Environmental Consultation Peer Review Early Collaboration and Data Sharing Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Tools and Process for Strategic Assessment

Environmental Consultation Peer Review Thanks to FHWA for funding; Along with

PURPOSE Develop a Strategic Multi-Criteria Assessment Process to facilitate Adaptive Planning Processes The tools to evaluate or forecast progress towards goals must be available and rigorous. Cross discipline acknowledgement of rigor is necessary for buy-in.

PURPOSE Federal State Regional Local Project Air Quality TransportLand UseEconomic Develop Diagonal Collaboration

Setting The Pikes Peak Area COG is responsible for transportation, military impact, air quality, and water quality planning, along with administering a one-cent sales tax for transportation and demographic and economic forecasting.

Setting PPACG is involved in several other disconnected but related efforts that staff desires to harmonize, including; MPO Regional Transportation Plan Pikes Peak Sustainability Indicators Fountain Creek Watershed Crown Jewel Ft Carson Regional Growth Plan

Setting

El Paso Pueblo

Setting Percent Growth: Pueblo County – 54% El Paso County – 66% Combined – 64% Colorado – 34.7% U.S. – 33.7%

Level of Analysis Percent Growth: Pueblo County – 54% El Paso County – 66% Combined – 64% Colorado – 34.7% U.S. – 33.7%

BASELINE

Determine compatibility of land-uses with long-term viability of indicator species Fifty-nine Indicator Species Chosen 23 plants 12 mammals 10 birds 5 insects 3 fish 3 reptiles 2 amphibians 1 mollusk

BASELINE  15 of 59 have current long-term viability conflicts – Four (4) candidate species found in the region have no viable habitat left in the region.

Forecast Future Three Future Land-use Scenarios Developed 1.Business as Usual (TELUM) 2.Conservation 3.Enhanced Transportation

Business as Usual Growth

Baseline vrs Business as Usual

29 species have long-term viability conflicts with the current land-use plans in the region. Other goals unmet.

Conservation  91,000 acres  Land selected in order to meet conservation goals

Conservation Development “leap-frogs” protected lands, resulting in changing species that are impacted, not enhancing conservation. 28 Species have long-term viability conflicts Other goals unmet.

Enhanced Transportation Using information from transportation planning roundtables expressing desire for more transit, existing multi-use overlay zoning and planned BRT routes, increase density along proposed routes to level FTA suggests is needed to make transit a viable transportation mode.

Enhanced Transportation

28 species have long-term viability conflicts. Other goals met.

Lessons Learned Some successes and some failures: More data and information shared resulting in enhanced Fountain Creek Mitigation Pristine Site Bull-dozed

Summary This process and information proactively highlight potentially future issues and allows incorporation of the issues early by cognizant agencies. Iterative reevaluation by diagonal agencies should become a standard practice.

Other Findings Institutional and political barriers to collaboration between diagonal agencies are difficult to overcome. Accumulated stressors and effects from previous activities will be exposed, so: How should a transportation agency communicate this information to the agencies causing or receiving the impacts? Should some constraint on new actions of other agencies be recommended in order to reduce or mitigate impacts? If we don’t then how can a rational planned future ever be realized? Can consent for an action be denied because it could set a precedent that over time would result in an unwelcome future?

Summary recommendations 1) Develop a comprehensive resource database; 2) Establish measurable goals and benchmarks against which to evaluate the effects of actions; 3) Initiate / improve intergovernmental coordination; 4) Collaborate to develop life-cycle causal chains of effects resulting from past, present, and foreseeable actions.

2005 Households

2035 Households