North Carolina Smart Growth Recommendations: Transportation
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Session:Successful Planning Statute Reform 2001 (March 12, 10:45 am)
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North Carolina Smart Growth Recommendations: Transportation
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Session:Successful Planning Statute Reform 2001 (March 12, 10:45 am) |
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Adopted by the Legislative Commission to Address Smart Growth, Transportation Work Group: Final Report General Statewide Planning Goal Goal - A basic level of planning should be required of all local governments. Legislation should be created so that local governments have smart growth planning programs. Planning standards would be determined by the locality’s size and growth rate, with smaller localities being encouraged to incorporate their efforts into the county’s planning program. Access to state funds would be based on compliance. At a minimum, local governments would designate 'Planned Growth Areas' (PGAs) and 'Critical, Important and Sensitive' (CIS) resource areas. State resources and technical assistance — particularly GIS and demographic data — would be provided as needed to assist governments. Incentives would be used to encourage governments to undertake smart growth programs beyond the minimum planning standards. PGAs are areas where growth and development would be encouraged and can best be accommodated and supported over a 20-year period. PGAs would include existing and proposed local transportation networks, water, sewer and other utility systems, and most other infrastructure and public facilities needed to support growth. Most local, state and federal monies would be targeted within these areas. CIS areas include water supply watersheds, floodplains, jurisdictional wetlands, gamelands and significant habitat areas, designated natural areas, parks and forestlands, farmland preservation districts, and similar resource or high hazard areas. Within CIS areas, transportation projects would be limited or restricted to avoid or minimize negative effects on natural and agricultural resources. Three planning tiers are recommended: Planning Tier 1 — The local government designates PGA's and CIS areas within its jurisdiction and its extraterritorial jurisdiction for a 20-year planning horizon. Plans would include standards and criteria for area designations, establish development and conservation goals, and express appropriate policies, practices and strategies for plan implementation. Planning programs would include broad-based public involvement processes to achieve consensus on the development and conservation vision for the community. Planning Tier 2 — In addition to Tier 1 planning requirements, the local government prepares a comprehensive plan that includes land use, transportation, infrastructure and natural resources elements. All plan elements must be internally consistent as well as consistent with state smart growth principles. Planning Tier 3 — In addition to Tier 1 and Tier 2 planning requirements, the local government prepares a comprehensive plan that includes housing, multi-modal transportation, public facilities, and cultural resources, and intergovernmental coordination elements. Planning programs would include formalized, facilitated and broad-based public involvement processes. Within non-attainment areas of all tiers, special non-attainment overlay implementation is required. For these areas, the planning horizon is a 25-year minimum and the capital improvements program is a 10-year minimum. Prior to state agency review, land use, transportation and infrastructure plan proposals will be modeled to assess consistency with local, regional and state air quality goals and policies. Program implementation will be evaluated on a regular basis to gauge success in meeting objectives. Specific Transportation Goals 1. Improve Land Use & Transportation Linkages Goal 1.1 - Ensure connections and consistency between land use, economic development, transportation and infrastructure plans at the local, regional and state levels. Legislation should be created so that local governments have smart growth planning programs. Planning standards would be determined by the locality’s size and growth rate, with smaller localities being encouraged to incorporate their efforts into the county’s planning program. Recommended Smart Growth Planning Criteria — Local transportation elements and regional transportation plans would be evaluated for approval and certification based on two categories:
1. Basic transportation planning criteria required by local governments:
2. Standard transportation planning criteria for local governments required to have Tier 2 and 3 plans, and all regional plans. The transportation elements of these plans would be evaluated on the degree to which they: Jurisdictions whose plans receive higher evaluations would be eligible for increased access to smart growth tools and funding. Goal 1.2 — Encourage cooperation and coordination of land use and transportation planning between local, regional and state governments. Legislation should be created to develop and fund a multi-agency state smart growth resource center to collect and provide information to local governments and regional entities and to the public. Legislation should be created to develop a network of North Carolina based researchers and organizations to compile and initiate research on growth and development patterns, and act as a clearinghouse on growth-related research for the state. Its work would be coordinated with that of the state planning body and the lead state-planning agency. Legislation should be created or amended to fund programs which encourage local, regional and state planning for collector networks, multi-modal transportation systems, congestion management and traffic reduction, walkable communities, and similar smart growth initiatives. Goal 1.3 - Local governments and regional entities that prepare smart growth plans should be permitted to select techniques appropriate to its jurisdiction’s or region’s particular circumstances and goals. Legislation should be created to establish a "toolbox" so that local governments with smart growth plans that meet the minimum requirements can select from a range of incentives, funding mechanisms and growth management tools. Goal 1.4 — Assess projected impacts of land use and development decisions on the highway system during the planning process and prior to approving and initiating development. Legislation should be created to mandate that transportation impact studies be completed and evaluated whenever a rezoning or major development proposal may have a substantial impact on a NC, Interstate or US highway. Through education and outreach by state agencies and regional entities, local governments should be encouraged to consider and evaluate the effects of land use and other plans, including thoroughfare plans done in concert by counties and municipalities, on the NC, US and Interstate highway system prior to plan adoption or amendment. Goal 1.5 - Update access-management and right-of-way policies and practices in coordination with new and existing land use concerns and smart growth principles. Legislation should be created to emphasize and encourage appropriate access controls within designated PGAs while limiting or fully controlling access outside of growth areas and within CIS areas. The legislation should also mandate that, prior to a project being programmed, NCDOT and local governments develop an agreement for management of access, land uses and infrastructure investments through corridor plans and similar efforts. NCDOT should create policies and practices so that efficient median, turn lane and other access management tools are integrated with adjacent land uses, zoning and development as part of this partnership with local governments. Goal 1.6 - Create a program for concurrent and coordinated land use, transportation and air quality modeling and planning. NCDOT should be encouraged and supported in its efforts to create a unit to develop and implement an integrated modeling program. NCDOT and state environmental agencies should be encouraged to coordinate efforts to integrate transportation-related environmental programs for improved efficiency and effectiveness. Goal 1.7 - Prevent encroachment into proposed rights-of-way for rail and road corridors in collaboration with local governments. NCDOT should continue to provide and improve its outreach, education and assistance programs to local governments for corridor protection planning and tools. 2. Focus Transportation Investments Goal 2.1 — Employ 'balanced maintenance'. A minimum percentage of transportation monies should be established for system maintenance and operations, to be phased in over time, to place maintenance on a balanced footing with funding priorities for construction of new roads and added capacity. Legislation should be created or amended to mandate that NCDOT create and adopt maintenance standards in consultation with local governments for all transportation system assets. This legislation must fully fund maintenance of these assets according to adopted standards. NCDOT should adopt a policy so that the agency projects the cumulative maintenance costs for the existing and planned transportation system prior to project selection and programming, and budget accordingly. Goal 2.2 - Focus or target transportation monies. Legislation should be created to require NCDOT to direct most transportation funding to serve existing communities with infrastructure investments in place and to 'priority funding areas' within PGAs. Legislation should be created to establish that local government collector network planning be eligible for state funds. This legislation should also provide additional funding to support these efforts. Goal 2.3 - Distribute transportation funds contingent on acceptable and appropriate smart growth planning. Legislation should be created to mandate that a Tier 2 or 3 planning program is required to be eligible for most transportation capital funds. This legislation should also establish that state investments must be consistent with local and regional plans to the greatest extent possible, and that NCDOT will actively consult with and cooperatively plan with localities, using mediation when needed. Goal 2.4 - Develop clear project selection criteria and an open, transparent process to ensure consistent and comprehensible programming. Legislation should be created or amended to establish and fund incentives to reward enhanced smart growth planning. Legislation should be created or amended so that local governments with smart growth plans have the opportunity to contribute funds to expedite the completion of transportation projects. Legislation should be created to require that NCDOT create, publish and utilize project selection criteria and incentives to achieve smart growth goals to provide clear direction to local and regional partners. Recommended smart growth goals are:
Transportation projects should be selected for funding and implementation based on:
1. Threshold planning criteria. All projects must be:
2. Project design criteria. These criteria shall be used to rank proposed projects. Projects with higher scores shall receive priority for all discretionary transportation funding. Proposed transportation projects shall be scored on the degree to which they: Goal 2.5 - State transportation monies should be flexible and available for multi-modal projects, operations and programs. Legislation should be created or amended to ensure that state transportation monies are flexible and made available for implementing local, regional and state priorities to improve accessibility, including highways, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, telecommuting, transportation demand management and/or transportation system management facilities, operations and programs. Goal 2.6 - Make regional allocations of funds predictable so that planning can be coordinated, prioritized and budgeted. Legislation should be created or amended to coordinate transportation planning regions and Equity Formula distribution lines to promote coordinated, prioritized and budgeted planning. Goal 2.7 - Create a 'multi-modal transportation fund.' Legislation should be created or amended to establish a new, dedicated funding source — separate from existing programs and not subject to the Equity Formula — to fund transit, rail, pedestrian and bicycle systems, air quality programs, congestion management and similar efforts, and which will include both new projects and retrofits of existing areas. Goal 2.8 - Safety, community and environmental concerns, air quality, and traffic congestion must be part of the Equity Formula. 3. Develop Multi-modal Transportation Systems Goal 3.1 — Needs assessment for multi-modal facilities and programs should be required for new or expanded highways and bridges, and implemented when appropriate. Legislation should be created to require that needs assessments for HOV lanes, busways, park & ride facilities, pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, etc. be included in the planning, budgeting, design and right-of-way acquisition for new or expanded highways and bridges. This legislation should establish criteria for assessing when implementation is reasonable and feasible and should provide sufficient funding. Goal 3.2 - Develop multi-modal centers or facilities to meet the needs of every county. Legislation should be created to provide funding and direction for needs assessment studies of, planning for, and development of multi-modal transportation centers and facilities. Goal 3.3 — Improve, integrate and expand inter- and intra-regional transportation modes, including bus and rail as appropriate. Goal 3.4 - Promote creation of multi-modal systems. NCDOT is to be encouraged and supported is efforts to create and implement flexible and innovative subdivision road design standards. Goal 3.5 - Encourage shared access to freight rail right-of-way for passenger and commuter rail. 4. Ensure Transportation System Interconnectivity Goal 4.1 - Revisit intrastate highway system goals to ensure the goals are sufficiently flexible to meet the diverse needs of North Carolina’s regions, both urban and rural. Legislation should be amended as needed to better integrate intrastate highway system goals with community values and local and regional plans, and to expand component highways in the manner needed to best accommodate regional and rural area mobility. Goal 4.2 - Incorporate dense networks of collector streets into the transportation planning process to accommodate planned growth areas for urban and suburban transportation. NCDOT should adopt a policy to ensure that state technical assistance will be provided to local governments to assist with collector network planning, and that these local network plans will be incorporated into transportation plans. 5. Encourage Regionalism, Regional Transportation Planning and Solutions. Goal 5.1 — Encourage consolidation of existing regional agencies into one agency per metropolitan area to create a single land use, infrastructure and transportation planning entity. Goal 5.2 - Coordinate boundaries so that transportation planning regions and air quality attainment areas are the same. Legislation should be created or amended to require that Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Rural Planning Organizations and non-MPO counties within an air quality non-attainment area consult and coordinate with each other on plans, policies and programs. 6. Emphasize Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making. Goal 6.1 - Improve communication through early and continuous involvement to help develop a clear community vision and to lead to faster implementation of better projects. NCDOT should adopt a policy to encourage collaborative planning, design and decision-making throughout all transportation processes. Further, NCDOT processes should incorporate a broadly based public involvement process, including facilitation as needed.
Representative Drew Saunders Commission Members: Fred Bryant Work Group Participants: Anna Nalevenko Advisors: Harrison Marshall, Planner III, NC DOT |