Puget Sound Regional Council                                       psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              April 14, 2005

The Transportation Policy Board recommended adoption of revised project tracking policies for PSRC's federal funds.

The revised policies establish time periods for obligating funds as well as specific procedures for extending them. The revisions would trigger action once projects surpass their obligation date by nine months. If the project will not be able to move forward, the revisions include policies for returning the funds for use in implementing projects from the contingency list.

For more information, contact Karen Richter at (206) 464-6343 or krichter@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board was briefed on the status of system preservation and the baseline information that will be used as a starting point in the update of Destination 2030.

The presentation covered the inventory of existing roadways, bridges, truck routes, aviation facilities and bike routes as well as transit and ferry systems. The inventory includes issues of aging pavement, facilities and vehicles, and structural deficiencies. The information will help define investments needed to preserve the existing system for the long range plan update.

For more information, contact Charlie Howard at (206) 464-7122 or choward@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board discussed how to address least coast planning analysis in the update of Destination 2030.

Since the adoption of Destination 2030, PSRC has been examining the feasibility of developing robust benefit-cost analysis capabilities that would work in tandem with the agency's existing suite of travel demand modeling tools. In preparation for this work, staff will review the existing set of multi-county transportation planning policies in order to support, inform, and provide evaluation criteria for the analysis.

For more information, contact Matthew Kitchen at (206) 464-6196 or mkitchen@psrc.org.

In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • Recommended certification of 2004 Comprehensive Plan Updates for the City of Roy and the Town of Steilacoom.
  • Recommended adoption of a routine amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program, which would enable ten transportation projects to move forward, including projects in Bremerton, Fife, and Puyallup, as well as Pierce Transit and Washington State Department of Transportation projects.
  • Recommended changing the project status for three Destination 2030 projects from candidate to approved. The projects are the Issaquah Transit Center and Park and Ride, the Ship Canal Trail Extension from 6th Ave. W. to W. Emerson Place in Seattle, and the Mountlake Terrace Park and Ride.
  • Recommended refining Destination 2030 to include the Downtown Bremerton Pedestrian and Transit Center Access Improvements as a candidate project.
  • Welcomed Tom Madden of the Washington State Department of Transportation for an update on the status of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

    The Growth Management Policy Board directed staff to incorporate the recommendations from the Subregional Centers issue paper into the VISION 2020+20 alternatives.

    In addition to the designated Regional Growth and Manufacturing/Industrial Centers, the Board is investigating subregional centers, such as town centers, secondary centers, activity nodes, and redevelopment corridors. The paper discusses these types of centers and the roles they may play in the VISION 2020 Update.

    For more information, contact Rocky Piro at (206) 464-6360 or rpiro@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board directed staff to incorporate the recommendations from the Growth Targets Report into the VISION 2020+20 alternatives.

    This is the first time that growth target work done by countywide planning organizations and local jurisdictions has been assembled and analyzed at the regional level. The work is important because growth targets provide a consistent estimate of how local jurisdictions are planning for growth over the next 20 years.

    For more information, contact Yorik Stevens-Wajda at (206) 389-2158 or ystevens@psrc.org.

    In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board:

  • Recommended certification of 2004 Comprehensive Plan Updates for the City of Roy and the Town of Steilacoom.
  • Welcomed Mark Sollitto of King County for a presentation on the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR).
  • Held further discussion on the VISION 2020+20 Rural Areas Issue Paper.
  • Welcomed Scott Greenburg of the City of Burien for a presentation on Burien's request to become a designated Regional Growth Center. The Board will take action on this request at its June meeting.
  • Reviewed the decision making schedule for the development of VISION 2020+20.

    In lieu of a Growth Management Policy Board meeting in May, the Board will host a public event on May 20 at the Seattle Center. To find out more or to register, contact Sheila Rogers at (206) 464-5815 or srogers@psrc.org.