Master Plan - City of Troy

CITY OF TROY MASTER PLANdensity, mixed use zoning, the developmentof design guidelines for station areas, strongpublic investment policies, and incentives likethe sharing of infrastructure developmentcosts, providing for brownfield remediation, orstreamlining the development process for TODprojects. 7Virtual PathwaysNew advances in telecommunications couldhave dramatic impacts on transportation in thefuture, but the actual effects are still uncertain.In particular, the advent of telecommutingwill allow a great number of people to workremotely, usually out of their homes or satelliteoffices. This kind of arrangement was notpossible before high speed internet and othertechnological breakthroughs.According to the U.S. Census, telecommutinghas been increasing and will likely continue toincrease. In fact, in 2005 about 3.4 percent ofworkers were telecommuters in the UnitedStates and projections indicate that as manyas 20 percent could ultimately become homebased.This projection is based on the federalworkforce, where promotion of telecommutingis mandated by law.On its face, telecommuting would appearto relieve traffic congestion by taking moredrivers off the streets and reducing the numberof trips per day. However, in the long term,telecommuting could have the same effect thatthe emergence of knowledge based businesseshas had in that workers will no longer berequired to locate near their employers. Whilemany employers locate strategically to secure asolid workforce, there are also firms which existvirtually online. That is, employees work all overthe country and contribute via the internet.Walkable Urbanism Strategic andImplementation Plan: The TroyBirmingham Transit CenterIn May of 2007, the Troy Chamber ofCommerce and the City of Troy initiated thedevelopment of the Walkable UrbanismStrategic and Implementation Plan. ThePlan will focus on the area surroundingthe planned Troy/Birmingham TransitCenter. The study team includes a groupof graduate students from the University ofMichigan Real Estate Program focused onfour areas of analysis:• Transportation options• Fiscal impacts• Market potential• Land use patternsThe final Comprehensive Report, due tobe completed in 2008, will provide both a“contextual analysis” and a “strategic andimplementation” plan. The Report willidentify opportunities and projects whichwill enhance the area and complement theplanned Transit Center.The study will examine the area at threegeographic levels. The first will be thesite itself, the second will be the site andit’s immediate surroundings, and thethird will be the greater context andneighboring “activity nodes.” In thismanner the study will address how theCenter will interact with the neighborhoodand with communities beyond Troy andBirmingham.Given this phenomenon, communities like7. http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/pages/modtod.htmlCHAPTER 5: MOBILITY49