Puget Sound Regional Council                                       psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              January 11, 2007

The Transportation Policy Board recommended adoption of the Coordinated Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan.

PSRC's Coordinated Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan is a joint effort between private and non-profit transportation providers, human service agencies, transit, and local planning coalitions. The plan identifies existing services and priorities for future investments, and will be used to direct funds from three sources, including PSRC's Job Access and Reverse Commute program. A call for projects for funding will be issued next month.

For more information, contact Ben Brackett at 206-389-2162, bbrackett@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval of a regional prioritized list of rural and special needs transportation projects for the 2007-2009 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) state and federal consolidated grant program.

The prioritized list will be used by WSDOT in their final technical evaluations for their grant program. PSRC evaluated the projects using the criteria based on the Coordinated Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan. The list includes 13 projects, two regional Sound Transit projects and 11 county-based projects.

For more information, contact Ben Brackett at 206-389-2162, bbrackett@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board gave preliminary approval of the transportation policies for the VISION 2020 update.

The Growth Management Policy Board is leading the effort to update VISION 2020, the regional growth, transportation and economic strategy. A key part of the update is to develop multicounty planning policies for the environment, development patterns, the economy, transportation, and public services and facilities. The Transportation Policy Board is playing a key role in the update of the transportation policies. The policies will be released at the same time as the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for analysis and public review. The policies are available online at psrc.org.

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

The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval of the draft 2007 Action Strategy.

The draft Action Strategy is PSRC's biennial report on the region's progress implementing Destination 2030. The Strategy provides a status report on major transportation programs and outlines the region's action agenda for the coming years.

For more information, contact Stephen Kiehl at 206-464-6175 or skiehl@psrc.org.

The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval of PSRC's transportation recommendations to the Legislature.

PSRC's recommendations are derived out of the draft 2007 Action Strategy. They focus on support for the roads and transit ballot, sustenance of existing transportation funding, support for increased city and county transportation funding, consideration of the need to meet federal requirements as an MPO while reviewing transportation governance, continuation of the Vashon-Seattle passenger only ferry service and support for local ferry service, and funding to implement the Commute Trip Reduction law.

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

In Other Business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • Recommended adopting an amendment to the TIP containing one project sponsored by the City of Des Moines and six by Sound Transit.
  • Recommended certification of the 2004 update to the City of Pacific's comprehensive plan, the 2005 updates to the City of Arlington's and the City of Buckley's comprehensive plans, and 2006 amendments to the King County comprehensive plan.
  • Recommended a change in Destination 2030 project status from candidate to approved for the City of Seattle's Burke-Gilman Trail Extension-NW 60th to Golden Gardens and City of Kenmore's SR 522 Phase II HOV Enhancement. For WSDOT's I-405: I-90 to SR 169 Stage 1 - Widening the recommended status change is from candidate to conditionally approved.

    The Growth Management Policy Board expressed support for an initial evaluation of the preliminary preferred growth alternative for the VISION 2020 update.

    The purpose of the evaluation is to provide information about how the preliminary preferred growth alternative performs relative to the four alternatives evaluated in the draft environmental impact statement published last spring.

    Twelve measures were used, including air quality, daily vehicle miles traveled and jobs/housing balance. The analysis found that the preliminary preferred growth alternative performs very well when compared to the other alternatives, and provides many of the benefits of focused growth found in the Metropolitan Cities and Larger Cities alternatives.

    Board members expressed support for the initial evaluation, and were satisfied that the preliminary preferred growth alternative is ready for more thorough evaluation and public review.

    In February, the Growth Management Policy Board is scheduled to finalize the selection of the preferred growth alternative and to recommend that the Executive Board authorize staff to develop a supplemental draft environmental impact statement that contains the full and complete analysis of the preferred growth alternative.

    For more information, please contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134, nabbott@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board reviewed suggested edits to the multicounty planning policies that will be included in the VISION 2020 update.

    The board discussed edits developed by the Growth Management Policy Board at prior meetings, and also reviewed written comments received suggesting additional edits to the policies. A Growth Management Policy Board Ad Hoc Committee meeting is scheduled for January 26 to finalize the draft set of revised policies. In February, the Growth Management Policy Board will take an action-to-proceed to transmit the recommended set of multicounty planning policies to the Executive Board for consideration. In March, the Executive Board will act to authorize the policies to be distributed for public review and comment.

    For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134, email nabbott@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board recommended that the Executive Board approve the comprehensive plan updates for the cities of Arlington, Buckley and Pacific and the 2006 comprehensive plan amendments for King County.

    The board found the plans conform to the Growth Management Act and are consistent with Destination 2030. [Because the board lacked a quorum due to snowfall, this recommendation was made by consensus.]

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

    Due to time constraints, the Growth Management Policy Board was unable to review a complete set of policies containing staff recommended categories representing different types of policies.

    The board's ad hoc committee will take up this topic on January 26. In February, the Growth Management Policy Board will take an action-to-proceed with the category system. The categories will be in the VISION 2020 update package that will be transmitted to the Executive Board for Action in March.