Okaloosa County BOCC — August 16, 2016 — Access EC Rider TDP - August Draft Report — reading text

transit demand and mobility needs assessments were synthesized with the baseline conditions assessment, performance reviews, public involvement feedback, and situation appraisal to yield a building block for evaluating the transit needs for the next 10 years. Section 8 discusses the development and evaluation of transit alternatives for the Access EC Rider TDP. These proposed improvements, or alternatives, for fixed-route service represent the transit needs for the ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 4  Section 1 – Introduction next 10 years and were developed without consideration of funding constraints. The identified service improvements were then prioritized using an evaluation process, and the prioritized list of improvements was used to develop the 10-year implementation and financial plans presented in Section 9. The evaluation process for service alternatives developed for the Access EC Rider TDP also is summarized in this section along with the alternatives evaluation. Section 9 summarizes the 10-year Cost Feasible Plan for EC Rider’s fixed-route bus transit service for the next 10 years. The Plan identifies the funded service and capital improvements as well as the unfunded needs and the revenue assumptions and capital and operating costs used. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 5 SECTION 2: BASELINE CONDITIONS This section reviews the baseline conditions of the study area and provides context for the Access EC Rider TDP through the following components:  Study area description  General population characteristics and trends, including: o Population density o Minority populations o Age  Income  Transportation disadvantaged population  Housing density  Employment characteristics, including o Employment density o Labor force  Journey-to-work characteristics and major trip generators  Tourism  Development patterns  Land use  Roadway conditions  Existing fixed-route transit services Discussion of the above are supported by maps and graphics throughout this section. Primary data sources include the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economics and Business Research (BEBR), and socioeconomic data from the Northwest Florida Regional Planning Model (NWFRPM), Okaloosa County, and the West Florida Regional Planning Council (WFRPC). These data sources are supplemented by other local and regional sources, as needed. Study Area Description Okaloosa County is located in northwestern portion of Florida, also known as the Florida Panhandle. It is bordered on the north by Alabama, on the east by Santa Rosa County, on the west by the Walton County, and on the south by the Gulf of Mexico. According to the 2010 Census, the county is 1,082 square miles, 14% of which (152 square miles) is water. The area is known for its extensive beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, abundant parks and natural areas, and the presence of the Eglin Air Force Base (located in  Section 2 – Baseline Conditions Valparaiso) and Hurlburt Field Air Force Base (located in Mary Esther). Map 2-1 illustrates the study area for the Access EC Rider TDP. Eglin Air Force Base divides the county into two sections, north and south. Most of the county has a rural characteristic. The urbanized areas generally are located on the southern side of the county near the coastline and include the municipalities of Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Mary Esther, Niceville, Cinco Bayou, and Valparaiso; the exception is Crestview, which is located in the middle of the county along the SR 85 corridor. Laurel Hill is further inland and also has a more rural character. The unincorporated communities of Okaloosa County include Baker, Blackman, Campton, Deerland, Eglin Air Force Base, Escambia Farms, Garden City, Holt, Lake Lorraine, Milligan, Ocean City, Okaloosa Island, Seminole, Svea, Wright, Whynn Haven Beach, Florosa, Villa Tasso, and Timpoochee. There is one Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) within Okaloosa County, the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin MSA. Population Profile Growth Population information from the 2010 Census was used to develop a general population profile for the study area. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population of Okaloosa County was 170,498 persons. As shown in Table 2-1, data from the decennial Census show that Okaloosa County’s population as a whole increased nearly 6% from 2000 to 2010, from 170,498 to 180,751 persons. This averages to an annual growth rate of 0.55%. During the next four years, the population increased to an even higher average annual rate of 0.91%, resulting in a total population of 188,984 persons in 2014. Medium population projections prepared by BEBR1 estimate the population of Okaloosa County will grow to 191,500 people by 2020 (6%) and 203,600 people by 2030 (13%). Table 2-1: Okaloosa County General Characteristics Percent Change Characteristic 2000 2010 2013* 2014 2000–2010 Persons 170,498 180,751 6.01% 185,852 188,984 Households 66,269 73,253 10.54% 73,253 73,655 Number of workers (civilian) 82,148 82,822 0.82% 82,413 83,892 Land area (sq mi) 935.63 930.25 -0.58% 930.25 930.25 Person per household 2.57 2.47 -3.89% 2.54 2.68 Workers per household 1.24 1.13 -8.87% 1.13 1.18 Persons per square mile of land area 182.2 194.4 6.70% 199.8 203.2 Workers per square mile of land area 87.80 89.03 1.40% 88.59 90.18 *2009–2013 ACS Data, 2014 ACS 1-Year Estimates Source: 2000 and 2010 Census, 2010 ACS 1 BEBR, “Projections of Florida Population by County, 2011-2040.” ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 7  Section 2 – Baseline Conditions Map 2-1: Study Area ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 8  Section 2 – Baseline Conditions The majority of Okaloosa County residents live in unincorporated areas of the county. The most populous city is Crestview, with a population of 20,978 in 2010. Compared to Florida as a whole, Okaloosa County experienced a relatively small increase in population growth from 2000 to 2010, with an increase of only 6.1%, compared to 17.6% statewide. By contrast, between 2000 and 2010, neighboring Walton County had the 8th highest percent growth increase in the state (35.6%), a number that is small in absolute terms, with only 14,442 new residents. Since 1990, Crestview continues to be the fastest-growing city in Okaloosa County, growing by 6,212 residents between 2000 and 2010. Valparaiso, Mary Esther, Laurel Hill, and Fort Walton Beach each experienced negative growth during that same time period. Table 2-2 provides population trends for the last few decades for the municipalities within Okaloosa, Walton, and Okaloosa counties and the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin MSA. Between 1990 to 2000 and 2000 to 2010, the region grew 23.1% and 6.2 %, respectively; most of this growth occurred in Walton County. Table 2-2: Population Growth for the Region and Municipalities Population Percent Change Area 1990 2000 2010 1990–2000 2000–2010 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin MSA 171,536 211,099 235,865 23.1% 11.7% Okaloosa County 143,777 170,498 180,822 18.6% 6.1% Walton County 27,759 40,601 55,043 46.3% 35.6% Cinco Bayou 408 377 383 -7.6% 1.6% Crestview 10,218 14,766 20,978 44.5% 42.1% Destin 8,104 11,119 12,305 37.2% 10.7% Fort Walton Beach 21,363 19,973 19,507 -6.5% -2.3% Laurel Hill 523 549 537 5.0% -2.2% Mary Esther 4,226 4,055 3,851 -4.0% -5.0% Niceville 11,159 11,684 12,749 4.7% 9.1% Shalimar 350 718 717 105.1% -0.1% Valparaiso 6,123 6,408 5,036 4.7% -21.4% Unincorporated 55,544 100,849 104,759 88.3% 3.9% Source: BEBR, University of Florida Demographics Table 2-3 lists demographical characteristics of Okaloosa County for 2000, 2010, and 2014. The percent male and female ratio has been virtually equal and unchanged since the year 2000. Although Okaloosa County has a relatively small proportion of minority population, the county has become more ethnically diverse over time. In 2010, 81% of the population was White. Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other races represented 9.2%, 6.8%, 2.9%, and 5.7% of the population in 2010, respectively. The Black or African American population has gradually increased, and the Hispanic population has almost doubled in proportion, from 4.28% in 2000 to 8.49% in 2014. This growth in minorities represents a potentially growing key market of traditionally transit-dependent populations. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 9  Section 2 – Baseline Conditions Table 2-3: Demographic Characteristics Characteristic 2000 2010 2014 Gender Male 50.2% 50.6% 50.5% Female 49.8% 49.4% 49.5% Ethnic Origin White 83.4% 81.1% 77.9% Black or African American 9.1% 9.3% 9.0% Other 4.5% 5.7% 7.9% Two or more races