Chapter 1 - Introduction The Hillsborough County Corridor Plan was first adopted in 2005 for the purpose of identifying and managing roadway corridors needed to support future growth. The current plan includes thoroughfares identified for improvement by the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and County long range transportation planning processes. Future roadway corridors are designated on a map, with needed rights-of-way based on the planned number of lanes, other related plans, and associated County design standards. County land development regulations implement the Corridor Plan with provisions that allow staff to work proactively with landowners to preserve the needed rights-of-way as development occurs. Subsequent transportation project development activities define the project, which is then programmed for construction through the capital improvement process. Strategies to manage development access and promote local street and sidewalk networks, including safe access to transit stops, are also employed to protect the safety, mobility functions, and livability of the corridor. The County corridor management process provides many benefits to the public. It offers predictability to property owners and prospective developers, preserves the right-of-way needed for the planned thoroughfare system, coordinates the design of access with the planned functions of the facility, and helps minimize adverse impacts to homes, businesses, and the natural and built environment. A variety of strategies are available in the regulatory program and employed by the County to protect private property rights and investment backed expectations of those whose land is impacted by a planned future corridor. The County is now in the process of updating its Corridor Plan, including integrating multimodal needs and plans in response to future growth. This study offers guidance to the County on best practices and strategies that may benefit the County in that update. The study explores the changing policy and planning context for corridor management since adoption of the current Corridor Plan. It then examines contemporary corridor management practices in Florida, including strategies for transit and multiuse corridors, and examines best practices for integrating land use context and area type, and how resilience to climate change and emerging technology may be reflected in contemporary corridor management programs. A separate section explores rail corridor preservation strategies and examples. The report concludes with alternative strategies for consideration by the County as it updates the corridor plan. A table defining acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the report is provided in the Appendix. Background Much has changed in planning practice since the County adopted its first Corridor Plan and implementing ordinance. Chapter 163 was amended in 2011 directing local governments to plan for a safe and convenient multimodal transportation system, concurrency was retained as a planning and not regulatory tool, and a multimodal “mobility” plan and fee concept were advanced by the Florida legislature to help guide the next generation of transportation plans. In addition, implementation of Complete Streets became a policy priority of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and land use “context” zones were established by the FDOT to ensure future roadway planning and design would be sensitive to area type and the needs of all system users. In response to these changes, the County is developing Complete Streets guidelines and a Draft Mobility Section of the Comprehensive Plan and adopted a Context Based Classification System (January 2022).
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