Mobility and Comprehensive Plans need “synergy”

By Melissa Atherton

"You have got to connect your land use decisions with transportation decisions.” -Tim Kaine

The forthcoming Davidson Mobility Plan was center-stage at the Board of Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday night. Managing the project will be Travis Johnson, Town of Davidson Senior Planner, and Wade Walker, Vice President of Alta Planning. Both Johnson and Walker presented at the meeting. The plan will look at the following transportation issues: pedestrian, bicycle, mass transit, roads and parking. According to the Town of Davidson website, “The Mobility Plan will propose transportation enhancements, programs, development policies, and projects to enhance connections for all modes of transportation.”

The Mobility Plan has both Town of Davidson and outside-source funding. The Town’s portion is $25,000 and the additional $100,000 is from Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) and Unified Planning Works Program (UPWP).

According to Johnson, the plan gives citizen engagement high priority through community conversations, a stakeholders’ committee, digital outreach (Wiki-Map), open forums, and a four-day charrette. Citizens can anticipate the Mobility Plan website to arrive in late January or early February. Community conversations are proposed for mid-February and the charrette will be held in mid-to-late March. The charrette’s purpose is to include the community in identifying and solving transportation issues.

Walker explained the Mobility Plan origin as being a result of planning efforts that have and have not accomplished plans from 2002 onward. The goal is to identify what is still valid from the various plans, what has changed, and identify solutions moving forward. Walker stated that the plan is: actionable, feasible, multi-pronged, balanced, sustainable and forward-looking.

Commissioner David Sitton stressed the critical importance of finding synergies between the Mobility Plan and the Comprehensive Plan.

Transportation, connectivity and development are hot topics in Davidson discussions lately. Will the Potts-Sloan-Beaty Corridor (PSB) truly offer relief, or will it just help get us to the traffic at Jetton and 115 quicker? Is there scientific data available on the benefit of the PSB? How will it affect our historic West-Side neighborhoods? Are there additional East-West options for connectivity? What alternative routes can be explored to move traffic from Mooresville to Concord? How will the development-related population increase affect traffic (Davidson Bay, Hyatt Hotel, Davidson Depot, Davidson East, Davidson Hall, Davidson Springs, Davidson Wood, Green Level, Lake Cornelius Residential, Potts/Crescent, Summers Walk, Summit at River Run, The Villages of South Main, Washam Neighborhood and WestBranch)?

Residents finally have their opportunity to provide feedback. Plan to add your ideas to the Wiki-Map and attend the charrette when it is scheduled.