City staff outline first comprehensive Active Mobility Plan and timeline

City planning staff presented an update on the city's planned Active Mobility Plan, saying it will be the municipality's first comprehensive effort to map walking and biking networks and coordinate related policies.

"This would be a first comprehensive active mobility plan for the city, which would identify a comprehensive network for walking, and biking," Brian Monger, manager of current planning, told the Community Development Committee. Monger said the plan will build on prior work in the city's framework and will include a prioritized set of projects, design standard reviews and a phased implementation schedule.

Monger said staff plans to publish a request for qualifications this month and anticipates interviewing consultant teams in November with the aim of obtaining a contract and beginning work in early 2027. Committee members asked whether the plan would incorporate findings from the "high-injury network" used in the city's Safe Streets planning and whether rules for e-bikes and e-scooters would be revisited; Monger said safety priorities and vehicle classifications will be part of the consultant scope.

Council members also pressed for clarity on sidewalk gaps, design standards for major corridors and whether the plan would recommend specific treatments on key streets such as Knoll between 95th and 103rd. Monger said staff expects to define scope and timeline with the selected consultant and that community engagement milestones will be identified for major decisions.

The presentation did not include a formal action; the discussion focused on policy direction and the procurement timeline.