Regional VIEW Newsletter

March 2007     [pdf version]

Table of Contents 2007 VISION 2020 Award Nominations VISION 2020 Update Reaching Final Stages Puget Sound Trends: Transit Ridership Growing Back Issues

PSRC received 23 outstanding nominations from all around the region. Winners will be announced April 5th at the General Assembly Meeting.

Bellevue Real Time Arterial Traffic Flow Map. Bellevue is the first city in Washington state to provide the public with an up-to-the-minute traffic flow map for key arterials. The map gives the public an opportunity to make informed decisions on routes and traffic operators a tool to identify problem areas.

City of Everett Downtown Plan. The City of Everett's plan has a number of innovations to help this regional growth center redevelop in a smart, sustainable way, including zoning bonus incentives for historic preservation, LEED certification, and the elimination of minimum parking requirements.

Transit Now. King County Metro Transit's new initiative to expand service by 10 to 15 percent systemwide, the package includes bus rapid transit in five corridors, new service areas, service partnerships, increased special needs service, and hybrid buses.

Transit Access Program. Community Transit's inventory of pedestrian access to bus stops. The agency reviewed every walkway within a ¼ mile radius of its stops and is using the inventory to identify gaps and prioritize the completion of missing links.

Snohomish County Transfer of Development Rights Program. The program is being used to conserve farmland on a floodplain near Arlington. Development rights are being used to increase density within an area that is now being annexed by the City of Arlington and incorporated into the urban growth area.

Traffic Choices Study. This unique project tracked user behavior within a simulated road pricing system to determine if road pricing could be implemented, what kind of effect it would have, and if it is something that can be used to alleviate congestion in the Puget Sound region.

Soos Creek Regional Sewage Lift Station. The new station provides a critical link in wastewater management for Maple Valley, Covington, and Black Diamond, using a smaller dual station design that allowed protection of salmon-bearing stream and better neighborhood integration.

Sinclair Inlet Restoration. This restoration project has cleaned up contaminated industrial properties, established new salmon habitat, and restored the Gorst Creek estuary.

Kitsap Sustainable Energy Economic Development Project. A green business development designed to support the clean technology cluster in Kitsap County. The development can support up to 2,000 employees and can potentially help the employment rate in a depressed area.

Seattle Transit Plan - To Get Seattle Moving. Seattle's hallmark strategy to build a core transit network to all of the city's urban villages, with full implementation offering most Seattleites frequent, fast, and reliable service within 5 minutes' walking distance of their homes.

City of Seattle Right of Way Improvements Manual. A streamlined permitting process for right of way construction that includes design guidelines for green streets, natural drainage systems, and traffic calming, with an emphasis on multimodalism and access for all users.

Snohomish County Urban Centers Demonstration Program. The program was developed to allow creative approaches to more urban development in Snohomish County Centers. Eleven projects have been accepted into this program, which offers alternative land use code requirements from the traditional county rules.

Seattle Downtown Code Amendments. These amendments allow greater height and density in three commercial core zones in downtown Seattle, if the developer provides certain amenities or uses transferred development rights. Amenities include open space, historic preservation, sustainable development practices, af-fordability, and child care.

High Point Redevelopment. The redevelopment of a subsidized housing neighborhood has increased housing units, diversified the types of accommodation, and has created a mixed income neighborhood. The development uses new urbanist design, low impact development and green building products.

Factoria Area Transportation Study. This study produced guidelines for transportation and urban design strategies to create a well-integrated, transit-supportive, and pedestrian-oriented mixed use neighborhood in Factoria.

Island Square. A thriving urban mixed use development offering 235 residential apartments, 11,000 square feet of office space, and 31,000 square feet of retail complete with parking garage, that has created a central gathering space on Mercer Island.

Northgate South Lot Revitalization Project. The project will help Northgate meet its housing and job growth targets by redeveloping an underused parking lot with new housing, pedestrian connections to the transit center, and a stormwater development facility that will daylight parts of Thornton Creek in a unique public park.

Northgate Coordinated Transportation Investment Plan. This plan provides a prioritized list of improvements that will transform a suburban, low-density landscape into a more walkable, bike-friendly, transit-oriented place for people to enjoy their daily activities.

Redmond Community Indicators. An implementation strategy for Redmond's comprehensive plan, the indicators measure progress toward achieving the commu-nity's eight long term goals, such as conserving open space and protecting the environment.

Poulsbo Fish Park. The Fish Park provides community-wide environmental education opportunities, mobilizes support and focuses actions to preserve the natural area. The park restores the Dogfish Creek Estuary by removing invasive plants and culverts, and adding habitat logs and rock.

Pierce County Agriculture Strategic Plan. Developed to preserve productive and commercially significant farmland in Pierce County through coordination efforts, a farmbudsman to be a central point of contact and advocacy, and through a specialized TDR program.

Kitsap Passenger Only Ferry Investment Plan. A coordination effort to sustain passenger only ferry service for Kitsap County, the plan includes a demonstrated sustainable line from Bremerton to Seattle, a foil assisted prototype ferry with reduced wake and increased fuel efficiency, and a commitment to super green vessels.

Miller and Des Moines Creek Restoration. The Port of Seattle has undertaken these restoration projects, totaling 187 acres of enhanced wetlands and streams, to mitigate the effects of the third runway. By expanding protected and restored critical areas at the airport, the Port improved water quality and flood control for downstream communities, and provided fish and waterfowl habitat away from the flight path of the airplanes.

For more information, contact Michele Leslie at 206-587-4819 or mleslie@psrc.org.

VISION 2020 Update Reaching Final Stages

PSRC is ready to meet with your community to present the final draft of the VISION 2020 update. The update and the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) will be released on July 16th. The formal written comment period lasts until September 7th. You are encouraged to schedule an opportunity to meet with PSRC staff and offer input on the final draft.

Since 2003, PSRC has made hundreds of presentations to city councils, non-profit organizations, community groups, and planning staffs as part of the ongoing public involvement process. Throughout, public involvement has yielded many thoughtful comments and ideas that the Growth Management Policy Board has in-corporated into the updated VISION 2020 and into the draft multicounty planning policies. Both will guide the region's anticipated population and employment growth into the year 2040.

Please visit the PSRC website at prsc.org to learn more about the SDEIS and the public outreach process. If you have questions about the environmental review process for the updated VISION 2020, please contact Norman Abbott, SEPA Responsible Official, at 206-464-7134, or nabbott@psrc.org.

Transit Ridership Growing

Transit ridership in the central Puget Sound region grew by 6.44 percent between 1999 and 2006. Due to fluctuations in the economy and gas prices, however, the annual rate of growth was uneven both for the region and for the nation.

After experiencing a slight increase in 2000, ridership declined in 2001 and 2002. Around this time, employment for the region, particularly in King County, began its decline with the dot com bust in late 2000, and with losses in aerospace and information technology employment in the beginning of 2001. The economic re-covery for the region began at the start of 2004.

After 2002, regional transit ridership started its recovery, gaining 1,734,000 annual riders. National gasoline prices, which experienced a slight decline in 2001 and 2002, started a sharp increase in 2003 that has continued to date. The rise in gasoline prices may have contributed to the increase in transit ridership before the economic recovery.

Both transit ridership and regional daily vehicle miles traveled track closely with employment trends. Vehicle miles traveled remained relatively flat from 2002 to 2004 as did employment growth. After 2004, the region experienced increases in employment, daily vehicle miles traveled, and transit ridership.

To read the full version of this issue of Puget Sound Trends, go online to psrc.org. For more information, contact Mark Charnews at 206-464-5355, mcharnews@psrc.org.

Regional and National Percent Increase in Transit Ridership Since 1999

Regional Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled and U.S. Gas Price

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