Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC-11-15-99-01 Carmel Comp PlanAPPROVE .S TO FORM Resolution No. CC-11-15-99-01 A,N RESOLUTION APPROVING CERTAIN CHANGES TO THE CARMEL/CLAY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WHEREAS, pursuant to the Advisory Planning Law of the State of Indiana (contained in IC 36-7-4), each unit of local government that wishes to adopt land use and zoning ordinances must first approve by resolution a comprehensive plan for the geographic area over which it has jurisdiction; and WHEREAS, the 2020 Vision Comprehensive Plan (the "Comprehensive Plan") was approved and recommended by the Carmel Clay Plan Commission on August 20, 1996, and duly approved by resolution of the Common Council on September 24, 1996, and is therefore the official Comprehensive Plan of the City of Carmel and Clay Township; and ThoroPlanres.doc 1 WHEREAS, the Carmel Clay Plan Commission on October 19, 1999, after conducting a public hearing pursuant to IC 36-7-4-507 duly approved certain changes to the Comprehensive Plan, in particular the amendments to Chapter 6 of such Plan (namely the "Thoroughfare Plan") which are attached hereto and labeled as "Exhibit A", and duly certified those amendments to the Common Council pursuant to IC 36-7-4-508 on October 29, 1999; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, that, pursuant to IC 36-7-4-509, it hereby adopts this Resolution to approve the amendments to the Comprehensive Plan which are contained in Exhibit A (the Thoroughfare Plan), as previously approved and certified to the Council by the Carmel Clay Plan Commission. Pursuant to IC 36-7-4-509, this Resolution shall be effective upon its passage by the Common Council. After its adoption, this Resolution shall be filed in the office of the Clerk-Treasurer of the City of Carmel, who shall also file one ( 1 ) copy of the attached amendments in the office of the County Recorder of Hamilton County, in accordance with IC 36-7-4-509. ThoroPlanres.doc 2 PASSED by the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana this ] .5 /K30B0.~gt?. f' ,1999, by a vote of (- e. ayes and C"~ nays. day of COMMON UNCIL FOR THE CITY OF CARMEL ng Offi //< L ' der P Robe attr,~---~ al E.;~:~e~°b~l r 5~' ........ 1 a er ~ ATTEST: 1999. Diana L. Cordray, IAMC, Clerk-~surer Approved by me, Mayor of the City of Carmel, Indiana, this J .~ day of ~o~2~c~eK ,1999. ':; ainard, Ma~or" ~ CERTIFICATION OF PLAN COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION ON AMENDMENTS TO THE CARMEL/CLAY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SPECIFICALLY CHAPTER 6 THE THOROUGHFARE PLAN PURSUANT TO INDIANA CODE 36-7-4-605 RESOLUTION CC-11-15-99-01 To: The Honorable Common Council of the City of Carmel Hamilton County, Indiana Dear Members: The Carmel/Clay Plan Commission offers you the following report on the application of the Department of Community Services, petitioning the Commission to amend the provisions of the Camel/Clay Zoning Ordinance Z-289, as amended, more specifically: Amendments to the Carmel/C!ay Comprehensive Plan, Specifically Chapter 6, the Thoroughfare Plan The Carreel/Clay Plan Commission's recommendation on the petition of the applicant is FAVORABLE. At its regularly scheduled meeting of October 19, 1999, the Camel/Clay Plan Commission approved the requested Amendments to the Carmet/Clay Comprehensive Plan, Specifically Chapter 6, the Thoroughfare Plan, by a vote of 10 in favor, 3 opposed (Kent Broach, Ron Houck, and Bob Modisett). CARMEL/CLAY PLAN COMMISSION avid A.' Cremeans, resident D P DATED: October 29, 1999 ~..i.:~ "' ':RECEIVED CARMEL CLERK TREASURER City of Carmel DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SERVICES EXHIBIT A October 29, 1999 TO: Carrnel City Council FROM: Dave Cremeans, Plan Commission President Proposed Thoroughfare Plan Amendments Attached for your consideration you will find the following materials which make up our proposed Thoroughfare Plan amendment. 2. 3. 4. 5. Chapter 6.0 of the 2020 comprehensive Plan, with text amendments in bold. 20-year Thoroughfare Plan map 5-year Thoroughfare Plan map Alternative Transportation Thoroughfare map A matrix summary of the comparative changes to the 1995 Thoroughfare Plan map, clarifying the differences between the 1995 Thoroughfare Plan, and the current proposed 20-Year Thoroughfare Plan. A copy of the 20-Year plan map is attached, with corresponding changes numbered and highlighted for your convenience. This proposed amendment was favorably recommended to you at our October 16, 1999 Commission meeting. I will be present at your meeting the evening of November 154 to review this proposal with you, and answer any questions that you may have. Please feel flee to contact me at, 870-1111 (day, 875-8030 home) or Mike Hollibaugh in the Department of Community Services (571 2424) if you wish to discuss these materials in prior to the 15~h. Thank you. October 29, 1999 To: Re: Carreel City Council Proposed Thoroughfare Plan Amendments Page 2 SUMMARY MATRIX OF COMPARATIVE CHANGES TO 1999 CARMEL CLAY THOROUGHFARE PLAN STREET 1999 PLAN REFINEMENTS 1995 PLAN 1 U.S. 421 2 U.S. 421 3 West Road 4 Smoky Row (136m Street) New Collector street parallel arterial road network between 96m Street and 106th St. n .a. Collector intersection at mid-point between 106th St. and 116m St. Continuous road from146th Street to 121 s~ Street Extended from Town Rd. to County Line North-south collector street between Shelborne and Towne, from 126m to 146m n.a. n.a. Continuous between 141s~ St. and 121st Street. Extension from Town to Shelborne Rd. 6 Town Road 7 Hoover Road 8 Ditch Road extension 9 Spring Mill Road 10 131 st St. west of Spring Mill 11 Main Street (Spring Mill to Guilford) 12 Old Meridian Street 13 Main Street (east of Guilford) ' 14 Wesffield Boulevard 96th Street to 116th Street 15 Ra,nt e Line Road 116 ~I Street to 136t" Street 16 Ra,nt~ie Line Road, 136 Street to 146m Street Far East-side collector 17 streets 18 River Road (126m to 116m) 19 106m St. west of Spring Mill 20 126m St. between Illinois St. and Old Meridian 2:21 Illinois and Pennsylvania 2:2 126m Street, Pennsylvania to Range Line 23 Cherry Tree Road 24 Guilford Road (between 116t" and 111 th Streets) Misc. right-of-way refinements Primary Parkway (140° fight-of-way) Between 136m St. and 141 st and including Village of West Clay amendment Amended 126th Street extension South of 103r" Street, Secondary Parkway Residential Parkway (100' right-of-way) Secondary Parkway (120' right-of-way) Secondary Parkway (100' right-of-way) Residential Parkway (100' right-of-way) Residential Parkway (100' fight-of-way) Secondary Artedal (90' right-of-way) Secondary Parkway (1 ' ' - - Collector (80' r/w) Residential Parkway (100' r/w) Primary Arterial (150' fight-of-way) Secondary Parkway(s) (120' right-of-way) Continuous, Primary Parkway (140' r/w) (City Center Ddve) Eliminate segment between Hazel Dell and 131 st Street Extension removed per request of Carmel Clay Parks Residential Lane (40'); Minor Residential Street (40'); Secondary Artedal (90'); Residential Parkway (1 Off) Primary Parkway (140'); Primary Artedal (150') Secondary Parkway (120' right-of-way) n.a. 126m Street extension between Towne Road and Illinois Street. South of 103r~ St. - Collector Street Secondary Artedal (90' right-of-way) Secondary Arterial (90' right-of-way) Collector Street (80'right-of-way) Secondary Artedal (90' right-of-way) Pdmary Artedal (120' fight-of-way) Pdmary Artedal (120' right-of-way) Pdmary Arterial (120' right-of-way) noao Secondary Arterial, including Medalist Pkwy and possible Eiler Road exten. Collector Street (80' rAN) Secondary Artedal (90'right-of-way) Pdmary Arterial(s) (120' right-of-way) Secondary Artedal (90' rAN) Collector Street Collector Street (n.a.) Secondary Arterial (90'); (n.a.) Primary Parkway (150'); Pdmary Artedal (120') II ['T1 ! o ',Gray Road .. r%: . ' L · DRAFT AMENDMENT CHAPTER Carreel/Clay Visi n THOROUGHFARE PLAN DRAFT AMENDMENT 6.1 GENERAL As a northern growth area of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Statistical Area, the CarmeI-C!ay Township area has developed with a high amount of alternative north-south routes into the historic core of the region, namely Indianapolis. Conversely east-west roadways are fairly limited across the township as the economic ties with areas to the east and west were historically much less important and the White River had to be crossed on the east border. North- south routes, which traverse from one end of the township to the other, include: Sheiborne Road Towne Road t I · Spring Mill Rd. · U.S. 31 (Meridian Street) · Range Line RoadNVesdield Boulevard · U.S. 431 (Keystone Avenue) · Gray Road · Hazel Dell Parkway Continuous east-west roadways across the township are much fewer in number and include: · 106th St. · II 6th St. · 13 I st St. · 146th St. While growth in Clay Township took on a residential character in the 1970' s, the area has now emerged as a major employment center. Currently, the second largest concentration of office space in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area is located in Carmel / Clay Township predominately located along the U.S. 31 corridor. Other emerging employment centers include College Park in northern Marion and southern Boone counties to the west of Clay Township and the Castleton/Fishers employment center to the east of the township. As the northern metropolitan area's employment reliance on downtown Indianapolis shifts to these adjacent areas, the need for good east-west access will be magnified. The comparative traffic volume table (Figure 6-A) adequately shows this trend. As can be noted on this table, the segment that showed the highest increase in volumes was the east-west link of 116th Street between DRAFT AMENDMENT I~ange Line I~oad and U.S. 31, as well as Carmel Drive between Ftange Line and U.S. 31. The emerging importance of east-west links is further demonstrated in the review depicting how various roadways have been classified in the previous 1971, 1985 and 1991 Thoroughfare Plans. What is very noticeable in this comparison is the frequency that east-west streets have been upgraded in their status on the Thoroughfare Plan. As can be noted, east-west roads which have had their status increased include 96th, 116th, Carmel Dr. west of Keystone, 131st, and 136th. This upgrading reflects urbanization in western Clay Township and the need to provide for improved east west access linkages in that area. Figure 6-A ESTIMATED DAILY TRAFFIC LEVELS AT SELECTED LOCATIONS FOR YEARS 1989, 1993, AND 1997 ROUTE SEGMENT U.S. 31'* Keystone Ave.** Range Line Rd. 106m Street 116m Street Carmel Drive 1-465 to 103~ St. 111~ St. to 116~St. 116~ St. to 131st St. 131s~ St. to 136~ St. U.S. 31 and Keystone 96m St. to 98m St. 106th St. to 116m St. 116t" St. to Carmel Dr. 126t" St. to 131st St. 96m St. to 103rd St. Carmel Dr. to 126m St. 131 ~ St. to 136m St. Range Line to U.S. 31 Gray Rd. to Keystone Keystone to Range Line Range Line to U.S. 31 U.S. 31 to Guilford Guilford to Range Line Range Line to Keystone Estimated Daily Traffic I% Increase) 1989 1993 1997 43,000 46,259 (8%) 57,550 (19.6%) 40,000 41,387 (3%) 51,000 (18.8%) 29,000 32,000 (10%) 38,000 (15.8%) 22,500 27,460 (22%) 34,000 (19.2%) 47, 820 65,000 (26.2%) 37,000 43,990 (16%) 46,000 (4.4%) 32,500 38,740 (16%) 42,000 (7.8%) 29,000 27,790 (-4%) 37,500 (25.9%)? 24,500 · 22,240 (-9%) 33,000 (32.6%) 10,500 12,350 (18%) 16,122 (23.4%) 15,000 18,395 (23%) 20,602 (10.7%) 9,000 9,869 (10%) 10,702 (7.8%) 11,000 7,612 (-31%) 8,755 (13.1%) 14,000 18,364 (31%) 20,568 (10.7%) 11,500 15,443 (34%) 19,360 (20.2%) 7,700 9,179 (19%) 18,138 (49.4%) 6,400 7,167 (10.7%) 11,838 13,259 (10.7%) 10,400 17,065 (39%) 19,111 (10.7%) DRAFT AMENDMENT 6.2 REVIEW OF MAJOR ROADWAYS The City of Carreel and Clay Township are linked in a north/south fashion by three U.S. or state highways. These include; Michigan Road (U.S. 421), Meridian (U.S. 31) and Keystone (U.S. 431). These three roadways combine to carry over 110,000 vehicles per day across some portion of the township. Michigan Road (tl.~. 421) Michigan Road provides accessibility to the far western edge of the township and is configured as a four lane non-divided highway. This roadway connects with an interchange onto 1-465, the circumferential interstate highway around Indianapolis. Meridian Rtreet (t I.R. 31 ) U.S. 31 is a four to eight lane roadway linking Carmel to Westfield and Kokomo to the north, and Indianapolis to the south. U.S. 31 is a divided roadway as it passes through Carreel Clay Township. It also has a major multi- lane interchange access to 1-465. Traffic volumes range from S8,000 vehicles per day at 1-465, to 34,000 vehicles per day in the area of Smokey Row, to 65,000 vehicles per day where it merges with Keystone (S.R. 43 I) on this roadway. As noted on Figure 6-A, traffic volumes between 1993 and 1997 (the latest published counts) have increased from 1 9% in the southern segments to over 26% at the convergence of Keystone Avenue. This increase parallels the northern urbanization in Carreel Clay Township, as well as the Town of Westfield. The state has projected traffic volumes for the year 2020, of over ! 00,000 vehicles per day for the entire length of US 3 i through Carreel. In 1997 the Indiana Department of Transportation completed a major investment study for upgrading U.S. 3 ! to a controlled access urban freeway, that includes recommendations for interchanges and elevated road crossings throughout Carrnel and much of Hamilton DRAFT AMENDMENT County. Construction phasing in Carreel is suggested to begin early in the next century, and would continue until around the year 2015. Keystone Avenue (U.S.431) Keystone Avenue is a major state highway traversing through Carmel Clay Township. This roadway is controlled in its access and exists as a six-lane divided roadway from the southern edge of the township at 96th St. to north of 103rd. North of 103rd Street. this highway is four lanes with an added turning lane at each of the bisecting east-west streets. As part of the State's recommended upgrade to U.S. 3 I, it has also been suggested that Keystone Avenue be widened to six lanes throughout its entire length in Carmel. 6.3 CURRENT TRANSPORTATION ISSUES In the context of the Comprehensive Plan, the Thoroughfare Plan is defined by a functional classification system (including number of lanes) for all roadways within the planning area and a corresponding set of geometric standards. Together, these elements provide sufficient information to guide future actions regarding the location, right-of-way, and design of public roadways. Figure 6-D is a map of the township and relates 1997 traffic volumes per segment of those roads that are designated as collector, arterial, or parkway on the Thoroughfare Plan. In addition to functional classification and geometric standards, a Comprehensive Plan can address a range of other planning issues related to the future transportation system. The issues identified through the following summary points are those which were raised in the citizen involvement phase of the 2020 process. East-West Continuity: U.S. 31 (Meridian Street) U.S. 31 is the principle north-south roadway in the Indianapolis region. Through Carreel Clay Township it carries volumes ranging from 34,000 to /I I' ITI aVON H3JJO OVON I"11~ ONINdS ]~N]AV ]9]110~ OVON ]NIl ]ONVN aVON OVON OVON N3AOOH avon N31N33 AV'I3 NVIOI~3~ 08 VINVAIASNN3. '3AV ONOJIlRO aVON IS3M 3NNOBI3HS ]NMOI OVON H311O m 'O~J 111PIs ONINdS avail 3C 018 )lvo .< rn rtl G1 C ITI ']AV 3NOISA3N 3nN~V N3AIN . aVON A]NV3 aVON AVNO aVON ll]013ZVI DRAFT AMENDMENT 65,000. As residential growth in Carmel Clay and Westfield Washington townships continues to boom, traffic volumes along U.S. 31 will continue to soar. Currently classified as a "Freeway" on the Carmel Clay Thoroughfare Plan, this roadway is being studied by the state of Indiana to be upgraded as a controlled access urban freeway, in order to accommodate projected traffic conditions, as Carmei and communities north continue to grow.. With the community already trifurcated by U.S. 31 and Keystone, citizens expressed considerable concern about the ability to traverse east-west. particularly across U.S. 31. East-West Continuity: U.S. 43 1 (Keystone Avenue) As previously mentioned, Keystone Avenue is suggested to be improved as a six-lane thoroughfare, as part of the scheduled U.S. 3 I Freeway upgrade. Already a major barrier to east-west traffic movement in its four- lane status, the recommended widening will, unless mitigation steps are undertaken, significantly impact local east-west traffic movements, and the quality of life of citizens whose homes are adjacent to Keystone. Fast-West Continuity: 96th Street As urbanization continues in Carrnel Clay Township and northern Marion County, congestion at key intersections has become a significant issue, especially at Keystone Avenue. The 96th and Westfield Boulevard Special Area Study (1997) determined that the need to extend 96th Street west, in a more efficient intersection design was not currently warranted by traffic patterns or volumes. This study recommended further study of 96~ Street soon after the opening of the White River Bridge to determine impact and future improvements. The overriding conclusions from the Citizen input to this study is that residents in the study area desire to maintain the existing residential character, and to make road improvements only to the extent necessary to address local needs. DRAFT AMENDMENT The report also recommended maintaining the option of extending 96t~ Street west, from Westfield Boulevard (Range Line), in the event of future demand. Adequate Road capacity to Rerve Emerging Community and Regional i:mployment Growth Areas A fundamental concept of this Comprehensive Plan relates to the distinction of residential community areas, where people live and do their convenience shopping, and community/regional employment areas, which provide for the economic viability of the area. Consistently, in the 2020 Visioning Process, citizens expressed the value and acceptance of community/regional employment areas, if the traffic and other associated impacts were mitigated. Pedestrian Facilities- Location and Standards On multiple occasions, citizens expressed the desire for the expansion of sidewalks and trails to provide for non-motorized mobility. Hamilton County has recently become the first county in the state to develop and adopt an Alternative Transportation Mobility Plan. The Carmel Clay Township Alternative Transportation Plan has identified additional routes through Carmel and Clay Township which further serve the needs of the community. These routes act as the foundation for a community wide network of shared bicycle lanes and separated trails, that is complementary to the countywide system. 6.4 THOROUGHFARE PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS Each of the issues presented above was considered in the development of transportation recommendations in this section. Fast-West Continuity across I !.R. 3 I Consistent with the objectives voiced in the various citizen meetings, further solidified by the U.S. 31 Corridor Task Force Special Area Study and timely with the 1997 Major Investment Study by the state of Indiana study of U.5. 31, the following recommendations are made. DRAFT AMENDMENT · Work with the State to develop interchanges off of U.5. 31 to serve the Community/Regional Employment Areas at 106' Street, 116~ Street, Carmel Drive, 136* Street and 146th Street- Work with the State to develop overpasses or underpasses of U.S. 31 to provide additional Residential Community Area east-west mobility at 103~, I I I ~, and 13 1't Streets, as well as Range Line Road. · The proposed interchange at 136t~ Street and U.S. 31 must be designed to complement the City's thoroughfare plan, and, especially to allow Illinois Street to logically terminate in an intersection with Oak Ridge Road · Transportation improvements in the U.S. 31 Corridor must include multi-modal transportation elements consistent with HCAT and the Carmel Clay Alternative Transportation Component to the Thoroughfare Plan (CCAT). · Work with the State of Indiana to ensure that east-west mobility improvements (to the streets below) include upgraded and expanded links to amenities and services in old downtown Carmei, the Old Meridian District, and Carreel City Center. - 116th Street - Carreel Drive - City Center Drive - Main Street - Old Meridian Street · Improvements must include design features and general appearance details that are consistent with the high quality office Corridor image that currently exists, such as: - Appearance and materials upgrades to all bridge/overpass structures, highway barriers, safety lighting, landscaping & buffering, and directional signage; - North and south gateway enhancements announcing you have arrived in Carmel; - Provisions for quality maintenance practices, to ensure the long-term viability of the U.S. 3 i proposed improvements. East-West Continuity across U.S. 431 (Keystone Avenue) The City should present to the State of Indiana a proposal for recommended actions that will improve traffic movement in an east- DRAFT AMENDMENT west fashion, including pedestrians and bicycles as part of the widening project. The City's proposal should also recommend measures to mitigate the impacts of a six-lane Keystone to adjoining property, to ensure that the improvements are attractively designed, of quality materials, and includes extensive landscaping. Cooperative action between Carmel, Hamilton County, Indianapolis/Marion County, and INDOT, is currently under way to study land use and transportation issues in the 96~ Street Corridor from Keystone Avenue, west to the Hamilton County line. A draft report, with recommendations for improvements, has been submitted by the study committee, and is anticipated to begin the final public comment phase. It is hoped that the report recommendations will be adopted by all municipal/government agencies, and citizen organizations who participated in the study. Adequate Road Capacity to Serve Emerging Community/Regional Fmployment Growth Areas Again it must be noted that in the 2020 Visioning process, citizens were cautiously encouraging of the continued need to expand the commercial/industrial tax base through business growth if the negative impacts of that growth could be mitigated and contained. The following actions are recommended to deal with this objective: · The 1991 Land Use and Thoroughfare Plan recognized the controlled growth potential of the community/regional employment area along the Meridian/U.5. 31 corridor. In order to accommodate anticipated growth and yet mitigate traffic impacts on the adjacent residential community areas, a network of three (3) support roadways parallel to U.S. 31 are recommended to be developed, as secondary parkways. On the east~ this roadway involves the extension of Pennsylvania St. from 103rd to Old Meridian Street, the improvement of Old Meridian, between Pennsylvania and 136th Street. Similarly, Illinois Street, on the west side of US 3 I, needs to be developed to provide business access DRAFT AMENDMENT and preserve the integrity of Spring Mill as a residential community area collector road. To enhance east-west mobility in the 31 Corridor as well as help rejuvenate the Old Town area, the City should work with the State of Indiana to immediately connect Main Street, either with an above or below grade crossing. To enhance mobility within the Carreel Drive community/regional employment area, Carreel Drive should be upgraded to secondary arterial status, to include multi-use paths on at least one side, on the Thoroughfare Plan. Accordingly, a plan to minimize and consolidate commercial access cuts onto Carreel Drive should be devised and approved by the Board of Works. As urbanization continues in the northern areas of Carreel Clay Township and southern Washington Township, east-west access is going to. continue to emerge as being critical. For this reason, improvements to 146th Street and 13 1't Street should be constructed in the soonest possible time frame, as per the thoroughfare plan recommendations: - 146~ as a Primary Arterial with a 150-foot right-of-way, a center turn-lane, landscape buffering and separate multi-use pathways along each side; - 131= Street (Main Street) as a landscaped boulevard (neighborhood parkway), with a 100-foot wide right-of-way, landscaped median and alternative transportation elements. Clverail Community Mobility Recommendations As Carmel Clay Township approaches its build-out over the next twenty-year period, and high growth rates continue to be exhibited in adjacent Westfield- Washington Township and Fishers-Fall Creek Township, planning to ensure adequate roadway capacity within Carmel and Clay Township must take place to accommodate projected levels of growth. Based on the proposed land use plan and the associated commensurate traffic in Carmel Clay Township as well as the adjacent townships, the following recommendations are made: · Carmel and Clay Township should make every effort to implement the recommendations in this chapter, as well as those DRAFT AMENDMENT recommendations illustrated on both the Thoroughfare Plan map, and Alternative Transportation Component map. · In order to discourage the further geographic bifurcation of Clay Township by U.S. 31 the City should work proactively with the Indiana Department of Transportation to include enhanced east-west" multi-modal access, as part of their proposed U.S. 31 Freeway upgrade. · In order to enhance the ability of the Meridian Corridor area to attract and retain business, a network of support roads must be constructed, including Pennsylvania Parkway, Illinois Street, and Old Meridian Street. These roads should be constructed in the form of parkways, including multi-use pathways, and landscape treatment, as recommended by the US 31 Task Force. · Continuous north-south access should be enhanced in the eastern edge of the township through the construction of Hazel Dell Parkway from 146th to 96th Streets. When completed this facility will provide the only continuous north-south access throughout the township, east of Keystone Avenue. To maintain the emerging high residential quality of this area, the roadway should be developed as a parkway, with landscape treatment. and parallel multi-use pathways. · Continuous north-south access should be enhanced in the western edge of the township through the construction of Towne Road Parkway from 146th to 96th Streets. When completed this facility will be an asset to the community's west side, functioning as the major north-south arterial between Michigan Road and U.S. 3 I. To maintain a high residential quality of this area, the roadway should be developed as a primary parkway, with a 140- foot wide right-of-way to accommodate extensive landscape treatment, and separated parallel multi-use pathways. Pedestrian Facilities Locations and Standards Consistent with opinions expressed in the 2020 Visioning Process, an alternative transportation system of sidewalks and trails should be developed. · The first priority in the development of this pedestrian system should be the construction of the Monon Trail. This facility has been designated as the major north-south link of the Indianapolis Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plan, approved in 1997 for the eight county region, and DRAFT AMENDMENT is a major link in both the Hamilton County Alternative Transportation Plan and the Carmel Clay Township Alternative Transportation Component to the Thoroughfare Plan. · Similarly, 146e Street has been identified as the northern segment of the Indianapolis Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plan's outer loop, and is a major link in both the Hamilton County Alternative Transportation Plan and the Carreel Clay Township Alternative Transportation Component to the Thoroughfare Plan. · The Hamilton County Alternative Transportation Plan adopted in 1995 by the Hamilton County Commissioners recommends standards for the development of bicycling and pedestrian systems. These standards should be likewise adopted by the CarmeI-Clay Township Plan Commission and incorporated into the Thoroughfare Plan. · Route recommendations of the Hamilton County Alternative Transportation System Plan (HCAT) should be expanded through Carreel and Clay Township to create a comprehensive alternative transportation network. · A network of multi-use pathways should be constructed within the U.S. 31 Corridor to promote and facilitate north-south and east-west travel. North-south pathways should be constructed as part of the planned improvements for Illinois Street, Pennsylvania Parkway, and Old Meridian Street. East-west pathways in the area of U.S. 31 and U.S. 431 should be integrated into the state's overall proposal to upgrade US 31, and integrated to the overall community pathway network, per the Alternative Transportation Plan map. · Carreel and Clay Township should make every effort to develop existing utility corridors into connecting trail linkages.