1. Planning Livable and Sustainable Projects
Annual Meeting
AASHTO Subcommittee on Design
Columbia, South Carolina
July 25-29, 2010
Erika Rush, AICP
Director of Planning
Urban Engineers

2. Planning Livable and Sustainable Projects
Case Study:
Southern New Castle County Infrastructure Master Plan
Project Context
Making Sustainable Decisions
Tools and Lessons

3. Planning in Delaware
State Planning Office – Land Use Planning Act/ Preliminary Land Use Service
Local governments must have comprehensive plans that must have a “Circulation” element
(22 Delaware Code §702 )

4. DelDOT Responsible for: Partnership role:
Providing an adequate road system
Protecting the safe and smooth flow of traffic
13,000 lane miles (90% of total lane miles)
Partnership role:
- Works towards consensus among many levels of government

5. Livable Delaware Move toward a more sustainable lifestyle:
Affordable housing
Viable agriculture
Desirable communities
People can age in community
More opportunity for physically active recreation
Preserved open space
Less consumption of scarce natural resources
Less non-renewable energy consumption
More transportation options

6. Sustainability Fiscally more wise Better conservation of resources
Reduced impacts to communities and people
Approach from a regional, corridor, project level – objective is to make better, more sustainable decisions at every level

7. 190 square mile area Middletown pop: 12,152 Odessa pop: 337
Townsend pop: 380
New Castle
C & D Canal
Middletown, Odessa & Townsend
(MOT)
Kent
Sussex
2007, New Castle County

9. Anticipated Future Growth
About 43,000 additional people/over 15,000 households over next 25 years =
At least $770M in transportation investment
At least $100M in sewers over 20 years
$380M to support over 11,000 new students over a 10 year period

10. A Panoply of Plans: With a Piece Missing
County Comprehensive Plan Sub-regional Master Plans Municipal Comprehensive Plans Site plans

11. Southern New Castle County Memorandum of Agreement
September 2006 –
Memorialized a recognized need for a coordinated approach to future infrastructure:
- Delaware Department of Transportation
- New Castle County
- Office of State Planning Coordination
- Delaware Department of Agriculture
- Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO)
- Appoquinimink, Colonial and Smyrna School Districts
- Towns of Middletown, Odessa and Townsend

12. Southern New Castle County Memorandum of Agreement
Agreement to plan, program, construct and coordinate policies and programs for developing infrastructure
“Infrastructure Master Plan” to be developed
Recognition that coordination also needed with key plans and projects already underway

13. Project and Plan Coordination
DelDOT - Route 301 project
New Castle County - Comprehensive Plan Update
School Districts - 10 Year Comprehensive Building Plans

14. How to Make Future Growth Sustainable?
Infill
New development
What is the framework for making decisions?
Where can/will future growth be located?
What is the effect on infrastructure?

15. Environmental: Protected/ Partially Protected
State Resource Areas
Ag Land (permanently preserved)
Critical Areas (DNREC)
Natural Areas (DNREC)
National Wetlands
State Wetlands
Forest/Well/Recharge
Water

16. Sewer Service Areas 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 3 2

17. Transportation
Projects in CTP

18. School Districts
10 year Comprehensive Building Plans

20. School Siting Criteria
Land requirements for new schools:
Elementary – 10 acre base plus one acre per 100 students of school capacity
Middle or Junior School – 20 acre base plus one acre per 100 students of school capacity
High School – 30 acre base plus one acre per 100 students of final school capacity

21. Site Selection Criteria
Population of district
Shortest student travel desired/available infrastructure (roads and utilities)
Land cost a significant factor

22. Affect on Sustainability
Ideal sustainable location may be sacrificed for land that is donated
More pressure to develop outlying areas
Land that is donated may not be proximate to programmed infrastructure and county or local growth objectives

23. White Hall
Bayberry
Odessa
AHS
Highlands
Odessa National
Westown
Green Giant

24. Subregional Plans Framework: Sewer service areas
Transportation network

25. Two Subregional Plans – Two Typical Scenarios
Boyds Corner Area
MOT Area:
Limits to growth
Boyds Corner Area:
New town
MOT

26. Middletown Implementing Westown and Eastown Plans 301 Eastown 299
SR1 71

27. Odessa Mixed use development coming on line
Some future development potential – a number of small parcels
SR 1 13
299

28. Townsend Westown Updating Comprehensive Plan Contemplating TDR
Developing open space
St. Andrews 71

29. MOT Subregional Plan Progress
Townsend revised Plan Update to address growth issues, working to link green infrastructure
Appoquinimink School District working to coordinate school sites in future development
Mayors develop working relationship and build off each others’ experience - sidewalk ordinance, developer agreements

30. Boyds Corner Area New Town:
Significant land under single ownership to be developed as phased community
Boyds Corner Area

32. To Help Make a Place Sustainable
Make it Walkable and Transit Ready With the right mix of Homes and Businesses
Master (detailed) Planning
A strong Planning Process as well as a strong Implementation process.

33. Preferences are in Conflict
Spacious lands that they control as private
Minimal government “interference”
Lowest possible “taxes”
Affordable living
Immediate service by emergency personnel
A variety of recreation activities
Maximum return on real estate investments
On demand transit (mostly trains)
Sidewalks that they don’t have to shovel and that no one else can use
Easy access to the goods and services they need

34. Recent Development Trends
Tendency has been:
Larger lots
Larger houses
Less multi-family
Less mixed use
Results have been:
Higher housing / living costs
Higher transportation expenditures
More automobile dependence
More energy consumption
Less sustainability

35. Livability Means A Focus on the Complete Picture
DUs /acre and LOS miss the real issues.
How to:
Use land more efficiently
Plan communities, not subdivisions
Allow a mix of uses
Put schools at the heart of the community
Design for walkability
Design for transit readiness
Use Universal Design principles
Demand quality construction

36. Getting There
Collaborative master planning for mixed use, walkable, transit ready communities
Good examples of the preferred
Clear and consistent direction to property owners and developers
Complete Streets (Executive Order # 6)
“Smart Code” approach

37. Smart Code

38. Master Plans Include A comprehensive package of:
Mix of housing options and necessary goods and services
Utility infrastructure
Transit ready/friendly
Universal design inside and out
Quality materials/aesthetically pleasing design
Implementation plan including financing and operations

39. Boyds Corner Area Plan: Partnering for Sustainability
Working to create east – west network
Coordinating internal network with programmed CTP projects and Route 301 currently under design
Coordinating land use and trip generation methodology and assumptions for mixed use
Discussing community design details
Helping to coordinate resource agency review and approvals
Ultimate objective – developer agreement for improvements tied to phasing

40. Lessons Need an agreement and leaders
Keep definition of infrastructure broad and be inclusive of partners
Create forum to discuss – facilitate to outcomes, one step at a time
Be flexible
Create ownership of process and product
Work at a regional, subregional, and parcel level

41. Tools Needed at All Levels
State
Livable Delaware
Complete Streets (DelDOT)
County
Smart Code (New Castle County)
Subregional/Local -
Master Plan
Sidewalk Ordinance
Developer agreements

42. Plan Implementation Requires
Strong government leadership/vision at all levels
Active involvement and commitment from land owners
Strong written agreements
Money
Courage
Creativity
Tenacity
Attention to details

43. Thank you!
Erika Rush
Urban Engineers, Inc.