Previously set to terminate July 31, the standard will now expire on July 31, 2008, giving planners more time to review proposed project components, notably a Trip-based Intensity Measurement Standard, or TIMS, which would limit project size based on expected vehicle trips.
"The intent of the ordinance is that while the general plan update is ongoing and the TIMS is under review, this ordinance provides stop-gap measures to assure that any projects that may have traffic impacts are adequately reviewed," he said.
Council members weighed in Tuesday on a report showing that a trip-based standard would likely bring adverse economic impacts, like drops in land value, job creation and tax revenue for the city.
"The finding that the implementation of TIMS would lower the land values in community areas and impact jobs and impact revenues is kind of a no-brainer," Vice Mayor Dave Golonski said. "If you restrict development, that's what's going to happen … generally you're going to have less jobs and less revenue to the city. It's just finding the appropriate way to … manage and control that development."
Golonski noted that development monitoring strategies in other cities tend to follow a floor-area ratio, or FAR, model, which limits the size of a building, but does not take into consideration the use of that building. And though that may control building size, it does not address the problem of traffic congestion, he said. A trip-based strategy is a step down the right path, he added.
