Title
Conduct a Public Hearing to Consider/Discuss/Act on a Request by the City of McKinney to Amend the Transportation Element Section (Section 8) of the Comprehensive Plan, Including Minor Amendments to the Master Thoroughfare Plan; and Accompanying Ordinance
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Direction for Strategic and Economic Growth
MEETING DATE: April 3, 2018
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Jennifer Arnold, Planning Manager
Brian Lockley, AICP, CPM, Director of Planning
Aaron Bloxham, Planner II
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Staff recommends approval of this item.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• Staff is proposing an amendment to Section 8 (Transportation Element) of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan in order to integrate cross-section concepts developed as part of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update and in association with updates to the Engineering Design Manual. The proposed amendment also includes a minor change to the Master Thoroughfare Plan (MTP) to integrate the recently completed alignment study and design of Laud Howell Parkway, and some non-substantive updates to Section 8 to refresh outdated information and correct typographical errors. No other changes to the MTP or 2004 Comprehensive Plan are being proposed as part of this amendment.
• As stated in the Implementation Section of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan, periodic refinements are necessary to keep the plan up-to-date and calibrated to community changes. Since its adoption in 2004, there have been numerous minor amendments made on a recurring basis that have included: reformatting changes; correcting typographical errors; updating outdated text, graphics, figures and maps to reflect current conditions; and integrating recently completed engineering and/or planning studies and models.
• Though these minor amendments have helped to keep the Comprehensive Plan current in terms of demographics and recently completed activities, they are considered non-substantive in nature and do not update the overall policy framework or guiding elements that were established in the 2004 Comprehensive Plan.
• To that end, a full update of the Plan was launched in 2015 (known as the ONE McKinney 2040 Initiative) in order to expansively update the plan and ensure that the community’s desires for the future are accurately reflected.
• As part of this Initiative, the city has hosted and attended numerous public outreach events and have received positive feedback from stakeholders, the City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. In fact, many of the key elements of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan (including illustrative cross-sections) have been in draft form since summer/fall 2016 when the plan update was originally expected for adoption.
• As well, the City initiated an update to its engineering design standards (including the Street Design Manual) in July 2016 based, in part, on the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update.
• However, in late 2016, regional discussions about transportation and, specifically, the US 380 corridor became a major topic for Collin County. The result of these discussions was the launch of the US 380 Feasibility Study by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to determine the feasibility and potential location(s) for limited access roadways (LARs) in Collin County.
• Given the potential impacts of this on the Future Land Use Plan and Master Thoroughfare Plan elements of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the City temporarily suspended progress on the ONE McKinney 2040 Initiative in order to participate and, ultimately, integrate regional choices regarding US 380 into the plan. The new anticipated adoption of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan is fall/winter of this year.
• While discussions and decisions regarding US 380 and regional transportation will have an impact on land use choices and the classification of roadways in McKinney, it will not have an impact on the way in which public roadways are designed in the city (i.e. cross-sections).
• As such, Staff is proposing amendments to the 2004 Comprehensive Plan to formally integrate the illustrative cross-sections that were developed as part of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update and the updated Street Design section of the Engineering Design Manual.
• The only other changes being proposed by staff are minor amendments to the Master Thoroughfare Plan to incorporate the new alignment and design of Laud Howell Parkway based on engineering projects completed in 2016, as well as non-substantive changes to correct minor typographical errors and outdated information.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS:
• The Master Thoroughfare Plan illustrates the roadway alignments of built thoroughfares and conceptual alignments of future or planned thoroughfares. At the time that a thoroughfare is built or engineered, it becomes necessary to update the Master Thoroughfare Plan to reflect the engineered or built alignment of the thoroughfare.
• The following are proposed updates to the Master Thoroughfare Plan resulting from the recently engineered projects/plans for Laud Howell Parkway. These proposed amendments to the MTP reflect previous policy-based decisions.
o Introduction of a new roadway classification; a 6-lane Greenway Arterial
o Reclassification of Laud Howell Parkway and FM 1461 from a Principal Arterial to a 6-lane Greenway Arterial.
o Alignment adjustments of Laud Howell Parkway generally from US Highway 75 to Lake Forest Drive.
• Staff is also proposing a list of minor text and graphic amendments as described below. All proposed amendments reflect previous policy-based decisions.
o Integrate cross-section concepts developed as part of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update and in association with updates to the Engineering Design Manual, including the new Greenway 6-Lane Arterial (G6D) and minor modifications to right-of-way widths, lane widths, and median and parkway widths of existing roadway classifications.
o Update outdated text in Section 8 (Transportation) to reflect changes in the Public Transit program.
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
• On March 13, 2018, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0-0 to recommend approval of the proposed amendment to the 2004 Comprehensive Plan.