(Blue Diamond Road) Corridor Study - Regional Transportation ...

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2. Current Conditions of Study Area RTC SR-160 Corridor Study Over the past decade, transit-oriented development (TOD) has gained increasing popularity as a planning tool to promote sustainable, smart growth. Since the 1990s, an understanding of TOD has become intertwined with new urbanism, a concept emphasizing livable, environmentally sustainable communities. In Southern Nevada, consumers have expressed a growing desire for high-amenity housing in compact neighborhoods where retail services and commercial activity centers are located within walking distance, and where transit service is an option. Because RTC is introducing new mass transit systems throughout Clark County, TOD, if designed well, can create a pocket of mixed uses within walking distance of stations in a way that encourages walking and promotes transit usage. Unfortunately, successful examples of TOD are relatively few. Where they have been implemented successfully, such projects require persistent advocacy and dedicated public involvement, all based around a clear definition of TOD. Successful TOD projects share several common attributes, the most important of which is a rich mix of land uses capable of supporting the needs of the immediate neighborhood. Such mixed use developments generally go against the grain of more traditional suburban development patterns, which typically segregate land uses and impose circulation systems based exclusively around the use of the automobile. Most of the Major Projects in the Enterprise Planning District fit this general profile. Recently, Clark County Comprehensive Planning introduced land uses ordinances designed to encourage mixed use developments. The Mixed Use Overlay ordinance acknowledges the interaction between land use decisions and travel behavior and the unintended consequences of auto-centric development patterns that result in traffic problems. The purpose of this section is to identify key principles of community building designed to be more sustainable, productive, and environmentally responsible than traditional suburban communities developed over the past half century. The section concludes with an assessment of Clark County’s Mixed Use Overlay Ordinance and offers recommendations for modification to the ordinance to encourage more sustainable development patterns. In Making Smart Growth Work 2 , Porter describes six key principles of smart growth: 1. Compact, multiuse development, 2. Open-space conservation, 3. Expanded mobility, 4. Enhanced livability, 5. Efficient management and expansion of infrastructure, and 6. In-fill, redevelopment, and adaptive reuse in built-up areas. 2 Porter, Douglas. 2002. Making Smart Growth Work. Washington: Urban Land Institute 2-8
2. Current Conditions of Study Area RTC SR-160 Corridor Study While there are many definitions of TOD, the underlying essence of TOD is reflected in the definition adopted by the State of California: Moderate to higher density development, located within an easy walk (approximately ½ mile) of a major transit stop, generally with a mix of residential, employment, and shopping opportunities designed for pedestrians without excluding the auto. TOD can be new construction or redevelopment of one or more buildings whose design and orientation facilitate transit use. - California Department of Transportation, 2002 In several states, TOD Initiatives have been adopted at the state level to encourage local growth patterns that incorporate principles of smart growth. The state of New Jersey, for example, has adopted a statewide New Jersey Transit Village Initiative program designed to promote TOD throughout the state. Individual locations are selected as a Transit Village and receive special treatment from the state with the goal of promoting smart growth. Municipalities must apply to the Transit Village Task Force (composed of representatives from each of the state agencies) and demonstrate that planning ordinances support the principles of the Transit Village Initiative, including compact development, transit-supportive land uses, and a high-quality pedestrian environment. While Clark County has introduced some TOD concepts to its Mixed Use Overlay Ordinance, the state of Nevada has not formally commissioned a study of a Mixed Use Village Initiative program comparable to what has been approved in New Jersey. Recent research of TOD suggests that certain underlying conditions must exist for transit ridership to increase. A study of rail stations in the San Francisco Bay Area showed a strong positive link between residential density, numbers of retail and service jobs (land use diversity), and the city block patterns (urban design) with transit use. In this study, two ridership growth scenarios are presented, based on a reasonable expectation of future land use growth patterns. Alternative 1 – High Growth assumes increased developmental densities and transit-oriented, mixed use development within Clark County’s Mixed Use Overlay District. Alternative 2 – Moderate Growth assumes more limited developmental densities and mixed use developments within the Overlay District. Details for the 2030 forecast ridership estimates are provided in Technical Memorandum 2.1. Clark County’s Mixed Use Overlay District In Clark County, there appear to be several locations – particularly within the downtown area – that meet the underlying conditions needed for TOD to encourage transit ridership growth. Nevertheless, Clark County, in partnership with the cities of Las Vegas and North 2-9
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5. Alternative Development RTC SR-1
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6. SR-160 Corridor Improvement Plan
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7. Proposed Park and Ride Facilitie
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8. Estimated System Costs RTC SR-16
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A. Aerial Photographs of Blue Diamo
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B. Candidate Park & Ride Site Data
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C. SR-160 Major Intersections RTC S
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D. RTC Policies and Procedures RTC
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