TRANSPORTATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2004

Following the report of the Citizen's Transportation Advisory Committee that I initiated, the Council adopted addressing the significant shortfalls in our funding for maintenance of our roads and bridges as a key policy and legislative goal, and added almost $4 million to the 2005 and 2006 budgets for critical projects. I worked with leaders of 34 other King County cities to make local transportation funding our common goal for the 2005 Legislature, and secured its adoption as a lead goal for the Association of Washington Cities and the Puget Sound Regional Council.

I worked with community groups on issues concerning Sound Transit's South Link from downtown to the airport, now in construction, and to support community interests (especially in the Roosevelt neighborhood - see below) as Sound Transit makes final plans for North Link from downtown to the University and Northgate. I also worked with suburban cities on an agreement that clears the way for construction of light rail over I-90, the next phase of Sound Transit development.

Based on a framework that I developed, the Council made key decisions on the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Seawall. The framework includes a set of principles on which to base decisions, a preferred alternative for a tunnel as the replacement project, and a safety and transition plan. We also approved an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers for work on the Seawall.

The SR 520 replacement project also moved forward, with the SR 520 Executive Committee agreeing not to further consider an 8-lane alternative. I led the Council in approving funding for a Neighborhood Impact Study, and I will continue to work closely with affected communities to assure their involvement in integrating the 520 project with surrounding neighborhoods, minimizing neighborhood impacts, and facilitating smooth connections at interchanges and arterials.

As South Lake Union develops at a rapid pace, the Council moved to address its transportation problems while paying careful attention to fiscal realities. Council legislation provides for a special benefits study to mobilize private funding for the proposed streetcar, ensures that the streetcar would be integrated into a larger system, and restricts any use of City general fund for the streetcar. The Council also agreed to proceed with an environmental review of Mercer Street improvements with a series of conditions to ensure that the project would realistically manage transportation in the neighborhood now and in the future.

Other transportation work in 2004 included:

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SOUND TRANSIT ROOSEVELT ALIGNMENT

On Thursday, January 27, the Sound Transit Board is expected to make a key decision on the North Link alignment, the route through the Roosevelt neighborhood. The Council has supported the Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan recommendation to take the line underground along 12th Avenue, rather than a slightly lower cost alternative that would surface it on 8th Avenue near I-5. I will continue to advocate for this before the Sound Transit Board. In its December 13 vote on Comprehensive Plan amendments, the Council added a policy supporting the Roosevelt alignment, to "Integrate transit stops, stations, and hubs into existing communities and business districts to make it easy for people to ride transit and reach local businesses."

The Roosevelt neighborhood has consistently supported Light Rail, and integrated it into their plan. Changing to the 8th Avenue alignment would frustrate the community, build ill will, and likely lead to significant political and legal opposition. Some have argued that transit oriented development is already happening in Roosevelt, and does not need this stimulus, but the neighborhood should not be penalized because development is happening. The new development that is occurring is partly the result of the neighborhood's integrated vision. If light rail does not come, the neighborhood will have taken on its responsibilities under growth management, but not receive the corresponding services.

The 8th Avenue location abuts a freeway, with no realistic possibilities for transit-oriented development in the blocks immediately around the station. One of the key criteria for successful light rail stations is the connection to other transit. Roosevelt is already the transit center for this area - 8th Avenue, in contrast, hosts a park and ride and is easily accessed by automobiles. The 8th Avenue route will also displace affordable housing. Houses closer to the freeway are less costly, and the housing displaced will be families who are least able to afford replacement housing.

This is a classic example of why taking the long-term perspective is so important to making good decisions about transportation projects. While saving a possible $20 or $30 million in construction costs sounds like a good decision, in the long run it will mean reduced ridership and effectiveness for the project, and doesn't make sense from a transportation and land use perspective.

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CREEKS

For the last several years, I have been working with environmental activists to improve and protect Seattle's creeks and their ecosystems. On Monday, December 13, the Council adopted my amendments to Seattle's Comprehensive Plan, adding a new goal, "EG5, Pursue the long-term health of Seattle's creeks, shorelines and other water bodies by taking actions that address flooding, water quality, habitat and barriers to fish passage," and rewriting two policies to require long-term plans for creeks: "E11, Identify long-term goals and develop plans or strategies for improving the environmental quality of each of the city's aquatic areas, including a long-term plan to restore and sustain Seattle's creeks. Consider in these plans or strategies the use of incentives, regulations and other opportunities for action to restore and sustain the long-term health of Seattle's creeks and shorelines," and "E12, Take steps to improve water quality and the health of the city's aquatic areas, such as by eliminating the use of chemicals that have negative impacts on aquatic or human health, especially on City-owned property or rights-of-way."

These policy directions were then incorporated into the Comprehensive Drainage Plan adopted by the Council on January 3, with Seattle Public Utilities agreeing to coordinate interdepartmental efforts including developing a long-term creeks action agenda to be completed in 2006. The agenda will focus on major creek watersheds (Thornton, Piper's, Longfellow, Taylor, Fauntleroy, Ravenna, Schmitz Park), with public involvement through existing creek watershed advisory committees and the Creeks and Drainage Advisory Committee. The action agenda will set quantifiable performance targets for each creek and identify a range of actions needed to restore and sustain Seattle's creeks, including removing fish passage barriers, daylighting creeks, and other habitat protection and restoration projects, as well as regulatory updates, monitoring, education/outreach activities, and incentives to encourage voluntary habitat projects and actions on private property.

This initiative will expand the City's work on creek restoration and require the City to manage its own activities in relation to creeks to protect and enhance their health. It also opens the door to developing incentive programs that will encourage private developers to work with the City on this important priority. The successful negotiation to daylight Thornton Creek on the south parking lot of Northgate Mall as part of a major housing and commercial development is a model that hopefully can be emulated in other areas of the city where conditions and opportunities make it possible and appropriate.

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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENTS

The Council's adoption of the ten-year update to the Comprehensive Plan was an important reaffirmation of our strategy to implement growth management.

The amendments:

The Council moved several other important amendments forward to the 2005 amendment process, including the adoption of policies for the South Wallingford area, policies to strengthen the relationship between the Comprehensive Plan and the Transportation Strategic Plan, and standards concerning litter and graffiti. Most of these were deferred to reflect our careful attention to the state's policies for Comprehensive Plan adoption, which limit us to making amendments once per year and require us to follow certain specific procedures.

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QUOTE
"'Sustainable', by definition, means not only indefinitely prolonged, but nourishing, as the Earth is nourishing to life and as a healthy natural environment is nourishing for the self-actualizing of persons and communities."

--J.R. Engel

DEEP THOUGHT:
"We are all born with a thousand pounds of history on our back."

--Roger Wilkins

Citizen participation and engagement are critical for maintaining democracy -- fostering it is a key task of elected officials. It's my hope that this newsletter will inform you about issues, inspire you to get involved, and that together we can make things work better in this great city. Please send me your feedback, so we can keep things lively, interesting, and useful. And please forward it along to friends who might be interested. You can get more information or send me feedback through the City Council website at http://cityofseattle.net/council/

Richard Conlin
Your Seattle City Councilmember

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