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Wellington trustees hear draft transportation and mobility plan focused on safety, connectivity and growth
Summary
Staff presented Wellington’s first long‑range transportation and mobility plan, highlighting rising crash trends, sidewalk and bike network gaps, public engagement results and a draft vision prioritizing 'people first.' Trustees broadly supported the goals and asked for targeted corridor studies and quick‑win safety projects.
Wellington — The Board of Trustees received an update May 26 on the town’s first transportation and mobility plan, a long‑range framework intended to guide infrastructure and policy decisions through 2050.
Planning Director Cody Bird and Planner III Britney Lenor told trustees the plan emphasizes safety and connectivity for all users as Wellington grows. "We're really excited to be undertaking the town's first ever transportation and mobility plan," Bird said, adding the document will align with the comprehensive plan and other master plans to prioritize infrastructure investments.
Lenor said public engagement included in‑person events, social media outreach, a podcast and an interactive map that produced roughly 224 map pins, 488 votes on pins and about 729 views; the most requested themes were safer streets, better walking and biking connections, and improved routes to schools, parks and downtown. "The community is the foundation of the plan," Lenor said.
Staff presented technical findings developed with consultant FHU showing that crashes and injury crashes are increasing in both the Growth Management Area and within town limits, and that model forecasts show vehicle volumes could roughly double by 2050 if growth projections hold. Planners identified congestion and connectivity gaps on several corridors and said those patterns point to priorities for corridor‑level studies.
On active‑transportation infrastructure, staff reported sidewalk gaps in older neighborhoods and limited bicycle facilities in most of town. The analysis used a pedestrian‑demand heat map and a bicycle level‑of‑traffic‑stress (LTS) model to locate high‑need segments where bicycle users face higher speeds and stress. "We're identifying key corridors that connect primary destinations," Bird said.
Trustees generally praised the draft vision and goals and asked staff to prioritize near‑term "quick wins" such as striping or low‑cost safety actions where feasible. Several trustees pressed for coordinated work with the school district on priority school intersections and for stronger regional coordination with adjacent jurisdictions and trail systems. Trustee Blackstone asked about a projected 2050 increase on Al Canyon Road (County Road 70); staff said the corridor is recognized in county planning and could carry more freight traffic tied to regional changes.
Bird outlined next steps: staff will release a draft technical memorandum, open a second phase of public engagement to validate the findings, evaluate five or six corridors for deeper study (including Highway One and Jefferson Avenue), refine street‑design guidelines, and produce a prioritized project list and an impact‑fee nexus study to inform 2027 budgeting. A draft plan is expected to go to the planning commission and the board later this fall.
The board did not take any formal action on the plan at the meeting; staff asked for feedback on the draft vision and goals and will return with the draft documents and additional opportunities for public comment.
What’s next: Staff will post technical materials and the phase‑two engagement on the project website and begin outreach; corridor studies and the impact‑fee nexus study will follow ahead of a draft plan expected this fall.
