League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County

 

P.O. Box 1072, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

 

September 25, 2005

Dr. Terry Riordan, Chairman

Members

Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission City Hall

Lawrence, Kansas 66044

 

RE: ITEM NO. 10: COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT; CHAPTER 8 - TRANSPORTATION Dear Chairman Riordan and Planning Commissioners:

 

We greatly appreciate the careful review and thoughtful changes that have been made to the Horizon 2020 Draft Chapter 8, Transportation. The network of streets and roads serves as the primary framework for new development and redevelopment in the city and county, and we hope that this plan is implemented. We appreciate the increased emphasis on pedestrian access to public transportation and on general connectivity throughout the community.

 

There are still some features of this draft chapter that we hope you will reconsider. Attached are copies of portions of the draft plan with our suggestions for changes. We are especially concerned about the clarity of the definition of "residential collectors" and the sections on access policies for arterials. In great measure, these policies will determine the safety and efficiency of our arterial system. We hope that our suggested changes will illustrate our concerns and that these will be addressed in the final draft.

 

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

 

Alan Black, Chairman                                                    Caleb Morse

Land Use Committee                                                    LWV L-DC Board of Directors

 

 

Attachment

 

ATTACHMENT
SUGGESTED CORRECTIONS TO HORIZON 2020, CHAPTER 8, TRANSPORTATION.
[Please add the wording underlined in italics and delete the wording that is stricken.]

I.     CLARIFICATION REQUIRED.

On page 8-2: This additional wording is required to facilitate internal connectivity within neighborhoods and include streets that function as connectors. Please add the suggested text.

Residential Collector .

"Various traffic-calming treatments may be used to reduce travel speeds.

Residential collector streets with adjacent residential land uses should be

limited to two lanes. These streets can serve as a connector street between

local streets and the thoroughfare system within neighborhoods."

 

 

II.  ACCESS POLICIES.

On page 8-2: This change is required to ensure adequate planning of street patterns in order to avoid the need for waivers. Without adequate, prior planning for neighborhoods, situations may arise where alternatives to taking direct access to arterials by local streets are precluded.

 

Local

"Local streets provide direct access to adjacent land uses. Direct access from a local street to an arterial street or principal arterial street will not be discouraged; permitted.  permission to do so will require proof or burden from the applicant.  Local streets offer the lowest level of mobility. Traffic volumes are typically low and speeds relatively slow.  Local streets typically make up the largest percentage of street mileage."

 

On page 8-6: This must also be changed to avoid the need for waivers caused by the failure to plan street patterns in advance.

Policy 2.3 Develop a Countywide Street System

"b.    Direct access from a local street, public or private, to an arterial street or

principal arterial street will not be permitted.  discouraged; permission to do so will require proof or burden from the applicant.

Advanced planning of neighborhood street patterns should be required to avoid local-arterial street connections."

On page 8-9: Access of driveways to arterials must be avoided in new development. Please make a distinction between new development and existing development by adding the suggested text:

Policy 3.4 Medians

"c.    Where a raised median is not possible or is inappropriate on a principal arterial

street, and arterial street, or on a collector street, a two-way continuous left-turn

lane should be used adjacent to commercial land uses in developed areas where direct

driveway access cannot be eliminated."

 

On page 8-13: Driveway access to arterial streets should not be permitted, regardless of whether the intended uses are for multiple family or commercial land use.

Policy 6.3 Develop Access Management Standards in Multi-Family Areas

"a. Site design of developments should accommodate multiple points of access

(direct and indirect), with attention to directing vehicular traffic to and from a

development to collector, and/or arterial streets.   frontage road, or permanent cross-access easements."

 

On Page 8-14: This policy should also apply to mixed use developments.

Policy 6.3 Develop Access Management Standards in Multi-Family Areas

"c.    A frontage roa or on intersecting public street shall be required for access to a single parcel or contiguous parcels comprised of mixed-use developments (commercial, and/or multi-family residential).  should be permitted access onto adjacent arterials only when traffic volume, topography, fire safety, or length of street frontage and site conditions warrant an individual driveway.”

On Page 8-14: These policies should also apply to access management standards in commercial and industrial areas. Please make the following changes:

Policy 6.4 Develop Access Management Standards in Commercial and Industrial

Areas

"a. Site design of developments should accommodate multiple points of access (direct and indirect), with attention to directing vehicular traffic to and from a development to collector and/or arterial streets y means of frontage roads or special commercial streets. Direct driveway access to arterials shall not be permitted. Connector streets may be used to allow interior neighborhood access to commercial and industrial areas."

 

“c.  A single parcel or contiguous parcels comprised of mixed-use developments

(commercial and/or multi-family residential) should be permitted access onto

adjacent arterials only when traffic volume, topography, fire safety, or length of

street frontage and site conditions warrant an individual driveway.

 

c. Direct access onto arterials shall not be permitted. New developments shall be incorporated into pre-planned neighborhood designs to avoid the need for direct driveway access onto arterials."

"d.    For existing properties or in redevelopment or infill situations on arterial streets, shared driveways between adjacent properties and the use of cross access easements or frontage roads should be provided unless it is  unfeasible to do so where access to intersecting collectors is not feasible."

Policy 6.5 Access Spacing

“a.  On principal arterial streets, developments should consolidate driveways at ¼

to ½ mile locations, and should align them with driveways and streets on the

opposite side of the principal arterial thoroughfare, or offset them at least 300’.

b.  On arterial streets, commercial, industrial, or multi-family developments should

consolidate driveways at 1/10 to 1/6 mile locations.

 a & b. There shall not be direct driveway access to principal arterials or arterials. Access shall be to intersecting collectors, public cross-access easements or frontage roads."