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Adoption of
“Compact and Suburban Area” designations for specific
Service Districts in Chapters 6 and 10 of the Comprehensive
Plan as outlined herein and pursuant to §15.2-2223 of the
Virginia Code will ensure that the recently implemented VDOT
Secondary Street Acceptance Regulations (Virginia
Administrative Code 24VAC30-92-10-140) for land development
application review and other associated design aspects are
applied consistently in these areas where growth and
traditional forms of development are encouraged.
Background Information:
On October
8, 2009, staff provided a work session briefing regarding
the VDOT Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements (SSAR),
and the Board of Supervisors initiated the requested
amendment and transmitted it to the Planning Commission for
public hearing and recommendations (Refer to Attachment 1).
The
effective date for Secondary Street Acceptance Regulations (SSAR)
for statewide implementation was July 1, 2009. Two of the
enabling legislation’s primary goals that served as the
foundation for these new regulations were: (a) ensuring the
connectivity of road and pedestrian networks with the
existing and future transportation network; and (b)
minimizing stormwater run-off and impervious surface area.
Regarding
public streets designed, constructed and accepted for state
maintenance under these new provisions, VDOT has stated
consistently through its educational forums that the enacted
regulations will have the following benefits at the local
levels:
v
Reduce future construction needs and
operational costs;
v
Improve emergency response times;
v
Improve safety and access for pedestrians and
bicyclists;
v
Create a more efficient transportation
network;
v
Design local streets to encourage appropriate
vehicle speeds; and
v
Reduce stormwater run-off.
Secondary
Street Acceptance Regulation Area Types:
The SSAR
also established three area classifications for secondary
streets in Virginia. Within each category, streets must
meet the applicable design and public benefit requirements
to be eligible for acceptance into the secondary system of
state highways. Those categories are: Compact, Suburban and
Rural Areas. Their definitions are provided in Attachment
2.
Designated Area Types Already Existing:
Both New
Baltimore and Warrenton already have tripped the “Compact
Area” threshold having an established population falling
within the 2,500 - 49,999 people range (2000 census tract
information) of the regulation’s “smoothed urban cluster
boundary.” Therefore, the regulation already has
resulted in an official VDOT “Compact Area” delineation
around that referenced “cluster” boundary for both New
Baltimore and Warrenton. In addition, the regulation
also requires and resulted in a “Suburban Area” to be
designated within a 2-mile radius of that “smoothed urban
cluster boundary.” Therefore, those designated areas in New
Baltimore and Warrenton are currently subject to the VDOT
regulatory connectivity and design requirements for those
“Area Types.”
Recommended Area Type Threshold For Fauquier County:
Fauquier
County Board of Supervisors have historically and
consistently expressed through the Comprehensive Plan that
the Service Districts will be where our more compact and
traditional town or village scale residential densities and
business development will occur. Here such future growth can
be more effectively served through public facilities,
services and utilities, be provided an interconnected public
street network (including multi-purpose paths and
sidewalks), and be more effectively connected to open
spaces, parks and schools.
The County
has also recently completed transportation impact studies
for New Baltimore, as well as the Bealeton-Opal-Remington
Service District areas. These analyses included existing
conditions to theoretical build-out. Both studies clearly
demonstrate the need for safety improvements, traffic
calming and added connections throughout these Service
Districts to effectively meet current and future
expectations. These communities will need a far more
enhanced and linked street network to provide the balanced
distribution of vehicle trips, options for future public
transit, and pedestrian accommodation expected.
Based on
Board direction to initiate this Comprehensive Plan
Amendment, staff and Planning Commission recommend that the
Bealeton, Marshall, New Baltimore, Opal, Remington and
Warrenton Service Districts be designated for the “Compact
Area” classification, since their adopted land use plans
meet the minimum median density threshold of 2 units per
acre; while Calverton, Catlett, and Midland be designated as
“Suburban Area,” since their land use plans meet the minimum
median threshold of 1 unit per 2 acres. New Baltimore and
Warrenton have already been officially designated by VDOT;
however, the regulations allow Fauquier County to expand
existing designations or add other areas to the VDOT
Statewide Area Type Thresholds List through the
Comprehensive Plan process.
Benefits of
the “Compact or Suburban Area” designations for the nine
Service Districts are that it establishes a higher level of
VDOT review, better implements the Comprehensive Plan’s
expected road network, is more compatible with the County’s
Subdivision Ordinance and Facilities Standards Manual, and
requires that residential, business and mixed use projects:
·
Have sufficient street connections in multiple
directions;
·
Provide pedestrian accommodation;
·
Incorporate context sensitive street design;
and
·
Add streets as a project package and part of
the overall community secondary street network.
At the
moment, VDOT reviews for such rezoning applications as
Cannon Ridge (Marshall), White Marsh and Mintbrook
(Bealeton) are subject to the Rural Area category. That
category has no mandatory connectivity requirements and is
meant for areas similar to those currently zoned RA/RC or
other more rural zoning categories. (However, VDOT in this
district does assist in recommending project improvements
consistent with the transportation elements of the County’s
Comprehensive Plan.) The “Compact Area” and “Suburban Area”
designations as recommended herein would officially realign
the VDOT Secondary Street Acceptance Regulations (SSAR) with
Chapter 6 – Service Districts and Chapter 10 –
Transportation of the Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan. |