The Transportation Corridor Overlay District

Transcription

1 The Transportation Corridor Overlay District The Transportation Corridor Overlay District is a policy framework under which certain potentially beneficial development proposals may be considered, given their proximity to improved transportation access. The creation of the Transportation Corridor Overlay District is based upon certain fundamental issues. 1) Transportation improvements will create a catalyst for development. The Transportation Corridor Overlay District will attempt to manage growth that will occur along transportation improvements. 2) The City should preserve future opportunities for economic development. The Transportation Corridor Overlay District creates a policy of preserving highly visible, highly accessible sites for economic development purposes. This will ultimately serve the public welfare by increasing tax revenues and employment opportunities. 3) These corridors are highly visible and any proposal contained therein should reflect good building and site design practices. The Transportation Corridor Overlay District provides design guidelines for development throughout the corridor.

2 The Study Area For purposes of this study, the corridors of Route 104 (Great Bridge Boulevard to George Washington Highway) and Route 168 (the Chesapeake Expressway from Hillwell Road to the North Carolina State Line) are being recommended as Transportation Corridor Overlay Districts. Properties affected by the policy include all land that falls within a one-mile (5,280 feet) buffer around each of these road segments. In the event the Corridor boundary bisects a parcel, only that portion within the boundary is included in the study. If at least 50% (one-half) of a parcel is included in the Corridor, then, at the option of the property owner, the guidelines resulting from this policy may extend to the remaining portion of the parcel. A one-mile buffer was selected because it is reflective of both City and HRSD policy regarding the service areas for sewer force mains. The one-mile buffer is further preferred because of 1) the ability to geographically accommodate larger scale development, and 2) the ability to extend the protection of the policy throughout the corridor. While only the Route 104 and Route 168 Corridors are under consideration at this time, other corridors may be considered in the future.

3 Route 168 Corridor The Route 168 corridor is the major linkage between Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Construction of the new Chesapeake Expressway has begun with an anticipated completion in the summer of The Chesapeake Expressway will be a four lane limited access highway. Interchanges for the new expressway will be located at Hillcrest Parkway, Indian Creek Road, and at Battlefield Boulevard at the Northwest River. A toll will be charged for the segment between Hillcrest Parkway and the Northwest River. The area under review is 9.7 miles long and extends along the Chesapeake Expressway alignment from the North Carolina State line north to the area parallel to Hillwell Road. Areas to the north of the corridor are generally saturated with residential development. The Corridor is primarily rural in nature with a small business cluster at Hickory (intersection of Battlefield Boulevard and Centerville Turnpike) and near the State line. A few small businesses dot Battlefield Boulevard. The majority of land in this corridor is zoned A-1 Agricultural District. The majority of the land in this corridor falls under the Rural Overlay District provisions of the Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance, which promotes lower density development. 1,195 new residential units were constructed in this corridor over the past ten years.

4

5 Route 104 The Route 104 / Dominion Boulevard corridor connects Interstate 464 and Interstate 64 to Route 17 / George Washington Highway. This study examines a 6.7-mile segment from Great Bridge Boulevard to George Washington Highway. The roadway is currently a two-lane undivided highway with a draw span bridge (the Steel Bridge) at the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. Significant intersections along the roadway include Great Bridge Boulevard, Bainbridge Boulevard, Cedar Road, Shillelagh Road, and West Road. The Route 104 / Dominion Boulevard corridor is a significant north south linkage. Traffic on U.S. Route 17 is directed to Route 104 to connect into the interstate highway system. The corridor has been designated as the future Raleigh to Norfolk Connector. A feasibility study was recently completed for this corridor and has recommended that the facility be improved to a limited access arterial south of Cedar Road and a limited access freeway north to I-464. The areas north of the Steel Bridge are mostly developed. Areas to the west along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River are heavy, waterfront industrial and have been identified as underutilized areas. Areas to the east are rapidly developing as residential. Development south of the Steel Bridge extends to the Cedar Road corridor, which is one of the most rapidly developing residential corridors in the City. Plans for a shopping center were recently approved at the intersection of Cedar Road. Undeveloped areas begin just south of the Cedar Road intersection. These areas are predominately zoned A-1 Agricultural District with the exception of some R-15 Residential District zoning along the road frontages of Shillelagh and West Roads. Residences intermittently line Shillelagh and West Roads. The limits of current planning for this corridor ends just south of the Cedar Road intersection where the Countryside and Suburban Overlay District boundaries converge. 2,360 new residential units have been built in the corridor over the past decade, which represents 14.5% of the City s new residential growth.

6

7