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Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element <br />Element promoting interconnections. Such policies could require that all new subdivision streets <br />be either public or private with public access allowed. Exceptions could be allowed for roadway <br />segments that would channelize traffic through an existing neighborhood or have no potential for <br />providing interconnectivity or through -street benefits (e.g. segments that dead-end into <br />waterbodies, developed properties, or environmentally sensitive areas). In conjunction with <br />policies promoting connectivity, the county should adopt new policies requiring the county to <br />develop traffic calming standards and designs to address concerns about the speed of "cut - <br />through" traffic. <br />• Other Land Use Issues <br />In summarizing the county's existing land use pattern, several issues or problems can be <br />identified, and various opportunities can be noted. One such issue is that there is little mixed use <br />development in the county. Coupled with the division of land uses, this results in auto <br />dependence, produces more trips, results in longer trips, and increases total vehicle miles <br />traveled. Another issue is low densities and vacant land. With the overall low densities in the <br />county, developers' tendencies to build at even lower than allowed densities, and vacant parcels <br />within the existing USA, it is difficult to establish a viable transit system. A third issue is <br />existing strip commercial development. This type of development disperses uses, reduces the <br />efficiency of the roadway system by requiring more curb cuts, limits transit system options, and <br />makes pedestrian trips more difficult. <br />These issues and problems are the result of historic development patterns and not reflective of <br />the policies and initiatives in the county's comprehensive plan. In the future, there is an <br />opportunity to address these issues. Probably the most significant opportunity to address these <br />issues is the continued growth and development projected for the county through this plan's 2030 <br />horizon year. <br />The 2030 land use pattern for Indian River County is reflected in the Future Land Use Element <br />of this plan. As shown on the Future Land Use Map, the 2030 land use pattern is a continuation <br />of the existing development pattern in the county. Both the existing and future land use patterns <br />are characterized by low density, low rise development, commercial/industrial nodes, higher <br />density residential development along high volume roadway corridors, an urban service <br />boundary limiting westward expansion, and a continuation of the current coast -paralleling <br />development pattern. <br />As structured, the future land use plan will have a significant effect on the future transportation <br />system. With the location of the urban service boundary, the future land use plan ensures a <br />compact development pattern that will limit urban sprawl, promote infill development, and <br />manage future growth. <br />From a transportation perspective, the future land use plan can be expected to have various <br />impacts. By limiting westward expansion, limiting urban sprawl, promoting infill development, <br />and encouraging mixed use development, trip lengths will not substantially increase. These <br />shorter trip lengths will result in lower overall system demand, fewer miles of impacted <br />Community Development Department Indian River County 116 <br />