Committee endorses Complete Streets policy to boost grant eligibility and safety

The Farmers Branch Sustainability Committee voted to recommend that City Council adopt a Complete Streets policy, a design-focused policy that directs consideration of pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and vehicles in future roadway projects.

Alex, a sustainability staff member, told the committee the policy is intended to improve the city's competitiveness for transportation development credits administered regionally through the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). "We received transportation development credits from the council of governments by meeting certain criteria," Alex said, and added that the metropolitan scoring system requires cities to adopt multiple policies or programs to qualify for credits.

Alex described Complete Streets as a design approach rather than a requirement to add every amenity to every roadway. The proposed policy references accessibility standards such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and includes exceptions for locations where costs or site constraints make full multimodal elements impractical.

Committee members asked whether adopting the policy alone would secure the city's share of regional transportation credits. Alex said the policy is one of several items that factor into the metropolitan scoring, and that the scoring thresholds and exact points can vary by cycle; the city previously secured credit funding in a prior cycle but did not reach the top tier.

After discussion, the committee voted to provide a recommendation to City Council for adoption of the Complete Streets policy. The recommendation is advisory; final eligibility and credit awards are determined by the regional council.