Puget Sound Regional Council                                       psrc.org
  Regional Coordination     at work
  Transportation Policy Board and Growth Management Policy Board
 
              May 11, 2006

The Transportation Policy Board discussed a future action item on how to better incorporate least-cost planning into future updates of Destination 2030, the region's long-range transportation plan.

Least-cost planning evaluation can compare and contrast mobility benefits with the costs of vehicle ownership, costs of facilities, and environmental impacts. Improved least-cost planning methods could provide additional tools to advance the region's ability to evaluate and rank transportation alternatives, including the project prioritization within future updates to Destination 2030, corridor planning or other major facility investments efforts.

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

The Transportation Policy Board was briefed on new requirements under SAFETEA-LU, the new federal surface transportation act.

The act initiates twelve main changes to PSRC's current planning process. First the timing of updating Destination 2030 and the Transportation Improvement Program, they will now be reviewed every four years, instead of three. SAFETEA-LU requires planning for coordinated human services transit, security, highway safety, management and operational strategies, and environmental mitigation. The act also requires emphasis on things PSRC already does in its planning efforts, such as consultation and coordination with partner agencies, additional public involvement strategies, including the use of visual materials, and some changes to the air quality conformity modeling. PSRC must comply with SAFETEA-LU by July 2007 and is establishing a work program to meet the new federal deadline.

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

In other business, the Transportation Policy Board:

  • The Transportation Policy Board reviewed possibilities for the passenger-only ferry component of Destination 2030.
  • Recommended authorizing the change in project status for three Destination 2030 projects. The I-90 Two-way Transit and HOV Operations - Stage 1 would become approved, and the I-90 Issaquah High Point Regional Trail Connector and I-405/112th Ave SE to SE 8th St. Widening would become conditionally approved.
  • Recommended approval of a minor amendment to Destination 2030.
  • Recommended certification of a comprehensive plan update for Algona.
  • Recommended approval of a routine amendment to the 2005-07 Transportation Improvement Program.

    The Growth Management Policy Board reviewed the Executive Summary and key findings of the draft environmental impact statement for the VISION 2020 update. The draft EIS will be published at the end of May.

    The draft environmental impact statement describes the impacts of four growth alternatives for accommodating future growth of people and jobs. This environmental review process provides information and public input to policy board members as they develop a preferred alternative that best meets the long-term needs of the region.

    Some of the findings discussed included:

  • All of the growth distribution alternatives will increase the number of people and jobs in the region. This increase in human activity will have impacts. Mitigation measures will be key to implementing any alternative.
  • Some impacts are common to all alternatives, whereas others are distinct to each alternative, and associated with changes in specific growth distribution. Some resources are more sensitive to the distribution of growth, with distinct differences depending on the geographic unit of analysis.
  • Generally, focused growth alternatives have potential for lower overall impacts on the natural environment, but development impacts would affect people and/or services. These alternatives have lower overall transportation impacts and air quality emissions.
  • Dispersed growth alternatives have potential for high overall impacts on natural resources and/or plants and animals, and shifts development impacts to outlying areas. These alternatives have higher overall transportation impacts and air quality emissions, and higher impacts on habitats.

    For more information, contact Ivan Miller at 206-464-7549 or imiller@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board heard a presentation on the types of forecasts developed by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and the Puget Sound Regional Council.

  • OFM's population forecasts are made by county through the year 2025, and are used by local governments primarily to prepare growth targets to fulfill the requirements of the Growth Management Act.
  • PSRC's forecasts extend to the year 2040. They include forecasts of population, households and employment at three different geographies: region, county and forecast analysis zone.
  • Both OFM and PSRC forecasts will be used to test the "reasonableness" of any preferred growth alternative for the VISION 2020 update.

    For more information about OFM forecasts, contact Carol Naito at 206-464-7535 or cnaito@psrc.org. For questions about PSRC forecasts, contact Mark Simonson at 206-587-5676 or msimonson@psrc.org.

    The Growth Management Policy Board was briefed on the work program for a group of technical staff from around the region that will support the update of VISION 2020.

    The core purpose of the group will be to work through the following items: (a) developing a methodology for distributing jobs to the four counties for a preferred regional employment growth alternative, (b) determining how to address unincorporated urban growth areas, annexation and incorporation in the preferred growth alternative, and (c) using year 2040 small area population and employment forecasts in the analysis.

    For more information, contact Ben Bakkenta at 206-464-5372 or bbakkenta@psrc.org.

    In other business, the Growth Management Policy Board:

  • Recommended certification of the comprehensive plan update for the City of Algona.
  • Discussed the current schedule for the VISION 2020 update. Important upcoming milestones include:
  • May 23 -- Public event featuring the VISION 2020+20 draft environmental impact statement at McCaw Hall.
  • End of May - Draft environmental impact statement released. Public comment period begins.
  • July 31 - Public comment period ends.
  • August -October - Review of public comments and work on multicounty planning policies. Finalize preferred growth alternative.
  • December - Joint workshop with Growth Management Policy Board, Transportation Policy Board, and Economic Development District Board.
  • March 2007 - Growth Management Policy Board recommends public release of complete VISION package.
  • April/May 2007 - Executive Board recommends public release of complete VISION package. Staff and consultants begin preparing supplemental draft environmental impact statement and preferred growth alternative.