[2] Pro-actively Plan Vibrant Communities
While recognizing that land use decisions are made locally, provide a
regional framework to achieve regional goals.
Maintain and increase proactive regional and local land use and
transportation planning efforts.
Emphasize consideration of potential impacts of development before specific projects are proposed so
developers know what is expected. Use
planning to focus growth to reinforce existing and create new mixed use,
vibrant neighborhoods that are efficient to serve with transportation. Recognize and address situations where
transportation design or use is incompatible with the surrounding
neighborhood. Design projects that are
sensitive to the communities through which they traverse. Improve site and access design practice to
better accommodate pedestrians, bicycles, goods movement, transit, and auto
access.
Expected Benefits
Improvements are most noticeable in overall quality of life. Proactive planning results in improvements
in compatibility between traffic and development and more sensitive placement
of development (avoidance of agricultural and open space areas, and minimal disruption
of adjoining houses and businesses.
Continuing and expanding these efforts will be essential for protection
of transportation investments.
There are many benefits to making the Capital District a vibrant
place. There is a growing body of
evidence that regions that are "special" places -- where visitors and
residents alike feel community pride and activity -- are more likely to be
strong economic regions as well. The
nature of work is changing away from manufacturing towards technology and
service intensive industries.
Information-intensive businesses can locate anywhere. Regions that attract such businesses will do
so because people want to live there.
"For an increasingly large
share of the economy, a particular business does not have to be anywhere in
particular. Among other things, this
means that today, more than in the past, jobs can follow people rather than the
reverse. In the most rapidly growing
sectors, in fact, the critical factors are human intelligence and skill in the
form of technical innovators and entrepreneurs. Therefore, businesses are more likely to locate where these
people want to live. Thus, the changes
in the nation's economy have made it much more
important that cities link economic development and quality of life. Cities that are not livable places are not
likely to perform important economic functions in the future. Enhancing livability, therefore, should be a
central objective in every city's economic transition strategy, and the
elements of livability should be employed as economic development tools."[1]
Furthermore,
the kinds of things that are done to increase liveliness -- such as increased
pedestrian activity using mixed land uses -- provide direct benefits to the
overall transportation system. These
benefits are improved access, accessibility, congestion relief and flexibility
from improving the "fit" between transportation and adjoining land
uses. Positive impacts to resource
requirements and external effects are also evident. This is primarily because many of the specific actions that
implement this strategy are aimed at improving the availability and
desirability of non-auto modes.
Correspondingly, making the Capital Region a more bicycle- and
pedestrian-friendly place improves overall quality of life, which has positive
spillover benefits for the economy.
Improving site and access design reduces accident occurrence and
severity, total transportation system costs, and energy consumption. The transportation system works better if all modes are accommodated,
and transportation is less disruptive to communities.
Implications
There are both budgetary and institutional implications of a more
integrated land use and transportation planning process. Much of this strategy is a change in
approach or philosophy. As such,
institutional barriers can be expected.
A regional land use plan that provides a framework for local
decision-makers is a cornerstone of implementing this strategy. Getting it done will require a substantial
cooperative process involving CDRPC, the State Commission on the Capital
Region, local governments, and extensive outreach to the business community and
citizenry.
Budgetary impacts primarily involve a
shift in priorities, not necessarily an increase in funding levels. However, an increase in funding for planning
would make success more likely. CDTC
has integrated land use and transportation planning in a number of corridor
studies completed or now underway.
Comprehensive land use planning at the local level can be further
encouraged and integrated with transportation planning through cooperation with
local communities. Funding for
comprehensive planning at both the regional and local level are addressed in
the Budget chapter.
Actions
1) Prepare and maintain a comprehensive Regional Development Plan (RDP).
Local governments make land use and development decisions in the Capital
Region, often showing little concern about long-term regional impacts. Municipalities weigh the costs of
development and supporting infrastructure against the benefits of the taxes
generated. Where public opposition to
development exists, developers seek locations with the least barriers, which
may not be the most desirable locations from a regional perspective. The result can be that development threatens
the community character of suburban and rural areas, while cities decline. Further, that lack of predictability in the
development process can discourage economic development.
All four
counties of the region have been suburbanizing -- measured by both households
and employment. Saratoga has been the
fastest growing County. These trends
have led to increasing traffic congestion in the suburbs, and notably in the
Northway corridor. The CDTC Land Use
Model examined alternative land use and development scenarios in the Capital
District and the results show that it will be difficult to change regional
patterns dramatically. For example, it
is highly likely that Saratoga County will continue to experience the fastest
growth under any scenario. The analysis
of the impacts of different development scenarios is further described in the
Growth Futures task force report Evaluation
of the Transportation Impacts of Land Use and Development Scenarios.
With this in mind, the RDP should be updated in a cooperative fashion
that builds on the New Visions Plan
and process. CDRPC would be the lead
agency. The RDP will guide continuing
public and private investment and transportation policy.
Key Transportation-related Components of a RDP
Regional Development Vision
The RDP must take
the New Visions discussion and
advance it to a clearer definition of a broad regional vision. This includes work to confirm the
interconnections and interdependence of the four counties and work to clarify how
mutual benefits will be derived from growing as a region, rather that as 70+
municipalities. From a transportation
perspective, the interdependence is indisputable and cooperation is essential.
The RDP
must also build a win-win vision for all communities. This vision should recognize the region's unique geographic
arrangement of four central cities with suburban development between them. The region's high quality of life, educated work force, many
livable neighborhoods, availability of under-used industrial land, strategic
location, and high-quality transportation system are other positive
attributes. The opportunities that a
cohesive vision and development strategy would present to the region by are
nearly unlimited.
Economic Development and Urban
Reinvestment
Transportation investment can play a significant role in facilitating
economic health and growth in the region.
The RDP must identify a cohesive regional economic policy that leverages
the strengths of the region in competing in a global marketplace. At the same time, the historic strengths of
this region -- its cities -- are at risk.
The RDP must also incorporate a clear message regarding how these
communities can survive and prosper in the 21st Century. The New
Visions effort positions CDTC to use transportation investment as a tool
both for regional economic development and for urban revitalization.
Transportation benefits would accrue from more intense urban
development. However, transportation
policies alone will not stimulate urban reinvestment -- many other policies would be necessary. Many factors can be brought to bear to
support the community quality of life in the central cities, inner suburbs,
outer suburbs, small cities and villages, and rural towns of the Capital
District. Strategies to reinvest in the
region's cities and urban areas preserve community quality of life not only for
the cities, but for the suburbs and rural towns as well. Transportation strategies are essential to
pursue, but must be coordinated with other regional development policies to be
most effective. Regional goals of
compact development and optimal use of existing industrial land can be fostered
by encouraging freight-intensive industries to locate along active rail lines.
Transit as a Tool
There is
an important relationship between land use patterns and transit. Investigation into the feasibility of fixed
guideway transit options for the Capital District pointed to the paramount
importance of a coordinated approach.
Major transit investments can be a tool to encourage reinvestment in
urban areas, but only if a regional land use and development vision includes
additional supporting policies. The
development of a comprehensive RDP will allow the Capital District to preserve
and enhance its existing urban form, quality of place, and economic
competitiveness.
Understanding Location Decisions
Multimodal
transportation investments can support the location of high tech and service
industry firms in the Capital District, but only if a better understanding of
decision-making factors is cultivated.
A survey that identifies the requirements of firms regarding proximity
to urban and suburban centers and industrial parks, arterial access needs, and
transit needs should be part of updating the Regional Development Plan. Knowledge of the importance to firms of
future investments in the Albany International Airport, Amtrak stations, high
speed rail and/or Maglev, the Port of Albany, Selkirk Yards, and other
intermodal facilities will help guide regional investment priorities. Knowledge of private sector requirements for
technological innovations such as telecommuting and satellite office facilities
is also important. The relative
importance of non-transportation factors such as housing, education, and
corporate and personal taxes need to be brought into the equation. Armed with this information, projects and
strategies can be identified that best support and attract the location of high
tech and service industry firms in the region.
Benefit Sharing
Mechanisms to share the economic benefits (and costs) of regionally
significant development projects regionally would encourage cooperation between
local governments for "the good of the region". The State Commission on the Capital Region
explored methods to "regionalize" various functions -- ranging from
solid waste disposal to medical services to land use planning. A number of mechanisms have been implemented
in other regions, including regional property tax sharing, shared-cost
arrangements for consolidated purchasing, and corridor impact fees or
assessment districts. Use of federal
transportation funds for projects of regional significance can be viewed as a
form of cost sharing and can be explored as a basis for benefit sharing. Further dialogue regarding these (and other)
mechanisms will help the Capital Region function more as a region. A simple first step would be a policy to
locate civic functions and buildings within the urban service area.
"In place of destructive
competition between cities, suburbs, and rural areas for private investment,
the United States must establish a coordinated regional approach to economic
development. The goal is to make sure
that regional infrastructure is provided in the most efficient and timely manner. Decisions to grant private land development
rights must be made at the regional level in order to tie them to planned
infrastructure improvements and environmental concerns. Only a planned metropolitan development
effort is capable of avoiding inter-jurisdictional tax competition, thereby strengthening
the hand of local governments to collect tax revenues for critical public
investments. A regional approach will
maximize the efficiency of this public investment, thereby lowering the costs
of living and the costs of doing business."[2]
There was a consensus within the New
Visions Growth Futures task force that a Regional Development Plan (RDP)
will require cooperation and dialogue among municipalities, as well as respect
for community goals and values. Public
support for a RDP is essential. Both
the New Visions and State Commission
on the Capital Region processes have demonstrated that there is positive
support from the public for such a plan.
Impacts
The
impacts of the regional land use vision are positive across a variety of
performance measures, including economic cost.
Although the benefits are very high, implementation of the regional land
use vision will be difficult, and the task of building public support and
cooperation among municipalities will be a challenge. Access to transit and other modes would be supported by
encouraging development to occur in urbanized areas near arterials with transit
service. The urban reinvestment
scenario tested by the Growth Futures task force resulted in an 8 percent
increase in trips considered transit accessible in the afternoon peak hour in
year 2015. The scenario would also
increase the number of trips that can be made by walking and cycling by virtue
of locating more development in closer proximity to complementary uses. Accessibility in the region would increase
by modest amounts. The largest
travel-time savings under the urban reinvestment scenario were found in the
Northway corridor, where travel-time savings of 5 minutes would be achieved in
the afternoon peak direction. Infill
and redevelopment of urban areas and compact development would moderately
relieve regional congestion. The urban
reinvestment strategy decreased PM vehicle hours of excess delay by 10 percent. The benefits would be most noticeable in
suburban towns and the Northway corridor.
A regional land use vision provides significant support for economic
growth by making this region attractive to developers. The protection and strengthening of
community "livability" of the Capital District will enhance this
region's competitive position into the 21st century.
A regional land use vision would have
traffic safety and energy benefits.
Economic cost would include modest planning and implementation costs
that would be offset by benefits to governments: user and societal cost savings
could exceed those in the transportation sector. Air quality impacts would be moderately positive. Open space outside of the Urban Service Area
(see below) would be protected through infill and redevelopment. Areas with insufficient water and sewer
infrastructure would be protected from development that threatens groundwater
resources.
In combination with other CDTC transportation - land use policies and
arterial management actions, a regional development vision would have dramatic
benefits to the highway and land use compatibility index. Residential land use conflict and arterial
land access conflict in developing corridors would be minimized.
There is evidence from other areas, such as the Connecticut River Valley
and Portland, Oregon, that regional solutions to regional problems provide
regional benefits. Working together,
regions can improve economic competitiveness by improving quality of
life, using transportation improvements as a lever. It can be done here, too.
Efforts to define the form of the
RDP began with CDRPC’s 1999 interpretation of satellite imagery to identify
suburban land use changes over the period 1986-1997. Current work to examine parallel changes in the established urban
areas will provide a basis for regional discussions regarding the most
effective product for CDRPC to provide to local communities.
2) Establish an Urban Service Area.
An Urban Service Area encourages new commercial
and residential development to locate in areas with adequate water, sewer, and
transportation infrastructure.
Increased activity can be absorbed there due to the extensive street
network and public services, including transit. A starting point in drawing Urban Service Area boundaries in the
Capital Region would be those adopted in the 1978 RDP, updated with information
from the 1990 Census and the Saratoga Sewer District in Saratoga County. The Urban Service Area can be extended to
include areas that already have infrastructure in place; but further study and
extensive collaboration with local government is necessary to specifically map
the boundaries.
The Urban
Service Area with urban reinvestment scenario provides significant protection
for community quality of life. It keeps
the central cities vital; protects suburban character and prevents the suburbs
from being overwhelmed by development. Rural character is protected by
preventing suburbs from expanding.
Reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of development by using
existing infrastructure encourages economic development. However, restricting development locations
may increase the cost of new houses incrementally by increasing land value and
mitigation costs.
The
Capital Region is presented with an opportunity to build upon a strong base of
walkable, mixed land use development in the cities and along transit corridors
linking these cities. Private sector
investment (supported by public policies) in development along traditionally
strong transit corridors and potentially strong corridors would help constrain
the growth in travel associated with new economic activity. This effectively increases the size of the
transit market (the number of trips that can safely and conveniently use the
transit system) without requiring increases in overall development densities. There are opportunities for new large-scale
mixed-use development along strong transit corridors.
Use of an Urban Service Area does not mean that safety, pavement, and
bridge conditions outside the area
are ignored or given low priority. It
simply means that public funding for transportation projects that encourage or
accommodate development is focussed on areas within the agreed boundary. Rural areas depend on small local industries
(farming, mining, lumber mills and logging, cottage businesses) which in turn
depend on goods pick-ups and deliveries (milk trucks, UPS, etc.). Poor roads can create problems for these
small businesses and increase the likelihood of their failure. Farm failures increase suburbanization of
rural areas by making land available for subdivisions. Lack of local employment means that
residents must travel to the cities and inner suburbs to find jobs, further
exacerbating traffic congestion.
It is
important to provide for basic rural transportation needs while preserving rural
features such as hamlets, villages, farmland and open space. Transportation improvements appropriate for
rural areas will be identified as part of defining an Urban Service Area,
including appropriate design standards for rural roads. Guidelines will be developed for the
creation of roadway plans for rural towns, villages or hamlets. Driveway distances, speed limits, roadway
maintenance and improvements, pavement widths, and customized design guidelines
can be designated in such plans. These
designations would be specific to the different classifications of roadways
included in the rural town, including principal and minor arterials, major and
minor collectors and local roads. Many
localities have required developers to build new subdivision roadways to design
standards that raise expectations for widening and paving of other town roads,
threatening the rural character of the town.
Rural areas have traditionally been well served by a network of
"farm-to-market" roads in the Capital District. If growth is successfully concentrated in
already dense areas through transportation investment policy, these roads will
be able to continue to function at acceptable levels of service.
3) Provide funding for and staff participation in community-based planning.
A
coordinated land use/transportation planning process at the community and
corridor levels provides a framework for predictable development consistent
with community goals. Cooperative
studies with local governments are the backbone of CDTC's previous planning
efforts and an essential part of future efforts to develop a regional
vision. CDTC is not an implementing
agency -- it has no land use powers, operates no transit service, and is not
responsible for maintaining the roads or bridges. For CDTC's plans and programs to be successfully implemented, a
cooperative relationship with local government and operating agencies is
required. The New Visions Principles call for a land use management program or
agreement to exist for any highway capacity expansion. Consideration of a transportation project's
consistency with local, corridor and regional comprehensive plans has
historically been and will continue to be an important part of the TIP project
selection process.
Contractual arrangements for cooperative planning efforts are either
underway or completed in
·
Clifton Park
(Master Plan)
·
Rotterdam (Burdeck
Street)
·
Bethlehem (Master
Plan)
·
Niskayuna (Balltown
Road)
·
Glenville (Route
50)
·
Colonie (Albany
International Airport/Wolf Road area)
·
Halfmoon (East-west
corridor)
·
West Avenue in
Saratoga Springs (corridor management initiative)
·
the Albany Pinebush
(environmental studies)
·
Washington Avenue
(corridor management initiative), and
·
Brunswick (Route 7)
CDTC is committed to these studies and plans, and participating in
community-based, corridor-level land use and transportation plans in other
corridors.
The following components of transportation and land use planning will be
encouraged:
·
Adoption by local
municipalities of a transportation element in their local comprehensive plans
that is consistent with the New Visions
Regional Transportation Plan.
·
Use of official
maps by local municipalities to show present and proposed future roads within
their boundaries that are consistent with their comprehensive plans. These maps could also identify
¨
the functional
class of existing roadways and proposed improvements;
¨
conflicts between
the functional classification of roads and adjacent land uses; and
¨
transportation
mitigations, including alternative land uses that minimize traffic conflicts.
These maps would be incorporated into a regional
transportation map that would reflect local, corridor and regional
considerations. Appropriate arterial
corridor management plan map elements (such as the location of future service
roads and road expansions) can also be incorporated into the local official
map.
·
Use of existing
state enabling legislation encourages municipalities to join to adopt a
comprehensive plan and land use regulation.
·
Use of
comprehensive plans to relate the effect of growth-inducing capital
improvements for water and sewer in the public facilities component of the
comprehensive plan to their impact on existing and future road capacities.
·
Incorporation of
arterial management strategies into corridor plans and in local site plans to
mitigate land use/road function conflicts.
Corridor management plans identify and implement corridor-specific
conflict reducing measures such as installation of service or frontage roads,
sidewalks, bike lanes or paths, driveway consolidation, and transit
accommodation.
·
Securing easements
for conflict reducing measures, such as service roads and shared driveways, as
part of development mitigation for traffic impacts.
·
Incorporation of
the findings of the transportation element of the comprehensive plan into local
regulations which
¨
allow a greater mix
of complementary residential and commercial uses along arterials;
¨
encourage street
layout and site design that supports a pedestrian scale and transit access;
¨
avoid arterial
conflict; and
¨
promote arterial
access management.
Mixed-use development, in which shopping or
office development is located adjacent to or interspersed with homes, creates
many short trips that can be completed by foot or by bike.
·
Use of such
innovative planning tools as residential density bonuses, pre-platting, and
land readjustment to create desirable development patterns. A density bonus could be provided for
development that is close enough to arterials for transit and pedestrian
access, and provides amenities such as sidewalks and transit accommodation.
·
Encouraging mixed
use development within the urban service area.
Mixed-use development can be encouraged by zoning that allows commercial
activity in or near residential areas.
Greater use of planned unit development processes allows and encourages
combinations of retail, office and residential development within a single
development. Use of planned unit
development procedures allows careful treatment of site design and protection
of open space in the development of large tracts of land.
·
Requiring
pedestrian linkages between adjacent parcels and shared parking lots,
particularly when the uses are complementary in terms of time-of-day use. Such linkages have been shown to encourage
walking in place of driving. For
example, the service road connection between Windsor Plaza and Computer Park
West in the Wolf Road corridor provides access to nearly 100 walkers during the
lunch hour that would otherwise have made the trip by car. The linked parking lots between the Barnes and Noble bookstore and Bed Bath and Beyond work well and
encourage patrons to visit both stores in a single trip.
·
In rural towns,
development that is in harmony with the town's rural character is fostered by
community-supported comprehensive plans. Comprehensive plans created with
broad-based community input ensure that the entire community recognizes and
uses the plan. Rural development must be focused in hamlets and villages in
order to prevent suburban sprawl.
Villages and hamlets with adequate community water and/or sewers will
encourage denser development and allow cost-effective provision of
services. Locating small essential
businesses such as service stations, post offices, small groceries, and medical
offices in hamlets and villages provides local employment and services while
reducing driving distances. Some people
may even be able to walk to these places, if sidewalks are provided.
CDTC's cooperative planning and Regional Corridor Management Initiative
(an 80/20 challenge grant program) will be continued indefinitely. In 2000, CDTC established a new Community and
Transportation Linkage Program, funding nearly $500,000 of coordinated
local-regional transportation-land use planning across the region.
4) Develop access management plans for all priority network arterials.
A
common approach to address corridor traffic circulation and safety concerns is
to resolve driveway access issues on a case-by case basis. The result allows proposed development and
lot widths to essentially dictate the spacing of driveways along a
roadway. Ideally, such issues should be
addressed within the context of a corridor-wide access management that
integrates land use and transportation planning objectives along the entire
route.
During 1990, CDTC carried out a pilot study on
one arterial corridor - NY 7 through Colonie and Niskayuna - to define methods
for maintaining through traffic functions on major highways challenged by local
development. After completing traffic
and land use inventories, traffic forecasts were prepared and alternative
management actions, including signal coordination and/or consolidation,
provision of transit and pedestrian accommodations, and mixed land use design
were examined for applicability and effect.
An access management strategy for Route 7 was developed in conjunction
with the Albany County Airport Area FGEIS and has the support of both NYSDOT
and town officials. Similar plans have
been prepared for the Wolf Road corridor in the town of Colonie and the West
Avenue corridor in the City of Saratoga Springs. The West Avenue plan is more comprehensive because it also
recommended zoning changes, established parking standards, and set site design
guidelines. Several communities in the
region have completed fully integrated transportation-land use plans, which
include objectives for access control.
A few communities routinely consider the impacts of driveway access in
site plan review.
Similar studies should be completed for other
critical corridors. Central
Avenue/Route 5 has been elevated to a high priority for study because of
freight service issues, numerous driveways, accidents and travel delay, as well
as the fact that this corridor is a candidate for major transit
investment. Special attention should
also be given to former "farm-to-market" roads that are low to
moderate density and residential in nature (although they may be zoned for
higher densities than existing infrastructure can support).
Implementing this action will strengthen the
relationship between transportation and land use planning and create a set of
strategies and guidelines that will influence both land development and highway
design, and protect previous highway system investments. Compatibility of the transportation investment
with the community is elevated to a priority equivalent to moving traffic. Because of the uniqueness of each of the
region's communities, arterial strategies are best examined on a case-by-case
basis. The arterial management
plans will be developed in cooperation with municipalities, the New York State
Department of Transportation and county highway and planning departments
5) Support local planning boards' consideration of the regional transportation impacts of development decisions.
"Traditionally,
most American development decisions have been made at the community level, and
many of the places that most of us know best are a product of thousands of
local choices made for hundreds of personal and local reasons-- such as Let's buy
a house and Let's start a business and Let's put up a new office center and
Let's bring in some more tax dollars into the area. What is new about conventional post-interstate development is
that a national decision to switch transportation systems has spread these same
makes-sense-to-me-personally and makes-sense-to-us-locally development
decisions across huge regional expanses, on the optimistic assumption that,
whatever happened next, they would inevitably continue to produce the things
that all people need, such as stable communities, cherished surroundings, and
opportunities for full and fulfilling lives."[3]
This has not always been the case.
Local planning boards, through education, increased proactive land use
planning, and the adoption of a regional "vision", must increase the
consideration the regional impacts of local development decisions. These local decisions impact not only the
transportation system, but many other aspects of regional quality of life as
well. The normal development review process,
which follows the environmental review process, does not easily facilitate a
meaningful examination of the potential regional impacts of projects being
locally reviewed. Even when state
agencies are involved in such review, or coordinated review occurs, it is not
guaranteed that a broader look will be taken.
CDTC,
NYSDOT, CDTA, CDRPC, the Albany County Airport Authority and other
state and regional agencies need to focus on providing local agencies with
tools that will enable such consideration. An outreach program that promotes access management principles and
concepts and the routine incorporation of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian
accommodation will be developed. An
educational program will demonstrate the public safety and capacity linkages of
arterial corridor land use decisions and promote greater consideration of New Visions principles. The program would be aimed at neighborhood
and community groups, planning boards, public works and safety officials, the
development and business community, and other interested groups. The following components are suggested:
·
Ideas on "what
can be done" can be found in CDTC's Make
Your Community More Bicycle- and Pedestrian-Friendly brochure, the Federal
Highway Administration's Selecting
Roadway Design Treatments to Accommodate Bicycles report, and the Florida
Department of Transportation's Walkable
Communities report. The Arterial
Corridor Management task force assembled a similar library of materials. These easy-to-use materials can be
distributed to local planning boards, highway agencies, community groups,
developers, and others to promote use of access management techniques.
·
Sponsor periodic
workshops similar to the one sponsored by the Arterial Management task force in
May 1996. Such workshops provide a
forum to disseminate information about tools and techniques, while encouraging
a continuing dialogue between the local planning and development community, and
regional and state transportation officials regarding access, multimodal
issues, and community compatibility.
·
Foster continued
communication and coordination between local and state transportation officials
in addressing corridor and site-specific access issues to facilitate
development of workable solutions. Such
communication will serve to elevate community compatibility concerns in the
project development process.
·
Form a working
group to build upon and advance the technical review of arterial management
guidelines and sidewalk warrants initiated by the New Visions task forces.
Many areas requiring further detailed consideration have been
identified, including the need to develop a set of guidelines that can
adequately accommodate the differences in land use character encountered in
various parts of the region. This group
should also track progress on access management research and suggested
standards currently being developed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB)
at the federal level.
·
Create an awards
program to recognize exemplary regional projects and plans, perhaps in
conjunction with established professional groups in the region.
6) Improve site design practices.
Municipal land use and zoning policies strongly
influence the efficiency of the region's arterials and highways. Each community should embrace site designs
that creates a coordinated pattern of land use that limits access to major
roadways, is transit friendly, and supports pedestrian circulation. A well-planned corridor will have
concentrations of development at specific centers and areas of free-flowing
traffic between these centers. A
coordinated pattern of land use and transportation can minimize turning
movement conflict, improve automobile, transit, and pedestrian access to
activity centers, and help prolong the life of the roadway.
Building on good planning process, a review
process that begins with an informal meeting and concept review allows planners
to advise the developer regarding information needed to process the
application. This may include state and
local permit requirements and special aspects of the site. The concept review provides the developer
with early feedback on a proposal, before the site plan has been drafted. The development review process is often
segregated between the community (site plan process) and the highway agency
(driveway permit). Issues are often
identified too late in the process, frustrating technicians, public officials,
and developers. A coordinated land use
transportation planning process includes issues not traditionally considered,
such as transit, pedestrian safety, and access management, and ensures that all
pertinent issues are considered, thus avoiding unnecessary analyses, costs, and
delays.
Prior to approval of residential subdivisions or
commercial developments along arterial highways and major collector roads,
NYSDOT, CDTC, and local governments should cooperatively analyze the traffic
impact of each proposal. The objective
of the analysis would be to:
1) limit the number of vehicle conflict points;
2) separate vehicle conflict areas;
3) reduce vehicle deceleration requirements; and
4) remove turning vehicles and queues from the
travel lanes.
Access control that accomplishes these objectives
at each new land development would minimize traffic conflict, crashes, and
delay.
Furthermore, in transit corridors, the
development proposal should afford or enhance access to the transit
system. If there is no existing transit
service, but the site is zoned for high intensity uses, then the site plan
should not preclude the potential for future transit access. In general, transit service works best when
it is considered as an integral part of the design and site plan. Post-development modifications are more
costly, less effective, and in some cases, impossible to implement. Specifically, transit's effectiveness can be
improved significantly by:
·
Locating buildings
closer to the street and the majority of the parking in the back;
·
Providing turning
radii that meet bus requirements;
·
Locating bus stops
and shelters in locations that are convenient to customers and integrating them
into the architectural design of the development;
·
Providing for bike
racks or lockers at shelters on site, allowing for bike
"park-and-ride" at these locations;
·
Incorporating
park-and-ride parking spaces that allow the site's use as a transit and carpool
terminal;
·
Providing
safe and effective pedestrian movement from the street to the site and from
building to building on site;
·
Where needed,
providing service roads or other connections to allow pedestrians, bikes, buses
and other vehicles to visit adjacent sites without using the arterial; and
·
Designing
subdivisions and shopping centers to facilitate pedestrian access to transit
stops.
While these actions are particularly suited to
new retail locations, they are also applicable to commercial development and
large residential development. It is
also clear from recent activity in the Capital District that there will be
frequent opportunities to redesign existing sites as they expand or change use.[4]
Incremental costs for transit, bike, and pedestrian accommodations are
minimal if addressed during site development or highway project
development. Some costs to the business
community will be offset by additional development opportunities created by
increased land and transportation efficiency.
Retrofitting existing developed corridors will be more difficult and
costly, but can be accomplished either in conjunction with site redevelopment
or as part of routine public highway reconstruction projects.
Cooperation among all parties, including attention to these issues by
permitting agencies such as NYSDOT and the local municipality is critical to
the success of this action. This can be
facilitated if municipalities require formal site review of all major projects
and provide for input from CDTA, CDTC, NYSDOT and others during the review
process.
7) Elevate consideration of transportation alternatives in siting facilities that primarily serve elderly and handicapped populations.
Facilities that primarily serve the elderly and handicapped, if located
in places where fixed route accessible bus service is available and usable,
provide essential mobility to these populations at the least public cost. Currently, special use facilities are
frequently constructed in places where land is inexpensive, with no forethought
regarding the availability of transit service or the ability of residents to
independently access basic services.
Even if bus service is available, logistics like providing ample space
for bus turn-arounds, allowing for pedestrian access, and providing pedestrian
amenities are often ignored.
Local
governments can dissuade agencies that primarily serve the mobility impaired
population from locating their facilities in places where bus and paratransit
service does not operate by requiring those agencies to provide their own
transportation for their clients. Local
governments can also require developers to use site designs for special use
facilities that are transit and pedestrian friendly. As a means toward this end, municipal staff and planning boards
can be educated with regard to special use site location guidelines, workshops
on site design can be offered and outreach to the development community can
take place.
CDTC has committed resources for completing a Site Design Handbook, but has
repeatedly deferred development of this due to other pressing planning efforts. For significant changes in site design
practices to occur in the Capital District, additional commitment, outreach
and education must occur. Local
governments will also need to invest staff time for education of their policy
boards with regard to land use and transportation integration issues. New York State's site selection hearing
criteria under the Padavan Law sets minimum spacing of group homes of one-half
mile. One consequence of the
application of this law is the siting of group facilities in areas that are
very hard to serve with transit. This
Law should be reviewed and possibly amended.
8) Improve delivery access for commercial vehicles.
Delivery access is crucial to goods movement. At new developments, consideration starts with basic site
design. CDTC's Site Design Handbook
will provide guidance on preferred delivery access. All outreach to and education of Planning Boards and elected officials
will include delivery access considerations.
Commercial
parking programs in urban areas resolve persistent double parking violations
and allow timely local deliveries.
Painted "yellow zones", coupled with increased enforcement,
provision of designated employee parking areas, and signs noting commercial
delivery hours and limits have been successfully implemented in other areas --
benefiting shopkeepers, customers, and truck drivers. Implementation of commercial parking programs will require education
through documentation of successful programs and the formulation of Capital
District guidelines.
Targeted infrastructure improvements to improve delivery access include
service roads in commercial areas, removal of clearance or other barriers on
access routes, and implementation of arterial corridor management in areas with
growing congestion. Targeted
infrastructure improvements can be funded through the existing TIP process,
through public/private partnerships, and through local infrastructure programs.
9) Maintain a program for transportation projects directed explicitly at community enhancement or regional economic development.
There has been considerable community support and creative thinking on
transportation projects as catalysts for urban revitalization and economic
development. In preparation for this
outcome, the New Visions budget
established a category for these types of projects.
Community
enhancement and economic development can be fostered both by advancing new transportation
projects and through sensitive execution of routine maintenance and
reconstruction. A serious investment in
pedestrian accommodation will have tremendous spillover benefits in urban
revitalization and suburban livability.
Coupled with sensible design policy that limits the width and speeds on
urban thoroughfares, selective transportation infrastructure investments can
make the Capital District a better place to live. Projects that promote economic development in places where
supportive infrastructure exists help the region as a whole.
Reconnecting with the waterfront along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers is
one big area where transportation projects can act as a catalyst for further
enhancements. The Hudson River Valley
Greenway Communities Council exists specifically to aid local communities in
this effort. Continued partnership
activities by municipalities with the Council will be integral to successful
implementation of the New Visions
Regional Transportation Plan.
Specifically, transportation investments that provide access to and
enhance urban waterfronts in the Capital District are needed. There are a number of existing plans that
provide ideas for such projects including Capitalize Albany, the Eastern
Gateway Canal Corridor Plan, Schenectady 2000 and the Schenectady Master Plan
effort and the South Troy Waterfront effort.
New highways, particularly bypasses of existent activity centers, are not
the thrust of this program. However,
there may be instances where a bypass could enhance community cohesiveness by
removing trucks from residential areas.
A new road might support economic development in targeted areas. Two such examples are the Selkirk Bypass and
the I-90 Phase 2 Connector to the RPI Technology Park. The criteria for future evaluation of such
projects will be explicitly discussed as the program is further developed.