Agenda - 10-19-2010 - 8a - Laserfiche WebLink

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NC 54/ 1-40 CORRIDOR STUDY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Table ES-1: Concept Laney Uses No.of stories 3--8 2-4 2-4 1 —3 4- 12 Floor-to-area ratios 1.25-2.25 1.0- 1.5 - - 0.5- 1.0 (non-residential Dwelling Units per Acre 35-75 25-35 15-35 6- 10 - Employees per Acre 45-90 25-50 9- 15 b- 12 35- 175 Transportation has a profound influence to shape growth in a region and along a corridor. The parking constraints on the UNC campus and elsewhere in the Town of Chapel Hill have certainly influenced the use of transit, and, at least to a certain extent, where people choose to live. Developers and their clients (businesses, residents) respond to transportation conditions when they decide where to build, live, or locate their business. A new or improved roadway or transit project can make access to a location easier — making it more attractive to develop. A transportation improvement can also improve visibility — an important consideration for commercial developers. Many businesses rely on being seen by "pass-by" traffic and want to locate where there is a lot of vehicle and/or pedestrian traffic. This has been the case at the NC 54/Farrington Road intersection, where development depends on highway visibility. Conversely, rail transit is likely to result in more compact development clustered within walking distance of the station, and opens up new opportunities for how people choose to live and travel. The response is also strongly influenced by the land use policy and planning context-- for example, when the predominant mode of travel is the automobile, rail transit needs to be accompanied by strong land use policies in order to concentrate development in station areas. This type of strategy in the NC 54 corridor is necessary to avoid a future scenario where rising levels of congestion will occur due to regional growth forecasts, which will still increase the demands placed on the NC 54 corridor and its 1-40 interchange for major improvements. A well-designed, but intense nodal development program will enhance the potential for higher levels of financial support from planned development within the corridor. The timing of the nodal development plan is dependent on the schedule for light rail in the corridor, as well as interim higher-capacity transit strategies like Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and expansion of fixed route bus service throughout the corridor. If the funding mechanism is approved and the light rail plan moves forward, detailed station area plans would guide the development for the areas around each station in the corridor. Build-out of the nodal development plan depends on the rail network or comparable BRT service that can effectively support the planned development program and mitigate the demand for automobile traffic driving to the development. In the interim, it is imperative that the corridor stakeholders work to advance premium transit in the form of BRT (such as through bus signal priority, queue jump lanes or other BRT strategies) to properly complement the phasing of proposed development plans. Due to the significant roadway capacity challenges of this corridor, increases in development intensity must be timed to occur with expansion of fixed route bus service, introduction of the higher capacity BRT service, and, ultimately, when the light rail system becomes operational. Timing development with the interim BRT and planned light rail network will help ensure that adequate transportation options exist as more intensive development occurs. AUGUST 2010 --DRAFT FINAL REPORT 5