Subd. 1. Major traffic generators. Any applicant or proposer of a development project (construction projects of buildings, structures, streets or other infrastructure) which meets the definition of major traffic generator shall provide a traffic impact study (TIS) that includes information necessary to allow the city to assess:
A. The transportation implications of traffic associated with a proposed development;
B. The existing and future capacity and condition of the affected street system; and
C. The growth of the transportation system may occur in a manner that is comprehensive in nature and supportive of the public good.
Subd. 2. Traffic impact studies.
A. A TIS prepared consistent with the provisions of this chapter will be required. All roads and intersections serving a proposed use must be determined to be capable of handling the future projected traffic generated by the use. No application for a development identified as requiring a TIS will be deemed complete unless it is accompanied by a TIS. All projects requiring a TIS will require a conditional use permit no matter the zoning district in which the project is located.
B. A traffic impact study shall identify:
1. What improvements, if any, are needed to:
a. Ensure safe ingress to and egress from a site;
b. Maintain adequate street capacity and appropriate level of service on public streets serving the development;
c. Ensure safe and reasonable traffic operating conditions on streets and at intersections along the proposed route; avoid creation of or mitigate existing hazardous traffic conditions;
d. Minimize the impact of non-residential traffic on residential uses along the route; and
e. Safeguard the public investment in the existing street system.
2. The road system investments to the city, county and state road systems necessary to serve anticipated development.
C. Traffic impact studies shall include the following information:
1. An analysis of current and future traffic operations and intersection improvement needs at all site access points in the affected transportation routes. This operational evaluation shall include on-site circulation as it may affect access, on-site and off-site turn lanes and required vehicle storage, the potential need for signalization or other traffic control, and review of sight distance, vehicle turning movements and other intersection safety aspects. The proposed access plan should be consistent with the standards of the city's transportation plan (contained in the adopted comprehensive plan or as amended) and with county or state requirements for access management;
2. An analysis of the impact of site-generated traffic on the level of service of affected intersections and public streets along the proposed route. Affected road segments or intersections are where the additional traffic volume created by the proposed development is greater than 10% of the current traffic volume (for road segments) or the current entering volume (for intersections). Examples of possible effects include, but are not limited to, pedestrian and bicyclist safety hazards, traffic noise or turning movement's conflicts with other driveways or intersecting roads;
3. For developments expected to generate more than 60 heavy vehicle trips per day, an analysis of the intersections and road segments these trucks would use to enter and exit the city limits is required. Issues of concern include structural capacity, impacts of slow moving vehicles on roadway safety and the need for intersection operation improvements to accommodate truck traffic;
4. An analysis of the impact of the proposed development on residential uses (where the abutting land use is predominately residential) along the proposed route to identify any potential adverse effects of the proposed development and mitigation measures to address any impacts. Examples of possible effects include, but are not limited to: non-residential traffic impacts on residential neighborhoods; pedestrian and bicyclist safety hazards; traffic noise; or turning movement conflicts with other driveways or intersecting roads;
5. A detailed list of the transportation infrastructure improvements needed to mitigate the impact of the development and estimated costs of these improvements; and
6. An explanation of how improvements that are identified to mitigate the traffic impact of the development meet commonly accepted engineering design standards and access management criteria.
D. The TIS shall be led by a traffic or transportation engineer, or other qualified professional with experience in the preparation of the analysis. The city shall have the final approval of the selection of the professional or shall employ other professionals (such as the City Engineer) to review the TIS on the city's behalf. The applicant shall be responsible for the costs of preparation of the TIS and of the City Engineer's review.
E. The standards for traffic service that shall be used to evaluate the findings of traffic impact studies are:
1. Level of service.
a. The level of service standard for all highway corridor operations (including freeway mainline, merging areas and ramp junctions, and arterial and collector intersections or corridors) should meet the level of service standards listed in the table below. Level of service should be calculated using the Transportation Research Board's Highway Capacity Manual. Where the existing level of service is below these standards, a TIS shall identify those improvements needed to maintain the existing level of service and what additional improvements would be needed to raise the level of service to the standards indicated; and
b. The Highway Capacity Manual estimates the quality of traffic flow in letter grades, referred to as levels of service. A and B represent uncongested conditions, C and D are approaching congestion and E and F are very congested.
Levels of service for the City of Austin | ||
Land Use | Street Type | Level of Service |
Levels of service for the City of Austin | ||
Land Use | Street Type | Level of Service |
Commercial | City Street | MidC |
Commercial | County State Aid Highway | C/D Midpoint |
Industrial | City Street | MidC |
Industrial | County State Aid Highway | C/D Midpoint |
Residential | City Street | B |
Residential | County State Aid Highway | MidC |
2. Number of access points. The number of access points shall be the minimum needed to provide adequate access capacity for the site. The spacing of access points shall be consistent with the road authority's access management requirements. If the road authority has not adopted access management requirements, then there shall be spacing of 300 feet between access points, or the maximum available distance if there is less than 300 feet between an access point and the nearest adjoining intersection or driveway on an adjacent parcel;
3. Residential street impact. Without mitigative measures, non-residential development shall contribute no more than 20% of the traffic on any local street for which residentially zoned property makes up more than 50% of the street frontage;
4. Vehicle storage. The capacity of storage bays and auxiliary lanes for turning traffic shall be adequate to ensure turning traffic will not interfere with through traffic flows on any public street;
5. Internal circulation. On-site vehicle circulation and parking patterns shall be designed so as not to interfere with the flow of traffic on any public street and shall accommodate all anticipated types of site traffic; and
6. Safety. Access points shall be located and designed to provide for adequate intersection and stopping sight distance and appropriate facilities to accommodate acceleration and deceleration of site traffic. The geometric design of access points shall meet the standards of the access management requirements of the road authority connecting to the proposed development site.
F. The city shall require either the applicant or the owner or user of the property on which the project is proposed to post a security in such form and sum as determined by the City Engineer. The amount of the security shall be sufficient to cover the city's extraordinary cost and expense of repairing, from time to time, any highways, streets or other public ways where such repair work is made necessary by the special burden resulting from hauling and travel for the proposed project. The amount of the security shall also be sufficient to ensure compliance with all requirements of this chapter, and the particular permit, and to pay the expense the city may incur as a result of the permit.
G. Waivers.
1. The requirement for a transportation impact study may be waived by the city after consulting with road authority representatives with roads comprising any designated haul routes (the county's Highway Engineer for affected county roads in the county, the City Engineer for any affected city roads, the District Engineer of MnDOT for federal highways, or the County Engineer for county roads) if it is determined that:
a. A transportation impact study is not necessary to determine needed road improvements on roadway access points or portions of haul routes under their jurisdiction, and that for roadways and the intersections along haul routes under their jurisdiction, no unsafe or hazardous conditions will be created by the development as proposed;
b. The applicant has provided performance bonds or other guarantees providing adequate assurance that anticipated damage to roads can be mitigated and/or that unsafe conditions can be mitigated or avoided; and
c. The use is seasonal or short-term, less than three months in total, with peak daily trip generation that exceeds the major traffic generators thresholds, but whose annual average trip generation does not pose a risk to the road infrastructure or traffic safety of the facility and adjacent road network based on evaluation of the cumulative pavement impact expected and geometric design of the roadway.
2. This waiver shall not preempt the authority of the state's Department of Transportation to require a traffic study on any state or federal highway, nor the authority of any affected jurisdiction to require a traffic study under an applicable ordinance. A waiver will not be granted to haul any product that is deemed hazardous or a potential threat to the health of the public.
3. Applications for major traffic generator waiver shall be made to the Zoning Administrator or designee on forms provided by his or her office. Only one waiver will be granted per 12-month period per site. Completed applications shall be forwarded to the City Engineer for review and then to the Street Commission for consideration at an upcoming meeting. The application must include:
a. A detailed description and map of the proposed haul route;
b. Number of daily and total trips requested;
c. Haul days and hours; and
d. Any other data that the City Engineer might request to make a determination on the waiver application.
(Ord. 699, passed 1-18-22)