Council amends city project list for Metropolitan Transportation Plan; Volcano Heights Transit Boulevard moved between private/public designations

The City Council on April 21 approved amendments to the city’s project recommendations for the Mid‑Region Council of Governments’ 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), after staff and councilors clarified several project descriptions and funding designations.

Councilor Baca introduced a floor amendment to insert an updated table of projects into the city list. Staff said the proposed changes corrected a clerical error that had placed Transit Boulevard descriptions under the East Central project text and updated status for an East Central near‑term construction segment; the Volcano Heights Transit Boulevard had been included in an earlier draft as a privately funded project and was briefly listed as a publicly funded (municipal development) item, then a later staff clarification recommended reclassifying that item as privately funded in the final amended table.

Councilors discussed the importance of including projects that reflect safety priorities; Councilor Rogers highlighted the long history of high pedestrian fatality rates on Central Avenue and urged the city and COG to prioritize funding for safety improvements. Councilor Piedelkorn and others asked for better internal coordination so projects would not be overlooked in future MTP submissions.

The council approved amendment number 1 and later a corrected amendment (number 2) to replace a clerical entry and to finalize the funding designation; final passage of R‑131, as amended, passed 7‑0.

Staff said the revised list will be transmitted to MRCOG for consideration in the 2045 MTP, and urged councilors to continue coordination with DMD and planning staff to ensure local priorities and near‑term funded segments are accurately reflected.