCO President, NEPCO

Chairman,

NEPCO Transportation and Land Use Committee

1 | Page Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Organizations
P.O. Box 714, Monument, CO 80132-0714