2010-252A (03) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element The county should also monitor and/or accelerate the implementation of planned regional transportation facilities, such as the 58th Avenue/Kobelgard Road extension in St. Lucie County, and participate in regional transportation operational programs. This could involve setting aside county funding specifically for regional priorities; establishing regional connectivity as a ranking criterion in the MPO project prioritization process; participating in established FDOT ridesharing and vanpooling programs; and implementing regional transit routes. In terms of regional transportation, the Committee for a Sustainable Treasure Coast (CSTC) adopted the following recommendations which the county should incorporate in this plan: improve transportation and land use linkages; implement a fixed route public transit system for the region; ensure that development and redevelopment around transit stations and along regional transit corridors has transit -supportive characteristics; and secure access to the FEC Railway Corridor as part of a regional corridor redevelopment initiative. Finally, both the Indian River and St. Lucie MPOs are in the process of updating their respective 2035 Long -Range Transportation Plans (LRTPs). It is anticipated that the St. Lucie LRTP will contain one new inter -county roadway facility within the Towns, Villages, and Countryside (TVC) planning area. That new roadway is the Kobelgard Road extension, which will align with 58th Avenue in Indian River County. The Indian River County Comprehensive Plan will be amended after both 2035 LRTPs are adopted and will reflect this and all other inter -county roadway connections. Energy Efficiency Pursuant to the Federal Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set national air quality standards for pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment. The law also requires EPA to periodically review the standards to ensure that they provide adequate health and environmental protection, and to update those standards as necessary. While there has been a consistent increase in all major categories of air pollutants in Indian River County proportionate to the increase in Vehicle Miles Traveled, the county has never exceeded national air quality standards. This is mainly because geological and atmospheric conditions in Indian River County (and in most of the rest of the state of Florida) are not conducive to the formation and retention of these pollutants over long periods of time. In the past, the county's policies on developing and implementing long range plans that minimize the growth in air pollution by minimizing congestion have been effective in maintaining low levels of pollution growth. It is not clear, however, that pollution levels in an area are attributable solely to the energy efficiency of the transportation system, since much of the pollution in an area is caused by atmospheric conditions and industry. Nonetheless, the county should continue to monitor air quality and energy consumption and promote clean and efficient techniques and alternative transportation modes where possible. Techniques could include purchasing alternative fuel vehicles and buses for public fleets; incentivizing alternative fuel vehicles and carpools through reserved parking spaces at public facilities; and implementing Congestion Management Process (CMP) projects to help reduce intersection congestion. It should be noted that the county has also identified Community Development Department Indian River County 118