Hillsborough Corridor Planning & Preservation Best Practices

Chapter 3 – Florida Corridor Management Practices This chapter reviews contemporary corridor management plans, policies, and practices of Hillsborough County and six other Florida counties: Tallahassee-Leon County, Indian River County, Broward County, Orange County, St. Lucie County and Alachua County. Hillsborough County Several agencies have a role in preserving and managing transportation corridors in Hillsborough County. • Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission staff coordinate with the County in updating the Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan, which includes policies and strategies for implementation of the Corridor Plan. A new Draft Mobility Section of the Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan is currently in progress and adoption is anticipated in 2022. • The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) determines future transportation needs based on long range transportation demand modelling and identifies the cost-feasible network, which forms the initial basis for the Hillsborough Corridor Plan. The TPO also programs projects for future improvement and coordinates with the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) as to where transit is best supported and needed today and in the future. This includes the level of transit to be provided based on land use density and intensity and projected population and employment. • The County Community and Infrastructure Planning Department conducts additional modelling beyond that done by the TPO to bridge the gap beyond the 2045 TPO long range plan and future County needs for corridor planning and preservation. County planners also integrate multimodal improvements into the thoroughfare network and establishing a framework for context-sensitive solutions in the form of complete streets guidelines and typologies (Context Based Classification Tech Memo, January 2022). • The County Development Services Department implements corridor preservation strategies and requirements in development review and rezoning decisions to ensure that future corridors are preserved or constructed as a condition of approval. • The County Public Works Division oversees capital programs and construction, and identifies needs related to engineering and operations. Although roadways have historically been the focus of corridor preservation efforts, the County is interested in incorporating trails and transit into the corridor preservation process, emphasizing the multimodal nature of corridor preservation planning. A current example is the widening of Big Bend Road, which accommodates a connection of the South Coast Greenway Trail in the corridor. County planners are updating the transportation mobility element and integrating context sensitive considerations to align transportation and future land use, while recognizing different modal needs. County practice is to limit the mapped corridors to the Urban Service Area, although increased densities at the boundary in South County due to RP-2 zoning have raised concerns related to potential need to include those areas in the future. Right-of-way needs are not specifically identified in table form or map, as is the practice in other areas. Rather, they are based on the number of lanes, design standards and typical cross sections for urban and rural roadways. The amount of ROW to be preserved is based on the distance from the centerline required for the future facility. Additional right-of way may be requested where necessary to address operational issues, such as right turn lanes at intersections. A stated benefit

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