HOUSE BILL REPORT

 

 

                                    HB 2841

 

 

BYRepresentatives R. Fisher, Schmidt, Wood, Zellinsky, Braddock, R. Meyers, Bennett, Phillips, K. Wilson, P. King, Heavey, Horn, Ferguson, Todd, Cooper, May, Scott, Basich and Wineberry

 

 

Authorizing regional transportation planning.

 

 

House Committe on Transportation

 

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (23)

      Signed by Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; Baugher, Vice Chair, Eastern Washington; R. Meyers, Vice Chair, Western Washington; Schmidt, Ranking Republican Member; Basich, Bennett, Betrozoff, Cantwell, Cooper, Day, G. Fisher, Forner, Gallagher, Heavey, Jones, Kremen, Nelson, Prentice, D. Sommers, Todd, Walker, S. Wilson and Zellinsky.

 

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (2)

      Signed by Representatives Hankins and Smith.

 

      House Staff:Judy Burns (786-7301); Gene Baxstrom (786-7303)

 

 

          AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION FEBRUARY 1, 1990

 

BACKGROUND:

 

Under RCW chapters 35.63 (cities), 36.70 (counties), and 39.34 (Interlocal Cooperation Act), cities and counties are authorized to join together to perform regional planning functions, including transportation planning.

 

Under the Federal Aid Highway Acts of 1962 and 1973, urbanized areas, as defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation, must have a "metropolitan planning organization" (MPO) responsible for regional transportation planning, in order to qualify for federal transportation planning funds and to obtain federal aid for highway construction projects within the region.  Under this federal mandate, eight MPOs exist in Washington.

 

The amount of federal money available to the MPOs for regional transportation planning has remained static for the last several years (about $1.7 million per biennium), and thus has not kept pace with increasing costs.  Areas of the state outside of the urbanized areas do not qualify for any federal transportation planning funds, and no state funds are available for regional transportation planning purposes.

 

Current law provides cities and counties the option to develop comprehensive plans.  If a city or county is to adopt a plan, that plan must contain both a land-use and circulation or transportation element.  Little specificity is provided as to the contents of the circulation element except that it address the general location or alignment of major routes and terminal facilities and that it be correlated with the land-use element of the plan.

 

SUMMARY:

 

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS:  Cities and counties are authorized to create regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs).  In urbanized areas, RTPOs are the same as the existing metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs).  In other areas of the state an RTPO must:  1) encompass at least one complete county; 2) have a population of at least 100,000, or encompass at least three counties; and 3) have as members all counties and at least 60 percent of the cities, representing 75 percent of the cities' population within the region.  The state Department of Transportation (DOT) must certify that the regional boundaries conform to the above requirements.

 

Responsibilities of RTPOs include:  1) certifying that the transportation elements of comprehensive plans mandated for certain counties, cities and towns conform with statutory requirements; 2) developing and adopting a regional transportation plan which is consistent with local comprehensive plans and state transportation plans; 3) designating a "lead planning agency"; 4) reviewing the regional plan at least biennially; and 5) forwarding the adopted plan, and biennial updates, to the DOT.

 

The DOT will establish minimum standards for regional transportation plans and facilitate coordination between regions. When planning improvements or strategies within corridors of statewide or regional significance, the DOT is to jointly plan with RTPOs.  Once a regional transportation plan has been adopted, all transportation projects within the region which impact regional facilities or services must be consistent with the plan.

 

Each RTPO must create a transportation policy board, and allow membership on the board for representatives of major employers in the area, the DOT, transit districts, ports, and member cities and counties.

 

A formula is sent forth for distribution of any funds which may be appropriated to the DOT for regional transportation planning.  Each lead planning agency should receive a base amount for each county within the region, and a per capita distribution based on population within the region.  In addition, the DOT will retain an amount for a discretionary grant program for special planning projects, including grants for a county within one region to plan with an adjoining region.  Funds not disbursed under the first two provisions are added to the discretionary grant program.

 

LOCAL PLANNING REQUIREMENTS:  Counties having a population of 100,000 or more or that have had a population increase of more than 10 percent in the previous 10 years, and cities and towns within those counties, are required to adopt a comprehensive plan.  The plans must be adopted by July 1, 1993.  Counties reaching the population or growth thresholds must adopt comprehensive plans within three years of reaching that threshold.  Other counties may determine to have that planning requirement apply to themselves. If a county does, all cities and towns within the county are required to adopt such a plan within three years of that county determination.

 

The transportation element is required to be consistent with and implement the land use element.  It must include subelements on land use and travel forecasting; facility and service needs, including identification of service levels; finance, including shortfalls and reassessment of land use assumptions to maintain service levels; intergovernmental coordination efforts; and demand management strategies.

 

Concurrence between development and transportation improvements is mandated.  Local jurisdictions are required to adopt and enforce ordinances which prohibit development approval if the development causes the service level on a transportation facility to decline below standards adopted in the plan, unless improvements or strategies to accommodate the impacts are made concurrent with the development.  Concurrent with development means that the improvements are in place at the time of development or that a financial commitment is in place to complete the improvements or strategies within five years.

 

The land use element of the planning requirement is expanded to require subelements related to housing, public facilities and to public utilities.  Housing is to address policies and objectives for housing preservation and development, including moderate and low income housing.  The public facility subelement is to address needs, funding for such needs, and reassessment of the land element if funding falls short of those needs.  The public utilities subelement is to address the location and capacity of public utilities, including electrical, telephone and gas lines.

 

Each county and city comprehensive plan must be coordinated with other cities or counties that have common borders or related regional issues.  The coordination must at least involve sharing comprehensive plans and public comments regarding coordination and may include identification of areas of conflict and attempts at resolution, including mediation.

 

Cities' and counties' zoning controls, development regulations, official controls and other restrictions on land use are to be consistent with and implement the comprehensive plan.

 

The six-year transportation programming plans (for county roads, city streets and public transit development) and the transportation element of comprehensive plans must be consistent.

 

Supplanted planning sections are repealed.

 

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The mandatory comprehensive planning requirement is to apply to counties (and cities and towns within them) over 100,000 in population and having growth of over 10 percent over 10 years, rather than applying to all counties and cities.  Effective dates for plan adoption are July 1, 1993, or three years after reaching growth thresholds.

 

Language is added to require DOT to jointly plan with RTPOs, regional and statewide projects; permit transportation strategies, in addition to improvements to meet concurrency requirements; define concurrency; allow for multi-regional planning efforts; and provide for distribution of RTPO planning funds.  More specificity is provided for allocation of funds for regional planning.

 

Detailed reference to housing requirements is deleted.  Language pertaining to comprehensive transportation plans is refined.

 

Appropriation:    $1,700,000 from Motor Vehicle Fund to Department of Transportation to be distributed to RTPOs.

 

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

 

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Virginia Gunby, Citizens for Balanced Growth; Win Granlund, Puget Sound Council of Governments; Chris Leman, Citizens for Balanced Growth/Community and Environmental Transportation Coalition; and Jerry Lenzi, Department of Transportation.

 

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

 

House Committee - Testimony For:    Improved regional planning for transportation, including state support and participation, provides for better coordination of transportation facilities and strategies at the state and local level.  Mandating comprehensive planning for large and fast growing cities and counties insures better coordination between land use decisions and transportation facilities.  This helps insure the public's investment in transportation facilities.

 

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.