Agenda - Planning Commission - 04/04/2013

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to improve the public way for broader goals of mobility, connectivity, and accessibility. The exception to this is for comprehensive master planned developments where the developer proposes a system of streets internal to the development as part of the site concept as a whole and will ultimately be dedicating those to the community as public streets. These types of developments commonly take the form of a planned unit development (PUD), TND, TOD, or occur within a form -based regulating plan area. In these cases, zoning language regulates street design within the confines of the development area and may require that design facilitate connections to transportation networks off -site. The challenge with such design provisions is to effectively achieve synergies between the internal circu- lation elements within that defined area and a system of complete streets on the connected and surrounding public roadway system. Private development does have an impact, not only on traffic volumes on public streets but on access to the full range of modes by which people travel. If zoning is intended to manage private development in pursuit of implement- ing community -wide goals, including those for complete streets, then those elements should be part of any regulations package. INCORPORATING CS PROVISIONS INTO DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS Just as a community's comprehensive plan es- tablishes a legal standing for zoning, provisions for completing the streets are most sound when associated with a documented community - wide complete streets policy encompassing all public ways. Any language requiring complete streets elements in zoning or subdivision regulations should be cross - referenced with a broader transportation policy. Where a com- munity adopts not only a CS policy but a well - detailed design- guidance manual, then that can serve as a basis for comparable design language in the regulations. In New Haven, along with the adoption of the city's CS complete streets policy and design manual into the code of ordinances, the zoning regulations were updated to include more comprehensive requirements for bicycle and pedestrian access internal to a development. Similarly, Charlotte, North Carolina, adopted an Urban Street Design Guidelines Policy Summary in zoo7. The city subsequently added a subdivision ordi- nance amendment requiring all new streets in proposed subdivisions to meet those urban street design guidelines and adopted ® Visualizing a complete street for downtown Norwalk, Connecticut. zoning language to require connectivity as part of its six distinct TOD overlay zones. The TOD regulations have the following guiding statement of intent: "Transit oriented devel- opment uses shall be integrated with the surrounding community, easily accessible, and have a good internal circulation system for a variety of travel modes." This state- ment of intent is followed by specific stan- dards addressing the location and design of sidewalks, streetscapes, bicycle parking, urban open spaces, access /entrances, and consistency with station -area plans as well as other site features ( §9.12o1- 1213). It is worth noting that communities can take two overall approaches to incorporating CS principles into development regulations: as guidelines and as requirements. Each approach has its place. While requiring features such as sidewalks and bicycle parking guarantees inclusion on a site plan, the drawback is that requirements tend to be rigid and need qualification. Conversely, street elements phrased as guidelines can leave their application open to interpreta- tion, and it may be more challenging for a planning or zoning commission to get what they deem best for a site. In both cases, carefully drawn graphics depicting the desired design are extremely beneficial to making the regulations' intent clear. Complete streets, by their very nature, are context sensitive. For example, it is not uncommon for an urban site within a TOD district to be essentially landlocked, with limited connectivity to existing public streets and where design flexibility for the interface with that street is desirable. Flexibility in design, written as guidelines as opposed to requirements, gives the zoning commission and developer room to negotiate the most effective means to ensure access by many modes in the specific context of the site. CRAFTING REGULATORY AMENDMENTS FOR COMPLETE STREETS: TWO METHODS There are many communities that have adopted zoning and subdivision provisions requiring individual CS elements such as sidewalks and bicycle parking as part of design for new developments. Many have also taken a fresh look at their parking regu- lations as a means to consider better accom- modations for pedestrians and bicyclists. Consequently, communities commonly have incorporated language regarding mobility ZONINGPRACTICE 2.13 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION (pages