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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCH ERT Maps SPRINGFIELD MAIN STREET GOVERNANCE TEAM Agenda: Main Street Safety Project - Planning Phase Kickoff Meeting Date: June 5th, 2018 1-3:30 pm Location: Springfield City Hall, Library Meeting Room Meeting purpose: Formally kickoff the Planning Phase of the Main Street Safety Project Establish agreement on project purpose, roles and decision-making process Schedule: 1:00 PM Welcome & Introductions Meeting Agenda & Purpose Approve 5/8/17 Meeting Minutes Endorse GT Protocol Modifications Governance Team Chair & Jeanne Lawson 1:10 PM Springfield Main Street Safety Project Update Project Overview How We Got Here Project Schedule & Key Milestones Molly Markarian & Jean Senechal Biggs 1:25 PM Project Purpose Establish agreement on definition of project purpose Expected Outcomes Facilitated Discussion: Governance Team & Jeanne Lawson 1:50 PM Decision-Making Structure & Partner Roles Review Decision-Making Graphic Clarify team and partner agency roles Communication Protocols (Internal/External) Facilitated Discussion: Governance Team & Jeanne Lawson 2:30 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Public Involvement Overview & Discussion Goals & Purpose - Public Involvement Plan Public Involvement: i) Key Issues ii) Target Stakeholder Groups iii) Input on Key Messages Shareen Springer Governance Team & Jeanne Lawson 3:20 PM Next Steps Molly Markarian & Jean Senechal Biggs 3:30 PM Close Governance Team Chair The meeting location is wheelchair-accessible. For the hearing-impaired, an interpreter can be provided with 48 hours’ notice prior to the meeting. For meetings in the Council Meeting Room, a “Personal PA Receiver” for the hearing impaired is available, as well as an Induction Loop for the benefit of hearing aid users. To arrange for these services, call 541.726.3700. The meeting is open to the public to attend. No oral public comments will be taken at the Governance Team meeting. Please submit comments via the project website at http://ourmainstreetspringfield.org/feedback/. M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield Date: 6/5/2018 To: Main Street Governance Team From: Molly Markarian, Senior Planner Subject: Main Street Safety Project – Planning Phase BACKGROUND: The City of Springfield has engaged the community for several years in identifying and discussing potential changes along the Main Street corridor that will leverage the local economy and the quality of the community for decades to come, including: determining the community’s vision for future development; constructing pedestrian crossing improvements; improving lighting in downtown; providing assistance to individuals who want to learn about and take advantage of a full range of transit options; investigating the feasibility of high capacity transit capital improvements; and the pending Main Street Safety Project. In 2016, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) programmed $3.9 million to construct raised center safety median treatments on nearly five miles of Main Street from 20th to 72nd. Before ODOT can obligate funds for design and construction, the City Council and ODOT need to engage property owners, businesses, and the traveling public in a planning process to answer the questions of “what type of median concept achieves the Council’s safety goal?” and “how can it be done to minimize negative impacts to businesses and property owners?”. State law, sometimes referred to as the Senate Bill 408 process, also requires significant interaction with abutting business and property owners. With the support of an experienced consultant team, ODOT and the City, along with other local agencies including Lane Transit District (LTD), will spend the next two to three years working to answer these critical questions, relying on technical viability, economic impact, and public support for alternative solutions to improve safety on Main Street. The alternative solutions will also consider how to integrate transit investments along the corridor. The Main Street Facility Plan will be the work product that pulls together analysis, public outreach and design concepts developed during the project’s Planning Phase. It is an expression of the community’s values that becomes the design framework for project development. Council adoption of the Facility Plan as an amendment to the Springfield Transportation System Plan (TSP) allows the City and ODOT to proceed with detailed design, engineering, and construction of the Council-selected solutions, as depicted in the timeline below. The high level timeline below shows how the Facility Plan fits into the typical project planning, development, and construction cycle. In this case, due to the length of the Main Street corridor, the large number of adjacent stakeholder business and property owners, and significant ongoing safety issues, the process to forge solutions is complex and time consuming. 2018 2021 2023 SAFETY PROJECT PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION Facility Plan Project Dev't* Construction *Site Design, Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Engineering At the November 20, 2017 Council Work Session, staff reviewed with Council the activities identified in the ODOT scope of work for the Planning Phase. Council expressed frustration at the timeline involved but also 6/5/2018 Page 2 acknowledged the importance of taking enough time to conduct public outreach and to adequately analyze the options to make an informed decision. Staff agreed to take advantage of any opportunities to tighten the timeframe and stated that the work ahead would build on the public input already gathered through the Main- McVay Transit Study. Staff also assured Council that the City would continue to take other steps (such as education and traffic enforcement) to address safety on the corridor. On April 3, 2018, ODOT executed the consultant contract and formally issued a notice to proceed with the Facility Plan process. An April 23, 2018 Communication Packet Memo updated Council on the status of the Main Street Safety Project. On May 21st , Jeanne Lawson of JLA Public Involvement facilitated Council review and discussion of the Facility Plan goals, process and outcomes in preparation for the June 5th Main Street Governance Team meeting that will formally kickoff the Facility Plan process. PROJECT UPDATE: The purpose of the Project Kickoff Meeting is to reach a common understanding by the Main Street Governance Team members, agency staff and the consultant team about the Facility Plan process and for the Governance Team to establish agreement on the definition of the project purpose, agency roles, and project decision-making process. The essential policy question for the Governance Team that the Facility Plan process and adoption will develop and document is how to address the safety problems on Main Street with a design concept that provides for the access needs of corridor businesses and accommodate current bus service and future transit solutions. The Governance Team will provide guidance and direction at several key milestones as the project team, stakeholders and the public work through the values trade-offs that will ultimately lead to a preferred package of solutions and set the stage for documenting compliance with federal requirements and project design and construction. As presently scoped, these milestones are depicted in the graphic below: As noted earlier, Council’s consideration and adoption of the Facility Plan as an amendment to Springfield’s TSP is a necessary step prior to project design and construction. The TSP amendment process is a legislative land use process that conforms to state requirements for public notice, public hearing, facts and findings in the record of decision, and the opportunity for appeal. Main Street Safety Project – Timeline & Milestones 6/5/2018 Page 3 What remains unclear at this point in time is the Lane Transit District (LTD) Board’s desired level of involvement in the Main Street Safety Project. In 2016, the Springfield Council directed City staff to investigate a suitable application of a safety median on Main Street, evaluate impacts to fronting business and property owners, and coordinate public engagement with the Main-McVay Transit Study. Staff subsequently worked with ODOT to initiate the Planning Phase of the Main Street Safety Project and suspended action on the transit study pending direction from Council and guidance from the Main Street Governance Team on coordination with the safety project. In 2017, Council directed staff to continue coordination efforts for the transit and safety projects while acknowledging that this would result in a more in-depth planning and implementation process. City and LTD staff collaborated to figure out how to coordinate the transit study and safety project and to determine LTD’s role as transit provider on the safety project. Given that the Planning Phase of the safety project presents an opportunity to get to a decision about which major features the community and the Council support being included in a design for Main Street, including high-capacity transit capital improvements, LTD staff are currently scoped to participate on the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for the safety project to provide the technical support necessary to develop an adoption-ready Facility Plan. Additionally, since the Facility Plan will inform the final solution of the transit study, LTD Board members are currently scoped to continue their participation on the Main Street Governance Team to provide consensus-based policy direction to the project team and serve as liaisons to the LTD Board. At the February 6, 2018 LTD Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), staff provided an update on the Main Street Safety Project and status of the Main-McVay Transit Study. The SPC had a lengthy discussion regarding coordination efforts between the transit study and safety project. SPC Chair Eyster drafted a letter referencing the February 2018 SPC discussion for the May 1, 2018 SPC meeting and requested the SPC make a recommendation to the LTD Board regarding its role in the safety project. Following lengthy discussion, the SPC requested the LTD Board discuss the matter at its May meeting. At the May 21, 2018 Council Work Session, Council directed staff to continue collaboration with LTD to ensure that one community planning conversation occurs that incorporates transit. The process for the Planning Phase of Main Street Safety Project will incorporate transit to confirm that Enhanced Corridor is the preferred transit mode choice for the Main Street corridor based on community input to date from the transit study. DRAFT PURPOSE STATEMENT: Having a purpose statement for the Main Street Safety Project ensures that decision makers and staff from partner agencies have agreed on the problem to be solved and the basis for selecting solutions. This purpose statement then becomes touchstone for the public outreach efforts. The Governance Team is asked to endorse or suggest revisions to the following draft statement that has been revised with Council input from the May 21st Work Session. Springfield’s Main Street is consistently ranked as one of the most unsafe city streets in Oregon based on the severity and frequency of traffic crashes. ODOT and the City must address this problem to save lives, reduce injuries, and lessen property damage due to crashes. The purpose of the Main Street Safety Project is to select infrastructure solutions that will make Main Street safer for people walking, biking, driving, and taking transit. The selected safety improvements will provide for the movement of goods and people, support the economic viability of the corridor, accommodate current bus service and future transit solutions, and complement safety education and traffic enforcement. 6/5/2018 Page 4 GOVERNANCE TEAM MEETING: The Governance Team, which was originally convened to coordinate Main Street projects in 2013, will continue to provide consensus-based policy direction to the Project Team and serve as liaisons to partner decision-making bodies, as depicted graphically below. At the May 2017 Governance Team meeting (draft Minutes attached), Mayor Lundberg shared that Councilor Stoehr would join Councilor Woodrow in representing the City on the Governance Team. LTD Board members Kate Reid and Don Nordin, as well as Frannie Brindle, ODOT Area 5 Manager, were also in attendance. In June 2017, LTD informed the City that Steven Yett would replace Don Nordin on the Governance Team. In May 2018, Mayor Lundberg informed staff that she will resume her service on the Governance Team and Councilor Stoehr will serve as her alternate. Suggested modifications to the Governance Team Protocols to reflect updated membership are attached to this memo. ACTION REQUESTED: In a discussion facilitated by a project consultant, provide feedback and establish agreement on the revised draft project purpose statement, agency roles, and project decision-making process. MSSP Decision-Making MINUTES OF MEETING Main Street Governance Team Monday, May 8, 2017 Library Meeting Room – Springfield City Hall 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Attendees: Governance Team Mayor Christine Lundberg, City of Springfield Councilor Marilee Woodrow, City of Springfield Frannie Brindle, Oregon Department of Transportation Kate Reid, Lane Transit District Don Nordin, Lane Transit District Gino Grimaldi, City of Springfield Project Management Emma Newman, City of Springfield Tom Schwetz, Lane Transit District Kelly Hoell, Lane Transit District Brian Barnett, City of Springfield Molly Markarian, City of Springfield Guests Jon Kloor, Henry McCormick, Randal Jefferis, Todd Fortier, Kent Laxton, Sandy Belson, Loralyn Spiro, Joe Tokatly, Linn Panly, Brett Rowlett, Tamara Pitman, Bill Johnston, Laura Coco, Tony Rodriguez. Absent Leonard Stoehr A.J. Jackson 1. Welcome and agenda review Mayor Lundberg called the meeting to order at 2:31 p.m. and reviewed the agenda. Those present introduced themselves. Ms. Brindle reviewed what was discussed at the previous meeting. 2. Approve meeting minutes for June 21, 2016 Mr. Schwetz noted that survey results on EmX ridership on page 4 should specify that it was related to people heading to the University of Oregon. Ms. Woodrow moved, seconded by Ms. Reid, to approve the June 21, 2016 minutes as amended. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. 3. Governance Team Membership Update Ms. Newman announced Mayor Lundberg would be stepping down as chair of the committee and Councilor Stoehr would be resuming the position. Ms. Hoell shared that Angelynn Pierce had stepped down from the Governance Team and that they were happy to welcome Kate Reid who was resuming the position. 4. Revise Governance Team Protocols MINUTES—Main Street Governance Team May 8, 2017 Page 2 Ms. Newman shared two copies of the protocols in the agenda packet, one with tracking changes and the other a clean copy. She suggested the protocols note that a City of Springfield voting Governance Team member would chair meetings. Ms. Lundberg said they could appoint the chair at the next meeting. Ms. Reid moved, seconded by Ms. Woodrow, to approve the track changes for the Governance Team Protocols document, with the amendment addressing chair appointment. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. 5. Review Main-McVay Transit Study (MMTS) Accomplishments to Date Ms. Newman reviewed the accomplishments to date as was located on page 14 of the agenda packet. 6. Main Street Safety Project (MSSP) Update Ms. Markarian presented her “Main Street Safety Project” presentation. She shared that Main St. was one of the worst arterial streets in Oregon for safety. She said a result of the Pedestrian Safety Study, six Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB) were established and a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) was planned for construction that summer. Mr. Barnett explained how PHBs worked. Ms. Markarian shared the timeline and effects of the Main St. Vision Plan and of the Main-McVay Transit Study Phase 1. ODOT allocated $3.8 million to the city to establish a raised center median on Main St., based on a cost benefit analysis. ODOT offered financial support to plan for holistic future improvements. She shared ODOT recommended compliance with ODOT’s Access Management project requirements, which had been discussed along with SB408. She shared in the fall, the Council’s direction to staff was to study medians and their possible application in a coordinated way with the transit study. She said they were currently in the administrative steps to initiate the project. A recommended concept would be taken to the Planning Commission and Council for Springfield’s Transportation System Plan amendments, as a legislative land use decision. From there, it would go to the Oregon Transportation Commission so the Oregon Highway Plan could be amended. She said this would result in the development of a facility plan. If the plans were adopted, it would then go into the implementation phase, which would then use the funds allocated by ODOT. Ms. Lundberg asked if it had always been a legislative land-use decision. Ms. Markarian explained that ODOT wanted local jurisdictions to adopt facility plans for a clear signal from policy makers and the community that they were on board with the project. She gave an overview of the decision-making process. She said staff were trying to minimize repetition but the minimum level of analysis had not yet been completed. In response to Ms. Lundberg’s question on the time frame, Ms. Markarian said the planning phase would begin in 2017, with draft facility plan completed by early 2018, and that ARTS money could be used in 2019. She said once everything was approved, construction would begin in 2019. Ms. Lundberg noted the Gateway project took two years and asked why the Main-McVay study was taking so long. Mr. Grimaldi asked if the intent of the 408 could be met without going through the lengthy process. MINUTES—Main Street Governance Team May 8, 2017 Page 3 Ms. Markarian said both the Land Use and 408 processes were required by the legislature. She noted that the requirement had been applied but not yet for a project of this scale. Ms. Brindle emphasized the benefit of the 408 process to the community to measure the impact of alterations to access ways. She said medians were not specifically mentioned in 408, however, the intent of 408 was to address impacts of changing accesses, which the median would do. She said establishing principles during the planning phase would give more certainty in the implementation phase and to the property owners along the corridor. Ms. Markarian said the median also triggered a need for a facility plan. Bill Johnson introduced himself and explained that because land use and transportation were integrated in the State of Oregon, they had to account for each other. Ms. Markarian said they were amending the comprehensive plan in the area, and TSP was a component of the plan, which meant there had to be an analysis of the 19 state-wide planning goals. Ms. Woodrow asked what the main goal was. Ms. Markarian replied that it was to adopt a facility plan to get the Council to prioritize the values for safety, mobility and access to apply to the design of the median. Ms. Woodrow said she felt that they were repeating themselves. Ms. Markarian explained that ODOT was looking for a binding decision before they released the allocated funds to design and construct the median. Ms. Brindle said they wanted to bring LTD and safety processes together to inform the design concept. She emphasized ODOT wanted certainty to the project to put the safety money to the best use. She reminded the team that there had been a year delay. Mr. Nordin commented that the funds for the median project had not been secured and could be reallocated. Mr. Grimaldi asked if business owners would know how they were impacted by the end of 2018. Ms. Markarian responded business owners would know when the conceptual design had been completed, which was expected in 2019. Since the facility plan was subject to Oregon’s land use laws, it could only have a conceptual level design to avoid changes in the design having to go through the land use process again. Detailed designs for engineering purposes would be completed after the land use process, where they then would look at impacts on a site by site basis, taking into consideration the established values. Ms. Newman clarified that modernization projects required a facility plan. Mr. Schwetz noted that it was the first time the committee was hearing about triggered facility plans. He said it was still unclear what triggered the planning process. Ms. Markarian said the staff recommendation was to continue coordination of MMTS and MSSP. She said they wanted to give the team an opportunity to give feedback prior to staff taking it to Council MINUTES—Main Street Governance Team May 8, 2017 Page 4 on May 22. She shared there were two alternatives; to only do MSSP and hold the MMTS or to only do MMTS and decline MSSP funds. Mr. Grimaldi said he wanted to know if the 408 process was necessary. Ms. Lundberg said they needed further clarity to weigh all the options efficiently while also giving a chance for public feedback. She said she did not feel she had enough information to make a recommendation and suggested another meeting for continued coordination. In response to Ms. Reid’s question about postponing the presentation to Council, Ms. Markarian noted it would delay the process by several months since Council went into recess for the summer. Ms. Woodrow agreed with Ms. Lundberg noting she was still unsure of the necessities in the first phase. She said she felt it was important to involve the community at each level. Mr. Grimaldi said he was unsure the process provided meaningful public involvement. Ms. Brindle said they planned to do the outreach by breaking up the corridor section by section. She noted there could be some areas of the corridor where a median would not be productive. She said it was also important to differentiate between the needs of a drive-by business versus a destination business. Ms. Lundberg said it seemed to make sense to address transit and median processes together. Ms. Newman summarized that the Governance Team wanted to get to the detailed conversation surrounding design soon and to better understand what components of the Main Street Safety Project and the Transit Study were necessary. Ms. Brindle emphasized that the process would be worth it if they were able to incorporate everything the community wanted into the corridor. She said the 408-process layered an economic and business impact analysis into the process and said the inclusion of the 408 allowed for a more robust planning effort. Ms. Reid asked if there was any way to expedite the allocation of funds for the safety project. Ms. Brindle replied there was a possibility to move up the PE portion if they could have a concept level design sooner. Ms. Reid said she felt comfortable recommending further coordination efforts but that she did not feel comfortable that either of the alternatives were appropriate at that time. Ms. Lundberg said she would like information clarified by the time it got to Council and recommended further coordination with staff and ODOT. In response to Ms. Markarian’s question, Ms. Woodrow said she would like the clarified information in the AIS packet if possible. Ms. Markarian shared that AIS deadlines where that upcoming Friday. Ms. Lundberg said she would like the team to reconvene after the Council meeting. MINUTES—Main Street Governance Team May 8, 2017 Page 5 Ms. Reid encouraged finding ways to receive community feedback side by side with the planning phase. 7. Recommend Coordination of Main Street Safety Project and Main-McVay Transit Study Ms. Lundberg adjourned the meeting at 3:55 p.m. (Recorded by Hannah Parks) Page 1 of 3 SPRINGFIELD MAIN STREET GOVERNANCE TEAM COMMITTEE PROTOCOLS DOCUMENT Updated 6/5/185/8/17 I. Purpose of Partnering Protocols The purpose of this document is to describe the Team’s expectations regarding the project, outline partner roles and responsibilities, and establish communication and decision procedures. II. Participation The Team consists of the following agencies and jurisdictions (listed in alphabetical order): City of Springfield (the City): Mayor Christine Lundberg and Councilor Marilee Woodrow (Alternate: Councilor s (Leonard Stoehr) and Marilee Woodrow), City Manager (Gino Grimaldi, ex-officio) Lane Transit District (LTD): Board Members (Steven YettDon Nordin and Kate Reid), General Manager (Aurora Jackson, ex-officio) Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT): Area 5 Manager (Frannie Brindle) This Team will be referred to as the “Main Street Governance Team.” Additional agencies and jurisdictions may be included in Team activities when and if it becomes appropriate. All members will agree upon any additional team organizations or agencies according to the decision protocols below. III. Team Mission Team members will provide informed direction and final collaborative decision making to support current Main Street Projects: Main Street Safety Project (MSSP); Main Street-McVay Highway Transit Study (MMTS); Main Street Pedestrian Crossings; Downtown Lighting Project. Former guidance included past projects: SmartTrips and Main Street Corridor Vision Plan. IV. Project Goals The Team has two primary goals: The Main Street Projects will undertake a public involvement strategy that first works to identify existing and anticipated needs and issues and then identifies solutions. The Main Street Projects are well coordinated with each other to leverage project efficiencies and to provide a unified public outreach program that avoids duplication and confusion among the project activities. V. Roles and Responsibilities of the Partners Communication The Governance Team will act as a communication link among jurisdictions and as liaison to their respective organizations. Preferred method of communication to and among Members will be email. A header or subject line containing the terms “Main Street Governance Team” will be included with all emails related to the project. Page 2 of 3 Good Faith Members represent their respective agencies and jurisdictions and act in good faith by: Being informed on relevant issues. Communicating issues to their organizations and governing bodies, and gathering feedback and agreement from the governing bodies to communicate back to the Project Teams and Governance Team. Communicating with each other with respect and candor. Following through with respective project responsibilities in a timely manner. Information Flow Expectations and Responsibilities The Project Leaders Team (PLT), made up of the project leaders from the Main Street Projects, will coordinate and collaborate on project development and delivery and maintain regular communication with the Governance Team by sending brief quarterly e- mails detailing project progress, pending decisions, upcoming work, community feedback and emerging issues. The Oversight Team (OT), made up of managers from the City, LTD, and ODOT, will provide a sounding board for project issues, either within one project or among more than one project and may provide issues resolution and task direction and/or bring forward to the Governance Team project issues for consideration and direction. The Governance Team will be notified by e-mail about upcoming public events, including open houses and stakeholder meetings. Governance Team alternates will receive all meeting packets and either attend Governance Team meetings or get briefed in between meetings by agency peers. Meetings Meetings will take place in Springfield City Hall, unless otherwise determined by the Governance Team. The MayorA City Councilor will chair the Team meetings. Governance Team meetings will be open to the public, and will be Team working meetings that do not involve public interaction. Multiple opportunities for public input will be scheduled and provided through the Projects’ comprehensive public involvement process. Written public comment can be provided via a comment box at the Governance Team meetings. The Governance Team will meet as determined by the Governance Team and/or as requested by the Oversight Team. The Governance Team will only meet if all five voting members of the Team (or their designated alternates) are present. Staff will provide agenda and packet materials prior to each meeting. Staff will provide presentations to the Governance Team at key milestones and decision points as identified in the various projects’ scopes of work, or as requested by the Governance Team. VI. Decision-Making Team members understand and acknowledge that their individual organizations retain all final decision-making authority as provided under law with respect to this project. Page 3 of 3 Decisions will be made by consensus. Consensus means all team members are sufficiently comfortable with a decision and can recommend it to their respective organizations. Dispute resolution – if consensus cannot readily be reached Team will examine interests that are behind the disagreement. Team will focus on explaining why they have taken a specific position. Team will focus on finding creative solutions when disagreements arise. Team may decide to return issues to the project PLT for further consideration or information development to resolve conflicts and obtain consensus.