Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 1751

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Description: Concerning parking impact mitigation from regional transit authority facility construction.

Sponsors: Representative Santos.

Brief Summary of Bill

  • Requires a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to consider the impacts of its facilities on parking availability for area residents.

  • Requires an RTA to provide parking mitigation if necessary, which includes paying for resident's parking permits if zoned parking is implemented as a result of an RTA's facility.

Hearing Date: 2/19/15

Staff: David Munnecke (786-7315).

Background:

A Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is authorized to use its tax revenues to plan, construct, and operate high-capacity transportation, such as express bus service and light rail. There is currently one RTA, Sound Transit, which operates light rail, commuter rail service, and express bus service in Puget Sound.

Sound Transit's System Access Policy establishes a framework for addressing customer access to Sound Transit facilities and services and states that Sound Transit will work cooperatively and in partnership with local jurisdictions to manage parking demand at and near transit facilities. It further states that Sound Transit will work cooperatively with other providers of public transportation services and parking facilities to identify appropriate methods of responding to changing parking demands and usage patterns resulting from Sound Transit actions.

Summary of Bill:

When constructing or operating a transportation facility, an RTA must consider the potential impacts of that facility on parking availability for residents nearby. An RTA must provide appropriate parking mitigation for parking impacts, to be determined in collaboration with the local government in which the parking impacts occur. If zoned residential parking is implemented as a direct result of an RTA's impacts on parking, the RTA must pay for the zoned residential permits near the RTA facility.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.