1. An Alternative to Transportation Concurrency

By: Charles E. White, AICP, PTP

Transportation Concurrency is the concept of providing adequate transportation facilities in sync with new development.  Transportation Concurrency is a regulatory tool with specific guidelines that are required to be met by new development prior to approval of a project.  Project scale and location are both major contributing factors in the amount of time required to gain approval.  Project reviews and mitigation determination can vary from a few weeks to several months depending on the complexity of the project.  Usually the detailed traffic analysis and preliminary designs all contribute to the lengthy approval timeframes.  Since its inception, opinions have varied as to the effectiveness of the program.  Developers have criticized the process as being costly, time consuming and inequitable.  Citizens have complained that new development does not pay for itself. 

Recognizing a need to stimulate development, the 2009 Legislature enacted Senate Bill 360 as Chapter 2009-06, Laws of Florida, entitled the Community Renewal Act.  The new provisions in the law:

• Eliminate the state mandate for transportation concurrency in qualifying areas within designated Dense Urban Land Areas (DULAs). DULAs are areas with a population density in excess of 1,000 people per square mile, such as Hillsborough County.

• Direct the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Florida Department of Transportation to complete a mobility fee study and report back to the Legislature by December 1, 2009.

Given the intense interest in the Mobility Fee, Hillsborough County has started its own Mobility Fee Study.  The County’s Mobility Fee Study is based on the following premises:

• The Mobility Fee could replace Concurrency
• Review and project approval times would be significantly reduced
• Fees collected would pay for mobility improvements
• The fees would be charged only for new Development’s Impacts
• Fees would encourage Infill Development
• Improvements would be “Mode Neutral”

County staff has adopted an aggressive schedule to complete the study andprovide recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.  Technical and Policy meetings are currently underway, and workshops with the County Commission are planned in the summer of 2010.  Additional information, meeting times and locations can be found on the Mobility Fee webpages of the PGM website.

2. Street Connectivity

By: Charles E. White, AICP, PTP

The Tampa Bay area has held the distinction of being one of the most dangerous areas in the country for pedestrians and bicyclists.  This is partly due to the lack of street connectivity in the area. The term “street connectivity” means a system of streets with multiple routes and connections serving the same origins and destinations. Connectivity not only relates to the number of intersections along a section of street, but how an entire area is connected by the transportation system. A well-designed, highly-connected series of roads reduces the volume of traffic, reduces traffic delays on major streets (arterials and major collectors), and ultimately improves livability in communities. 

Livability is improved by discouraging cut-through traffic, providing parallel routes and providing alternative route choices. By increasing the number of street connections in our communities, bicycle and pedestrian travel is improved.  In addition, well-planned, connected networks of collector roadways allows a transit system to operate more efficiently.

Hillsborough County’s Comprehensive Plan has adopted policies to promote connectivity.  The Land Development Code has specific code requirements for cross-access.  Until recently, Section 6.02.01 provided guidance for connecting to public roadways, but lacked specific language to encourage neighborhood connectivity.  The County has amended the LDC to require new development to incorporate greater connectivity into the design of new projects.  These new regulations along with other regulations in the LDC, will work to provide a more sustainable balance.  They will ensure that streets accepted into the County’s roadway system are designed in a manner that better supports the function and efficiency of the transportation system as a whole.   The new Land Development revisions will require new development to:

1. Provide multiple direct connections in its local street system to and between local destinations, such as parks, schools, and shopping, without requiring the use of arterial streets.  Figure 1 illustrates better connectivity results in shorter trip distance.

Figure 1: Shorter trip distance with connected network

2. Incorporate and continue all collector or local streets stubbed to the boundary of the development plan by previously approved but unbuilt development or existing development.

3. Ensure future street connections, where proposed development abuts unplatted land or street stubs, be provided to all abutting properties or to logically extend the street system into the surrounding area.

4. Coordinate with other existing or planned streets within the general area and connect all streets, alleys, and pedestrian pathways in any development to existing and projected streets outside the proposed development.

5. Construct all subdivision collector roadway connections or stub outs prior to acceptance by the County or issuance of building permits.

6. Construct all collector roadway connections in multiple phase developments, prior to building permits being issued for the final phase of the development.

These new requirements will encourage alternative travel paths that will reduce trip lengths, promote increased transit usage and provide safe alternatives for pedestrians and bicyclists.

For additional information on connectivity, visit the Transportation Reviews section of the PGM website.

3. The 12 days of PGM Christmas (We hope you enjoy it!)

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a building red-tag fee.

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 7 resubmissions, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 8 design exceptions, 7 resubmissions, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 9 time extensions, 8 design exceptions, 7 resubmissions, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 10 parking spaces, 9 time extensions, 8 design exceptions, 7 resubmissions, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 11 traffic studies, 10 parking spaces, 9 time extensions, 8 design exceptions, 7 resubmissions, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, 12 units per acre, 11 traffic studies, 10 parking spaces, 9 time extensions, 8 design exceptions, 7 resubmissions, 6 public hearings, 5 impact fees, 4 plan amendments, 3 zoning changes, 2 site inspections and a building red-tag fee.