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Council adopts 'Clayton on the Move' comprehensive transportation plan
Summary
The Town Council adopted the final Clayton comprehensive transportation plan (CTP) after a public hearing; the plan prioritizes pedestrian and bicycle networks, roadway improvements, and policy edits to the Unified Development Ordinance.
The Clayton Town Council voted unanimously to adopt the town's comprehensive transportation plan, known as "Clayton on the Move," following a presentation by the planning department and the project consultant.
Conrad Olmedo, the town planning director, introduced the final draft and consultant Shivang Shilat of WSP presented the plan's findings and recommendations. The presentation summarized the project timeline (work began in August 2023), two phases of public engagement, and technical analyses. Shilat said, "Just to reiterate, the population is projected to grow threefold in the next 30 years," and outlined mode-specific recommendations for bicycle and pedestrian networks, transit proof-of-concept routes, about 13 miles of new roadway, and approximately 144 lane miles of roadway capacity changes in the plan's horizon.
Shilat described multimodal recommendations that prioritize multiuse paths and sidewalks in the downtown core, a greenway network, targeted intersection improvements, and cross sections that include alternate dimensions to afford design flexibility. The plan also identifies priority projects using a matrix of goals and implementation strategies. Planners recommended further corridor-level study of Clayton Boulevard widening proposed by NCDOT and proposed a one-way pair solution for O'Neil and Fayetteville streets to reduce right-of-way impacts in the historic district.
The Planning Board had provided a unanimous recommendation for approval on May 27, and staff presented the CTP at a June 2 work session. The council opened a public hearing; resident Quan Yu Chen spoke in support and urged the council to "consider putting safety as your top priority" and to adopt a Vision Zero-style safety plan. After the hearing the council approved adoption (recorded as ordinance 2025-06-03). Council members praised the document's clarity and the steering committee's involvement; one council member recommended chapter 8 for implementation timelines and responsible parties.
Adoption places the CTP in the town's planning framework and directs staff to pursue the recommended projects, policy updates to the Unified Development Ordinance, and follow-up detailed studies for transit and corridor-level improvements. The plan ties recommended capital projects to a prioritization methodology and assigns implementation strategies to town staff and partner agencies; specific project funding and design schedules will be developed during later engineering and budgeting phases.
