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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Scenario Planning Update AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 3/3/2014 Meeting Type: Work Session Staff Contact/Dept.: Len Goodwin/DPW Staff Phone No: (541)726-3685 Estimated Time: 30 minutes S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Mandate ITEM TITLE: SCENARIO PLANNING UPDATE ACTION REQUESTED: This item is for information only. ISSUE STATEMENT: Staff have been working with regional partners to implement the scenario planning requirement imposed by the State Legislative Assembly in the Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009. That work has produced a reference case based on current planning assumptions. Staff will review the results and discuss next steps with the Council. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Council Briefing Memorandum 2. Reference Case Report 3. Slide Presentation DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT: Staff, working with our regional partners, and with the support of Kristin Hull, of CH2M Hill as project manager, have continued the work required to comply with the state’s legislative mandate to prepare alternative scenarios for future growth to meet greenhouse reduction targets. As Council knows, the Metropolitan Planning Organization is required to conduct this work, and the cities of Springfield, Eugene, and Coburg, and Lane County are obliged to cooperatively select a preferred scenario. At present, there is no obligation to implement any scenario. This work is being funded by the Oregon Department of Transportation, as require by the Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009. Staff of the MPO have completed a first phase of the work, which is an estimate of the effect of continuing current planning assumptions (such as those contemplated by the draft Springfield 2030 Comprehensive Plan, and similar planning efforts by Eugene, Coburg and Lane County). This reference case will serve as the baseline for further scenario planning efforts designed to create options which each jurisdiction may choose to incorporate into the cooperatively selected scenario. Although that estimate documents a reduction in greenhouse gases, at this stage it does not appear to document a reduction large enough to permit the region to conclude that it will meet the legislative requirement without additional action. Staff, accompanied by Ms. Hull, will review the results of the reference case. Staff will also discuss the various alternatives for further conversations about reduction methods, and the approach to assuring that there is effective public involvement as the process continues. M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield Date: 3/3/2014 COUNCIL BRIEFING MEMORANDUM To: Gino Grimaldi From: Len Goodwin, DPW Director Kristin Hull, Project Manager Subject: SCENARIO PLANNING UPDATE ISSUE: Staff have been working with regional partners to implement the scenario planning requirement imposed by the State Legislative Assembly in the Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009. That work has produced a reference case based on current planning assumptions. Staff will review the results and discuss next steps with the Council. COUNCIL GOALS/ MANDATE: Council Goals: Mandate Springfield is required, under the provisions of the Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 to engage, with its regional partners, in the cooperative selection of a preferred scenario for addressing statutorily mandated reductions in certain emissions. BACKGROUND: Overview In 2009, the Oregon Legislature passed the Jobs and Transportation Act. This legislation directs the Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to undertake scenario planning and for the local governments in central Lane County to cooperatively select a preferred land use and transportation scenario. The state set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target of 20% for the MPO; while this target must be considered in the scenario planning process, the final selected scenario is not required to meet this target. A project management team (PMT) consisting of representatives of all the partner governments is providing oversight for the process. The PMT consists of Carolyn Burke, Eugene; Len Goodwin, Springfield; Petra Schuetz, Coburg; Lydia McKinney, Lane County; Paul Thompson; MPO; Savannah Crawford, ODOT; and Tom Schwetz, LTD. LCOG and consultant staff are providing technical support for the project. What is scenario planning? Over the next twenty years, our communities are likely to welcome more than 64,000 new residents. Plans like those currently being developed in the region – Envision Eugene, Springfield 2030, and Coburg Crossroads – establish a local vision for how our communities will accommodate new residents and jobs. Scenario planning is a process for considering a range of plausible futures and allows us to examine how different choices would affect our region. Scenario planning also lets us Attachment 1 - 1 compare these various futures based on a wide range of community goals, from how much each of us will drive, walk, bike, and take transit, to how clean our air will be, to how much our households will spend on housing and transportation. Participants The cities of Coburg, Eugene, Springfield, Lane County, the Lane Council of Governments, and the Lane Transit District are all participating in the process. Schedule Phase 1 of the process will be complete in February 2014. Phase 2, which includes scenario development, evaluation, and selection, will be complete by spring 2015. Scenario planning outcomes At the end of the process, the local government partners will cooperatively select a preferred transportation and land use scenario. The preferred scenario will likely contain a range of policies and strategies that reduce GHG emissions and also produce a range of “co-benefits” – benefits like improved public health and greater economic prosperity – that would result from the preferred scenario policies. Each jurisdiction will select either individual or regional actions which will combine to make up the preferred scenario. The local government partners are not required to implement the preferred scenario. •Understand existing policies •Develop evaluation measures •Determine baseline for comparison Step 1: Understand •Develop alternative scenarios •Evaluate and compare Step 2: Test and learn •Refine scenarios •Tailor individual choices for each jurisdiction •Cooperatively select a preferred scenario Step 3: Refine and select Fa l l 20 1 3 Wi n t e r / s p r i n g 20 1 4 Su m m e r / f a l l 20 1 4 Attachment 1 - 2 Work accomplished to date (phase 1) - Reference scenario – a baseline for comparison: the project team developed and tested a “reference scenario” which provides a baseline against which alternative scenarios can be compared. The reference scenario approximates the future if current plans and policies are carried out. - Evaluation criteria: the project team developed a set of criteria that will be used to evaluate alternative scenarios. Evaluation criteria categories include Economy and Prosperity, Air Quality, Feasibility, and others. - Scenario development methodology: the team prepared a method, described below, for developing and evaluating scenarios that will be used in the next phase of work. - Equity framework: an important project goal is to ensure that communities of concern – people who are elderly, disabled, low-income, or are members of a minority community – are engaged in the development, evaluation and refinement of scenarios. An Equity Technical Advisory Committee spent two sessions defining how equity considerations can be incorporated into the scenario planning process. - Model testing: staff at LCOG used the state’s Metropolitan GreenSTEP, a strategic analysis model, to quickly test the effects of transportation and land use scenarios on greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond greenhouse gas emissions, the GreenSTEP model produces more than 70 indicators that can be used to evaluate other benefits and impacts associated with scenarios including vehicle miles traveled by bike, household fuel costs, and local gas tax revenues. This work sets the stage for developing, evaluating, and selecting a preferred scenario in phase 2 of the project. Scenario development, evaluation and selection (phase 2) The scenario planning process will include three more major steps: develop and evaluate scenarios, refine a single scenario and select a preferred scenario. The final step of the scenario planning process will be for the local governments in the Eugene-Springfield area to cooperatively select a preferred scenario. While the local governments are required to cooperatively select a preferred scenario, they are not required to implement it. At each step, the Project Management Team (PMT) will, based on direction from the elected officials, make decisions about how to move forward. Most immediately in Springfield, staff will ask the Council to review the reference case assumptions in Attachment 2, Pages 1-3, and direct staff as to which of those staff should prepare alternative assumptions. Many of the opportunities are straightforward. For example, Council could direct staff to develop alternative assumptions for the level of the local fuel tax or the cost of local parking. Similarly Council could direct staff to explore the impact of changed assumptions about any of the marketing and incentive assumptions, Attachment 1 - 3 or could ask staff to explore the impact of transit or pedestrian oriented Systems Development Charge incentives. Some of these changed assumptions could lead to further study of the impact of these incentives on assumptions about the transportation system. More complex assumptions could involve exploring changes to the various assumptions about land use. Council may also wish staff to explore assumptions which are not presently used in the reference case. (The assumption about SDC incentives is one such idea). In examining the reference case assumptions, it is important to keep in mind that the assumptions have been normalized to a regional level where appropriate. For example, council will note that the reference case assumption for local fuel taxes is 4 cents. This represents a mathematical weighted average of the local fuels taxes imposed separately by Springfield and Eugene. Where council to direct staff to explore the impact of a local fuel tax in Springfield the result would be state as the result of constructing a new average tax based upon the direction from Springfield, Eugene, and, perhaps, Coburg. In evaluating new assumptions, or changes to existing assumptions, staff will do sensitivity testing to determine the impact that the level of change in the assumptions have on the results, and provide that information so that Council can provide direction on the level of change that should be considered. It is very likely the case that some changes in the assumptions may produce insignificant changes in the results while other changes may have larger impacts. The PMT will consult with elected officials and the public in making interim decisions to direct the scenario planning process. This can mean that the Council will have opportunities to revisit assumption changes on a number of occasions. The Eugene City Council, Springfield City Council, Coburg City Council, and Lane County Board of Commissioners will be ultimately responsible for selecting the elements which make up the preferred scenario. The public will be invited to participate at each step of the process. The project team will host four public workshops at key milestones, regularly update a project website (www.clscenarioplanning.org), and create factsheets to inform and engage the community in the development and evaluation of scenarios. Develop and evaluate scenarios In every step of this process, the project team will act based upon direction received from the governing bodies of each of the jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction will make its own decision as to the level of direct involvement by the governing body. To develop scenarios, the team will first agree on distinct scenario themes. Examples of themes are shown in the slide presentation and include marketing and incentive programs, pricing, and community design. Next, the team will populate those themes with specific policies that are likely to meet the greenhouse gas reduction target as well as meeting health, equity and economic development goals. Based on direction from the governing bodies, the PMT will choose a set of actions combined into a scenario to advance to the next Attachment 1 - 4 step using information from GreenSTEP and other evaluation tools. Refine scenario PMT will define realistic implementing actions, refine policies where necessary, and adjust the set of actions comprising the scenario as needed, based on input from the governing bodies. Using additional evaluation, the PMT will move toward recommendation of a set of individual and regional actions comprising a preferred scenario. Select a preferred scenario Once the PMT identifies a recommended preferred scenario the technical team will complete a final evaluation of that scenario to support documentation of the expected impacts and benefits associated with the preferred scenario. This scenario will be presented to the Springfield City Council, Eugene City Council, Coburg City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners to meet the legislative mandate to cooperatively select a preferred scenario. The local governments are only required to select a preferred scenario; they are not required to implement it. RECOMMENDED ACTION: No action is required at this time. However, Council may choose to discuss the assumptions and give staff direction, particularly with respect to assumptions it does not wished to see changed in evaluating new scenarios, or directed staff to return with sensitivity data on some or all of the existing assumptions, or any new assumptions Council wishes evaluate. Example, staff would recommend that Council direct staff to evaluate the impact of SDC transit, bicycle and pedestrian incentives, increases in local fuel taxes, imposition of a street transportation system maintenance fee, and increases in the cost of parking. In the absence of contrary direction, staff will perform sensitivity testing on all of these alternatives and on the marketing incentives described in Attachment 2 and return to Council to review that analysis and solicit further direction from council on which alternatives to continue to explore. At any time, Council should feel free to suggest further alternatives for staff to explore. Attachment 1 - 5 February 27, 2014 (updated) CENTRAL LANE SCENARIO PLANNING Reference Case Results and Assumptions Kristin Hull, CH2M HILL Josh Roll, Central Lane MPO Introduction In 2009, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2001, the Jobs and Transportation Act (JTA). Section 38a of the JTA directs the Central Lane MPO to undertake scenario planning, and for the local governments in Central Lane MPO boundary to cooperatively select a preferred land use and transportation scenario. The local governments – the cities of Springfield, Eugene and Coburg, Lane County and the Lane Transit District – are working together to develop and evaluate scenarios to fulfill this requirement while testing strategies to address local economic development, public health and equity goals. As an early step in the scenario planning process, the local governments have established a 2035 reference scenario. The reference scenario is the baseline to which alternative scenarios are compared; it approximates the future if current policy direction is carried out without significant changes. The reference case represents our best assumptions about how current policy direction could be implemented over the next 25 years. This memo outlines the assumptions that underlie the reference scenario and document the Metropolitan GreenSTEP outputs for the reference scenario. This work forms the baseline against which alternative future scenarios will be compared. 2035 reference scenario assumptions Land use assumptions • Envision Eugene and Springfield 2030 are adopted and implemented without major changes. • 2010 Coburg Urbanization Study is implemented without major changes. The reference scenario generally reflects current policy direction. Since Eugene, Springfield and Coburg are in the process of developing new land use plans, the reference scenario reflects current policy direction contained in those emerging plans. Population and household assumptions Attacment 2 - 1 • Between 2010 and 2035, the population within the Central Lane MPO boundary is forecast to increase by nearly 64,000 residents. This assumption is based on state population forecasts and is provided to the region by state officials. • Housing and land area supply is based on current policy direction. For 2035, households are matched to dwelling unit types based on reasonable assumptions about socio- demographic characteristics. • Metropolitan GreenSTEP travel behavior estimates do not rely explicitly on the location of new employment areas, but the location of employment does affect population density and land uses. Land use assumptions are based on current policy direction. • Household size is assumed to be the same as in 2010. Pricing assumptions • Federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon – the same as today. • State gas tax per gallon is 24 cents in 2005 and 2010, and 30 cents in 2035. • Local gas tax is 4 cents per gallon. • The average daily cost of parking is approximately $3.00 in 2035, slightly lower than in 2005. • Locations with paid parking are limited to downtown Eugene and the University of Oregon in 2005 but expand to Springfield in 2035. The cost for parking in downtown Springfield is assumed to be half the cost to park in downtown Eugene. • Zero households participate in pay-as-you-drive insurance, and the state does not have a vehicle miles traveled tax or carbon tax. Marketing and incentive assumptions • Participation in employer-based commute options programs stays the same as it is in 2005 • Participation in individualized trip reduction marketing increases slightly in Eugene, Springfield, and Coburg. • Participation in individualized car sharing stays the same as it is today. Fleet and technology assumptions1 • The region’s auto and light truck fleet mix changes, with more people driving passenger cars and fewer driving light trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) than today. 1 Reference case is consistent with assumptions included in OAR 660-044. Attacment 2 - 2 • The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (as proposed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality) is adopted; carbon intensity of fuels will decline by 20 percent below today’s average. • For model year 2035, autos with internal combustion engines (ICE) reach fuel efficiency of 68 mpg while light trucks and SUVs reach 48 mpg. • For model year 2035, plug in hybrid electric (PHEV) or electric vehicles (EV) comprise 8% of all autos and 2% of light trucks and SUVs. Of those vehicles, 26% of autos and 26% of light trucks and SUVs are electric vehicles (EV). Transportation system assumptions • The roadway system is relatively similar to today with minor increases in lane miles for freeways and arterials in Coburg and Springfield. Because the Eugene TSP is still in progress, the results do not reflect any changes in lane miles in Eugene. The Metropolitan GreenSTEP model is not detailed enough to capture changes to intersections, collector streets or pedestrian and bicycle network improvements. • The transit system expands to include 5 bus rapid transit lines as detailed in the Regionally Adopted Transportation Plan. These lines include the West Eugene, River Road, Highway 99W, Main Street/McVay, and Lane Community College lines. In total, transit service grows from 12 revenue miles per capita to 18 revenue miles per capita with a total of more than 5.4 million revenue miles in the region in 2035. • Twice as many miles travel by bike in the region as compared to today. 2035 reference scenario outputs The Central Lane MPO analyzed the changes expected between 2010 and the 2035 reference scenario using Metropolitan GreenSTEP. The results are presented below. Category Measure 2010 2035 2035 (% change compared to 2010) Greenhouse Gas Emissions Per capita greenhouse gas emissions from light vehicles including reductions from fleet changes (metric tons) 3.47 1.32 -62% Fuel Consumption Annual per capita fuel consumption (gallons) 339 150 -56% Travel and System Performance Daily vehicles miles traveled per capita 21.7 22.2 3% Annual vehicle delay per capita (hours) 30 37 23% Transit revenue miles per capita 12.8 17.9 40% Active Travel Per capita annual walk trips 120 123 3% Daily miles traveled by bicycle per capita 0.27 0.53 153% Attacment 2 - 3 Category Measure 2010 2035 2035 (% change compared to 2010) Land Use and Natural Resources UGB area (acres) 49,737 52,858 6% Households living in mixed use areas (%) 12.9% 14.4% 12% Per capita water use (gallons) 256 219 -14% Taxes, Fees and Expenses Annual household fuel costs (per capita) $1,863 $1,866 0% Annual household vehicle operating costs (fuel, taxes, parking) $2,383 $2,208 -7% Annual vehicle ownership and maintenance expenses $5,521 $6,485 17% Annual local gas tax revenue $4.18 million $2.38 million -43% Public Health Clean Air Act criteria pollutants (Metric Tons) 61 25 -59% See active travel for additional public health indicators. Other External social costs per capita2 $446 $327 -27% Note: All dollar values use $2005 dollars. Because of uncertainties about future land use plans in the region, several minor variations in land use were tested to confirm that outputs were consistent. Through this work, it has been confirmed that using Metropolitan GreenSTEP, a strategic analysis model, these minor variations in UGB expansion or local development patterns do not significantly change overall light vehicle travel or derived emissions at the regional level. Greenhouse gas reduction targets In May 2011, The Land Conservation and Development Commission (DLCD) adopted a per capita roadway greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for light-duty vehicles for all six metropolitan areas3. The target for the Central Lane MPO area is 20% reduction over 2005 levels. This 20% target should be considered without accounting for fleet and technology changes. The region is not required to meet this target through scenario planning, but is required to consider it. When fleet and vehicle changes are excluded, the reference scenario shows a 3% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to 2005. This forecast of greenhouse gas emissions includes both commercial and household light duty vehicles. Because of the method of 2 External costs include, air pollution, other environmental resources, safety, noise, climate change, energy security. Source: White paper: Costs of Motor vehicle Travel – Cambridge Systematics. 3 http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/docs/rulemaking/trac/660_044.pdf Attacment 2 - 4 calculation, this scenario cannot be directly compared to the reference scenario described above. Lessons learned The Metropolitan GreenSTEP outputs show that the region is making progress in many areas based on current policy direction. Under current policy direction, the region’s greenhouse gas emissions from light vehicles decreases by 3% from 2005 levels when fleet and technology changes are not included. If fleet and technology changes are included, the reduction is more than 60%. Under the reference case, biking and walking increase, and air pollution and fuel consumption decrease. While vehicle ownership and maintenance costs increase, vehicle operations costs for households decrease. Per capita vehicle miles traveled and delay increase on the transportation system. Based on input from the TAC and PMT, the project team will test variations of the reference case to better understand how different inputs affect the Metropolitan GreenSTEP indicators. This sensitivity testing will answer questions about how changing individual and bundled inputs affects key indicators and will influence the development of alternative scenarios. During this sensitivity testing step, the project team will explore what inputs are contributing to the performance on individual indicators like greenhouse gas emission reduction. Attacment 2 - 5 GreenSTEP Inputs and Results Review Marketing and Incentives: Individualized Marketing (IM) Program Individualized marketing (IM) programs are travel demand management programs focused on individual households. IM programs involve individualized outreach to households that identify household travel needs and ways to meet those needs with less vehicle travel. Individual marketing program target goal (percent) by District Base Year - 2005 Base Year - 2010 2035 Reference case - Level 1 Coburg 0% 0% 1% Eugene 0.2% 0.8% 1% Springfield 0% 0% 1% VMT Reduction from IM Program GreenSTEP * 9% 2005 ODOT Administered Program 7% *Cambridge Systematics, “Moving Cooler”, Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C., 2009, Technical Appendix, Table 5.13, p. B-54. Year City Neighborhood Number of Hhs Hhs Receiving IMP Forms Participating Hhs Participation Rate Total Hh Participation Rate (GS Input) 2005 Eugene NA 76,100 1,200 150 12.5% 0.2% 2010 Eugene Harlow 79,671 5,200 652 12.5% 0.8% 2035 Region NA 136,715 NA 1,367 NA 1% Marketing and Incentives: Individualized Marketing (IM) Program Marketing and Incentives: Employee Commute Options (ECO) programs Employee commute options (ECO) programs are work-based travel demand management programs. They may include transportation coordinators, employer-subsidized transit passes, bicycle parking, showers for bicycling commuters, education and promotion, carpool and vanpool programs, etc. *From Lockwood Research 2008 Group Pass Survey Report "Over one- fourth of the sample (28%) rode the bus for their average work commute in 2008" - Assume linear growth from 2003 to 2008 at roughly 1% a year **Cambridge Systematics, “Moving Cooler”, Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C., 2009, Technical Appendix, Table 5.13, p. B-54. VMT Reduction from ECO Program GreenSTEP ** 5.4% Year Utilization rate Number of Passes Group Pass Estimated Usage Total Employees in Region Participation Rate 2006 26% 14,495 3,769 126,469 3.0% 2010 28% 10,260 2,873 116,561 2.5% 2035 28% 17,642 4,940 164,654 3.0% Pricing: Parking Parking pricing is a trip-based cost, commonly paid for at one or both ends of a trip, and sometimes paid for on a monthly basis. The standard practice for handling parking pricing in urban travel models is to include it in the trip costs for auto travel. That is what is done in the GreenSTEP model system, but in a more general way. Average daily parking costs are calculated for each household and added with other variable costs. Average Daily Parking Price Year Average Daily Price 2005 $$ 2005 $ 2.93 2010 $ 3.19 2035 $ 2.74 Proportion of Trips by Purpose by Destination Work Non-Work Destination 2011 2035 2011 2035 Eugene CBD 4.7% 4.1% 2.7% 2.7% Eugene UO TAZs 2.4% 2.2% 2.1% 2.3% Springfield CBD 0.4% 0.4% 0.2% 0.2% Regional 7.5% 6.7% 5.0% 5.2% Total Trips 279,864 356,783 528,817 660,298 Average Daily Cost by Destination by Trip Purpose (2005$$) 2005 2010 2035 Destination Work Non-work Work Non-work Work Non-work Eugene CBD $ 2.15 $ 5.54 $ 2.07 $ 5.34 $1.93 $ 4.98 Eugene UO TAZs $ 0.93 $ 0.93 $ 2.00 $ 2.00 $1.65 $ 1.65 Springfield CBD $ - $ - $ - $ - $0.97 $ 2.49 Community Design: Mixed Use Mixed use areas typically have more neighborhood-level mixing of different uses, a grid-based street system with greater connectivity, greater pedestrian accessibility and sidewalk orientation of land uses, and greater transit accessibility. Community Design: Mixed Use Community Design: Transit Revenue Miles Transit revenue miles impact both the vehicle ownership and daily travel components of GreenSTEP. Only transit revenue miles within the MPO boundary (urban transit miles) are considered. *Vehicle ownership and daily travel are calculated based on a number of inputs including household income, size, age of householders, mixed use designation, freeway and arterial lane supply, population density, and others. Transit Revenue Miles •2 scenarios •No new BRT •BRT Expansion of fiscally constrained RTP plans •West Eugene •River Road •Highway 99W •Main Street McVay •Lane Community College *Vehicle ownership and daily travel are calculated based on a number of inputs including household income, size, age of householders, mixed use designation, freeway and arterial lane supply, population density, and others. Scenario 2005 2035-Ref1 2035-Ref2 Revenue Miles Input 2,838,695 4,312,670 5,400,000 BRT Miles Franklin/Gateway Franklin/Gateway 1,087,330 Population 236,454 308,826 308,826 Revenue Miles Per Capita 12 14 18 Per Capita GHG Emissions 3.61 1.34 1.32 Per Capita GHG Emissions Reduction % NA -1% -3% Alternative Results 2035 Policy Only Results Relative to Year Pe r C a p i t a E m i s s i o n s M T C O 2 e 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 2% Increas 3% Increase 3% Decrea20% Decrease (Rule Target) Reference No Transit No Transit, 2010 Bike Levels Target