TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Durham County Trip Reduction Program and
Zoning Ordinance Changes
DATE: April 3, 2000
This memorandum reviews elements of the Durham County Trip Reduction Program, related Durham County Zoning Ordinance changes and the Chapel Hill Transportation Demand Program. The Town Council has called this work session to review the Durham County Trip Reduction Program and changes to the Durham Zoning Ordinance.
Durham County adopted a Trip Reduction Program and Zoning Ordinance changes in February, 2000. The Trip Reduction Program establishes a requirement for all businesses with 100 or more employees to develop and implement a transportation demand management program.
Durham County Commissioner Ellen Reckow has asked
that other jurisdictions review the Trip Reduction Program for possible
implementation. At the request of Mayor Waldorf the Chapel Hill Town Council
will receive a presentation on the Durham County program from Mary Clayton of
Parsons, Brinkerhoff, Quade and Douglas, Inc. Ms. Clayton assisted Durham
County in developing the program.
In June, 1999 Durham County, in cooperation with the
North Carolina Department of Transportation, initiated a study to investigate
ways to reduce traffic congestion in the NC 54 corridor between the Research
Triangle Park and the Orange County line. The objective of the study was to
develop a program that would increase the efforts of major traffic generators
in the corridor to reduce automobile trips.
After initial discussions between Durham County and
the North Carolina Division of Public Transportation, Mayor Waldorf requested
Chapel Hill’s inclusion in the project. Both Durham County and the Division of
Public Transportation agreed to extend the study area to include the University
of North Carolina. The Town Council endorsed participation in this study on
August 23, 1999 (Attachment 1).
The Division of Public Transportation provided
funding for the project and the firm of Parsons, Brinkerhoff, Quade and
Douglas, Inc. was hired to assist the NC 54 Travel Demand Management Committee
in its work. The Travel Demand Management Committee was composed on elected
officials, representatives from employers in the NC 54 corridor, interested
citizens and staff.
The NC 54 Travel Demand Management Committee met
regularly between August and December 1999, receiving information on different
travel demand management programs from other areas of the country and on the
current Chapel Hill program. The Committee also discussed air quality impacts
and possible goals for the transportation demand management program. The
Committee was also given regular updates on the ongoing activities of the
Research Triangle Park Travel Demand Management Committee, which was developing
a transportation demand management program for employers in the Park.
In the course of the work of the NC 54 Committee,
the focus of the project shifted from assessing transportation demand
management programs for the NC 54 corridor to developing a travel demand
management program for Durham County.
In February 2000, the Committee completed work on
the Durham Transportation Demand Management Plan, Action and Strategy Report
(Attachment 2). The Plan, Action and Strategy Report includes a background
section of general transportation demand management issues and regional
population and travel projections from the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan.
The proposal to change the Durham County Zoning Ordinance begins on page 27 and
the Commute Trip Reduction Program is provided beginning on page 29.
Durham County has recently adopted the Commute Trip
Reduction Program and Zoning Ordinance changes provided in the Report. The City
of Durham is expected to consider adopting the Program and zoning changes in
April. Durham County has requested that other jurisdictions consider adopting
the Durham County Commute Trip Reduction Program and participation on the
associated multi-jurisdictional advisory board.
In 1993, Chapel Hill enacted a requirement that
transportation management plans be developed and implemented as part of the
Town’s development approval process. Table 1 compares the key elements of the
ongoing Chapel Hill program with the Trip Reduction Program adopted by Durham
County. The Table also includes a summary and comparison of the Durham County
Zoning Ordinance changes.
Comparison of
Durham County Trip Reduction Program and Chapel Hill Transportation Demand
Management Program
|
Durham Trip
Reduction Program |
Chapel Hill
Transportation Demand Management Program |
|
Employer based-Covers all businesses with 100 or more employees. Phased in over three years, beginning with 400 or more employees. Durham County estimates approximately 150 employers would be covered. |
Site based-Applies primarily to new non-residential development or modifications of existing special use permits. 35 total sites now covered by TMP requirement. Current data indicates that only 8% of participants have over 100 employees. |
|
Requires major employers to prepare an annual Report and employee surveys. |
Requires Annual Report and employee survey. Chapel Hill staff is currently collecting information for updated survey. |
|
$200 processing fee. |
No processing fee. |
|
$100 per week fine/$1000 maximum fine for non-compliance. |
Non-compliance treated as violation of special use permit. |
|
Establishes multi-jurisdictional advisory board |
No advisory board. |
|
To be administered by “Lead Agency”, Triangle Transit Authority. |
Administered by Chapel Hill Planning Department. |
|
Establishes a multi-jurisdictional advisory board composed of jurisdictions that adopt the Durham County Trip Reduction Program or a ”substantially similar ordinance” . |
No advisory board. |
|
Durham
County Zoning Ordinance |
Chapel Hill
Development Ordinance |
|
Requires park ride spaces designated for commercial project with 400 or more parking spaces. |
No requirement for park ride spaces. Can be required as a condition of approval. |
|
Office building over 10,000 square feet provide 1% carpool spaces. |
The required transportation demand management program requires designation of carpool spaces. |
|
Buildings with 400 or more parking spaces are required to provide 1% of total as bike parking. |
Chapel Hill requires bike parking as part of all new development. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is working on standards for Council consideration. |
|
Require justification for parking that exceeds minimum required. |
Developers are requested to justify parking above minimum requirement. |
|
Requires crosswalks, bus amenities and greenway construction. |
Requires crosswalks, bus amenities and greenway construction. |
Legal Considerations
The provisions of the Durham County Trip Reduction
Program could be applied within that portion of Chapel Hill that is in Durham
County upon adoption of a resolution by the Town Council.
The Durham Trip Reduction Program could be applied
in the portion of Chapel Hill that is in Orange County if Orange County adopted
a similar program and the Council applied it by resolution. Alternatively, the
Council could adopt a similar program for implementation throughout the Town
limits of Chapel Hill.
The provisions of the Durham County Zoning Ordinance
could not be applied in Chapel Hill. Instead, the Council could consider
similar changes to the Chapel Hill Development Ordinance if it wished to do so.
Key questions for the Council’s consideration and
discussion include: