Understanding Osceola County’s TIA Requirements for New Developments

Are you developing a new project in Osceola County? Understanding Osceola County’s TIA Requirements for New Developments is absolutely crucial. This critical step ensures a smooth development review process. Osceola County provides detailed guidelines, last updated in April 2023. They regulate and outline the procedures for performing transportation impact analyses (TIAs) for all new developments within the county.

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The Critical First Step: Complete the County Methodology Form

The form helps you concisely document all assumptions, research extents, and methodologies for your traffic study. The County Traffic Operations Engineer (CTOE) reviews this form and then determines the required study tier. They ask you to include proposed or anticipated projects in the vicinity.

Determining Your TIA Tier

Your project’s estimated net external AM and PM peak hour trips determine the required TIA level. “Net external AM and PM Peak Hour Trips” refers to the greater of the two-way trips during the AM (approximately 7-9 AM) or PM (approximately 4-6 PM) peak hours. These are new trips your project generates. For developments with peak traffic outside these hours, like schools or churches, the “Peak Hour of Generator” must be used. Remember, for multi-phase developments, the trip thresholds apply to the project’s total buildout, not per phase.

Osceola County TIA Tier Calculator

This handy tool produces a summary table based on your project’s AM and PM peak hour trips. It gives you an early indication of which TIA tier your project may fall into. Refer to the TIA guidelines for the full list of requirements.

Submitting Your TIA Report: Key Deliverables & Validity

The TIA report must follow a specific order and format, as outlined in the County’s guidelines. Maps and graphical representations are highly encouraged for clarity.

• A draft report, including electronic analysis files (e.g., Synchro, HCS, travel demand model files), must be provided with your application submittal for review by the Transportation & Transit Department.

• The final approved TIA report must be signed and sealed by a qualified Florida registered professional engineer (like me!).

• One signed-and-sealed electronic PDF copy of the final, approved TIA—along with all backup traffic analysis, modeling files, and the complete associated Methodology Form—must be uploaded to the County’s permitting system (Accela).

• TIA reports and associated documents are valid for up to three years. Beyond this period, an updated TIA report is required due to potential changes in background traffic volumes.

Conclusion

Navigating Osceola County’s Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) guidelines is crucial for any medium or large development project in Osceola County. These comprehensive procedures ensure that new developments seamlessly integrate into the existing transportation network. They assess potential traffic impacts, evaluate multimodal transportation options, and identify necessary improvements and mitigation strategies.