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Committee backs Growth Corridor Boulevard designation for University Boulevard to prioritize pedestrian safety
Summary
Council committee advanced a recommendation to designate University Boulevard as a Growth Corridor Boulevard — a classification tied to denser zoning and design features such as lower target speeds and closer protected crossings — while members pressed staff for implementation details and funding paths.
The Planning, Housing, and Parks Committee on Nov. 3 advanced a staff recommendation to reclassify large stretches of University Boulevard as a Growth Corridor Boulevard, a street type the county created this year to guide design in higher-density corridors.
The chair said the change is intended to “improve safety and traffic calming infrastructure along the corridor,” a point echoed by Councilman Fontaine Gonzalez, who told the committee: “This is about improving safety and traffic calming infrastructure … people are not just getting hurt by crossing University Boulevard, but die by crossing University Boulevard.”
Why it matters: the Growth Corridor Boulevard designation links roadway design to prevailing zoning — staff said the designation is appropriate where a “vast majority” of the segment is zoned for a mix of moderate and high density. The label directs planners and engineers toward features such as lower target speeds (design goals, typically 30 mph vs. 35 mph for boulevards), more frequent protected pedestrian crossings and other pedestrian-focused design elements meant to create a town-center feel.
What staff recommended: Mr. Kinney, who presented the transportation chapter, said the committee should recommend approval of the designation and that MCDOT would later translate target speeds into posted limits based on operational analyses. Planning staff clarified that the target speed is a design objective used to set roadway geometry and calming measures, while MCDOT sets the legal speed limit after evaluating traffic flows.
Debate and clarifications: committee members pressed staff to be explicit about the relationship between zoning and the designation. “Is there any mechanism that if we create a Growth Corridor Boulevard that you’re locking us into zoning recommendations going the other way?” Councilmember Giroirno asked; staff replied the causal relationship is one-way: zoning recommendations inform the street designation, not vice versa.
Next steps: staff will return with implementation language and follow-up items requested by the committee, including (per the chair) draft funding approaches to move recommended design features from plan text into deliverable projects.
The committee did not take a final, legislative vote on the master plan text but directed staff to refine language and return at the Nov. 10 work session with more specifics on implementation and funding.
