ntaylor_fll_compplanamendments

Fort LauderdaleComprehensive Plan Update

Transportation

Conor Campobasso | Julian Gdaniec | Deyman Rodriguez | Nathan Taylor

The purpose of this plan is to further enhance the equity, connectivity, and livability of the City of Fort Lauderdale through transportation focused initiatives. Florida Atlantic Transit Associates has reviewed local, national, an international case studies to better inform decisions regarding the regional transportation network.network. Policies proposed in the following Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element have taken into consideration the findings from the case studies and we feel the proposals within will best contribute to an enriched future for all citizens of Fort Lauderdale.

What Drives This Plan

1

> > > Table of Contents > > > MULTI-MODAL EXPANSION 2

URBAN GROWTH AREAS 5

COMPLETE STREETS 7

TRANSPORTATION CONCURRENCY SYSTEM 10

COMMUNITY IMPACT ANALYSIS 10

VOLUNTARY CARBON ASSESSMENT: 11

PUBLIC HEALTH OUTREACH/INVOLVEMENT: 12

NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIVITY 13

GROWTH OF MOBILITY HUBS 13

2

Multi-Modal Expansion

> > > What:

In order to enhance the connectivity between neighborhoods and urban growth areas throughout the city, and to provide a transit system that is more equitable, sustainable, efficient, and convenient for all citizens of the City of Fort Lauderdale, various expansions and additions to transportation services will be enacted. These include expanding the route for the Wave Streetcar to increase coverage across the city, a Bus Rapid Transit Network to facilitate enhanced mobility from within the Downtown Core to neighborhoods on the periphery of the City, and an Intracoastal Ferry System.

> > > Proposal:

Wave Streetcar: The streetcar, a light-rail transportation service, will provide citizens in the downtown core a convenient opportunity to move about the downtown, as well as promote the accessibility to highly frequented uses outside of the downtown core. Likewise, the light rail service will provide an entry point to the downtown core and its increasingly diverse array of uses to citizens that may reside in other urban growth hubs or neighborhoods outside of the downtown, most of whom must currently resort to personal automobile usage or the current county bus system to service their transportation needs.

The streetcar will provide frequent stops and run on an at-grade track in dedicated transit lanes. The route will be implemented across four phasing stages. The first phase is targeted to be complete in 2017 with completion of the fourth and final phase targeted for 2022. The Streetcar will offer varying fare options that include discounts for minors, seniors, and the economically disadvantaged. *A map illustrating the proposed phase expansions and suggested routes is available in the appendix of this document.

The Wave streetcar is a vital component of the Cities initiative to provide quality public transportation to its citizens that is considered not just an option, but the preferred option for moving about the city. Routes and stops will be implemented with careful consideration of demographic and economic factors of varying neighborhoods as to provide better access for underserved populations as to promote a more equitable, connected, and livable city. *Maps detailing how the proposed streetcar route relates to areas of vulnerability across the city, as measured by poverty rates and vehicle attainment rates, is available in the appendix of this document.

3

Bus Rapid Transit: The BRT route network will provide transportation alternatives for those citizens that currently reside outside the downtown area and other urban growth cores. It is a system that primarily provides fast, convenient transportation bidirectional east-west and west-east. It will operate on dedicated transit lanes along major transit corridors. Initial proposals have targeted Cypress Creek Road, Oakland Park Blvd, Sunrise Blvd, Broward Blvd, and Davie Blvd as corridors where BRT will be implemented. The City will work in conjunction with Broward County MPO to diligently plan, alter, and expand the BRT routes in service and promote BRT access to across the county, thereby leveraging the City of Fort Lauderdale’s position as a nexus for transit connections across multiple modes.

The BRT network will utilize a signal priority system to most efficiently move busses across the city without sacrificing safety. Stops will be significantly less frequent than regular county operated bus routes and the Wave Streetcar with target headways at 7 minutes between busses off-peak hours and 4 minutes between busses on peak hours for routes with the highest demand for ridership, and target headways of 12 minutes off peak hours and 6 minutes on peak hours for all other routes.

Bus Rapid Transit is a vital component of the Cities initiative to provide quality public transportation to its citizens that is considered not just an option, but the preferred option for moving about the city. Routes and stops will be implemented with careful consideration of demographic and economic factors of varying neighborhoods as to provide better access for underserved populations as to promote a more equitable, connected, and livable city. *Maps detailing how the proposed BRT routes relate to areas of vulnerability across the city, as measured by poverty rates and vehicle attainment rates, is available in the appendix of this document.

Ferry Service: Fort Lauderdale is known as the “Venice of the America” due to its extensive waterway system made up of rivers and canals. There are approximately 165 miles of waterway, with much of the canals and rivers providing a thoroughfare for residents and visitors alike passing with their boats and yachts. The Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi is a privately own ferry service system that takes advantage of the resourcefulness of navigating through the waterway without the inconvenience of traffic. However, this service is catered towards visitors of the City, and although it runs from Oakland park boulevard to Hallandale Boulevard, connecting multiple nodes, it is not cost efficient for a resident to use for daily activities. Just for an adult, its $26 a day!

The City will seek partnership with Broward County Transit to implement a ferry route that serves as an alternate way of transportation through the eastern side of the city, taking advantage of the existing extensive

4

waterway system. This Ferry system will seek funding from various sources, such as Broward County, Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the United States Department of Transportation. The cost of the ferry fare will should be determined by Broward County Transit (BTC), and shall be competitive with other BTC services such as regular Bus fare, Bus Rapid Transit fare, and the Wave Streetcar fare. It is also advisable for Fort Lauderdale to invest in working with the sister city of Hollywood to extend the ferry route, and reach further nodes and destinations proven valuable as by the existing Water Taxi system. However, a Feasibility Study shall be done prior to the expansion.

Modal Hierarchy

> > > What

In order to further perpetuate the Vision Zero initiative adopted by the City in 2015 and to support the intentions purported in this comprehensive plan regarding an expansion of multi-modal transit services across the city, Fort Lauderdale will adopt a hierarchy of transportation modes that explicitly states order of prioritization of various modes. All further policy and planning decisions shall be implemented with this modal hierarchy in mind. If disputes shall arise regarding conflictions between modal implementation, the policy enacted should enforce the hierarchy established herein.

> > > Proposal:

Modal Hierarchy

1. Pedestrians 2. Bicycles 3. Transit 4. On-Demand and Ride-Sharing Services 5. Electric and Hybrid Personal Vehicles 6. Personal Vehicles

5

Urban Growth Areas

> > > What:

Fort Lauderdale, like many cities in the South Florida Region, is expecting substantial population growth over the next several years. In fact, projections are that the city will experience a population increase of roughly 50,000 by 2030. Additionally, less than 4% of all land is vacant and developable. Considering these unique factors, the city must be diligent in establishing policy that provides a sustainable method for accommodating expected growth without resorting to sprawling, low density development trends of the past. By designating certain areas of the city that are best suited to absorb and accommodate future growth, the city will position itself for success in an ever changing future. Urban Growth Areas will promote resiliency.

Urban Growth areas are specifically defined land areas where future development will be encouraged, infrastructure investment will occur, and growth will be focused. This concentration of development will carry significant economic, environmental, social, and lifestyle benefits. Furthermore, more frequent and reliable transit networks are better implemented in areas of higher density.

Urban Growth areas are characterized by high density development, diverse mix of uses, variety of housing types, comprehensive multi-modal transit networks, walkable and bikeable compact network grids, quality public spaces, and access to ample services in close proximity.

> > > Proposal:

There are four locations across the city that will be designated as Urban Growth Areas. As a growth management strategy, the majority of future development will be directed towards these Urban Growth Areas. The inclusion of future areas to be designated as UGA’s and/or the expansion of UGA boundaries is at the discretion of planning professionals and policy makers.

The four Urban Growth Areas are as follows:

1. Downtown Central Core 2. Cypress Creek Core 3. Las Olas / Beach Core 4. Sunrise / US1 Core

The Downtown Central Core serves as the major urban hub of the city and will be where the majority of growth is concentrated. The other three cores serve as neighborhood hubs that provide access to key uses and services to citizens residing on the periphery of the downtown core, thereby promoting equity, livability and an overall improvement to quality of life. (A map illustrating the planned location of the four Urban Growth Areas can be found in the addendum of this document.)

6

Future development will be encouraged in UGA’s by a number of initiatives, including, but not limited to:

- Incentive Zoning and Overlay Districts

- Public Transportation Infrastructure Investment

- Business Development Districts

- Tax Increment Financing Districts

- Fast Track Approval Processes

7

Complete Streets

> > > What:

A growing number of communities are discovering the value of their streets as important public spaces for many aspects of daily life. People want streets that accommodate all modes of transportation, are safe to cross or walk along, link healthy neighborhoods, offer places to meet people, connect us to daily needs, and have a vibrant mix of land uses. More people are enjoying the value of farmers’ markets, street festivals, and gathering places, and are expressing the desire to walk and ride bicycles throughout their neighborhoods.

A Complete Street, as defined by the National Complete Streets Coalition (NCSC), is a street where the entire right-of-way is planned, designed, and operated for all modes of transportation and all users regardless of age or ability. Pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a Complete Street. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, catch the bus, bike to work, and enjoy many other healthy activities.

Incomplete streets, or conventionally designed streets, are those designed with only cars in mind. They limit transportation choices by making walking, bicycling, and taking public transportation inconvenient and unattractive. (Text obtained from Broward MPO)

> > > Proposal:

The Broward MPO currently maintains “Complete Streets Guidelines” that the City will reference. However, a more specific policy will be implemented for the City. A complete street template will be implemented that specifies minimum mandatory street design requirements per varying functional street classifications.

The Functional Classifications are as follows:

- Major Arterial with Dedicated Transit lane - Major Arterial - Collector - Local Roadway

(Section cuts illustrating complete street design standards per functional classification are available in the addendum of this document)

8

Complete Street Template: (Minimum requirements for all functional classifications)

Walkability: Minimum sidewalk width of 6’ / Preferred width of 10’+ / Pedestrian midblock crosswalk every 600’ / Pedestrian safety island (minimum width of 5’) required when street width encompasses greater than four multi-purpose lanes

Bicycle Facilities: Protected bicycle lane minimum width of 4’ / Protective barrier minimum width of 3’/ Accepted barrier typologies include paint strips, planters, raised medians) / Shared Bike Lanes (“sharrows”) only permitted on local roadways.

Transit Facilities: Right of way used for transit stops, such as for local bus routes, must not be used at the expense of sidewalk and bicycle facilities. Instead, in-lane side boarding bus islands will be utilized / BRT and Streetcar facilities will be upgraded to include amenities such as wayfinding, covered shelter, and real-time status updates and headway times.

Automobile Travel Lanes: Maximum width of 11’

Aesthetic Elements: Tree coverage, lighting, benches, and other public space design elements shall be in accordance with the Urban Design Element of the Comprehensive Plan.

Complete Street Target Benchmarks

- 70% of roadways in districts designated as Urban Growth Areas shall be transitioned to “Complete Streets” in accordance with the design guidelines of this template by 2035

- 100% of roadways in districts designated as Urban Growth Areas shall be transitioned to “Complete Streets” in accordance with the design guidelines of this template by 2050

- 30% of roadways in all other areas of the city shall be transitioned to “Complete Streets” in accordance with the design guidelines of this template by 2035

- 50% of roadways in all other areas of the city shall be transitioned to “Complete Streets” in accordance with the design guidelines of this template by 2050

All new development projects, where street design and transit facilities are not in compliance with the minimum standards described by this template, are required to pay an impact fee that will be applied to transitioning streets in order to hit the benchmark goals stated previously.

9

Streets as Public Spaces

> > > What

Streets are, first and foremost, public spaces, and considerations should be made to facilitate a built environment that is designed at the human scale. When corridors are designed solely with automobiles in mind, the resulting public landscape is not conducive to cultivating livable, walkable, equitable, enjoyable urban areas. Moving traffic efficiently and safely is an important aspect of the city’s transportation plan. However, in order to better position the city to handle future growth in a sustainable fashion, transportation functions (including street design) should be done with consideration for other modes of transportation and at the human scale. This idea is being supplemented by other initiatives adopted in this comprehensive plan, such as the modal hierarchy and compete streets implementation template.

> > > Proposal:

Biannually the City of Fort Lauderdale, in conjunction with the Broward MPO, shall conduct a survey of the street network with the goal in mind of identifying underutilized corridors or sections of the network that might better be suited for alternative use. Such alternative uses can include, but are not limited to, pedestrian corridors, pocket parks, transit corridors, greenways, etc. A minimum of one street transition project shall be conducted biannually, until 2035 as long as the overall integrity of the transportation and roadway network is not compromised. The modal hierarchy shall inform all major decisions regarding streets as public spaces. (A sample design illustrating the transition of an underutilized street into a pedestrian corridor can be found in the addendum of this document.)

10

Transportation Concurrency System

> > > What:

The Transportation Concurrency System, adopted by Broward County will be streamlined to suit the needs of Ft Lauderdale residents. Under the current system, Broward County is divided into 10 Concurrency districts. Large residential and commercial developments are assessed a transportation impact fee based upon the formulated impact of the development to the transportation system. The fees collected under this system are distributed within the district where the development occurs.

> > > Proposal:

The City of Ft Lauderdale will build upon the Transportation Concurrency System to better fulfill the needs of its citizens. The City of Ft Lauderdale will create a working group with Broward County to create a sub-district that encompasses all of the City of Ft Lauderdale. The concurrency fees will be re-formulated and increased after analysis from the city. The incremental increases from the new impact fee formulation on projects developed within the Ft Lauderdale sub-district will be assigned to the newly created Ft Lauderdale sub-district in order to give greater discretion and flexibility to transit projects in the city. The allocation of these funds will be consistent with the goals of the MPO Long Range Transportation Plan.

Language pertaining to the creation of the newly developed Ft Lauderdale sub-district will be inserted into the comprehensive plan along with associated maps to delineate the sub-districts areas of authority. The Transportation Division of the City of Ft Lauderdale will be responsible for the allocation of funds to transit projects after all appropriate public outreach measures are fulfilled.

Community Impact Analysis

> > > What:

The Community Impact Analysis will be a mandatory analysis undertaken by the developing agency of newly proposed transportation developments. The analysis will be reported concurrently with the Environmental Impact statement to address the social impacts of the transportation development within the project area.

11

> > > Proposal:

The City of Ft Lauderdale will incorporate the major points of the Community Impact Assessment: A Handbook for Transportation Professionals into the Transportation Element of the comprehensive plan. The handbook, developed by the Florida Department of Transportation provides a detailed guide to incorporate social justice concerns into the planning and development of transportation related projects. It is our contention that the community impact analysis be included within the introduction of the transportation element to ensure its importance in the document.

Due to the length and detail of the handbook, it is unnecessarily cumbersome to include each detailed chapter into the comprehensive plan. Instead, we propose articulating in the comprehensive plan that each transportation project be required to conduct a community impact analysis consistent with the methods and ideology of the FDOT community impact analysis handbook. Transportation projects will be required to meet specific criteria similar to the environmental impact statement. The criteria for the community impact analysis will be formulated in conjunction with FDOT, Broward County, the City of Ft Lauderdale, Broward MPO, and local community involvement.

Voluntary Carbon Assessment:

> > > What:

The voluntary carbon assessment is a strategy to incentivize the private sector to reduce fossil fuel consumption and decrease the effects of climate change. Ft Lauderdale is home to a major deep-water port, Port Everglades, and a busy international airport. Ft Lauderdale International airport handled 26 million passengers in 2015 while Port Everglades processed 24 million tons of waterborne cargo in 2015. These substantial transportation sites produce significant amounts of carbon and will be targeted with a voluntary carbon assessment to reduce CO2 admissions.

> > > Proposal:

We propose a voluntary carbon assessment initiative to be enacted in Ft Lauderdale. The assessment will give transportation companies (carriers, distributors, terminal operators, ship lines, etc.) the opportunity to report their carbon emissions and introduce strategies to lower those emissions. The carbon assessment will be open to transportation related companies that currently operate in Ft Lauderdale with emissions above a certain level to be determined in conjunction with the Sustainability Advisory Board, City staff, and expert groups. The system will be designed to give

12

tax credits to companies that develop and execute successful strategies that curb CO2 emissions in a given year. Companies wishing to participate in the program will be monitored by City personnel and subject to random checks to ensure the integrity of the program. The long range goal of the program is to specifically reduce transportation emissions in Ft Lauderdale because it hosts large-scale commercial transportation activity. City staff will offer support to interested companies and develop additional guidelines/criteria as the program matures.

Public Health Outreach/Involvement:

> > > What:

It has been proven many times by multiple studies that people who have access to public transit systems have a heathier outlook than those who don’t. According to Litman (2010), “of people with safe places to walk within ten minutes of home, 43% achieve physical activity targets, compared with just 27% of less walkable area residents.” These benefits extend beyond the internal well-being of someone. Access to public transportation and active public spaces helps reduce automobile congestion in streets, saves people money, creates economic opportunities for residents and businesses alike, and drives community growth, identity and revitalization.

> > > Proposal:

We propose that that every year the City of Fort Lauderdale do a Safe Streets assessment that takes into account recent major developments, public or private, in order to determine whether the surrounding/affected area or community thoroughfares could benefit from a complete streets retrofit. This initiative shall serve to create, retain, and continue to maintain educational and encouragement programs that support multimodal transportation options available to the residents, visitors, and business of Fort Lauderdale. Furthermore, this initiative shall emphasize safety for all modes of transportation, as well as it should help the City meet Vison Zero goal.

13

Neighborhood Connectivity

> > > What:

Fort Lauderdale has approximately close to 80 neighborhoods, including Homeowners associations. These neighborhoods are composed of people from diverse ages, economic, and cultural backgrounds. The Poverty Map (see addendum) shows all the areas with 30% or more of residents living in poverty. This map highlights how diverse these areas are, which also indicates that these areas aren’t necessarily clustered. Furthermore, these areas are shown to cover segments of some of the City’s most active arterial roads. The Zero Car Household map (see addendum) strongly identify the diversity between those households that own cars and those that down. This map greatly stresses the necessity for better neighborhood connectivity within the city.

> > > Proposal:

The purpose of this policy is to bridge these different communities using a multimodal transportation system that’s both efficient and effective. Neighborhood Connectivity shall serve to be inclusive of all of the residents in the City, no matter of age, economic, and cultural backgrounds. Through the Modal Hierarchy system, and Complete Streets & Safe Streets guidelines priority is placed on the accessibility to the transit services within the city. Pedestrian Safety, and diminution in automobile dependency helps promote the growth of urban villages, mobility hubs, and placemaking for linking streets and public spaces. Neighborhood Connectivity is paramount to connect people from all over the city as easily as possible with new destinations; and for the residents to invest in the business within the city, as opposed to them going elsewhere for work, errand, and leisure activities.

Growth of Mobility Hubs

> > > What:

Mobility Hubs are areas in a transportation network that impeccably focus on integrating different modes of transportation within a local or regional system. Mobility hubs focus on linking transportation, land use, and placemaking functions to allow the surrounding areas to prosper in the concurrent categories.

14

> > > Proposal:

The goal is to provide access points to convenient connections between various modes of transportation. It allows for better neighborhood connectivity, and promotion of public spaces and better destinations.

The three Mobility Hub classifications are as follows:

1. Gateway hub 2. Anchor Hub 3. Community Hub

Gateway Hubs encompass a larger regional influence. They are composed of the greatest variety of transportation modes, including heavy rail, light rail, bus rapid transit, and bike share. Anchor Hubs are not as large as gateway Hubs but still maintain regional significance and connectivity to local neighborhoods. Volumes are at medium to high levels and modal types include light rail, bus rapid transit, local bus, and bike share. Community Hubs handle the smallest volumes but are key connection points linking areas of higher density to neighborhoods on the periphery of Urban Growth Areas. Modal types include local bus and bike share. (Please reference the mobility hub map in the addendum.)

Addendum

Conor Campobasso | Julian Gdaniec | Deyman Rodriguez | Nathan Taylor

Complete Street Design Templates

Complete Street ArterialsPreferred Arterial

Preferred Arterial with Dedicated Transit Lanes

Complete Street CollectorsPreferred Collector

Preferred Collector – One Way

Complete Street Local Roads

Preferred Local Roadway

Converting Underutilized Roadways

Existing

Proposed

Esri, HERE, DeLorme, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS user community

Fort Lauderdale

OHigh levels of "Zero Car Homes" is defined for this map as any are area with 20% or more homes with no access to a private automobile


Fort Lauderdale

OHigh levels of poverty is definedfor this map as any are area with 30% or more living in poverty


Fort Lauderdale

OPhase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

!( !(

!(

!(


Fort Lauderdale

O!( Urban Growth Areas

!( !(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!( !(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(


Fort Lauderdale

O!( Gateway Hub

!( Anchor Hub

!( Community Hub

!( !(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!( !(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(

.

.

.

..

.

.


Fort Lauderdale

O.Potential new or improved MH

!( Gateway Hub

!( Anchor Hub

!( Community Hub


Fort Lauderdale

OInterstate/ExpresswayArterialCollector


Fort Lauderdale

OWaterway Ferry

!( !(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!( !(

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(

.

.

.

..

.

.


Fort Lauderdale

OPhase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

. Potential new/improved MH

!( Gateway Hub

!( Anchor Hub

!( Community Hub

ntaylor_fll_compplanamendments

Documents