(a) A Traffic Impact Study for a proposed development shall be submitted with the site plan, preliminary plat, or Preliminary Development Plan. One of three formats shall be used for the TIS, depending on the characteristics of the site, and it shall meet the requirements outlined in the Manual of Design. The Engineering and Environmental Services Director shall ultimately determine which type of TIS shall be used.
(b) Formats.
(1) A TIER 1 (Abbreviated) TIS is required when a development meets the following criteria:
A. The development is expected to alter the flow of traffic, either within the site or on adjacent roadways, or change the number of trips entering and exiting the site.
B. The development will affect another mode of travel (bicycle, pedestrian, busses, etc.).
(2) A TIER 2 (Standard) TIS is required when a development meets the following criteria:
A. The development produces 100 or more peak hour trips or 750 or more daily trips.
B. The development is expected to reduce the level of service on adjacent roadways and/or intersections to below a level of service of C.
C. A level of service lower than C already exists on an adjacent roadway.
D. The development is within 500 feet of a high-accident intersection or section of roadway, as identified by the City or the Ohio Department of Transportation.
E. One or more of the proposed access drives to the development is within 500 feet of a public roadway intersection or within 250 feet of a drive that is a high traffic volume generator.
F. The traffic generated by the development will increase the ADT by 25% or more on roadways in adjacent neighborhoods, as determined by the Engineering and Environmental Services Director.
G. Traffic volumes of 10,000 ADT or higher exist on roadways adjacent to the development.
H. The Engineering and Environmental Services Director determines that other conditions exist in the vicinity of the proposed development that may be negatively impacted by the development.
(3) A TIER 3 (Expanded) TIS is required when a development meets the following criteria:
A. The development is large enough to have widespread impacts to the traffic system, affecting multiple signals and/or a major corridor.
B. The Engineering and Environmental Services Director deems it necessary that a comprehensive computer analysis and simulation be used to effectively identify traffic impacts.
(c) The minimum study area shall include all proposed and existing site access locations and major intersections (signalized and unsignalized) adjacent to the site. Depending on the overall size of the development, as well as the nature of the development, the Engineering and Environmental Services Director may require that additional areas be included in the study, based upon, but not limited to, local or site-specific issues, local policy, and impacts that are likely to occur to residential areas. Final determination of the study area shall be agreed upon by the City and the developer.
(d) The internal design of the development shall provide sufficient traffic capacity and queuing space, and shall provide for distribution of automobiles to and from parking spaces, pick-up/drop-off points, and drive-through lanes. Such internal design has a direct bearing on the adequacy of site access points. The identification and design of access points between the site and the external roadway system is directly related to both the directional distribution of site traffic and the internal circulation of the facility. Simply providing access to a site by means of curb cuts does not necessarily mean that access to the development has been adequately addressed. The quality of the internal site circulation and design has a direct impact on the quality of traffic flow in and around the site development and on public safety.
(e) In determining the amount of traffic to be generated by the proposed development, trip generation rates or equations from the Institute of Transportation Engineers "Trip Generation" Manual, latest edition, shall be used. The proposed development shall be categorized by the specific land use classification contained in the Trip Generation. If specific trip rates are not available for a particular development, the method of trip rate determination shall be agreed upon by the City and the developer.
(f) The Traffic Impact Study shall include recommendations for improvements to maintain capacity, provide signal capacity, and improve safety to, from, and within the development. These may include, but are not limited to intersection recommendations, site driveway recommendations, and acceleration and deceleration lanes.
(Ord. O2007-24, passed 3-20-2007)