6.0 Objectives
The City of Laguna Hills has developed Traffic Impact Study (TIS) Guidelines to ensure that future developments are properly assessed for consistency with the General Plan, particularly in terms of traffic operations, level of service (LOS), site access, circulation, and parking. These guidelines provide a consistent framework for preparing traffic and parking impact studies across the City, while allowing flexibility to accommodate various types of projects.
The TIS Guidelines outline procedures for traffic engineers to follow in order to assess and minimize potential impacts during the development review and approval process. A Scoping Agreement for Traffic and Parking Studies (Appendix F) must be completed by the consulting traffic engineer and approved by the City before starting any study. This agreement ensures that the appropriate City-approved procedures are followed. Traffic and parking studies must be conducted under the supervision of a registered traffic engineer or civil engineer experienced in preparing such studies, and the final study must be signed and stamped by the responsible engineer.
7.0 Study Requirements
A range of projects may require traffic or parking impact studies, with three levels of study detailed in these guidelines. Each level involves different criteria and requirements:
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A. Access Circulation/Parking Review Letter: Projects generating fewer than 50 peak hour trips and fewer than 500 daily trip-ends, consistent with the property’s zoning/general plan designation, require only an access circulation/parking review letter. This letter focuses on specific impacts at the project site and ensures appropriate design measures are implemented.
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B. Traffic Impact Study: Projects generating 50 or more peak hour trips or 500 or more daily trip-ends, consistent with zoning/general plan designation, require a traffic impact study. This study follows the “build-up method” of traffic analysis and includes the following scenarios:
- Existing Conditions
- Existing Plus Project Conditions
- Project Opening Year with Cumulative Projects Without Project Conditions
- Project Opening Year with Cumulative Projects with Project Conditions
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C. General Plan Buildout Analysis: If a project requires a Zone Change or General Plan Amendment, a General Plan Buildout Analysis (with and without the project) may also be required, in addition to the requirements of item B. However, if the project generates equal or fewer trips than the approved zoning/general plan designation, a General Plan Buildout Analysis may be exempted. If more trips are generated, the following additional scenarios may be needed:
- General Plan Buildout without the Project
- General Plan Buildout with Project
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D. OCTAM Compliance: All traffic impact studies requiring a General Plan Buildout analysis must be consistent with the current OCTA version of the Orange County Transportation Analysis Model (OCTAM) and the City of Laguna Hills’ traffic model.
8.0 Study Area
The study area for the traffic impact study is determined during the scoping agreement process, which identifies which intersections and roadway links should be studied. Typically, intersections where the project generates 50 or more peak hour trips are included. However, the City may also include other intersections based on the project’s location relative to critical nearby intersections.
For smaller projects, an analysis of adjacent intersections and project driveways may be required and will be determined during the scoping agreement process. Additionally, the scoping agreement identifies whether the project may impact Congestion Management Plan (CMP) facilities, following CMP Traffic Impact Analysis Requirements or Caltrans-controlled facilities, and whether it affects intersections or roadway segments within the Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH).
9.0 Existing Conditions
The existing conditions section of the traffic impact study describes the current roadway characteristics within the study area. This includes roadway classifications, traffic control devices, lane configurations, traffic signal phasing, and existing AM/PM traffic counts, as well as average daily traffic volumes. Depending on the project type and location, mid-day traffic counts may also be required.
All traffic counts should be conducted within one year prior to the completion of the traffic impact study or as approved by the Planning and Engineering Divisions. The traffic engineering consultant may consult with the City’s traffic engineer to identify sources of existing traffic volume data. For roadway segments adjacent to the project site, new average daily traffic (ADT) volumes should be obtained unless they are already available from other sources. ADT volumes for other roadway segments can be estimated from peak hour traffic counts.
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