Late this winter, City Finance, Planning and Engineering staff working with the Downtown Billings Partnership recognized the opportunity to extend the life of the Downtown Urban Renewal District (URD) to maximize the community benefits as well as complete public infrastructure improvements downtown. The District life may be extended via bonding for a project that would be funded by Urban Renewal District funds through a bond. Using guidance in the City Council's adopted 2020 Priorities and the recently completed Downtown Area Traffic and Circulation Study, staff identified the conversion of North 29th Street and North 30th Street from one-way to two way between Montana Avenue and 6th Avenue North. The City Council at its April 20 Work Session was presented with this proposal and directed staff to move the process forward for consideration at future regular business meetings.

Since the Montana Department of Transportation also identifies North 29th Street and North 30th Street as Urban Routes, action by the Montana Transportation Commission is required to approve City construction on these roadways. To complete this approval at the State level, the Billings Metropolitan Planning Organization must amend its Billings Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) to ensure these roadway projects are properly identified in the Plan.

The schedule for review and adoption of the plan amendment includes actions by the:

• Technical Advisory Committee
• Yellowstone County Board of Planning
• Board of County Commissioners
• City Council
• Policy Coordinating Committee

The amended LRTP will then be sent to the Montanan Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration staff overseeing Montana for review and concurrence.  From that review, it will be presented to the State of Montana's Transportation Commission on June 25.
 

City Council may:

• Approve the amendment to the LRTP and forward a recommendation of approval to the Policy Coordinating Committee, or;
• Disapprove the amendment to the LRTP and forward a recommendation of disapproval to the Policy Coordinating Committee.  Disapproval could endanger the life extension opportunity of the Downtown Urban Renewal District and the ability of the City to approve TIF funds at this time for the conversion of North 29th and North 30th from one-way to two-way.

The MPO is working with Kittelson & Associates to complete the amendment to the LRTP.  Kittelson was the consultant on the MPO's latest LRTP update in 2018 and is working with staff to complete this amendment to the Plan for no charge to the community. Approval of the LRTP amendment will be a first step in the local approval process that will lead to review and action by the Transportation Commission in June.  Approval by the Commission will allow the City to bond for approximately $1.9 million in TIF dollars to complete the one-way to two-way conversion.

Staff recommends the City Council approve the amendment to the LRTP and forward a recommendation of approval to the Policy Coordinating Committee.