Forest Glen Apartments Montgomery County, Maryland August 14, 2020
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Forest Glen Apartments Montgomery County, Maryland August 14, 2020 Traffic Impact Analysis Prepared for: Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc. Mr. Donald R. Hague 12200 Tech Road, Suite 250 Silver Spring, MD 20904 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ............................................................... 1 EXISTING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ....................................................................................... 3 1 Site Location Map ........................................................................................................ 6 1A Site Plan ....................................................................................................................... 7 2 Existing Lane Use ......................................................................................................... 8 3A Existing Peak Hour Traffic Volumes ............................................................................. 9 3B Updated Existing Peak Hour Traffic Volumes ............................................................ 10 3C Existing Peak Hour Pedestrian Volumes .................................................................... 11 4 Existing Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Transit Facilities ..................................................... 12 4A Results of Pedestrian Crossing Timing Analysis ......................................................... 13 TOTAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ......................................................................................... 14 5 Trip Generation for Subject Site ................................................................................ 16 6 Trip Assignment for Subject Site................................................................................ 17 7 Total Peak Hour Traffic Volumes ............................................................................... 18 8 Results of Intersection Capacity Analyses ................................................................. 19 9 Results of Queuing Analysis ....................................................................................... 20 RESULTS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................................... 21 APPENDICES APPENDIX A – Intersection Turning Movement Counts, Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts, and Aerial Photos APPENDIX B – Intersection Capacity Analysis Worksheets APPENDIX C – Signal Timing APPENDIX D – Public Transit Information and Bikeway Plan Map APPENDIX E – Correspondence Prepared by: Glenn E. Cook Ming‐Yu Chien, P.E., PTOE Qiang Tian, P.E., PTOE GC/JG:mlj/amr F:\2017\2017‐0722_Forest Glen ‐ MHP\DOCS\REPORTS\REV4\TIA.docx CORPORATE OFFICE The Traffic Group, Inc. ® 9900 Franklin Square Drive, Suite H Traffic Engineers & Transportation Planners Baltimore, Maryland 21236 410‐931‐6600 Fax: 410‐931‐6601 1‐800‐583‐8411 Merging Innovation and Excellence® www.trafficgroup.com INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS Study Purpose This traffic impact analysis has been prepared for the Site Plan and redevelopment of the Forest Glen Apartments site located in the southwest quadrant of the Georgia Avenue (MD 97) and Belvedere Boulevard intersection in the Silver Spring area of Montgomery County MD. This property is currently developed with 72 Apartment Units which will be razed, and a new Apartment Building will be constructed consisting of 189 Apartment Units. Study Criteria/Methodology This traffic impact analysis has been prepared in accordance with the Local Area Transportation Review (LATR) requirements of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M‐NCPPC). A Scoping Agreement was prepared and approved by the Transportation Planning Staff. A copy of this agreement is contained in Appendix E of this report. This property is located in the Kensington/Wheaton Policy area, which is in an “Orange Area.” Based on the criteria as determined in the LATR Guidelines, the proposed development of this site requires that this study is required to address only vehicular adequacy. It should be noted that pedestrians and transit adequacy studies are not required based on the guidelines. In an “Orange Area” intersection capacity analyses must be conducted using the Critical Lane Volume (CLV) Methodology and the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) Methodology. The Congestion Standard in this area is 1600 for the CLV analysis and 80 seconds for the HCM analysis. Scope of Services The Scope of Services undertaken as part of this report was as follows: Field investigation to collect physical information concerning the nearby road system. Conduct intersection turning movement counts from 6:30–9:30 AM and 4–7 PM at five intersections in the vicinity of the subject site. Conduct an inventory of the existing pedestrian, transit, and bike facilities in the study area. Obtain information from M‐NCPPC relative to other approved development planned in the vicinity of the subject site. 1 Conduct trip generation and trip distribution analysis for the other nearby developments. Conduct trip generation and trip distribution analysis for the subject property. Conduct intersection capacity analysis to determine existing and projected Level of Service at the study area intersections. Results and Conclusions The results of this Study indicate that all of the study area intersections will be operating within the congestion standards established by the M‐NCPPC Guidelines for the Kensington/Wheaton area. It is concluded that the proposed redevelopment of the property will not have an adverse impact on the neighborhood traffic circulation, movements, and road capacity. The methodology used to undertake this analysis is contained in the following sections of this report. 2 EXISTING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS Site Information The subject property is located in the south west quadrant of the Georgia Avenue (MD 97) and Belvedere Boulevard intersection as shown on Exhibit 1. This property is presently developed with 72 apartment units with access to Belvedere Drive and to Georgia Avenue. Exhibit 1A is a copy of the conceptual Site Plan for the subject property. Nearby Road Network Georgia Avenue (MD 97) is a 6‐lane divided north‐south roadway to the north of the Forest Glen Road intersection. At the Forest Glen Road intersection, four lanes are provided in each direction along Georgia Avenue. The posted speed limit along Georgia Avenue is 35 mph. The intersections of Georgia Avenue at Forest Glen Road and at Dennis Avenue are presently signalized. Dennis Avenue and Forest Glen Road are basically 4‐lane east‐west roadways in the vicinity of the subject site. The posted speed limit along each of these roadways is 30 mph. Belvedere Boulevard and Arthur Avenue are 2‐lane local roadways which provide access to the subject site. Exhibit 2 shows the existing lane use and the traffic controls at each of the study intersections. Existing Traffic Volumes Intersection turning movement counts were conducted at each of the following study area intersections in June 2018: Georgia Avenue and Dennis Avenue Georgia Avenue and Belvedere Boulevard Georgia Avenue and Arthur Avenue Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road Arthur Avenue and Belvedere Boulevard The total vehicles observed during these counts are shown on the summary sheets contained in Appendix A. The existing peak hour volumes are shown on Exhibit 3A. Please note that Arthur Avenue will be realigned to intersect with Belvedere Boulevard opposite McKenney Avenue. It should be noted that traffic counts were not previously conducted for this intersection and cannot be taken now because of the Covid‐19 virus and the fact that schools are not in session. We therefore flowed the existing volumes along 3 Belvedere Boulevard between Georgia Avenue and Arthur Avenue to determine the turning movements for the McKenney Avenue intersection as shown on Exhibit 3B. Due to the Covid‐19 virus pandemic, traffic counts cannot be conducted at intersections in Montgomery County at this time. According to the memorandum of the Montgomery County Planning Department dated April 30, 2020, existing counts collected between the past one to three years may be used if modified by a growth factor. A copy of the memo is contained in Appendix A. A review of the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) 10‐year historic traffic data along Georgia Avenue in the site vicinity indicates 1% annual growth and is applied to the 2018 counts for two years. The updated existing traffic volumes are shown on Exhibits 3B and 3C. Existing Pedestrian Facilities Pedestrian counts were conducted during the same time period that the turning movement counts were conducted. The total pedestrians observed are shown on the count sheets contained in Appendix A. The existing peak hour pedestrian volumes are shown on Exhibit 3C. Exhibit 4 was prepared to show the location of existing sidewalk and the location of ADA pedestrian ramps in the immediate study area. In addition, on Exhibit 3C, it is noted that pedestrian countdown signals and pushbuttons are provided at the Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen intersection for crossing all four approaches. Crossings are provided at the Georgia Avenue and Dennis Avenue intersection for crossing all approaches with the exception of the southern leg crossing Georgia Avenue. The calculations for the pedestrian crossing times are shown on Exhibit 4A. Existing Transit Facilities Shown on Exhibit 4 are the location of Bus Stops in the vicinity of the subject site. Stops are provided along northbound and southbound Georgia Avenue