2023-07-21 Traffic Evaluation - 196 Cooke Ave.pdf
4 Allen Place, Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 582-7000 bdg@berkshiredesign.com
Berkshire
Design
Group
July 21, 2023
Northampton Planning Board
Northampton, MA
RE: Traffic Evaluation Summary
196 Cooke Avenue
Proposed Affordable Housing Development
Dear Board Members:
On behalf of the City as applicant, Berkshire Design Group reviewed the estimated traffic generation from the
proposed housing development at the above-referenced property. In general, we find that the proposed project
will have minimal impact on traffic operations.
Based upon our findings, it is our opinion that a detailed traffic report is not warranted for this project. A more
thorough traffic investigation may improve upon the quantity and detail of analysis of the traffic conditions;
however, it would not yield information which would alter the scale or conclusion of this evaluation. The
following is a summary of our findings.
Proposed Project
The project is located at the site of the former Northampton Moose Lodge property, and encompasses a portion
of City-owned land that has served for many years as access to the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation area. In the
proposed project, parking for the conservation area will be formalized and a development of 4 single-family
homes to be built by Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. Use of the conservation area and parking lot are not
anticipated to change as a result of the work.
Access to the site will be via the existing entrance from the terminus of Cooke Ave.
Expected Traffic Generation
Berkshire Design utilized the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation manual, 10th Edition, to
estimate the new vehicle trips that can be expected to be generated by the project. Note that the total number
of trips described below includes the number of vehicles entering plus the number of vehicles exiting during the
defined period of time. Traffic/visitor counts to the conservation area have not been conducted and the ITE
manual does not provide data for this type of facility. Therefore, this evaluation estimates the increase in trips to
the site and not the total future trips.
Land Use Code 210 “Single-Family Detatched Housing” was used. We note that the ITE manual does not make a
distinction between market-rate housing and affordable housing; however, in our experience, affordable
housing generates significantly fewer trips than market-rate.
Average Daily Trips (ADT)
The ITE manual provides an estimate of 9.4 daily weekday trips and 9.5 daily Saturday trips per dwelling unit.
Therefore, the proposed project is estimated to generate the following daily traffic:
Projected ADT = 38 vehicle trips per Weekday
38 vehicle trips per Saturday
July 21, 2023
Traffic Evaluation Summary
196 Cooke Avenue
Proposed Affordable Housing Development
Page 2 of 2
4 Allen Place, Northampton, MA 01060 (413) 582-7000 bdg@berkshiredesign.com
Peak Hour Trips
The ITE manual provides an estimate of 1.0 weekday trips and 0.9 Saturday trips dwelling unit during the peak
hour. Therefore, the proposed project is estimated to generate the following traffic during the peak hour of the
facility:
Projected Peak Hour Trips = 4 vehicle trips per Weekday
4 vehicle trips per Saturday
Peak Hour Trips per Zoning Ordinance
Per §350-11.6B(2) of the Northampton Zoning Ordinance, residential uses are assumed to generate 1 peak-hour
trip per dwelling unit.
Projected Peak Hour Trips (per Zoning) = 4 vehicle trips per Weekday
Analysis
The proposed project is estimated to generate a maximum of 4 additional trips on Cooke Avenue per hour
during the heaviest peak traffic periods, which equates to approximately one additional vehicle every 15
minutes on surrounding roads.
The proposed project is estimated to have a negligible impact on the traffic operation of College Highway, and
the proposed site entrance provides adequate access for safe and efficient traffic operations to and from the
site.
Sincerely,
Berkshire Design Group
Christopher Chamberland, P.E.
Principal