2006-0042
INTRODUCED BY: 'RAM' RAMCHANDRAN, COUNCILMAN, DISTRICT III
ORDINANCE NO.__________
Title
An ordinance to amend Appendix C of the Code, St. Charles Parish Subdivision Regulations of 1981, Ordinance No. 81-8-2 to require a Traffic Impact Analysis for certain developments within St. Charles Parish.
Body
WHEREAS, the St. Charles Parish Subdivision Regulations govern the standards by which property is developed; and,
WHEREAS, development which generates excessive traffic results in additional cost in both road maintenance and delays; and,
WHEREAS, it is deemed necessary by the St. Charles Parish Council to assure that the traffic generated by development does not overburden the existing transportation system.
THE ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION I. That the St. Charles Parish Code of Ordinances, Appendix C, Section II. 3. (Preliminary Plat/Additional Submission Requirements) is amended by adding:
b. Traffic Impact Analysis. A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) shall be completed for all subdivisions or developments when the following project threshold levels are met or exceeded. In the event that alternative threshold levels are specified (i.e. units vs. square footage) the more restrictive shall prevail.
Subdivision/Development Type Threshold
Single Family Residential 50 Units
Multi-Family Residential 5 Acres or 50 Units
Office 3 Acres or 50,000 Square Feet
Commercial/Institutional 2 Acres or 75,000 Square Feet
Industrial 8 Acres or 100,000 Square Feet
SECTION II. That the St. Charles Parish Code of Ordinances, Appendix C, Section IV. E. is amended as follows:
E. Traffic Impact Analysis.
The purpose and intent of this section is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens and visitors of St. Charles Parish by ensuring the provision of safe and adequate roadway facilities. The provisions of this section establish requirements for transportation studies that provide information on traffic projected to be generated by proposed developments that meet or exceed the thresholds stipulated in Section II. 3. b. of this Ordinance. It is the further intent of this section to establish requirements for the identification of any potential traffic operational problems or concerns, as well as potential solutions to such problems or concerns.
1. Procedures. If a TIA is required for a project pursuant to the provisions of this section, the developer shall submit a TIA at the time of preliminary plat application or at the time of the filing for a building permit. In no case shall a building permit be issued for a development prior to the submission and approval of the TIA. The TIA shall be prepared by a professional engineer registered in the State of Louisiana specializing in TIA. The developer shall incur all costs associated with the TIA and its approval.
The TIA report shall be prepared documenting the study, the data used, the findings, and the recommendations of the study. The study shall be submitted to the Parish Engineer through the Planning & Zoning Department for review. The Parish Engineer shall either approve the recommendations or stipulate needed revisions. If the Parish Engineer determines that the TIA is inadequate or not in accordance with this section, the applicant may be required to supplement the TIA to address any deficiencies.
Formal construction approval of the subdivision shall not be granted until the Director of Public Works has made a favorable written letter of approval of the TIA to the Director of Planning & Zoning.
2. Contents and Formats. The contents of a TIA, as well as the TIA study area radius shall vary depending on the site and prevailing conditions. Content requirements shall be established by the Parish Engineer prior to the submittal of the TIA. Such requirements shall address site, project and corridor level traffic and transportation issues. All traffic engineering shall be completed in accordance with the Highway Capacity Manual ("the Green Book") as prepared by the Transportation Research Board (third edition or latest) and shall include the following format:
a. Description of TIA study area, specifying boundary of study area and count and analysis sites;
b. Existing conditions;
c. Trip generation estimates and design hour traffic volumes;
d. Trip distribution and traffic assignments;
e. Existing and projected traffic volumes within the TIA study area;
f. Capacity analysis;
g. Identification of peak hours;
h. Traffic accidents for previous 12 months, at minimum;
i. Needed traffic improvements, if any;
j. Conclusions;
k. Summary and findings and recommendations.
3. Trip Generation Rates. For the purpose of determining whether the requirements of this section are applicable to the proposed project and for the purpose of preparing required transportation impact analysis, applicants shall use the trip rates contained in the most recent edition of the Institute of Transportation Engineers' (ITE) Trip Generation Manual.
4. Actions based on TIA. The TIA recommendations as accepted by the Parish Engineer shall be one of the criteria for subdivision approval. A proposed development which is subject to the TIA requirements of this section shall be disapproved when the results of the required TIA demonstrate that the proposed project will overburden the roadway system or cause a reduction in service of affected roadways below the adopted level of service. Improvements and modifications shall be the responsibility of the developer.
5. Waiver of Exemption from TIA Requirements. Developers may request that the Director of Public Works recommend a waiver of the requirements for mitigating traffic impacts as spelled out in TIA. If such a request is recommended by the Director of Public Works, he shall forward a written recommendation of said request, along with the reasons for said request to the Parish Council. Approval of said waiver shall be granted only by Ordinance of the Parish Council, adopted by a majority vote.
SECTION III. That the St. Charles Parish Code of Ordinances, Appendix C, is amended by changing Subsection E. Miscellaneous to Subsection F.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED, THAT WE, THE MEMBERS OF THE ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL, do hereby amend Appendix C of the Code, St. Charles Parish Subdivision Regulations of 1981, Ordinance No. 81-8-2 to require a Traffic Impact Analysis for certain developments within St. Charles Parish.
Vote
The foregoing ordinance having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:
And the ordinance was declared adopted this day of , 2006, to become effective five (5) days after publication in the Official Journal.
Traffic Impact Analysis Ord Revised Ram
CHAIRMAN:______________________________________________
SECRETARY:_____________________________________________
DLVD/PARISH PRESIDENT:_________________________________
APPROVED:______________ DISAPPROVED:__________________
PARISH PRESIDENT:______________________________________
RETD/SECRETARY:_______________________________________
AT:_______________ RECD BY: _____________________________