HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 2022-28 06/20/2022 CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, OREGON
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-28
PROVIDING AN ALTERNATIVE REVIEW PROCESS FOR THE MAIN STREET SAFETY PROJECT
AS PERMITTED IN SPRINGFIELD DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR METRO PLAN AMENDMENTS
WHEREAS, throughout Springfield's history, Main Street (Oregon Highway 126 and 126-B) has been
the heart of the community and serves as an important business center and local and regional
transportation and transit corridor;
WHEREAS, in 2018, the City of Springfield and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)
formally launched the planning phase of the Main Street Safety Project for the purpose of engaging the
community to develop and adopt a Facility Plan for Main Street from 2011 Street to 72nd Street that
builds upon prior work by the City and ODOT to study safety issues in the Main Street corridor;
WHEREAS, 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, while also providing for
the movement of goods and people, supporting the economic viability of the corridor, accommodating
current bus service and future transit solutions, and complementing traffic safety education and
enforcement;
WHEREAS, the Springfield Planning Commission adopted a Community Engagement Plan for the
purpose of obtaining public feedback about the Main Street Safety Project on September 5, 2018, with
the Planning Commission acting in its role as the Committee for Citizen Involvement under the City's
acknowledged Citizen Involvement Plan implementing statewide planning goal 1, but subsequently
many community engagement activities were hampered by the unexpected and unprecedented global
coronavirus pandemic;
WHEREAS, a draft Main Street Facility Plan was made available for public review in September 2021,
proposing a significant scope of safety improvements primarily consisting of raised medians and
roundabouts, affecting the over five miles of the Main Street corridor from 20th Street to 72nd Street;
WHEREAS, in January 2022 the Development and Public Works Department Community Development
Division Director initiated the adoption of the Main Street Facility Plan with corresponding amendments
to the Springfield Development Code and Metro Plan as provided under SDC 5.6-105 for refinement
plans and SDC 5.14-125 for Metro Plan amendments;
WHEREAS, the Springfield Planning Commission held a properly noticed public hearing on the Main
Street Facility Plan on February 15, 2022, and received a significant number of written comments and
oral testimony regarding the draft Plan indicating significant community interest and concerns with the
draft Facility Plan;
WHEREAS, the Springfield Planning Commission voted 4 to 3 to recommend approval of the Main
Street Facility Plan to the City Council, although members in the majority and minority of the Planning
Commission expressed their desire the City Council would explore further options than those provided
in the draft Facility Plan;
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WHEREAS, the draft Main Street Facility Plan is based upon safety data from 2016 and earlier, prior to
installation of other corridor safety improvements by the City and ODOT, including but not limited to
improved LED lighting, installation of Rapid Flashing Beacon pedestrian crossings, and traffic signal
enhancements, and thus the safety data in the record does not fully account for these improvements;
WHEREAS, the City Council does not support adoption of the draft Facility Plan as recommended by
the Planning Commission and finds it in the public interest to direct preparation of an Alternative Plan
for Main Street that better addresses the community concerns reflected in the record up to the date of
this Resolution;
WHEREAS, the applicable approval process under SDC 5.14-130 requires the City Council to hold a
public hearing upon being forwarded the Planning Commission recommendation, and then to adopt,
not adopt, or conditionally adopt the proposed amendment by Ordinance;
WHREAS, SDC 5.14-130(I) also permits the City Council to establish an alternative approval process
other than the process specified elsewhere in SDC 5.14-130; and
WHEREAS, the City Council provided direction to the City Manager at work sessions on June 6 and 13,
2022 to develop an Alternative Plan that simplifies and narrows the scope of the plan, reflects a data
driven approach to safety improvements, provides support for businesses, and clarifies the plan
requirements for the Springfield community generally and additional work sessions are planned for fall
2022,
WHEREAS, the City Council provided direction to the City Manager at work session on June 20, 2022
regarding additional community engagement activities to be conducted to inform the City Council's
development of an Alternative Plan for Main Street,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD:
Section 1: The City Council hereby establishes an alternative approval process for a
transportation facility plan for Main Street as follows:
A. Over the next nine months, the City Council will develop an Alternative Plan for Main
Street and will hold a duly noticed public hearing on the Alternative Plan for Main Street upon
completion of the Alternative Plan. This timeline may be further adjusted based upon approval
by the City Council. Adjustments and amendments may be made to the Alternative Plan
following the public hearing based on community input and concerns.
B. The City Council will not proceed to a public hearing on the Facility Plan as
recommended by the Springfield Planning Commission by Order dated April 5, 2022. The
Alternative Plan will not be presented to the Planning Commission for recommendation.
C. The Alternative Plan for Main Street will present a vision for Main Street that simplifies
and narrows the scope of the plan, reflecting a data driven approach to safety improvements,
support for businesses, and clarity of the plan requirements for the Springfield community
generally. The Alternative Plan will be based upon information in the record of the Main Street
Safety Project at the time of Alternative Plan development, which includes information in the
record of the Planning Commission hearing on the Facility and submitted into the City Council
record subsequent to the Planning Commission recommendation.
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D. The City Manager, or her designee, is directed to prepare a Supplemental Community
Engagement Plan for subsequent approval by the Planning Commission in their role as
Committee for Citizen Involvement. The Supplemental Community Engagement Plan must be
consistent with this Resolution.
Section 2: This Resolution will take effect upon adoption by the Council.
ADOPTED by the Common Council of the City of Springfield this 201h day of June, 2022, by a
vote of 5 for and 0 against. (1 Absent - Pishioneri)
ATTEST:
City Recorder
REVIEWED&APPROVED
AS TO FORM
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SPRINGFIELD CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
{0o024651:3} Resolution No. 2022-28