01-11-2010 Written TestimonyJanuary 8, 2010
To the Woodburn City Council:
Re: Legislative Amendment-LA 2009-02, allowing signs in the public right-of-way
in the Retirement Community Single Family Residential (R1S) Zone
As the Woodburn Planning Commission's representative to the Sign Ordinance
Focus Group, I wanted to ask that you allow the concerns over signs in the public
right-of-way in the residential zone to be addressed through the focus group
rather than making this change in this way.
Many neighborhoods in Woodburn have no sidewalks and wide setbacks: Smith
Addition, Johnson Addition, Tierra Lynn, portions of the Meadowvale/Hermiston
area -and on and on. To make an exception of just one neighborhood, when the
conditions are identical in many other neighborhoods, will only invite real trouble
down the road. Real Estate signs can be seen by anyone driving the residential
streets if they are driving the speed limit even if they are set back 13'.
If other neighborhoods throughout town were also allowed to put signs in the
right of way, the message would be perceived to be: Public right-of-ways are fair
game for all kinds of signage.
Even with the requirement to obtain the owner's permission, signs will
proliferate. How about a sign advertizing your daughter's hair salon or your
uncle's bakery? We cannot regulate content, so these signs could be put in the
right-of-way. This would be especially troublesome if the right-of-way behind
your house is on the highway.
The public is saying to our Sign Ordinance Focus Group "Clean up the messy look
of Woodburn." Let's not go around the Focus Group and add our residential
areas to the clutter of Woodburn.
Thank you for your attention.
_~
Ellen Bandelow
Chairperson, Woodburn Planning Commission
Sign Ordinance Focus Group
Page 1 of 1
Jim Hendryx
From: Scott Derickson
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 1:13 PM
To: Jim Hendryx
Subject: FW: No 70 foot buildings in Woodburn
For the record.
Scott
From: Bev Clore [mailto:brclore@oregonsbest.com]
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 12:31 PM
To: Scott Derickson
Subject: No 70 foot buildings in Woodburn
Dear City Administrator,
As long time residents of Woodburn we have watched the city grow substantially and develop
into a very livable community. Although, we have also seen rash development decisions made
that may not have been in the true best interest for the entire community.
We encourage you to vote against allowing six-story, 70 foot building height limit proposed by
the downtown development plan update. We recommend restricting building height to a limit
not to exceed 40 feet or three stories, whichever is less. Woodburn is not poised for high rise
buildings at this time. It seems detrimental to the historic Woodburn downtown District.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ray and Beverly Clore
15 Smith Drive
Woodburn, Oregon 97071
503-981-6179
1/11/2010
Woodburn, January 10, 2010
Dear Madam Mayor and honored Woodburn City Council members:
What is the purpose of a town? Humans have grouped to have better chances getting food
and nurture the social and tribal instincts. Thousands of years ago tribes sought protection
from the elements and from natural enemies building dwellings in close formation. Over the
Centuries towns were built more and more refined.
What is the purpose of a town today? With the knowledge and technology available today a
town is not really necessary anymore.... I don't really have an answer but providing a safe
place to live and a place to build community and nurture those instincts sounds pretty good to
me.
Undeniably a town is a complex system where many different mundane subsystems run
below the surface to make it work. Above all balancing the basics such as Air; Water; Food;
Sewer (what goes in has to come out); Getting from A to B (and yes; those feet are made for
walking); Parenting the young; Caring for our elders; Generating an income
... and many more make a town run smooth.
To make it into a community however, to nurture the human need of socializing face to face,
to create a sense of belonging and encourage humans to excel takes more than having air,
water, food, houses, roads, schools, companies, government. It takes balancing all these
components using the free will of all townspeople of all ages, all races, all ethnics, all religion,
all political opinions and all their ability. That in my mind is the real heart beat of any town, in
fact of any community may it be small or large. Very daunting actually, not easy to achieve
and definitely indescribable by Dollars and Cents. Changes are continuously happening in
knowledge and technology and some threaten the balance and others restore it. Human traits
such as greed and anger can threaten the balance as well and helping others reaching
beyond your own comfort zone can restore it.
The Downtown Business Area in Woodburn had been considered an ugly pit by many for
many years. I agree. Woodburn had literally lost its balance or maybe it even had a heart
attack. The Downtown Area is slowly but surely changing. The DDP from 1998 was a big and
humongous leap into helping that part of town to recuperate. Townspeople apparently worked
long and hard for it and now 10 years later the effort starts paying off. I don't know if
antioxidants or eating fiber and taking 30 minute walks were involved but it is creating
positive changes from the inside out. The DDP of 2009 is supposed to follow into the
footsteps of its ancestor and eventually replace it. However, being a trained and seasoned
engineer and being used to systems analysis I see a flaw in it.
Good people can make good decision but if those decisions are based on the wrong facts the
outcome will be undesirable and a waste of time and human resources. As a typical way of
dealing with today's complex structures outsourcing has become a fashionable problem-
solving technique.
DDP2009 as a project itself was littered with problems. The first consultant went bankrupt
and the second consultant has no experience with small towns and remotely designed a new
"Old Town", suddenly engulfing large portions of town like cancer takes over a body. The next
generation of Telecommuters had arrived in Woodburn.
There also was a shift change in key City staff as well as affected residents and I trust that
you can see the flaw by now as well. If this plan gets instated as suggested unsolicited
zoning changes will take place in new areas based on scientific facts from Boise, Portland,
Seattle and Phoenix? Why not insights from Canby, Newberg and other US towns of our
size?
It took 10 years to get Front Street a new look with sidewalks, trees, flower pots and those
wildly debated "traffic calming devices". There is a federal program available called the Main
Street Program which sounds very much suited for the situation. Woodburn apparently is not
the only small town in the United States that had a heart attack. Reports of successes are
positive. Ask Tom Fox from the Oregon Economic Development Department. Or better ask
Sheri Stuart, the Administrator of the Oregon Main Street Program. If one doctor says "you
have a heart attack and if you don't take this new drug you will get a stroke as well", I'd say
"Get a second opinion!"
I plead with you from the bottom of my heart to keep executing on DDP1998. To fulfill your
obligation to the sponsor I suggest adopting DDP2009 yet excluding Zone B and E to keep
some of the good suggestions until the next update is due in 5 years or until a high quality
solution is found (whichever comes first) and that will help grow Oregon's economy. If then
mixed-use 100 feet tall buildings turn out to be the best thing since sliced bread for Woodburn
so be it.
The Main Street Program includes Historic Preservation when developing Downtown
Commercial Districts and they report a cumulative effect since 1980 of 48.8 Billion Dollars in
public and private investment, of 87,850 new businesses created of 391,050 net new
jobs created and of 206,600 building rehabilitations. The reinvestment ratio averages 25
Dollars to 1 Main Street Program Dollar invested by the community. Can the consultant and
planning commission match that portfolio?
I personally like the small town atmosphere of Woodburn. I like shopping locally and want to
do more of it and I want to see townsfolk making a living locally. I like knowing my neighbors.
1 like walking the streets with my dog. I like the mature trees. I like chatting with folks walking
by my house. I like the activities in town and I obviously like the Historic Parts even though
the Downtown Business Area really needs a pacemaker. Am I alone in this? Could there be
other townsfolk that value the same? I think so. Are you one of them? How about that elbow
grease; what's wrong with solving the issues within the townsfolk, outsource technical
services, research and mediation? Please, let's get a second opinion. Adopt DDP2009
excluding Zone B (Gateway District) and Zone E (Young Street Corridor).
Respectfully,
Dagmar Kinne
586 Grant Street
Woodburn, OR 97071
The Effects of Train Noise and Vibration
in re ards to the 2009 Woodburn Downtown Development Plan
~~:~
i
White Paper by Dagmar Kinne
586 Grant Street
Woodburn, OR
Page 1 of 6
,~_ .,:
,:-;:
Effects of Noise and Vibration in regards to the Woodburn Downtown Development Plan 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... 2
1. SCOPE OF THIS DOCUMENT .........................................................................................2
2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................2
3. ABBREVIATIONS/DEFINITIONS .....................................................................................3
4. TRAIN NOISE AND VIBRATION ......................................................................................3
4.1 NOISE ............................................................................................................................4
4.1 VIBRATION ....................................................................................................................6
5. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................6
1. SCOPE OF THIS DOCUMENT
To analyze the effects of the active railroad track in regards to the Woodburn Downtown
Development Plan 2009. Land use is planned to be predominantly mixed use of commercial
and high density housing.
2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS
EPA - US Environmental Protection Noise Control Act 1972 and Quiet Communities Act
Agency 1978
EPA - US Environmental Protection Community Noise Assessment Manual -Acoustical
Agency -Office of Noise Abatement survey of a community
and Control; EPA 550/9-81-417
EPA - N-96-01 II A-164 Community Noise Assessment Manual -Social Survey
Workbook
EPA - N-96-01 II A-168 Strategy Guideline for developing a Community Noise
Control Pro ram
DoT -Federal Railroad Q&A Train Horn noise
Administration (FRA)
DoT -Federal Railroad General Health Effects of General Transportation
Administration (FRA) Noise
Title 49 CFR 210 Railroad Noise Emission Compliance
Oregon Department of Land An Introductory Guide to Land Use Planning for Small
Conservation and Development Cities and Counties in Oregon
(DECD)
Keith Bartholomew for the Federal Integrating Land Use Issues into Transportation
Hi hwa Administration Plannin :Scenario Plannin
Keith Bartholomew Land-use transportation Scenario Planning: Promise
and Realit
Getzner Werkstoffe Resilient beddin of buildin s (Brochure)
Sound Fighter Systems Absorptive versus reflective design and its
effectiveness. (Brochure)
Woodburn Historic Neighborhoods Association Page 2 of 6
Effects of Noise and Vibration in regards to the Woodburn Downtown Development Plan 2009
3. ABBREVIATIONS/DEFINITIONS
dBA The A-weighted Sound Level (dBA) describes the noise at any moment
in time
Lmax The Maximum Sound Level (Lmax) is the loudest part of a single noise
event
SEL The Sound Exposure Level (SEL) describes the cumulative noise
exposure from a single noise event for its entire duration. In calculating
SEL the noise exposure is normalized to a time duration of one second
so that different noise events can be compared in terms of their sound
ener
Leq (h) The Hourly Equivalent Sound Level (Leq (h)) describes the cumulative
noise exposure from all events over cone-hour period
Ldn The Day-Night Sound Level (Ldn) describes the cumulative noise
exposure from all events over a full 24-hour period, with events
occurring between 10 pm and 7 am increased by 10 dB to account for
greater nighttime sensitivity to noise. Ldn is the descriptor most
common) emplo ed in environmental noise assessments
VIRT Vibration induced b runnin trains. ISO 2631-2 (Noise and vibration)
4. TRAIN NOISE AND VIBRATION
The Woodburn train track parallels Front Street.
There are 6 train track crossings in Downtown Woodburn at the following roads:
Hardcastle, Fertilizer Company, Lincoln, Garfield/Young, Cleveland, Boones Ferry
Following Trains travel through Woodburn:
Passenger (AMTRAK)
Freight (Southern Pacific, Northern Burlington etc.)
Trains coming through Woodburn average about 20 per day. There is no train stop in
Woodburn. Some parallel tracks are along the Front Street area for maneuvering and
accessing the Fertilizer Company and others down Cleveland and Hwy99.
Woodburn Historic Neighborhoods Association Page 3 of 6
Effects of Noise and Vibration in regards to the Woodburn Downtown Development Plan 2009
4.1 NOISE
Sound waves travel in direct line-of-sight from the emitter. When sound hits an obstacle it
splits 3 ways. First, it gets absorbed in the object (receiver); second, it gets transmitted
through the object; third, it gets reflected/deflected.
There are many factors that play a role in sound transmission. Outside Air Temperature,
Humidity, surface roughness of the object, the material of the object to just name a few.
Reflected/deflected noise can travel in unexpected ways based on these variances.
Due to the 2006 Law of alerting the public of an approaching train the pilot is required to
sound the horn for each crossing where the noise levels can reach between 90 and 110 dBA
according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) website data. Using their (FRA)
model each railroad crossing area has a calculated noise impact zone as shown below.
Because the train track crossings are close together in Woodburn it can be safely assumed
that the noise propagates at high levels (>90dBA) 1000 feet in either direction during the
entire time a train passes along Front Street.
Impact Zones
20oa
1500
1000 ~. , .,~, ,
..
.. \~. .
~ :;, ~.
-- 5oa ~~ .,,. ~.,.::
~,
V
~ 0
'" X00 ~ .\ ° ,.. ,~.~~„~ ,.,..... ° ,:, `,'\'
-1000
-1500
-2000
Distance eft)
Woodburn Historic Neighborhoods Association Page 4 of 6
Effects of Noise and Vibration in regards to the Woodburn Downtown Development Plan 2009
Various agencies have done studies on the health effects of noise such as EPA, OSHA,
WHO, HUD, Airforce and Army and given recommendations for noise exposure. HUD is the
only organization that provided apass/fail number for qualifying their programs.
The physiological effects of noise can reach from hearing impairment to sleep disturbance to
muscular reflexes due to noise and cardiovascular disorders for long term exposure.
The psychological effects of noise on a human have been evaluated and reported from mild
to severe annoyance to mental illness.
Organization Noise Level Comments
EPA <55dB outdoors No more than 70dB to prevent
<45dB indoors hearin loss
WHO <35dBA for sleep Residential recommendation
<50dBA da ime
OSHA 90dB for 8 hrs Daily permissible noise exposure
100 dB for 2 hrs in work environment
HUD <65dBA acceptable Residential guidelines for
>75dBa unacceptable qualif in for HUD mone
New buildings can be designed for and equipped with the appropriate dampening and
absorbing materials to lessen the impact. Noise dampening panels and barriers can be
added.
However, there is the possibility that the reflective noise will travel further into the Woodburn
residential area than before, if structures are higher than the current structures. A noise
impact assessment study needs to be performed to determine the effects.
There are several mathematical models that are currently in use to simulate the noise effects
as well as the vibration effects. These can be used to predict the noise on empty space.
With existing neighborhoods it requires measuring the noise carefully and mapping the area
to determine the noise propagation throughout town in our case on either side of the tracks.
Woodburn Historic Neighborhoods Association Page 5 of 6
Effects of Noise and Vibration in regards to the Woodburn Downtown Development Plan 2009
4.1 VIBRATION
The smoother the rail system (track and wheels and brakes) the less vibration it induces.
Vibrations are commonly dealt with in new construction by uncoupling the building from the
ground.
.I.~.~.~.i..~-~ >~s ~ 3~~;
'r ~ : ' '¢
:e .~. ~ ,,.,s, .,., i
`~~ ~ 'y
i `
.~
a:. / -~
~ ,,, --- ~
f ~~
rt
~~
The range of the various trains' frequencies must be carefully measured and understood so
that the natural frequency can be calculated and isolated effectively.
For example, I can feel and hear the upstairs of my house shaking when a train passes by
and I am 5 blocks away. Not every train has the excitation frequency to get my house going
but there are several in the middle of the night that are just having the right weight and
lengths and resulting frequency to rattle all my upstairs doors as well as vibrate the floor
similar to an earthquake. Several cracks have been forming in the upstairs plaster walls
during the last year.
When my house was built in 1901 there were no considerations in regards to noise and
vibration and back then trains with large amount of carriages and 3-5 engines at speeds
higher than 20 miles per hour were not even heard of. It can be assumed that this applies to
all houses built around the turn of the century on either side of the tracks.
5. CONCLUSION
Any planned land use on either side of the tracks requires special consideration to avoid long
term negative health effects on new or long time residents of the Downtown Woodburn Area.
Woodburn Historic Neighborhoods Association Page 6 of 6