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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 3707-01-2009A Resolution N0.3707-01-2009 A RESOLUTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE FORT WORTH HAZARD MITIGATION ACTION PLAN.. WHEREAS, the City of Fort Worth, Texas (Fort Worth), and other local and regional government agencies, have gathered information and prepared the Fort Worth Hazard Mitigation Action Plan (Plan) with assistance from the Fort Worth -Tarrant County Office of Emergency Management; WHEREAS, the Plan has been prepared in accordance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements at 44 C.F.R. 201.6; WHEREAS, Fort Worth is a local unit of government that has afforded its residents an opportunity to comment and provide input to the Plan and its actions; and WHEREAS, Fort Worth has reviewed the Plan and affirms that the Plan will be reviewed annually and updated no less than every five (5) years; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS, AS FOLLOWS: The City Council hereby adopts the Fort Worth Hazard Mitigation Action Plan as its Multi- Hazard Mitigation Plan and resolves to execute the applicable actions in the Plan subject to available funding. PASSED AND APPROVED by the City Council of the City of Fort Worth, Texas on this the 13t" day of January, 2009. APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY: `~> jr APPROVED CITY COUNCIL JAN 1 ~ `Z008 ~ ~~ City Sary of the City of Fort Worth, Texas ~~~ ~~ ~~ Assistant City Attorney Executive Summary Transportation. Congestion. Poor air quality. These are issues on the minds of most Fort Worth residents. And, as more people move into the region, these issues will only escalate. In fact, Fort Worth's population is estimated to reach 1 million by 2030. That's an increase of 42 percent from 2008. More people means more vehicles on the roadways, more traffic congestion and delays, increased air pollution, and more health challenges because of poor air quality and lack of exercise. That's why the City of Fort Worth in partnership with The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) launched a study in 2006 to develop a mobility and air quality plan that is strategically sound, financially feasible and environmentally responsible. Study Strategy .. In order for the City's vision of being the "most livable city" to be achieved, the Mobility and Air Quality Plan (MAQ Plan) must reflect the needs of the residents who live in the community.. Input from public officials, stakeholders and residents established seven . guiding principles that provided direction for development of the plan. These principles included: Quality of Life • Improve mobility by reducing congestion and time spent in travel • Minimize impact to environment by improving air quality • Promote a healthy community and environment. Transportation • Improve efficiency of existing transportation corridors • Provide multimodal options. Economics and Finance • Promote sustainable development • Find additional funding options. Transportation, land use and air quality issues are regional in nature, so a comprehensive transportation analysis looked beyond the city's boundaries and examined the area that includes the Fort Worth city limits, The T service area, and areas that extend north through Denton County, east to Highway 360, south to Cleburne and west to the Parker County line. . The study strategy included prioritizing a list of multimodal transportation projects, recommending policy and program modifications, analyzing changes in land use transportation needs, and finding new funding opportunities. Benchmarking and Analysis To begin the study and analysis, a baseline scenario was developed. This scenario was used to benchmark and compare plans based on three different approaches: more roadways, enhanced public transit, and coordination of transit and land use. ,. The roadway scenario was used to determine whether building roads first would address the region's transportation needs. The scenario showed substantial reduction in congestion, but did not address other guiding principles such as providing multimodal travel options, air quality improvements or promoting sustainable development. Further analysis suggested other mobility options were needed to develop a quality system. The second scenario was used to determine whether transit improvements alone would solve future transportation needs. This scenario predicted more trips via public transit and met many of the guiding principles. However, it did not reduce congestion to acceptable levels. Analysis of this scenario concluded that transit improvements alone will not completely address future transportation issues. A transit/land use scenario looked at whether transit improvements plus a redistribution of demographics would solve transportation needs. The scenario showed more ridership on public transit and fewer vehicle travel miles. This is good for air quality and sustainable development, but does not have a significant impact on congestion. The scenario also concluded that encouraging future population and employment growth along transit corridors and within infill areas makes the best use of the current transportation system and reduces urban sprawl. Funding Historically, regional transportation infrastructure has been funded heavily by state and federal funds. Costs for materials and labor continue to rise, and federal and state funding has declined. The region is struggling to make up the investment needed for transportation improvements. However, the reauthorization of the Federal Transportation Bill in 2009 could provide additional funding for roadway, transit and non-motorized transportation. The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) estimates there will be $58.6 billion worth of unfunded transportation needs throughout the region between now and 2030. Because funding is declining and costs are rising, paying for transportation improvements will require more than traditional forms of funding. City options include: • more tax increment financing districts • allocating more funds to roadways and transit from the general fund • higher transportation impact fees • better use ofpublic-private partnerships • support for efforts to increase the gasoline sales tax. The fmancial assessment suggests that funding of all proposed projects by 2030 is unlikely. In response, the City has embarked on a 10-year development and infrastructure funding study. This study is intended to analyze the City's bonding capacity and the ability of the recently adopted transportation impact fees to shape future transportation funding decisions. The study is scheduled for completion in 2009. Plan Recommendations The study revealed that a balance of multimodal transportation improvements would provide a blueprint for transportation investments for the next 20 years. These improvements will help control the increase in future congestion levels, serve all users, improve mobility and air quality, and promote alternative modes of transportation. Recommendations for transportation improvements include: • more pedestrian and bicycle connections to improve accessibility • regional roadways and arterials to support residential, commercial and industrial development . • a combination of roadway and transit projects to relieve congestion, provide a high quality of life and improve air quality • prioritizing projects: immediate, critical midterm, midterm and long term needs • implementing programs and policies to satisfy the guiding principles • allocating funding for $8.12 million in transportation improvements as follows: - Roadway improvements (freeways, tollways, managed lanes): 34.3 percent - Arterials: 31.6 percent - Commuter rail improvements: 30 percent - Rapid transit: 2 percent - Bicycle and pedestrian improvements: 2 percent Conclusion In order to address future transportation issues, Fort Worth must begin planning now. Implementation of improvements identified in this study should be the City's focus. Additionally, policies and programs that focus on connectivity, design and neighborhood character should be adopted in the near future. Investigation of alternate forms of funding also must begin. The proposed MAQ Plan will offer more transit options, reduce air pollution, relieve congestion, prioritize improvement projects, and satisfy the needs of residents, businesses, developers and elected officials. The plan should be implemented and integrated into the City's planning and development processes and into those of The T, NCTCOG and surrounding municipalities. Lastly, the MAQ plan should be used as the guide for transportation and land use decisions.