Draft Plan Materials

Comprehensive Plan

Goals and Objectives

The goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan establish a direction for the community in the years to come. Goals are broad statements about the desired direction of the community, and objectives are more specific steps that help to achieve the goal. The goals and objectives are placed in several categories including:

  • housing and neighborhoods,
  • commercial land use and development,
  • industrial land use and development,
  • parks, recreation and open space,
  • environmental preservation,
  • transportation
  • public facilities and services, and
  • youth and young families.

Naturally, there is crossover between goals and objectives in one category with those of another, since many aspects of a community overlap and interact with each other. Eventually, each category of goals and objectives will include policy statements that will help guide community leaders and citizens when considering decisions about matters of growth and development, public services, urban design, transportation facilities, parks and open spaces, and other matters of public policy. While some objectives may be feasible and desirable in the short term, it is understood that the Comprehensive Plan is a long term plan for the community, and many objectives will take years to accomplish. Every community must set priorities and have an understanding that they are limited in their capacity to solve problems and tackle projects. Over time, the goals and objectives should be re-examined to determine if they're still applicable given the current situation of the community.

Williston Comprehensive Plan Draft Goals and Objectives March 13, 2009 39k

Comprehensive Plan Graphics

Two draft land use plan alternatives have been prepared for consideration by the City of Williston. They are referred to as Scenario 1 and Scenario 2. There are two maps for each scenario. One map shows only the proposed future land uses over an aerial photograph of the city and the surrounding area. Another map for each scenario shows the proposed future land uses on a map that also shows existing land uses. These maps will be presented at the Public Forum on Monday, April 6, 2009.

Several other maps are also provided below which consist of various types of data collected for the Comprehensive Plan.

Existing Land Use 523k
Future Land Use: Scenario 1 740k
Future and Existing Land Use: Scenario 1 971k
Future Land Use: Scenario 2 268k
Future and Existing Land Use: Scenario 2 1,003k
Ambulance Service Areas and Service Locations 338k
Area Location 509k
Building Value as a Percent of Total Value 358k
Development Constraints 775k
Dwellings with Basements Soils Rating 501k
Fire Protection Districts 280k
Roadway Functional Class, Railroads, and Utilities 486k
Publicly Owned and Vacant Parcels 513k
School Districts and School Locations 418k
Septic Tank Absorption Field Rating 449k
Slope 602k
Wetlands 198k
Existing Zoning 424k

Draft Land Use Plan

The land use plan is a component of the Comprehensive Plan that will guide city leaders, property owners, and the public as future city growth and zoning decisions are made. Initially, the Planning Advisory Committee was asked to review and consider two draft land use plan alternatives. They met to discuss those alternatives, and provided direction to staff and the consultant. Based on their input, a single draft land use plan was prepared. The Committee met on June 2nd to review this plan. The draft land use plan will also be the basis for the traffic projections which are being prepared as part of the Transportation Plan.

The future land use plan is shown over an aerial photograph of the city and the surrounding townships. A second graphic is also provided to illustrate the relationship between the future land use plan and the existing land uses.

Future Land Use 1,562k

Transportation Plan

Goals and Objectives

The goals and objectives for the Transportation Plan have a similar purpose to those of the Comprehensive Plan, but are structured somewhat differently. Each goal focuses on a specific characteristic or purpose of the transportation system, or efforts that are needed to maintain and build the transportation system:

  • Safety
  • Efficient Movement
  • Multimodal
  • Land Use and Development
  • Coordination between Jurisdictions
  • Economic Development
  • Investments and Use of Funding

As with the Comprehensive Plan objectives, some will be accomplished in the short term, while others will be on-going or long term objectives. The Transportation Plan helps to guide policy-makers in setting priorities for their community.

Williston Transportation Plan Draft Goals and Objectives March 11, 2009 39k

Transportation Plan Graphics

Traffic volume data, crash data, and other forms of transportation information have been collected for the Transportation Plan. Several maps that illustrate this data are provided below. collected for the Transportation Plan. Several maps that illustrate this data are provided below.

Williston Highway 2 - Issues and Alternatives Map 1,334k
Existing Peak Hour Traffic Conditions 476k
Crash Data 434k
Existing Trails 467k
Modeled Roadways 431k
Roadway Traffic Capacity 439k
Roadway Jurisdiction 298k
Transportation Analysis Zones (TAZ) 264k
2005 Volume / Capacity Ratio on Functional Class Roadways 425k

Projected Traffic Volumes

A computer model was used to project Williston's future traffic volumes. The model was first developed to reflect traffic counts taken in 2005 based on the locations of jobs and households in the community at that time. The 2005 traffic counts are shown in the following maps. By using recent traffic counts and the corresponding level of development as the basis for the model, transportation planners have the assurance that the model is reflecting the travel patterns of the community.

2005 AADT Traffic Volumes on Functional Class System (North) 296k
2005 AADT Traffic Volumes on Functional Class System (South) 433k

The following maps show the projected Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes in and around Williston for the years 2020 and 2035. This growth in traffic is based on a steady rate of household and job growth. The purpose of projecting traffic volumes is to determine the future roadway improvements needed by the community.

2020 Future ADT 197k
2035 Future ADT 202k

The 2035 Alternative 1 and 2 maps show the changes in projected ADT volumes if certain future roadway links are added to the system.

2035 Future ADT: Alternative 1 192k
2035 Future ADT: Alternative 2 194k

Recommended Transportation Improvements

Based on anticipated growth, projected traffic volumes, and areas of congestion, a number of transportation improvements are recommended for Williston's roadway system. They are shown in the following figure. As the draft plan moves through the review process, this list of improvements will likely be modified.

Recommended 2020 Transportation Improvements 203k

Highway 2 West Bypass (West Dakota Parkway) Conceptual Alternatives

Part of the Williston Transportation Plan is a more in-depth analysis of the Highway 2 West Bypass. The focus of the analysis is to improve access across the highway for local traffic, while ensuring safety and efficiency for through traffic on the highway. Public input has identified several concerns with respect to this portion of Highway 2, including:

  • concern over the safety of pedestrian crossings,
  • traffic operations at the dual-intersection of Highway 2 and 11th Street,
  • a discontinuous network of collector and local streets west of the bypass,
  • delay and safety at the 6th Avenue connection between Hwy 2 and 26th Street,
  • and traffic operational issues at the intersection of Hwy 2, 26th Street, and 2nd Avenue.

The following graphics show conceptual ideas for changing access to and across the Highway 2 West Bypass. The alternatives include a variety of possible solutions such as roadway extensions, roadway realignments, new intersections, grade separated intersections, limited access, and future traffic signals. Alternative 2 shows how an interchange could be used at the intersection of Highway 2, 26th Street, and 2nd Avenue, and at the intersection of Highway 2 and 2nd Street S. Some alternatives have impacts to properties currently adjacent to the bypass. For this reason, notifications of the September 23rd Public Forum were mailed to adjacent property owners (see Get Involved page for meeting information).

Alternative 1 1.74mb
Alternative 1 a 828k
Alternative 1 b 828k
Alternative 2 1.74mb

The following graphics show the level of service (LOS) at intersections along the Highway 2 West Bypass. LOS is a measure of congestion at an intersection, ranging from A, which reflects little to no delay, to F, which reflects significant delay and congestion. In small communities, drivers typically begin to experience frustration at LOS D. As shown in the Existing Conditions graphic, intersections along the bypass currently operate at acceptable levels of service. However, as shown in the 2035 No Build graphic, significant delay is projected with future traffic volumes on the existing roadway system.

Existing Peak Hour Traffic Conditions 3.05mb
Year 2035 No Build Peak Hour Traffic Conditions 3.05mb