Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

A fundam ental aspect of the TPR is the direction to local governm ents to plan for reduced reliance on the autom obile. Ty pically , transportation planning tracks autom obile reliance through m onitoring a standardized statistic such as vehicle m iles tr aveled (VMT) per capita. The TPR recognizes that measuring VMT per capita is just one m eans of assessing autom obile reliance, and that it does not reflect varied conditions across local governm ents. Theref ore, the TPR provides a m echanism for m etropolitan areas to develop and im plem ent m easures specifically tailo red to local needs. In the Rogue Valley region, the RVMPO developed seven alternative m easures designed to reduce the region’ s reliance on single- occupant autom obiles and to encourage the use of alternative transportation m odes. These m easures include five actions to be im plem ented by the MP O, and two by the three cities in the MPO region (Medford, Phoenix and Central Point). As the largest city in the Rogue Valley region, Medford will have a significant responsibility for carry ing out the m andated m easures assigned to the three cities. The seven alternative m easures and accom panying benc hmarks are sum marized in Table 2-2. Measures specifically pertinent to land use planning and the integration of transportation and land use decision- making in Medford are illustrated in Table 4-2. These m easures include: • Increasing the percentage of dwelling units that are located within transit corridors that are defined as the area within ¼ m ile (reasonable walki ng distance) of a transit route. The land use decisions made by Medford (as well as Central Point and Phoenix) will strongly influence the ability of RVTD to successfully meet the identified benchm arks. Developm ent of land use patterns within the city and the UGB that suppor t the efficient and cost-effective provision of transit service are critically important. • Increasing the percentage of new dwelling units in mixed-use developm ent within the City and within transit-oriented districts in relation to total housing developm ent within the City . Mixed- use developm ent and transit-oriented districts are distinguished by a pattern of residential units and employment generating uses in close proxim ity with an em phasis on the provision of a high level of bicy cle, pedestrian and transit access and m obility . • Increasing the percentage of new em ployment in mixed-use developm ent and transit-oriented districts in com parison to total new em ployment in the City . Table 4-2 Alternative RTP Performance Measures Related to Land Use Planning For the Rogue Valley MPO Measure How Measured Current 2000 Benchm ark 2005 Benchm ark 2010 Benchm ark 2015 Target 2020 Measure 2 : % Dw elling Units (DU’s) w/in ¼ mile walk to 30-mi n. transit service Determined through GIS mapping. Current estimates are that 12% of DU’s ar e within ¼ mile walking distance of RVTD transit routes. 12% 20% 30% 40% 50% Measure 5 : % Mix ed-use DU’s in new development Determined by tracking building permits – the ratio betw een new DU’s in TODs and total new DU’s in t he region. 0% 9% 26% 41% 49% Measure 6 : % Mix ed-use employ ment in new development Estimated from annual employ ment files from State – represents the ratio of new employ ment in TODs over total regional employ ment. 0% 9% 23% 36% 44% Source: Land Conservation and Development Commission, OAR 660-012-0035(5), April 3, 2002. Medford Transportatio n System Pl an 4-5 Transportation and Land Use