Alternative Futures Detailed Studies

ALTERNATIVE FUTURES

Following a review of the Issues Assessment work, the consultants prepared a set of documents to illustrate the potential for reuse within the Corridor. These included a set of three Preliminary Alternative Futures illustrating transportation and land use variations that are the cross-section of a set of transportation systems and policies, and a set of land use policies and growth scenarios. The table below illustrates the matrix of land use and transportation alternatives.

Preliminary Alternative Futures Matrix

Preliminary Alternative I
This alternative would result from the implementation of current land use and transportation policies and programs, implementation of projects in the current TIP (including Intelligent Transportation Systems [ITS] improvements related to bus service), and the level of regional growth projected by the CDRPC.

Preliminary Alternative II
This alternative would see an increase in vitality throughout the Corridor, reflecting new land use policies and programs within the Corridor communities to direct an additional portion of future development to the Corridor. This increased vitality would in turn support further investment in the Corridor's transportation system resulting in more complete implementation of the "Best Bus" system.

Preliminary Alternative III
This alternative assumes a higher level of regional growth coupled with additional policies and programs in the Corridor communities to encourage future growth in the Corridor. These land use and economic improvements would in turn support, and be supported by, increased investment in the Corridor's transportation system. These improvements would most likely include a bus system with dedicated lanes in feasible locations or light rail service.

The Alternative Futures Charette

In early February 1999, a five day design and policy charette was held in the CDTC offices with the SAC and other Corridor Stakeholders. The Alternative Futures Charette culminated in an open house at the Town of Colonie Community Center on Central Avenue. The Charette provided the opportunity to review the Issues Assessment documents and the Preliminary Alternatives, which presented initial land use and transportation concepts for the segments along the Corridor, and discuss concepts for encouraging urban revitalization and infill/reuse along the entire Corridor.

The Refined Alternative Futures

Following the review of the Preliminary Alternative Futures in the Charette, the CDTC and the Consultant Team worked together to take the estimates for regional growth in the three Scenarios and assigned that growth to the opportunity sites in the Corridor which were identified in the issues assessment phase of the study. These were summarized at the traffic zone level and used in the transportation assessment of the Alternatives. The table which appears below summarizes the overall capacity of opportunity areas in each jurisdiction:

Opportunity Area Capacity

The land use, traffic and information was reconstituted in the form of a set of refined alternative futures, described below:

    The Base Alternative represents existing land use and transportation policies and the future growth that is projected by the CDRPC (0.5 percent per annum in employment and 0.45 percent per annum in households).

    The Intermediate Alternative represents the same growth projections as the Base, but with a portion of regional growth shifted to the Corridor reflecting the adoption of new land use policies and other public policies to encourage investment and development in the Corridor.

    The Stimulated Alternative represents the potential future if the regional growth rates are tripled; 1.5 percent per annum for employment and 1.35 percent per annum in households. It also represents additional land use policies to encourage more intensive development in portions of the Corridor.

The three refined alternatives were published in the Alternative Futures Working Paper, opened up for public comment and then evaluated on the basis of 51 criteria. Public input and the technical evaluation of the three alternatives were then used to identify the Preferred Future.