U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Building Block for Sustainable Copyrig hted
December 7, 2020
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 18.
City Council Meeting
ITEM TITLE: U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency- Building BlockforSustainable
Communities Letter of I nterest
SUMMARY: City Manager providing a copy of Mayor Buol's correspondence to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Community
Revitalization expressing the City of Dubuque's interest in receiving
Addressing Emerging Mobility technical assistance.
SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Staff Letter Staff Memo
Dubuque '��ce of the Mayor
THE CITY OF City Hall
� 50 West 13th Street
Ali-AmericaCity Dubuque, IA 52001-4864
U L.J E 1,,�: k ,,:` 563-589-4100
� �� www.cityofdubuque.org
2007*2012*2013
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November 16, 2020
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency— Office of Community Revitalization
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Re: Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities — Letter of Interest
The City of Dubuque is interested in receiving "Addressing Emerging Mobility" technical assistance:
Nature of challenge: Unlike many small communities, Dubuque is experiencing a population increase
(0.5% since 2010 Census). This growth is directly related to its downtown revitalization efforts. That work
was recognized in 2013 with an EPA National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, honoring the
restoration of the city's Historic Millwork District and brownfields redevelopment in the low-income/minority
Washington Neighborhood. As a result, Dubuque has attracted new residents (particularly millennials),
businesses, and entertainment options to its central core.
With increased density comes the challenges of cross-town movement, traffic congestion, and parking.
Before the pandemic, downtown arterial roads were clogged during rush hour. The City—which manages
a combination of 7 garages, 19 surface lots, and 1,859 meters —was regularly encouraged by developers
to invest in additional parking to meet growing demand. Low-income residents also faced barriers with
fixed transit schedules and inequitable access to micro-mobility options.
COVID-19 presents Dubuque with an opportunity to rethink mobility. Many requiring workers will not return
to their offices until mid-2021 at the earliest. Major employers of knowledge-based workers are considering
teleworking systems which will further limit traffic flow. As a result, the City's parking revenue models will
fall short (estimated to drop 40%) as residents work from home and shop online. These emerging trends
portend a future where downtown parking is less critical, street design must be reimagined, transit flexibility
is essential, and micro-mobility options need to be universally available.
Technical assistance & challenge: Dubuque seeks technical assistance to develop new, sustainable
solutions to its transportation hurdles. The City envisions a comprehensive "Smart Travel" approach that
weaves together the following elements:
• Smart parkinq: Using camera/sensor technology and parking apps to direct users to available
parking options, enabling Dubuque to improve the efficiency of existing parking structures, close
poorly-perForming garages and lots, and avoid the costs of new parking construction.
• Micro-mobilitv: Expanding access to bikeshare, electric scooters, and other alternative
transportation devices for residents in the low-income Washington and North End neighborhoods,
thereby improving the mobility of those without a vehicle.
• Innovative street desiqn: Reinventing local roads with improved access for pedestrians, bikers, and
transit vehicles; less parking; and intelligent transportation system technologies.
• Flexible transit options: Launching a downtown rapid transit shuttle with park-and-rid�e commuting,
as well as working with local businesses (particularly manufacturers on the West End) to match
fixed-route schedules with workday start times.
• Other real-time travel information: Providing point-of-origin to point-of-destination travel information
with mobile apps, including fastest route, shortest route by distance, and alternative transportation
options (walking, biking, transit, etc.).
• New financial models: Shifting from a demand pricing philosophy (which may no longer be viable
post-pandemic) to convenience pricing strategies, which would require people to pay more for
priority spaces near mixed-use development.
Alignment with previous plans or strategy implementation: In 2017, Dubuque completed its Imagine
Dubuque 2037 comprehensive plan. Following a year of community engagement that gathered over
12,500 ideas from more than 6,000 stakeholders, the plan serves as a guide for the community's physical,
social, and economic development. This effort envisioned improved transportation options, infrastructure
upgrades, and better connectivity. Building Blocks technical assistance aligns with these goals.
Earlier this year, Dubuque was awarded a $1 million FHWA Accelerated Innovation Deployment
Demonstration Grant to implement its Smart Traffic Routing with Efficient and Effective Traffic Signals
(STREETS) project. The goal of the project is to develop an automatic system that will use traffic-control
strategies to enable dynamic routing on 10 corridors to maximize existing roadway capacities. This
STREETS technology could also count available on-street parking spaces as it measures congestion.
The project also leverages cleanup in the Washington Neighborhood with EPA Brownfields resources, the
development of Complete Streets in the Historic Millwork District with DOT BUILD funding, and economic
development across downtown with federal Opportunity Zone tax incentives.
Capacity for implementation: Dubuque commits to taking whatever steps are necessary following the �
Building Blocks technical assistance to enact changes that will help improve mobility across the
community, including policy changes, updates to master plans, development incentives, infrastructure
investment, and more. i
Project partners: This effort will involve active participation by municipal staff within the Economic I�',
Development, Engineering, Parking, and Transit departments. External partners include Dubuque Main !,
Street, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, the !�
Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, local businesses and manufacturers, and neighborhood i
leaders. EPA Region 7 officials will also be invited to engage in technical assistance opportunities. ,
Engaging traditionally underrepresented communities: The City will conduct an extensive outreach II',
effort to encourage community participation. Dubuque will work with neighborhood groups, churches, '
business associations, educational institutions, non-profit groups, and other organizations to attract I
interested stakeholders. Newsletter mailings, web sites, social media, and other communication tools will
be employed to reach underrepresented communities. This outreach has proven effective in Dubuque's
brownfields engagement efforts within the Washington, North End, and Point Neighborhoods.
Primary point of contact: Steve Sampson Brown, Project Manager, City of Dubuque-Engineering Dept.,
50 W. 13th St., Dubuque, IA 52001; Phone: 563-589-4272; Email: sbrown@cityofdubuque.org
As Mayor, I affirm that the City is ready to handle all logistical details, including marketing, stakeholder
recruitment, and other preparations. I also plan to personally attend and participate in the workshop. Thank
you for your consideration of this technical assistance request. Please contact me with any questions.
Sincerely, '�
� I
� �
Roy D. Buol
Mayor �