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53 <br />ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT <br />Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director <br />~npnlP o! O`u <br />Administration ~~` »-_~~~=., P 306E Revere Road <br />+ ~. <br />(919) 245-2575 ~: ~jr ;'! _= P. O. Box 8181 <br />(919) 644-3002 (FAX) ~,V,' Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br />www.co.orange.nc.us '°~~b ~e~~6`' <br />~-•> <br />t~'~ <br />MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Rod Visser, Interim County Manager <br />Board of County Commissioners <br />FROM: Craig N. Benedict, Planning Director <br />DATE: September 5, 2006 <br />SUBJECT: Development Review and Transportation Impact <br />ReviewlRequirements <br />Questions have been raised regarding how and when the development review process <br />prompts traffic improvements (i.e, right and left turn lanes, traffic signals, etc.) The <br />subdivision and zoning requirements that give guidance to Staff on this issue are listed <br />below. <br />NGDOT standards require a Traffic Impact Study for activities generating more than <br />3,000 daily trips (approximate number of trips generated by a 300-lot residential <br />subdivision.) Orange County requires a traffic impact study for any Special Use Permit <br />or Site Plan generating more than 800 daily trips (approximate number of trips <br />generated by an 80-lot residential subdivision,) The Planning Department has not <br />reviewed any new subdivision of that size during the past several years. <br />The current standards for traffic improvements for new subdivisions deal, for the most <br />part, with an analysis of existing traffic conditions and existing traffic capacities, This <br />view from the `present' does not include or project the cumulative impact that future <br />development may have on the existing roadways. A potential consequence of this <br />"present" analysis is that the first large scale development (or the first few small scale <br />developments) built in an area with previously low traffic volume can 'use up' the <br />capacity of a roadway system without any contribution from these early developers for <br />traffic increases caused by their subdivisions. As a result, it is possible that the future <br />projects in the same area may bear the brunt of deficient traffic improvements and <br />deficient service capacity. In this scenario, costs for later improvements are borne by <br />the NCDOT (the taxpayers) and subsequent developers while earlier projects in the <br />same area are not required to share in the cost of the necessary improvements. <br />f:\Drian Fencll\Ormge County\Planning\WesthnmplonCrrmspni7ntion Impact Mcmo 6F Revised - Rn mergo rev by gcg doc <br />