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5.7 Jobs and Housing Balance A study published by the American Planning Association indicates that the balance between jobs and housing in an area has a significant influence on that area's commuting patterns. That research indicates that the average trip length in areas with a balanced jobs -housing relationship (meaning those areas that have a jobs/household ratio between 0.8 and 1.2) is 29 percent shorter than in other areas. The latest jobs -to -housing balance evaluation was conducted by the MPO in 2005 for the three major subareas of the county. The data indicated that the North County jobs -to -housing ratio was 0.7714 jobs per household; the Central County ratio was 1.3063 jobs per household; and the South County ratio was 0.6974 jobs per household. As shown in Figure 6-4, only the Central CountyNero Beach subarea had a nearly balanced jobs -to -housing ratio of 1.3. As the various areas of the County continue to develop, the land use plan of the County will have an impact on improving the jobs -housing balance. According to the 2010 Comprehensive Plan, the County has sufficient commercial and industrial acreage to accommodate employment centers. The County also 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. The County now requires developments to incorporate internal street/pedestrian connections to adjacent developments and requires multiple entrances through adjacent roadways. With the existing policies and regulations in place, it is anticipated that the jobs -housing balance and the mix of land uses will continue to improve in the future. To improve the connections between land use and transportation planning, the County has adopted policies to encourage transit oriented development and transit accessible facilities in transit corridors; to prioritize new transit services to traditional neighborhoods and transit oriented communities; and to provide more opportunities for employment and shopping center development nearer to residential neighborhoods. As those policies are implemented, it is anticipated that the areas of the County that fall within the Urban Service Area will have a significantly improved jobs -to -housing balance. 5-10 _ - StanfiyCo�uttants�