Minutes 09-09-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Abigaile Pittman said this is a plan that offers criteria and a map Commissioner Dorosin said the abstract says this says it is a draft plan Abigail Pittman said this draft plan offers criteria and a map on future access and connectivity through the EDD. She said the highlights review existing conditions and how staff arrived here today. She said this is not a plan that examines any one development proposal, but it is a policy guideline with criteria to guide future development actions. Commissioner Dorosin said he feels that he needs a more specific plan of what this means. He said this is only a criticism of his own lack of understanding. He referred to the signal intersections map. He said a plan, to him, states a list of what will be done. He asked what the Board would be approving when this comes back in two months. Tom Altieri said what will be coming back will be the entire plan. He said this is pages 6— 38 of the agenda packet. He said the map that Commissioner Dorosin refers to is within that plan. He said this could also be referred to as an access management plan for the area. He said this map is really a conceptual plan that provides the County the opportunity for future development. He said this will give the County future opportunity to get signals added, and to require easements for service roads to maintain the integrity of the existing roadway. Commissioner Dorosin said he is still not satisfied that there are enough details. Commissioner Gordon said she has no objection to getting more information on the Saint Mary's scenic byway. She said scenic byways just prescribe what kind of signs can be put up. She is not sure that a designation of Highway10 as a scenic byway will address the concerns expressed by the public. She said the main concern of residents is keeping commercial traffic off Old 10. Chair Jacobs said Saint Mary's scenic corridor has standards that were developed 15-20 years ago. He said these standards encompass much more than just signs, including setbacks and other provisions. Commissioner Gordon said it matters whether the term used is scenic byway or scenic corridor. She was referring to a state scenic byway. Chair Jacob said the term is scenic corridor. Commissioner Pelissier said that this item is confusing to the Board as well as the public, because it is really just a plan for a plan. She said this has to be done in order to develop details later on when there are requests for lights, bike lanes or other items. She said transportation planning is so complicated due to the all the different organizations involved on a federal, state, urban planning and rural level. She clarified that this plan is simply a placeholder to put ideas there for future implementation. Craig Benedict said this type of plan is needed to get funding for projects from DOT. He said it will help make any future development more manageable. He said this is a step in the process to manage growth. He said he understands the Board's comments regarding the comparison to the scenic corridor. Chair Jacobs emphasized that an access management plan also limits access. VOTE: 5 ayes, 2 nays (Commissioner Dorosin and Commissioner Price) Commissioner Dorosin said the idea of a plan that doesn't really have to be followed is not satisfying. He said he appreciates the complexity of transportation planning, but he feels it is more useful to put more time in at the front end. Commissioner Price said more work needs to be done to outline how this transportation plan will fit in with the proposed land use. She said this plan has been sitting on paper for decades, and she feels it should be re-visited before anything is put in stone. Commissioner Rich said her understanding is that this plan is not set in stone but is meant to give direction moving forward toward a solid plan. Commissioner Price said once it is voted it seems to become a reference point. Pete Hallenbeck said it would be helpful to have the Planning Board make a map with the addresses of all of the people who signed the petition. He said this would help everyone see where the affected people are located.