Transportation and ROUTE Land Use Study Existing Conditions and Trends Technical Memorandum 6 I-84 Danbury 302 Bethel 7 35 53 Redding 58 Ridgefield 107 102 57 33 Weston Wilton 136 123 106 15 124 33 New 137 Westport Canaan 53 1 104 I-95 Norwalk Prepared for SWRPA and HVCEO HOUSATONIC VALLEY Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. COUNCIL OF E LECTED SSouth WWestern RegionalRPA Planning Agency February 2010 O FFICIALS Route 7 Corridor Study Existing Conditions and Trends Technical Memorandum Table of Contents Executive Summary................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 3 Study Area Overview/Regional Context............................................................................... 3 Overview of Memo Organization.......................................................................................... 5 Transportation System and User Profile.................................................................................. 7 Transportation System Network........................................................................................... 7 Transportation System Demand .......................................................................................... 7 Transportation System Choices......................................................................................... 11 Planned and Programmed Projects in the Study Corridor ................................................. 12 Highway Geometry, Traffic Operations, and Safety........................................................... 13 Roadway Geometry........................................................................................................ 13 Travel Lanes................................................................................................................... 13 Shoulder Width............................................................................................................... 14 Vertical Grade ................................................................................................................ 14 Horizontal Curvature and Stopping Sight Distance ........................................................ 15 Traffic Operations and Safety ............................................................................................ 18 Historical Traffic Patterns ............................................................................................... 18 Existing Traffic Volumes................................................................................................. 20 Vehicle Classification ......................................................................................................... 22 Peak Periods .................................................................................................................. 22 Vehicle Speed ................................................................................................................ 23 Travel Time .................................................................................................................... 24 Signalized Intersection Operations................................................................................. 25 High Accident Locations................................................................................................. 31 Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Modes............................................................................. 33 Bicycling ......................................................................................................................... 33 Sidewalks ....................................................................................................................... 35 Bicycling and Walking Near Train Stations..................................................................... 35 Branchville Station ...................................................................................................... 35 Cannondale Station .................................................................................................... 36 Wilton Station.............................................................................................................. 36 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Review................................................................... 37 Public Transit System ........................................................................................................ 38 Commuter Rail Service: Danbury Branch Line............................................................... 38 Corridor Bus Service: Danbury-Norwalk 7 Link.............................................................. 42 Commuter Shuttles......................................................................................................... 43 Other Employer Shuttles / Vanpools .............................................................................. 44 Paratransit Service ......................................................................................................... 45 Park & Ride Inventory ........................................................................................................ 45 Transportation Gaps and Deficiencies – General Observations........................................ 46 Land Use and Development Potential ................................................................................... 49 February 2010 i Land Use Analysis Methodology........................................................................................ 49 Existing Land Use .............................................................................................................. 50 Constraints to Development............................................................................................... 54 Visual Resources ............................................................................................................... 55 Land Use Policy and Zoning .............................................................................................. 59 Existing Land Use and Development Potential Findings - Issues and Opportunities ........ 62 Existing Market and Socioeconomic Conditions.................................................................... 65 Market Assessment Methodology...................................................................................... 65 Residential Analysis Methodology.................................................................................. 66 Office Analysis Methodology .......................................................................................... 66 Retail Analysis Methodology .......................................................................................... 66 Current Socioeconomic and Market Conditions/Demand .................................................. 68 Demographics ................................................................................................................ 68 Residential Market Conditions........................................................................................ 69 Rental Property .............................................................................................................. 71 Residential Market.......................................................................................................... 72 Office Market .................................................................................................................. 73 Retail Market .................................................................................................................. 75 Overall Market Demand – Findings.................................................................................... 77 Conclusions and Next Steps ................................................................................................. 79 ii February 2010 List of Figures Figure 1: Study Area................................................................................................................ 4 Figure 2: Major Trip Patterns................................................................................................. 10 Figure 3: Route 7 Geometric Conditions ............................................................................... 17 Figure 4: 2009 Average Daily Traffic Volumes ...................................................................... 21 Figure 5: Daily Traffic Volume Patterns................................................................................. 22 Figure 6: 85th Percentile Speed ............................................................................................ 23 Figure 7: Signalized Intersection Baseline Peak Hour Level of Service Ratings................... 30 Figure 8: Accident Experience............................................................................................... 34 Figure 9: Existing Transit System.......................................................................................... 39 Figure 10: Average Weekday Danbury-Norwalk 7 LINK Ridership, FY 02 - FY 09............... 43 Figure 11: Existing Land Use Conditions and Development Opportunity Areas ................... 63 List of Tables Table 1: Historical Traffic Volumes on Route 7 ..................................................................... 19 Table 2: Historical Traffic Volumes on Intersecting Highways..............................................