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Open a Legislative Hearing to Adopt the Connected Roads Plan as an Amendment to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, Chapel Hill 2020.
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Staff: |
Department: |
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Britany Waddell, Director |
Planning |
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Bergen Watterson, Transportation Planning Manager |
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Josh Mayo, Transportation Planner |
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Overview: The Town of Chapel Hill does not currently have a roadway plan. Aligned with the momentum behind the Complete Community strategy and the Council’s vision for a connected and accessible community, the Town contracted with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. in November 2022 to draft a Connected Roads Plan and provide policy recommendations. The goal of the plan is to implement a consistent approach to local street connections that uses planning best practices of connecting communities and dispersing traffic. The plan’s scope was mostly limited to the Town’s Focus Areas and other development opportunity sites, with a focus on existing street stub-outs and larger parcels that are expected to develop or redevelop.
The project team conducted two public meetings, and an online survey and interactive map in January and February to gather input on the proposed process for developing the plan, locations or topics of concern, and values/criteria for evaluating potential connections. The meetings and survey were also opportunities for education about the benefits of connectivity and examples of value added in other communities who have improved roadway connectivity.
Town staff vetted the set of proposed connections that the consultant developed using public feedback, existing plans, and local expertise. The consultant then evaluated the remaining connections based on criteria including land uses, property ownership, hydrology, and traffic/walk/bike/transit benefits. They were able to exclude some connections due to infeasibility, while some were deemed to be better as bicycle and pedestrian connections. The remaining road connections were categorized as low-moderate-high constraint.
The second round of public engagement was conducted in April, when the project team shared the proposed connections and asked for feedback. The final list and maps of proposed connections are attached.
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Recommendation: |
That the Council open the hearing to adopt the Connected Roads Plan as an amendment to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, receive public comments, and continue the hearing to June 14, 2023.
Key Issues:
• The Connected Roads Plan primarily targets the Town’s Focus Areas and development opportunity sites.
• The Plan will be used by developers as a guide for infrastructure improvements and to set expectations for existing residents.
• The proposed road connections are not expected to be constructed by the Town, but rather by developers as part of the development process.
• The proposed bicycle and pedestrian connections have been added to the Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways Map and may be constructed by the Town if funding becomes available.
Fiscal Impact/Resources: The $55,000 contract for the Connected Roads Plan was funded with federal funding through the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO), including a 20% ($11,000) local match. There are not funds identified for road construction or bike-ped connections.
Where is this item in its process?
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Attachments: |
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• Draft Staff Presentation |
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• Draft Resolution |
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• Draft Connected Roads Evaluation Table |
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• Draft Connected Roads Map |
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• Transportation and Connectivity Advisory Board Recommendation |
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• Planning Commission Recommendation |
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The Agenda will reflect the text below and/or the motion text will be used during the meeting. |
presenter
PRESENTER: Timothy Tresohlavy, Senior Transportation Planner, Stantec, Inc.
a. Introduction and preliminary recommendation
b. Recommendation of the Planning Commission
c. Comments from the public
d. Comments and questions from the Mayor and Town Council
e. Referral to the Manager and Attorney
f. Motion to recess the Legislative Hearing to June 14, 2023.
RECOMMENDATION: That the Council open the legislative hearing to adopt the Connected Roads Plan as an amendment to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and provide feedback on the draft Plan.