HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2012-020 Resolution to Approve the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Durham Orange County Transit Corridor �� S . �o � � • dzo
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RESOLUTION TO APPROVE
THE LOCALLY-PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE (LPA) FOR THE
DURHAM-ORANGE COUNTY TRANSIT CORRIDOR
February 8, 2012
A motion was made by TAC Member_and seconded by TAC Member for the adoption of
the following resolution, and upon being put to a vote, was duly adopted.
WHEREAS, the Special Transit Advisory Commission (STAC) recommendations in May 2008
included rail transit extending from Raleigh to Durham to Chapel Hill; and
WHEREAS, the Durham-Chapel-Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO)
incorporated the STAC rail transit into the adopted 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan in April
2009; and
WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly approved the Congestion Relief/Intermodal
Transport bill in August 2009 that enables local areas to fund public transportation through an
increase in sales tax, car registration fees and special district property taxes; and
WHEREAS, the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) implemented the Triangle Regional Transit
Program in 2010 to study the financial, ridership, environmental and public input aspects of
regional bus and rail transit, and subsequently conducted a visioning process and Transitional
Analysis to study rail corridors in Durham, Orange, and Wake counties, and
WHEREAS, the TTA completed an Alternatives Analysis on the three highest-performing
corridors that included the Durham-Orange corridor in July 2011 and issued an Addendum to the
"Detailed Definition of Alternatives Technical Report" in August 2011 which clarified that
reasonable alternatives to the proposed alignments crossing the Little Creek and New Hope
Creek areas will be studied; and
WHEREAS, the TTA and the DCHC MPO have both conducted comprehensive public
involvement activities, which included public workshops, public hearings and presentations to
local elected boards, for the visioning process, Transitional Analysis and Alternatives Analysis;
and
WHEREAS, light rail transit technology has a greater potential to promote economic growth
and focus transit-supportive development around station areas as compared to bus rapid
transit technology; and
WHEREAS, alignment option A3 in the UNC station area is supported by the Town of Chapel
Hill, UNC at Chapel Hill, and UNC Hospitals and would allow for future extension of the
alignment to the west to possible destinations such as downtown Chapel Hill, downtown
Carrboro and the Carolina North Campus; and
WHEREAS, the alignment option C2 is potentially compatible with the overall vision for the
transit corridor; and
WHEREAS, the ridership, costs, environmental impacts, community impacts, and impacts on
nearby roadway traffic of alignment option C2 needs to be further studied in the Scoping and
Preliminary Engineering/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (PE/DEIS) phases before a final
decision is made on which alignment should be advanced; and
WHEREAS, alignment option D3 in the South Square station area would best promote transit-
supportive economic development; and
WHEREAS, the adoption of the Locally Preferred Alternative does not include a
recommendation for the location of a Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility and the location
of this facility will be further studied in the Scoping and PE/DEIS phases; and
WHEREAS, the adoption of the Locally Preferred Alternative will be followed by further study of
the alignment and station locations in the Scoping and PE/DEIS phases when a final decision is
made on the remaining active options; and
WHEREAS, the substantive issues identified in public comments on the Alternatives Analysis
will be addressed in subsequent development steps such as Scoping and PE/DEIS; and
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Durham-Chapei Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning
Organization Transportation Advisory Committee adopts light rail transit technology on the
alignment recommended in the "Detailed Definition of Alternatives Technical Report" dated July
2011 with the modification that the C2 option be carried forward for further study in the
Meadowmont and Hillmont station areas as the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Durham-
Orange County Corridor(as illustrated on the attached map), and that the DCHC MPO intends
to incorporate this LPA into the forthcoming 2040 Long Range Transportation
Plan to further inform this LPA, provided here on this, the 8th day of February, 2012.
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