Regional Transit-Oriented Development Advisory Committee

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1 Regional Transit-Oriented Development Advisory Committee Friday, March 17, :00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Puget Sound Regional Council 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA :00 1. Call to Order Committee Co-Chair 2. Introductions Committee Members 3. Report of the Co-Chair 4. Communications and Public Comment 10:15 5. Discussion Item: Regional Centers Framework Update Stakeholder Report Ben Bakkenta, PSRC 10:45 6. Discussion Item: T2040 TOD Regional Benefits Analysis Update Ben Bakkenta and Craig Helmann, PSRC 11:05 7. Discussion Item: Proposed Regional GTC Monitoring Report Michael Hubner and Laura Benjamin, PSRC 11:25 9. Information Items Update on Regional TOD Event ULI event Legislative Update Local TOD Update Round Robin, Committee members 11: Next meeting Potential items for next meeting: T2040 update, TOD event, TOD monitoring report 12: Adjourn Meeting * Supporting materials attached It is requested that Citizen Comments be limited to three minutes and relate to topics on today s agenda. Committee members please submit proposed amendments and other materials prior to the meeting for distribution. Organizations/individuals may submit information for distribution. Send to Michael Hubner at mhubner@psrc.org, fax , or mail. Sign language and communication material in alternate formats can be arranged given sufficient notice by calling (206) or TTY Relay 711. 中文 Chinese, 한국 Korean, Русский Russian, Español Spanish, Tagalog, Tiếng việt Vietnamese Call

2 MINUTES OF THE REGIONAL TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING December 16, CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m.. 2. COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. 3. REPORT OF THE CO-CHAIR PSRC staff convened the meeting with introductions around the table. Welcomed new signatories to the GTC Compact as members of the Regional TOD Advisory Committee: Chad Zettle, Spectrum Development Solutions; Janine Robinson, Pierce Transit. Staff introduced Kelly Ryder, Housing Development Consortium, as the proposed new co-chair for the committee. Committee members concurred with the nomination. The remainder of the meeting was chaired by Kelly, in Councilmember Stilin s absence. 4. LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES DISCUSSION FOLLOW-UP AND ELECTION RECAP As a follow up to the committee discussion on September 16 about legislative priorities, Michael Hubner, PSRC, reported back to the committee, major points being that 1) Councilmember Arnold (Kirkland) had delivered an oral report to the GMPB at their October meeting and 2) that PSRC boards had not adopted any legislative priorities for The committee reviewed the written summary of their Sept. 16 discussion and asked that staff work with the co-chairs to draft a memo to be provided to the GMPB listing the committee s priorities for the 2017 session to put this information on the record along with the case for how the priorities would further regional goals. Staff offered to make an effort during the session to provide updates on relevant bills to the committee during the legislative session. Sound Transit staff briefed the committee on next steps for the agency now that Sound Transit 3 has passed.

3 5. TOD REGIONAL BENEFITS ANALYSIS FOR TRANSPORTATION 2040 UPDATE PSRC staff, Ben Bakkenta and Craig Helmann, briefed the committee on a TOD Regional Benefits Analysis that is being conducted as part of the Transportation 2040 update. The committee asked question and provided feedback on methods and scope. PSRC staff will report back to the committee later in 2017 once findings are available from this analysis. Major points of feedback were: The analysis should account for timing of transit investments and future technology changes in transportation Measure equity outcomes. Who benefits? Impacts on affordable housing? Health, physical activity, and safety are part of the equation Important to look at impacts within walkshed and commute-shed geographies 6. REGIONAL TOD SUMMIT EVENT PSRC staff introduced the topic of a potential regional event to be organized by members of the committee in The event would be a follow up to and event held in September 2015 at Redmond City Hall, New Opportunities: Working Together to Build Great Transit Communities. Committee members expressed broad interest in pursuing this proposal. They also offered preliminary ideas on how to approach planning for a follow up TOD event of this kind. Major points included: Focus should be on implementation, including case studies, assessment of how implementation of the GTC Strategy is going, etc. Should involve community members, not just planners and development community We should try to increase private sector involvement, and design topics that are of value to private sector, less long-term considerations, more on tools to make projects successful Topics should include: o Land acquisition, surplus public lands for equitable TOD o Measures of housing need in transit communities for various incomes and household types o Address more than just housing, also office and other employment uses Several committee members expressed a willingness to be part of an event planning subcommittee. Staff will pull that together early in INFORMATIONAL UPDATES City of Everett provided an update on its work on station area planning in advance of the Link light rail extension funded under ST3. Spectrum Development Solutions presented an overview of its Publix TOD project in Seattle s International District. Sound Transit provided an update on the Roosevelt Link station now under construction and the Angle Lake station recently opened, specifically regarding RFPs for utilizing agency owned sites for TOD. A similar update was provided for the maintenance facility site in Bellevue. Cities of Belleview and Kirkland also gave brief updates on TOD in their jurisdictions adjacent to bus transit. James Madden from Enterprise Community Partners and Cheryl Markham from King County updated the committee on the recent closing of the Regional Equitable Development Initiative Fund, with loan applications now being accepted. More information is available at

4 8. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Regional TOD Advisory Committee will be Friday, March 17, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. noon at PSRC. 10. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.

DATE: March 9, 2017 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Regional TOD Advisory Committee Ben Bakkenta, Program Manager, Puget Sound Regional Council Regional Centers Framework Update Stakeholder Report IN BRIEF At its

5 DATE: March 9, 2017 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Regional TOD Advisory Committee Ben Bakkenta, Program Manager, Puget Sound Regional Council Regional Centers Framework Update Stakeholder Report IN BRIEF At its March meeting, PSRC staff will provide an update on the Regional Centers Framework update and solicit feedback from the committee on the project. Staff will provide an overview of the Centers Stakeholder Working Group report. A full copy of the report is available online. DISCUSSION The Puget Sound Regional Council is working with its members and other partners to evaluate the regional centers framework and recommend structural changes to recognize different scales of centers using consistent designation criteria and procedures. This effort carries out a scope of work adopted by the Growth Management Policy Board in July Reflecting the potential far-reaching influence of this project, the Growth Management Policy Board developed the following principles to guide this work. The new framework and procedures should: Support the Growth Management Act and VISION 2040 Focus growth consistent with the Regional Growth Strategy Recognize and support different types and roles of regional and subregional centers Provide common procedures across the region Guide strategic use of limited regional investments Inform future planning updates at regional, countywide, and local levels The project is proceeding in five phases, as depicted below. The Framework Development phase is nearly complete, and the board will consider changes to the framework in the upcoming Approval phase. 1

6 Framework Development The Framework Development stage has included two major components: Joint Board Work Sessions (held April and June 2016) Stakeholder Working Group planning process (June January 2017) The Joint Board Work Sessions took place following the regular Growth Management Policy Board meetings on April 7 and June 2, Multiple board members participated in the session to discuss findings from the Research Phase of the project and provide direction for the stakeholder planning process. The Centers Stakeholder Working Group met monthly from June 2016 through January The roster of the Stakeholder Working Group follows the composition approved by GMPB and includes representation from all four counties. The working group report includes framework alternatives, an evaluation of the alternatives, other recommended changes, a summary of how the recommendations respond to the background research findings, and an overview of centers measures and criteria. The report also identifies preferred alternatives, rationale for each alternative, and notes additional policy and technical issues for the board to consider in its review. The Stakeholder Working Group report addresses a number of questions raised by the scope of work, project findings, and working group discussion. The recommendations include alternative tiered structures for both regional growth centers and manufacturing/industrial centers which place different emphasis on regional role, transit service, and planned growth. The report recommends updated planning expectations and additional planning in advance of regional designation, and establishing minimum standards and processes at the countywide level to designate countywide centers. The recommendations also include updating the designation process to more fully consider location, distribution of centers, and overall regional planning objectives. The report includes discussion of military facilities and options to recognize military facilities at the county level, at the regional level, or through other means. Relationship to the GTC Strategy Several Growing Transit Communities recommended actions may be addressed through the Centers Framework Update. These include: Growth. The GTC Strategy calls for policies and plans to establish transit communities as key locations to concentrate new population and employment and to foster transit supportive densities. Relevant actions include: o o 1.6. Collaborate with local governments and other stakeholders to explore options for regional designation of selected transit communities based on their potential to provide regional benefits and alignment with the GTC Strategy Amend plans and policies to establish transit communities as a key element of the regional growth strategy to concentrate new population and employment within urban areas in centers linked by a high capacity transit network. Affordable Housing. The GTC Strategy calls for a no net loss of existing affordable housing in transit communities and sets a target for the future share of the housing that should be affordable at a range of income levels (Regional Goal 2). Support for Transit Communities. Several actions call for support for transit communities to enhance multimodal access and other improvements. (Actions 7.2, 10.1, 10.2) The Stakeholder Working Group report discusses the GTC Strategy, and a supplement that accompanies the report addresses how the Centers Framework Update could address equity and social justice. 2

7 Transit Measures and Criteria Under the current framework, there is an expectation that planning in centers will support multimodal networks and complete streets, transit supportive planning, tailored concurrency standards, and mode-split goals. However, transit availability is not a formal criterion in the existing designation procedures for new centers. The Stakeholder Working Group identified several key points of agreement to shape development of the alternatives and recommendations for Regional Growth Centers, specific to transit and TOD. These include: An explicit requirement for high capacity transit service or its equivalent as a threshold eligibility criterion. Requirements for existing pedestrian infrastructure and amenities and a street grid that supports walkability. Recognition that major investments in high capacity transit service, such as Metro Rapid Ride, Kitsap Transit s fast ferries, SWIFT bus rapid transit, and Sound Transit 3 are the kind of substantive, long-range investments that were envisioned when the centers framework was first adopted in These investments present a major opportunity to locate housing, jobs, and services close to transit, and to do so in a way that achieves equitable development outcomes to benefit both existing and future residents. Encouraging appropriately-sized centers to spur compact, transit-oriented development. Connecting centers to other centers by transit and providing robust transit service throughout the center. Updating planning expectations to include housing affordability, family-size housing, fair housing, displacement, and/or homelessness, and programs and services to meet the housing needs of communities below the area median income. Board Review and Approval Phase The Growth Management Policy Board heard a project briefing in February. In-depth discussion of the report and recommendations will begin at the April meeting, and the board will continue to discuss the framework through the spring. Between February and April, PSRC staff will complete outreach to PSRC and countywide committees to gather additional feedback on the working group recommendations. Staff will compile feedback from committees to support the board s discussion. Once the Growth Management Policy Board has taken action, the Executive Board will consider their recommendation. Implementation of the changes to the framework may occur through a number of paths, including setting the stage for the upcoming update of VISION 2040, providing guidance to the update of countywide planning policies, influencing future rounds of review of PSRC s funding policy, and making interim updates to PSRC centers designation procedures. For more information, please contact Liz Underwood-Bultmann at , LUnderwood-Bultmann@psrc.org. 3

March 17, 2017 DISCUSSION ITEM 6 To: From: Subject: Regional TOD Advisory Committee Ben Bakkenta and Craig Helmann, PSRC Transportation 2040 TOD Regional Benefits Analysis IN BRIEF The committee will

8 March 17, 2017 DISCUSSION ITEM 6 To: From: Subject: Regional TOD Advisory Committee Ben Bakkenta and Craig Helmann, PSRC Transportation 2040 TOD Regional Benefits Analysis IN BRIEF The committee will review progress PSRC has made since December in developing an analysis regarding the regional economic benefits of transit-oriented development (TOD). RELATIONSHIP TO THE GTC STRATEGY The Growing Transit Communities Strategy identifies the actions and tools that will be necessary to attract growth to the region s transit station areas, implement the region s plans, and build prosperous and sustainable communities that benefit all. The strategy assumes that TOD will bring a variety of economic and social benefits to the region. The TOD analysis will attempt to quantify the economic benefit of a more densely developed land use pattern in the central Puget Sound region. Findings from the analysis may help highlight the economic benefits of a compact, transit-oriented development pattern, and emphasize the importance of the Growing Transit Communities Strategy. DISCUSSION Transportation 2040 the central Puget Sound region s long range transportation plan will undergo a federally required review and update starting in January 2017, with adoption scheduled in Spring The plan currently contains a Transit-Oriented Communities section that identifies the substantial social and environmental benefits of a compact development pattern. According to research supporting the plan, transit-oriented communities have the potential to: Promote health by encouraging walking and biking, cutting air pollution, and reducing motor vehicle accidents Lower household expenses for transportation Reduce municipal infrastructure costs Help meet growing demand for walkable communities Curb land consumption and thereby help conserve farms and natural ecosystems, and protect water quality Cut energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with both transportation and the built environment. Transportation 2040 (PSRC, 2010), pp Puget Sound Regional Council Regional TOD Advisory Committee Meeting Item 6 1

9 Since the plan was adopted, the question has often been posed of whether, in addition to the benefits noted above, it would be possible to quantify some of the economic benefits of a compact regional transit-oriented development pattern. At the December 2016 Regional TOD Advisory Committee meeting, PSRC staff presented a proposed approach to evaluate potential regional TOD benefits, based on a refinement of the methodology used for a similar analysis conducted in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Since December, PSRC staff have identified TOD study areas, and have conducted initial model runs as part of a proof-of-concept analysis to answer policy questions regarding the potential economic benefits of TOD. At the March meeting, PSRC will review preliminary results with the committee. Committee members will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide comments, particularly on an approach to highlighting potential impacts to low income and minority populations. NEXT STEPS To support the Transportation 2040 update schedule, the TOD benefit analysis must be complete by Summer PSRC will conduct preliminary analysis, and will update the committee on progress at its June 2017 meeting. STAFF CONTACT For more information, please contact Ben Bakkenta at or bbakkenta@psrc.org, or Craig Helmann at or chelmann@psrc.org Puget Sound Regional Council Regional TOD Advisory Committee Meeting Item 6 2

10 DATE: March 9, 2017 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Regional TOD Advisory Committee Michael Hubner, Principal Planner, Puget Sound Regional Council Regional TOD Monitoring Report IN BRIEF The Committee will discuss and provide feedback on a proposal for 2017 for PSRC staff to gather and summarize higher level data on 1) implementation of GTC recommendations across multiple signatories and 2) performance of transit communities in achieving desired outcomes for a regional TOD monitoring report. RELATIONSHIP TO THE GTC STRATEGY Foundation Strategy 5 calls to evaluate and monitor impacts and outcomes. The Partner Implementation Reports, one of three tiers of the GTC Strategy implementation framework, document short-and medium term actions that partners individually are taking to implement the Strategy, and have been the primary means of monitoring implementation and performance of the GTC Strategy to date. DISCUSSION Nearly four years have passed since the Growing Transit Communities Strategy was released in Committee members have expressed an interest in a regional perspective on how we re doing in terms of both implementation (what we are doing) and performance (achieving desired outcomes). During 2017, as an alternative to emphasizing individual Implementation Status Reports, PSRC staff would be able to collect information that begins to answer these questions for a select set of regional and sub-regional measures. Performance Monitoring The GTC Existing Conditions Reports covered topics ranging from demographics to land use to housing to transportation. The reports relied on data that, for most part, described conditions in For many measures, PSRC would be able to update a selected set of measures to the year 2015 or later, as a means of tracking how conditions have changed. The resulting trends would inform committee consideration of progress toward the desired outcomes embodied in the GTC goals and update an understanding of the needs and opportunities in transit corridors. The monitoring report, as proposed, would focus on the three regional goals for transit communities: 1. Attract more of the region s residential and employment growth to high capacity transit communities. 2. Provide housing choices affordable to a full range of incomes near high-capacity transit. 3. Increase access to opportunity for existing and future residents of transit communities. 1

11 Data points may include: Population and household growth Employment growth Housing costs Transit service and ridership The report will provide data specific for station areas and aggregated by corridor. Implementation Monitoring The GTC Strategy recommends 24 strategies to promote thriving and equitable transit communities, with actions specified for regional and local government, transit agencies, and non-governmental organizations. To date, the Committee has considered information on implementation of the strategies for GTC Compact signatories individually. With the completion of major updates to local comprehensive plans, transit agency plans, and other TOD related developments in a rapidly growing region, PSRC would be in a good position to bring higher level information that describes how the region as a whole is moving toward carrying out the 24 GTC recommended strategies. This is an opportunity to celebrate our successes, and, more importantly, identify major gaps in implementation, areas where the Committee may want to redouble efforts to work with regional partners to make further progress. NEXT STEPS At the direction of the committee, staff will begin the process of developing data for one or more presentations for the Committee to review starting with the June 2017 meeting. STAFF CONTACT For more information, please contact Michael Hubner at or MHubner@psrc.org. 2

Future System Planning (ST4)

Future System Planning (ST4) Subarea All Primary Mode Policies and Programs Facility Type Length Version Draft ST3 Plan Date Last Modified March 28, 2016 PROJECT AREA AND REPRESENTATIVE ALIGNMENT SHORT