SMART GROWTH? -- NOT YET
Do state and local governments has an open-ended obligation to build roads, schools, water service and sewers to serve residential or business development regardless of location or cost?
Land use and transportation are linked, one affects the other. But the linkages are weak or non-existent in land use practices and policies and in transportation planning, nationally and locally. Land use policies and development practices often are inconsistent with available transportation. Congestion and air pollution result.
Adequate transportation for a region is essential for economic and environmental health and social interactions. Before World War ll, the vast majority of city dwellers depended on the local transit system for travel to jobs, shopping, recreation, etc. Since the 1950's, public money has been spent on developing the national interstate highway system and the automobile has become the principal means of personal transportation. Locally and nationally, development and population spread outward resulting in what is described as urban sprawl.
URBAN SPRAWL
Some people think that more roads should be built, that highway funds should be used only for road construction and that surrounding land should be developed. There is a belief that Americans will not live at higher densities, will not use alternative modes of transportation and will not live close to their places of work.
However, there is increasing discussion about the economic, social, environmental, and aesthetic costs of sprawl. Sprawl:
 needlessly destroys the economic and environmental value of resource lands;
creates inefficient land-use patterns that are expensive to serve;
fuels competition, duplication and conflict among local governments;
wastes public funds because sewers, water line, roads must be extended;
abandons established urban areas where substantial public and private investments have been made;
destroys the intrinsic visual character of the landscape
erodes a sense of community.
More recent residential and commercial development in this area can be categorized as sprawl. Concepts of compactness, integration, connection as well as the impact of the particular development on surrounding roads and communities are neglected. Although the cost to build housing may be less on the outskirts of an area, the extra costs of fire and police protection, new roads and their maintenance, infrastructure (sewers and water service, etc.) and schools are paid for by higher property and local taxes. An Oregon study estimated the cost of providing public facilities and services for new residential subdivisions averaged $25,000 per home with developers paying $2,000 to $6,000 of these costs. In Tallahassee, Florida, sewer hookup costs range from $4,000 per house in inner-city areas to about $11,000 in outlying subdivisions while everyone is charged the same $6,000 fee. The Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District hook up fee for a single residential home is $2,500 whether in the City or in the suburbs.
Although developments have multi-jurisdictional impacts beyond the entity making approvals, frequently they are approved on an individual basis. Mall developers request financial arrangements from local government to reduce or shift costs. Incentives are approved in the expectation of future economic benefits. The impacts on surrounding communities may not have been considered. While incentives may be offered to a developer by a local government, the negative impacts of noise, traffic, road maintenance, etc., may fall on surrounding communities which had no part in the planning.
Sprawl increases the time to get to work and conduct other daily activities. The average American household allocates more than 18% of its budget to transportation expenses. Drivers traveling alone to work pay about 25% of the actual cost of their commute, the remainder is subsidized by government. Sprawl has led to increases in the number of cars on the road and more miles driven per car than ever before.
Public Policies
Government policies encourage and subsidize sprawl including: capital gains provisions related to house sales; auto-centric transportation policies such as expansion of federal highways and the inordinate number of parking space requirements for development; tax incentives such as abatements; the building or extending of infrastructure such as sewer, water, roads, etc., to serve the development.
With citizen support, government policies could discourage sprawl. Some states have recognized the need for some form of statewide or regional land-use planning legislation. In Oregon an urban growth boundary concentrates development based on community needs. Maryland's recently adopted "Smart Growth" policy uses the power of the state budget to support development along existing sewer and water lines, that re-uses existing buildings, and conforms to density requirements. Ohio, however, is silent on land use planning. Development plans are carried out through local zoning resolutions that have the force of law.
Ohio land development decisions are approved at local levels. Land use planning could encourage sustainable long-term growth. Coordinated planning can direct and reinforce economic development and promote environmental protection. Communities with land use or zoning commissions can promote efficient land use and provide public facilities and services in conformance with an area's long range transportation plan. Mixed zoning, for instance, could support higher density growth needed for cost effective transit.
Land use-transportation links are beginning to reach a higher level of public discussion. To encourage incorporating these ideas into public policies, decisions and activities, citizens work with existing agencies dealing with issues of sprawl and transportation planning. Objectives include developing methods to link communities within the region. The economic, social and environmental vitality of the region will be enhanced as connections are developed and strengthened.
Agencies face challenges and opportunities in providing services to the region that cross government boundaries. Two agencies carry out activities in the region: OKI (Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Council of Governments) and SORTA (Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. A third entity CAGIS (Cincinnati Area Geographic Information Systems), contains data to help address complex planning and management decisions.
TRANSIT AUTHORITY
In 1968 Ohio enacted legislation allowing SORTA, a special district under Ohio law with limited local authority. The Hamilton County Commissioners appoint a 9 member board of trustees four of whom are recommended by Cincinnati's Mayor with the consent of City Council. The jurisdiction of this transit authority includes southwest Ohio and it operates in Cincinnati and also Hamilton County and small portions of Clermont County and Warren County. SORTA is permitted to enter into agreements with other jurisdictions (cities, villages, townships, counties, states).
In August 1971, SORTA placed a county-wide one-half mill property tax levy on the ballot. If approved, the tax with matching federal funds, would have been used to purchase Cincinnati Transit, Inc., Cincinnati's transit system. The levy was defeated. In November 1972, the City of Cincinnati placed a charter amendment on the ballot, proposing to raise the city earnings tax by .3% for public transit purposes only. The amendment passed and the city purchased the bus system and contracted with SORTA as the public operating authority. Currently the .3% earnings tax is the only dedicated funding for SORTA. Proposals in 1979 and 1980 to expand SORTA's funding base by replacing the .3% city earnings tax with a 1% county-wide sales tax were defeated by Hamilton County voters. SORTA began operations in August 1973.
The relationship between SORTA and the City of Cincinnati is established by the 1973 City/SORTA Agreement. Among its provisions:
SORTA shall operate the assets "for the benefit of the electors and taxpayers of City as part of a regional transit system. SORTA's
objectives shall include, in the light of human, social and environmental as well as financial factors, the providing of maximum transit services…, minimizing street congestion, enhancing the economic potential of the region, and extending the system further throughout the region…. SORTA will seek from all appropriate political subdivisions financial support for transit services…"
METRO
A service of SORTA, Metro operates 388 buses including 140 lift-equipped over 47 routes and provides about 26 million rides per year. Metro also operates Access, a service for people with disabilities who cannot ride Metro buses. About 82% of Metro's service is within the City of Cincinnati. Most riders are employed but 51% earn incomes of less than $20,000 a year. About 1/3 of its riders have no other means of transportation. About 87% of Metro trips are related to economic development: work trips or personal business/shopping. Approximately 20% of Hamilton County residents who work downtown ride Metro to and from work. With the addition of Northern Kentucky's TANK, about 1/3 of all downtown employees use transit.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Pressures to extend Metro service beyond the City to the region stem from many forces:
1. growing congestion and its resulting wasteful consequences: polluted air, wasteful purchasing of fuel that burns at idle, wasted time in commutes that could be more productively spent at work or play.
2. moving people from where they live to where new jobs are being created in the outer portions of the region. Of the 67,049 member work force in northeastern Hamilton and southern Warren counties, 43,936 commute outside their area for work.
3. concern for the area's natural capital: land, water, air and the consequent need for a more environmentally friendly area wide transportation system
4. needs for access to and from all communities throughout the region for employment, events, shopping, etc.
Funding is the major problem. A profile of 1997 operating funds indicates the City Income Tax - Transit Fund provides 54% of the revenue. Fares provide 24% and Cincinnati Public Schools 7%. Federal and State operating funds of 4% and 8% respectively represent other sources for SORTA's $55.8 million budget. Federal operating funds may be eliminated or substantially reduced in 1998 after being cut in half in 1996 following the trend established earlier in the decade.
Metro's average cost per ride is $2.29. Usual fares are $.80 weekdays during rush hour and $.65 at other hours. The fare varies with zones and transfers and is less on weekends and holidays. Fares are less for children and under the Fare Deal program supported by funding from the State of Ohio older adults, Medicare card holders and riders with disabilities pay $.40.
TOWARD EXPANDED TRANSIT SERVICE
Sixteen Park & Ride lots are available for Metro riders, including 3 in Warren county. These lots are either dedicated or available through agreements with Metro or property owners, or as community service. The Park & Ride's serve 21 routes and provide spaces for 1,182 cars. The recently developed Forest Park lot is totally owned and operated by Metro, provides space for 120 cars and features bike lockers and stands. Metro is in the process of developing park & ride lots on Colerain Avenue at Cross County, in Silverton and Clermont County.
The summer $.50 Clean Air Fare is a smog alert program funded with federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality funds provided through ISTEA and made available through OKI Regional Council of Governments. Since this program was established in 1994, more than 1.3 million car trips have been saved in the region. In addition, Metro's ridership has increased overall.
The bus service along I-71 to Warren County was funded with a $l million two-year federal grant plus $50,000 each from Warren and Hamilton County. It is scheduled to end in fall 1997 with the completion of the I-71 reconstruction project. This service transports workers from the suburbs to jobs downtown and established a reverse route from downtown to the suburbs and jobs. It costs $500,000.00 a year to run one of the two routes. The express bus runs at 75% capacity out to Kings Island and about 500 people travel downtown daily. Metro and Warren County Commissioners are working out funding to maintain this service to Park and Ride lots in Landon, Kings Island and at Fields-Ertel Road.
Work with CICA: Metro provides transportation funds to the Cincinnati Institute for Career Alternatives. CICA leases vans from OKI to transport low-income workers to jobs in outlying areas primarily hotel/motel jobs in Sharonville and along I-275. Twelve vans provide service to 119 participants. Metro developed a preliminary plan for additional service to connect low-income workers to jobs and support community welfare to work efforts. Local businesses are being approached for financial support.
TANK, Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, and Metro have begun discussions about working together for improved transit for the region. Some perceive the national trend is away from mergers and formation of larger systems and toward more effective use of current transit systems. METRO and TANK mutually have opened a sales/information office downtown and have a joint transfer agreement in place to facilitate bi-state travel. Transfers occur in downtown Cincinnati where there is more dense population and high foot traffic. The health of transit systems depend on these factors for ridership. Other high density transfer points are Knowlton's Corner in the Northside area and Peebles Corner in Walnut Hills. Metro is working with the City of Cincinnati to develop a transfer center at Knowlton's Corner and is developing an intermodal transportation center near Ft. Washington Way. SORTA is studying the renovation and expansion of Government Square which currently can only accommodate half of downtown transfer activity.
Upon request from representatives in Clermont County, Metro is working with a consultant to assess transit needs in the area. In addition Butler County has asked Metro to study transit needs is portions of that County. Building working relationships through these activities will enable cooperative arrangements for better transit service delivery.
A SORTA board member sits on the OKI executive board and SORTA/Metro staff work with OKI including participation on study committees such as the I-71 project, Eastern Corridor study and Ft. Washington Way redevelopment.
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) is the voluntary association of government units in eight counties: Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren Counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County in Indiana. Formed in 1964, OKI developed a comprehensive regional transportation plan required under the 1962 Federal-Aid Highway Act. While 70 - 80% of its activities pertain to transportation planning, OKI also works in related areas of environmental quality, land use planning and economic development.
The governing Board of Trustees of approximately 100 members represents local and state governments, area planning agencies and at-large representatives and meets quarterly. An elected core group of about 30 members constitute the Executive Committee which meets monthly and is responsible for policy decisions. Much of the work of OKI is conducted through committees.
OKI, the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the greater Cincinnati area, has no authority to carry out projects, but has powerful tools giving leverage to local planning and funding. Serving as a planning, coordinating, consensus building body, OKI can engage in planning but the results of that process are implemented by individual local governments.
In 1993 the OKI Board adopted Managing Mobility: Year 2010 Regional Transportation Plan. This long range plan is the statement of the transportation system needed to serve the projected travel demands in this region. This Regional Transportation Plan recommended among other items:
expanded transit systems;
"smart" highway surveillance systems;
promoting bicycle and pedestrian travel;
travel demand management strategies;
corridor studies; and
commissions to deal with long range issues of land use, financing, transit expansion.
The following is an overview of the more prominent &/or visible area wide transportation projects.
ARTIMIS, Advanced Regional Traffic Interactive Management and Information System, is OKI's "smart" transportation system. Scheduled to be operational by the end of the year, it gathers information from highway monitors and on site video cameras. The data collected is transmitted to a control center where personnel develop traffic reports and advisories which are made available to news broadcasts, changeable message signs and highway information services.
The system monitors I-71 and I-75, within the beltway, portions of I-275, Cross County Highway and the Norwood Lateral. Using ARTIMIS information, drivers will be able to plan destination routes closer to the time of departure; rerouting of traffic can begin sooner; and if necessary, transfers to alternate, less congested routes can be made.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel: Twelve local communities including Cincinnati, Anderson Township, Madeira, Indian Hill, Blue Ash, Montgomery and Springdale are planning bikeways. The on-road facilities need to enable safe and direct routes. The City of Cincinnati's Bicycle Master Plan includes bike paths, bike lanes, signed bike routes, shared lanes. The City requires new roadway projects be evaluated for bicycle and pedestrian improvements early in the planning process and during roadway rehabilitation, the replacement of all inlets with ones that are bicycle-safe. In 1993 the City received $640,000 from Ohio's Transportation Enhancement Program to build a network of continuous, on-street bicycle-friendly corridors to serve downtown and other important destinations.
Adding bicycle transport to other transit services enhances both. For long term parking, bike lockers are located at 4 park and ride locations, on Fountain Square and in Anderson Township. The 1993 OKI Regional Bicycle Plan guides the improvement and expansion of the bicycle transportation system, encourages bicycling as a transportation mode and includes the OKI Bike Route Guides.
Corridor Studies: Corridor studies for the region's five most heavily traveled and congested areas will assess alternatives for accommodating future travel needs. The I-71 corridor extends from Kings Island/Mason area south along the interstate to the Florence, KY/airport area. Transportation options under discussion include: no build, light rail, dedicated busway, high occupancy vehicle lanes. The I-71 Oversight committee was close to a recommendation about a preferred transportation alternative for the corridor when there was a call to study an elevated electric rail system for Northern Kentucky. In April the I-71 study was put on hold. In September the I-71 Oversight Committee voted to continue the study of the entire corridor. A report regarding a preferred transportation option for the I-71 corridor is anticipated by early 1998. Public meetings will be scheduled at that time.
Fort Washington Way became a sub-study of the I-71 Corridor study. The preferred realignment will improve and maintain this route as a connector between I-71 and I-75, reconnect downtown Cincinnati with the Riverfront, improve access to local streets and continue to provide access for northern Kentucky communities. The State of Ohio will provide $80 million of the $119 million cost for construction and land acquisition and design provided that: the City and Hamilton County work together and obtain local funding, make no major changes once construction begins, and commit by October 1997. During construction, traffic rerouting and major traffic disruptions can be expected. An August 2000 date for completion is planned.
Eastern corridor: This corridor includes an area from downtown Cincinnati to the eastern suburbs of Milford encompassing Batavia and Amelia in Clermont County, Anderson Township, Mt. Washington and Newtown and eastern Northern Kentucky east of I-471. A citizens committee including government officials has made uneven progress. The current study area focuses on I-275, particularly the 2 lane portion from eastern Milford to Five Mile Road in Anderson.
Serious differences exist between representatives from Clermont county who favor north-south transportation while others prefer east-west routes. Also, there are concerns that the study focuses primarily on automobile transportation to the exclusion of rail and bus.
The region cannot build its way out of the growing traffic congestion because of costs and lack of space along existing interstate highways particularly I-75. How to manage the growth in travel demand has led to efforts to change travel behavior in order to reduce the number and length of trips, the use of single-occupant vehicles and expand the use of alternative travel modes.
OKI's RIDESHARE program seeks to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, concentrating specifically on the work commute. OKI works with businesses to promote the program, matching potential car-poolers and supports van pool groups in locating and securing park-and ride lots and drop off zones. All registered participants in RIDESHARE's Guaranteed Ride Home are eligible, up to 4 times a year, for an 80% reimbursement of the cost of a cab ride home from work.
CAGIS
The mission of the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System, GAGIS, is to create a revolutionary computerized information sharing system that enables the fundamental transformation of government and utility service management and delivery. CAGIS will offer government, utility companies, groups, or citizens a cost effective tool to make informed decisions based on shared data within a standard framework.
As an organization CAGIS is fairly unique: it is a contractual arrangement between Hamilton County, the City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bell and Cincinnati Gas & Electric/Cinergy. It is managed by a 10 member Board: 4 each from the City and the County and vice-president's from the 2 utilities. This is an example of a City - County, public - private cooperative arrangement. It is located at the Hamilton County Regional Computer Center.
In the early '90ies the City and the County began to look at ways they were keeping information. A visioning process lead to a proposal to compile information and integrate data, including ways to keep the information current. The efficient collection of information, the ability to keep it current and to integrate it with other data allows information to be more available and useful.
The specific departments served by CAGIS are land and infrastructure agencies such as planning, public works, and building inspections; Metropolitan Sewer District; Health Department; etc., in the City and mirror agencies in the County: Regional Planning, Rural Zoning, Building Inspections, Public Works, Emergency Response, etc. Each department is responsible for their own data. They share it with CAGIS which makes sure it fits together in the system and then redistributes it to servers within the City, the County and the utilities where the data is being used.
CAGIS should prove to be an affect tool in improving the work of government. Work which depends on information can be performed with more accuracy and in shorter periods of time. Citizens can access this information both for personal use and to more effectively participate in public policy discussions, for instance, on land use.
The land use - transportation issues noted above bring together several concerns that have been of interest to League members over the years including: citizen participation opportunities, functions of government, planning, transportation, the condition of urban areas and the preservation of natural resources. CAGIS is a tool that can help the community and the League to integrate some of these issues for more coherent management.
SUMMARY
Land use and transportation are linked. Urban sprawl stems in part from separating these links. Government policies encourage sprawl but could be changed to discourage sprawl. In serving the metropolitan area, the regional transit authority and the Regional Council of Governments are attempting to reduce the negative consequences of expanding land use. Data available through the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System can assist the community to reach these objectives.
References:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR APRIL UNIT DISCUSSIONS "Special Districts: A Part of the Service Delivery System for Hamilton County" April 1987.
LWVCA LOCAL PROGRAM:POSITIONS AND HISTORY. Local Study and Action 1990-98. Page. 9. Draft edition.
"Metro - FACTS AT A GLANCE" System Status and Financial Statements for the year ending Dec. 31, 1994. Final May 1, 1995.
"Metro - FACTS AT A GLANCE" System Status and Financial Statements for the year ending Dec. 31, 1995. Final July 31, 1996.
"Metro - FACTS AT A GLANCE" System Status and Financial Statements for the year ending Dec. 31, 1996. Final July 31, 1997.
Managing Mobility: Year 2010 Regional Transportation Plan. OKI. 1993.
Transportation Improvement Program - fiscal Years 1998-2001. OKI. 1997.
Moe, Richard. "Growing smarter: Fighting sprawl and restoring community in America" EcoCity Cleveland Journal. November/December 1996.
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 1996.
Allen Howard. "Riders take bus up I-71 to job". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 12, 1997.
Peirce, Neal. "Maryland's 'Smart Growth' Law: A National Model?" The Washington Post. 1997.
Radel, Cliff. "Buses taking workers to 'burbs need financial lift". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 19, 1997.
Vasan, Uma. "Residents trapped by lack of transportation". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 13, 1997.
November 1997
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