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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 350-04 RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT PROGRAM WHEREAS, the United States faces a significant problem in maintaining existing public infrastructure (streets, roads, highways, bridges, pedestrian walkways, bike paths). In September, 2003, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated that $1.6 trillion dollars were needed nationwide over a five-year time period to bring public infrastructure up to an acceptable state of repair and maintenance. This figure had increased by $300 billion since 2001 because of large growth and increased development; and, WHEREAS, the City of Rochester also faces a significant problem in maintaining its existing public infrastructure. The City has over 300 miles of local streets for which it is responsible for maintenance and repair. This network of local streets has been growing by eight to ten miles per year during the past five years. Currently, the City faces a backlog of unfunded street maintenance needs totaling about $26,500,000. The City's Public Works Director estimates that $210,000,000 will be needed to maintain the existing street system and the new streets added by new development over the next 20 years; and, WHEREAS, the City's Public Works Director projects that over the next40 years, there Auld be over $175,000,000 (or approximately 80 miles) in arterial and collector road construction and reconstruction needed to support new growth; and, WHEREAS, the City's infrastructure deficit is compounded by new development, its impact upon adjacent public streets and the City's future financial and engineering plans to improve the capacity of the adjacent public streets. The Minnesota Court of Appeals has recognized the fact that subdivision development places a great burden on municipal services including city streets. Middlemist v. City of Plymouth, 387 N.W.2d 190, 193 (Minn. Ct. App. 1986). The City does not have the financial resources to upgrade or improve the.available public infrastructure for each and every new development proposed to be located somewhere within the City's boundaries; and, WHEREAS, the lack of adequate street and road facilities to handle the vehicular traffic generated by new development results in enormous societal costs in the form of environmental pollution, energy consumption, increased energy costs, decreased economic productivity and a general decline in a citizen's quality of life as a person spends more and more time trying to get from here to there. In addition, emergency services suffer as traffic congestion and accessibility problems reduce response times; and, WHEREAS, Minnesota law addressing a city's ability to regulate development and subdivision activities is found in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 462; and, . WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.358, subd. 1 a, states that "[t]o protect and i apromote the public health, safety, and general welfare, to provide for the orderly, economic, and safe development of land, ... and to facilitate adequate provision for transportation, water, sewage, storm drainage ... and other public services and facilities, a municipality may by ordinance adopt subdivision regulations establishing standards, requirements, and procedures for the review and approval or disapproval of subdivisions;" and, WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.358, subd. 2a, states that "[t]he standards and requirements in the regulations may address without limitation: the size, location, grading, and improvement of lots, structures, public areas, streets, roads, trails, walkways, curbs and gutters, water supply, storm drainage, lighting, sewers, electricity, gas, and other utilities; ... and the protection and conservation of flood plains, shore lands, soils, water, vegetation, energy, air quality, and geologic and ecologic features;" and, WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.358, subd. 2a states that "[t]he regulations may permit the municipality to condition its approval on the construction and installation of sewers, streets, electric, gas, drainage, and water facilities, and similar utilities and improvements;" and, WHEREAS, Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.358, subd. 2a states that "[t]he regulations may permit the municipality to condition its approval on compliance with other requirements reasonably related to the provisions of the regulations and to execute development contracts embodying the terms and conditions of approval;" and, • WHEREAS, in response to and as authorized by the above-cited provisions of the Minnesota Statutes, the City of Rochester has adopted subdivision regulations. They can be found in Chapters 60-65 of the Rochester Code of Ordinances (commonly referred to as the "Land Development Manual"); and, WHEREAS, to facilitate the adequate provision of public facilities and services as authorized by Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.358, subd. la, the City adopted adequate public facilities standards as part of its adoption of the City's subdivision regulations. These standards are found in Sections 64.130 — 64.139 of the Rochester Code of Ordinances (R.C.O.). The City adopted these standards in May, 1999. A copy of these standards is attached, identified as Exhibit#A and incorporated herein; and, WHEREAS, adequate public facilities standards have been recognized as one of the most effective forms of growth management (Gary Pivo, Growth Management Planning & Research Clearinghouse Local Government Planning Tools, (Aug. 1992)). Adequate public facilities standards have been judicially approved in cases across the nation and in Minnesota (Matter of Golden v. Planning Board of Town of Ramapo, 30 N.Y.2d 359, 334 N.Y.S.2d 138, 285 N.E.2d 291, app. dismissed, 409 U.S. 1003 (1972); Woodbury Place Partners v. Town of Woodbury, 492 N.W.2d 258 (Minn. Ct. App. 1992), cert. denied, 113 S.Ct. 2929 (1993); Freundshuh v. City, of Blaine, 385 N.W.2d 6 (Minn. Ct. App. 1986); Larsen v. County of Washington, 387 N.W.2d 902 (Minn. Ct. App. 1986); Garipay v. Town of Hanover, 351 A.2d 64 (N.H. 1976); White, S. Mark. Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances and -Transportation SManagement (American Planning Association, Planning Advisory Service Report No. 465, 2 • 1996); and, WHEREAS, the purpose of Adequate Public Facilities standards is: 1. To economize on the costs of municipal facilities and services to carefully phase residential development with efficient provision of public improvements; 2. To establish and maintain municipal control over the eventual character of development; 3. To establish and maintain a desirable degree of balance among the various uses of the land; and 4. To establish and maintain essential quality of community services and facilities; and, WHEREAS, by these adequate public facilities standards, the City seeks to regulate the 'timing and sequencing of development so that the provision of adequate public facilities required to accommodate the development growth occurs concurrently with the development growth. Put another way, these adequate public facilities standards require development be timed and sequenced in a manner consistent with the capacity of public facilities. The City's goal is to insure that public facilities are capable of supporting and servicing the proposed development's physical area and designated intensity; and, WHEREAS, in addition to the adequate public facilities standards listed in R.C.O. §§ • 64.130 — 64.139, the City's subdivision regulations also include adequate public facilities standards within the criteria provided for the City review of particular subdivision processes. Thus, a general development plan cannot be approved unless on and off-site public facilities are adequate, or will be adequate if the development is phased in, to serve the properties under consideration (see R.C.O. §61.215(5)). And, a preliminary plat (land subdivision) cannot be approved unless the proposed land subdivision takes into account the City's six-year Long- Range Capital Improvements Program (see R.C.O. §61.225(F)); and, WHEREAS, the City's subdivision regulations allow the City to impose a condition on its approval of a proposed development where the condition is needed to insure compliance with the subdivision regulations (see R.C.O. §61.226); and, WHEREAS, since the May, 1999, implementation of the City's adequate public facilities standards as part of the City's subdivision regulations, there have been developments submitted to the City for approval where the public facilities were inadequate. In these cases, one of three consequences occurred in the processing of the development applications; and, WHEREAS, consequence #1 of the existence of inadequate public facilities is City approval of the proposed development, but with a very restrictive condition attached to the City's approval. That condition restricts all development until such time as the Common Council determines there are adequate public facilities to accommodate the proposed development; and, • 3 WHEREAS, one example of consequence #1 is the following condition of approval placed upon the General Development Plan #180 (Prairie Crossing): Because on and off site public facilities are currently inadequate to handle the proposed development, the development must be phased-in in a manner consistent with the City's planned infrastructure improvements. Specifically, there are no plans for sanitary sewer to serve the property within the first three years of the City's current six-year Capital Improvement Program. Further, no other arrangements have been made to ensure that adequate utilities will not be available concurrent with the proposed development. Additionally, there are no plans to reconstruct 65th Street N.W., or Bandel Road to handle the additional traffic that this development will generate. As such, no development will occur and no further development permit will be issued until the Council determines public facilities are adequate to accommodate this development; and, WHEREAS, consequence #2 of the existence of inadequate public facilities is the City approval of the proposed development, but with a condition restricting the amount and extent of development to coincide with the level of adequate public facilities that currently exists or may occur in the future; and, WHEREAS, one example of consequence #2 is the following condition of approval placed • upon General Development Plan #142 (Weatherstone): The development shall be phased so that 501h Street N.W., north of 55th Street N.W., does not exceed approximately 3,000 average daily trips before it is upgraded; and, WHEREAS, consequence #3 of the existence of inadequate public facilities is the execution of development contracts (commonly referred to as development agreements) as specifically authorized by Minnesota Statutes, Section 462.358, subd. 2a. By these development agreements, the developer and the City voluntarily agree as to how much each entity should pay to bring the appropriate public facilities up to a level adequate to accommodate the proposed development; and, WHEREAS, the decision to enter into development agreements is completely voluntary and optional on each developer's part. Some developers have been willing to live with the adequate public facilities' conditions of approval found in consequences #1 and #2. Other developers, however, have chosen to help make inadequate public facilities adequate so as to allow their proposed developments proceed as scheduled. To keep their developments on schedule, some developers have decided to follow consequence #3; and, WHEREAS, recently, there have been developers who have expressed an interest in development agreements for their proposed developments (consequence #3), but have also • expressed concern about the amount of their financial contributions towards the improvement of 4 • the public facilities. They have indicated an interest in knowing in advance the scope and extent of the current public facilities, the scope and extent of improvements needed to those public facilities in order to accommodate future development and the costs associated with making public facilities adequate; and, WHEREAS, in response to the developers' call for more information on adequate public facilities and the costs that might be associated with development agreements, the City of Rochester Common Council wishes to establish Transportation Improvement Districts ("TID") in areas of the City where new development is likely to occur. The purpose of a TID is to designate a geographic area of the City with existing substandard streets that would need to be improved or replaced if new development were to occur within that area. For each TID, there would be notice and information to a developer as to the costs that are at stake and the manner in which the City believes the costs should be divided between the City and the developer should the developer voluntarily enter into a development agreement for that development. The TID seeks to equitably distribute the transportation improvement costs created by new development between those property owners who benefit from the transportation improvements and the City; and, WHEREAS, the recently-concluded Transportation Funding Task Force, which met to discuss the City's growth-related transportation funding needs, supports the City's creation of a TID. Among the Task Force's 28 recommendations to the Common Council was a recommendation to create a TID as a tool to fund a portion of the growth in the City's street • system attributable to new development. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Rochester that the City establish the TID program as follows: 1. For purposes of this resolution, the term "development" means any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate including a change in use or the creation of a subdivision. The term "developer" means any person engaging in any development activity for which city approval is sought. 2. By an additional resolution, the Council may establish a TID for any geographic area of the City experiencing or anticipating new growth and substandard streets. The Council's determination of those areas experiencing or anticipating new growth will be based upon its review of the City's urban service boundaries and all other relevant factors that might reveal development trends over the next 40 to 50 years. The TID will be established after reviewing the growth areas containing substandard streets, the transportation system needs of the area based upon its land use plan and zoning classifications, and the amount of each area's vacant developable acreage. 3. In creating a TID, the Council will consider the following factors: A. The transportation system improvements necessitated by current or • anticipated development in a particular geographic area of the City. 5 • B. The particular geographic area of the City that would be served by the TID improvements. C. The total costs for the necessary transportation improvements. D. The amount of the costs of the necessary transportation improvements to serve a particular geographic area that should be allocated to the development and to the City. E. The method of cost allocation that should be used to establish a proportional and equitable distribution of the transportation improvement project costs. 4. The additional resolution will establish a cost allocation for each TID. The cost allocation will be calculated as 75% of the costs of all the transportation projects within the TID. These costs will include, but will not be limited to, the costs of design and construction engineering services, acquisition of right-of-way and construction. The cost allocation will be made up of two cost components. A. A Substandard Street Reconstruction Cost ("SSRC"); and, . B. A Substandard Street Capacity Cost ("SSCC"). The above two items will be added together based on the proposed street section cost for the transportation improvements needed in the TID area to establish the TO cost allocation. 5. An additional resolution will establish a cost allocation for each Interchange TID. The Interchange TO cost allocation will be calculated as a portion of the cost of the interchange that would equal the cost of a signalized expressway intersection that would be necessary to serve properties in the district. The City will assume the balance of the interchange project cost. Distance/proximity increments may be used to apportion the Interchange TO cost allocation with property closer to the interchange assuming a greater amount of the cost allocation. These costs will include, but will not be limited to, the costs of design and construction engineering services, acquisition of right-of-way and construction. The Interchange TID will be made up of two cost components: A. A Substandard Street Reconstruction Cost ("SSRC"); and, B. A Substandard Street Capacity Cost ("SSCC"). The above two items will be added together based on the proposed street section cost for the transportation improvements needed in the TID area to establish the • TO cost allocation. 6 • 6. A. When the proposed TO serves an area zoned for low density residential uses, the SSRC and the SSCC are divided by the gross or net developable acres in the TO area. The result is a cost per acre that is the basis for the TO substandard street reconstruction and capacity cost allocation. B. When the proposed TO serves an area not zoned for low density residential uses, the SSRC and the SSCC are calculated differently. The SSRC is divided by the gross or net developable acres in the TO area. The SSCC is divided by the gross vehicle trips or the p.m. peak hour vehicle trips generated from the acres in the TO area. The result is a SSRC per acres and a SSCC per trip that is the basis for the TID substandard street reconstruction and capacity cost allocation. C. The City Council may, from time to time, elect to modify the basis for the TO cost allocation from net or gross developable acres to trips or vice versa if the Council determines that the alternative basis for the TO cost allocation represents a more proportional or equitable distribution of costs. 7. A. For each TO area, 50% of the SSRC for the reconstruction of a roadway up to a 40-foot wide rural section street or the equivalent 36-foot wide urban street will be allocated to the City. Fifty percent of the SSRC equal to 50% • of the cost of reconstructing a 40-foot wide rural section street or its equivalent urban section will be allocated to the developer. B. For each TO area, none of the SSCC for the construction of additional roadway and intersection capacity will be allocated to the City. The SSCC equal to 100% of the cost to construct additional roadway capacity up to a maximum 52-foot roadway width will be allocated to the developer. Additionally, the SSCC equal to 100% of the cost to construct additional intersection capacity regardless of the intersection width will be allocated to the developer. 8. The applicable development agreement will provide the details as to when these cost allocations are assumed by each party. The time for payment set forth in the development agreement is related to the timing of the impacts of construction of the development. In all cases the cost allocations must be assumed within three to five years of the development agreement's execution. 9. Revenue collected within a specific TID must be spent only within that TID. Revenue collected in excess of that ultimately needed in the respective TID must be refunded to the property owners in the TO at the time the TO is dissolved (It is the City's understanding that cost allocations will ultimately be borne by individual property owners). • • 10. The City may, from time to time, secure new or one-time revenue such as federal transportation funds or local option sales taxes for certain transportation projects within any particular TID or Interchange TID. The City will use these new revenues to reduce the City's cost allocation of that TID or Interchange TID. If after reducing the City's cost allocation to zero, the City will apply any remaining revenue to reduce the TID or Interchange TID cost allocations. In those cases where the State or County contributes to the funding of certain projects within any particular TID or Interchange TID, the City will use these State and County funds to reduce the overall project cost for that TID or Interchange TID project before calculating the TID or Interchange TID cost allocation. 11. The City Council may from time to time elect to use Municipal State Aid System (MSAS) funds for TID or Interchange TID projects. In any given fiscal year the Council's use of MSAS funds for TID or Interchange TID project(s) shall be limited to not more than 50% of that year's available MSAS construction account allocation. In no case shall an individual TID or Interchange TID project be funded with more than 50% MSAS funds. 12. Prior to the award of a contract to construct a proposed TID or Interchange TID improvement, and by way of a contribution agreement executed by benefiting property owners, the City may require an initial, upfront commitment of at least 60% of the cost of a particular transportation project in a TID or Interchange TID. • 13. The City Council may, from time to time, review and revise by resolution the TID cost allocation for any specific TID if the Council determines that prior TID cost allocation established by the City are inadequate to fund the remaining projects within the specific TID. Revised TID cost allocations will not apply to fully executed development agreements that address TID cost allocation. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City will not involuntarily impose any of the charges, fees, costs or costs allocations described in the TID program. Instead, any reference to or mention of any charge, fee, cost or costs allocation occurs solely for the use by potential ' developers and City staff in responding to proposed developments involving inadequate public facilities that might be made adequate by way of voluntary development agreements. • 8 . BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this policy becomes effective as of July 8, 2004. PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA, THIS -J+Y) DAY OF r , 2004. U dal ESIDENT OF SAID COMMON COUNCIL ATTEST: CU �' ) CI CLERK APPROVED THIS DAY OF �� 12004. MAYOR OF SAID CITY (Seal of the City of • Rochester, Minnesota) Res2000\Reso1UTiD • 9 • EXHIBIT A 64.130 ADEQUATE PUBLIC FACILITES STANDARDS The requirements of this section supplement facility standards established in the Stormwater Management Plan, the Long-Range Transportation Plan and other adopted facilities plans, and identify the standards to be followed in the establishment of infrastructure improvements associated with any development. Adequacy is defined in terms of the type, availability and capacity of public facilities. 64.131. Required Facilities: In a proposed development the required improvements include streets, sidewalks, public sanitary sewer, and water utility extensions, storm water management facilities, soil erosion and sedimentation control and monumentation. Other • items that are necessary or material to the project, such as school sites or parkland, may be identified during the development approval process. 64.132. Public Facilities: Public facilities and utilities shall be installed according to the standards adopted by the appropriate agency. The use of private sewage disposal systems and private water supply to serve any new development shall not be permitted unless: 1) the Common Council has determined that public utilities will not be reasonably available and private utilities will not impair the ability to extend services in the future, and 2) the Olmsted County Health Department or County Sanitarian finds that proposed geologic and soil conditions, and lot sizes are adequate to support the proposed use of private utilities. There shall be adequate area to relocate the drain field in case of soil saturation for any lot authorized for on-site wastewater disposal. City Engineer approval shall be required for all planned work involving the use of public facilities or public right-of-way. The City Engineer also shall review and decide on all requests to connect private facilities to public facilities. • • 64.133. Funding Required Improvements: Required improvements reasonably related to the development shall be installed at the sole expense of the applicant. Assessment of costs to subsequent users or public participation may in certain instances be applicable to a proposed project. The City Engineer shall recommend to the County when such policies may be applicable. 64.134. Guarantees for Improvements: Bonds or surety deposits shall be required, unless waived in the development agreement prior to commencing activity involving the installation of public improvements, which shall be in amounts sufficient to cover the cost of installation. Any unexpended portion of a surety deposit shall be returned to the developer upon satisfactory completion of the public improvements. (See Section 61.250) 64.135 Maintenance: Maintenance of newly installed public facilities shall remain with the developer for a period of two years from final inspection or as otherwise defined in an owner contract or development improvement agreement. Following the expiration of this period, the city shall assume responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of public facilities. • 64.136. Dedications Required: Development plans, construction plans, land subdivisions and site development plans shall identify needed right-of-way or easement locations necessary for the provision of utilities, drainage and vehicular or pedestrian circulation within the development and connecting to adjacent development which meet specified levels of service called for in adopted City plans and regulations. Easements shall be granted and right -of-way dedicated to the public by the applicant as part of the development approval process or through separate instrument, which shall be in a form approved by the City Attorney. 64.137. Cost Sharing: The City Engineer shall advise the Council regarding costs and right-of-way widths for major streets. The applicant shall provide right-of-way in accordance with the adopted Long-Range Transportation Plan, Official Map legislation and standards. However, an applicant may appeal a street dedication requirement to the Council and if the applicant provides sufficient evidence that the costs are not roughly proportional to the needs generated by the subdivision, the Council may decide to purchase a portion of the right-of-way that exceeds such rough proportionality. • 64.138. Drainage Easements Required: Drain g q age easements needed for stormwater management as indicated on an approved drainage or grading plans shall be provided. The document ENGINEERING STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC WORKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DEVELOPEMTN OF SUBDIVISIONS COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY, available from the Rochester Public Works Department, should be consulted for current design standards adopted by the City of Rochester. 64.139. Utility Easement Required: Utility easements required by the various public and private utilities shall be provided. The various utility agencies and the City Engineer shall be consulted as to current policy on design and required easement widths. Vegetation located on utility easements shall be placed so as to not interfere with the free movements of service vehicles. Structures shall not be placed on utility easements. •