Title
Consider/Discuss the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update, Specifically Related to the Development of the Master Thoroughfare Plan
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Direction for Strategic and Economic Growth
MEETING DATE: February 20, 2017
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning Department
CONTACT: Jennifer Arnold, Planning Manager
Gary Graham, PE, PTOE, CIP & Transportation Engineering Manager
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Discuss and provide feedback to Staff.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• In light of continuing regional transportation dialogues, local conversations and the potential implications of these things on the development of the Master Thoroughfare Plan and the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update, Staff would like to provide Council an additional opportunity to review and discuss the development of the Thoroughfare Plan. The primary objectives of this discussion is to: (1) reach consensus on the classification changes on the MTP; and (2) reach consensus on the introduction and location of limited access facilities on the Thoroughfare Plan.
• During the January 23 City Council Work Session, Staff presented an Updated Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan, which introduced a US 380 bypass for McKinney generally at and along the future Bloomdale Road (CR 123) alignment. During the January discussion, Council was generally supportive of the bypass concept and reached consensus on further evaluating the US 380 bypass along future Bloomdale Road and tying back into US 380 on the west side of Walnut Grove lake (US 380 Bypass - Bloomdale Option B).
• As such, Staff has been working with Kimley-Horn and Associates to develop anticipated changes to the Preferred Scenario Map (i.e. future land use) as well as the Travel Demand Model (TDM) based on the US 380 Bypass being part of the Master Thoroughfare Plan.
• In general, some of the reasons that the US 380 Bypass - Bloomdale Option B alignment has been deemed desirable is because it is within close proximity to existing US 380 Highway (thus providing the most convenient bypass alignment), it maintains good separation from the Collin County Outer Loop (allowing the city to optimize land use in the area), and it requires only minor changes to existing adjoining arterials.
• In general, some of the less desirable aspects of the US 380 Bypass - Bloomdale Option B alignment are that it would disrupt a portion of the existing Walnut Grove neighborhood and it would be in close proximity to the existing Heatherwood and Timber Ridge neighborhoods (note that the proposed US 380 bypass alignment is not expected to displace any portion of these neighborhoods), it will be within close proximity to, and possibly disrupt portions of future Erwin Farms, future Bloomridge, and future Timber Creek neighborhoods.
• For reference, attached to this agenda item is a table that identifies the changes made to the existing Master Thoroughfare Plan (2004) in order to create the draft Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan that was presented to Council on January 23, 2017.
• Following the January 23 work session, Staff also hosted an informational public meeting to provide additional details about the US 380 bypass concept and answer questions. Following the January work session and informational meeting, Staff has received a tremendous amount of comments and feedback on the Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan. Comment cards from the February Informational Meeting, as well as comments emailed in opposition to the US 380 bypass have been included with this Agenda Item for reference.
• Based on feedback received by the public, Staff is presenting a modified alignment of the US 380 Bypass from the version that was discussed at the January 23 work session. This modified alignment is referred to as the US 380 Bypass - Modified. Below is a general description of each option:
o US 380 Bypass - Original: The original US 380 Bypass option generally begins just east of Custer Road and meanders in a northeast direction along the west side of Walnut Grove Lake until it intersects with and follows along CR 123 / 164 (future Bloomdale Road) before meandering northward again to follow the northern property line of the Collin County Government Complex. East of US 75, this bypass alignment begins to meander in a southeast direction generally along the eastern side of the existing floodplain until it intersects with US 380 near FM 1827.
o US 380 Bypass - Modified: The modified US 380 Bypass option follows the same general alignment as the original bypass; however, it no longer follows along CR 123 / 164 (future Bloomdale Road) but, rather, runs parallel to CR 123 approximately 1,500 feet north of the county road. At Erwin Park, the bypass would shift south to follow along CR 164 before meandering north again to follow the northern property line of the Collin County Government Complex. East of US 75, the modified bypass alignment is the same as the alignment originally presented to the Council on January 23, following along the eastern side of the existing floodplain until it intersects with US 380 near FM 1827.
NEXT STEPS
• Should Council be supportive of the US 380 Bypass - Original or the US 380 Bypass - Modified, or should Council desire to make minor modifications to the Thoroughfare Plan, Staff will continue work with the consultant team to update the Travel Demand Model (based on the new roadway alignments and County growth projections) as well as any necessary changes to the land use elements of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Staff anticipates presenting the results of the updated Travel Demand Model and any draft changes to the Preferred Scenario to the Council on March 6, 2017.
• Should Council be supportive of the US 380 bypass, but not along either of the Bloomdale alignment options, Staff will need to modify the scope of work with the consultant team in order to include the additional services necessary to develop and evaluate additional bypass options as well as any necessary land use updates and outreach events related to the completion of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
ONE MCKINNEY 2040 BACKGROUND
• The Mobility and Transportation Element of the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan generally includes the following important components:
o The Master Thoroughfare Plan
o Illustrative Cross-Sections
o Key Mobility Considerations
• The major benefits of providing this information within the Comprehensive Plan includes:
o Identifying right-of-way (ROW) needs in advance of development;
o Identifying the roadways planned to accommodate anticipated traffic based on the preferred growth scenario; and
o Providing policy-level guidance for the desired design and context of arterial roadways.
• At the August 15, 2016 City Council Work Session, Staff presented a Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan and associated Travel Demand Model (TDM) results based on growth assumptions of the ONE McKinney 2040 Preferred Scenario for the year 2040 and at buildout.
• While the Council was generally supportive of the Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan, there was some concern about the level of service (LOS) expected along some roadways under the build out scenario.
• Concurrent with the development of the Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan for ONE McKinney 2040, the Regional Transportation Council, Collin County, and the Texas Department of Transportation have also had a number of mobility-related initiatives underway related to the short- and long- term needs of Collin County through 2040 and beyond.
• In light of these discussions and the feedback received by Council at the August 15, 2016 work session, Staff began re-evaluating the Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan to include transportation connections in support of regional initiatives and acceptable levels of service.
• Staff presented an Updated Preliminary Thoroughfare Plan to the Council for discussion at the January 23, 2017 City Council Work Session. The key change to the plan was the introduction of a US 380 bypass generally along the future Bloomdale Road (existing CR 123) alignment.
• During the January work session, City Council was supportive of staff exploring the US 380 bypass (Bloomdale option) further in terms of land use planning and modeling for anticipated level of service.
• As part of this direction, Staff negotiated a modification to the scope of work with the consultant team (Kimley-Horn and Associates) to perform additional transportation modeling and land use planning associated with the US 380 bypass concept, and other associated services in support of the 10-Year Comprehensive Plan Update. The contract amendment was approved by City Council on February 7, 2017.
• Following the January work session, Staff hosted an informational meeting on February 9 at City Hall to provide information to the public about the bypass concept and to answer questions from the public. Approximately 130 stakeholders attended the meeting. Attached to this agenda item for reference are the comment cards that Staff received at and following the informational meeting.
• More information about the ONE McKinney 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update can be found at: www.onemckinney2040.com <http://www.onemckinney2040.com>
REGION AND COUNTY BACKGROUND
• Over the past year, Collin County has been updating its growth projection model in order to identify short- and long-term mobility needs within Collin County.
• As anticipated, the expected growth in Collin County over the next 30 to 50 years will likely put a significant strain on the existing and planned regional transportation network (i.e. the Collin County Thoroughfare Plan). Currently, the Collin County Thoroughfare Plan only has 4 regional highway facilities (freeways or tollways) identified. They are: US 75, the Dallas North Tollway, the Collin County Outer Loop, and the President George Bush Turnpike.
• Given the projected growth and limited network of regional transportation facilities, Collin County has placed significant focus on identifying and prioritizing new facilities capable of meeting the demands of future growth and expected transportation needs.
• Regional and state organizations such as the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have also been focused on regional mobility needs in light of expected growth in the region over the next 30 to 50 years.
• Ongoing efforts by TxDOT in consideration of US 380, resulted in the US 380 Feasibility Study, which was completed in August 2016. The Feasibility Study evaluated the 15 mile stretch of US 380 from Prosper to McKinney with the goal of identifying potential design solutions and their expected impacts on congestion levels of the roadway.
• In general, findings from the US 380 Feasibility Study indicated that design solutions generally within the existing right-of-way of US 380 would not likely improve congestion on the roadway beyond a level of service of D/E/F by 2040. Significant improvements in level of service for US 380 in this section would likely require the conversion of the roadway to a highway facility (or limited access roadway, LARS). Highways and limited access roadways can have a right-of-way width ranging from 200 feet to 400 feet.
• As a result of this regional dialogue, a number of different plans, solutions, and recommendations have been discussed at the regional level. This includes:
• In early 2016, the RTC (in partnership with TxDOT) requested that governing bodies in Collin County each submit their top 3 regional project recommendations in support of Mobility 2040, the regional mobility plan of NCTCOG. In response, the City of McKinney passed Resolution No. 2016-05-064, which identified priority regional and local projects for McKinney. Included in this resolution was the City’s opposition to the conversion of US 380 in McKinney to a highway cross section/limited access roadway.
• At the October 2016 meeting of RTC, the Collin County Action Plan was discussed, which identified 4 potential regional projects for Collin County, including a US 380 bypass in McKinney. The US 380 bypass concept would consider a highway cross section/LARS along an alternate route of US 380 in McKinney.
• At the November 2016 meeting of the RTC, the 10-Year Unified Transportation Program was discussed. The 10-year plan identified funding for further evaluation of US 380 from the Denton County line to the Hunt County line, including the US 380 bypass concept.
• Also part of the identified US 380 project in the 10-Year plan, there is a placeholder for other candidate projects for which the City of McKinney has proposed the extension of SH 121 (SRT) from Spur 399 east connecting to US 380 east of Princeton.
• Concurrent to these efforts, Collin County initiated an economic impact study to evaluate the net economic impacts of converting US 380 from a Principal Arterial to a limited access roadway in Collin County. A draft of this report was recently completed and is expected to be presented to the Collin County Commissioners Court in March 2017.
• For more information about the Regional Mobility Plan (Mobility 2040), visit: www.nctcog.org/mobility2040 <http://www.nctcog.org/mobility2040>.