Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Master Management Plan - 2014

SECTION 7 – SUMMARY OF MITIGATION TO ADDRESS SECONDARY AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS

creates a vision for the original center of Morrisville and identifies more concentrated residential and mixed-use development. The plan also identifies significant open space areas, including an historic Civil War battlefield. The Town’s Historic Crossroads Village zoning district, as well as the Town Center Plan, encourage preservation of historic resources. Minimal SCI is likely to occur to cultural and historical resources because of the permitting and review process established by the Town. 7.8 Air Quality To address the impacts of growth on air quality, the Town is researching and developing alternative modes of transportation. Increasing the interconnections of sidewalks, greenways, trails, and bike lanes will also reduce the needs for vehicle use. Specifically, a trail will connect the Town to RTP, encouraging transportation alternatives to vehicles for commuting needs. The UDO also promotes pedestrian access to commercial areas by requiring 30 percent of dwelling units in new developments to have access to commercial areas by way of all-season bike paths. As growth occurs, these efforts to reduce vehicular use will curtail increases in air pollution. Additional efforts by the Town to extend streets will improve traffic flow and decrease congestion and air pollution. A tree ordinance is also in place to protect trees during construction. Because trees are natural air filters, this ordinance also helps to protect air quality. In addition, Wake County convened a sustainability task force, which have both identified several strategies and performance measures for goals relating to air quality (Wake County, 2011). The Town’s and County’s actions will keep SCI to air quality in check and limit impacts. A regional light rail system is planned for the Triangle Area (Wake County, 2012). Documents prepared for this project indicate that parking areas to serve the light rail system will not impact levels of carbon monoxide. The document also indicates that the light rail system will result in lower levels of vehicle pollutant emissions (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2002). The Town’s transit-oriented development zoning district and its Transportation Plan show a commitment to alternative transportation. In 2013, North Carolina had its lowest ozone levels on record since air monitoring began in the early 1970s. The declining ozone levels were generally concurrent with lower emissions from the State's power plants. A recent report by the NCDAQ shows that the State's coal- fired power plants have cut their NOx emissions, a primary industrial contributor to ozone pollution, by more than 80 percent since the General Assembly enacted the Clean Smokestacks Act in 2002 (NCDENR, 2013). State legislation to decrease NOx emissions from power plants has significantly reduced ozone pollution, as discussed above and in Section 6. Additionally, the Town’s actions and regional efforts will keep SCI to air quality in check. 7.9 Noise Levels Efforts taken to improve air quality by promoting alternative forms of transportation will also limit SCI to noise levels in the Planning Area. As more quiet, alternative forms of transportation (such as bike lanes and greenways) and increased interconnections of sidewalks and greenways promote more pedestrian activities, vehicular traffic noise levels

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