Land Use and Transportation

 


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PUBLIC TRANSIT - Local and regional transit-supported corridors.

LAND USE & DEVELOPMENT - New strategies for our growing community.

RALEIGH'S NEW DEVELOPMENT CODE - What is it? What does it mean for the future of Wake County?

Wake County's transportation woes are summed up by the region's planners and transportation officials:
  • "A ticking time bomb of gridlock is on the horizon," as road construction funding fails to keep up with population and employment growth, according to Ed Johnson, Executive Director of the Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO).
  • "The state is changing and growing.  We simply can't build enough roads to accommodate that growth," said Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti, testifying before the House Finance Committee on the transit bill, HB 148.
  • The Triangle has "no comprehensive, consistent regionwide blueprint for major transit investments," let alone the money to pay for them, according to a joint statement by the NC Department of Transportation and the region's transportation agencies in 2007.  This makes it very difficult to use public transportation-trains, buses and trolley cars-to address the problem.

Estimates of the combined shortfall of road and transit funding for Wake County are between $6 billion and $8 billion over the next 25 years.  The sprawl that characterizes Wake County's growth to date only adds to the problem. The average vehicle miles traveled per day is increasing faster than population or employment, which means residents are asked to pay ever-increasing amounts of money for roads and service that nonetheless keep getting worse and worse. Meanwhile, air quality suffers as cars stay on the roads longer distances and, because of congestion, go slower.

PUBLIC TRANSIT 

The obvious alternative to sprawl and traffic congestion is dense development in transit-supported corridors, as well as in downtown areas where pedestrian, bicycle and moped options are possible. But Wake -- the county and its major municipalities -- has largely ignored the need to link land-use development decisions and transit planning. The result?  The "ticking time bomb" is getting bigger and bigger.  WakeUP believes that developing a significant transit system is critical to the future economic and environmental well-being of the county and Triangle region.

Read more about the roadmap for developing our transit system

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LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT
Wake County's population is expected to double between 2010 and 2030.  That means we need to think seriously NOWHOW we want to grow, to prevent continued sprawl, land use change, loss of open space, traffic congestion, and a host of other problems.  We need to consider things like low-impact development, transit-oriented development, and increased density in urban areas. about
Read more about growth and good growth planning:
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RALEIGH'S NEW DEVELOPMENT CODE
 What is it?
Raleigh's current development code is outdated and often discourages good growth. As a result, a team of consultants was hired by the city to rewrite the code.  The new code intends to shift from function-based zoning to form-based.
How will it change the future of Wake County?
The new code has the potential to do more than just recommend good growth practices - it will require them.  Below is a list of good growth strategies that should be incorporated into Raleigh's New Development Code:
1. Transit-oriented Development
The triangle is in the midst of growing its regional transit system.  New development must align with future transit options and should be centered around existing and future transit infrastructure including bus lines, greenways, and regional rail lines.
2. Mixed-Income Housing Everywhere
New development must provide a variety of housing options throughout the city, particularly in urbanizing areas where affordable options are increasingly scarce with redevelopment.
3. Sustainability & Low Impact Development (LID)
Sustainable technologies and practices that improve environmental efficiency must be encouraged through incentives.  Stormwater runoff and water conservation challenges must be resolved by placing LID requirements on future development.
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