Title
Briefing on the Scoping of a new Multimodal Concurrency Program
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Receive a briefing on the scoping of a new Multimodal Concurrency Program and the planned development of a Transportation Master Plan.
Staff Contact:
Sophie Stimson, Senior Planner, Public Works | Transportation, 360.753.8497
Presenter(s):
Mark Russell, Director of Transportation, Public Works | Transportation, 360.753.8762
Background and Analysis:
Under the State’s Growth Management Act, cities in Washington are required to build new transportation infrastructure “concurrent” with new development, which means within 6 years of the development. These “concurrency programs” are used to evaluate how much growth the new development is expected to bring to a community and what street improvements are needed to manage the new trips. The City collects transportation impact fees from the developer to help pay for these improvements. Olympia's concurrency program is focused on improving our streets for motor vehicles to lessen congestion.
The community is interested in broadening our concurrency program to place greater emphasis on improvements for walking, biking and transit. This "multimodal concurrency" program would add capacity to our street system for all modes of transportation, not just motor vehicles. Many cities in Washington have implemented such programs. A new multimodal concurrency program is intended to enable the City to spend funds from transportation impact fees on bicycle, pedestrian, and transit improvements.
A consulting firm, Fehr and Peers, worked with the City from March to July 2016 to scope a new program. A working group of citizens and key stakeholders met three times to provide input in this scoping process.
The outcome of the scoping process is to proceed with a “system completeness” approach to concurrency. This is a process whereby a complete system is defined for all modes of transportation, and through our concurrency program, we measure progress towards completing that system.
In order to implement system completeness as a concurrency measure, we need to create a Transportation Master Plan. This plan will define the systems we envision for walking, biking, transit and motor vehicles in a 20-year timeframe.
The plan will update and combine existing modal plans and programs into one complete document. It will include prioritized lists for walking, biking, vehicle and transit projects.
The master plan will reflect the transportation policy in the Comprehensive Plan and show the public how projects and programs achieve the City’s vision and goals. The plan will also define a comprehensive funding strategy for transportation.
The City is in the process of hiring a consultant and developing a scope for the master plan. We expect that it will take two to three years to develop the master plan. We have not yet defined public involvement opportunities. We will keep the BPAC informed as the scope and schedule develop.
Options:
None - briefing only
Financial Impact:
The Transportation Master Plan is funded at $300,000.
Attachments:
Link to Final Report