Planning Commission Minutes

CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF BLOOMFIELD
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
Monday, September 17, 2007
Bloomfield Township Hall

PRESENT: Salz, Goldberg, Stefanes, Mintz, Stark

ABSENT: Reisinger

Staff Present: Patricia McCullough, Planning and Building Director, Christopher Gruba, Assistant Planner, and Robin Carley, Development Coordinator

Mr. Dave Payne, Township Supervisor, was present.

Mr. Salz expressed, on behalf of the Planning Commission, his sincere thanks to Mr. John Swoboda for his many years of dedicated service as a Commissioner and previous Chairperson. He noted that Mr. Swoboda always listened to the public, asked intelligent questions, and made excellent observations and recommendations. He wished Mr. Swobda well in his future endeavors and stated that he would be missed.

Mr. Michael Labadie provided an informational handout to the Commissioners titled "Evaluating Traffic Impact Studies", which was submitted to the file.

Mr. Labadie asked for the Commissioners questions or comments regarding traffic issues. The following questions were discussed:

Mr. Labadie proceeded with a powerpoint presentation, starting with traffic impact study information. He commented on when a traffic study should be required and the benefits to the community for having the study. Some of the benefits included providing the Council with the knowledge a study provides for the site plan approval process, working with road agencies in the site plan approval process, and identifying problems which could affect a developer’s decision to pursue a project.

Mr. Labadie noted that the governing road agency had control over what improvements were made to their road right-of-ways, however, the municipality still had the ultimate control over the site plan approval for a project, including the scope of work.

Further discussions included when traffic studies may not be required, due to the minimal size of a proposed site. It was also noted that a community should be consistent with its requirements and expectations from developers.

The lack of criteria for assessing qualifications of a Traffic preparer / reviewer was discussed, noting that following accepted practices or industry standards regarding traffic studies was strongly recommended so as to instill confidence in the technical results. Mr. Labadie provided several traffic and parking manuals from the Institute of Traffic Engineers and the Urban Land Institute for the Commissioners to review, noting that the use of this accepted criteria should be followed to provide accurate findings. Accurate findings and data could then be used to develop an accurate mitigation plan.

The primary steps in the development of a traffic impact study were highlighted, which included:

Mr. Labadie stressed the importance of a coordinated review process between the local communities, the traffic engineers, and the governing body of the roadway, such as the Oakland County Road Commission or the Michigan Department of Transportation.

A model traffic impact ordinance was outlined in the handout provided by Mr. Labadie.

Regional Transportation Plans were reviewed, suggesting that a transportation plan be included in municipalities’ Master Plans.

Level of service for intersections was discussed, including the meanings of Levels A through F, in both signalized and non-signalized intersections. Level A typically allows for a maximum15 second wait at an intersection, with level F providing for more than a minute wait.

The second portion of the study session addressed shared parking concepts.

Different types of uses and their relation to each other were discussed, including their proximity on a site, their hours of operation, and the amount of parking required for each use.

Mr. Labadie also stressed the need to have the parking distributed properly throughout a development so as to provide the correct number of parking spaces in close proximity for the proposed uses. He noted that the distribution of parking spaces is a very important aspect for the proper function of a mixed-use development.

Several examples of mixed-use developments were highlighted, including the global number of parking spaces required based on the uses within the development, their proximity to each other, and their hours of operation. The proper distribution of the spaces throughout the site was again strongly recommended so as to provide a properly functioning development.

The concept of internal capture was discussed, noting that one trip to a mixed use development could include several stops within that same development, thus only one parking space required.

Travel distance for pedestrian traffic was discussed, noting the need to provide parking within a reasonable distance to the uses it serves.

The Commissioners thanked Mr. Labadie for his thorough review of both topics - traffic impact studies and shared parking concepts.

There were no additional items discussed.

The next Planning Commission was scheduled for Monday, October 1, 2007.

The Planning Commission Meeting of Monday, September 17, 2007 was adjourned at 9:45 P.M.

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Charter Township of Bloomfield
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P.O. Box 489
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0489
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