• Amendment to Destination 2030 on Agenda
• Nominations Are In for the 10th Annual VISION 2020 Awards Competition
• Trend: Region Loses Jobs, Primarily Due to Manufacturing Sector Losses
• Back Issues

Amendment to Destination 2030 on Agenda

This year's General Assembly of the Puget Sound Regional Council will feature action on an amendment to the region's long-range transportation plan, Destination 2030. The plan amendment would add three transportation projects to the plan, including the expansion of SR 167 between Sumner and Renton, an additional southbound ramp between I-5 and SR 525 in Lynnwood, and enhancements to SR 302 near Gig Harbor. These projects were identified as needs within the transportation system and would be included in the plan as candidate projects. They have not identified funding at this point. Inclusion in Destination 2030 makes them eligible for future federal funding.

The amendment would require both an Addendum to the Environmental Impact Statement for Destination 2030 and a new Air Quality Conformity Finding. More information is available online at psrc.org or from the Information Center 206-464-7532. General Assembly will also feature action on PSRC's Fiscal Years 2006-2007 Budget and Work Program, the 10th Annual VISION 2020 Awards Dinner, and election of officers.

The VISION 2020 Awards dinner will also feature Congressman Norm Dicks. PSRC will honor him for his leadership in implementing VISION 2020 -- highlighting accomplishments in Tacoma and Bremerton.

For the past decade, the VISION 2020 Awards have annually recognized the region's most innovative work to achieve the long-range growth, transportation and economic strategy. Award winners will be honored at the General Assembly Meeting on March 24, 2005 at the Westin Hotel.

Seattle Freight Mobility Action Plan and Freight Committee -- The City of Seattle's guide for freight mobility activities, helping Seattle's two manufacturing/industrial centers to function at their peak.

King County Metro's Vanshare Program -- The program uses "retired" Vanpool vehicles to bring groups of 3 or more to their transportation hub, freeing up park and ride spaces at rail stations, ferry terminals and transit centers.

Lake Stevens Transit Center -- The Lake Stevens area's first transit center brought about through a community-led process and located near major retail stores and a residential area.

Kitsap Treeway -- A community based effort to plant over 100,000 trees in Kitsap County.

Kent Commuter Shuttle -- A shuttle service that connects the Kent Commuter Rail station to businesses in Kent.

Redevelopment of the former Coast Guard Property in Redmond -- A site created on surplus land including a variety of housing types for low and median income households.

King County Clean Air Bus Initiative -- A multi-year financing package to purchase hybrid electric buses, which can run without an overhead power source.

Bremerton Community Renewal Project -- This project revitalized the downtown core of Bremerton beginning with public investments in the Norm Dicks Government Center and the Kitsap Conference Center. The project has spurred $19.3 million in private developments.

RailPlus Fare Demonstration Program -- The program enables rail passengers on the corridor between Everett and Seattle to use both Sound Transit Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains.

Raised Letter/Braille Marker Program -- Sound Transit is providing Braille markers at its bus bay poles, due to community interest.

Lynnwood HOV Access Project -- New HOV ramps provide direct access from the enhanced Lynnwood Transit Center to I-5.

I-90 Two-Way Transit Project -- This project will add HOV lanes on the outer roadways between Bellevue and Seattle, without major widening of the corridor.

Everett Events Center -- The new mixed-use center has exceeded community expectations for economic stimulus in Everett's historic downtown.

Biodiesel in Seattle Fleets -- Seattle City Light's program to help partners pay the added cost of biodiesel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

Judkins Park Apartments -- Affordable family housing that makes excellent use of a difficult piece of surplus land in an emerging urban area, near jobs, schools and public transit.

Designing "By the Book," Consistent, Creative and Green Urban Redevelopment -- Design books created for the Seattle Housing Authority for the development of scalable neighborhoods with Built Green standards, pedestrian access, and diversity.

Kitsap Transit's Passenger-Only Fast Ferry Implementation Plan -- A 10 year plan to create a seamless bus to ferry transit system, using low-sulfur diesel fuel and a prototype ferry with low-wake and increased fuel efficiency.

Bellevue Direct Access Project -- A new HOV interchange at NE 6th providing direct access between I-405 and the Bellevue Transit Center, finished a year ahead and $25 million under budget.

Frederickson Community Plan - Employment Service Zone -- A subarea plan featuring an employment center designed with pedestrian concerns in mind.

Tyree Scott Apartments and Refugee Women's Alliance Building -- A mixed use project providing housing for low-income and homeless families as well as a permanent office space for a nonprofit agency serving refugee and immigrant populations.

Citywide Sewer System Project -- Community led project to build a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable sewer system in Carnation, enabling the revitalization of the city center.

SW 152nd Street Enhancement Project -- Transformed a dangerous four-lane roadway through Burien's downtown into two-lanes with continuous and accessible pedestrian connections.

Burien Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Plan -- A community led plan that will eventually provide an extensive network of pedestrian and bicycle trails.

Mill Creek Town Center -- A mixed use center consisting of five compact neighborhoods, a retail center, and a pedestrian network.

Renton Airport Compatible Land Use Program -- The City of Renton's work to prevent incompatible land use near the airport.

Auburn Justice Center -- A historic preservation project in the city center that has spurred revitalization efforts.

Snoqualmie Forest Preservation Agreement -- King County's work to preserve open space through a conservation easement and transfer of development rights that will maintain 90,000 acres as a working forest.

Seattle On-Street Parking Pay Station Program -- The first use in North America of solar-powered pay kiosks using real time credit card transactions for on street parking.

Alcyone -- An infill development in the south lake union neighborhood using energy efficient LEED development, offering residents a p-patch with captured rainwater irrigation as well as transportation choices for residents.

Greenbridge -- The redevelopment of a low-income neighborhood that nearly doubles the number of units available and offers a variety of housing types, including subsidized and market-rate.

YWCA Opportunity Place -- A new seven story regional facility in Belltown offering 145 units of permanent housing for low-income individuals and comprehensive services for homeless women.

Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts -- An efficient redevelopment in Pioneer Square offering permanent live-work space to artists who are earning below the median income.

Hillside Gardens Apartments & Eliza McCabe Townhomes -- A redevelopment in downtown Tacoma offering a variety of housing types to low-income families.

Region Loses Jobs, Primarily Due to Manufacturing Sector Losses

Overall, the Puget Sound Region was still in recovery from the 2001 recession and showed job losses between 2002 and 2003. The region as a whole lost approximately 6,000, going from 1,606,403 jobs in 2002 to 1,600,403 in 2003, a decrease of 0.4 percent (Table 1). Most of the loss in the region can be attributed to Manufacturing, a sector that has been steadily declining since the late 1990s.

Looking at the region by county, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties all experienced job gains, while King County experienced a job loss. Kitsap gained more than 1,500 jobs, the Services sector adding the largest amount with more than 600 jobs, representing a 7.9 percent increase. Pierce added 6,200 jobs and Snohomish added more than 2,500 jobs. Like Kitsap, both Pierce and Snohomish counties had the largest share of job gains in the Services sector. Pierce County added more than 4,000 jobs in this sector and Snohomish County gained more than 2,000. King County lost a total of 16,400 jobs during the 2002 to 2003 time period.

In King, decreases in the Manufacturing sector accounted for most of the job loss in the county. This sector shed more than 13,500 jobs, a total decrease of 11.3 percent. Pierce and Snohomish counties also shed jobs in the Manufacturing sector. However, gains in the other sectors were enough to offset their losses. King County shed jobs in all sectors except FIRE (Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate), Education and Government.

The full version of this Trend and other employment data products are available online at psrc.org. For more information, contact Kristen Koch at 206-587-5667 or kkoch@:psrc.org.

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