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It included communication with local newspaper reporters and editors, as well as radio and television show producers. The Spanish language newspaper, El Pregonero, featured several stories on the sector plan effort. The project team had guest spots on local cable television and radio shows with the goal of reaching a broad section of the community. Participation in Community Events Planning staff participated in community events e. In addition to the door-to-door recruiting efforts in mid-June , planning staff contacted members of the business community and invited them to attend open houses.

One-on-one interviews were held with business operators and commercial property owners throughout the process. Planning staff also attended special meetings with the business community. Five major public meetings were held during that targeted all segments of the community.

These meetings featured numerous exhibits where citizens could learn about the planning process and ask questions. Spanish language interpreters were also available at the meetings. During pre-initiation, the team met and created processes to work together including creating a month process.

Since initiation February , the team worked with consultants during the preplanning and planning phases of this plan. This became a concern for both counties because of the ongoing joint process. However, the two departments, through discussions, concluded that the plan process would be separated after the last public meeting on November 6, Since this change in schedule, the TLC bicounty team has continued to confer and collaborate where possible. While there has been a separation in the schedule and plan development, each county is developing a plan with shared elements that address transportation and the environment.

The plan process chart outlines the major project milestones within the month approved schedule. See Table 2, Major Project Milestones. Demographic characteristics detailed in the U. TLC is considered one of the most densely populated communities in the State of Maryland. In , approximately 29, people lived in this area. Between and , the population gained approximately 3, people, a 13 percent increase across the decade. July validation meetings, for example, was specifically organized for business owners and operators and local economic development staff.

For a period of almost 30 years, the Washington region has served as a destination for immigrants from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. Latinos with origins in El Salvador, other Central American countries, and South America comprise one of the largest ethnic groups in the area. While most households are renting 68 percent , the population is not as transient as would be expected; almost half of the population lived in the same residences five years prior to the U. Specifically, the TLC community is focused on a convergence of strip shopping center-style commercial and entertainment uses, behind which are located residential communities.

Single-family housing, mostly of brick construction, is found in the western and southern quadrants of the study area. Most of the area north of University Boulevard is occupied by a series of garden apartment developments. Additional single-family neighborhoods are located on the very northern edge of the study area and extend to the north between the study area and Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park See Map 5.

The TLC area is widely recognized as a local and regional destination featuring ethnic restaurants and shops and other unique retail service needs. The typically suburban character of these attractions does not reflect the multinational cultural ties that support it. As seen on Map 6, most of the study area is zoned for various types of residential development.

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Most of the parcels along New Hampshire Avenue are also zoned for residential development, while along University Boulevard more are zoned for commercial development. The highest intensity development is permitted at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard and at. With three regional arterials University Boulevard, New Hampshire Avenue, and sections of Riggs Road coming together at this location, much of the built environment is dominated by moving cars.

Seventy percent of traffic on these three roads is pass-through traffic; that is, motorists are driving through this area to reach a destination elsewhere. However, local residents must also use these roads to reach nearby. Aside from the three main regional arterials, there are a number of secondary roads on the edges of the study area, such as Carroll Avenue on the western edge.

Many of the roads in the area are classified as minor roads, primarily providing access to residential development.

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Because of its original Euclidian zoning and development patterns, most land uses within the study area have little or no direct connectivity between them. The study area is dissected by two busy regional arterials University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue that are significant barriers to easy pedestrian access and pose numerous safety issues.

The TLC community has many residents and visitors who have no access to cars. Unfortunately, the pedestrian environment tying nearby neighborhoods to attractions and between various commercial parcels is an afterthought. Especially noticeable are the few direct connections between the residential areas and the commercial core of the crossroads. High traffic volumes and numerous curb cuts along the main arterials also make it difficult and often dangerous for vehicles and pedestrians to navigate through the study area or enter or leave specific properties.

Furthermore, a high level of transit use along the main arterials creates a series of conflicts between pedestrians trying to access transit services and fast-moving or turning vehicles.

Open Space and Environmental Profile The TLC plan area has a limited amount of green space, much of which is associated with schools or other community facilities. These are important natural resources that offer ecological and recreational opportunities. Nevertheless, there is poor connectivity between these nearby resources and the residential areas of the crossroads.

The two counties are projected to experience healthy office-based employment growth over the next few decades. Based on a review of current economic conditions, the plan area is likely to maintain its current share of future trade area retail demand if transit is not added. However, with the introduction of the Purple Line and the potential addition of many more households and firms and associated retail spending , the plan area businesses could increase their capture of trade area retail spending. It is estimated that this may occur slowly over the first ten years, and accelerate significantly once the Purple Line is introduced and a critical mass of customers is added.

Housing Profile The housing profile section analyzes the entire study area, which includes data from outside the sector plan boundary. One-third are in buildings with ten or more units and 24 percent are in structures with five to nine units. About 27 percent 2, units are single-family detached. While most households rent 68 percent , almost half of the population lived in the same residence five years prior to the census. Close to three quarters of the housing stock in this portion of the plan area is multifamily,. These housing units are also predominantly renter-occupied.

Opportunities and Constraints During the planning process, staff analyzed existing conditions to document the opportunities and constraints within the TLC plan area. The opportunities and constraints analysis focused on physical aspects of issues of concern to the plan area. Key Conclusions of Analysis of Existing Conditions Maps 8 and 9 illustrate the major conclusions of this analysis visually show the future opportunities and constraints that exist in the TLC area.

Transit-oriented development can create future hubs of activity in the quarter-mile or so around the Purple Line stations. Redevelopment is also an opportunity to provide a greater variety of housing choices, while retaining a focus on affordable housing availability. By increasing the development potential of a site, TLC would be able to attract more developers for a variety of projects. Currently, 70 percent of existing traffic is pass-through traffic, and much local traffic is forced onto busy regional arterials.

The scale of these arterials makes it difficult to find design solutions that will treat these rights-of-way more like urban streets than highways. By offering local residents and businesses alternatives to using arterials for short internal trips, the conditions on the arterials will improve. In some cases, pedestrian-only links between different uses are a possible solution to existing access difficulties.

Another priority is making existing connections across the main arterials safer. Important regional recreation and open space are nearby, but it is hard for many in the study area to reach them. Also, future plans must recognize different accommodations for recreational cycling and walking versus commuting or functional cycling and walking, and improve pedestrian access to existing and future transit. For example, soccer games are an important social activity,.

The community will have a mix of old and new businesses, providing quality retail goods and services to serve the surrounding community as well as other shoppers. A newly updated mixed-use center will provide numerous opportunities for people to gather and socialize in restaurants, cultural and recreational facilities, plazas, and other community facilities that serve to bring new and long time residents together. Within the TLC sector plan boundaries, the following are highlighted as foundations for the vision.

It is a well connected community that has trails and sidewalks with attractive landscaping and lighting. The map shows the density recommendations for the sector plan area as well as the designation of Purple Line stations, transit center location, and proposed road layout. Plan Vision Map The map shows proposed road layout and designation of roads for proposed road widths.

The map shows proposed public facilities proposals, public space designation, and existing public uses. The community is organized around two Purple Line stations. The inclusion of several of the following design attributes may contribute to creating a sense of place: Background Several components when combined can create a pedestrian-friendly environment. Transit-Oriented Development Transit-oriented development addresses the design details required to create compact, walkable communities centered on high-quality transit systems.

TOD makes it possible to live in a community without complete dependence on a car for mobility. Four key TOD principles are addressed below to influence the creation of a safer and more walkable community. Greater Density than the Community Average A key ingredient for walkable communities and support for transit is having sufficient residential densities to reduce walking distances between residences and other destinations, including commercial services, schools, parks, and transit.

A Mix of Uses A transit-supportive environment includes a mixture of residential, commercial, service, employment, and public uses, making many trips between destinations shorter and more. One of the most visually distinguishable features of TOD is the active streetscape, which is oriented toward pedestrians. A mix of uses creates multiple destinations around the transit station, which helps generate pedestrian traffic.

Quality Pedestrian Environment There are several components that contribute to a quality environment in a TOD area including allowing for convenient and comfortable places for pedestrians. Several components when combined can create a pedestrian-friendly environment. Placemaking Placemaking is a design method that combines various physical and visual components to create a distinct sense of place in a particular area. This process involves establishing identifiable neighborhoods through a mixture of unique architecture, aesthetically pleasing views and public places, identifiable landmarks and focal points, and a human element generated by compatible scales of development and ongoing public stewardship.

Other key elements of placemaking include lively commercial centers, mixed-use development with ground-level retail uses, human-scale and contextsensitive design, safe and attractive public areas, and image-making elements in the public realm. Through proper design and effective use of the built environment, CPTED can help to reduce the incidence and fear of crime and improve the overall quality of life. CPTED requires the participation of all community members: Territoriality can be established through design elements such as the clear delineation of public and private areas through low walls, fences, sidewalks, private yards, etc.

Natural surveillance can be achieved by design elements windows, balconies, porches, outdoor activity areas that increase visibility of the street as well as by preserving sightlines through appropriate maintenance of trees and shrubbery and by ensuring the provision of adequate lighting. Access control measures include ensuring the visibility of commercial and residential entrances and exits; controlling access through use of manned or otherwise controlled access points, or through limiting the number of units per entrance to reduce anonymity; and installing traffic-calming measures that minimize speeding and easy getaways.

This tool reinforces territoriality through the upkeep of properties and public spaces by establishing regularly scheduled maintenance of amenities such as lighting and landscaping. Without these measures in place, an area may become an environment that is more hospitable to crime.

Having different zones with distinct characteristics also helps to create a sense of place. This sense of place may be created by including at least several of the following attributes: Parking requirements are reduced in close proximity to transit, compared to the norm. Policy 1 Establish quality residential and commercial design for all new construction as part of TOD principles in the core areas immediately around the transit stations by implementing design guidelines and policies for building form and design character.

The development of design guidelines will be a part of. Such units provide a more affordable path to homeownership than detached housing and may present an opportunity to increase the proportion of owner-occupied units in the TLC community. Senior housing units should be integrated into mixeduse developments so that residents have better access to neighborhood services.

Example of residential and commercial design as part of a mixed use community. Mixed-use is a common trait of urban neighborhoods. Floor Area Ratio FAR A measure of sited development intensity usually used for nonresidential or mixeduse developments. In contrast, a number of smaller, more locally—oriented uses can be located off these arterials inside the neighborhoods they most directly serve.

An important factor in developing the density recommendations for the TLC sector plan area is the cost of mixed-use and multifamily construction. Once above five stories, construction costs rise sharply, making it more difficult to set aside such units as workforce housing. Consequently, a concerted effort was made within the priority sequence of the allocation process to spread out much of the residential development so that buildings relying on more expensive construction techniques were limited to those areas where such costs might better succeed economically.

In general, this concern limited residential densities to 50 units per acre. Policy 3 Create density recommendations for the TLC area that allow for transit-oriented and mixed-use development. Figure 1 shows examples of the overall ranges of densities by different areas within the Crossroads.

Table 4 shows the range of overall combined residential and nonresidential levels in the TOD and other mixed-use areas and translates the residentialonly densities to probable FARs. Strategies Consider policies that will grant higher FARs above the recommended limit as an incentive for developers only for community benefits such as: Policy 4 Allow parallel, on-street parking and off-peak parking on main arterial roadways. Rows of parked cars can reduce the need for costly off-street parking spaces and act as a very effective buffer between pedestrians and moving traffic.

This eliminates numerous curb cuts and keeps the pedestrian realm more continuous and conflict free. Policy 5 Establish design guidelines and regulations for new and in-fill development in the TLC area. In a Texas Doughnut design a building or group of buildings encircles a multistory parking garage. A Texas Doughnut has the benefit of maintaining an urban streetscape while providing suburban parking ratios see Map Do not permit buildings to have expansive blank walls. Install high intensity streetlights so that increased lighting encourages nighttime foot traffic and makes surveillance easier.

These elements may include tree plantings, green tracks, and landscaping. Transportation System Vision The vision for the TLC transportation system is to create an effective and efficient multimodal transportation system that takes into account development near the proposed Purple Line and transit center and that balances all proposed development.

This system of roads, sidewalks, trails, and mass transit is integrated with the recommended land use plan to encourage a user-friendly system that would link the TLC sector plan area with other key destinations in the region. The existing transit service within the sector plan can be characterized as slow and unreliable because it mainly operates on roadways that are congested during morning and afternoon peak commuting hours.

At the present time, there is no efficient, reliable, and high-capacity transit to attract additional development and promote multimodal transportation use. In order to provide a better connection and transfer among the existing bus transit routes serving the area, the Maryland Transit Administration MTA plans to construct a transit center that is proposed to be located on the northwest quadrant of the University Boulevard MD and New Hampshire Avenue MD intersection.

This area serves between 10, to 13, transit passengers on a daily basis on the bus routes that pass through the area. The high volume of existing transit ridership makes this area one of the busiest bus transfer points in the county see Map This transit center will be essential to eliminating redundant bus stops that encourage many existing.

The current design for the transit center is shown in Figure 3. Adequate pedestrian and bicycle access to the transit center will be critical components of the sector plan. Bicycle hub facilities that serve transit riders who walk and bike to work, school, and other places can be incorporated into the transit center. Bicycle hub facilities could include enclosed bicycle storage lockers and parking facilities, retail services, and information about transit options.

There are numerous schools in and around the TLC area that need both adequate pedestrian and bicycle access. Safe and adequate access to schools should be maintained and enhanced through creation of shared-use roadways and trail creation and preservation. Finally, there are many potential limitations to conventional bike facilities along the main roads due to inadequate street widths, intersection conflicts, high-frequency bus routes, high pedestrian use on sidewalks, or other obstacles.

The county should test a variety of different facility types along constrained streets. In order to more comprehensively address the transit mobility and accessibility issues in the Purple Line corridor between Bethesda and New Carrollton, which includes the sector plan area, MTA has prepared and released for comments the Draft. It will attract more automobile trips to transit and thus greatly reduces automobile use along major corridors in the sector plan area.

For these reasons, the sector plan transportation recommendations have been developed based on the assumption that the preferred mode for the Purple Line is LRT. This extension would provide. The MPOT was approved in The plan contains a bicycle and pedestrian element and a countywide plan map. The plan also contains many transit improvement recommendations and it emphasizes a need for compact transit-oriented development that will encourage biking and walking and reduce increases in vehicle emissions.

The study considers a range of transit alternatives to improve east-west mobility in the This study evaluates two transit modes: Roadway Goals The major roadways serving the sector plan area are New Hampshire Avenue MD , a six-lane divided arterial facility; University Boulevard MD , a six-lane divided arterial facility; and Riggs Road MD , a six-lane divided arterial roadway south of MD , transitioning to a two-lane undivided collector facility north of MD see Table 6. The annual average daily traffic AADT volumes along these major roadways serving the sector plan area range from approximately 41, vehicles along University Boulevard, 39, vehicles along Riggs Road south of University Boulevard, 38, vehicles along New Hampshire Avenue, to 20, vehicles along Riggs Road north of University Boulevard see Table 5.

A divided highway for through traffic, with full access control by grade separation at intersections, intended solely to carry large volumes of traffic over medium to long distances. Rights-of-way range from to feet. A corridor of parkland containing a limited access, divided scenic roadway with full or partial access control. The width of the median, as well as the park corridor, is variable dependent on the topography and adjacent natural and cultural features. Parkways are typically limited to noncommercial traffic and provide scenic gateways. A divided highway for medium- to high-speed traffic, with controlled access and some or all intersections at grade.

Access to abutting properties is generally not recommended. Rights-of way are generally a minimum of feet. A divided highway with intersections at grade and with geometric designs and traffic controls intended to expedite the movement of traffic. Direct access to abutting properties may be permitted by variance but may also be controlled. Rights-of-way are generally a minimum of feet. A multilane or two-lane roadway designed to carry medium-speed traffic between arterial and internal local streets and to connect the residential neighborhoods to major traffic generators.

Major collectors include separate left-turn lanes at major intersections and may incorporate medians to control left-turn access. Direct access to abutting properties on major collectors may be permitted but may also be controlled. Collector rightsof-way are generally a minimum of 80 feet and up to feet on major collectors. For planning purposes, the ratio of existing or projected daily traffic volumes to daily service volumes, typically defined over a range of operating conditions, is used to describe congestion level, or level of service LOS , experienced by drivers along a given roadway.

Table 5 identifies the Existing AADT volumes, the recommended daily service volumes, and the existing LOS for key roadways serving the sector plan area. Except for Riggs Road north of MD , which is currently a two-lane undivided facility, all major roadways within the sector plan are operating at acceptable levels of service. However, the intersection of University Boulevard with New Hampshire Avenue and the intersection of University Boulevard with Riggs Road are heavily congested during weekday peak periods and weekends.

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There are numerous conflict points in the area for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicular traffic including the convergence of several local and regional bus routes and inadequate continuous sidewalks. Most intersections within the sector plan boundary are inhospitable and challenging. This adds to traffic congestion by encouraging auto use even for short local trips that would otherwise be made on foot. Sidewalks along these corridors are either missing or not continuous and accessible.

Along these busy corridors are areas where the streetscape either does not exist or needs to be upgraded with additional amenities such as welldefined crosswalks, street trees, pedestrian-scale lighting, and user-friendly and dual-language signage. In order to improve the existing circulation deficiencies and increasing pedestrian safety problems in the vicinity of the MD and MD intersection, the Maryland State Highway Administration SHA has constructed road and safety improvements along MD and New Hampshire Avenue approaches.

These capital projects include steel-rail fencing within the median of both University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue. While these projects are helpful to funnel pedestrians away from dangerous mid-block crossings, the area needs more improvements that will encourage walking and bicycling and enhance the public realm in general. The streetscape upgrades include sidewalk improvements along the south side of University Boulevard east of New Hampshire Avenue, modifications to existing traffic signals, and the installation of a new pedestrian-activated signal at the intersection of MD with Lebanon Street.

However, the improvements do not address the operational problems associated with heavy left turns. As a result, the recommended transportation system for the sector plan area has been developed to concentrate on maximizing the utility of the existing transportation network and changes that will:. Several principles underpinned the transportation system that supports the recommended goals and strategies: Illustration of how the concept plan fulfills the goal of giving motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians a wider set of transportation nodes through the study area.

Road Circulation Providing for more direct access to the future transit stations is a priority within the TLC plan area. Another goal of the system is to offer more direct access from surrounding neighborhoods into and through the commercial or mixed-use areas rather than forcing movements around them and onto the main arterials to reach various destinations. For areas north of University Boulevard, a greater number of new connections are needed. Both the commercial sites and the garden apartment areas currently have few continuous ways to move to and from other plan area locations and there are no direct connections to the future transit station at Riggs Road.

Another impetus for adding new links is to avoid to some degree putting even more traffic at the two main intersections. For example, the extension of. Previous sections have described many of the green streets and complete streets aspects of the proposed circulation network within the plan area. The implementation of the green streets and complete streets concepts can easily occur once the rights-ofway have been acquired.

Many of the required new links will likely occur when redevelopment reconfigures locations to the pattern of development parcels shown on the preferred alternative concept map and such rights-of-way can be set aside and dedicated to the local jurisdictions. One of the biggest challenges posed by the concept plan is how to implement redesigns of both the main arterials, New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard, and how to make them more consistent with these concepts. Overall Transportation Policies and Strategies Policy 1 Plan for a light rail transit system that provides efficient and user-friendly transit service, that will transform the TLC area from an automobile-based.

All new development and redevelopment applications should be reviewed for transit, bicycle, and pedestrian-supportive design. The main purpose of the TDMD is to help implement the General Plan policies for the Developed Tier by recommending timely transportation-related improvements or actions that will reduce, or divert. Kanawha Street eastward to connect to University Boulevard beyond Riggs Road provides motorists and cyclists with another way to avoid the Riggs Road-University Boulevard intersection.

Policy 2 Develop a transportation system that is safe, efficient, accessible, and reduces dependency on the automobile. The roadway classifications in the TLC sector plan are shown on Table 7 and discussed in detail below. Roadway classifications for areas adjacent to the sector plan area are available in the MPOT. Policy 3 Develop a functional classification for all proposed and existing roads in the concept plan. Strategy In addition to the functional classification of the roadways, this section proposes the identification of major roadways serving the plan area in terms of context and use.

This is done to identify the intended and desired relationship between the spaces between curbs, consisting of the number of travel lanes, medians, on-street parking, transit accommodation, and bicycle lanes, and the space for the provision of other roadside elements, such as sidewalks, planting strips, street furniture, and building setbacks. University Boulevard should be constructed as a major transit boulevard. Amenities within the rightof way should include six travel lanes, three in each direction, wide continuous sidewalks, improved lighting, designated bicycle lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks delineated with special pavement or markings at all intersecting streets.

The plan recommends the road cross section include a median wide enough to adequately accommodate an atgrade Purple Line light-rail transit and the needed pedestrian and station facilities. Ensure that New Hampshire Avenue and Riggs Road south of MD are transformed to attractive and walkable six-lane major urban boulevards that support a diverse mix of pedestrian-oriented development. At a minimum, the desired elements to be included along or within the limits of the rights-of-way are landscaped medians, street trees, adequate pedestrian zones that will include wide sidewalks, street furniture, space for seating, pedestrian scale lighting, and bus stops with all-weather shelters and seats.

Other desired traffic control. Between intersections, design should consolidate commercial driveways and provide curb extensions and pedestrian refuge islands in the median to reduce pedestrian crossing distance. The plan envisions a twolane roadway with wide and green medians, pedestrian walkways, and exclusive bikeways that extend across University Boulevard and create a wide green vista connection within the sector plan area east of the University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue intersection. Trails and Pedestrian Access Vision The vision for the trails system of the sector plan is to create a comprehensive network of on- and off-road bicycle facilities and sidewalks that connect all parts of the TLC area, providing residents and visitors with convenient access to transit stations, workplaces, parks, commercial areas, and many other destinations.

Background Biking and walking are popular activities in the TLC area, which is characterized by low- to mediumdensity residential and commercial land uses. The area is a major transit service location and in close proximity to the University of Maryland campus. It is one of the busiest bus-transfer locations in the Washington metropolitan region.

Improving access to transit is a major objective of the TLC sector plan. New and innovative ideas for capital improvements are needed to improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation in general and to improve access to transit. Improvements that create access from outside of the study area on the surrounding roads and off-road trails will facilitate both walkers and riders. There are many challenges to facilitating pedestrians and bicyclists through the area.

Much of the urban. The study accomplished many tasks, which included identifying short- and long-term improvement to enhance pedestrian safety and mobility; examining how to integrate pedestrian and bicycle improvements into the planned TLC transit center and Purple Line facilities designs; and, finally, weighing short-term safety needs and retrofit projects against the long-term vision for the area.

The TLC Access and Mobility Study outlined several detailed proposals for improving pedestrian safety in the short-term and long-term. The proposals are the basis for many of the transportation recommendations contained in this plan. The shortterm recommendations address safety concerns while the long-term recommendations can be implemented as redevelopment and reconstruction occurs in the area.

Policy 1 Expand the bicycle route network with safe, convenient, and attractive bicycle facilities such as shared-use roadways, on-road bike lanes, cycle tracks, sidepaths, storage and parking facilities, bicycle parking, and safe road crossings on all streets. Streetscapes are oriented to large surface parking lots with several drive-up and drive-through commercial establishments.

Wide roads with large volumes of vehicles and many driveway entrance movements make getting around by foot or by bicycle difficult. There is little in the way of green infrastructure or green space within the commercial core area. The existing network requires new bicycle facilities and connections to existing trails for people with a wide range of bicycle experience.

Amenities can enhance the public realm and should be included in all public and private development proposals. Policy 2 Create safe routes by identifying high-priority sidewalk and bikeway corridors that lead to schools, transit centers, parks, and other activity centers where sidewalk and bikeway construction is required to improve safety, accessibility, and mobility. Adopt a policy that codifies the routine accommodation of bicycles and pedestrians as a part of all street improvements.

These policies will play an important role in building support for the full implementation of this plan. Policy 5 Provide continuous neighborhood sidewalk and trail connections to the multiuse recreational trails along the stream valley corridors of Sligo Creek, Long Branch, and the Northwest Branch. Recognize that these trails serve as important functional bikeways that are both recreational and commuter facilities. Strategy Develop safe pedestrian and bike trails for new schools and other public facilities.

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This plan emphasizes a new concept that encourages all of the local government agencies to work closely together to develop safe routes to existing and planned activity centers and schools. Policy 3 Improve connections between neighborhoods with innovative designs that are integrated with land uses and that facilitate pedestrians and bicyclists, including functional and distinctive signage, wide sidewalks, bicycle routes, and multi-use pathways.

Update the bikeway see Map 19 with additional neighborhood connections that are not yet identified that may be appropriate to accomplish the pedestrian safety goal. Policy 6 Develop adequate bicycle hub facilities and services at the transit center. Strategy Create hub facilities at the transit center that include bicycle storage, bicycle parking, and bicycle-related services such as bike rentals and repairs to enhance the viability of bicycling and connect cyclists with other sustainable forms of transportation.

Several criteria are utilized to distinguish hub facilities, including, but not limited to, whether or not there are proposed rail transit or bus rapid transit services, employment and population density, the number or size of activity centers, and demonstrated bicycle. New roadway design treatments will be evaluated for their effectiveness, and performance measures should be developed at the time of capital improvements planning, including grant applications, to monitor and to measure progress over time.

Performance measures should include the number of spot improvements completed or the amount of stormwater diverted from storm drains. Policy 4 Utilize innovative methods to make comprehensive improvements to state, county, and local road improvement plans. Example of raised paved pedestrian crossing - Hyattsville MD. This plan encourages the county to study the feasibility of offering bicycle rentals with smart card technology systems that offer commuter bikes.

Both plans include additional explanation of certain features, issues, and approaches that are common but nevertheless require clarification—often as a result of different implementation strategies, technical terms, or aspects of the respective county codes. This additional clarification is provided solely for clarification and reader convenience.

The overall vision of the plan is shared by both counties and the City of Takoma Park. Both plans also support the establishment of additional facilities or amenities adjacent to the right-of-way required by the Purple Line project such as the required landscape buffer and pedestrian path between the building line and the University Boulevard curb. The implementation mechanisms each county uses to establish these facilities or amenities are different, but may include. Local Street Connectivity Both counties plans share a vision for improving street connectivity to ensure shorter blocks that provide more options for pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle circulation and better separation of through traffic on the state highways from local traffic accessing residences and businesses in the plan area.

The establishment of a finer street grid was examined in the planning process and remains a key objective of both plans. The implementation of the finer street grid supports an approach that calls for the review of realigned or new business street connections on a case-by-case basis at the time of redevelopment. Both plans support the ongoing consideration of operational approaches to improve the performance of the intersection of University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue for all users.

Environmental Infrastructure Vision The vision for environmental infrastructure in the TLC sector plan area is to ensure that the unique environmental features in the study area are protected and all new development incorporates improvements that reduce the impact on the environment. Background The livability of the TLC area is enhanced by the increased incorporation of the landscape, both existing and created, into the design of the area. The TLC sector plan area is a highly urban area, with significant amounts of impervious surfaces. While the majority of the sector plan area was developed years ago, most of the development that currently exists was not subject to the environmental protections in place today.

The TLC sector plan is an opportunity to recommend the retrofit of these highly developed areas to include environmentally sensitive site design techniques that will contribute to the livability and long-term economic viability of this area. The TLC plan area has a limited amount of green space, much of which is associated with schools or other community facilities.

Sligo Creek Parkway, Long Branch Stream Valley, and Northwest Branch Stream Valley Parks and the power line right-of-way on the eastern edge of the plan area form a green beltway along the edges of the official plan area boundary. These important natural resources offer ecological and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors in the community. Nevertheless, there is poor connectivity between these nearby resources and the residential areas of the Crossroads.

Green Infrastructure The Approved Countywide Green Infrastructure Plan was developed to protect, enhance, and restore important environmental features of countywide significance. For this sector plan area, the countywide network was not modified to include any additional areas of local significance because these areas were already included in the countywide network.

The designated green infrastructure network for this sector plan area is shown on Map The designated green infrastructure network is divided into three environmental assessment categories: Regulated areas contain environmentally sensitive features such as streams, wetlands, buffers, the year floodplain, and steep slopes that are currently regulated i.

Evaluation areas contain environmentally sensitive features, such as unique wildlife habitats, that are not currently regulated during the development review process. Network gaps comprise areas that are critical to the connection of regulated and evaluation areas and are targeted for restoration in order to support the overall function and connectivity of the green infrastructure network. Networks need to be connected to provide the best possible environment for the preservation of all aspects of an ecosystem, which include vegetation, wildlife habitat, and water quality.

Due to the highly impervious and built nature of this sector plan area, the majority of the plan area is outside of the designated green infrastructure network. A small area of the sector plan is within the network and is associated with the Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park. The majority of the streams in this plan area have been piped under the existing road network in a stormdrain network that empties into small tributaries of Sligo Creek and Northwest Branch. The plan includes strategies to address greening the existing and proposed infrastructure by using the built environment as a benefit and thereby mitigating the negative effects of conventional development techniques.

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It should be noted that the environmental resources shown on all the maps are conceptual in nature and have not been validated in the field. They are based on the best available mapping information. The limits of the elements of the green infrastructure network should not be used for site-specific decisions. Before detailed plans are developed for any property, an approved natural resource inventory is required. The northeastern portion of the area lies within the Northwest Branch watershed, while the southeastern portion of the area drains to the Sligo Creek watershed.

These impervious surfaces do not allow rainfall to infiltrate back into the ground, and therefore create an impermeable layer which allows the stormwater to flow off the land into existing stormwater management infrastructure systems and subsequently to streams. The sector plan addresses the degraded water quality and physical condition of existing streams within the project boundary by incorporating environmentally sensitive site design while supporting the desired development pattern.

Class I waters are defined as suitable for water contact sports, the growth and propagation of fish other than trout , and other aquatic life and wildlife, while Class IV waters are capable of holding or supporting adult trout. Because of their habitat potential for trout, the health of Class IV waters also depends on keeping in-stream water temperatures relatively low and constant.

Because impervious surfaces, such as asphalt, result in higher temperatures than vegetated areas, the threat of increased stream temperatures after a rainfall event can greatly damage the fish populations in Northwest Branch. The plan addresses alternative methods to the treatment of stormwater such that the streams will not be impacted through the implementation of this plan. The planning area contains approximately acres of impervious surfaces Impervious surface areas above 10 percent are known to result in degraded water quality.

It is anticipated that the amount of impervious surfaces in the study area will not be reduced over time; in fact they are likely to increase. However, the impervious surfaces can be designed to better treat runoff and can result in positive changes for the receiving streams.

Frederick, Maryland

The plan recommends the use of environmentally sensitive stormwater management to mitigate the negative effects of extensive impervious surfaces in this area. The area contains approximately 21 acres of tree and forest cover 5. The goal set forth in the General Plan is to maintain 26 percent urban tree canopy and forest cover in the Developed Tier. Urban tree canopy provides many benefits to communities such as reducing the overall temperature of built spaces, providing oxygen, removing pollutants from the air, and when strategically planted or preserved, improving water quality by absorbing pollutants from stormwater runoff.

Trees also provide beauty and a sense of proportion to the built environment. The principles of urban forestry do not seek to recreate forests as they existed prior to development, but to provide tree canopy coverage that intercepts rain water, helps to reduce overall temperatures, and provides oxygen. The lack of tree cover in the sector plan area results in higher overall temperatures, reduced air quality, and reduced water quality. As redevelopment occurs in the area, the plan recommends the planting and preservation of trees, which should be enforced and emphasized.

Community tree planting efforts should also be encouraged to increase the tree canopy over time. Noise Noise is generally defined as any form of unwanted sound. Noise is a composite of all background noises emanating from point and nonpoint sources and is transferred to a receptor or receiver. The amount of noise transmitted can vary considerably due to elevations, the existence of barriers, and project design.

In general, the noise environment of the sector plan area is within the acceptable parameters set by the state of 65 dBA Ldn for residential outdoor activity areas and 45 dBA Ldn for indoor living areas in residential uses. Both roads are classified as arterials, and are likely to produce noise levels above 65 dBA Ldn measurement of decibel levels during day and night , the maximum state standard for residential uses. The 65 dBA Ldn noise contour extends approximately feet from the centerline of each roadway as determined using a noise model.

The noise model does not account for noise reductions that may be achieved by changes in topography or intervening structures and vegetation, so the actual levels of noise may vary from site to site. As development proposals are evaluated for the impacts of noise from New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard, each site will be evaluated for conformance with noise standards. In a dense area such as exists in the sector plan area, it will be difficult to address noise levels in all outdoor activity areas used for residential recreation because of existing roadways and building layouts.

However, as new developments are planned, outdoor activity areas should be located outside the 65 dBA Ldn noise contours or behind buildings to reduce the need for noise barriers. Interior noise levels for residential buildings and uses within the 65 dBA Ldn noise contours can be addressed through the use of proper building materials to reduce indoor noise.

Light Pollution Light pollution is defined as light that causes a glow in the night sky from artificial sources such as street lights, lights from commercial uses, and lights from residential sources. The basic principle CPTED sets out is that light levels should be kept as constant as possible from one property to the next in order to reduce the amount of time that the human eye needs to adjust to the different light levels.

This lighting scheme has the ability to reduce crime by providing an even level of light across various properties. Reducing light pollution also serves to reduce overall energy costs by directing the correct light levels in the right places, reducing the need for higher wattage fixtures. The main sources of light pollution in the plan area are the existing commercial uses, in particular the auto-related uses.

As new and redevelopment proposals are evaluated, light levels should be considered and overall lighting should be minimized and properly directed. The Built Environment Portions of the TLC sector plan area are proposed for redevelopment while others are to remain as they currently exist. Due to the lack of preserved natural ecosystems in the area, it is important to restore the ecological functions of these systems through created infrastructure such as low-impact stormwater management, sustainable building techniques, conservation landscaping techniques, and other innovative environmentally sensitive techniques.

As has been mentioned, the sector plan area is highly urbanized and includes many opportunities to redevelop using sustainable building practices. Sustainably designed buildings are able to enhance. The negative effects of air pollution are becoming increasingly recognized and efforts to mitigate its effect are being undertaken nationwide.

Air quality issues result mainly from nitrogen oxide gases NOx and volatile organic compounds VOCs that are mostly by-products of burning gasoline and coal. These gases combine when heated up by hot summer days and increasingly warming urban areas to create ozone, which can be detrimental to the health of humans, animals, and plants alike. One of the sources of ozone is the mixing of vehicle exhaust in the atmosphere and the heating effect of the earth.

If the overall number of vehicle trips can be reduced, so can the amount of ozone formed, therefore helping to improve the air quality in the region. There are several small steps that can be taken to improve air quality in the sector plan area that include reducing the overall number of vehicle miles traveled, providing a network of linkages for alternative forms of transportation, and providing more opportunities for ride sharing. When combined with increases in tree canopy and the implementation of sustainable building techniques, localized air quality can be improved and a contribution can be made to improving regional air quality.

Policy 1 Restore and enhance water quality in areas that have been degraded and preserve water quality in areas not degraded. Energy conservation through techniques that utilize water reuse or self-sustaining sources such as solar can provide decreased emissions of noxious gases and decrease the heat given off from these buildings. A sustainably designed building can save energy costs, decrease the amount of heat generated in urban areas, help to reduce emissions to both the air and water, and reduce the waste associated with conventional building practices.

Policy 2 Require on-site management of water quantity and quality through the use of environmentally sensitive stormwater management techniques for all new and redevelopment activities. Policy 3 Implement environmentally sensitive building techniques and reduce overall energy consumption. New building designs should incorporate the latest environmental technologies in project buildings and site designs.

As redevelopment occurs, the existing buildings should be reused. Policy 4 Preserve and enhance the existing urban tree canopy. Policy 5 Reduce light pollution and intrusion into residential communities and environmentally sensitive areas. Policy 6 Reduce air pollution to support community health and wellness and champion nonmotorized alternatives by placing a high priority on transitoriented development and transportation demand management projects and programs.

Policy 7 Reduce adverse noise impacts to meet State of Maryland noise standards. Vision The vision for public facilities in the TLC sector plan is to provide public facilities in locations that serve and promote a livable community. Key elements of this vision include creating a new architecturally significant central library and updating public school facilities. These models are insufficient for urban development at the community center and regional center scale. Many existing public facilities in the TLC area are over utilized, deteriorated, and do not efficiently serve the existing and future population.

During the planning process, a number of participants expressed the need for more community-oriented public facilities in the study area. Criticism culminated in the emergence of "New Western History", in the late s. Rejecting the notion of frontier altogether, New Historians suggested a rewriting of the Western past that focused on the West as a region, with geographical limits and specific characteristics distinguishing it from the other American regions. Finally, as scholars have been quick in criticizing the regionalist perspective of New Western History, it will try and assess how historians have started giving Western history a new orientation over the last decade, one that aims at reconciling the concepts of region and frontier, thus giving back to the West its significance at the national level.

The Turner thesis has had an extremely long-lasting impact, and may be considered as one of the main documents of American historiography. According to Turner, it was the frontier that shaped American institutions, society, and culture. The experience of the frontier, the westward march of pioneers from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, distinguishes Americans from Europeans, and gives the American nation its exceptional character. Society is described as an organism in constant evolution, and the wilderness transforms Old World institutions into distinctly American ones. It is also what turns pioneers into Americans, the frontier being "the line of most rapid and effective Americanization" Turner 3.

Not only does the frontier stand as the bedrock of the American nation, it also creates a new people, "a mixed race, English in neither nationality nor characteristics" Turner The pioneer experiences a "rebirth", a return to primitivism, the frontier Americanizing him by destroying his inherited culture: It finds him a European in dress, industries, tools, modes of travel, and thought. It takes him from the railroad car and puts him in the birch canoe. It strips off the garments of civilization and arrays him in the hunting shirt and the moccasin" Turner 4.

Observing that three centuries of westward expansion bred national traits that distinguish Americans from Europeans, Turner claimed that "to the frontier the American intellect owes its striking characteristics" Turner 37 , such as individualism, energy, optimism and enthusiasm. First, Turner rejects the "germ theory", which claimed that American institutions and customs had been imported from Europe, therefore stressing the continuity of institutions and de-emphasizing the significance of American experience.

Insisting that "[the] true point of view in the history of this nation is not the Atlantic coast, it is the Great West" Turner 3 , the historian offers a new perspective on American history. Finally, Turner provides his contemporaries with an American history, which explains the process of Americanization whereby a unique nation was created out of diverse peoples and cultural practices. Because this process of going back to primitivism, experiencing a rebirth, being offered new opportunities, and furthering progress and expansion keeps repeating itself, the frontier makes the American past exceptional.

In other words, demonstrating that it was the frontier that gave an identity to America, the Turner thesis amounts to a justification of American exceptionalism. Observers have traditionally highlighted the uniqueness of the nation, like, for instance, Tocqueville, who remarked: Many reasons have been put forward, over the centuries, to argue for the distinctiveness of the American nation and people, some observers pointing to the isolation from Europe, others to Puritanism, or slavery.

Asserting that it is the westward movement that best defines the United States, Turner provides yet another explanation. The historian even goes as far as claiming that slavery would not be such an important subject were it not for its relation to westward expansion. It remained the most convincing way to explain the American past and American identity for a very long time. The frontier thesis was not local or regional history, it was American history writ large. Besides, it offered the story of the birth of a nation to a people self-conscious of the shortness of its national history since, at the time Turner published his essay, parts of the United States had not achieved statehood yet.

Finally, it depicted an American past that was as glorious and noble as that of any Old World power. The appeal of the frontier to popular imagination made it even harder for historians to discredit it entirely. Criticism reached its height in the late s, taking the form of a "New Western History", which discarded the word "frontier", and promoted a study of the West as a region, not as a process.

Much of their revisionism consists in refuting his thesis, but the New Western History also suggests a new reading of the Western past. One of the main features of the movement is its rejection of the word "frontier", which the historians consider as racist and ethnocentric. To Turner, indeed, the frontier was "the meeting point between savagery and civilization" Turner 3.

Besides, Turner used the words "frontier" and "West" interchangeably, with the result that the historian put an end to the history of the West at the same time as he announced the closing of the frontier, in Therefore, discarding the word frontier and defining the West as a region make it possible to study its twentieth-century history, which had been completely overlooked by the "Old Western History", a label that appeared following the birth of the New Western History, to emphasize the novelty of the latter.

While Turner depicted the westward movement as a march of civilization and progress, the new historians denounce the expansionism and colonialism of the nation. Criticizing Turner for his focus on white male pioneers, the revisionists also aim at writing the history of all the actors of the western past: The Western past is not a one-dimensional story of white men marching westward and replacing savagery by civilization, resulting in the ennoblement of the American character, but a multicultural tale highlighting ethnic and racial diversity, with people coming from the East, but also from the North, the South, and the West.

Neither is it the story of the unique and exceptional subduing of an empty land, but a tale of environmental destruction and despoliation. According to the New Western History, the West is not some moving line advancing westward, but a region, with geographical limits and intrinsic characteristics.

Interestingly, members of the movement do not agree on the limits of the region: While it is generally agreed that the region corresponds to the entire territory lying west of the 98 th meridian, the limits of the West have long been debated. Nevertheless, the New Historians all insist on considering the West as a fixed entity, and advocate a regionalist approach. And it has characteristics all of its own, that distinguish it from the other regions of the United States.

For instance, semi aridity, ethnic and racial diversity, and "a legacy of conquest", are considered as giving the western region its distinctiveness. In the s, historian Walter Prescott Webb discussed the aridity of the West, and made it the main characteristic of the region. Yet, this insistence on what some critics call the "regionalizing of the West" is a distinguishing feature of the New Western History. According to Donald Worster, " regionalism is about telling differences or it has nothing to tell" Worster , Ironically, then, even though Turner has been the whipping-boy of the New Western Historians, Old and New Historians have more in common than the latter would admit.

So large is the area traditionally referred to as "the West" that the defining characteristics the New Historians are attached to are hardly applicable to all parts of the region. Aridity, for instance, does not characterize the Pacific Northwest as it does New Mexico or Arizona, just as ethnic diversity is probably not as central a feature of the Plains states or Oregon as it is of California or Texas. The New Historians try so hard to define and study the West as a region with distinctive characteristics that they fall into the trap of generalization.