Agenda 05-07-24; 6-b - Approval of the Orange County US 70 Multimodal Corridor Study (MCS)

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17 US 70 Multimodal Corridor Study 2.4 Community Workshops Community workshops occurred in two rounds with three sessions per round. The sessions were scheduled for locations that balance the geography of the corridor and are intended for—but not limited to—the general public and affected populations. The first round of community workshops was in March 2023. The workshop dates and locations are listed below: • March 7, 2023 – 5:00 PM –7:00 PM o Passmore Center– 103 Meadowlands Drive, Hillsborough, NC 27278 • March 9, 2023 – 5:00 PM –7:00 PM o Mebane Arts and Community Center–633 Corregidor Street, Mebane, NC 27302 • March 14, 2023 – 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM o Town Hall Annex– 105 E Corbin Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278 These workshops were advertised by each partner agency in their respective communities. Workshop content informed the community about identified deficiencies, and confirmed the Study Team captured the concerns, needs, and vision of the community as the project team proceeded with developing project alternatives and recommendations. Feedback and responses from the first round of public workshops were incorporated into subsequent project deliverables. In total, thirty-six individuals attended across all three events.A total of three written comments were shared, while numerous anecdotal observations were made. Participants were asked to label a study area map with areas of concern, areas they would like to see bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, and places of interest (schools, parks, community centers, etc). Participants were also asked to "vote" on the priorities they had for the corridor. Options included: • Relieving vehicular congestion • Slowing down speeds of cars • Improving intersections • Maintaining the character of the corridor • Providing more bus connections • Providing more pedestrian connections • Providing more bicycle connections. Over the three community meetings, pedestrian connections were most important to participants, followed by relieving vehicular congestion.The least voted for was maintaining the character of the corridor. In addition to the in-person meetings, the project team hosted an online website, showing the study area, that allowed individuals to comment.They could place a comment at a specific location and state any concerns, desire for new multimodal connections, and places of interest.The online map was available for a total of 8 weeks. Fifty-five comments were left by the community. The following are comments that appeared regularly: • Sidewalk additions to various parts of US 70. • Improved crosswalks. • Protected bike lanes. • Improved access and circulation into schools. • Address speeds. 8 The Plan Making Process