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Minutes - 09/20/2004 Workshop COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING Tape 1 - Side A ill DATE. COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, CITY OF WOODBURN, COUNTY OF MARION, STATE OF OREGON, SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 CONVENED. Council President Sifuentez convened the work session at 6:35 p.m. for the purpose of meeting with the Planning Commission for a presentation on proposed changes to the d' raft Transportation System Plan. ROLL CALL. Mayor Councilor Councilor Councilor Councilor Councilor Councilor Figley Bjelland Cox Lonergan McCallum Nichols Sifuentez Present (approx 6:47 pm) Present Present Present Present (approx 6:50 pm) Present Present Planning Commission Members Present: Ellen Bande10w, Patti Griegorieff, Dick Knowles, Royce Young (6:40 pm), David Vancil (6:50 pm) Staff Present: City Administrator Brown, Community Development Director Mulder, Public Works Director Tiwari, Public Works Manager Rohman, City Recorder Tennant Consultants: Steve Perone, CH2M Hill; Julia Kuhn, Kittleson & Associates Also present: Terry Cole, ODOT ; Greg Winterowd, Winterbrook Planning 2.1 Director Mulder stated that the purpose of this work session was to provide the Council and Planning Commission with a revised draft Transportation System Plan (TSP) based on issues discussed at the previous work session. Included in the materials provided for this meeting is a memo from Steve Perone, CH2M Hill, which is an overview of the TSP update and responses to issues brought up at the June 7,2004 work session, and (2) a draft interchange overlay district which is a new element of the TSP. 4.0 Steve Perone reviewed the materials to be presented at this work session with a goal for this meeting being direction on appropriate plan revisions and working with City staff to develop a document that can be presented during a public hearing process. He stated that the TSP is one element of the periodic review process which the City is currently undertaking. The TSP establishes a 20-year plan to meet the overall needs of the City including transit, pedestrian systems, bicycle systems, and railway systems. The TSP is implemented through project development planning. The current plan was completed in 1996 and most of the recommendations are the same except for the 1-5/Hwy 214 Page I - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20, 2004 I r COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING interchange along with a refinement plan and environmental assessment is being done to support the urban growth boundary expansion proposal. As part of the draft TSP, a new Interchange Area Management Plan is being proposed to address long term capacity of the interchange with Highway 214. He reviewed the process followed in developing the draft plan which included the formation of a Technical Advisory Committee (City staff, consultants, ODOT staff, County staff, LCDC staff) to provide guidance on revisions to the plan. Public involvement began in January 2004 with another meeting held during the summer with residents of Senior Estates to obtain some additional input on the draft plan. He reviewed the similarities and differences between the current and draft plan. It was noted that the assumptions in the plan reflect what is currently being planned for 1-5 and Oregon Highway 214. Street standards would be reduced from 9 to 6 classifications for roadways and street right of way standards would be minimized. The functional classification system defined in the draft plan at the arterial level reflects only one difference which is designating Evergreen Road as a minor arterial rather than a collector street in the current plan. In regards to street standards and cross sections, the key recommendations in the plan call for adding left turns for safety, allowing for additional capacity in the system, and the need to provide for appropriate facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians. At the previous meeting, some discussion was held regarding Settlemier Avenue which is a tree-lined street in a residential area which carries a designation as a minor arterial. In the future, this would mean that it is anticipated that Settlemier A venue would carry almost an equivalent amount of traffic as Highway 214 is currently carrying. With that level of traffic volume and by not upgrading the facility standards present limited opportunities for north/south traffic flow which is why the draft plan recommends that the facility over a 20-year period be improved to handle the level of traffic being designated for it. He reminded the members present that reassigning the designation of a street is not going to change the demand for use of that street and street improvements in other areas of the City will help to reduce the demand for use of a particular street. Commissioner Vancil expressed concern regarding the number of variances issued monthly to change the established standards which is going against the City's planning goals. At the last meeting, discussion was held regarding the need to have a traffic street alternative to Settlemier since they did not want to destroy one of the most picturesque streets in the City. He emphasized that this 20-year plan needs to provide motorists with a different way to get from Highway 214 to Front Street in the downtown area without ruining a neighborhood filled with historic homes ifno alternative route is provided. Mayor Figley appreciated the comments made by Commissioner Vancil which also pertain to Young Street and Garfield Street and she would like to see (1) the final document to include an area that recognizes certain categories of streets that, at this time, has no public demand or active public opposition to widening the street and there is no capacity reason for widening the street; and (2) improvements to Front Street from Highway 214 south and the southeast quadrant improvements to the 1-5 interchange area Page 2 - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20,2004 "IIr T COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING which will take the pressure off of Settlemier Avenue. Mr. Perone stated that the plan does not propose any different designation for Settlemier A venue that is already in place, however, some policy language may be beneficial that would try to look at solutions at the project development stage. This would provide staff with guidelines as to what feasible type of treatments can be made to preserve the values around Settlemier Avenue that already exist. SideB Commissioner Bandelow expressed her concern that Settlemier Avenue is in danger of losing its historic value if something is not done at this time and a policy should address the historical areas specifically. Public Works Manager Rohman stated that motorists have limited travel choices going north and south until such time as other areas of the City experience growth and new streets are constructed to reduce the traffic volume on Settlemier A venue. Discussion was held regarding the 20-year plan and the impact it will have on decisions made by the Planning Commission and Council since it does propose traffic improvement areas throughout the City. It was noted that the first priority in adopting an updated plan is to allow the rest of the interchange and Highway 214 planning to move forward with the County and State procedures to make improvements in this area. Councilor Cox expressed his concern that with the adoption of a 20-year plan the City will be legally committed to implement the plan over time and future development applications must be consistent with the adopted plan. He feels that it is a mistake to adopt elements of a plan that are not consistent with what you do not want to happen or cannot as a practical matter make happen. He felt that the plan should only include those things that can be done even if the money is not available at this time but can be done by the end of the 20-year planning period. He was not if favor of inserting policy language that would take away from the adopted plan. 11.3 Terry Cole, ODOT, stated that the plan would pursue a core preservation policy for Settlemier Avenue which would eliminate any future improvements other than minor operational improvements that would not encroach upon historical properties or adversely affect the character of the area. He did not feel that this type of policy approach would be ambiguous to the plan and felt that this is the only area that would be at risk of being such an attractive route. Another thing that can be done to support this approach would be to have new neighborhood street connectivity policies in place so that new neighborhoods do not become dead end streets. Councilor Bjelland felt that preserving the characteristics of Settlemier but making sure that some minor improvements are allowed to increase capacity makes sense to him, however, the City needs to concentrate on making sure that a situation does not occur whereby there are only two north/south roadways other than Highway 99E within the City. Page 3 - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20,2004 '1f T COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING Commissioner Vancil expressed concern with the draft plan not addressing traffic route alternatives flowing north/south other the major roadways already in place or future streets such as the south by-pass, Crosby Road, and Evergreen Road to Parr Road. He did not feel that the draft plan would take the pressure off of Settlemier Avenue. Administrator Brown also questioned as to why the draft plan does not provide for another conceptual north/south roadway. He also suggested that in creating a conservation area, the downtown area, along with the corridors, be included since there will be some urban renewal done that will create circulation changes in the downtown area. Greg Winterowd stated that strong policy language regarding connectivity will generate less complaints from neighborhoods when a new development is proposed. He suggested that a neighborhood collector will take some of the pressure off of Settlemier Avenue. Discussion was held regarding connectivity issues and it was a consensus of the group that alternatives be evaluated to provide a link to Parr Road using Cascade Drive. Tape 2 Mr. Perone continued with his presentation on the draft plan. He stated that the City does have some funding mechanisms in place such as the gas tax and traffic impact fees that will generate some dollars towards improvements. The level of service standards for State facilities is the Oregon Highway Plan which guides the mobility standards measuring the performance of roadway segments and intersections. The current City standard "E" is lower than the State standard but that is not uncommon for cities due to costs for improvements. He stated that new streets constructed will provide increased traffic capacity and improve connectivity within the City. The State planning rule mandates that a balanced transportation system is required to try and reduce the reliance on motor vehicle. Therefore, pedestrian and bicycle improvements are needed to meet the state planning goal. Administrator Brown questioned if the Transportation Planning Rule gives specific standards that need to be addressed in the City's plan. Mr. Perone stated that there are thresholds as to when a bike lane needs to be installed based on traffic volume and the State provides a guideline rather than a specific rule. Discussion was held on the issue of bike lanes and more specific information on the how the State guidelines, if used by the City, would apply when streets are improved. 18.0 Greg Winterowd stated that the Interchange Management Area (IMA) Overlay District is not found in most places in Oregon but key issues that have come before the City is (1) how to preserve the capacity of the 1-5 interchange area since it is the only one that the City will have for many years, (2) direct acce.ss to 1-5 is a key economic advantage which needs to be protected, and (3) public investment dollars need to be used efficiently. Both the Oregon Transportation Commission and Land Conservation & Development Commission must approve all of the work being done by the City relating to economic Page 4 - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20,2004 "'!It '...' COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING development and they will both look at how the City is managing the interchange capacity. The area being included in this district has a cross section of commercial, industrial, and high density residential that is being planned near the interchange. Commercial and industrial land is harder to predict as to how much traffic would be generated if it is developed which is why this type of district is being proposed. It was noted that this proposal will be reviewed in more depth with the Planning Commission and Council along with the general public and state agencies before a final district is submitted to the Council for adoption. As part of the design review process, Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures will be evaluated in an effort to get the developer to think about how they can reduce actual traffic demand. This district would also give priority to targeted basic employment that is within the Economic Opportunity Analysis. Lastly, this district would discourage development with unexpectedly high peak hour traffic volumes and the developer would be required to look at TDM measures in order to reduce the traffic level during peak hours so that they can develop at that location. He reiterated that the burden is placed on the developer and traffic engineers to come up with ways of reducing traffic so that their development can be approved based on traffic generation. The IMA Overlay District will establish a district wide vehicle trip budget on vacant land that is based on how much traffic is assumed to occur over the next 20 years as the district develops. The district then will establish a site-specific budget and will provide for a special review process for commercial and industrial uses that exceed site-specific budget. It will also prohibit new development that will exceed the district wide budget. Lengthy discussion was held on this proposed district and the options available to the City to regulate growth within the interchange district that will impact the 1-5 interchange area. 20.5 Councilor Cox felt that the proposed IMA Overlay District is a good concept that needs to be pursued by the City. It was noted that the IMA Overlay District would be adopted by ordinance and the City would be required to follow the ordinance provisions but it would also have some flexibility for developers to look at alternative ways to reduce traffic impact. Mr. Winterowd stated that adoption of a IMA Overlay District will help the City by preserving capacity for industrial development and the City will not be held accountable for the traffic that occurs outside of the area. He also felt that the district wide budget is large enough so that it will not be reached until the latter years of the 20-year plan if it is even reached at all. Of more concern and careful thought by the City involves the site- specific budget since that is an educated guess about probable traffic generation for each site that is in that area. The review process does not restrict residential uses but monitors how much traffic is actually generated. Commercial and industrial uses would fall into the review process if the site specific budget would be exceeded for the parcel under the ordinance provisions. If in fact the district wide budget is exceeded before the end of the Page 5 - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20, 2004 m , COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING 20-year period, the City would be obligated to deny the application or figure out a way to accommodate by changing the City's TSP to build new facilities and/or instituting more management measures in a way to reduce those numbers. The Planning Commission and Council have flexibility to approve a development if an allowed use exceeds the site specific budget. The development could be permitted as a conditional use if the proposed development is on the targeted employers list as defined in the Economic Opportunities Analysis and a good faith effort to do transportation demand management, or ifnot on the targeted employers list and listed as a permitted use in the underlying zone and have adopted TDM measures which gets the trip generation down below the budget, then the City can impose conditions of approval. Under this ordinance, the City is obligated to inform ODOT when 1/3 of the district wide budget is used and again when 2/3 of the district wide budget is used. There is also a requirement that traffic impact studies meet the City's standards and ODOT standards. Once a development is approved and operational, the City would enter into an intergovernmental agreement with ODOT on how to monitor the trip generation since ODOT is worried about the interchange, and the City will have the ability to adjust the trip budget over time based on actual use. In the event a development exceeds the trip budget they were originally allocated, the business would be in violation of their condition of approval and the City could either shut down the business or require business changes that will reduce the peak hour trip generation. The ordinance could also include assessments for covering costs of a monitoring expense and the developer could also be asked to pay for the City's cost in having the review. Additionally, the traffic impact fee could be re-assessed if the trip generation exceeded the number originally allowed since there is a violation of the TDM. 28.0 Councilor Bjelland expressed his opinion that conceptually this is a very good approach for the City to take and an access management plan will be a key ingredient in getting any approval of commitment in regards to funding for interchange improvements. He also felt that the key will be in the details ofthis plan as it relates to assignment of trip budgets to the specific parts of the commercial and industrial land, and allocation of zoning within the district between commercial and industrial as well as the proportion that is allocated to residential. Side B In regards to golf carts, Steve Perone stated that the draft plan will remove the golf cart element of the designation. Councilor Cox questioned if another workshop will be held before the plan is finalized. Community Development Director stated that Settlemier A venue will continue to be addressed by the consultants and staff, and more detailed information will be made available on the IMA Overlay District and the intergovernmental agreement that would complement the district. Page 6 - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20, 2004 ''!Ir' .' COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 TAPE READING Counci lor Cox stated that he would also like to further discuss the extension of Evergreen Road across to the north of Highway 214 and the looping of that roadway to Country Club Road. It was noted that this looping was developed as a result of the Interchange Management Plan and the 1-5 interchange environmental assessment. 8.0 Councilor Cox stated that he would put his concerns regarding sidewalks into a memo and circulate it to staff for review. Commissioner Vancil stated that another issue that has not been addressed is the back-up of traffic on Highway 214 traveling west towards 1-5 and the need to discuss this issue in more depth so that the draft plan will address short term needs to improve traffic flow in addition to the long term needs. Administrator Brown stated that the City may need to take a closer look at the Capital Improvement Program to address the short term needs. 12.0 The workshop concluded at 9:05 p.m.. /" ATTEST Mary T e ant, Recorder City of Woodburn, Oregon Page 7 - Council Work Session Minutes, September 20, 2004 'lit!"