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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20140512DRAFTComplete StreetsOrdinanceHealthySavannah.docxAN ORDINANCE To Be Entitled An Ordinance of the City of Savannah for Complete Streets and Amending Municipal Code Article 6 SECTION I. FINDINGS. WHEREAS: it is the intent of the Mayor and Aldermen in enacting this ordinance to encourage healthy, active living, reduce traffic congestion and fossil fuel use, and improve the safety and quality of life of residents of City of Savannah by providing safe, convenient, and comfortable routes for walking, bicycling, and public transportation; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA in a regular meeting of council assembled and pursuant to lawful authority thereof: SECTION II. Article 6 of the Code of the City of Savannah, Georgia shall be amended as follows: ENACT Chapter 3: Complete Streets Sec. 6-301. PURPOSE. The purpose of Article 6 Chapter 3 is to enable the streets of the City of Savannah to provide safe, convenient, and comfortable routes for walking, bicycling, and public transportation that encourage increased use of these modes of transportation, enable convenient travel as part of daily activities, improve the public welfare by addressing a wide array of health and environmental concerns, and meet the needs of all users of the streets, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities on and across all surface roadways within the City of Savannah. The goals of the Complete Street Policy are: -To cover all development and redevelopment in the public domain within the City of Savannah. This includes all transportation projects such as, but not limited to, new road construction, reconstruction, retrofits, upgrades, resurfacing and rehabilitation. Also to include privately built roads intended for public use; - To create a comprehensive, integrated, and connected transportation network throughout the City of Savannah that supports community development and land use goals. Promote a sense of place and the overall image of the city - Promote safe and efficient travel for all users. Create a framework for common sense trade-offs between automobile capacity and multimodal design considerations. - To ensure the use of the best design standard, policy and guideline practices; - To recognize the need for flexibility to accommodate different types of streets and users. Sec. ____ (*2)]. DEFINITIONS. The following words and phrases, whenever used in Chapter 6 Article 3, shall have the meanings defined in this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise: “Complete Streets Infrastructure” means design features that contribute to a safe, convenient, or comfortable travel experience for Users, including but not limited to features such as: sidewalks; shared use paths; bicycle lanes; automobile lanes; paved shoulders; street trees and landscaping; planting strips; curbs; accessible curb ramps; bulb outs; crosswalks; refuge islands; pedestrian and traffic signals, including countdown and accessible signals; signage; street furniture; bicycle parking facilities; public transportation stops and facilities; transit priority signalization; traffic calming devices such as traffic circles, and surface treatments such as paving blocks, textured asphalt, and concrete; narrow vehicle lanes; raised medians; and dedicated transit lanes. “Street” means any right of way, public or private, including arterials, connectors, alleys, ways, lanes, and roadways by any other designation, as well as bridges, tunnels, and any other portions of the transportation network. “Street Project” means the construction, reconstruction, retrofit, maintenance, alteration, or repair of any Street, and includes the planning, design, approval, and implementation processes. “Users” mean individuals that use Streets, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motor vehicle drivers, public transportation riders and drivers, and people of all ages and abilities, including children, youth, families, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. “Sidewalk” means that portion of a street between the curb lines, or the lateral lines of a railway, and the adjacent property lines, intended for use by pedestrians. Sec. ___ (*3)]. REQUIREMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE ENSURING SAFE TRAVEL. The City of Savannah shall make Complete Streets practices a routine part of everyday operations, shall approach every transportation project and program as an opportunity to improve public and private Streets and the transportation network for all Users, and shall work in coordination with other departments, agencies, and jurisdictions to achieve Complete Streets. Every Street Project on public or private Streets shall incorporate Complete Streets Infrastructure sufficient to enable reasonably safe travel along and across the right of way for each category of Users; provided, however, that such infrastructure may be excluded, upon written approval by the City Manager, where documentation and data indicate that: Use by non-motorized Users is prohibited by law; The cost would be excessively disproportionate to the need or probable future use over the long term; There is an absence of current or future need; or Inclusion of such infrastructure would be unreasonable or inappropriate in light of the scope of the project. As feasible, the City of Savannah shall incorporate Complete Streets Infrastructure into existing public and private Streets to improve the safety and convenience of Users, construct and enhance the transportation network for each category of Users, and create employment opportunities. If the safety and convenience of Users can be improved within the scope of pavement resurfacing, restriping, or signalization projects on public or private Streets, such projects shall implement Complete Streets Infrastructure to increase safety and accessibility for Users. The staffs of the appropriate agencies and departments, including the Departments of Development Services, Traffic Engineering, Streets Maintenance, Community Planning and Development, Mobility and Parking Services, Park and Tree, [any other appropriate City Departments], as well as the Metropolitan Planning Commission, shall review and either revise or develop proposed revisions to all appropriate plans, zoning and subdivision codes, laws, procedures, rules, regulations, guidelines, programs, templates, and design manuals, [ as well as all other key documents by name], in accordance with their respective responsibilities, and in coordination with the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, Chatham Area Transit, or the Georgia Department of Transportation as appropriate, to integrate, accommodate, and balance the needs of all users in all Street Projects on public and private streets. In design guidelines, the Department of Development Services, Traffic Engineering [and any other appropriate City or Departments?], shall coordinate templates with street classifications consistent with the Chatham Area Transit Amenities Guidelines and theThoroughfare Plan developed cooperatively by the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City of Savannah, Chatham Area Transit and others, to include Complete Streets Infrastructure, such as bicycle lanes, sidewalks, street crossings, and planting strips. Trainings in how to integrate, accommodate, and balance the needs of each category of Users shall be provided for planners, civil and traffic engineers, project managers, plan reviewers, inspectors, and other personnel responsible for the design and construction of Streets. Sec. ___ (*4)]. DATA COLLECTION, STANDARDS, AND PUBLIC INPUT. [Appropriate City Departments] shall collect data measuring how well the Streets of City of Savannah are serving each category of users. [Appropriate City Departments] shall put into place performance standards with measurable benchmarks reflecting the ability of Users to travel in safety and comfort. [Appropriate City Department] shall establish procedures, in coordination with the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, Chatham Area Transit, and the Georgia Department of Transportation as appropriate, to allow full public participation in policy decisions and transparency in individual determinations concerning the design and use of Streets. [Appropriate City Department or Official] shall implement, administer, and enforce Article 6 Chapter 3. [Agency] is hereby authorized to issue all rules and regulations consistent with Article 6 Chapter 3 and shall have all necessary powers to carry out the purpose of and enforce Article 6 Chapter 3. All initial planning and design studies, health impact assessments, environmental reviews, and other project reviews for projects requiring funding or approval by City of Savannah shall: (1) evaluate the effect of the proposed project on safe travel by all Users, and (2) identify measures to mitigate any adverse impacts on such travel that are identified. Sec. ____ (*5). FURTHER STEPS. The head of each affected bureau or department shall report back to the [appropriate staff position or body] annually regarding: the steps taken to implement this Ordinance; additional steps planned; and any desired actions that would need to be taken by City of Savannah or other agencies or departments to implement the steps taken or planned. A committee is hereby created, to be composed of [insert desired committee composition] and appointed by [the Mayor / City of Savannah Alderman / other], to forward City of Savannah’s implementation of Complete Streets practices by: (i) reviewing progress and actions toward sections 3 and 4 above; (ii) addressing short-term and long-term steps and planning necessary to create a comprehensive and integrated transportation network serving the needs of all Users; (iii) evaluating obstacles to implementing Complete Streets practices in City of Savannah; (iv) if useful, recommending adoption of an [ordinance / internal policy / other document] containing additional steps; and (v) proposing revisions to the Chatham County – Savannah Comprehensive Plan, the plans or policies of the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, zoning and subdivision codes, and other applicable law to integrate, accommodate, and balance the needs of all Users in all Street Projects. The committee shall report on the matters within its purview to the [appropriate staff position or body] within one year following the date of passage of this Ordinance. SECTION III. STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION & SEVERABILITY. This Ordinance shall be construed so as not to conflict with applicable federal or state laws, rules, or regulations. Nothing in this Ordinance authorizes any City agency to impose any duties or obligations in conflict with limitations on municipal authority established by federal or state law at the time such agency action is taken. In the event that a court or agency of competent jurisdiction holds that a federal or state law, rule, or regulation invalidates any clause, sentence, paragraph, or section of this Ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, it is the intent of the Ordinance that the court or agency sever such clause, sentence, paragraph, or section so that the remainder of this Ordinance remains in effect. In undertaking the enforcement of this Ordinance, City of Savannah is assuming only an undertaking to promote the general welfare. It is not assuming, nor is it imposing on its officers and employees, an obligation through which it might incur liability in monetary damages to any person who claims that a breach proximately caused injury.