How To… Link Land Use

“How To” Planning Series

Prepared by Strafford Regional

and Transportation Planning

Planning Commission. Funded by the
NH Office of State Planning and the
NH Department of Transportation

Introduction
“Better land use planning
can reduce our need for 6:45 pm. Planning Board meeting night. Your thoughts are on the evening’s
new roadways, and can agenda - packed again for the third month in a row. You review the list of
items on the agenda: minor land subdivision, major land subdivision,
make our infrastructure
preliminary site plan review for commercial development, public hearing for
safer and more efficient.” a residential subdivision of 25 units. You are concerned about the traffic
impact from the residential development on a state highway and local
NH Department of Transportation roads. Also, you are wondering whether the newest proposed commercial
The Transportation/Land Use
Relationship, development and related traffic issues will meet your Master Plan policies
Citizen’s Guide to Transportation. and implementation strategies. Nothing seems to be simple anymore.
Series, 2003
Over the last three decades, many communities in New Hampshire have
become increasingly concerned about the amount and pace of growth in
their community. Populations are increasing and large tracts of open lands
Table of Contents are being developed into residential subdivisions or strip-style commercial
areas. Roads are being widened and new roads constructed, while bike
Introduction 1 trails, sidewalks, and other facilities that link activities and uses are not
present in sufficient quantities. How do we want to grow and how can we
Consider Land Use and 1
Transportation Issues
plan better to achieve sustainable development that balances land use and
Together transportation needs?
Land Use – Transportation 2
Cycle
Consider Land Use and Transportation Issues Together
Land Use – Transportation 2
Implementation Strategies
The design of transportation facilities
Nodal Development /Zoning 3 such as roads, driveway access points,
sidewalks, and bike routes has a major
Livable Walkable 3 impact on your community’s character.
Communities These facilities are the result of land use
Access Management 4 decisions. This Guide provides informa-
tion on linking land use decisions with
Land Use – Transportation 5
transportation facilities planning and
and the Master Plan development. It describes which transpor-
tation principles and strategies to use
Land Use - Transportation 6
Issues During Site Plan or and how to incorporate them into the
Subdivision Plan Review land use planning process. It discusses Town of Madbury: preserving rural character
Local Role in Driveway 7 the critical relationship Planning Boards and considering new land use and transpor-
Placement have with New Hampshire Department tation needs.
Land Use - Transportation 8 of Transportation (NHDOT) in permitting
Planning Must Be Linked! driveways along state highways. It prepares you to work with applicants, NH
DOT, and residents to achieve Master Plan goals.

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Land Use
The Land Use — Transportation Cycle
Change
How we use our land (i.e., for agriculture, residential, commer-
cial, industrial development) impacts our transportation
Increased land Increased traffic facilities, modes of travel (i.e., cars, buses, bicycles or walk-
value generation ing), services and vice versa. This land use-transportation rela-
tionship or cycle is illustrated by describing what commonly
The occurs when a road is built or improved. Land along the road
In-
Land Use becomes more accessible. This increased accessibility makes
creased
Transportation the land more valuable and attractive to developers. As land
Cycle
along the road is developed, traffic volumes and the number of
driveways increase. This results in more congestion and a
Increased traffic
deterioration of the road’s capacity to efficiently move people
conflicts and goods. The reduced efficiency of the road eventually
Roadway
improvements
necessitates roadway capacity improvements that may encour-
age additional development and the start of a new cycle.
Deterioration in
level of
service
Land Use - Transportation
Implementation Strategies
“The land use-transportation cycle continues Improved integration of land use and transportation planning
until it is physically or economically can reduce the need for highway expansion and maintain the
impossible to further expand highway quality of our communities. Three cost-effective strategies
capacity. Access Management, together with useful for integrating land use with transportation are: Nodal
good land use control, can preserve highway Development/Zoning, Livable Walkable Communities, and
capacity and effectively slow down or halt the Access Management. Individually or together, these strategies
development cycle.” can significantly improve your community.
Federal Highway Administration Nodal Development/Zoning concentrates development (e.g.,
Access Management Project
creates a village) to encourage walking or bicycle use so that
land between nodes can be used for low density, low traffic
land uses.
The average single family household gener-
ates approximately 10 vehicle trips per Livable Walkable Communities are municipalities that provide
day . A street with 30 houses would gener- facilities to promote walking, bicycling, services, and activities
ate an estimated 300 vehicle trips per day. that promote a healthier lifestyle.

The average commercial drive-through fast- Access Management is the ability to control the number and
food restaurant generates approximately location of access points to a property.
496 vehicle trips per day per 1,000 sq. ft.
of gross floor area. Adopting these strategies in your Master Plan as land use and
transportation policies and in your Zoning Ordinance as devel-
The average office generates approximately opment standards, and implementing them via site plan and
3.32 trips per employee per day. subdivision plan review will significantly improve your commu-
nity.
(Trip Generation Manual, 1997)

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“How To” Planning Series

Nodal Development / Zoning
Nodal development/zoning is a concentration of land uses
around an existing intersection or village center that serves as a
focal point for the community. Focusing development in nodes
while maintaining open space between them accomplishes two
goals. First, it helps maintain the desirable traditional New
England community character. Second, it preserves traffic flow
by reducing the number of potential conflicts along the roadway
or corridor. Nodal development areas are identified in a
community’s Master Plan land use section and promoted via a Town of Barrington: Nodal development
zoning ordinance district and development standards.

The Town of Wakefield has included nodal development/zoning

principles in its Master Plan and in its Zoning Ordinance. The
Town of New Durham participated in the Route 11 Access
Management Planning Study with Rochester and Farmington.
They are considering promoting nodal development by adopting
nodal zones in key areas.

The Route 16 Corridor Study suggests using nodal development

as one of five strategies for managing land use development
and transportation. With compact development the share of
trips made by other transportation modes can be higher and
typical trip length can be shorter.

The end result are corridors better planned to meet goals.

Livable Walkable Communities

In many communities across the country, streets designed over
the past fifty years have placed the needs of the motorist fore-
Town of Wakefield: Nodal zoning
most, making it unsafe for people walking or biking. This has along the NH 16 Corridor
often created stark, wide and fast roads that aim to respond
only to the needs of motorists and that do not support healthy
lifestyles.

Communities that adopt street design standards to include side-

walks separate from the road way and to accommodate
bicyclists, create safer, more pleasant environments for every-
one. Requiring both commercial and residential developers to
incorporate bicycle and pedestrian walkways in their plans can
significantly improve and maintain rural, small town character by
decreasing the amount of vehicle trips. Trails, sidewalks, and
space for bicycles create multiple modes of connectivity main-
taining viable and diverse opportunities for development. Safe pedestrian walkway adjacent to street

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Access Management

Access Management is implementing a set of planning strategies

to ensure the safe and efficient flow of traffic, while maintaining
the character of a community. Access Management strategies
include: spacing and design of driveways, median openings, and
interchanges; placement of abutting parking facilities; and use of Road through undeveloped land.
instructional signage. Using Access Management strategies
enables a community to maintain safety and quality of life for their
residents and visitors.

Managing access can increase public safety by reducing

accidents, travel time and congestion, while maintaining existing
roadway capacity. Access Management strategies can lower road
improvement costs, improve air quality, and preserve or enhance
property values along a highway corridor. Additionally, there is
growing evidence that Access Management is a cost effective Incremental development leads to in-
planning strategy to limit a sprawl pattern of development. creased conflict points along the roadway.

Access Management strategies can be applied to all roadways

including: major and minor arterials, collectors, and local streets.
These strategies are particularly useful for rural areas or areas not
yet completely developed. Rural areas with large tracts of land are
particularly vulnerable to incremental development resulting in
linear or strip development and the associated roadway capacity
reduction. The appropriate strategies vary with the roadway
function, the character of the abutting land, and the long-term
planning policies. Some sample Access Management issues and Without integrating land use and land use
and transportation planning, congestion
implementation strategies are listed below. and sprawl-like development may occur.

Access Management Issues Strategies

Distance between Driveways Require minimum distance between driveways based
on the speed limit of the roadway consistent with
FHWA guidance documented in “Access Management
for Streets and Roads” FHWA, 1982.
Driveway Ownership Require shared driveways whenever feasible.
Number of Driveways Limit the number of driveways per lot to minimize the
conflict points on the roadway.
Frontage Roads Where feasible, encourage using of frontage roads to
maintain traffic flow.
Interconnection between Developments Where feasible, provide connection between parcels to
limit the need for traffic to reenter the roadway.

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Land Use –Transportation and the Master Plan

Local Master Plans describe a community’s vision for the future and
how it plans to achieve that vision. There are several ways in which
the Master Plan can address land use and transportation issues
and establish a basis for future development.

Begin by adding a transportation section to your Master Plan. A well-

developed transportation section will define how the community’s
transportation system relates to the regional system, the vision for
growth, and the intended function of the local transportation net- City of Dover: Downtown district
work. The transportation section for a Master Plan might include:

„ Policies (i.e. what you want to achieve or commitments to do some- “New Hampshire’s rural character is
thing—in the form of goals, principles and standards). part of the state’s bedrock appeal for
„ Implementation Strategies (i.e. how you intend to achieve it). residents and visitors. Our postcard
„ Background research and analysis for the policies and implementation scenery of white-spired villages, rolling
programs (located in the Master Plan Appendix) including: farmland, wooded hills,, mountains,
• Description of existing conditions: types of roads; public transpor-
and shorelines define the rural image of
tation; location and condition of transportation facilities, bike
routes, and sidewalks; the community’s place in the region; and the Granite State. Use of the word
issues of regional concern. character is no coincidence, for the
• Traffic counts for major roads and intersections. phrase rural character suggests much
• Identification of Scenic Roads under RSA 231:157. Are any com- more than visual images. When
munity roads being considered for Scenic Road designation? communities frame master plans around
• Description of existing sidewalk and trail network. Whom do they preserving rural character, people are
service and what is their condition? seeking to hold onto and promote
• Identification of current problems with access (driveways) on traditional rural or small town values
roadways by examining accident patterns. of family, community, independence,
• Consideration of Master Plan land uses, zoning, and current responsibility, self-government,
land use as it relates to the intended function of a roadway.
conservation, entrepreneurship, and
• Identification of nodal development / zoning strategies to limit
the amount of development along less developed, rural roads.
strong work ethic in a fast-changing
• Incorporation of access management strategies as part of site world”.
plan review and subdivision regulations to ensure that develop- NH Office of State Planning
ment along highways does not significantly reduce traffic safety
and carrying capacity.
• Recommendation for traffic impact analysis for all Site Plan Re-
view and Subdivision applications exceeding a prescribed thresh-
old.

To link transportation and land use, a Master Plan’s land use sec-
tion should consider roadways as a type of land use. Development
and zoning decisions should consider the existing capacity and in-
tended function of a roadway and recognize the impact develop-
ment will have on the transportation system and facilities.

Town of Strafford: Road with stonewalls

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Land Use and Transportation Issues During Site Plan or

Subdivision Plan Review
When the Planning Board is reviewing site or subdivision plans,
consider the following questions:

• What type of land use is being proposed? Each type of land LFor specific examples of
use generates a different type and amount of traffic; under- access management strate-
stand those impacts. Estimates of the type and amount of traf- gies and designs see:
fic generated by a particular use can be found in the Trip Gen- • Rockingham Planning Commis-
eration Manual, published by the Institute for Transportation sion Local Access Management
Engineers. Manual
• The Route 16 Corridor Study:
• What is the function of this road (I.e. arterial, collector, local)
Access Management Manual
on which the development is being proposed? Is the proposed
development compatible with this function? • A Policy on Geometric Design of
Highways and Streets, AASHTO
• Where are the driveways located? Could the design be im- • Route 11 Access Management
proved according to some of the principles of access manage-
Study Rochester, Farmington,
ment?
New Durham
• What impact will the development have on the amount and • Route 4 Access Management
type of traffic on the abutting roadway? Study Lee, Barrington, Notting-
ham, and Northwood
• What are the incremental effects the development may have and
especially on the access to neighboring and back lots.

• Is the roadway width appropriate?

• Are pedestrian walkways, sidewalks, paths, and crosswalks; bike

routes; multi–use paths; and links to bus stops provided?

Require the developer to conduct a traffic impact analysis to help

assess the impact the traffic generated by the development will
have on the area and determine what measures must be taken to
minimize the impacts. For a full description of what should be in-
cluded in a traffic impact analysis see the Strafford Regional Plan-
ning Commission’s Guide to Traffic Impact.

A traffic analysis may not answer all of your questions, or it may

claim there are no impacts. A Planning Board can require a peer
review by a professional traffic engineer. The cost of the review Example of conservation subdivision plan
with existing residential development
can be requested from the applicant.

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Local Role in Driveway Placement

There seems to be a misconception that the NHDOT has total
control over access to state highways, and that communities
have little say in whether or not a permit is issued or where a
driveway will be located.

While it is true NHDOT cannot deny access to properties

abutting State highways by withholding driveway permits, the
NHDOT District Offices issue permits on the basis of safety.
Issues such as sight distance, numbers of permitted drive-
ways, drainage, and maximum geometric standards for com-
mercial driveways are considered. NHDOT is not required to
know about local Master Plan, conservation or development
The true reason curb cut permitting under goals. The Planning Board does know Master Plan goals,
RSA 231:13 is given to the Planning
Board is not the design of the individual strategies and local regulations. Thus, a few key points to re-
curb cuts (the highway agent can handle member include:
that), but the need to regulate numbers
and use intensity of curb cuts as part of Driveway permits issued by the NHDOT do not override local
the overall road system planning" regulatory requirements!
Bernie Waugh, A Hard Road to Travel Planning Boards have the authority to enact policies and
regulations that are stricter than NHDOT. They can review
and possibly modify or reject a development's access even if
access permits are granted by NHDOT. These actions can be
executed through: site plan ordinance or subdivision
regulation, preparation and adoption of an access manage-
ment plan, or the signing of a Memorandum Of Understand-
ing with NHDOT.

By sending a copy of your Access Management policies and

Use shared driveways where feasible implementation strategies and ordinances and regulations to
the NHDOT District Office, they can better understand how
the community is planning for development. So if your
community has an Access Management Plan, send it to
NHDOT!
"The fact that a subdivision has access
onto a state highway, , does not mean Each NHDOT District Office sends copies of all driveway
that the planning board must permit applications to the community for which a driveway
automatically grant the access to that permit is requested. These applications should be reviewed
roadway simply because a driveway and, if necessary, comments sent to NHDOT expressing your
permit has been received from the
concerns.
state. "

Bernie Waugh, A Hard Road to Travel” In 2002, NHDOT developed a model Memorandum of Under-
standing to formalize cooperation between communities and
NHDOT in the driveway permitting process. For a copy of the
MOU, contact the Strafford Regional Planning Commission.

Strafford Regional Planning Commission

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Strafford Regional Planning Commission
2 Ridge Street
Suite 4
Dover, New Hampshire 03820-2505
Phone: 603-742-2523
Fax: 603-742-7986
Email: [email protected] Addressee
Planning and action for sustainable
development and an improved quality of life.

Land Use and Transportation Planning Must Be Linked!

• The design of transportation facilities has a major impact on the rural New England character of a
community. Conventional street design has tended to create roads with the motorist in mind,
forgetting the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists. This has contributed to the loss of rural “small
town” character in New Hampshire.
• Land use decisions directly impact the transportation system and facilities in the region. Land use
generates vehicle trips leading to traffic congestion and costly, expansive roadway capacity
improvements.
• To achieve sustainable development, planning decision-makers should adopt and implement
Master Plan land use and transportation policies and implementation strategies and zoning
ordinance and subdivision regulations that promote:
• Nodal Development / Zoning
• Livable Walkable Communities
• Access Management

Together we can achieve sustainable development and improve the quality of life.

Strafford Regional Planning Commission