This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Longmont City Council is considering options for a transit station at 1st and Main Street. The City of Longmont is partnering with the Regional Transportation District (RTD) build a station that will serve as the end of the line for the FasTracks commuter rail between Longmont and Denver. The station is also intended to provide a transportation hub for the local and regional buses, commuter transit, and possibly Bus Rapid Transit. This follows from a 2015 directive from the Longmont City Council to implement a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) at the station.
On July 18th, Longmont City Council debated various means of obtaining funding from the City of Longmont for the project. The City of Longmont will need to contribute $4.5 to $5.5 million to the project. The majority of funds related to transit are expected to be reimbursed by RTD, but any costs for non-transit uses of the station are the responsibility of the City of Longmont. Longmont City Council has identified three potential ways to recoup their costs for the station. The first of these is to modify the Southeast Longmont Urban Renewal Plan to authorize tax increment financing (TIF) and collect TIF from properties near 1st and Main. The second option is to create a new Urban Renewal Area with TIF provisions within the station area. The final option is to utilize other financing districts for public improvements and eligible costs. The discussion for potential methods of financing the city’s portion will continue.
The City of Longmont contracted the services of Economic and Planning Systems (EPS) to come up with designs for the station. EPS recommended locating the transit station at 1st and Coffman. EPS recommended two design options for parking, one where parking is adjacent to the station and one where parking is more centrally located. On July 18, the Longmont City Council announced their preference for a centrally located parking structure. The parking facility is projected to have 300-400 parking spaces. In order to accommodate the plan, 12 parcels of land in the area of 1st and Main will be needed, costing 4-5 million dollars to acquire.
The proposed station is located in the 100-year floodplain. Mitigation efforts are being funded currently through state and federal funds, City of Longmont, and RTD. However, $18 million is still needed to fully fund the mitigation effort. The City of Longmont is looking at other options to allow the building of the station to begin before current flood mitigation efforts are completed.
