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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-02-05 Preliminary Traffic Findings ' 1 North Andover — Proposed IEaglewood Retail Development Preliminary Traffic Findings Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) has assessed the potential traffic impacts of a new retail development proposed to be located on Route 114 across from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune site in North Andover, Massachusetts. The proposed project consists of the construction of a retail "lifestyle center"consisting of two main components: an approximately 20,400 square foot retail building at the southerly portion of the site, and 59,525 square feet (sf) of retail building space at the northerly end of the site. The freestanding building at the southerly end will be occupied by a single retail tenant, and the northerly retail building will include eight or nine tenant spaces ranging in size from 4,250 sf to 14,875 sf.While specific tenants have not yet been finalized, there will be a single quality sit-down restaurant (approximately 140 seats)with the remainder of the tenants being mostly"soft-goods"oriented; i.e., clothing stores, apparel, etc. In total, there will be approximately 79,925 square feet of building space within the overall 6.2±acre site. Northmark Bank is located within an approximately 1.15 acre parcel that falls between the southerly and northerly portions of the site. The Eaglewood project proponent is committed to working with this abutting property owner through the local and state process to ensure that safe and efficient access to the bank is provided. With the proposed roadway improvements,turning movements to and from that site should occur with considerably more ease than under existing conditions. Primary access to the site is proposed via a signalized driveway located opposite the existing main driveway to the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. Customers using this driveway will be able to access both the southerly and northerly portions of the site. The design of this signalized intersection will be under MassHEghway jurisdiction, as Route 114 is a state highway adjacent to the site. Likewise, given the state jurisdication the project will undergo a thorough review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act(ME;PA). This review will consist of a detailed evaluation of the project's potential impact to traffic,the environment and other areas. The public will also have input to this process, in addition to that which will occur as part of the local permitting. The Route 114 design at the site entrance is expected to consist of a maximum cross-section of five lanes: two through-lanes in each direction, with opposing left-turn lanes provided to both the project site and the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. While this design is still at the early conceptual level, exclusive entering left-turn signal phases will likely be provided to both sites. This cross-section, and the sidewalk currently located on the easterly side of the roadway will all be provided within the existing state highway layout. Finally,following consultation MassHighway it appears likely that the existing exit driveway from the bank will need to be closed due to its proximity to the signal. To provide proper access to that site, a full access connector driveway will be provided to the main site driveway extending from the signal. The Proponent will work with both the Town and MassHighway throughout the design process to develop a mutually agreeable access plan, which is also compatible with the needs of nearby residences. A driveway will also be provided directly to the southerly portion of the site from Route 114, as motorists on Route 114 may not be immediately aware of the proposed connector roadway between the two ends of the site, which will extend behind Northmark Bank. To minimize any conflicts on Route 114, the proposed southerly driveway will be restricted to entering right-turn movements only. An entering right-turn only driveway Is also proposed to be located at the northerly end of the site. This driveway is primarily needed to accommodate delivery vehicles, the majority of which are expected to arrive to the area via Route 1-495. However, this driveway will also serve the limited portion of entering customer traffic from the south that passes by the main site driveway, possibly to visit the restaurant at the northerly end of the site. The scope of the preliminary traffic assessment was based on input from the Town of North Andover. The findings of the site access assessment are that the proposed traffic signal and geometric modifications will provide safe and efficient access to the proposed site and abutting sites. The Proponent is also having ongoing discussions with MassHighway regarding the appropriate F.1083541docsVcportslrezoning—traffic.doc treatment of a new signal on Route 114. Based on preliminary meetings, some form of communication will be established with the nearby signals to the north (Route 114 at Peters Street, and Route 114 at Route 125/Route 133/Elm Street) and to the south (Route 114 at Waverly Road). As no such communication currently exists between the two signals immediately to the north and south of the site, the proposed project will provide an opportunity to address the lack of coordination between these locations. Existing Traffic Conditions The proposed site is located along Route 114, across from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in North Andover. Adjacent to the site, Route 114 is a four-lane roadway under MassHighway jurisdiction. Although turning lanes are present at the signalized intersections bracketing the site, they are not currently provided at the Eagle Tribune driveway. VHB has reviewed accident records for several intersections in the vicinity of the proposed project for a three-year period from 1998 to 2000. These intersections included Route 114 at Waverly Road, Eagle Tribune Driveway, Peters Street and Route 125/Route 133, Route 125/Route 133 at Peters Street, and Haverhill Street at High Street. During the three-year time period, only one accident was reported at the Eagle Tribune Driveway at Route 114 intersection, Moreover, only one intersection exceeded the MassHighway crash rate average for the district. This location consisted of the Route 114 at Route 125/Route 133 intersection, which experienced 88 accidents from 1998 through 2000. The merging and splitting-off of Route 125 from Route 114, however, creates some confusion in the area regarding intersections nomenclature. Therefore, it is possible that some of the accidents reported at this location may have in reality occurred at the Route 114 at Andover By-pass (Route 125) intersection. Review of the reported accidents at this alternate location indicate that is experienced 22 accidents, a number significantly smaller than the one reported for the Route 114/ Route 125/Route 133 intersection. Consequently, it seems plausible that some of the accidents reported at the Route 114/Route 125/Route 133 may indeed have happened at the Route 114/ Andover By-pass intersection. Thus, the study area does not appear to present above average safety concerns given the traffic volume these roadways carry. Regardless, VHB will confer with the North Andover Police Department to identify special concerns beyond those reflected by the reported accident records. Route 114 in the vicinity of the site carries between approximately 30,000 and 38,500 vehicles on a typical weekday. During the evening peak hour, approximately 2,705 vehicles.travel on Route 114 with the direction of travel slightly heavier in the eastbound direction. On a Saturday, Route 114 carries between approximately 24,000 and 31,500 vehicles throughout the.day and 2,195 during the midday peak hour. On Saturdays, the direction of travel is slightly higher in the westbound direction. Due to the heavy traffic volumes encountered on Route 114, most of the intersections In the study area are currently operating near or above capacity. Future Traffic Conditions A five-year study horizon, in accordance with MEPA guidelines, was used in this assessment. To establish baseline traffic conditions in 2008, both normal regional traffic growth, as well as traffic generated by specific development projects in the area,were considered. The specific site- generated traffic accounted for in the analysis includes the Den Rock residential development on Route 114 just north of the Waverly Road intersection. Additional potential projects were investigated including a potential CVS Pharmacy to be located at the southeast corner of the Route 114/Peters Street Intersection. However, at the present time these projects are only in the early conceptual stages. As these projects move forward at varying schedules, VHB will review their potential impacts on the proposed roadway design. As previously mentioned, primary access to the site is proposed via a signalized driveway on Route 114 opposite from the Eagle Tribune driveway. Secondary access will be provided via two right-in only driveways located on either side of the primary drive. P:1063541docslreportsVezoning—tmffic.doc I Trip Generation To estimate the number of vehicle-trips estimated to be generated by the proposed development, up to 79,930 square feet of retail uses, VHB used standardized trip generation rates published in the Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation' report. 1TE land use code 820, Shopping Center,was determined to be the most appropriate use for this development. Based on this information, the proposed retail development is expected to generate 540 vehicle trips (260 entering and 280 exiting) during the weekday evening peak hour, and 755 vehicle trips (390 entering and 365 exiting) during the Saturday midday peak hour. Given the nature of retail uses, the project is expected to generate minimal volume of traffic during the morning peak commuter period. During the weekday evening and Saturday midday peak hours only 410 and 565 vehicle trips, respectively are expected to represent new traffic to the area. The remaining customers are expected to be in the form of pass-by traffic, which refers to motorists already traveling past the site on Route 114. These customers will now turn into the site to shop before continuing onto their original destination. As this traffic is already on Route 114,these customers will not represent an increase in traffic in the area. While ITE indicates that a retail facility of this size could be expected to generate approximately 35 percent of its peak hour traffic in the form of pass-by trips, a 25 percent pass-by rate was used for this study in keeping with state standards. Clearly, the proposed development will generate more traffic than that which could occur with the development of single family homes, or the small commercial buildings already allowed by right within the R-4 and B-4 zones. However, the proposed development will provide the opportunity for long-standing traffic concerns along Route 114 adjacent to the site to be addressed. Likewise, the proposed site plan provides controlled, efficient access with the primary driveway being signalized. While the smaller by-right developments would generate less traffic,they would likely involve multiple curb cuts, which could create additional traffic concerns. Trip Distribution The directional distribution of the traffic approaching and departing the site is a function of population densities, the location of employment, competing shopping opportunities, existing travel patterns, and the efficiency of the existing roadway system. The trip distribution of the new site-generated traffic was developed in consideration of these factors and through the use of a population based gravity model. The resulting trip distribution pattern indicates that approximately 37 percent of the site-generated trips are expected to use Route 114, 22 percent from/to west and 15 percent from/to east. Waverly Road carries approximately 19 percent of the site traffic, 11 percent from/to north and 8 percent from/to south. Approximately 28 percent of the traffic is estimated to travel on Route 133, 18 percent to/from north and 10 percent to/from south. The remaining 16 percent is estimated to use Andover Street (13 percent to/from south) and the Andover By-pass (3 percent to/from south). Proposed Roadway Improvements The primary access to the site will require modifications to adequately and safely accommodate the forecast traffic volumes. Signal warrants were conducted at the Route 114 at Eagle Tribune Drive/Primary site drive, which indicated that the 8-hour, 4-hour and peak hour warrants were met for this location. Consequently, a traffic signal will be installed by the proponent at the primary site drive. Further, Route 114 will be widened to provide a 5-lane cross section, including two through lanes in each direction and exclusive eastbound and westbound left-turn lanes. Most of the widening will be accommodated within the existing MassHighway Right-of-Way(ROW). To accommodate sidewalks on the property side of Route 114, some widening outside of the existing ROW will be required. These widenings, however, will occur on the site's side of Route 114. Finally, due to the close proximity of the proposed signal to the Route 114 at Peters Street signal and the Route 114 at Waverly Road signal, coordination among the signals will be provided. The system will include in total four traffic signals along Route 114: Route 125/Route 133, Peters Institute of Transportation En&eers,Trip Generatlon,Sixth Edition,Washington,D.C.,1997. F:1083541doesln portslrezoneng.trafftc.doe I Street, proposed signal and Waverly Road. This system will ensure that the flow of traffic along Route 114 continues to operate appropriately. Conclusion The proposed site plan will provide safe and efficient access to the proposed retail site from the surrounding roadway network. A new traffic signal proposed on Route 114 at the site's primary drive/Eagle Tribune drive will help customers to safely enter and exit the site. The traffic signal will be coordinated with nearby signals along Route 114 to ensure appropriate traffic flow. The proposed site driveway will require an Access Permit from MassHighway. Given the size of the .proposed development, and the geed for a MassHighway permit, the project will also be subject to review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). The proponent is committed to continuing to work with the Town of North Andover and MassHighway to address any traffic concerns during the ongoing local approvals, and during the subsequent MEPA review process. i i FA083541docslreportstrezoning traffic.doc