HomeMy WebLinkAboutL_DevPlan_ImplementationGergetown
IMPLEMENTATION
The Land Intensity, Transportation, and Utilities Elements of this Plan
recommend a variety of programs, projects, and work activities which should be
pursued in order to enhance the growth and development of Georgetown. It is
important that growth occurs in a manner that meets the economic development
Ends of the community without negatively impacting the high quality of life which
our citizens value. The implementation tools described in this section attempt to
ensure that result.
It is also important that implementation of this Plan continues to reflect the
needs of the community. The continued involvement of Georgetown residents in
the preparation and adoption of all Century Plan Elements was designed to ensure
that the Plan would reflect the values and desires of the community. Ends and
Means will change, however, throughout the planning period as the community
grows, market conditions fluctuate, and new concerns become apparent.
Therefore, the Policy Plan prescribes a procedure by which the adopted elements
of the Century Plan may be amended or revised. Developers may request a Plan
amendment if their proposed development cannot be accommodated within the
intensity system set forth in the Plan. This type of amendment would be similar
to a rezoning under the current Zoning Ordinance. Division Directors will also
have the opportunity to recommend amendments and revisions in the Annual
Evaluation Report which is submitted to the City Manager and the City Council
(see the Policy Plan, Chapter Four, Section 2.05). All other requirements of the
Adnumstmtive Ordinance of the Policy Plan will be followed in the implementation
of this Plan.
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IMAGE
IMAGE (Infrastructure for A Growing Environment) provides the City with a
dynamic accounting tool with the flexibility to analyze the impact of a broad range
of development scenarios. In -house implementation of IMAGE enables the City
to incorporate maintenance of the system into the regular work program. In
addition it improves reliability and expedites:
- project review,
- plan amendment review,
- tracking of land development projects,
- analysis of development trends, and
- analysis of demand patterns.
The Development Plan would quickly become a static, outdated plan without
the implementation of IMAGE. The flexibility and continued usefulness of this
Plan necessitates the continual monitoring of public and private development
decisions. This includes the regular entry of data pertaining to approved land
development proposals and infrastructure system improvement plans, combined
with the periodic analysis of demand patterns to refine the accuracy of the
assumptions that form the basis of IMAGE. Failure to continue implementing
IMAGE will diminish the reliability and flexibility of the Plan, as well as:
- result in inefficiency due to the lost cost of the system's
development;
- necessitate the need for more frequent and mote expensive
Plan updates and revisions; and
- increase the cost of developing other Plan elements,
particularly the Capital Improvements Program.
In addition to maintaining the data base, . implementation of IMAGE involves
the analysis of system capacities for both specific development proposals and Plan
amendment proposals. In general, capacity checks can be based on previously
generated capacity maps because the majority of proposals will have an
insignificant impact on the City's systems. These maps should be updated on a
regular basis, however, to include all newly approved plats, plans, permits, and
amendments. Any project which would generate sufficient demand to reach or
exceed 90 percent of total capacity for any of the three systems should be tested at
the time it is first proposed. In the case of Plan amendments, the future systems
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maps for the water, wastewater, and /or transportation systems should be updated
as necessary to accommodate the new demands and programmed improvements
necessitated by the amendment.
The projections of demand by land use type (Exhibit 3) were developed by the
consultant using Georgetown - specific data and industry standards. Over time, field
data should be compared with these assumed demand projections in order to
develop the most accurate, Georgetown- specific data possible. Utility billing
records should be analyzed annually in order to refute the relationships between
land use and demands. These relationships should also be adjusted as additional
demand data are provided by reliable sources (i.e., ITE Trip Generation Reports,
Urban Land Institute demand data, and data from other cities and professional
organizations). This program of regular data refinement is vital to the reliability
of IMAGE.
Maintenance of land use records is also vital to the development of reliable,
Georgetown- specific demand data. Land use records include the type of land use,
the amount of that land use, and other information necessary to locate, define, and
track development activity which may affect the demands on the City's roads or
utilities. These data eventually should be maintained on a lot -by -lot basis;
however, they may be aggregated to the block level when land uses are consistent
throughout the block and when the block does not contain parts of more than one
service area for any system.
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Although the impact analysis established by this Plan introduces a new element
to the City's development requirements, it has a legal basis in the City's power to
enact zoning and subdivision regulations. As such, many of the tools for
implementing the Plan are well established. This section of the Plan describes
some of these existing tools and how they can be modified and used to achieve the
Ends and Means of the Plan.
This Plan anticipates that the State, Williamson County, and private developers
will share the responsibility with the City for developing transportation and utility
systems to meet the needs of the community throughout the planning period. The
City's role in this effort will include obtaining and reserving right -of -way for
future improvements, maintaining and improving the existing systems, and
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constructing some of the extensions and improvements to the new systems. To the
extent that the City can involve the State, Williamson County, and private
developers in the development of these systems, the implementation of this Plan
will be enhanced. The exception will be developments which are likely to have a
significant positive impact on the City. This has been a specific concern of the
Century Plan. The Policy Plan establishes the general directive that the City
should do more to attract these desirable developments. One way of accomplishing
this is to provide transportation and utility- related incentives to attract
developments that will benefit the City. This consideration will have an impact on
each of the potential financing methods described below.
ANNEXATION AND EXTRA - TERRITORIAL
JURISDICTION
Municipalities have the power to control the
development and use of land within their corporate
boundaries, and more limited powers in the
unincorporated areas adjacent to the City limits. A
stated Goal of the Land Intensity Element is to annex
sufficient land to include the entire Georgetown
Planning Area within the extra - territorial jurisdiction
(ETJ). The Future Urban Area is projected to encompass Georgetown's corporate
limits by the year 2010, and to support a population of 43,500 citizens. This will
enable the City to enact the Ends and Means of the Plan throughout the Planning
Area.
Annexation is the means by which cities extend their corporate limits. ETJ
extension may occur as the result of the extension of corporate boundaries,
voluntary inclusion in the ETI, or an increase in the City's population to 25,000
or greater. Annexations for the sole purpose of ETJ extension should be used
sparingly. However, if used, flood plains are useful for this purpose because of
their low values and low service needs. It is preferable to annex with voluntary
extensions, but they require a considerable administrative investment. Because of
Georgetown's size, Texas State Statutes currently permit ETJ controls up to one
mile outside the corporate limits. However, the Texas Local Government Code,
Sections 42.001 and 42.021 provide that a city's ETJ increases from one mile to
two miles whenever the population is equal to or greater than 25,000. The
annexation of existing, developed ETJ subdivisions can be used to reach . this
population threshold and give Georgetown an even greater amount of ETJ.
Implementation of this Plan will require that annexation is used to extend the
City's corporate limits to the Future Urban Area because some of the City's
regulatory powers, such as zoning, are limited by the boundaries of corporate
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jurisdiction. Subdivision regulations, however, which extend to the ETI, would
become applicable to the greater part of the Planning Area. This program of
annexation will be necessary to achieve compliance with the Plan's site design
criteria. Development standards such as those which constitute the site design
criteria prescribed by this Plan generally must be addressed through zoning when
land is either already platted or does not require platting. land is not subject to
zoning regulations unless it is within the City limits. The introduction of platting,
on the other hand, involves the City's power to enact subdivision regulations,
which may be applied throughout the ETI.
SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS
The Subdivision Ordinance of the City of Georgetown regulates the manner in
which a tract of land may be divided into two or more parts. Subdivision
regulations apply to land within both the incorporated City limits and the
extm - territorial jurisdiction. They establish design standards to he used in the
planning and development of streets, alleys, sidewalks, lots, blocks, easements,
building lines, and other improvements. The City of Georgetown is authorized to
regulate the use of land in this manner by the Texas Local Government Code,
Chapter 212.
Georgetown's current Subdivision Ordinance was adopted on February 14,
1988, after undergoing significant review. This Ordinance includes more detailed
design standards and improvement requirements than had previously been required
by the City. Requirements found in the Subdivision Ordinance will be vital to the
successful implementation of the Development Plan. However, some
modifications to the subdivision requirements will be necessary. For example, the
platting procedure must be modified to require that plats indicate use and intensity
in order to document compliance with the Intensity Map and to assure the
availability of necessary services. The plat must also demonstrate compliance with
the site design criteria as these will be the mechanisms for ensuring that quality
development continues to occur in Georgetown. In general, the existing
Subdivision Ordinance will continue to act as the primary source of site design
criteria and therefore will complement the recommendations of the Plan.
ZONING REGULATIONS
The Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 211, gives cities in Texas the
authority to regulate and restrict the use of land. This is a police power which is
confined to the corporate limits of the City. Georgetown's Zoning Ordinance
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establishes districts and regulations for the use of land in those districts for the
purpose of promoting the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the City.
There are three general districts established by the Zoning Ordinance - residential,
commercial, and industrial. These districts are further divided into a total of
eleven districts in which the specific use of land is prescribed. The boundaries of
each zoning district are designated on the Official Zoning Map, which is a part of
the Zoning Ordinance. In addition to defining the permitted uses of land, the
Zoning Ordinance also prescribes the manner in which the proposed use is to be
developed, including such elements as yards, open space, lot coverage,
landscaping, spacing, height, and off - street parking.
The Zoning Ordinance will operate concurrently with the impact analysis
recommended by this Plan. However, a long range goal of this Plan is to develop
and implement zoning regulations which are predominantly performance oriented.
Therefore, the current Zoning Ordinance will be revised by the end of 1990 to
reflect a greater reliance on performance oriented site design. criteria.
CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
Currently the City of Georgetown issues
plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and
building permits for all new construction and
remodeling. Tap fees are assessed whenever
a connection is required to the City's water,
sewer, or electric utilities. The construction
permits are only required for work within the
incorporated City limits. Utility connection
permits, on the other hand, may be issued
within the extra - territorial jurisdiction. Prior
to the issuance of building or connection
permits, the Subdivision Ordinance, Section
27000, requires that all developments within
the territorial jurisdiction of the City submit a detailed development plan (DDP).
The DDP should depict the land to be improved and the nature and extent of all
existing and proposed improvements to the land. DDP approval is designed to
encourage good site planning, which includes the compatible arrangement of
buildings, off - street parking, lighting, signage, landscaping, vehicle and pedestrian
circulation, site drainage, and open space.
The construction permitting process should be used as a tool for both the
enforcement of the zoning and subdivision regulations, and the assessment and
monitoring of the impact analysis. Enforcement will largely be accomplished
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through the DDP and the revised site plan requirements of the Zoning Ordinance,
as these will be the primary means of ensuring that all required site design elements
have been incorporated into the development. The construction permits will be the
City's fund opportunity to ensure that new construction actually adheres to the
requirements mandated by the zoning and subdivision processes and documented
on the site plan or DDP. Utility connection permits will be used for the same
purpose in the ET7 when City utilities are involved. The construction permitting
process can also help to monitor whether the performance factors used to predict
utility system demands accurately measure the development's actual demands on
the systems. These two functions, enforcement and monitoring, are important to
ensure that implementation of the impact analysis conforms to and accomplishes
the Ends and Means of the Plan.
ANNUAL OPERATING PLAN
The Administrative Chapter of the
adopted Century Phan - Policy Plan
s \ : ' requires that the City prepare a three part
`. °o°OW;b Annual Operating Plan with one -, two-,
and five -year time horizons. Chapter 4,
Section 2.03, further states that
"identification, selection, prioritization,
approval and funding of City programs,
projects and work activities shall be based
upon the adopted policies, ends, means
and functional plan elements which comprise the Century Plan." The Policy Plan
reflects the requirements of the City Charter by expressly prohibiting the City from
using funds, equipment, or staff in a manner which is inconsistent or in conflict
with the Century Plan. The Annual Operating Plan, then, will be the primary
mechanism for undertaking the activities prescribed by the Century Plan. The City
will he involved in land development review and monitoring, as well as the
construction, upgrade, and maintenance of City transportation and utility systems.
The guidelines for accomplishing and funding these projects are included within the
Land Intensity, Transportation, and Utilities Functional Plan Elements.
The City's Annual Operating Plan has typically included a capital
improvements. program (CIP) to address utility and street improvements. Street
improvements which the City has addressed in the past include paving, repairing,
seal coating, widening, and constructing curbs and gutters. For the most part the
CIP has addressed improvements to existing collector and local roads.
Improvements to the utility systems have been made to address specific problems
and to extend service to high priority areas of the City. These activities should
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DEVELOPMENT
continue to be addressed by the Annual Operating Plan. However, the decision as
to which improvements to schedule within a given fiscal year will now be guided
both by IMAGE and by Council priorities for development.
IMAGE will monitor the differential between the existing and committed
capacities of the traffic and utilities systems and their existing and committed
demands. As recommended in the section which describes the Use of the Impact
Analysis, a trigger point should be incorporated into IMAGE that will indicate to
the City when planning for increased capacities in these systems must begin if
development is to continue. Financing these improvements will not always be the
responsibility of the City. The financing issue is to be resolved by the specific
Policies of the Transportation or Utilities Elements, which generally recommend
that financing be based on the type of improvement and its benefit for the
community as a whole.
EXTENSION OF SERVICES
The availability of services is,,�"j
a key factor in the viability of
many urban land uses. The level
and type of services provided
often determine the timing and
intensity of new development and
redevelopment. The performance ^
criteria which form the basis of (l�)
the impact analysis rely on water,
wastewater, and transportation
services. It is important to
remember, however, that a high
quality of life in an urban setting
requires the provision of many
more services, including police,
fire, libraries, and parks. These services are beyond the scope of this Plan and will
be addressed by subsequent Functional Plan Elements,
The Development Plan designates the Future Urban Area as the projected
service area for City water and wastewater services. Transportation services will
be provided by a variety of public entities throughout the Planning Area. IMAGE
enables the City to monitor the effect that new demands have on the available
capacity of the system, and it indicates the need for system improvements.
Proposed developments which comply with the existing development ordinances
and the maximum allowable system intensities will be allowed to proceed provided
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the system capacity is available. In certain situations developers . may be required
or be allowed to provide their own services. In other cases, the City will maintain
a Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to set priorities and commitments for
infrastructure improvements. Short term CIP planning (one, two, and five years)
will become an integral part of the Annual Operating Plan. Long range planning
should be derived from the Ends and Means of the individual Functional Plan
Elements. Recommended tools for funding the extension of services are described
throughout this section.
Individual land development decisions and planned capital improvements should
accurately reflect the Future Intensity and Services Maps. However, the timing,
sequence, and nature of development will be largely influenced by the CIP,
because development cannot commence until the required services are available,
or guaranteed to be available when needed. The location and extent of
infrastructure improvements can promote compact, corridor, or leap frog
development, or it can encourage infill and redevelopment. Similarly, commercial
or industrial development can be promoted over residential development by the
location of utility improvements in proximity to major roadways.
By definition, the Plan gives a higher priority to development of the Urban
over the Non -Urban Area because water and wastewater services will be provided
only to the Future Urban Area. Within the Future Urban Area, capital
improvements priorities such as the following have been identified:
areas currently served by water and wastewater services;
utility services to employment uses have a higher priority
over residential and service uses;
extension of services to promote development in the
southeast quadrant of the City, specifically the Rabbit Hill
District.
Maintenance and monitoring of IMAGE will indicate the need for infrastructure
improvements based on the demands of approved developments.
STATE AND COUN'T'Y FUNDING
The City's ability to accomplish all of the Ends and Means of the Development
Plan is limited by financial ability and jurisdiction. Therefore, it is crucial that we
take advantage of the expertise and resources available from the State and County
governments. This is primarily a discussion of funding options for transportation
improvements because the County has little, if any, ability to fund utility
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improvements, and the State's involvement in utility planning and construction will
be limited to the availability of grants and loans. The City should pursue these
whenever applicable to utility improvements included in the Capital Improvements
Program.
The roadway system in the Georgetown
Planning Area, on the other hand, is
comprised of streets owned and maintained
by the City of Georgetown, Williamson
County, and the State of Texas. Fonds for
road construction, maintenance, and
upgrades throughout the Planning Area
come from the County general revenue
fund and State and federal programs.
`k I The Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) fonds the State
highway system through a combination of
State and federal funds. The State funds are accumulated through a user fee system
that includes the motor fuel tax, registration fees, vehicle sales tax, and other
user -based fees. The State collects a 15 cent per gallon motor fuel tax, 11.25 cents
of which funds highway programs. The federal government collects a 10 cent tax
on a gallon of gasoline; approximately 85 percent of which is allocated back to the
States by a formula based on population, road miles, and other roadway
characteristics. The TxDOT receives and allocates these funds for the State of
Texas.
The TxDOT uses its funding to construct, maintain, and upgrade all of the
roadways on the State system. The TxDOT also funds a variety of programs to
study the transportation- related needs experienced by Texas communities. Two
recent studies conducted for the City of Georgetown, the Traffic Accident Profile
and the Safety Improvement Anal�, were funded by the TxDOT. The Traffic
Accident Profile documents the problems within the community which result in
traffic accidents in order to facilitate the correction of these problems. The Safety
Analysis examined three major thoroughfares in Georgetown for safety- related
problems. The recommendations for improvements which resulted from this study
will be incorporated into the work program of the TxDOT. By taking advantage
of programs such as these the City can obtain a great deal of transportation
consulting at nominal or no cost to the City.
Georgetown is fortunate to have alarge part of its arterial roadway network on
the State highway system. Much of the work necessary to achieve the thoroughfare
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system shown on the Transportation Plan Map can be accomplished by the State,
leaving the City primarily responsible for the reservation of right-of-way, at least
on the State system. To this end, the City should use the recommendations of the
Transportation Element to influence the priorities of the Highway Commission in
order to ensure that the Ends and Means of the Plan are implemented.
Williamson County is responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads
and bridges which are not part of the State highway system nor within incorporated
city limits. In general, State Statutes grant counties the authority to develop and
approve specifications for road construction within subdivisions; hire labor and
purchase equipment necessary to construct and maintain public roads; acquire
rights-of-way; contract for road construction; adopt traffic regulations; and
construct and maintain bridges and drainage works. Counties may also establish
county road districts for the purpose of road construction.
In Williamson County, each Commissioner is responsible for overseeing road
construction and maintenance in his/her precinct. The Williamson County
Subdivision Regulations, as amended in February 1985, describe the
requirements for design and construction of streets in the rural subdivisions.
Roadway construction and maintenance is primarily funded with the County Road
and Bridge Fund, based on the farm-to- market lateral road tax of $0.238375 per
$100 assessed valuation (1988).
Three of the four Williamson County precincts are located at least partially
within the Georgetown Planning Area, these include Precincts 1, 2, and 3. It is
important to develop and maintain a close working relationship between City
officials and the County Commissioners with responsibility for roadways within the
Georgetown Planning Area. Williamson County officials are important partners
in the City's efforts to ensure that the entire roadway system of the Georgetown
Pluming Area is designed and built to standards that fulfill the Ends and Means of
the Development Plan.
IMPACT FERS
Senate Bill 336, effective as of Tune 20, 1987, and codified as Chapter 395 of
the Local Government Code, governs the use of impact fees to frtance capital
improvements. Municipalities are given the authority to assess impact fees on new
developments in order to fund or recoup the costs of capital improvements required
to support new development. The use of impact fees shifts the costs of providing
services to new development from the community as a whole to the development
itself. Among . the capital improvements which may be funded by impact fees are
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water supply, treatment, and distribution facilities; wastewater collection and
treatment facilities; and storm water, drainage, and flood control facilities.
Roadway facilities may also be funded by impact fees, provided they are not part
of the State or federal highway system and they are located within the corporate
limits of the municipality. It is important to ensure that the improvements funded
by impact fees bear a relationship to the development being assessed the cost.
The City of Georgetown repealed its Ordinances which authorized the
collection of capital recovery fees (impact fees) effective October 24, 1989-
Before that time, new developments were charged capital recovery fees to enable
the City to recoup the cost of water line and plant improvements and wastewater
collection line and plant improvements. Fees were assessed on new development
and redevelopment that would use the City's water and /or wastewater services.
Although transportation improvements have not been funded by the City's capital
recovery fees, they are a potential source of funding to enable the City to
implement portions of the Transportation Plan Map.
If the City expects to assess capital recovery fees in the future, it will be
necessary to fully comply with the requirements of Chapter 395. In addition to
significant procedural requirements, Chapter 395 mandates that all cities which
assess impact fees prepare and adopt land use assumptions and a capital
improvements plan. The land use assumptions must describe the service area and
project changes in land uses, intensities, densities, and population over a minimum
of 10 years. The capital improvements plan should include the following elements:
- a description of the existing capital improvements within the
service area and the costs to improve or replace the existing
system to meet current needs;
- an analysis of total capacity, current demands, and
committed demands on the existing system;
- a description, including costs, of the capital improvements
and facility expansions needed to serve new development in
the service area based on the land use assumptions;
- a table showing the service units generated., consumed, or
discharged for each type of capital improvement proposed,
and equivalencies of service units to land use categories;
a projection of service units required by and attributable to
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new development within the service area based on the
approved land use assumptions; and
- a projection of the demands for capital improvements or
facility expansions required by new service units for a
period not to exceed 10 years.
Both the land use assumptions and the capital improvements plan must be updated at
least every three years beginning with adoption of the capital improvements plan.
The Development Plan addresses most of the requirements of Chapter 395.
The Iand Intensity Element fulfills the requirement for land use assumptions. The
Transportation and Utilities Elements provide the estimates of existing and future
demand that will form the basis of a ten -year capital improvements plan. The
Transportation Plan Map contained within this Plan designates the arterial street
system which will support the programmed development. Those roadways
designated on the map and eligible for funding by impact fees would form the basis
of the capital improvements plan for roadways.
Although a more detailed Capital Improvements Plan Functional Plan will be
developed at a later date to address the full range of capital improvements
necessitated by the Century Plan, it will be necessary to develop a CIP for the
purposes of complying with Chapter 395 if the City expects to assess capital
recovery fees in the future.
SPECIAL IMPROVEh'IENT DISTRICTS
The State of Texas permits a wide variety of taxing districts in order to promote
the development of land. These districts may include municipal utility districts
(MUDS), county road districts, road utility districts, special utility districts, and
public improvement districts. These taxing districts permit the sale of bonds
and/or assessment of a special tax in a limited geographic area for the purpose of
installing, improving, and maintaining infrastructure. The improvements are
expected to attract development to that particular area.
County Road Districts are authorized by Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes,
Article 6702 -1, Section 4.413. These districts are financed by tax- exempt bonds
issued by the County Commissioners and supported by special ad valorem taxes on
the property within the district. In order to issue the bonds 50 voters /residents in
the proposed district (or a majority if there are less than 100 residents) must submit
a petition to the Commissioners Court. The Court will then hold a public hearing
to determine whether the proposed improvements will benefit the district. Final
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approval of the district and sale of the bonds must be obtained through a general
election of the voters within the district. It is important to ensure, due to the
tax- exempt status of the bonds, that the mad projects serve the public interest.
Travis County assures this by requiring that only roads on the current
transportation plan or major thoroughfares may be funded by County Road
Districts.
There is one County Road District in the Georgetown Planning Area, the
Georgetown Road District No. 1, also known as the Georgetown Loop. This road
district is located south of State Highway 29, to the west of the Stonehedge
Subdivision. Created in 1986, it contains 281 acres and is authorized to sell
$2,500,000 in bonds, although none have been sold to date. The purpose of this
road district was to build a portion of the Georgetown Inner Loop Road.
A second type of road district, the Road Utility District, is authorized by
Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, Article 6674r -1. These districts must be
approved by the TxDOT after submittal of a petition requesting creation of the
district and signed by 100 percent of the land owners within the proposed district.
The petition must be approved by the County and any city whose corporate or
extra - territorial jurisdiction is included in the proposed district. Road Utility
Districts actually have more extensive authority than County Road Districts;
however, due to the elaborate procedures required to obtain approval, none have
been created throughout the State.
In addition to the County Road District which is located within the Georgetown
Planning Area, there are also several MUDS within our community. Williamson
County MUDS. S, 6, 7, and 8 are all located to the northwest of the City. Only
MUDS 5 and 6, the Berry Creek Subdivision, have development underway, but the
proposed development of all MUDS has been respected by the programmed
intensities in those areas.
Any further creation and development of special improvement districts should
be carefully monitored by the City. This will require keeping abreast of the State
requirements, which have tended to change with each legislative session.
Proposals for these special districts must also be reviewed for compliance with the
Century Plan. The Future Urban Area is programmed to be served by City water
and wastewater during the planning period. Therefore, special districts proposed
to provide these services should be discouraged within the Future Urban Area.
Eft control should be sought throughout the Non -Urban Area as soon as possible.
This will enable the City to regulate the subdivision of land throughout the
Non -Urban Area and therefore control, to a greater degree, the creation and
intensity of special districts which do not propose to use City utilities.
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EXACTIONS
In order to implement the Transportation and Utilities Elements of the Plan it
will be necessary to obtain right -of -way to upgrade existing systems and to
construct new roadways and utility lines. Right -of -way can be obtained either
through the direct purchase of land and construction of services by the City or
through exactions of property and improvements as a requirement of development.
An exaction is a requirement to contribute land or pay a fee "in lieu of" in
order to meet a specific public need. A typical element of subdivision regulation
is to require developers to construct on -site mads and utility lines and dedicate
them to the public. It is also possible, however, to require developers to contribute
right -of -way to enable adjacent roadways to be upgraded or constructed to meet the
demands created by the new development. As with impact fees, the exactions
required must bear a relationship to the development being assessed. To ensure
this, exactions for roadway purposes should require the contribution of only as
much fightof- -way as will be necessary to accommodate the traffic volume directly
attributable to the development. Because of the relatively small size of most
projects, the required dedication generally will not be more than the right-of -way
sufficient to construct a collector -level road. The payment of a fee in lieu of
dedication of land for right -of -way purposes would be an option, at the City
Council's discretion, for developments which have negligible or no frontage on
arterials but will contribute to the traffic volumes on nearby arterials.
Development exactions for roadway purposes should be based on the needs
identified by IMAGE and the general alignment and ultimate design configuration
established by the Transportation Plan Map and Table of Transportation
Improvements. The alignment of roadways depicted on the Transportation Plan
Map does not completely account for natural or manmade features such as steep
slopes, waterways, wildlife habitats, neighborhoods, historic structures, or existing
roadways. Therefore, at the time that right -of -way is obtained for specific
roadways, detailed engineering studies must be conducted, typically by the
developer, to determine the precise alignment of the roadway. Reservation of
right -of -way for a roadway, from that point in time, shall constitute a
determination of a specific. alignment. As developments are proposed where new
arterials or improvements to existing arterials are shown on the Transportation Plan
Map, the development would have to respect the Plan and dedicate the right -of -way
prescribed by the Table of Transportation Improvements and the Design Standards
for Streets. Each development would have to dedicate the required right-of-way
regardless of size. For example; a development proposed along a road with 80 feet
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of existing right-of-way and an ultimate need for 120 feet, will be required to
dedicate 20 feet of right -of -way. The same dedication requirement will be made
of the development proposed for the opposite side of the street. In this manner,
the entire 120 feet of required right -of -way can be obtained from adjacent
developments.
Georgetown's current Subdivision Ordinance requires developers to provide
approved public water supply and sanitary sewer systems to their developments.
When the City's system is "within reasonable distance of the subdivision..., but
in no case less than one -half mile away and connection to the system is both
possible and permissible," the developer is also required to make this connection.
These systems must be consistent with the requirements of the Century Plan. It is
recommended that this requirement be continued as one element of the overall
utility extension policy to be developed by the City Council (see the Utilities
Element of the Plan).
THOROUGHFARE IMPROVEMENTS
\ Thoroughfare improvements undertaken by
�\ the City of Georgetown will conducted as
one element of the However,
Georgetown is in the unique e po . position that most
of the existing arterial roadways in the
Planning Area are maintained by Williamson
County or the State of Texas. Therefore,
improvements to the thoroughfare system will
require a close working relationship with
several levels of government jurisdiction.
Georgetown's primary role in development of the thoroughfare system will be to
acquire right -of -way. The tools for doing this, as well as funding and maintaining
roadway improvements, are discussed throughout the IMPLEMENTATION
section. However, because the roadway system is both a use of land and a
constraint on the use of adjacent land, the role of transportation planning in the
impact analysis is discussed here briefly.
IMAGE is the primary means by which traffic volumes, and thereby demand
for roadway improvements, will be monitored. The Land Intensity Element
assigns a development intensity to each parcel of land in the community. The
Transportation Plan Map and roadway design standards depict the traffic capacity
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TEXAS
of each roadway in the thoroughfare system. Using IMAGE, the expected traffic
demand of each development proposal will be evaluated in relation to the existing
or programmed roadway capacity. Roadways designed to a higher functional
classification will have greater capacity and, therefore, will be able to support
higher intensity development. If a new development will cause a particular
roadway segment to operate below LOS C, the development must be denied, or
improvements to the roadway completed prior to generation of the excess demand.
Roadways which are found to be operating at worse than LOS C shall become a
priority for improvement in the Annual Operating Plan and Capital Improvements
Program.
The priorities for developing the thoroughfare system will be primarily
determined on the basis of the Transportation Plan Map and Table of
Transportation Improvements, and IMAGE. These mechanisms, however, are
only useful to the extent that they account for a variety of needs, including
protection of right -of -way, maintenance of roadways, and safety along roadways.
The protection and acquisition of transportation corridors is a legitimate City
function and the most significant, immediate use of the Transportation Functional
Plan. The City can preserve right -of -way either through direct purchase or by
requiring a dedication of property from adjacent property owners. These
dedications, known as exactions, are described in a previous. section. The
right -of -way needs for the thoroughfare system have been delineated in the Table
of Transportation Improvements and the Design Standards for Streets. These
requirements can most effectively be met if the City makes it a priority to obtain
right -0f - -way on an incremental basis, as opportunities arise or developments are
proposed which will impact the roadway. In order to ensure a timely, efficient,
and cost - effective road improvement program, right -of -way should be obtained
through the development process at every opportunity, and in sufficient amounts
to accommodate the projected intensity. Facility design, on the other hand; should
be based on committed demand plus a projection of the 10 -year programmed
demand, and should follow the detailed design standards found in the
Transportation Element and the proposed development code.
Roadway maintenance should be a high priority of a transportation
improvement program. Maintenance is important because of its role in conserving
the resource that the roadway system represents, and because a well- maintained
system will assist the Urban Design Policy of improving the appearance of the
community, developing a positive image, and enhancing the environmental and
aesthetic attractiveness of the community. Each Annual Operating Plan of the City
of Georgetown shall include an item for maintenance of roadways. This
maintenance fund will be used to improve all local, collector, and arterial -level
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roads on the City's system. The determination of the roadways to be improved in
any given year shall be based on a staff -level assessment of pavement condition,
level of service, and planned additions to meet new demands. It shall be explicitly
understood that roadway maintenance includes the construction and maintenance
of sidewalks where they currently exist or should be provided under the provisions
of the development regulations.
Maintaining a safe transportation system is also considered a high priority of
the Transportation Functional Plan. One of the primary ways to accomplish this
is to ensure the separation of disparate modes of transportation. In general, this
means that pedestrian and bicycle paths should be constructed along separate
rights -of -way from automobile traffic, and railroad crossings should be grade
separated. The Georgetown Railroad Company is committed to developing a rail
system that is entirely grade separated from the thoroughfare system. The City,
in turn, is prepared to participate in this effort and will encourage the State, the
County, and private developers to participate as well. Specific decisions as to how
the grade separation will be accomplished will be based on engineering criteria.
The development of a thoroughfare network, including design, funding,
construction, and maintenance, is a function which the City of Georgetown shares
with private developers, Williamson County, the State of Texas, the Federal
government, and other cities in the region.. For this reason, long range,
coordinated transportation planning is a vital factor in the success of the impact
analysis. Development cannot proceed, either practically or legally, without access
to the thoroughfare system.
Using IMAGE as the tool for determining and monitoring demand on the
thoroughfare system will enable the City to maintain the physical integrity of the
transportation system and respect the system's operating capacity. IMAGE also
ensures that the determination of right -of -way needs and ultimate capacity is
legitimate and supportable.
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