2010-252A (03) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element As reflected in the Future Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan, the county actively encourages Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) principles in the planning process. Unlike traditional sprawl development, TND communities are characterized by residential, commercial, and employment centers in close proximity to one another. Although the number of these communities is small, proposed new TND developments, such as Liberty Park, may reduce trip lengths in those areas. To facilitate increased development of TND projects, the county will need to remove the impediments that make approval of TND projects more arduous than conventional development. As an initial step, the county should adopt a new policy in the Land Use Element permitting TND development as an allowable use in existing zoning districts. By encouraging mixed use development such as Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) projects, infill development, Transit Oriented Development projects, and residential projects near employment centers, the county can improve the jobs/housing ratio. In addition, the county should adopt a new policy in the Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan that ensures that the jobs -housing balance by subarea (north, central, and southern county) is not lowered beyond 2005 baseline values when land use changes are made to the county's Future Land Use Map. This will provide a means to gauge the county's overall success in the creation of jobs in close proximity to housing and the resulting decrease in trip lengths. • Connectivity Currently, the county requires developers to incorporate connectivity strategies into new development projects. These strategies include requiring internal street connections between adjacent subdivisions; requiring multiple entranceways to adjacent thoroughfare roadways; requiring marginal access roadways along arterials; and requiring pedestrian connections between neighborhoods and within commercial development. Several factors, however, limit the creation of interconnected roadway systems. These include: ■ Physical constraints such as canals, FDOT outfall ditches, existing development, and other factors that physically preclude connections. ■ Opportunity constraints relating to "piece -meal" development of individual projects over time vs. the opportunity to coordinate individual projects at the same time (e.g. South County Initiative). ■ Opportunity constraints relating to the "funneling effect", whereby there is only one potential inter -connection that leads through a small existing neighborhood from a large project. Such situations, where significant traffic from a large project would be funneled through a street serving a few residences, should be avoided. ■ Objections from existing residents potentially affected by proposed connections. Such objections and concerns are widely reported in localities across the nation and stem from fears of increased traffic, "cut -through" traffic, and attendant nuisance and safety concerns. Existing residents rarely perceive that a proposed interconnection will provide access benefits that outweigh the potential adverse impacts. Consequently, connectivity requirements are easier to implement in areas with few or no existing residents. Because interconnections between adjacent developments are beneficial for the reasons identified above, the county should adopt new comprehensive plan policies in the Land Use Community Development Department Indian River County 115