Transportation Concurrency: Best Practices Guide

This guide presents practical guidance for local transportation concurrency management systems based on a sampling of current and best practices. The guide also provides technical assistance on strategies for addressing the changes to Florida’s concurrency requirements made during the 2005 and 2007 legislative sessions. The guide will also assist local governments in the evaluation and appraisal of local comprehensive plans. Guidance on evaluating the transportation impacts of comprehensive plan amendments is provided in the Appendix. The guide begins in Chapter 1 with an overview of concurrency management in Florida and issues in current practice. Chapter 2 addresses the planning process for concurrency and considerations for establishing level of service standards, applying concurrency alternatives, and developing a concurrency management system. Chapter 3 includes a detailed look at the process for implementing transportation concurrency and the mechanics of a concurrency tracking system. Chapter 4 discusses transportation impact assessment, including the implications of various ways of measuring “impact area” and a suggested traffic impact assessment methodology for concurrency. The chapter concludes with a sample application of the methods presented. Recognizing that transportation concurrency is best accomplished through coordination, Chapter 5 provides strategies for improved multi-jurisdictional coordination in establishing level of service standards and managing concurrency. The chapter also provides guidance on how to address the statutory exemptions from DRI (development of regional impact) requirements allowed under Section 380.06(24), Florida Statutes. The chapter concludes with a series of attachments providing guidance on implementing transportation concurrency in a multi-jurisdictional context. These include a sample methodology for evaluating and mitigating cross jurisdictional impacts, an example application illustrating the concepts discussed in the guide, and two model interlocal agreements for coordination in concurrency management.