Route 30 Corridor Study - Executive Summary

  NYS Route 30 Corridor Management Study - Executive Summary

I. STUDY OVERVIEW

The NYS Route 30 Corridor Study is intended to serve as a guide for the NYSDOT and the Towns of Perth and Mayfield to

use in refining their land use policies, managing development and making land use and transportation decisions. It contains specific recommendations regarding access, land use, and transportation that can be incorporated into local plans and codes. Additionally, the Study is intended to provide a framework for future NYSDOT capital project decisions, particularly in respect to integrating the  community's goals and expectations.

The initial concerns giving rise to the Study were increased traffic volumes and the impact these increases have on land use and traffic operations and safety along the Corridor. Increased traffic along the Corridor can be attributed to the expansion of shopping facilities in the Town of Amsterdam, residents that have moved to the area and commute to work, and vacationers and recreational visitors traveling to and from the Adirondack Region.

Additionally, both Towns have recognized the importance of NYS Route 30 in respect to:

1. • Economic growth and sustainability,

 

2. • Safe and efficient movement of people, goods, and services, and

 

3. • The need to manage the impacts of growth along the corridor.

 

The objectives of the NYS Route 30 Corridor Management Study were developed through early discussions with Town, County and State representatives of the Working Group and through a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) assessment. The objectives are as follows:

1. • Initiate intergovernmental cooperative planning that promotes community based transportation decisions.

 

2. • Provide opportunities for public, local government, and agency participation throughout the process, and allow them to participate in developing solutions.

 

3• Promote the safe and effective movement of people, goods and services.

4• Improve conditions to prevent further decline of the roadway system, and degradation of nearby roads due to diversions

of traffic from NYS Route 30.

5• Improve opportunities for growth consistent with the social, economic, and environmental objectives of the Towns.

6• Provide an opportunity to direct future development and minimize environmental, social, and economic impacts.

A corridor plan is a document that defines a comprehensive package of recommendations to manage and improve an existing road or system of roads. The NYS Route 30 Corridor Management Study Area limits start in the Town of Perth from the Perth - Amsterdam Town border and extends to approximately Sand Hill Road in the Town of Mayfield.

A traffic analysis of the corridor revealed the following:

1. • Within the study area, NYS Route 30 has 289 driveways along its length. The average driveway density within the study area was 57 driveways per mile, which is equivalent to one driveway every 93 feet.

 

 NYS Route 30 Corridor Management Study - Executive Summary

1• Areas where sight distance is poor due to terrain or foliage, and/or where the location of signs and landscaping impedes

the safe entry or exit of vehicles.

2• The current accident rate within the project corridor is higher than the New York State Average.

3• Though the corridor exhibits poor peak hour Levels of Service, the range of traffic that a two-lane road can accommodate in this range of service could almost double before the ultimate capacity of Route 30 is reached.

4• Local residents have witnessed a noticeable increase in traffic on adjacent road networks.

While the potential range of future growth of the corridor could vary significantly, the historical traffic data suggests that traffic will continue to increase at prevailing growth rates (2% per year). Increased, unmanaged growth would have the following effects on the  NYS Route 30 corridor:

1. • By 2026 during the morning, evening, and mid-day weekend peak hours, traffic operations along NYS Route 30 will degrade slightly compared to existing conditions due to the expected increase in traffic volumes and a 40 percent increase driveway density.

 

2• Based on general accident indices related to driveway spacing and increasing daily traffic volumes, this could result in a 20 percent increase in the corridor accident rate and a 60 - 80 percent increase in total accidents.

Three alternatives have been formulated to address the issues identified during the committee meetings and reporting the assessment of existing conditions. Safe and efficient travel on NYS Route 30 has been recognized as a fundamental requirement of this study, and also as a way to stimulate the local economy.

This Alternative assumes no improvements are made to NYS Route 30 and there are no changes to land use management practices.

Alternative Two involves the provision of development guidelines that address site design, landscaping, lighting, parking, and vehicle access for properties on the corridor.

Alternative Three involves the development of a corridor overlay district in which the zoning would be amended in respect to site design,landscaping, lighting, parking, and vehicle access; as well as the designation of one or more concentrated growth nodes. A comparison of some of the specific elements of these alternatives is provided in the Table which follows.

-2- NYS Route 30 Corridor Management Study - Executive Summary       Comparison of Design Standards for Each Alternative

All of the Alternatives will involve future improvements to the roadway, though their intensity, cost and property impacts will vary. In addition, Alternatives Two and Three will involve the implementation of access management actions on properties fronting the roadway, as they develop. The table below provides a summary of some of the benefits, impacts and costs of potential future roadway improvements.

1. IV. PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE AND IMPLEMENTATION

 

After review of the Alternatives with the NYS Route 30 Corridor Committee and the public it has been determined that

 Alternative 3 is the Preferred Alternative. The recommendations provided in Alternative 3 would be implemented as an overlay district and written into the Towns' respective zoning codes. The overlay district would provide for a wide variety of land uses  located in close proximity to one another, and would enhance the appearance of this designated commercial corridor in the two  towns. A mix of retail, consumer oriented services, office uses and community resources would be intertwined with the existing  residential development along the Corridor. Although the land uses found in this overlay zone would vary the application of access management principals would be consistent.

The recommendations included in this report focus on the following central topic areas:

1. • Zoning amendments,

 

2. • Site Design recommendations,

 

3. • Parking,

 

4. • Vehicle access and circulation,

 

5. • Building design and amenities, and

 

6. • Residential uses and subdivisions.

 

The next steps for the Towns of Perth and Mayfield are all follows:

1. • Adoption of the NYS Route 30 Corridor Management Study by the Town Boards,

 

2. • Designation of Rezoning Committees by the two Towns to draft the Overlay District as prescribed by Alternative 3, and

 

3. • Adoption of the new zoning corridor overlay district.

 

4. • Documentation of net benefits of the corridor overlay district three to five years after the district is implemented. This may include an evaluation of traffic growth, development trends, before/after accident experience, and a review of how the corridor overlay district has positively or negatively effected travel on Route 30.