Memorandum

Date      December 7, 2017

TO           Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

FROM     Karl H. Quackenbush, Executive Director

RE           Work Program for Transportation Mitigation of Major Developments: Review of Strategies

Action Required

Review and approval

Proposed Motion

That the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve the work program for Transportation Mitigation of Major Developments: Review of Strategies, presented in this memorandum

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program Classification

Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

CTPS Project Number

13282

Client

Boston Region MPO

CTPS Project Supervisors

Principal: Scott Peterson

Manager: Bill Kuttner

Funding

MPO Planning Contract #101725

MPO §5303 Contract #102088

Impact on MPO Work

This is MPO work and will be carried out in conformance with the priorities established by the MPO.

Background

Broad-based demographic and economic growth and major developments in the Boston region are expected to substantially increase travel demand across all transportation modes in the region. Financing transportation projects and programs to accommodate the additional capacity is a topic of ongoing policy concern.

The challenge today is that important parts of the regional transportation system are already utilized at levels close to their maximum capacity. Increased travel demand, whether caused by trip-making to and from new developments or an overall increase in regional travel, will result in the need for significant capital investment in the transportation system. This problem will be exacerbated by the accelerating repair costs for those parts of the system that are nearing or have already exceeded the end of their designed lifespan.

This project will build on the research from the MPO’s Core Capacity Constraints study. That study documented processes used by nine communities in the urban core area to review proposed developments and mitigate their impacts on the transportation system; specific examples of these communities’ experiences with transit mitigation strategies also were documented.

In this new study, the original study area will be expanded to include all communities in the Boston Region MPO area. MPO staff will investigate those communities’ experiences with transportation mitigation strategies, focusing on strategies that did or did not work during recently completed projects.

Objectives

This study will identify recent and planned developments in communities in the Boston region. Staff will meet with representatives from the communities where the developments have been planned or built and learn how each community negotiated with each developer on mitigation measures and funding, citing the resultant outcomes of the mitigation and any lessons learned during the process.

Work Description

Task 1  Identify Development Plans and Mitigation Processes in the Boston Region MPO Communities

This task will identify planned developments in the Boston region, other than those listed in the Core Capacity Constraints study. MPO staff will meet with representatives from communities and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to compile a list of as many as 20 development projects expected to occur by the horizon year (2040) that would have the greatest impact on the transportation system. The following information will be documented: the location of the developments; the expected number and types of employees in each development; the expected number of residents; on-site parking availability; and mitigation measures the developers may be expected to take. During these discussions, staff will also learn how transportation mitigation funds and projects are negotiated with developers and how these processes may vary depending on the transportation mode.

Product of Task 1

List of as many as 20 planned developments containing expected locations, size (number of residents and employees), and anticipated mitigation measures

Task 2  Review the Processes for Funding Transportation Mitigation Projects

Staff will compile and document the processes, identified in Task 1, used by communities to review proposed developments and to mitigate impacts on the transportation system.

Product of Task 2

Written compilation of processes used by communities to evaluate transportation mitigation strategies and possible modifications to those strategies given the quantification of development impacts examined in
Task 1

Task 3  Prepare a Final Memorandum or Report

Staff will produce a final memorandum or report, which will summarize the findings of the project.

Product of Task 3

Memorandum or report

Estimated Schedule

It is estimated that this project will be completed 8 months after work commences. The proposed schedule, by task, is shown in Exhibit 1.

Estimated Cost

The total cost of this project is estimated to be $50,000, which includes the cost of 13.0 person-weeks of staff time, overhead at the rate of 105.66 percent, and travel. A detailed breakdown of estimated costs is presented in Exhibit 2.

KQ/MSA/msa