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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMinutes - 11/17/04 WS MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room--Eugene City Hall November 17, 2004 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bonny Bettman, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, David Kelly, Betty Taylor, Gary Papd, Jennifer Solomon. COUNCILORS ABSENT: George Poling. As Mayor James D. Torrey had not yet arrived, Council President Bonny Bettman called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. Mayor Torrey arrived. A. WORK SESSION: Statewide Freight Route Analysis Project As City Manager Dennis Taylor had not yet arrived, Assistant City Manager Jim Carlson introduced the item, noting that the council was holding the work session prior to providing comments on the project to the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). Ms. Solomon arrived. Chris Henry of the Public Works Department introduced Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) staff members Anna Russo and Robin Washburn, who were present to discuss the State's freight route designation process. He reported that in the Eugene-Springfield area, new freight route designations were proposed for the Beltline Highway, Highway 99 north of Beltline, and Highway 126 to the west of Beltline. The effect on the Eugene street system would be a higher standard for mobility to reduce congestion on those routes. The designation could affect land development reviews, facility design, and access approach permits. Mr. Henry noted that at the request of the Metropolitan Policy Committee, the OTC had extended the comment period for the project to January 7, 2005. He said that the Lane Board of County Commissioners had also considered the issue and had corresponded with the OTC about several issues related to the designations in Lane County. Ms. Russo and Mr. Washburn provided a PowerPoint presentation on the Freight Route Analysis Project. The presentation provided information on the analysis' origin as a result of a review of Oregon Highway Plan Policy lB, the scope of the analysis, and who was involved. Ms. Russo briefly overviewed the process used to develop the final analysis. She called attention to the timeline for the project, included in the meeting packet. Mr. Washburn called attention to the significance of the freight route designation with regard to highway MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 1 Work Session segment designations, mobility standards, highway design, and funding. Mr. Washburn shared a map showing the various recommended freight route designations in Oregon. He noted that the recommendations, if adopted by the OTC, would result in an additional 919 miles of highway designated as freight routes. Ms. Russo concluded the presentation by encouraging the council and public to offer comment on the analysis to the OTC. Mayor Torrey solicited council questions and comments. Ms. Taylor asked if a community's opposition to a freight route designation would be sufficient to stop a highway from receiving the designation, citing the McKenzie Highway as an example where such opposition existed. Ms. Russo assured Ms. Taylor that public comment would influence the OTC's decisions and possibly result in changes to the recommendations. Ms. Taylor observed that West 11th Avenue (Highway 126) was already heavily congested, and it seemed the designation could worsen the situation. Ms. Russo said that was true of many highways in many places around Oregon, particularly in urban areas. She believed that in terms of tonnage and volume of trucks, the highway met the threshold criteria for the designation. Ms. Taylor inquired as to the purpose of the analysis; was it to help truckers? Ms. Russo said that a designation was partly a line on a map but it was accompanied by policies. The policies directed ODOT to manage such roadways in certain ways. That was the main reason for the designation. Mr. Washburn added that a primary purpose of the designation was to recognize the importance of the highway as a facility for carrying freight. When a project was proposed, such as an intersection project, freight concerns would be taken into consideration, along with other considerations related to local needs. He said that it was simply recognition of what existed. Ms. Bettman asked Mr. Henry, a member of the local interjurisdictional Transportation Planning Commit- tee, to discuss the committee's examination of the subject. Mr. Henry said that the committee discussed the issue but had not yet reached a recommendation. Staff had raised concerns about the potential impact of the designation on interchange spacing, whether projects such as intersection improvements could actually be constructed meeting the higher mobility standards, and the impact on the system from an access management perspective, primarily with regard to West 11th Avenue. Ms. Bettman requested the committee's recommendations in memorandum form so the council could discuss them if it wished. Ms. Bettman said that the designation might give more weight to improvements in the designated corridor. The consequences of the designation could be good in terms of improving mobility in a corridor. With regard to access issues, she suggested that those would be of more concern on routes containing lots of residents and small businesses than on routes such as Beltline. She thought the designation could have benefits for one section of a corridor and downsides for another section, depending on how it was currently developed. Ms. Bettman questioned the impact of the designation on the funding or status of other projects in the Regional Transportation Plan. Speaking to the issue of access management, Mr. Henry said that the ODOT staff report was rather vague in MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 2 Work Session that area. Staff had the same questions as Ms. Bettman, and would be asking ODOT for responses to those questions before forwarding a recommendation to the elected officials. Ms. Russo agreed that the designation would have an impact on access management, although she could not say precisely what that impact would be. Speaking to the issue of funding, Ms. Russo said that State law required that ODOT give priority to projects that assist with freight mobility. She said funding was limited and doubted there would be enough funding to give priority to all routes designated for freight. Mr. Washburn said that the designation could add points to a project when competing for funds. Mr. Pap6 asked if the State ever removed the designation from a highway. Ms. Russo said that the designation was only recently created and the State was revisiting it for the first time. She anticipated that the designation could be removed if a highway did not continue to meet the criteria. Responding to a question from Mr. Pap6 about the nature of the council's comments, Ms. Russo suggested that the council could comment as a body and as individuals. Ms. Nathanson observed that one way to increase mobility was to limit access, such as through limiting driveways. She said that in other cities and in other states she had noticed a great deal more use of internal circulation systems, such as frontage roads. She asked what the State was doing to encourage cities to figure out better internal circulation systems, which would help with the State's mobility concerns. She acknowledged the amount of right-of-way needed for such systems, which could be a problem. Ms. Nathanson said many people living in cities used State and federal highways to commute to work and to carry out errands. She asked if that was likely to change over time or if it would continue to be a problem because of a lack of funding. City Manager Taylor arrived. Ms. Nathanson expressed concern that a more rigorous review of land use applications would require the City to say "no" to everything because of opposition from both residents and ODOT. Mr. Meisner shared Ms. Nathanson's concern about the connection between land use and the freight route designation. He expressed interest in what had not been proposed for designation, noting that there had been considerable discussion over the years regarding the need to improve West 11th Avenue west of Beltline and Beltline as a means of connecting western Lane County to Interstate 5. He acknowledged the bottlenecks that existed on those routes now. Mr. Meisner asked whether funding for other projects in that area of the city would be affected if West 11th Avenue to Beltline was designated as a freight route. Ms. Russo did not know. She said that freight was one consideration in prioritization, but she did not know what other projects would be competing for funds. Mr. Meisner asked if it was likely that, once routes were redesignated, ODOT would become more stringent about designating truck routes. He asked if, for example, once routes were redesignated as freight routes, it would be possible to also make them truck routes and remove the truck route designation from West 11th Avenue east of Beltline or 6th and 7th avenues running through downtown. Ms. Russo thought that approach could be explored. Mr. Washburn noted that a recent court decision allowed municipalities to designate truck routes and remove trucks from their main streets. ODOT would be examining that issue soon, and he anticipated that a procedure would be established to ensure such changes were done safely. Ms. Russo clarified that the court decision allowed the State the ability to grant such authority to a city. She antici- MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 3 Work Session pated ODOT would soon be doing some rule-making for that process. Mr. Kelly believed that because of the mobility and land use issues, it was important for the council to comment on the analysis. He determined from Ms. Russo that local governments would not be involved in approving freight route designations. Mr. Kelly expressed concern about the potential impact of the designation to the access that businesses located in the community's industrial area needed to have, and asked ODOT and City staff to consider the concerns expressed by the council in that regard. He said that access management could work, but it needed to be accomplished through a cooperative planning process between ODOT and the City. Mayor Torrey believed that the OTC did the right thing in focusing on the issue given the importance of freight to Oregon and its communities. Speaking to the comments of Mr. Meisner, Mayor Torrey said that the lack of a truck route designation would not preclude trucks from using a particular road. Truckers would choose the best possible route to their destination and use it. Mayor Torrey expressed concern about the designation of the Beltline Highway because of the difficulty of access at the intersection of the highway and West 11th Avenue. He supported the designation of West 11th Avenue because of the congestion that currently existed there, and the need for improvements. He thought the designation's added points would help secure funding for such improvements. Mayor Torrey asked if the freight route designation could be used as a limitation on development because West 11th Avenue had not been upgraded. Ms. Russo did not know. Tom Boyatt, Area 5 planner for ODOT, indicated that the designation would have no impact on lands already planned and zoned. The designation could come up during a plan amendment or zone change. He noted that ODOT had already done improvements on the section of West 11th Avenue ending at Terry Street, and was working to consolidate driveways. Congestion levels on that roadway were not as severe as those on Beltline Highway to the east. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Pap~, moved to direct the City Manager to return to the City Council at the earliest possible date with a staff recommendation on the proposed freight route designations for review and forwarding to the OTC, ODOT, and the Freight Route Analysis Project Committee. Ms. Bettman believed the City Council needed an opportunity to take a position on the analysis. She was also concerned about the access issue, and called for the establishment of a process that involved local governments in such decisions. Ms. Bettman suggested the council consider applying to the State for status as a Special Transportation Area (STA) or Urban Business Area (UBA). She thought some opportunities existed. Mr. Henry noted that the City had STAs designated on 6th/7th avenues between Washington and Lincoln streets. Ms. Bettman indicated interest in hearing more about the subject. Mr. Pap~ asked if the State's actions had Ballot Measure 37 implications and, if so, who would pay. Mr. Klein did not know if there were Ballot Measure 37 implications or who would pay. The State and local governments were in discussion about how to address claims that involved State or local liability or a combination of the two. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 4 Work Session The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. B. WORK SESSION: Grade-Separated Ramp Connections for the I-5/Willamette River Bridge City Engineer Mark Schoening joined the council for the item. He noted that Lane County Area Manager Bob Pirrie, Mr. Boyatt, Project Leader Ann Sanders, and Project Environmental Manager Susan Vickers of ODOT were also present for the item. Mr. Schoening referred to the planned Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge replacement project and the proposal made by Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken and Mayor Torrey to include ramp connections from Franklin Boulevard. He said that in such projects, ODOT had an expecta- tion of local resources from local governments for transportation system planning and engineering support. ODOT would do most of the technical work needed to implement the project. The City's Public Works Department had some flexibility to adjust its work plan to shift the project to a higher priority and the Planning Division had some funding to address emerging issues. Mr. Schoening noted the letter provided to the council from ODOT Planning Manager Jack Lee to mayors Torrey and Leiken. The letter was to clarify ODOT's commitment to consider grade-separated ramp connections between the planned 1-5 replacement bridge and Franklin Boulevard. Mr. Pirrie emphasized ODOT's directive to complete land use planning for projects prior to engaging in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. He offered several examples of ODOT projects that implemented the directive. Mr. Boyatt added that ODOT had experienced challenges back loading land use and planning at the end of a NEPA process. The directive ensured that ODOT had a technically legitimate project from a transportation system operations standpoint. All environmental red flags were identified in the process, and ODOT ensured that it had local support for the project prior to making the investment in the technical project development phase. Mr. Boyatt distributed the first two pages of a work order contract for the 1-5 Willamette River Crossing developed by ODOT in consultation with its consultant, CH2M Hill, to ensure the systems planning work was addressed to demonstrate how the process worked. Mr. Boyatt acknowledged the commitment made by ODOT to the local community in regard to the project. He said that ODOT had moved the project to the ~front burner" and had managed to identify about $180,000 in available funding to spend between now and June 30, 2005, with another $200,000 proposed for the upcoming biennium to complete the work needed. He said that ODOT needed the elected and appointed officials as well as local staff to be %n board" for the project. Mayor Torrey solicited questions. Ms. Bettman said she would like to see a price tag for the local systems planning effort. She endorsed ODOT's decision to complete land use and planning prior to going through the NEPA process. She asked what the City's public involvement process for the project would look like and how it would be funded. Ms. Bettman wanted to see a proposal come back in a form the council could endorse. Ms. Bettman asked if separated grade connections referred to flyovers. Mr. Pirrie said that could be an alternative considered. Responding to a question from Ms. Bettman, City Manager Taylor indicated the council would have several opportunities to discuss the project. Mr. Kelly was supportive of the concept of a full interchange at the location in question. However, he was MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 5 Work Session concerned by the letter from Mr. Lee because it lacked detail about the public process envisioned during the ';non-NEPA" phase of the project. Mr. Kelly recommended the use of a stakeholders group similar to that used for the Beltline/I-5 project to ensure a project design that worked from a transportation standpoint and was accepted by the public. He thought that a ;'united front" would help to secure funding for the project. He encouraged ODOT staff to provide details to the council in the near future about the nature of the first phase of public involvement. Mr. Kelly noted that the Laurel Hill Valley Citizens were promised by Dean Fuller of ODOT in May 2003 that a stakeholders group that included Laurel Hill representation would be formed in regard to the permanent replacement bridge. He said the Fairmount Neighbors were also concerned about the need for early public involvement. Mr. Meisner noted the long-time interest on the part of many residents in a full interchange at the location in question, but they did not know how to get one. The failure of the bridge was good news in that it presented ODOT and the community with an opportunity to see how the bridge could work better for both Eugene and Springfield. He expressed appreciation to ODOT for its willingness to consider a full interchange. Mr. Meisner was interested in knowing more about the City's response to ODOT and stressed the need for Eugene to be a partner in the project. He agreed public involvement was needed. He was concerned about the budgetary impacts of the project and expressed dismay about past council decisions to cut funding for the Planning Division, which would have a role to play in the project. He hoped the City Manager considered the lack of capacity in the division and propose a way to address it in the budget. City Manager Taylor also was pleased to see ODOT's change in approach and the fact that it was not confined to the local area. He acknowledged the budgetary implications of the project and anticipated the City would work with ODOT on how best to meet the timelines, and then staff could consider how to adjust the organization's capacity to meet the need. Ms. Nathanson was pleased to see the planning process start. She wanted an actual project to be the result, not merely a study. She agreed with Mr. Meisner that the subject had been under discussion for years. She said that such an opportunity rarely comes along. The need and interest had existed for some time. Ms. Nathanson expressed concern that beginning system planning so early would result in a situation where people would come in during the middle or at the end of the process and object that they were not involved in earlier discussions and call for the process to begin again. She asked how the City would preclude that from happening. Mr. Boyatt suggested that Ms. Nathanson was talking about how to be successful. He believed there were ways to do that, and it started at the council level. The quicker ODOT could go through the analysis level, the more efficiently it could get through the planning process and to a level of agreement among parties. He agreed that the bridge replacement represented a real opportunity for the community, and ODOT's director recognized that fact. Ms. Nathanson said that while she wanted the project to be completed, she was concerned about the cost. She suggested that ;;quicker was better" in this case because the City would have residents' attention to the solutions recommended. Mr. Pap6 thanked ODOT staff for the presentation. Mr. Pap6 concurred with the remarks of other councilors in regard to the change in ODOT's approach. He suggested that Eugene work with Lane County and Springfield to divide the needed work and develop and MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 6 Work Session fund a public involvement process. He suggested the University of Oregon was also likely to be interested in the project, although he was unsure how it could be involved. Mr. Pap6 also concurred with Ms. Nathanson about the need to move quickly. Mr. Meisner suggested that the Lane Transit District should be involved as well. Mr. Pap6 concurred. Responding to a question from Mr. Pap6, Mr. Boyatt said he did not perceive the temporary bridge as being a constraint to the inclusion of ramps on the replacement structure. Ms. Taylor asked if there were negative aspects to the project. Mr. Boyatt indicated he was approaching the project with an open mind as he believed that negative aspects would be identified through the land use and planning process. Ms. Taylor asked about public involvement. Mr. Boyatt said it was central to the process. Mr. Pirrie emphasized the collaborative nature of the public involvement process. Fatal flaws could lead to an alternative being discarded. Ms. Taylor asked if ODOT had heard any objections to the project. Mr. Boyatt said that ODOT had a letter from University of Oregon President David Frohnmeyer supporting the project. Ms. Taylor thought the City should know whether the public supported the project before a great deal of money was spent on technical work. Mayor Torrey expressed pleasure that the discussion was occurring. He agreed the bridge replacement was an opportunity that should be taken advantage of. He believed that the ramps needed to be considered now or they would be precluded in the future. Mayor Torrey solicited a second round of council comments and questions. Speaking to Ms. Taylor's comments, Ms. Bettman suggested that community support for the project would depend on how it looked and how it was designed. She believed there were advantages to the project, and believed that ODOT must think there was value to the concept as well or it would not elevate the project's priority. Ms. Bettman noted the lack of mention of Lane County in the materials before the council and suggested the County should be involved. Ms. Bettman said the community did not have the luxury of time as it related to the project. She referred to the letter from Mr. Lee, which indicated it would be necessary to amend the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) financially constrained project list to include the project and the cost. She noted that the RTP would be amended soon, and suggested that the system planning element be placed in the RTP to make it eligible for funding. Tom Schwetz of the Lane Council of Governments indicated that as new STP-U funds were allocated, some could be allocated to the process. Responding to a question from Ms. Bettman about whether the council should direct staff to prepare an amendment to the RTP to include the system planning for the project in the document, Mr. Schoening said that in his discussions with ODOT, it was his understanding that the commitment from the local jurisdictions was in the form of existing staff resources. Most of the work would be done by ODOT's consultant. He said all the STP-U funding available had been allocated for the planning period anticipated for the project. Mr. Kelly reiterated his earlier remarks about the importance of assembling a stakeholders group similar to that used for the Beltline/I-5 project. He said the way to achieve success was to involve everyone early in MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 7 Work Session the process. Mr. Kelly believed the project would only happen if there was enough of a collaborative sense among the various stakeholders that the project was a good thing. City Manager Taylor indicated he would prepare a proposal for the council to consider, based on the input he heard during the discussion. Mayor Torrey solicited a third round of council questions and comments. Ms. Bettman suggested the project was the "quintessential regional planning process." She noted the Beltline/I-5 stakeholders group received outside funding from different sources to complete its work. She did not want to have to adjust City budgets to pay for the process when it could be placed into the RTP and planning money could be solicited for it from other sources. Ms. Bettman wanted to see an amendment to the RTP to accommodate the project. Mayor Torrey adjourned the meeting at 1:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 17, 2004 Page 8 Work Session