Assessing and mitigating impacts of new development

New development can be a wonderful opportunity for a community, prolonging economic viability of an area and enhancing the quality of life for residents and visitors. However, new development also has certain drawbacks, including traffic and worsen congestion, especially if the design characteristics of the new development discourage pedestrian and bicycle activity. The development approval process is an opportunity for local and regional planners to interact with developers to determine the best transportation improvements to compliment the new development and bring plans to reality.

Adverse impacts to the surrounding community and transportation system from new developments can be mitigated through several different avenues. The following strategies can be useful for addressing the possible impacts of new development:

• Resource and Funding Coordination
• Growth Policies
• Concurrency & Adequate Public Facilities (APF) Ordinances
• Development of Regional Impact (DRI) Review
• Frontage Road Requirements
• Impact fees
• Transportation Utility Fees
• Trip credits
• Density Awards and Bonuses
• Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
• Access Management

Case studies that feature tools for assessing and mitigating impacts of new development include the following:

• Shasta/Tehama Regional Impact Fee Program
• Eastern Planning Initiative (EPI), Virginia
• City of Bozeman Transportation Impact Fee Program