Policy Boards At Work

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

	June 8, 2006 The Transportation Policy Board recommended approval for a Regional Passenger-Only Ferry Study. The study will address a number of tasks designed to synthesize current efforts and information with a policy and market analysis that will help determine regional roles and develop a regional passenger-only ferry strategy. The strategy will be integrated with the update of Destination 2030. The Executive Board will take final action on the recommendation at its June 29 meeting. If approved, the $250,000 study will be funded through PSRC contingency funds and regional Surface Transportation Program funds identified through PSRC's project tracking system. PSRC would also pursue additional federal funds via SAFETEA-LU and work with Cascadia to arrange a fact-finding tour of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority's passenger-only ferry system. For more information, contact Stephen Kiehl at 206-464-6715 or skiehl@psrc.org. The Transportation Policy Board received copies of the Executive Summary of the VISION 2020 Update Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The Transportation Policy Board will be having a joint VISION 2020 Update work session on July 13, 2006. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is available online at psrc.org. Comments on the DEIS are due by July 31, 2006 and can be made through the website, at PSRC Board meetings, by writing Norman Abbott at PSRC offices or by emailing vision2020update@psrc.org. For more information, contact Mike Cummings at 206-464-6172 or mcummings@psrc.org. The Transportation Policy Board welcomed Kim Becklund from City of Bellevue and the state's Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Task Force to report on recent legislative changes to the program via the CTR Efficiency Act. The new Act will ensure that CTR plans and employer goals are coordinated with transportation and growth plans. A 16-member CTR Board is overseeing the program, establishing policy, providing guidance and allocating funding. The CTR Program will now be focused in urban growth areas with the greatest need and potential benefit. The law also encourages more aggressive CTR Programs in concentrated areas and gives those programs more flexibility. Under the guidance of the Transportation Policy Board, PSRC will develop a Regional CTR Plan that will be incorporated into the Destination 2030 Update. For more information, contact Lindy Johnson at 206-464-6297 or ljohnson@psrc.org. The Transportation Policy Board welcomed Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) staff for briefings on three key WSDOT projects: SR 167 High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes Pilot, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement, and the SR 520 Bridge Replacement. The SR 167 HOT Lane pilot project is scheduled to open in 2008. The project will allow Single Occupant Vehicles to buy into nine miles of the existing HOV lanes on SR 167 between Renton and Auburn. Solo drivers will be able to pay to drive in the lanes when speeds are above 45 miles per hour using a transponder. The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement may be done in one of two ways: a new elevated structure or a cut and cover tunnel. The tunnel option would cost between $3.7 and $4.5 billion, and take about 7 to 10 years to complete. The elevated structure option would cost between $2.7 and $3.1 billion, and may take about 10 to 12 years to complete. WSDOT currently has $2.4 billion of funding for the project. The SR 520 Bridge Replacement Draft Environmental Impact Statement is evaluating 4, 6, and 8 lane alternatives. The 4 lanes would include two general purpose lanes in each direction and a bicycle/pedestrian trail. The 6 lanes include two general purpose and one HOV Lane in each direction as well as a bicycle/pedestrian trail. The 8 Lane option adds a third general purpose lane. WSDOT plans to begin construction in 2009 and open the bridge by 2013. WSDOT has identified $1.25 billion in funding and needs $750 million to do the 4 lane option up to $3.75 billion for the 8 lane option. Tolls are planned to pay for a portion of the construction cost. For more information, contact Mike Cummings at 206-464-6172 or mcummings@psrc.org. In other business, the Transportation Policy Board: Recommended approval of a Routine Amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program, updating information for one King County project and two WSDOT projects. Recommended certification of the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Update for the Town of Eatonville and the 2004 Comprehensive Plan Update of the City of Shoreline. Recommended approval of a minor amendment to Destination 2030 that would refine eight existing candidate projects. Recommended authorizing the change in project status from candidate to approved for two Destination 2030 projects: SR 161 Widening: 36th to Jovita and Peninsula Park and Ride Stage 1. The Growth Management Policy Board heard a report on new multicounty planning policies being developed for the update of the VISION 2020 growth strategy. Multicounty policies are the official statements used to guide actions to achieve VISION 2020. PSRC is revising the multicounty planning policies contained in the current VISION 2020 with the aim of making them easier to understand and to measure. Members of the Regional Staff Committee are helping to draft revised policies that will be transmitted to the Growth Management Policy Board for consideration in the fall. For more information, please contact Rocky Piro at 206-464-6360, e-mail rpiro@psrc.org. The Growth Management Policy Board discussed the process for evaluating the growth alternatives included in the draft environmental impact statement for the VISION 2020 update. The draft environmental impact statement includes evaluation criteria that will be used by both the Growth Management Policy Board and the public for reviewing and commenting on the four growth alternatives. The evaluation criteria are based on four overarching goals: Promote an overall high quality of life Create an efficient land use pattern for the provision of infrastructure, facilities and services Protect the natural environment Enhance human potential and social justice These goals are further detailed as a set of criteria organized under the following nine categories: Environmental quality Health Economic prosperity Land use Transportation Social justice and human potential Maintaining rural character Protecting resource lands Efficiencies in the provision and use of infrastructure, public facilities, and services. The criteria will be evaluated and scored on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest (or best) score and 1 being the lowest (or worst) score. This evaluation, along with public comments, will inform the Growth Management Policy Board's work to develop a preferred growth alternative this fall. For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134, e-mail nabbott@psrc.org. The Growth Management Policy Board discussed an upcoming VISION 2020 Update board coordination meeting planned for July 13. At this meeting, members of the Growth Management Policy Board will brief members of the Transportation Policy Board, Economic Development District Board, and Executive Board on the VISION 2020 Update. Board members will be asked to give feedback on specific topics in the draft environmental impact statement. The board coordination meeting is scheduled for July 13, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Norman Abbott at 206-464-7134, e-mail nabbott@psrc.org. The Growth Management Policy Board recommended certification of the comprehensive plan updates for the City of Shoreline and the Town of Eatonville. The board found that the plans conform to the Growth Management Act and are consistent with Destination 2030. For more information, contact Yorik Stevens-Wajda at 206-389-2158, e-mail ystevens@psrc.org.