Tech Memo Task 1 Final1
Northeast New Hanover County Future Streets Plan:
Task 1 Current Conditions Technical Summary
Northeast New Hanover County Future Streets Plan: Task 1 Current Conditions Technical
Summary .................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Local Plans and Studies ............................................................................................................ 3
New Hanover County Comprehensive Plan (2016) ....................................................................................... 3
Pender County Collector Street Plan (2016) .................................................................................................. 4
Cape Fear Transportation 2040 – Metropolitan Transportation Plan (2015) ............................................... 4
Wilmington MPO Comprehensive Transportation Plan (2015) .................................................................... 4
Wilmington/New Hanover County Comprehensive Greenway Plan (2013) ................................................. 5
Castle Hayne Community Plan (2008) ............................................................................................................ 5
Street Network ........................................................................................................................... 5
Existing Functional Classification ................................................................................................................. 5
Existing & Future Transportation Plans ........................................................................................................ 6
Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure ......................................................................................... 6
Existing Conditions ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Future Considerations .................................................................................................................................... 7
Zoning and Land Use ................................................................................................................ 7
Existing Conditions ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Future Considerations .................................................................................................................................... 7
Current Conditions Figures ...................................................................................................... 8
Figure 1. Anticipated Population Growth ...................................................................................................... 9
Figure 2. Anticipated Employment Growth ................................................................................................. 10
Figure 3. Hispanic Population ...................................................................................................................... 11
Figure 4. Non-White Population ................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 5. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Population ............................................................................ 13
Figure 6. Low Income Population ................................................................................................................. 14
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Figure 7. Community Features ..................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 8. WMPO Functional Classification .................................................................................................. 16
Figure 9. Annual Average Daily Traffic ........................................................................................................ 17
Figure 10. Other Recommended Projects ................................................................................................... 18
Figure 11. Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities ................................................................................................... 19
Figure 12. Zoning Classification................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 13. Environmental Features .............................................................................................................. 21
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Introduction
New Hanover County, in coordination with the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
(WMPO), is developing a Future Street Plan for northeastern New Hanover County. The plan will serve as a
framework for a future street system in the northeastern area of the county, bound by Holly Shelter Road (SR
1002) and the county line to the north, I-40 to the west, US 17/US 17-Business (Market Street) to the east,
and Gordon Road to the south. This report will outline the existing conditions within the Plan’s study area,
including relevant local plans, land use ordinances, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and roadway network.
Much of the anticipated population and employment growth in this Plan’s
study area is expected to occur to the north and east, with some infill
development occurring in the already populous southern corner (Figures 1 &
2). According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011-2015 American Community
Survey estimates, many characteristics of the NNHC study area are similar to
the rest of New Hanover County. The proportion of non-white individuals,
individuals of Hispanic origin, and persons in a limited English proficiency
household are all representative of the New Hanover County community.
Within the entire study area, the percentage of persons living in poverty is
lower than the rest of the County as a whole. A census block group-level
analysis can be found in Figures 3 through 6.
Community and cultural assets tend to be clustered in more heavily populated areas, where transportation
access is most convenient and zoning allows for community land uses. The majority of these community and
cultural resources are places of worship, schools, and parks (Figure 7). These include the Murrayville and
Eaton elementary schools, as well as the Smith Creek and Ogden public parks. Although not within the study
area, there is also convenient access to medical facilities, such as Wilmington Health at Porters Neck, for local
residents. As this area develops, more of these community amenities will be needed for residents to easily
access them.
Local Plans and Studies
New Hanover County and WMPO will consider existing county-wide plans and plans from nearby
communities in developing the Northeast New Hanover Future Street Plan (NNHC). The planned land uses
and facilities in these documents will help guide decisions during the planning process, as well as form and
strengthen the shared vision for the area’s future.
New Hanover County Comprehensive Plan (2016)
The New Hanover County Comprehensive plan examined land use, demographic, economic, transportation,
environmental, and health data and trends in the County and sought public input to produce a plan for future
land use and development. The County and surrounding areas are experiencing growth rates above the State
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average; New Hanover County’s population is expected to increase 57 percent by 2040. The Plan’s future
land use map characterizes the NNHC study area as majority community mixed use, with some general
residential and conservation areas.
The Comprehensive Plan identified three growth nodes in New Hanover County. Two of the growth nodes
border on the study area for the NNHC: on the western side of the study area, northwest of the I-40/I-140
interchange at Cape Fear Community College North Campus, and on the eastern side of the study area, near
the interchange of US 17 and Market Street. These areas are experiencing rapid growth rates, and are ideal
zones for promoting residential development that encourages pedestrian and bicycle activity and public
transit.
Pender County Collector Street Plan (2016)
WMPO and Pender County created the Collector Street Plan to determine needs for future roadway
connectivity in southern Pender County. The plan focused on connecting neighborhoods and local streets to
larger arterial roads. The plan identifies several preferred scenario street networks that will increase
connectivity between Pender and New Hanover counties for motor vehicles, with design considerations for
pedestrians and bicycles.
Cape Fear Transportation 2040 – Metropolitan
Transportation Plan (2015)
WMPO’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan is a guide for regional transportation policy and programming,
and is used to develop priority projects for the statewide and metropolitan transportation improvement
programs (STIP and MTIP). Future roadway projects affecting the Northeast New Hanover County Future
Street Plan include the extension of Military Cutoff Road (R-3), the Hampstead Bypass (R-38), the widening of
Gordon Road (R-6), and Market Street (US 17-Business) access management improvements (R-10). The plan
includes several park-and-rides in and around the study area, including Cape Fear Community College North
Campus, I-40 at Holly Shelter Road, and along Market Street. Fixed route service expansion is also planned
along Market Street as far north as the proposed park-and-ride at Porters Neck Road. This Plan must be
fiscally constrained, as it must identify funding sources for all of the proposed projects.
Wilmington MPO Comprehensive Transportation Plan
(2015)
The WMPO’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan contains all of the roadway, bicycle, and pedestrian
facilities recommended in other complementary plans. Roadway projects listed in the WMPO MTP and the
NCDOT STIP are mapped in conjunction with active transportation projects outlined in the Wilmington/New
Hanover County Comprehensive Greenway Plan. Further details regarding those plans can be found in their
respective section of this chapter. In contrast with the MTP, this plan does not need to be fiscally
constrained.
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Wilmington/New Hanover County Comprehensive
Greenway Plan (2013)
This plan identifies existing trails and makes recommendations for additional facilities to further develop the
greenway network in New Hanover County. Public input was solicited to find out residents’ concerns and
desired facilities. There are few existing greenway facilities in the NNHC study area, but the plan proposes
several greenways and bicycle lanes within the study area. These are typically located along major roadways,
including Market Street, College Road, Gordon Road, and Holly Shelter Road, and connected to utility
easements.
Castle Hayne Community Plan (2008)
The Castle Hayne community is located in the northwest portion of the study area for the NNHC. The
Community Plan identified potential zoning changes to facilitate growth of the downtown area and
commercial corridor, located on Castle Hayne Road. The plan also recommended strategies to encourage use
and improve accessibility to the WAVE Transit system, and provisions for improving pedestrian and bicycle
accommodations.
Street Network
Existing Functional Classification
Functional classification is used by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and local agencies as a means
of defining the intended function of a particular roadway. The WMPO member jurisdictions refer to the
functional classification of roadways in their land development codes and regulations in an effort to better
coordinate land use and transportation planning. The WMPO reviewed the federal functional classification of
all roadway elements in the WMPO Planning Area Boundary following the decennial census and the
organization’s Transportation Advisory Committee proposed changes to the federal functional classification
of WMPO Planning Area Boundary’s roadways. However, several of the proposed changes were not accepted
by the NCDOT due to statewide constraints that were not directly related to the functional nature of existing
conditions in the WMPO Planning Area Boundary roadway network. Therefore, the Transportation Advisory
Committee adopted the “Wilmington Urban Area MPO’s Local Functional Classification Maps” for member
jurisdictions to refer to for non-federal local planning purposes on August 26, 2015.
I-40, US 17, and US 17-Business are categorized as principle arterials, indicating that they are designed to
promote daily mobility for a high number of motor vehicles. The remaining roads within the study area are
designated as either collectors (Holly Shelter Road, Sidbury Road, and Blue Clay Road, among others) or local
roads. They are primarily concentrated in the more residential southern half of the study area (Figures 8 & 9).
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These local streets are oriented in an irregular pattern, consistent with typical suburban development.
Roadway connections between developments are limited and not spaced at equal intervals. This stands in
contrast with a typical grid pattern of more urban development. While this irregular pattern does reduce the
number of motor vehicles passing through residential areas, it does not promote easy access to destinations
and community amenities. This is particularly true for biking and walking trips within the community.
Existing & Future Transportation Plans
One project has been funded in the current and draft State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) of
significance to the study area. Military Cutoff Road (U-4751) will be extended northward to US 17 as a multi-
lane roadway. This extension is scheduled for construction in October of 2017. Another NCDOT project
related to this Plan is the access management improvements (U-4902) to US 17-Business (Market Street),
which are anticipated in 2018.
The Hampstead Bypass has been submitted through the Strategic Transportation Investments prioritization
process, but is not funded in the 2016-2025 FY STIP. The Hampstead Bypass is a proposed roadway project in
the Cape Fear Transportation 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) that would connect the
extension of Military Cutoff Road to Pender County. The NCDOT STIP identifies this project (R-3300) as two
segments. The Draft STIP of FY 2017-2027 programs funding for the B segment from NC 210 to US 17 north of
Hampstead.
These projects are have statewide importance. They will improve the mobility of local residents to locations
outside of the study area, as well as make it more efficient for drivers to pass through the region. In order for
future residents to access these facilities, the feeder network of collector streets and local roads will need to
be constructed to move people from residential neighborhoods to commercial locations or larger arterials.
New construction will likely occur in the eastern and northern portion of the study area, where new
residential development is expected. These planned projects and others that will affect the NNHC study can
be found in Figure 10.
Bicycle & Pedestrian Infrastructure
Existing Conditions
There are very few bicycle and pedestrian-dedicated facilities located within the boundaries of the NNHC,
with only one active greenway located in Smith Creek Park (Figure 11). With few exceptions, the sidewalk
connectivity within the study area is generally very low. Only a few residential blocks have sidewalks installed
along the roadway, and there are no sharrows or bicycle lanes that would allow cyclists to safely share the
road with motor vehicles. Most residents are not currently able to access other neighborhoods or
commercial locations via biking or walking using adequate facilities.
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Future Considerations
There is a complete network of active transportation facilities outlined in the Wilmington-New Hanover
County Comprehensive Greenway Plan (2013). The planned facilities for bicycles and pedestrians within the
study area consist of multi-use paths (greenways) and dedicated bicycle lanes. Currently, multi-use paths are
planned along Market Street and Military Cutoff Extension. The majority of these are regional resources,
serving to connect the community with a larger, regional greenway network. By contrast, there are few
planned facilities, such as sharrows and sidewalks, specifically designed to make active transportation easier
within the northeastern New Hanover community itself. Future facility plans will need to include these local
branch systems to promote access to regional connections. These projects may be funded through cost
sharing between New Hanover County and NCDOT if they were constructed in conjunction with TIP projects.
Zoning and Land Use
Existing Conditions
The majority of land in the NNHC study area is vacant and undeveloped. Those parcels which have been
developed are a mixture of uses, including residential development to the south of the study area and more
natural resource-based and industrial uses north of US 17. Commercial and office-related locations are
relatively evenly distributed and are clustered along major state route.
The NNHC study area is predominantly zoned in favor of residential uses. Commercially and industrially
zoned areas are limited to the peripheries of the study area, primarily adjacent to major roadways (Figure
12). With this current zoning ordinance in place, there will be limited opportunity for commercial, retail
trade, and other centers of employment to develop within the study area itself. Unless there is more
commercial development than is currently planned, this will cause residents to be reliant on a well-
connected, traditional roadway network to access destinations outside of the study area with a motor
vehicle.
Future Considerations
Widespread residential development will be limited within the NNHC study area as a result of environmental
considerations. In addition to the wide coverage and variety of wetlands, floodplains and habitats of native
plant and animal species will make certain areas very difficult to develop. These are especially prevalent to
the east and north of the study area (Figure 13). In the near-term, development will likely be limited to the
frontiers of previously existing development, as well as along major roadways.
Given the limited potential for some parcels within the study area to develop, much of the study area will be
available for natural conservation, recreation, and other low-impact land uses. This type of development
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pattern will also offer more access to open space recreation and greenways in the study area. These
environmental limitations will also affect opportunities for future streets networks.
Current Conditions Figures
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Figure 1. Anticipated Population Growth
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Figure 2. Anticipated Employment Growth
11
Figure 3. Hispanic Population
12
Figure 4. Non-White Population
13
Figure 5. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Population
14
Figure 6. Low Income Population
15
Figure 7. Community Features
16
Figure 8. WMPO Functional Classification
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Figure 9. Annual Average Daily Traffic
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Figure 10. Other Recommended Projects
19
Figure 11. Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities
20
Figure 12. Zoning Classification
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Figure 13. Environmental Features