The following special studies or reports to be developed by qualified professionals may be required to support and justify subdivision and land development proposals as required by this chapter and Chapter 95, Zoning, of the Borough Code.
A.
Intent. A transportation impact study (TIS) is intended to enable
East Greenville Borough to assess the transportation impacts of a
proposed development or redevelopment. Specifically, its purpose is
to:
(1)
Ensure a safe and efficient transportation network for all users,
including drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
(2)
Identify any transportation problems that may be created in the existing
transportation system as a result of the proposed development.
(3)
Identify solutions to potential problems and to present mitigation
improvements to be incorporated into the proposal or into the transportation
systems within the study area.
(4)
Assist in the protection of air quality and the conservation of energy
and to encourage the use of alternative transportation modes where
available.
(5)
Ensure that TIS submissions to the Municipality are consistent with
the PennDOT Publication 282, Appendix A, "Policies and Procedures
for Transportation Impact Studies," current edition, as amended.
B.
Preparation of study. The transportation impact study shall be prepared
by a qualified traffic engineer and/or transportation planner in accordance
with PennDOT Publication 46, Traffic Engineering Manual. All costs
associated with the preparation of a TIS shall be borne by the applicant.
The procedures and standards for the transportation impact study are
set forth below. The applicant may provide funds to the Borough to
enable the Borough to hire a traffic engineer of its choice to conduct
the study, if this procedure is deemed appropriate and approved by
the Borough.
C.
Applicability. A transportation impact study shall be submitted as
part of all subdivision, land development, and conditional use applications
for all development that meets any of the following conditions:
(1)
Any development proposals that generate 40 or more trips during the
site peak hour, or 400 or more trips per day, regardless of the proposed
land use.
(2)
Any proposed subdivision or land development with 30 or more lots
or dwelling units.
(3)
Any proposed subdivision or land development with 50,000 or more
square feet of building area.
(4)
Any subdivision or land development application whose site, in the
opinion of Borough Council, has a significant impact on traffic flow
and safety.
(5)
A TIS may also be required for zoning map or text amendments, special
exceptions, variances, and/or any other pertinent proposal, or as
requested by the Borough.
D.
Coordination. Coordination with PennDOT or county highway occupancy
permit (HOP) managers shall occur as appropriate. A TIS prepared in
accordance with the guidelines of PennDOT as part of an application
for a state HOP should be submitted to the Borough in fulfillment
of the requirement for a TIS by East Greenville Borough.
E.
Trip generation. The anticipated number of peak hour trips and trips
per day shall be determined using the Institute of Transportation
Engineers (ITE) "Trip Generation Manual," most recent edition, as
amended. The proposed use or development shall be identified using
the appropriate ITE land use code. The appropriate ITE land use code
shall be agreed upon by the applicant and the Borough.
F.
Municipal scoping meeting. A municipal scoping meeting may be required
to ensure that the parameters used in the TIS accurately reflect municipal
conditions and expectations. The applicant should confirm the need
for a municipal scoping meeting prior to submission. The municipal
scoping meeting will address the number and locations of proposed
access points, project schedule and phasing, number of intersections
of local streets with Main Street (State Route 29), additional intersections
to be included in the analysis, specific ITE trip generation land
use codes, pass-by volumes, modal splits, any trip adjustments to
be used, and other area developments and programmed roadway improvements
to be included in the future conditions analysis as well as potential
opportunities to implement transportation demand management (TDM)
activities. Agreement on all scoping parameters shall be obtained
prior to initiation of the TIS. The municipal scoping meeting may
be held in conjunction with the PennDOT or county scoping meeting.
G.
If a municipal scoping meeting is not held, the applicant shall include,
at minimum, the three intersections of a local street with Main Street
(State Route 29) that are closest to the proposed development.
H.
General requirements and standards. A Transportation Impact Study
shall contain the following information:
(1)
General site description. The site description shall include the
size, location, proposed land uses, construction staging and completion
date of the proposed subdivision or land development. If the development
is residential, types of dwelling units and number of bedrooms shall
also be included. A brief description of other major existing and
proposed developments within the study area shall be provided. The
general site description shall also include probable socioeconomic
characteristics of potential site users to the extent that they may
affect the transportation needs of the site (i.e., number of senior
citizens).
(2)
Transportation facilities description. The description shall contain
a full documentation of all aspects of the proposed internal and proposed
and existing external transportation system. This description shall
include proposed internal vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian circulation;
all proposed ingress and egress locations; all internal roadway widths
and rights-of-way; roadway classifications; parking conditions; traffic
channelization, traffic control and traffic calming devices; and any
traffic signals or other intersection control devices at all intersections
within or adjacent to the site. Data provided in the report should
adequately document the following:
(3)
Existing conditions scenario. Full documentation shall be provided
to adequately describe and evaluate traffic conditions throughout
the study area including, but not limited to, peak hourly volume,
intersection turning movement counts, capacity and level of service
analysis, and the past five years of crash analysis. Complete traffic
counts encompassing and documenting the peak traffic and peak development
generated hours shall be required for the three intersections of a
local street with Main Street (State Route 29) that are closest to
the proposed development.
(4)
Background traffic. Projections of traffic volumes at the project
opening year and design horizon shall be made by applying a growth
factor to existing base traffic volumes. Planned and permitted developments
that will impact the study area shall be evaluated for addition to
future traffic volume. Existing traffic counts to be used for traffic
volume projections should not be older than three years from the current
year of the study, unless approved by the Borough Engineer.
(5)
Traffic characteristics of the proposed development. The following
characteristics of traffic generated by a proposed development shall
be estimated based upon reasonable sources as agreed upon the by East
Greenville Borough, PennDOT, and the applicant.
(a)
Trip generation - total volume of traffic arriving at and departing
from a site. This shall include projected vehicular, pedestrian, and
bicycle volumes, as well as transit ridership.
(b)
Modal split - the form or type of transportation used to reach
or depart from a site.
(c)
Trip distribution - the arrival and departure pattern of traffic
at a site.
(d)
Traffic assignment - typical routes used to arrive at or depart
from a site.
(6)
Future analysis. Future traffic volumes for the study area at the
project opening year and design horizon year shall be projected in
at least two scenarios: with and without the proposed development.
(7)
Level of service requirements. The TIS shall compare the operating
LOS and delay for the design horizon year both with and without the
development. An evaluation comparing the without development and with
development scenarios shall be used to determine if the overall LOS
has dropped. The impact of development on the level of service at
all intersections within the study area shall be evaluated. This shall
include the three intersections of a local street with Main Street
(State Route 29) that are closest to the proposed development. Level
of service below "C" shall be considered deficient and a mitigation
analysis shall be performed.
(8)
Mitigation analysis. If level of service requirements are not realized,
the study shall outline mitigation measures and demonstrate any changes
to the level of service achieved by these measures. Any alternatives
or suggested phasing of improvements shall be described. The mitigation
measures may include recommendations such as roadway widening, changes
in striping, turning lanes, deceleration lanes/tapers, changes to
signalization, use of access management techniques, or a reduction
in the proposed intensity of the use. The responsibility and timing
of all recommended roadway improvements shall be described within
the transportation impact study.
(9)
Street improvements. The study shall include recommendations for
street improvements bordering the site that will be used to accommodate
the traffic generated by the proposed subdivision or land development;
and cost estimates for the associated recommendations. In any location
where signalization is considered, so too shall the addition of a
roundabout or mini-roundabout be considered and studied.
(10)
Multiple phases. If the proposed subdivision or land development
will occur in multiple phases, then calculations for the completion
of each phase shall be provided in the study.
I.
Time of submission. The transportation impact study shall be submitted
to the Borough with the preliminary plan submission. Revisions to
preliminary plans may constitute the need for re-submission of the
transportation impact study for the revised conditions. The applicant
shall coordinate the submission of plans and highway occupancy permit
applications to PennDOT with the Borough review process. An application
which requires a TIS shall not be considered complete until the TIS
is submitted.
J.
Implementation. Borough Council shall review the transportation impact
study to analyze its adequacy in solving any traffic problems that
will occur due to the land development or subdivision. Borough Council
may determine that certain improvements on and/or adjacent to the
site, including those related to access or egress, are necessary requirements
for land development or subdivision plan approval and may attach these
as conditions to the approval. If Borough Council determines that
such additional improvements are necessary, the developer shall have
the opportunity to submit alternative improvement designs to obtain
plan approval. When PennDOT or the Montgomery County Roads and Bridges
Division maintain the road upon which access from a development is
sought, the Borough and applicant shall coordinate with the appropriate
entity.
K.
Emergency response organizations. The Borough shall submit all land
development plans to the fire department, police department, and any
other emergency response organization having jurisdiction within the
area of the proposed development for review and comment. If requested
by any emergency response organization, Borough Council may require
the developer of a land development to provide emergency signal preemption
for any traffic signals located within or immediately adjacent to
the development.
A.
The stormwater management report shall be a self-contained report with all calculations and design elements. All plans showing the proposed storm sewer construction must be accompanied by a complete design prepared by a registered engineer currently licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The reports and hydrologic calculations shall be based upon Chapter 81, Stormwater Management, of the Borough Code, as applicable, and shall contain the following elements:
B.
Design of stormwater control structures.
(1)
Calculation. The quantity of runoff shall be computed using the following
methods for stormwater control structures:
(a)
NRCS soil cover complex method (TR-55 or TR-20 or commercial
equivalent) for drainage areas up to 100 acres.
(b)
NRCS soil cover complex method (TR-20 or commercial equivalent)
or one of the hydrologic methods implemented in HEC-HMS or HEC-1 for
drainage areas over 100 acres.
(c)
A rational hydrograph method (modified rational or universal
rational) may be used for any site equal to or less than 10 acres.
(d)
Other methods as approved by the Borough Engineer.
(2)
Assumptions. The following assumptions shall be used in the appropriate
stormwater computational method:
(a)
Design runoff hydrographs shall be based upon the most current
PennDOT regional twenty-four-hour rainfall depths or the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 data.
(b)
NRCS Type II distribution shall be used to establish the rainfall
distribution for stormwater management hydrologic analysis.
(c)
The NRCS dimensionless unit hydrograph "k" factor of 484 shall
be used for both pre-and post-development stormwater analysis unless
a different value is found to be more appropriate based upon watershed
analysis.
(3)
Stormwater volume control design shall be based upon a two-year,
twenty-four-hour storm event.
(4)
Stormwater peak runoff control design shall be based upon the one-,
two-, ten-, twenty-five-, fifty-, and 100-year, twenty-four-hour storm
events.
C.
Water quality control.
(1)
Demonstration that the design capture volume is completely removed
and 90% of the disturbed area in a site is drained through a water
quality BMP; or
(2)
Computationally demonstrate compliance with the water quality standard
by estimating pollutant loadings for the proposed development and
pollutant load reductions by selected BMPs.
(3)
Post-development pollutant loadings shall be computed based upon
the land cover classifications and loading rates in the Pennsylvania
Stormwater Design Manual or other sources provided by the Borough
Engineer.
D.
Stormwater conveyance design. The storm drainage system consisting
of storm sewer pipes, swales, and open channels shall be based upon
the following design standards:
(1)
Design frequency. All stormwater facilities shall be designed to
transport a twenty-five-year-frequency storm. Provision must also
be made to transport a 100-year-frequency storm so that surface waters
will not damage property or flood roads, and that the 100-year-frequency
storm shall be transported to the appropriate stormwater management
facility.
(2)
The rate of runoff in conveyance systems shall be computed using
the following methods for stormwater control structures:
(3)
Rain fall intensities in the most recent edition of the most current
NOAA Atlas 14 data.
(4)
Rational method coefficients shall be based upon the Pennsylvania
Highway Design Manual Part 2 or the recommendation of the Borough
Engineer.
(5)
Hydraulic design computations for stormwater conveyance systems shall
follow appropriate methods provided in the NRCS National Engineering
Handbook, Part 640, Hydrology, the Federal Highway Administration's
Urban Drainage Design Manual, HEC-22, PennDOT Design Manual Park 2,
the Pennsylvania DEP Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual,
or other technical manuals as recommended by the Borough Engineer,
and shall be submitted in a manner acceptable to the Borough Engineer.
Inlet design data shall be submitted on a separate sheet, on the standard
PennDOT design form or similar form acceptable to the Borough Engineer.
E.
The stormwater management report shall be prepared and submitted
in coordination with a stormwater authority having jurisdiction in
the Borough, if any.
A.
Historic resources report. Any subdivision and/or land development
involving or adjacent to a site or structure listed in federal, state,
or local inventories or registries as historic resources shall require
the preparation of a historic resource report prepared by a qualified
historic preservation professional knowledgeable in the historic period
of the structure that includes the following minimum considerations:
(1)
A site layout plan of the proposed development site that highlights
any historic resources that are on-site or within 100 feet of the
property boundary. The site layout plan shall include a depiction
of the existing conditions and the proposed layout following development.
(2)
Physical description of the site and setting of the historic buildings.
(3)
Narrative describing the resource's historical significance,
including citations.
(4)
Photographic documentation, including general site conditions, and
details of the building, both exterior and, where possible, interior.
(5)
A detailed description of anticipated impact that the proposed development
will have on the historic resource(s) in question.
(6)
Architectural renderings of any structures proposed as part of the
development. Architectural renderings shall include detail on the
proposed massing and architectural treatments proposed.
(7)
A description of any buffering, landscaping or other screening that
will be used to protect the integrity of the existing historic resources.
B.
Application for demolition of an historic structure. If demolition
of a historic resource is proposed, the applicant shall file a report
prepared by a qualified historic preservation professional knowledgeable
in the historic period of the structure. To support the demolition
of the property the report should clearly demonstrate the following:
(1)
That the current use of the building is no longer feasible.
(2)
That other possible uses have been denied or have been deemed infeasible
due to the requirements of the current Zoning Ordinance or building
code.
(3)
That potential adaptive reuses of the building are infeasible due
to the constraints related to the building, structure or property.
(4)
That the building, its permitted uses, and adaptive reuse potential
does not provide a reasonable rate of return, based on a reasonable
initial investment.
(5)
That the applicant has not contributed to existing conditions, either
through neglect or prior renovation, conversion, alternation, or similar
actions.
(6)
That a proposed new building or use of the property will not adversely
affect the character of the neighborhood.
(7)
That the building is structurally unsound. Historic and cultural
resources may be studied and documented when proposed development
would remove or alter them.
C.
If a demolition permit is granted for the historic building, the
applicant shall prepare a historic structure report with the following
information:
(1)
Physical description of the site and setting of the historic buildings.
(2)
Narrative describing the resource's historical significance,
including citations.
(3)
Photographic documentation including general site conditions, and
details of the building, both exterior and, where possible, interior.
(4)
Chain of title.
(5)
Measured drawings labeled for cross reference to the photographs.
(6)
Appendices should include copies of the deeds and relevant wills,
maps and other supporting materials.
