Mobility and Transportation Advisory Board Regular Meeting - 2026-10-22

The City of Golden Mobility and Transportation Advisory Board (MTAB) met on 2026-10-22 at 911 10th Street. The board approved routine items, heard a long public comment period, held a study session on the Clayworks development's revised plans and parking/TDM proposals, and received updates on a range of transportation projects.

Consent Calendar

• The board unanimously approved the meeting agenda as presented.
• The board unanimously approved the minutes of the September 24, 2026 regular meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A representative of a local volunteer bicycle advocacy organization (described as a 501(c)(3) funded almost entirely by grants) updated the board on Bike Golden activities: free pocket bike maps distributed at cafes and bike shops; a bike rack program that obtained commercial racks via Facebook Marketplace and ordered ten additional racks for delivery in November; a mini-grant-funded League of American Bicyclists training for board members; a planned e-bike tour with Mines senior design students on October 27; and a Thriving Communities grant application for pop-up pedestrian/bike safety pilots. The representative also encouraged businesses needing racks to reach out.
• Pam Logan, a Golden resident and Bike Jeffco volunteer, expressed strong support for the Ford Street and Jackson Street protected bike lanes. She specifically praised the careful burying of manhole covers, the street sweeping and snow removal plan, and the flexible delineator posts. She said the project made riding across the corridor much safer.
• Pam Logan also raised concerns about illegal e-bikes and e-motos, noting that high-powered products such as a 3,000-watt e-moto/four-wheeler marketed to children are not legal on streets. She supported enforcement and education, including Bike Jeffco's e-bike vs. e-moto flow chart, and noted that Jefferson County Open Space has different rules focused on safe riding and trail protection.
• Drew, from the Mines Senior Design Group working with Dream Tank, proposed two concepts: better signalization or an improved crossing at the Clear Creek Ford crossing near Golden Mill, and a bike-park/social-education space for younger riders that could also host farmers markets and educational events. He asked whether these fit with Golden's plans. Board members suggested the group return to a future MTAB meeting with more developed ideas.
• Camilla Bull, speaking for South Golden Neighbors United, described the group's formation after successfully negotiating with Xcel Energy to trim rather than cut trees. The group's current focus is South Golden Road between Johnson Circle and Golden High School, which they called the "South Golden Speedway." She made three requests: lower the speed limit to 25 mph; start a community-inclusive design process within six months; and prepare for a City Council funding conversation. She said about 59 neighbors in the immediate area support the effort, and the group plans to organize more publicly in November. A board member noted that the corridor carries roughly 19,000 vehicles per day. Staff agreed that the road needs improvement, said South Golden Road is next in line for grant-seeking after North Ford, and offered to revisit a traffic-calming conversation.
• A parent (Laura) submitted an emailed public comment, read aloud by a board member, about Bell school drop-off safety. She reported that parents use Ulysses Park to bypass the slower school drop-off lane, vehicles enter/exit aggressively, and her son was hit at the Veterans Plaza parking-lot exit onto 10th Street. She asked whether the park could be off-limits to drop-offs, whether the Veterans Plaza exit onto 10th could be closed during drop-off, and whether the signal at Johnson and 10th could give pedestrians a head start or restrict turning when pedestrians are present. During discussion, staff said Officer Pike would observe Ulysses Park, a new signal controller would enable a leading pedestrian interval (LPI), and the VA exit could not be temporarily closed because of legal access and emergency/fire concerns.

Study Session: Clayworks Follow-up

• Staff reported that the developer had submitted the revised draft Overall Development Plan (ODP), Traffic Impact Study (TIS), and parking plan that week, starting the formal review clock. The tentative schedule is Planning Commission on December 16, 2026 and, if that goes smoothly, City Council in mid-January 2027.
• The board reviewed the developer's shared-parking methodology, which uses three steps: land-use square footage, time-of-day parking demand curves, and optional TDM reductions. Board members generally supported the concept of shared parking but questioned whether the reduction factors were applied in the right order and whether the assumptions were realistic.
• Board members expressed concern that key checkpoints in the existing ODP had been stricken or changed, particularly the trigger that made TDM requirements district-wide once activated. Under the revised approach, TDM appears to be elected building-by-building, and the enforcement mechanisms that remain apply to TDM rather than to the success or failure of shared parking. Several members said they wanted an outcome-based backstop: if cars spill into surrounding streets or shared parking fails, the city should be able to require more parking or pause later phases of development.
• Board members also discussed whether the mixed-use mix is actually complementary; residential, hotel, and restaurant uses can overlap in the evening. They noted that the Golden Mill surface lot is heavily used but may not be included in the project's parking calculations, and staff agreed to ask more questions about it.
• The board agreed to continue analysis and commit the November 2026 meeting to drafting formal comments before the Planning Commission and City Council processes. They also planned to ask the developer/planning staff for clarification on enforcement mechanisms and for an example of a comparable shared-parking implementation in another community.

Project Updates

• Staff and board members celebrated the Ford and Jackson protected bike lane ribbon cutting and the new multi-hog maintenance machine used to sweep, brush, and plow the separated lanes.
• Highway 93 is progressing; 30% design plans and an estimate were expected, with public engagement later in the year. Construction funding is not yet secured; design will proceed to approximately 90% and be shelf-ready.
• Rooney Road intersection design continues. Staff preferred an improved signalized intersection, but public engagement will include the roundabout option. A roundabout could require a CDOT "lift" and more funding; one board member said they would welcome that work, while another stated a continued preference for a signalized intersection.
• A pedestrian connection from the end of 10th Street up to 8th Street is in the budget. It will use a switchbacking trail, include an elevated segment to minimize floodplain impact, and connect to an existing crosswalk. Stairs are included, replacing an informal social trail.
• Lions Park is progressing: the playground will be moved away from the roadway and out of the floodplain, and the old playground area is expected to become a pond or open green space.
• A proposed bike/ped connection from the W Line stairway/overpass to the C-470 trail was discussed. Staff called it a good idea but complicated, requiring conversations with at least two private property owners and CDOT; it is not a high priority in the Bike Master Plan. One board member said they would keep pursuing it.
• A board member asked why the city-owned bridge over Highway 6 near the courthouse is signed pedestrian-only, and whether bicyclists could be allowed to ride across. Staff said they would look into the original basis for the restriction before changing signs.
• Staff confirmed the city plows Clear Creek Trail only to city limits and does not plow Jefferson County Open Space sections.
• A board member raised the issue of in-car mapping apps displaying speed limits different from posted Golden limits. Staff said Golden has access to the Google/Waze city account and can update speed-limit data; the same tool can be used for road closures and potentially to flag oversized-vehicle restrictions.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda and September 24, 2026 minutes approved unanimously.
• Clayworks study session will continue at the November 2026 meeting, with formal MTAB comments to be developed before the Planning Commission/City Council review.
• Staff will follow up with the Clayworks applicant on shared-parking enforcement mechanisms, Golden Mill parking assumptions, and comparable examples.
• Staff committed to continuing work on South Golden Road safety improvements and to considering the neighborhood's speed-limit and design-process requests, while noting grant funding and schedule constraints.
• For Bell school safety, staff will work with the school resource officer on Ulysses Park drop-off observations and will install signal equipment needed for a leading pedestrian interval at Johnson and 10th.
• The board plans to invite the Mines Senior Design Group back to a future meeting to present its two concepts in more detail.