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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 88-273 AGENDA 171 EM R E S 0 L U T 1 0 N BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY C'OUINCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAMVIONT. THAT the four elements of the Coi-ciprehensive Plan be, and tiney are hereby, adopted. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this A.- the Jjrti� day of Z6�f_ �� 1983. - 2 Mayor err ° y x I � I 1 � 1 TRANSP 0 C R-88-273 SUMMARY TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BEAUMONT, TEXAS 1988 CITY OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Proposals 2 Long-Range Plan 2 Priorities 2 Short Range Plan 3 Recommended Advance Right-of-Way Acquisition Program 3 Transportation Issues 4 Goals, Objectives and Policies 5 Goals 5 Objectives 6 Policies 6 List of Figures Page Figure 5-2 Mayor Street and Highway Plan 3 Figure 5-3 Priorities and Phasing Major Street and Highway Plan 4 Figure 5-4 Phase I Five Year Plan 6 t INTRODUCTION The Transportation Plan consists of the goals, objectives, policies and proposals of the City Council for guiding the long-range physical development of Beaumont's transportation network. It is needed in order to insure objectivity, consistency and efficiency in meeting Beaumont's long-range growth and redevelopment needs. The Plan makes it possible to document and justify decision making in accordance with predetermined and agreed-up goals, objectives and policies. It clearly places the responsibility for establishing transportation policy with the City Council. The Plan is intended to provide a long-range, general policy framework for decision making. The Plan is not an ordinance, a body of regulations, or a precise blueprint for development. The policies, proposals, and diagrams included in this chapter address broad areas of concern, such as major roadway alignments and major policies with city-wide implications. Adoption of the Plan does not mean that its goals, objectives, and policies are permanent or irreversible. As conditions in the community change and new issues emerge, the City Council will have to revise and update its goals, objectives, and policies. New information that becomes available will, in certain instances, necessitate revision of the Plan, and some policies may prove to be unworkable or unrealistic. To insure that the Plan is kept current and up-to-date and that it reflects existing Council policies, it must be reviewed on an annual basis. PROPOSALS Long-Range Plan The long-range Major Street and Highway Plan, shows a long-range plan for development of a system of freeways, arterial, and collector streets. (See Figure 5-2.) The plan depicts a "full development" scenario, showing the transportation routes that would be needed if Beaumont and future growth areas in the extraterritorial jurisdiction developed all of its usable land as shown in the Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan. For this reason, the long-range plan is not tied to a specific time span. Use of the "full development" scenario as the basis for the long-range plan will enable transportation and land development projects to be evaluated in a long-range context. This is necessary to insure that all the continuing short-range development decisions and projects are compatible with long-range needs and objectives. Priorities Figure 5-3 shows broad priority groupings for the improvements depicted in the long-range plan. The priorities are based on the following criteria: 1. relationship of existing and projected populations densities and travel demand to the capacity of the transportation system; 2. the City's Capital Improvements Program; 3. voter preferences expressed in the 1980 Thoroughfare Improvement Program bond election; 4. The Land Use Element of Beaumont's Comprehensive Plan. 2 MAJOR STREET & HIGHWAY PLAN ' 1�J 1 s Ga,Nle(U!e0) , Q FIGURE 5-2 ROADWAY RIGHT OF i DO NTOW ��ZWASl/���1 Freeway varies ' \\ ISM J I Malor Arterial 80'-120'Orth Mawr Arterial 60'-90' Omi. 1 mi. 2mi. 3mi. 4mi. Collector 60'-65' 0' 4,000' 12,000 20,000'Prepared By The Planning& Economic Development D TE penepartment ecific ROW RCity Of Beaumont,Texas Each Roadway. J( State Highway 105 t E. Lucas I a cc: o�... F . • a.... Q) at p wCalder o \\e`a� ... ..��..•� College �4 �I I 0 LL O 1 m Walden ' w..,,,aF. rw•,a �. ■'��y�y GNY Lywll• g 1 Figure 5-3 � F E,�(� (�n/�O(��j�9 PRIORITIES & PHASING ubi u �'1 u MAJOR STREET & HIGHWAY PLAN EO Adequate As Existing Y1111 lrni 2mi. 3mi 4m1. �orth �� Phase 1 1985 - 1990 .......... Phase II B' 4,000' 12,000' 20,000 Phase III Prepared By The Planning 8 Economic Development Department City OI Beaumont, Texas Phase IV 4 Short Range Plan Figure 5-4 summarizes a 5-year program of thoroughfare improvements developed through the City's Capital Improvements programming process. Recommended Advance Right-of-Way Acquisition Program The Joint City Development Committee (JCDC) expressed concern that right- of-way acquisition delays have added to the expense of thoroughfare projects and have delayed installation of badly needed improvements. The JCDC recommended the following: 1. Reserve a fixed portion of the Capital Improvements budget for advance right or way acquisition; 2. Make direct contact with land owners and developers whose property would be accessed by new transportation projects and ask for advance dedication of right-of-way. For this strategy to succeed, the JCDC indicated that the City would have to assure property owners that street improvements would be made within a reasonable time span. 5 1 J �� �?M•1.1••a s•rou � + 's f 2 01.1•X�Y 10• l.lw•• 1 /L- _. - ow••w oXnYn.• d � ix w ew n cw•••lu•w) � � � j •n••r w••Y+.na, � ...1 p Cy f Y• �,•w. p �_...� cur LWIts KM f/ [ E i 1. Figure 5-4 ° laC� IOO U\J�9 SHORT-RANGE'PLAN (5-YEAR) �orth Projects Completed Omi. 1 mi. 2mi. 3mi. 4mi. Major Arterial 0' 4,000' 12,000' 20,000' Minor Arterial Prepared By The Planning& Economic Development Department City Of Beaumont, Texas Collector r.�. 6 T R A N S P O R T A T I O N I S S U E S The transportation issues are derived from various concerns within the planning area. The major concerns were providing adequate service, economic development potential and physical impact. These issues are the basis for the goals and objective statements listed in the following pages. o On-Street Parking o Railroad/Vehicular Conflicts o Land Uses Along Major Streets o Lack of Continuity in Roadways o Alternate Neches River Crossing o Freeway Congestion o Right-of-Way Needs o Pedestrian Barriers o Economic Benefits of Transportation Investments o Coordination of Roadway Improvements with Other Public and Private Improvements o Financing Collector Streets: Participation Policy o Access to Downtown o Heavy Trucks and Hazardous Materials o Neighborhood Conservation o Community Appearance 7 GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES Goals and objectives are the cornerstone of any effective planning process. Goals and objectives are needed to (1) provide direction to the planning studies, (2) to identify specific areas of concern to be researched and evaluated in the planning process, (3) to provide a mechanism for reflecting public input, and (4) to provide for monitoring and evaluating the success of implementation actions. A distinction should be made between goals and objectives. For the purposes of this Plan, a goal is defined as a general expression of a desired outcome, while an objective is defined as a specific end to be achieved through some form of action. The process of formulating goals and objectives moves from the general to the specific; first, general goals are formulated; then, after base data is collected and analyzed, the goals and objectives are refined, made more specific and adjusted to be more applicable to the issues and needs that were identified during the preliminary research and analysis phase of the planning process. Finally, in the advanced stages of the planning process, policies are formulated which are intended to provide a means of implementing specific goals and objectives. GOALS o Provide for the efficient movement of goods and services. o Promote mobility for all citizens in all parts of the community. o Encourage physical growth and economic development through provision of the necessary transportation facilities. 8 o Maximize the positive impacts of transportation facilities on community appearance, neighborhood conservation, and quality of life values, while minimizing possible negative impacts. OBJECTIVES o Improve the arterial-street system to provide a more continuous transportation network. o Provide a system of freeways, arterial streets, collector streets, and minor residential streets to serve all developed areas of the City. o Improve the safety and convenience of pedestrian and bicycle traffic along major thoroughfares. o Use transportation improvements to capitalize upon Beaumont's potential as a commercial distribution center for the Gulf Coast region. o Coordinate the timing of construction of public streets, utilities, and other facilities to support new development. o Use transportation improvements to support the effort to make the downtown area a regional center of commerce entertainment, government, tourism, and professional services. o Avoid transportation projects with detrimental effects on residential neighborhood. o Avoid excessive traffic volumes on minor residential streets. o Improve the City's appearance through proper design, execution, and maintenance of street and highway improvements. POLICIES • On-street parking will not be permitted on new arterial streets and will be "phased out" on existing arterials, with exceptions made for the Central Business District if warranted. • At-grade railroad track crossings will be avoided whenever possible in the construction or improvement of arterial streets and highways. • When new residential subdivisions are located adjacent to arterial streets or highways, freeways; or freeway access roads, the lots should be platted with the rear lot lines adjacent to the major thoroughfare. o A high priority will be given to developing more continuous cross-town arterial routes. o The City will aggressively pursue advance acquisition of rights-of-way for future transportation projects. 9 o The City will include consideration of the needs for sidewalks and Pedestrian crossings in the process of designing major streets. Particular attention will be paid to pedestrian safety in the proximity of schools. o High-priority will be given to transportation improvements which directly contribute to the introduction of new private sector investment and permanent job creation. o The City's Capital Improvements program will be used to coordinate the timing and extent of major street improvements with private sector development and with other public improvements. o Out of financial necessity, the City will develop alternate means of participating financially in the construction of residential collector streets. o The City will support the downtown redevelopment effort through upgrading access from Interstate 10 and all areas of the City. o Heavy truck routes will be limited to arterial streets, highways, and freeways. o Neighborhood impacts will be considered in selection of heavy truck routes. o Residential collector streets will be designed to disperse neighborhood traffic to arterial streets and highways. Collectors will be designed so as to discourage their use as cross-town, arterial streets. (See Neighborhood Unit Concept diagram). o Arterial streets and highways will be routed around the perimeter of residential neighborhoods rather than through the neighborhoods, as depicted in the Neighborhood Unit Concept diagram. o Landscaping will be included in all new arterial street construction projects. 10 COMMUNITY ACTION STRATEGY PARK AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT OF- THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE PLAN ALL ARE LOCATED IN THE RESOLUTION FOLDER IN VAULT OF CLERKS OFFICE