TITLE: Title
Presentation on the Orange County Transit Plan Update.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to receive a presentation from GoTriangle on the status of updating the Orange County Transit Plan (formerly the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan).
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DEPARTMENT: Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: Patricia McGuire - 919-918-7327; Christina Moon - 919-918-7325; Bergen Watterson - 919-918-7329; John Tallmadge, GoTriangle Director of Regional Services Development - 919-485-7430
INFORMATION: In 2011 and 2012, Durham and Orange counties adopted two separate Bus and Rail Investment Plans (BRIP) in partnership with the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO (DCHC-MPO) and GoTriangle (formerly Triangle Transit) to identify commitments for public transit through the year 2035. Drafted after extensive public input, the plans outlined a comprehensive approach toward expanding public transit systems, including major investments such as light rail and commuter rail, enhanced bus service, including bus rapid transit, and associated bus access improvement projects (bus shelters, sidewalks, etc.). The plans were adopted by formal agreement and require review and assessment every four years. The Orange County BRIP and agreement may be found on the Orange County Planning and Inspection Department’s website under the subheading for Local Transportation Planning Documents. <http://www.orangecountync.gov/departments/planning_and_inspections/transportation_planning.php>
Work is underway to update both BRIP documents (renamed Transit Plans) with completion targeted for April 2017. An initial draft of the Orange County Transit Plan should be finished by the first full week of February and will be distributed to the Board of Aldermen as soon as it is available. A public information session on the update will be held on Tuesday, February 21st, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the Chapel Hill Public Library, and will include presentations at regular intervals and staffed information stations focusing on the different aspects of the plan. Regular updates will also be provided to the Orange Board of County Commissioners and the DCHC-MPO Board. Formal comments on the Orange County Transit Plan may be conveyed to the MPO-Board through its representatives or by way of a recommendation directly to GoTriangle; citizen comments may be submitted directly to the Our Transit Future website, administered by GoTriangle (<http://ourtransitfuture.com/>). The website contain information relating to the draft reports, meeting schedules for presentations, and public comment (<http://ourtransitfuture.com/projects/bus/>) The anticipated meeting schedule is provided as Attachment B and a draft outline of the report is provided as Attachment C.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact with receiving the presentation. Future implications will depend on the development of the financial model associated with the updated Orange County Transit Plan, the use of local transit tax dollars toward the projects outlined in the plan and the availability of funding for capital projects in the Town’s jurisdiction.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Board receive the presentation, ask questions and offer comments on the update process and draft plan (if available). The Board may also wish to authorize the Town’s MPO Board representatives to convey comments or formal recommendations to the DCHC-MPO Board and/or to provide staff with direction for further follow-up.