§ 4309.03. Definitions.

"Horizon year" means the anticipated completion year of a proposed development assuming full build-out and occupancy or ten years beyond the current year, whichever is later. Horizon years analyzed shall be stated in the memorandum of understanding.

"Institute of Transportation Engineers or ITE" means the professional society of transportation engineers and planners professionally engaged in planning, designing, operating, managing, and maintaining surface transportation systems for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on streets, highways, and transit systems.

"Major development" means a new development or expansion of an existing development expected to generate the following number of average trip ends at the peak hour of the land use or the peak hour of the roadway, whichever is more significant.

400 or more trip ends:

Fast food restaurant;

Service station;

Supermarket;

Convenience market;

Shopping center.

200 or more trip ends:

All other uses.

Trip ends are calculated using the latest ITE trip generation methodology and definitions.

"Memorandum of understanding" means a memorandum submitted by the traffic impact study preparer, with which the city concurs, confirming topics, procedures, assumptions, data sources, report contents, timetable, horizon years, time periods analyzed, and other items to be addressed in the study.

"Nonmajor development" means a new development or expansion of an existing development that is expected to generate fewer average trip ends at the peak hour of the land use or the peak hour of the roadway than a major development.

"Roadway improvement area" means an area, to be defined in each memorandum of understanding, that at a minimum shall include:

(A)

All site access points and major signalized or unsignalized intersections within an area bounded by the nearest arterial intersection or signalized intersection in all directions from the subject development site. Any modified area as determined by the department of public service, in consultation with the department, based on factors reasonably related to the study area, including, but not limited to:

(1)

Local or site-specific factors;

(2)

Development type or size;

(3)

Traffic conditions; and

(4)

Public goals and policies potentially affected by the proposed development.

"Traffic impact study or TIS" means a report determining and recommending necessary improvements to the nearby road system to maintain satisfactory levels of service and safety for a proposed development. A traffic impact study shall ascertain the level of specific improvements required to mitigate the impact of the proposed development and incorporate existing and potential development and redevelopment sites in the general vicinity of the subject development site. The traffic impact study area, and land use assumptions therein, shall be defined in each memorandum of understanding.

(A)

As part of the traffic impact study, the following site and off-site development factors shall be identified and examined:

(1)

Impacts and transportation infrastructure needs required to maintain horizon year roadway level of service both with and without site development. These shall be assessed separately.

(2)

The impact of all significant developments in the traffic impact study area that have been approved or are likely to occur by the horizon year. These shall be assessed separately from those of the proposed development.

(3)

For each horizon year, off-site traffic volumes shall be estimated.

(4)

Improvements necessary to accommodate the nonsite traffic in the horizon year at level of service "D" shall be determined.

(5)

Development proposed to be located on the site under study shall be categorized by specific land use type consistent with classifications contained in the latest edition of Trip Generation, published by ITE.

(B)

If the proposed land use or density is inconsistent with the Columbus Comprehensive Plan or adopted area plan, a comparison of the traffic impacts of the proposed development and the impacts resulting from plan provisions shall be made using classifications contained in Trip Generation.

(C)

The traffic impact study shall determine for the transportation improvements required the rough proportionality of the improvements attributable to the traffic generated by the proposed development to total traffic.

(D)

A traffic impact study shall make recommendations that:

(1)

Address conclusions resulting from analyses of the proposed development's access needs and impacts on the transportation system;

(2)

Address feasible transportation system improvements needed to satisfactorily accommodate site-generated and nonsite-generated traffic which will be identified separately;

(3)

Reflect improvements currently planned or programmed by any public or private agency and may include information concerning relevant project scheduling changes;

(4)

Address an implementation sequence that will provide maximum compatibility with the overall roadway system needed for network effectiveness;

(5)

Are sensitive to:

(a)

Timing of committed and scheduled network improvements;

(b)

Anticipated time schedules of adjacent developments;

(c)

Size and timing of individual phases of the proposed development;

(d)

Logical sequencing of various transportation improvements;

(e)

Amount of right-of-way needed and time required for acquisition;

(f)

Local long-range priorities for transportation improvements and funding, including the Columbus Thoroughfare Plan;

(g)

Cost effectiveness of implementing improvements at a given stage of development;

(h)

Lead time necessary for additional design and construction; and

(i)

Standards and policies of other public agencies and jurisdictions.

(E)

A traffic impact study shall contain:

(1)

A cover containing the development's name and location, applicant's name, preparer's name, and report date;

(2)

A title page containing all information on the cover plus the applicant's address, telephone and fax numbers; preparer's address, telephone and fax numbers; and preparer's engineering registration seal;

(3)

A table of contents which lists all major section headings by title and page number;

(4)

A list of exhibits identifying all maps and tables by name and page number;

(5)

An executive summary in the initial chapter presenting the study's purpose, issues, synopsis, conclusions, and recommendations;

(6)

Text and exhibits to clearly present and describe conditions, conclusions and recommendations of the study;

(7)

Additional materials as agreed upon in memorandum of understanding.

(Ord. No. 0455-2010, § 122, 4-5-2010)