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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Regional Transportation Planning ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Regional Transportation Planning Meeting Date: August 13, 2008 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5343 ISSUE STATEMENT At the Joint Elected Officials (JEO) meeting on July 15, 2008, the council requested that staff schedule a work session to give the council an opportunity to provide direction to staff on several items that relate to regional transportation planning. BACKGROUND The November 2007 adoption of an updated 2031 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) by the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) has led to numerous discussions in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area about the shape of future state mandated transportation plans as well as actions to address consistency between plans required by the state and federal governments. At the JEO meeting on July 15, 2008, staff presented a list of actions that could be taken in the short-, medium- and long-term to address these issues. The members of the JEO agreed that they would schedule separate work sessions of their individual elected bodies in order to provide direction to staff regarding future actions. Most of these issues were also discussed at a Eugene City Council Work Session on regional transportation planning on April 28, 2008. Staff recommends that the council take action over the next several months to address the following issues: 1.Amend the TransPlan project list to remove completed projects. Either Eugene or Springfield could initiate this amendment. 2.Amend TransPlan to extend the planning horizon from 2015 to the estimated year, probably 2022 or 2023, in which the metropolitan area covered by the Metro Plan will arrive at the population TransPlan is designed to serve (296,500). Either Eugene or Springfield could initiate this amendment. 3.Amend TransPlan to move two ODOT projects located in Eugene, Beltline from River Road to Delta th Highway and West 11 Avenue from Greenhill Road to Terry Street, from the Future project list to the Constrained project list. When the RTP was updated these two projects were moved from the Illustrative list to the Constrained list. These projects were identified by the council in December 2006 as the top two transportation priorities in north and west Eugene. This amendment would need to be initiated by the City of Eugene. 4.Amend TransPlan to add a sentence stating that the West Eugene Parkway (WEP) is not a "planned transportation facility" for purposes of OAR 660-012-0060, the Transportation Planning Rule (TPR). The WEP was removed from the 2031 RTP. This proposed amendment is an interim step to address the fact that the WEP is no longer a planned facility; removal of the WEP from TransPlan will occur as part of the bigger TransPlan update. Issues related to the WEP are addressed in more detail in a Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080813\S080813B.doc memo to the council from the City Attorney’s Office as requested by Councilor Bettman at the JEO meeting. This amendment would need to be initiated by the City of Eugene. 5.Direct staff to develop a separate Eugene-only Transportation System Plan (TSP) and collaborate with the other jurisdictions on regional transportation planning through the development of both the state-mandated Regional Transportation System Plan (RTSP) and federally-mandated RTP. There is a state requirement that our federally-designated metropolitan area have both TSPs and an RTSP. The RTSP is required to cover the entire metropolitan area, including Coburg. Currently TransPlan serves in both of these roles but it does not cover the entire metropolitan area. To proceed with development of a Eugene TSP, staff will develop a work plan and return to the council and/or Planning Commission for feedback. The public involvement plan will be a key element of the TSP work plan. Staff has already begun work on the pedestrian and bicycle element of a Eugene TSP in five neighborhoods in southeast and southwest Eugene. At its September meeting, the JEO will be asked to approve a regional transportation planning work plan. Staff is continuing to refine a work plan that will reflect input received at the July 15, 2008, JEO meeting and input from local jurisdictions. Considering that both Eugene and Springfield are likely to be developing their own TSPs, the key elements of the work plan will be coordination among the development of TSPs, RTSP, and RTP, and any future comprehensive plan amendments related to the buildable lands studies. RELATED CITY POLICIES As both the TSP and RTSP for Eugene, TransPlan serves as a policy document for local and regional transportation decision making. TransPlan contains two goals, seven objectives, and 38 policies that relate to transportation issues. COUNCIL OPTIONS Provide direction to staff on whether to proceed with recommendations in items one to five above. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION Direct the City Manager to proceed with the recommendations in items one to five above. SUGGESTED MOTION No motion is required. ATTACHMENTS None. FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld Telephone: 682-5343 Staff E-Mail: rob.inerfeld@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080813\S080813B.doc