chapter 2. demographics and community profile · colorado state university, with more than 21,000...

T r a n s f o r t S t r a t e g i c O p e r a t i n g P l a n • F i n a l R e p o r t

C I T Y O F F O R T C O L L I N S

Page 2-1 • Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates

Chapter 2. Demographics and Community Profile

Fort Collins is situated on the banks of the Cache La Poudre River along Colorado’s North Front Range about 65 miles north of Denver. The city was originally established as a military fort (where it derived its name) and was incorporated as a city in 1873. Much of the development in the city did not occur until the 20th century, with a large population and housing boom in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Spurred by Colorado’s strong economy (especially along the Front Range), the presence of a large state university, and a high quality of life, Fort Collins’ population has grown to about 120,000.

The greatest concentration of commercial activity in Fort Collins is located downtown, also known as Old Town, and along the entire length of College Avenue from Old Town south to Harmony Road. Fort Collins is also home to the state’s second largest university, Colorado State University, with more than 21,000 students. Other major attractions in the city include Old Town Square, Foothills Fashion Mall and a number of city parks and outdoor recreational activities. Fort Collins is also known for its proximity to the Rocky Mountains and its many parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park.

Household and Employment Density, 1998 and 2020 Demographic data for Fort Collins and the north Front Range is collected and forecasted by the North Front Range Transportation & Air Quality Council (the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the region). Employment density is defined as the number of employees per square mile and household density is defined as the number of households per square mile. Employment and household densities are estimated for 1998 and forecasted to the year 2020 by small geographic areas called Traffic Analysis Zones. Traffic Analysis Zones, or TAZs, are created for traffic forecasting and demographic purposes. The size of the TAZ depends on the population, household and employment density in a particular area. The lower the combined population, employment and household density, the larger the TAZ.

Household Density Development patterns in Fort Collins have always been, and continue to be, fairly low density. As indicated by 1998 household densities in Figure 2 -1, the most developed areas in the city are concentrated in and around downtown, near the Colorado State University campus, and northeast of the Foothills Fashion Mall. Forecasted household density in Fort Collins, shown in Figure 2-2, indicates that many of the areas which currently have moderate household density will become more dense by the year 2020. This is especially true in and around the CSU campus. In addition, the Mountain Vista development is programmed for mixed use, and is expected to include substantial new residential and commercial uses by the year 2020.

VINE DR

MULBERRY ST

PROSPECT RD

DRAKE RD

HORSETOOTH RD T

HARMONY RD

VINE DR

WILLOX LN

DOUGLAS RD

COUNTY ROAD 52

MOUNTAIN VISTA DR

COUNTY ROAD 54G

LAPORTE AVE

OV

ER

LAN

D T

RL

TA

FT

HIL

L R

D

SH

IEL

DS

ST

CO

LLE

GE

AV

E

LE

MA

Y A

VE

TIM

BE

RLI

NE

RD

CO

UN

TY

RO

AD

9

COUNTY ROAD 36

TRILBY RD

LE

MA

Y A

VE

COUNTY ROAD 32

T

T

.-,25

CSU

0 1 2 Miles

Fort Collins 1998 Household Density by TAZ S

N

EW

Legend

1998 Household Density*(# of households per square mile)

0 - 150151 - 1,0001,001 - 2,5002,501 +

Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST

*Source: North Front Range Transportation& Air Quality Planning Council (MPO)

Figure 2-1:

VINE DR

MULBERRY ST

PROSPECT RD

DRAKE RD

HORSETOOTH RD T

HARMONY RD

VINE DR

WILLOX LN

DOUGLAS RD

COUNTY ROAD 52

MOUNTAIN VISTA DR

COUNTY ROAD 54G

LAPORTE AVE

OV

ER

LAN

D T

RL

TA

FT

HIL

L R

D

SH

IEL

DS

ST

CO

LLE

GE

AV

E

LE

MA

Y A

VE

TIM

BE

RLI

NE

RD

CO

UN

TY

RO

AD

9

COUNTY ROAD 36

TRILBY RD

LE

MA

Y A

VE

COUNTY ROAD 32

T

T

.-,25

CSU

0 1 2 Miles

Fort Collins 2020 Household Density by TAZ S

N

EW

Legend

2020 Household Density*(# of households per square mile)

0 - 150151 - 1,0001,001 - 2,5002,501 +

Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area


#ST

Figure 2-2:




Employment Density Employment density throughout the city is concentrated in Old Town and along the entire stretch of College Avenue from downtown to Harmony Road. Other areas of employment density include the CSU campus, the area around Riverside and Lemay, and Poudre Valley Hospital. Employment density in 2020 is expected to be concentrated in many of the same areas with expanded employment along Mulberry between downtown and Interstate 25, along North College Avenue (north of Old Town), along Centre Avenue south of the CSU campus, and in the Mountain Vista mixed-use development northeast of downtown.

Figures 2-3 and 2-4 illustrate the employment density in the city by TAZ for both 1998 and 2020.

While development in the city is more concentrated in Old Town and around the university, major employers in Fort Collins are not necessarily concentrated in any one area of the city. By far the largest employer and trip generator in the city is Colorado State University which is located near the center of town. The main campus is roughly bounded by College Avenue on the east, Prospect on the south, Shields on the west and Laurel on the north. The university employs more than 6,000. Colorado State University also has two smaller campuses in Fort Collins: the Foothills Campus located west of town near the base of the foothills, and the Veterinary Teaching Hospital located just north of Drake between College Avenue and Research Boulevard. Other major employers and trip generators in the city include:

l Hewlett Packard (3,200 employees) located north of Harmony Road near the intersection of Interstate 25;

l Poudre Valley Hospital (1,800 - 2,000 employees) located off of Lemay near East Pitkin Street;

l Woodward-Governor (1,600 employees) located at the corner of Lemay and Drake;

l Teledyne-Water Pik (1,100 employees) located at Riverside Road and Prospect;

l LSI Logic (900 employees) located near Horsetooth and Timberline Road;

l Anheuser-Busch (750 employees) located northeast of downtown along I-25 near Mountain Vista Drive;

VINE DR

MULBERRY ST

PROSPECT RD

DRAKE RD

HORSETOOTH RDT

HARMONY RD

VINE DR

WILLOX LN

DOUGLAS RD

COUNTY ROAD 52

MOUNTAIN VISTA DR

COUNTY ROAD 54G

LAPORTE AVE

OV

ER

LAN

D T

RL

TA

FT

HIL

L R

D

SH

IEL

DS

ST

CO

LLE

GE

AV

E

LE

MA

Y A

VE

TIM

BE

RLI

NE

RD

CO

UN

TY

RO

AD

9

COUNTY ROAD 36

TRILBY RD

LE

MA

Y A

VE

COUNTY ROAD 32

T

T

.-,25

CSU

0 1 2 Miles

Fort Collins 1998 Employment Density by TAZ S

N

EW

Legend

3,501 +1,001 - 3,500101 - 1,0000 - 100

(# of employees per square mile)1998 Employment Density*


Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST

Figure 2-3:

VINE DR

MULBERRY ST

PROSPECT RD

DRAKE RD

HORSETOOTH RDT

HARMONY RD

VINE DR

WILLOX LN

DOUGLAS RD

COUNTY ROAD 52

MOUNTAIN VISTA DR

COUNTY ROAD 54G

LAPORTE AVE

OV

ER

LAN

D T

RL

TA

FT

HIL

L R

D

SH

IEL

DS

ST

CO

LLE

GE

AV

E

LE

MA

Y A

VE

TIM

BE

RLI

NE

RD

CO

UN

TY

RO

AD

9

COUNTY ROAD 36

TRILBY RD

LE

MA

Y A

VE

COUNTY ROAD 32

T

T

.-,25

CSU

0 1 2 Miles

Fort Collins 2020 Employment Density by TAZ S

N

EW

Legend

3,501 +1,001 - 3,500101 - 1,0000 - 100

(# of employees per square mile)2020 Employment Density*


Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST

Figure 2-4:




The Poudre R-1 School District, with 3,000 employees, is the third largest employer in Fort Collins. The district has a concentration of administrative and facilities employees at its site on LaPorte Avenue. Its largest schools are three high schools and one junior high school:

l Fort Collins High School (Timberline and Horsetooth);

l Poudre High School (Impala Drive at La Porte)

l Rocky Mountain High School (Swallow near Shields)

l Blevins Junior High School (on Taft Hill between Drake and Prospect)

The City of Fort Collins has 1,050 employees throughout the city, though administrative staff are concentrated downtown. Larimer County has 1,300 employees throughout the city and county.

Employment and Household Density Combined Employment and household densities are the two most critical factors that determine transit demand. While examining employment and household density individually is helpful, each only tells part of the story. Therefore, when determining where transit has the greatest potential, it is important to know which areas have the highest combined concentrations of both housing and employment.

Figures 2-5 and 2-6 show the 1998 and projected (2020) household and employment densities in Fort Collins. The legend in the bottom left-hand corner of each figure indicates the range of employment and household densities, coded by color. Darker shades of yellow indicate greater employment densities, darker shades of blue indicate greater household densities, and darker shades of green indicate a greater concentration of both employment and household densities. The scale for “very low” to “high” is the same as that shown in Figures 2-3 and 2 -4.

The darker shades of green in the maps have the greatest significance because they represent high quantities of both housing and jobs in close proximity to each other. These areas usually indicate the greatest demand for a transit service that can be provided more cost-effectively than in less shaded areas.

A mix of housing and jobs also means that an area will both generate and create work trips. This in turn means that the potential is greater to fill buses in both directions, rather than creating a huge demand in only one direction. Fort Collins is somewhat unique, however, because it is home to CSU, a major trip generator and employer. Because the main campus is divided into two TAZs, employment and housing are segregated and appear less transit-oriented on the map.

Besides the CSU campus, other areas in Fort Collins with high concentrations of both household and employment densities include nearly all of Old Town (especially the area




east of College between Mountain and Laurel), the area northeast of the Foothills Fashion Mall and the neighborhoods immediately north, west and east of the university.

Figure 2-6 shows the forecasted employment and household densities by TAZ for the year 2020. In general, the greatest areas of concentration for both of these factors will still be in Old Town, around the university and in the central part of town. Growth is also expected to continue east and southeast of Foothills Fashion Mall, south of Harmony Road along Timberline Road and northeast of downtown in the Mountain Vista mixed-use development.

VINE DR

MULBERRY ST

PROSPECT RD

DRAKE RD

HORSETOOTH RD T

HARMONY RD

VINE DR

WILLOX LN

DOUGLAS RD

COUNTY ROAD 52

MOUNTAIN VISTA DR

COUNTY ROAD 54G

LAPORTE AVE

OV

ER

LAN

D T

RL

TA

FT

HIL

L R

D

SH

IEL

DS

ST

CO

LLE

GE

AV

E

LE

MA

Y A

VE

TIM

BE

RLI

NE

RD

CO

UN

TY

RO

AD

9

COUNTY ROAD 36

TRILBY RD

LE

MA

Y A

VE

COUNTY ROAD 32

T

T

.-,25

CSU

0 1 2 Miles

Fort Collins 1998 Household & Employment Density by TAZ

S

N

EW

Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST

ver

y lo

wlo

wm

edh

igh

very low low highmed

Households per sq mi

Em

ploy

men

t per

sq

mi

1998 Household &Employment Density*

*Source: North Front Range Transportation& Air Quality Planning Council (MPO)*Source: North Front Range Transportation& Air Quality Planning Council (MPO)

LegendLegend

ver

y lo

wlo

wm

edh

igh



Em

ploy

men

t per

sq

mi

Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST


Figure 2-5:

VINE DR

MULBERRY ST

PROSPECT RD

DRAKE RD

HORSETOOTH RD T

HARMONY RD

VINE DR

WILLOX LN

DOUGLAS RD

COUNTY ROAD 52

MOUNTAIN VISTA DR

COUNTY ROAD 54G

LAPORTE AVE

OV

ER

LAN

D T

RL

TA

FT

HIL

L R

D

SH

IEL

DS

ST

CO

LLE

GE

AV

E

LE

MA

Y A

VE

TIM

BE

RLI

NE

RD

CO

UN

TY

RO

AD

9

COUNTY ROAD 36

TRILBY RD

LE

MA

Y A

VE

COUNTY ROAD 32

T

T

.-,25

CSU

0 1 2 Miles

Fort Collins 2020 Household & Employment Density by TAZ S

N

EW

Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST

ver

y lo

wlo

wm

edh

igh



Em

ploy

men

t per

sq

mi


*Source: North Front Range Transportation& Air Quality Planning Council (MPO)*Source: North Front Range Transportation& Air Quality Planning Council (MPO)

LegendLegend

ver

y lo

wlo

wm

edh

igh



Em

ploy

men

t per

sq

mi

Major Streets

Freeways

Transfort Routes

Transit Centers

Urban Growth Area

#ST



Figure 2-6:

chapter 2. demographics and community profile · colorado state university, with more than 21,000...

Documents