Presenter/Contact
Presenter
Garry Ford, City Engineer
Contact Info
(830) 221-4020 - gford@nbtexas.org
Subject Header
SUBJECT:
Title
Presentation and discussion regarding updates to the Thoroughfare Plan and Roadway Impact Fee Program.
Body
BACKGROUND / RATIONALE:
The City of New Braunfels adopted the current Thoroughfare Plan in 2012. The plan is a long-range plan that identifies the location and type of roadway facilities that are needed to meet projected long-term growth and mobility needs within the city and extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). The Thoroughfare Plan is not a list of construction projects but rather serves as a tool to enable the City to preserve corridors for transportation system development.
Under the provisions of the Texas Local Government Code, the City can require that development plans and subdivision plats conform to the Thoroughfare Plan. Requirements for right-of-way dedication and construction of street improvements apply to all subdivisions of land with the City’s incorporated area and ETJ in accordance with the Platting Ordinance.
Proposed updates to the Thoroughfare Plan include refined alignments and rights-of-way, established collectors, updated street cross-sections and changes to address constraints and area needs.
The City of New Braunfels established the Roadway Impact Fee Ordinance in 2007. This ordinance authorized the City to impose impact fees on new development within the corporate boundaries of the City in order to generate revenue for funding or recouping the costs of capital improvements or facility expansions necessitated by and attributable to new development and by the City Charter.
The City is required by state statute to review the land use assumptions and roadway improvements for roadway facilities at least every five years. The City Council must then decide of whether changes to the land use assumptions, capital improvements program or impact fees are needed and shall, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 395, either update the fees or decide that no update is necessary.
The City initiated the updates and retained Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to provide professional services for the development of the thoroughfare plan and roadway impact fee program. City staff and the consultant will present a summary of the proposed updates and schedule for appropriate action.
ADDRESSES A NEED/ISSUE IN A CITY PLAN OR COUNCIL PRIORITY:
Envision New Braunfels
7.19: Improve connectivity for all modes of transportation including bicycles.
7.24: Consider destinations both inside and outside the community when building connections.
7.25: Collaborate with San Antonio, San Marcos and Austin on corridor destination connections.
7.42: Develop the landscaping and green spaces, particularly those along or adjacent to highways, with walkable infrastructure to provide safe access for pedestrians and bicyclists with no back-end parking.
7.48: Prioritize and complete the planned bridge(s) across the Guadalupe River on the east side of IH 35 in accordance with the Regional Transportation Plan (2012).
7.50: Ensure the thoroughfare plan includes and ordinances require adequate dedication and reservation of right-of-way for future roadways.
7.53: Upgrade existing arterials and major collectors and identify new alignments to create a network of expressway or parkway functional classification roadways. Create a plan by 2020; complete construction by 2040.
7.54: Consider segments of a potential outer loop, parkway or beltway on the City’s thoroughfare plan as it pertains to relieving congestion.
7.55: Collaborate with regional partners (MPO, TxDOT, AACOG, other cities, etc.) on future corridors between New Braunfels and Seguin to relieve congestion on SH 46, FM 725, and FM 1044 including an extension of FM 306 towards the Airport, an extension of Business 35, an extension of Rueckle Road or Solms Road, and a connection to SH 130.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
Recommendation
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
N/A