Commissioners press county traffic standards as West Side On Main TIA shows 190 trips/day

Commissioner Burry pressed county staff and the applicant's traffic consultant over the geographic scope and methodology of the West Side On Main traffic impact analysis, arguing that the study did not extend to Route 24 where congestion is an ongoing concern. "If the study had gone out that far, then the issue of whether the traffic being generated by Westside would worsen the failing intersections on 24 would be pertinent," Burry said.

Michael Lenhart of Lenhart Traffic Consulting, who prepared the TIA submitted to DPW, said the analysis used the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) trip generation manual and that the Department of Public Works had reviewed and conditionally approved the study. Lenhart explained how trip estimates are spread across hours and that a 24‑unit townhouse development produces modest hourly peaks under typical ITE rates. Staff and the developer said DPW's review and the project's projected levels of service (LOS C or better at studied intersections) supported moving forward, but commissioners asked staff to coordinate with DPW to consider whether local, measured trip-generation data should supplement ITE factors going forward.

The exchange underlined a policy question: whether the county should retain the existing 200‑trips/day threshold or adopt a local standard or measured trip counts for Prince Frederick, where commuter patterns can differ from national averages. Staff said DPW sets TIA scopes and that, for this project, the TIA fell under the threshold that would require expanded scope. The commission did not reverse staff's determination but recorded the request to revisit standards in future practice.