>>> GOOD MORNING , THE MARCH
19th, 2024 TRANSPORTATION
COMMITTEE MEETING WILL COME TO
ORDER. I AM ROB SAKA, CHAIR OF
THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
WILL BE CLERK'S CALL THE ROLL?
>> COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE ?
COUNCILMEMBER WOO ? CHAIR,
THERE ARE FIVE MEMBERS
PRESENT.
>> IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS,
THE AGENDA WILL BE ADOPTED.
HEARING NO OBJECTIONS, THE
AGENDA IS ADOPTED. WELCOME,
MEMBERS AND GUESTS, TO THIS
YEAR'S FOURTH MEETING OF THE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. A LOT
OF REALLY IMPORTANT CONTENT. I
WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A VERY
SPECIAL WELCOME TO GERI POOR
AND KEVIN WERNER, OF THE PORT
OF SEATTLE. WE WILL TALK ABOUT
THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE EXISTING
LEVEES AND THE UPCOMING LEVY
RENEWAL. AS WE GET CLOSER TO
THE MAYOR RELEASING AND
TRANSMITTING THE NEW LEVY , I
HOPE THAT WE WILL ALL BE
STARTING TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE
WOULD LIKE THE NEW LEVY TO
ACCOMPLISH, COLLECTIVELY. WE
WILL DEFINITELY FOCUS ON WHAT
THE NEW LEVY HAS DONE. WE WILL
HEAR FROM OUR CENTRAL STAFF
MEMBER AND COLLEAGUES ,
INCLUDING CALVIN CHOW, HE WILL
GIVE US ADDITIONAL INSIGHT. WE
ARE NOT VOTING ON THAT
TODAY, THE EARLIEST WE WILL
DO THAT, THE EARLIEST, IS NEXT
MEETING. FINALLY, I WANT TO
WELCOME NUMBERS OF THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
WHO ARE HERE TO GIVE US
IMPORTANT INSIGHTS INTO HOW NEW
IN -- SIDEWALKS ARE FUNDED
AND PREPARED FOR CONSTRUCTION.
WE WILL GET INTO THE
NITTY-GRITTY OF ACCESSIBILITY,
EQUITY, AND ACCESS TO TRANSIT
, HELPING TO ACHIEVE CLIMATE
GOALS AMONG OTHER PRIORITIES
AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT ADDING
SPECIFICALLY NEW SIDEWALKS.
WE WILL NOW OPEN THE HYBRID
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. PUBLIC
COMMENT SHOULD RELATE TO ITEMS
ON TODAY'S AGENDA AND WITHIN
THE PURVIEW OF THIS COMMITTEE.
CLERK HOW MANY SPEAKERS ARE
SIGNED UP?
>> MR. CHAIR, CURRENTLY WE HAVE
TWO SPEAKERS IN CHAMBER PASSED
CHAMBERS AND FOUR REMOTE.
>> EACH WILL HAVE
APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES. WE
WILL SPEAK -- START WITH THE
IN-CHAMBER SPEAKERS.
>> IT WILL BE MONITORED IN THE
FOLLOWING MANNER. IT IS UP TO
20 MINUTES, SPEAKERS WILL BE
CALLED IN THE ORDER IN WHICH
THEY ARE REGISTERED, SPEAKERS
WILL ALTERNATE BETWEEN SETS OF
IN-PERSON AND REMOTE SPEAKERS
UNTIL THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
HAS ENDED. SPEAKERS WILL HEAR A
CHIME WHEN 10 SECONDS ARE LEFT
OF THEIR TIME. THE MICROPHONES
WILL BE MUTED IF THEY DO NOT
END THEIR SPEECH DURING THEIR
TIME. WE WILL BEGIN WITH THE
FIRST SPEAKER ON THE LIST. MR.
CHAIR , FIRST WE WILL HEAR FROM
MEGAN CRUZ.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> I AM A DISTRICT 7 RESIDENT
AND I AM HERE TO SPEAK ON THE
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN,
SPECIFICALLY THE NEED TO ADD A
FREIGHT DELIVERY POLICY AS THE
COMP PLAN CREATES DENSE URBAN
CENTERS AND UP ZONED
RESIDENTIAL CENTER. DOWNTOWN
WAS THE FIRST URBAN VILLAGE IN
SEATTLE. WE HAVE SEEN WHAT HAS
HAPPENED WITHOUT A PLAN. AS
CURB SPACE WAS CONVERTED FOR
BUSES AND BIKES OVER THE
YEARS, THERE WAS NO REQUIREMENT
TO PROVIDE OFFSTREET ROAD SPACE
. TODAY, A UW STUDY SHOWS THAT
YOU CAN SPEND 10 TO 12
MINUTES FOR A TRUCK TO FIND A
SPACE TO OFFLOAD, THAT MEANS
THERE IS MORE CONGESTION,
EMISSIONS, AND UNNECESSARY
INTERACTIONS WITH PEDESTRIANS.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS
REPORT HAS BEEN RELEASED,
TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL
LOADING AND DELIVERY STANDARDS.
NOW THAT WE HAVE IT, WHAT IT
MEANS IS, WE JUST NEED THE
POLITICAL WILL TO MAKE IT
POLICY. BEFORE WE INCREASE
DENSITY CITYWIDE, LET'S
COORDINATE THIS UNIQUE TIME TO
COORDINATE THE LAND-USE AND
TRANSPORTATION POLICIES AND
MAKE RESIDENTIAL LOADING
STANDARDS PART OF THIS REPORT
AND THE COMP PLAN. AND I WANT
TO THANK COUNCILMEMBER ROBERT
KETTLE FOR CHAMPIONING THIS
THROUGHOUT HIS CAMPAIGN. I WILL
LEAVE YOU EACH WITH A COPY OF
THIS REPORT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> COMMITTEE CHAIR, NEXT WE
WILL HEAR FROM AMY NICHOLS.
>> GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS AMY
NICHOLS AND I AM A MEMBER OF
THE BARRETT FAMILY. I WORK IN
THE CONSULTATION FOR THE
AIR-QUALITY SECTION OF THE
WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF
ECOLOGY , IN PARTICULAR WITH
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS TO
IMPROVE AIR QUALITY. I SUPPORT
AND RECOGNIZE THE DUWAMISH
NATION IN THEIR ONGOING
CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ASKED
THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE
CONSULTED ON THE FAUNTLEROY
PROJECT AND ALL FUTURE
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.
SECONDLY, I WOULD LIKE TO
RESPOND TO THE RECENT REMARKS
ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
I LIVE IN DISTRICT 4 AND LAST
WEEK I MET WITH MY NEIGHBORS
AT THE ROOSEVELT NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION WHO ALL EXPRESSED
BEING VERY HAPPY WITH THE
DIRECTION OF TRANSPORTATION IN
OUR AREA. THEY NOTED
IMPROVEMENT , WALKING SAFETIES,
AND A RAISED PLATFORM THAT HAS
NEARLY STOPPED THE DRAGON
ROSING -- DRAG RACING ON
ROOSEVELT. AND IT PROVIDES
INCREASED CONNECTIVITY WITH
CREDIT. THE SEVEN GREAT
INVESTMENTS AND WE WOULD LIKE
MORE INCLUDING BETTER
ENFORCEMENT AND MORE BIKE
LANES AND LOADING ZONES FOR
DELIVERY VEHICLES FOR DELIVERY
VEHICLES TO CONNECT BETTER WITH
MAPLE LEAF. OVERALL, TO HAVE
MORE -- A MORE
TRANSPORTATION-ORIENTED
COMMUNITY. THIS CAN INCLUDE
WORKING TO HAVE MORE MULTI
FAMILY HOMES, MORE BICYCLE
STORAGE, AND MORE EV CHARGING.
WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND
WE WOULD LOVE IT ACROSS MORE OF
THE CITY. WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE
IN A BUBBLE AND ROOSEVELT. BUT
WE WANT TO BE WELL-CONNECTED
THROUGHOUT ALL COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> COMMITTEE CHAIR, NEXT WE
WILL HEAR FROM ROBIN, WHO IS
CALLING IN.
>> GOOD MORNING,
COUNCILMEMBERS, I LIVE ON
CAPITOL HILL AND I REPRESENT
THE 33rd . WE ARE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT THE CLIMATE AND
WE ARE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED
THAT THE CITY WILL MEET THE
GOAL OF REDUCING
TRANSPORTATION ISSUES BY 2030.
THEY HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR
THIS, THE CLIMATE CHANGE
RESPONSE PLAN, AND A TRANSIT
PERFORMANCE PLAN. THESE ARE ALL
GOOD PLANS, I AM JUST
BEGINNING TO WONDER IF ANYBODY
IS ACTUALLY READING THEM.
PLEASE PASS THE PLAN, BUT READ
IT FIRST AND USE IT.
ADMISSIONS HAVE BEEN FLAT FOR
YEARS, IN SPITE OF ALL OF OUR
PLANS. WE NEED SOME
IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL OF THE
GOOD IDEAS. I WAS ASKED WHETHER
WE WANTED NO CHANGE,
INCREMENTAL CHANGE, OR RAPID
CHANGE. AND RIGHT FROM THE
DURATION, I SAID THAT I WANTED
THAT. I HOPE THAT THEY WILL
FOLLOW THROUGH. OUR LIFE
DEPENDS ON IT. THANK YOU.
>> NEXT, WE WILL HEAR FROM JIM.
JIM , YOU MAY NEED TO PRESS
STAR 6. JIM , IF YOU CAN
HEAR ME, STAR SIX MIGHT
UNMUTE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
SORRY ABOUT THAT. I WAS
PRESSING THE WRONG NUMBER. THIS
IS JIM AND I AM A CITIZEN
DOWNTOWN. AND THERE IS AN
ARCHITECTURAL FIRM LOCATED AT
THE CORNER OF 1st AND VIRGINIA,
FOR CLOSE TO 40 YEARS. SO I
KNOW THE 1st AVENUE SITE VERY
WELL AND ALL OF THE PROPERTIES
THAT ADJOINED THAT. I HAVE
ALSO WORKED WITH A REPORT
THAT WAS DATED 2023 , FROM THE
CITY CENTER CONNECTOR AND AFTER
READING THAT AND FOLLOWING YOU
ALL, IN TERMS OF THE CONNECTOR
THAT IS GOING TO BE RUNNING
ALONG FIRST AVENUE, I AM HERE
TO SAY, I AM FULLY AGAINST IT.
FIRST, BECAUSE OF THE
INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOW IT IS
GOING TO AFFECT THE OTHER
BUSINESSES. AND SECOND ,
WHAT I SEE, AROUND $300
MILLION IS WHAT WILL GO UP,
WITH THINGS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN
ADDRESSED. AND ALSO, MORE
IMPORTANTLY , THE IDEA OF THE
TROLLEY ON 1st AVENUE. AND
MOVING FORWARD, WITH DIFFERENT
MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, AND
ALTER ALL OF THE
INFRASTRUCTURE. WHATEVER IT
TAKES TO PLACE A TROLLEY CAR,
ONCE THAT WORK IS DONE, IF IT
WAS EVER DONE , IT WOULD LOCK
UP 1st AVENUE. IN TERMS OF
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES, SO, FOR
THAT REASON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME , I AM AGAINST IT. I WILL
BE IN TOUCH. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> NEXT UP WE HAVE RUTH.
RUTH, PLEASE PRESS STAR 6.
>> COUNCILMEMBERS, CHAIR
SAKA, FELLOW CITIZENS, GOOD
MORNING. I AM SPEAKING ON
BEHALF OF 91,000 VOICES RAISED
IN CONCERN OVER SEATTLE'S
FUTURE. PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE
ENTRANCE TO PIKE PLACE MARKET
AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS.
I AM HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ABOUT
THE SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
AND I HAVE TWO RELATED
REQUESTS. THE 1st AVENUE
STREETCAR , PLEASE WITHDRAW
THAT FROM ANY FUTURE
CONSIDERATION, BECAUSE THE
COSTS FAR OUTWEIGH THE
BENEFIT, AND SECONDLY , THERE
IS A DESPERATE NEED FOR AN
URBAN FREIGHT POLICY. THE
MARKET NEIGHBORHOOD IS A
DENSE AND THRIVING AREA WITH
LITTLE CURB SPACE AND MIXED
USE RESIDENTIAL TOWERS,
KEEPING THIS NEIGHBORHOOD
SAFE AND THRIVING WOULD MEAN
HAVING A SPACE TO KEEP TRUCKS
AWAY FROM THE CROWD. A NEW
REPORT ACKNOWLEDGES THE LACK OF
CURB SPACE DOWNTOWN AND
RECOMMENDS NEW REQUIREMENTS
FOR OFFSTREET PARKING . THE
BENEFITS OF THE FIRST AVENUE
STREETCAR CAN BE MET MORE
EFFICIENTLY , A STREET CAR ON
FIRST AVENUE WILL SERVE A
LIMITED NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDERS
AND TAKE AWAY SPACE FROM ALL
OTHER USERS. PLEASE DROP THE
STREETCAR AND LISTEN TO THE
EXPERTS. MAKE THE URBAN
FREIGHT PLAN PART OF IT. IF IT
IS NOT IN THE PLAN, IT CANNOT
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. THANK
YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR
WORK FOR THE COMMUNITY.
>> NEXT UP, WE HAVE DAVID
HAYNES. DAVID, PLEASE PRESS
STAR 6.
>> IS THERE ANYWAY COUNCIL
CAN CONSIDER PUTTING ONE OF
THOSE TROLLEY TRAINS ON THE
WATERFRONT AND LET IT GO OFF OF
GOLDEN GARDENS ? I REMEMBER
WHEN THEY SAID WE CANNOT HAVE
ANY MORE BUSES ON 1st AVENUE ,
BECAUSE IT WOULD LEAVE THE
INFRASTRUCTURE VULNERABLE.
THERE SEEM TO BE A LOT OF
ACCOMMODATIONS, BUT WHEN YOU
TRY TO GET TO 1st AND PIKE AND
EVERYONE IS HAVING ROAD RAGE ,
IT IS ANNOYING. IT'S LIKE,
WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP
PEOPLE FROM DRIVING THROUGH
THERE. LIKE, YOU WERE SUPPOSED
TO REDEVELOP IT AS A 21st
CENTURY, FIRST WORLD MARKET,
INSTEAD OF KEEPING IT ICONIC
LEE THIRD WORLD, WITH
DILAPIDATED BUILDING CODES.
MAYBE SOME OF THAT MONEY NEEDS
TO GO TOWARD FIXING THE
POTHOLES. THE BUS DRIVERS ARE
DRIVING ALL OVER THESE POTHOLES
AND JOLTING THE HECK OUT OF
YOUR BACK , AND ALL OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO ARE PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION EXPERTS, THEY
ARE DRIVING A CAR, THEY DON'T
REALIZE HOW UNSAFE AND
UNHEALTHY IT IS TO GO ANYWHERE
NEAR THIRD AVENUE. QUITE
FRANKLY, THE PORT OF SEATTLE IS
TREADING ON THE RESIDENTS OF
SEATTLE. AND THEY ARE COX
AFFIANT AND -- MAKING TOXIC
THE FRESH AIR, ALL AROUND THE
STADIUMS. THEY NEED TO BE KEPT
IN CHECK. HOPEFULLY YOU ALL
REALIZE THAT IT NEEDS TO BE
RESIDENT AND
PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY. STOP
ACCOMMODATING THIS LAZINESS,
WHETHER A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
ISSUE OR PEOPLE WANTING TO
DRIVE THROUGH EVERY BLOCK IN
THE NEIGHBORHOOD. QUITE
FRANKLY, YOU HAVE TO SEAL THE
DEAL WITH ALL OF THESE EVIL
DRUG PUSHERS THAT THE MAYOR
AND THE POLICE CHIEF ARE STILL
RUNNING INTERFERENCE FOR, AND
ALL OF THESE TRESPASSING
JUNKIE THIEVES AROUND 3rd
AVENUE, MAKING IT COMPLETELY
SKETCHY.
>> ALL RIGHT, THERE ARE NO
ADDITIONAL REGISTERED
SPEAKERS.
>> IF THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL
REGULAR SPEAKERS, WE WILL
PROCEED TO OUR ITEMS OF
BUSINESS, SUBSTANTIVELY.
LET'S SEE, ALSO, I WANT TO
FLAG THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT
WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THE
SIGN-UP CARD . AND THERE ARE
MANY, MANY WAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN
COMMENT AND SUBMIT FEEDBACK .
SHOW UP VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON,
DURING ONE OF OUR COMMITTEE
MEETINGS, THAT IS ONE OF MANY
FORMS OF SHARING FEEDBACK. IT
IS GREATLY ENCOURAGED AND
APPRECIATED. NOW , WE WILL MOVE
ON TO THE FIRST ITEM OF
BUSINESS. WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
READ ITEM NUMBER ONE?
>> A LEVY TO MOVE THE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE REPORT.
>> WILL OUR PRESENTERS PLEASE
JOIN US AT THE TABLE. ONE OF
THEM HAS ALREADY. PLEASE SHARE
YOUR PRESENTATION. ONCE READY,
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES
AND THEN PLEASE SHARE YOUR
PRESENTATION.
>> TESTING? EXCELLENT! GOOD
MORNING. CHAIR SAKA ,
COUNCILMEMBERS OF THE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, THANK
YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT THE LEVY OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE REPORT TODAY. I AM
GERI POOR AND I AM COCHAIR OF
THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE.
ONLINE, FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.,
IS THE COCHAIR, KEVIN WERNER,
ALSO. WE ARE A 16-MEMBER
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, INCLUDING
COUNCILMEMBER SAKA ON OUR
BOARD. AND WE ARE READY TO
BEGIN THE PRESENTATION. FIRST,
I WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE'S PURPOSE
AND THE REQUIREMENTS TO HAVE A
RECOMMENDATION ON THE
POTENTIAL FOR A NEW LEVY AND
THEN WE WILL GO OVER THE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN I WILL
TURN IT OVER TO COCHAIR KEVIN
WERNER. OUR NEXT SLIDE IS
BOTTOM-LINE, UPFRONT, WE LIKE
TO CUT TO THE CHASE. THE LEVY
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS
THAT VOTERS APPROVE A NEW LEVY
, AFTER THE CURRENT ONE EXPIRES
NEXT YEAR. AND WE WILL BE
SUBMITTING FINAL
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MAYOR
AND COUNCIL, AS OUTLINED IN THE
ORDINANCE. SO, I WILL JUST
GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF
BACKGROUND ON THE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE. THIS SLIDE SHOWS
THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE,
THERE ARE 16 MEMBERS. BY
PUBLIC APPLICATION, THE MAYOR
APPOINTS FIVE PEOPLE, THE
COUNCIL APPOINTS FIVE PEOPLE,
AND THERE ARE FOUR
REPRESENTATIVES FROM EACH OF
THE MODAL BOARDS. AND IN
ADDITION, WE ARE PLEASED TO
HAVE COUNCILMEMBER SAKA ON
BOARD. AND, MOVING ON, SO,
ALL OF IT IS DEFINED IN THE
ORIGINAL ORDINANCE. THE
ORDINANCE GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT
THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE.
WHICH IS PRIMARILY FOR
ACCOUNTABILITY AND HOW THE LEVY
REVENUES WERE SPENT , IF AN
ADVISORY BODY MONITORING THE
PROGRAMMING PROJECTS AND
IMPLEMENTATIONS, ADVISES YOU,
THE CITY COUNCIL, AS WELL AS
THE MAYOR, AND SDOT. REVIEWING
THE PROGRAM AND PROJECT
PRIORITIES AND FINANCIAL PLANS,
MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
REGARDING THE SPENDING OF THE
LEVY PROCEEDS. AND WE PUBLISH
AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MAYOR,
CITY COUNCIL, AND PEOPLE OF
SEATTLE. THAT IS AVAILABLE IN
THE ANNUAL REPORT, OVER THE
YEARS. YOU MAY BE AWARE IN
2018, THERE WAS A LEVY RESET.
SOME OF THE GOALS OF THE
ORIGINAL, OF THE ORIGINAL LEVY
, THEY WERE AMENDED. AND WE
WILL BE REPORTING ON BOTH THE
28 -- 2018 AND 2015 BILLS.
THE NEXT SLIDE SPEAKS
SPECIFICALLY TO THE
RECOMMENDATIONS WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT TODAY, THERE IS THE SAME
SECTION OF THE ORDINANCE
REFLECTING OUR CURRENT
ASSIGNMENTS, SAYING THAT
BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF
APRIL, THEY ARE MAKING A
RECOMMENDATION ON THE
ADVISABILITY OF THE LEVY,
AUTHORIZING ADDITIONAL
PROPERTY TAX. THERE ARE THREE
SPECIFICS. AND THE REST OF THE
PRESENTATION, WE WILL GET INTO
THOSE SPECIFICS , IN THE REST
OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. I AM
TRYING TO KEEP IT MOVING, SO WE
CAN GET TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS
THEMSELVES. THE WORK OF THE
COMMITTEE HAS BEEN DONE IN
THREE MOTHERLY MEETINGS. WITH
SIGNIFICANT STAFF
PRESENTATIONS TO US. IN THE
CONTEXT , OF THE SDOT
REVENUES, WE LEARNED THAT IT
PROVIDES APPROXIMATELY
ONE-THIRD OF THE FUNDING,
ESPECIALLY FOR SDOT. WE FIND
THAT TO BE AN IMPORTANT AND
CRITICAL CONTRIBUTION. NEXT, I
AM GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU HOW
THE COMMITTEE DID OUR
NITTY-GRITTY WORK TO MAKE THE
RECOMMENDATIONS. BETWEEN SPRING
OF 2022 AND SUMMER 2023, THE
STAFF PROVIDED OVERVIEWS OF
EACH OF THE LEVY PROGRAMS THAT
ARE IN THE ORDINANCE. WE ALSO
REVIEWED OTHER SOURCES AND
SDOT PROVIDED US WITH
TRANSPORTATION REVENUE
SERVICES AND THE ASSESSMENT OF
WHAT ELSE CAN BE PROVIDED,
WHICH WAS PART OF OUR MANDATE.
AND THE THIRD POINT IS , WE
ALSO, YEAH , WE ALSO MADE A
RECOMMENDATION. I ALREADY
SHARED THAT. THAT THERE BE AN
ADDITIONAL LEVY FOR THE VOTERS
TO VOTE ON. AND WE RELATED SOME
LINKS TO SDOT AND THE FUTURE
FUNDING SOURCES. I KNOW THAT
YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS ON
THE SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION
PLAN. WE ALSO PROVIDED
REFLECTIONS ON HOW THE
OVERSIGHT FUNCTION HAS WORKED
AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE,
WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND YOU TO
DO TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS. WE
WILL BE TRANSMITTING THAT
LETTER BY NEXT MONTH, APRIL.
AGAIN, CONTINUING HOW WE WENT
GOING ABOUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
, THESE ARE THE PROGRAM
PRESENTATIONS THAT WE RECEIVED,
WE REVIEWED NEARLY ALL OF THE
PRESENTATIONS, IN EACH OF THE
MONTHLY MEETINGS THAT WE HAD.
SIGNIFICANT WORK , AS WE WILL
EXPLORE A SHEEP -- APPRECIATE
THE WORK OF THE STAFF. AS WE
DELVE INTO THE OUTCOMES OF THE
COMMITTEE, I WILL HAND IT OVER
TO MY COCHAIR, KEVIN WERNER
AND DO A LITTLE TEST .
>> THANK YOU, COUNCIL. CAN YOU
HEAR ME OKAY?
>> YES.
>> AWESOME. MY NAME IS KEVIN
WERNER AND I AM IN WASHINGTON,
D.C. ON A WORK VISIT BUT I AM
A SEATTLE RESIDENT. I WILL
STILL DO WHAT I CAN APOLOGIES
IF YOU ARE HEARING A
DISCOMBOBULATED VOICE. I JUST
WANTED TO PUT A FINE POINT ON
A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT
GERI POOR SAID AND JUMP INTO
RECOMMENDATIONS. WE HAVE BEEN
AT THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME,
THIS LETTER IS THE ULTIMATE
CHARGE TO THE COMMITTEE TO
SORT OF LOOK AT THE LIFE OF THE
ENTIRE LEVY. THE LEVY THAT WE
ARE COMING WITH NOW, LOOKING
FORWARD, AND MAKING
RECOMMENDATIONS WHERE WE THINK
THE CITY SHOULD BE INVESTING
TIME AND ENERGY AND RESOURCES,
GOING FORWARD. THAT IS WHAT WE
ARE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT,
WITH RESPECT TO THE LEVY
RECOMMENDATIONS. BEFORE WE JUMP
INTO THAT, I JUST WANTED TO
TALK ABOUT, WE HAVE BEEN
DIVING INTO EACH OF THE 30
PROGRAMS THAT COME HEART --
COMPRISE THE THREE MAJOR PARTS
OF THE LEVY. OVERALL, WE HAVE
BEEN REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE
WORK THAT SDOT AND THE CITY
HAS GOTTEN FROM THE LEVY. 27
OF THE 30 PROGRAMS EXCEEDED
THEIR GOALS AS OUTLINED . AND,
IN SPITE OF THAT, THERE ARE A
FEW THAT HAVE COME UP A LITTLE
BIT SHORT, AND THE MULTIMODAL
GOALS OR ANOTHER. THE GRAND
STREET LIGHT CONNECTION , AND
THE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS,
IN A LOT OF CASES, ARE MORE
COMPLICATED IN THAT THEY
INVOLVE OTHER AGENCIES. IN THIS
CASE IT INVOLVES SOUND
TRANSIT. AND THEY ARE SORT OF
OUTSIDE THE CONTROL, OF THE
LEVY AND SDOT, THE LEVY THAT
THE IMPACT HAS BEEN AND I
KNOW THAT IT IS A PRIORITY FOR
THE CITY. WE ARE MEETING THOSE
GOALS, WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE
STILL EXPERIENCING INJURIES
AND TRAFFIC-RELATED DEATHS
THAT ARE UNACCEPTABLE. ALONG
WITH SDOT, AND I AM SURE, YOU,
I KNOW THAT WE WANT TO SEE A
BETTER PATH FORWARD. AND THE
BRIDGES HAVE BEEN A MAJOR
POINT OF THE LEVY OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE. AND WE ARE WORKING
TO UNDERSTAND JUST THE
COMPLEXITY BETWEEN WHAT WAS
OUTLINED IN THE ORIGINAL
ORDINANCE, VERSUS WHAT ACTUALLY
HAPPENED, THIS IS ABOUT
UPDATING AND IN SOME CASES
REPLACING THE BRIDGES. THAT IS
OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT FOR THE
REGION THAT WE LIVE IN AND THE
FUTURE OF THE CITY. NEXT SLIDE.
THERE HAS BEEN A NUMBER OF
SUCCESSES. THESE ARE JUST A
HANDFUL OF SUCCESSES, THE NORTH
GATE BRIDGE, OBVIOUSLY A VERY
NICE MILESTONE FOR THE LEVY
AND THE CITY. THE LANDER
STREET BRIDGE, FAIRVIEW BRIDGE,
BRIDGE WORK IS OBVIOUSLY PART
OF THAT. AND SO, WE HAVE BEEN
PRETTY INVOLVED, WITH SDOT, IN
TERMS OF LOOKING AT THE
COMPOSITION OF HOW THE FUNDING
IS SPENT. TREE PLANTING, THAT
IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN
REALLY INTERESTED IN. WE ARE
WORKING ON FINDING OUT WHAT
THAT TREE PLANTING COMPONENT
LOOKS LIKE. AND THE SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES IS ANOTHER
PARTNERSHIP WITHIN THE LEVY,
WHERE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO
SOMETHING THAT ANOTHER AGENCY
MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO ON
THEIR OWN. NEXT SLIDE. SO, THE
RECOMMENDATIONS, LIKE GERI POOR
SAID, THESE ARE IN OUR LETTERS
, FROM OUR LAST MEETING. THE
LETTERS WILL BE TRANSMITTED
NEXT MONTH, AS SAID BY G█ERI
POOR. I AM GOING TO WALK
THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATIONS,
THE FIRST ONE, THE MOST
IMPORTANT ONE, AND LOVE THAT I
REALLY WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE
MOST STRONGLY, THE COMMITTEE
UNANIMOUSLY FEELS THAT THEY
NEED A TRANSPORTATION PACKAGE
INCLUDING A BOLD LEVY, THAT
INCLUDES INCREASED FUNDING OVER
THE CORNET LEVY. AND WE
IDENTIFY FIVE MAJOR
RECOMMENDATIONS. FIRST AND
FOREMOST, SAFETY, VISION ZERO.
A MAJOR POINT OF EMPHASIS FOR
THE COMMITTEE. I THINK THAT
EQUITY IS ANOTHER THING THAT
WE HAVE STRESSED IN THE ANNUAL
LETTERS FOR THE LAST FEW
YEARS. THIS IS A POINT OF
EMPHASIS WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE
IN A FUTURE LEVY. CLIMATE,
OBVIOUSLY REALLY IMPORTANT FOR
US AS A CITY, IN TERMS OF HOW
WE CAN ADAPT TO NAVIGATING THE
CLIMATE CHANGES FOR THE YEARS
TO COME. ACCESSIBILITY AND
AFFORDABILITY. SO THOSE ARE THE
MAJOR RATIONALES THAT WE HAVE,
BUT AGAIN, IF I CAN MAKE THIS
BOLD, I HAVE ALREADY EVEN MADE
IT BOLD, THE FIRST
RECOMMENDATION. IT IS BOLD FOR
A REASON. WE HAVE UNANIMITY
AND STRONG REASONS TO SUPPORT
THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION. OUR
SECOND RECOMMENDATION, WE WANT
TO ENCOURAGE THE CITY, AND YOU
ALL, TO CONSIDER A MORE BROAD
ARRAY OF FUNDING PACKAGES AND
RESOURCES. YOU ASKED ME TO
FOCUS ON THE LEVY BEFORE US
THIS YEAR. BUT BEYOND THAT, WE
WANT TO LOOK TO OTHER REVENUE
SOURCES TO ADDRESS THE
DETERIORATION OF THE SIDEWALKS
, OUR STAIRS, OUR
TRANSPORTATION ACCESS WITHIN
THE CITY. OUR THIRD POINT, WE
HAVE IDENTIFIED AND WE WANT TO
SHOW IT IN THE LETTER, WE HAVE
IDENTIFIED REVENUE SOURCES AND
WE ENCOURAGE THE COMMITTEE TO
LOOK AT THIS. I WILL NOTE THAT
THE COMMITTEE HAS NOT DONE ANY
THOROUGH LEGAL ANALYSIS OR ANY
OTHER REAL ANALYSIS. THESE ARE
OPTIONS THAT WE SUGGEST THAT
THE CITY LOOK INTO. THE FOURTH
RECOMMENDATION IS TO SDOT, BE
PREPARED, IF THERE IS A BIGGER
LEVY THAT PASSES, WE WANT TO
BE ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY ON
THAT. NEXT SLIDE THAT I
ALREADY TALKED ABOUT EQUITY,
SOCIAL EQUITY, THESE ARE THE
HIGH PRIORITIES FOR US AS A
COMMITTEE. AND IT'LL BE HIGH
FOR SDOT AND THE CITY. WE HAVE
NOT OVERPROMISED. THE LEVY
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HAS NOTED
OVER THE YEARS, THAT THERE HAS
BEEN SOME CHALLENGES WITH THE
LEVERAGED FUNDING , PRETTY
COMMON IN THE TRANSPORTATION
WORLD. AND WE DO NOT WANT TO
ASSUME THAT THE LEVERAGE FUNDS
WILL COME THROUGH IN A WAY , SO
THAT IS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO NOT
OVERPROMISED AND TO THINK
REALISTICALLY ABOUT WHAT THE
SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE LEVY CAN
DELIVER. THE SEVENTH ONE, YOU
KNOW, THIS IS A BIG, WE, WE, WE
ASKED AND IT OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE, WE ARE UNIQUELY
POSITIONED TO COMMENT ON. THIS
IS THE OVERNIGHT -- OVERSIGHT
FUNCTION, MENTIONED EARLIER, WE
FEEL, THIS COMMITTEE IS 16
MEMBERS. THEY ARE ALMOST ALL
VOLUNTEERS. IT IS REALLY NOT UP
TO THE LEVEL THAT IT SHOULD BE
TO OVERSEE A NEARLY $1 BILLION
INVESTMENT. AND WE WANT TO
ENCOURAGE THE NEXT LEVY TO
INCLUDE WHAT WE CALL AN AUDIT
FUNCTION. SOMETHING THAT WE CAN
DIRECT A SMALL AMOUNT OF
RESOURCES, WITHIN THE OVERALL
LEVY, TO LOOK AT, AND QUESTIONS
THAT WE HAVE, AS A COMMITTEE,
AND ULTIMATELY, THE GOAL IS TO
IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY AND
EFFECTIVENESS OF HOW THOSE, HOW
THE LARGER LEVY IS AFFECTING
THINGS. WE FEEL THAT THE FUTURE
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WILL BE
ARMED WITH THIS TYPE OF
CAPABILITY. THEY WOULD BE AN
IMPORTANT GAME CHANGER FOR THE
ABILITY OF THE COMMITTEE TO
MORE EFFECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO
THE SUCCESS OF THE LEVY. AND
THE LAST ONE, WE WANT TO
EMPHASIZE, AS GERI POOR SHOWED
WITH THAT NICE BAR GRAPH FROM
SDOT, THAT THE CORNET LEVY, OR
REALLY ANY LEVY COMING , THE
NEXT LEVY, WITH THE CURRENT
CITY TRANSPORTATION FUNDING, IT
SHOULD NOT SUPPLANT CURRENT
GENERAL FUNDS BUT THE POINT IS,
THE GENERAL FUNDS, THAT YOU
ALL, AS THE CAUSE OF THE, ARE
APPROPRIATING TO SDOT, THEY ARE
IMPORTANT, AND THE NEED TO
CONTINUE, HAS THE STANDARD NEXT
SLIDE, AND I THINK THIS IS THE
PART WHERE I TOSS IT BACK TO
YOU, GERI POOR?
>> THANK YOU, KEVIN WERNER. IN
OUR CLOSING SLIDE, WE WILL BE
TRANSMITTING THE LETTER TO THE
COUNCIL AND MAYOR IN APRIL. AND
WE CONTINUE TO MEET THROUGH
THE END OF THIS LEVY. WE WANT
TO EXTEND FURTHER, AS YOU ARE
DEVELOPING A LEVY PROPOSAL, WE
ARE AVAILABLE TO ADVISE AND
SUPPORT, SHOULD THERE BE ANY
INPUT THAT YOU NEED. THAT
COMPLETES OUR PRESENTATION. WE
ARE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU, COCHAIR GERI POOR
, COCHAIR KEVIN WERNER. THANK
YOU KEVIN , ESPECIALLY, FOR
JOINING IN FROM WASHINGTON,
D.C., ON EAST COAST TIME. I
APPRECIATE YOUR COMMITMENT TO
THE CITY AND DOING THE HARD
WORK OF INTEGRATING THIS
IMPORTANT CIVIC DUTY AND
FUNCTION , WITH YOUR WORK LIFE,
PERSONAL LIFE, ET CETERA. BUT ,
IN ANY EVENT, VERY INSIGHTFUL
PRESENTATION. COLLEAGUES , I
WILL JUST FLAG , FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE, ONE SORT OF NUANCE
OF SOMETHING JUST PRESENTED. IT
WAS A VERY INSIGHTFUL
PRESENTATION. BUT ONE OF THE
CALLS TO ACTION IS FOR THE
CITY TO CONSIDER NEW FUNDING
SOURCES TO BETTER PLAN AND
INVEST AND FUND OUR VARIOUS
INCREASING TRANSPORTATION
NEEDS. AND , YOU KNOW, I THINK
THE REPORT THAT THE COUNCIL
WILL RECEIVE WILL EXPLICITLY
INCLUDE AND INCORPORATE, BY
REFERENCE, THE REPORTED REVENUE
STABILIZATION REPORT .
OTHERWISE OR FORMALLY KNOWN AS
THE PROGRESSIVE REVENUE TASK
FORCE REPORT, WHICH INCLUDED A
NUMBER OF IDEAS, AND OPTIONS .
SADLY, MANY OF WHICH , WE
LEARNED THROUGH INITIAL
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BUDGET
FOLKS, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE
IMPLANTED OR REVIEWABLE ,
RIGHT? THE CEO TAX, THE
VACANCY TAX. THE REASON WHY,
THERE MAY BE, OR LIKELY WILL BE
STATUTORY STATE PREEMPTION
ISSUES. AND I THINK THAT YOU
WILL SEE, IF YOU DIVE DEEPER
INTO THE PENDING REPORT, THAT
THE COMMITTEE, YOU WILL SEE
APPROPRIATE DISCLAIMERS IN
THERE THAT I WANT TO VERBALLY
EMPHASIZE, THE DISCLAIMERS ARE
ANY NEW REVENUE . THERE ARE
SOME IDEAS THAT INCORPORATE
THE REVENUE STABILIZATION
REPORT. BUT ALSO ANY NEW IDEAS,
AS I THINK THAT WIRE -- WERE
FULLY POINTED OUT BY KEVIN.
FULLY VETTED TO FIND OUT IF
THEY ARE ACTUALLY DOABLE.
SADLY, IT SOUNDS LIKE A FEW OF
THEM ARE NOT. IN ANY EVENT,
THANK YOU FOR THIS
PRESENTATION. CAN I ASK? IN
GENERAL , HOW WOULD YOU
CHARACTERIZE THE OVERALL
PERFORMANCE, END-TO-END , OF
THE CURRENT LEVY AT A VERY HIGH
LEVEL? SIMILARLY , WHAT IS THE
SINGLE GREATEST HIGH LEVEL
OPPORTUNITY ? I SAW IN YOUR
SLIDE, I SAW THAT YOU CALLED
OUT A FEW DIFFERENT HIGH-LEVEL
PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVING AND I
ALSO SAW A RELATED QUESTION,
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT THE
CITY HAS DONE , AND THAT SDOT
HAS DONE, I SAW THE TOP EIGHT
SUCCESSES, IF YOU COULD BOIL
THAT DOWN TO ONE OR TWO THINGS,
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE,
OVERALL, THE PERFORMANCE OF
THIS EXISTING LEVY? BEFORE WE
GO BACK TO TAXPAYERS TO FUND
FUTURE INVESTMENTS , THEY NEED
TO HAVE, AND THEY DESERVE,
FRANKLY, THINGS , ASSURANCES,
THAT WERE LIVED UP TO IN THE
CURRENT ? WHAT HAVE WE DONE
PARTICULARLY WELL? HIGH LEVEL,
WHAT IS THE HIGH-LEVEL
OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT?
THANK YOU.
>> KEVIN, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO
GIVE THAT OFF-THE-CUFF?
>> SOUNDS GOOD.
>> WHEN WE LOOK BACK OVER THE
LAST NINE YEARS, THERE ARE A
LOT OF THINGS THAT NO ONE
FORECASTED . SUCH AS THE
PANDEMIC AND VARIOUS ISSUES
THAT GOT IN THE WAY OF A VERY
SMOOTH DELIVERY OF THE LEVY,
TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION
ABOUT THE OVERALL PERFORMANCES
THAT SDOT WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH
, WITH WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN ,
AND MOVING FORWARD TO COMPLETE
THE LEVY PROMISES. FOR THE
MOST PART, THERE WERE SOME
CAVEATS THAT WERE PRESENTED
TODAY. SO I WOULD, I, OVERALL,
I THINK IT IS A SUCCESS. AND
I WILL COME BACK TO THAT. THE
THIRD QUESTION YOU ASKED, I
WILL COME BACK TO. THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING, AS WE THINK
ABOUT IMPROVEMENT THE MOST ,
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I
LEARNED ABOUT BEING ON THE
COMMITTEE IS THE NEED FOR BOTH
FLEXIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
AS PROMISES ARE MADE TO THE
VOTING PUBLIC. BECAUSE YOU DO
NOT KNOW WHAT LIFE IS THROWING
AT YOU AND WHAT THE
CIRCUMSTANCES WILL BE, SO THERE
NEEDS TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY
ABOUT WHAT THE LEVY WILL
GENERATE. BUT ALSO, SOME LAX
ABILITY , SO THAT WHEN THINGS
CHANGE, IT WILL NOT SUDDENLY
HAVE SDOT MOVING THE FUNDS TO
ANOTHER PLACE. THE THIRD
QUESTION REALLY , I BELIEVE,
WAS OPPORTUNITIES?
>> YEAH, HIGH-LEVEL
OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK YOU HIT
THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH THAT
LAST QUESTION. BUT, HIGH-LEVEL
SUCCESSES, I GUESS? OH,
SUCCESSES. YES YOU DID .
>> LIKE, BOILING DOWN THAT
SLIDE OF EIGHT. OR HOWEVER MANY
WERE ON THAT SUCCESS SLIDE.
WHAT IS THE THEME THERE?
>> THE THEME IS PROJECTS THAT
ALLOW FOR THE TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM TO OPERATE ON A REGIONAL
LEVEL. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
SMALLER PROJECTS IS TO HAVE
SOME FLEXIBILITY. IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT MONEY , IN
ADDITION TO THE MAJOR
PROJECTS, THE MAJOR LONG-TERM
BENEFITS NEED TO BE SPREAD
AROUND THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
THAT IS IMPORTANT. IN FACT, I
BELIEVE I WILL TURN IT OVER TO
KEVIN NOW.
>> I 100% AGREE WITH YOU, AND
I HAD A COUPLE OF THINGS.
OVERALL, I THINK THE LEVY IS
VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR EXAMPLES
PRESENTED BY GERI POOR. I THINK
THAT SDOT HAS DONE A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY . AND I THINK ,
NUMBER ONE, THE BRIDGES. I TALK
ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT IN MY
REMARKS. THEY ARE INCREDIBLY
EXPENSIVE. AS THE COMMUNITY
ALREADY KNOWS. IN MY VIEW, JUST
ME SPEAKING PERSONALLY, THEY
RUN THE RISK OF OVERSHADOWING
OR TAKING RESOURCES, OR
DIRECTING ATTENTION AWAY FROM
EVERYTHING ELSE, IF WE ARE NOT
CAREFUL. NUMBER ONE, YES,
RIDGES ARE IMPORTANT. THEY NEED
TO BE RESOURCED. BUT NUMBER
TWO, SO DOES EVERYTHING ELSE.
FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE BOTH
OF THOSE THINGS TRUE, THAT WILL
BE A BIG CHALLENGE FOR THE CITY
MOVING FORWARD, IN TERMS OF
FLEXIBILITY, I WANT TO SAY, THE
CURRENT ORDINANCE DOES HAVE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDIRECTING
THE RESOURCES WITHIN IT , AND,
TO A CERTAIN LEVEL, THERE IS
DISCRETION WITHIN SDOT, AND
BEYOND THAT, THERE IS
DISCRETION BY THE COUNCIL TO
CHANGE THE COMPOSITION . WE USE
THOSE IN THE 2018 RESET , AS
MENTIONED BY GERI, THAT COULD
HAVE BEEN UTILIZED MORE . AND I
THINK THAT IT IS GOOD TO HAVE,
AND PROBABLY GOOD FOR THE
COUNCIL TO BE AWARE OF THE LEVY
OVERSIGHT AND FUTURE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE TO BE WELL AWARE OF
THAT, AS WELL. I THINK THAT WE
ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, MR.
CHAIR SAKA.
>> THANK YOU , BOTH. THIS
HIGHLIGHTS WHAT YOU
SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT, THE
IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING
FLEXIBILITY, THE ABILITY TO
OPERATE , BE NIMBLE, BE AGILE,
HAVE STRONGER ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, ALSO, THE
NOTION , UNDER PROMISING AND
OVER DELIVERING. NOT BEING AS
PRESCRIPTIVE . ARGUABLY
OVERLEVERAGED , RELYING ON
CERTAIN FUNDS, BUT LET US GO
FOR STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES TO
AMPLIFY OUR WORK AND OUR
IMPACT, BUILDING AND EXPANDING
THE TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE
CITY, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE
IT. MY FINAL QUESTION BEFORE I
TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES,
FOR ANY FINAL QUESTIONS . HOW
MANY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN ON THE
LEVY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, OVER
THE COURSE OF THE PAST NINE
YEARS? HOW LONG HAVE EACH OF
YOU BEEN ON THE COMMITTEE, HOW
HAVE YOU MANAGED THESE
CONTINUITY CHALLENGES? I
IMAGINE , I KNOW, I TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE
PERFORMANCE OF THE LEVY. IT
WAS NOT ALWAYS AS GOOD AND
ROSIE AS IT IS TODAY, NOW THAT
WE ARE CLOSING IT OUT, HOW HAVE
YOU MANAGED CONTINUITY
CHALLENGES?
>> KEVIN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO
FIRST ON THIS ONE?
>> SURE. I CAN HANG OUT A
LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN GERI.
THE ORDINANCE ITSELF HAS
PRETTY WELL- DEVELOPED
PARAMETERS. I HAVE BEEN ON THE
COMMITTEE SINCE 2020, MY FIRST
MEETING WAS FEBRUARY OR MAYBE
JANUARY OF 2020, BEFORE WE
WENT VIRTUAL. THAT WAS A
CHALLENGE , AND I AM PRETTY
SURE THAT THERE IS EFFECTIVELY
A TWO-TERM LIMIT, SO MANY
CONTACT -CHECK -- SOMEBODY
CAN FACT- CHECK ME. SOME
PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED IN THE
CREATION OF THE LEVY IN THE
FIRST PLACE. IN TERMS OF YOUR
QUESTION ABOUT CONTINUITY, WE
HAVE BEEN WRITING AN ANNUAL
LETTER TO THE COUNCIL AND THE
MAYOR, THAT YOU WILL SHORTLY BE
IN RECEIPT OF. WE HAVE ALWAYS
LOOKED BACK TO THE LETTER FROM
THE PREVIOUS YEAR AS A STARTING
POINT. THAT DOES GIVE US SOME
CONTINUITY. AND WE HAVE
STAGGERED RETURNS, NOT
EVERYBODY IS COMING IN OR
JOINING AT THE SAME TIME, FOR
MY OWN PERSPECTIVE, WHEN IT
COMES TO THE NEXT LEVY, I THINK
THAT PART, OF HOW THE COMMITTEE
IS PUT TOGETHER, THAT HAS FIT
TOGETHER PRETTY WELL, I WOULD
ADVOCATE FOR SOMETHING PRETTY
SIMILAR TO, IF NOT IDENTICAL,
TO HOW THE CURRENT COMMITTEE
IS PRESENTLY SET UP .
>> I WOULD ADD JUST ONE
ADDITIONAL ITEM , WHEN YOU GET
INTO THE TEXT OF THE LETTER,
YOU ARE GOING TO SEE, IN
ADDITION TO THE CONCEPT OF AN
AUDIT, THE FUNDS FOR AN AUDIT,
WE RECOMMEND ENSURING THAT
THERE ARE SUBJECT MATTER
EXPERTS. BOARD MEMBERSHIP
REQUIRES ONE LICENSED
ENGINEER . YOU HEARD THE
DISCUSSION, IT WOULD BENEFIT
HAVING OTHER SUBJECT MATTER
EXPERTS WITHIN THE COMMITTEE.
>> THANK YOU AGAIN, GERI POOR
AND KEVIN WERNER. NOW I WILL
TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUES.
IT LOOKS LIKE COUNCILMEMBER
ROBERT KETTLE.
>> TECH YOU FOR JOINING US
TODAY. I KNOW, THE CHAIR IS ON
THIS COMMITTEE AND REPRESENTS
US WELL. BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A
FEW COMMENTS TOWARD THE
COMMITTEE AND MAYBE A QUESTION.
FIRST , I APPRECIATE THIS. I
WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT. I
APPRECIATE THE CHALLENGES THAT
WE HAVE FACED OVER THE COURSE
OF THIS LEVY. AND IN THE NEXT
FIVE-PLUS YEARS. AND I THINK
THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE
THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE
CHALLENGES WERE VERY BIG
CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE. AND,
YOU KNOW, WE CANNOT REALLY USE
THEM TO EXPLAIN AWAY. I LOOK AT
THE CHALLENGES AS REVEALING.
THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, THE
PROTEST , 2020, THEY REVEAL .
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE
UGLY. AS YOU NOTED, THERE HAVE
BEEN UPS AND DOWNS AND I WILL
SAY, GENERALLY, TRANSPORTATION,
THIS REVEAL, THEY WOULD GET
A THUMBS-UP BUT UNFORTUNATELY
ON PUBLIC SAFETY, PROBABLY A
THUMBS DOWN. THAT IS HOW I LOOK
AT IT, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE
CHALLENGES AND PEOPLE MENTION
THE PANDEMIC AND SO FORTH, IT
REVEALS HOW AN ORGANIZATION,
HOW INDIVIDUALS REACT , HOW
THEY PERCEIVE, AT THE END OF
THE DAY, I WOULD SAY
TRANSPORTATION HAS MOVED QUITE
WELL FORWARD DESPITE THOSE
CHALLENGES, THE POSITIVE
REVEAL, I JUST WANTED TO ADD
THAT POINT TO THE COMMITTEE AS
PART OF THE OVERSIGHT PROCESS
AND I ALSO WANTED TO NOTE,
THAT I REALLY LIKE HOW
PEDESTRIAN PLAN, THE FREIGHT
PLAN, BRINGING ALL OF THESE
THINGS TOGETHER, WE NEED A
MOBILITY PLAN AS WE MOVE
FORWARD WITH THE SCOOTERS AND
THE LIKE. BRINGING THESE PLANS
TOGETHER THAT ONE COPPER HAS A
PLAN, I THINK THAT IS VERY
GOOD. AND I ALSO LIKE THE
REFERENCES ABOUT WORKING WITH
OTHER ASPECTS OF CITY
GOVERNMENT. I WANT TO TAKE AN
OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE THIS COMES
OUT A LITTLE BIT HERE AND
THERE, LIKE WITH THE FREIGHT
PLAN, AND WITH THE PUBLIC
COMMENT THAT STARTED THIS, THE
IDEA, THE IDEA OF SDCI WORKING
TOGETHER WITH SDOT, BECAUSE IT
IS ALL ABOUT LOGISTICS. IT
COMES DOWN TO TWO WORDS,
LOADING DOCKS. AND FORMER
CHAIR, NOW VICE CHAIR OF SDCI,
AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER
MEMBERS OF SDCI, THEY ARE
WITHIN THE LAND USE COMMITTEE
HERE, THAT IS SO IMPORTANT,
BECAUSE IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS
RIGHT, IT IS GOING TO PUSH
EVERYTHING ONTO THE STREETS AND
AND WE COULD HAVE A GREAT PLAN,
BUT IF THE LOGISTICS WERE
THROWN ONTO THE STREETS ,
INSTEAD OF BEING DONE WITH
PROPER PLANNING, AGAIN, LOADING
DOCKS, COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL,
AND THE LIKE , IF THAT IS NOT
ACCOUNTED FOR, THAT WILL BE A
BIG PROBLEM. I PUT THAT OUT
THERE, TO THE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE, THE LEVY, PLUS HOW
SDOT IS WORKING WITH SDCI, IT
IS SO IMPORTANT THAT I WANTED
TO POINT OUT, SINCE THE VICE
CHAIR IS AT THE OTHER END OF
THIS DAIS, BALLARD IS THE BIG
UP ZONE SOME OF THE COMP PLAN,
AS WE MOVE FORWARD ON THAT SIDE
OF THE HOUSE. IF THIS PIECE IS
NOT SORTED OUT, TRANSPORTATION
IN BALLARD, DISTRICT 6, OTHER
AREAS NORTH, IT IS GOING TO BE
HORRENDOUS. SO, WE NEED TO
THINK ABOUT THIS MOVING FORWARD
THAT I AM PUTTING A BIG PLUG
OUT, AGAIN. I THINK THAT THE
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS FRONT
YOU KNOW? I THINK IT IS ALWAYS
GOOD TO NOTE TO THE COMMITTEE,
THE CHAIR HAS PUT THIS OUT,
TOO. THE IDEA OF OLD COUNCIL ,
NEW CONTINENT, DRAWING THE
LINE, I KEEP SAYING THE NUTS
AND BOLTS, MY COLLEAGUE HERE
SAYS BASICS, MY COLLEAGUE WHO
SITS HERE NORMALLY SAYS
FUNDAMENTALS. THESE ARE THE
THINGS WE ARE LOOKING AT,
WHETHER IT IS BRIDGES, ROADS
FOR VISION ZERO. YOU KNOW,
SIDEWALKS, THE EQUITY PIECES,
SIDEWALKS, THESE ARE THE
THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING TO
DO. AND I APPRECIATE, SEATTLE
GREENWAYS, CASCADE BICYCLE
CLUB, AND THE MAGNOLIA
COMMUNITY COVENANT, AND THE
LIKE, AND IT GIVES A REAL
FUNDAMENTAL BASICS, WHETHER
BRIDGES, ROADS, POTHOLES, AND
PUTTING THE EQUITY PIECE TO
THAT. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU
AND HIGHLIGHT THOSE POINTS
FROM EARLIER. I REALLY
APPRECIATE IT.
>> BUY YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
KETTLE. I WANT TO PILE ON AND
SAY, FIRST OFF, MAYBE ONE DAY I
AM GOING TO NEED TO BE, OR I
WILL BE ANOINTED. MAYBE
SELF-ANOINTED TO CLEAN UP
POTHOLES. WE CAN ALL BE
KINGS, QUEENS, LOOK, THERE
ARE MANY TITLES ASSOCIATED WITH
ROYALTY. I WILL BE A DUKE AND
ONE OF YOU CAN BE THE KING OR
THE QUEEN. IT DOES NOT REALLY
MATTER TO ME. AS LONG AS WE
SHARE IN THE COMMITMENT TO DO
THE WORK. AND GET IT DONE. IT
IS A SECONDARY FACTOR FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE. ALSO, EMPHASIZING
YOU KNOW, FREIGHT MOBILITY IS
IMPORTANT TO ME, TOO, IT
UNDERPINS THE ECONOMIC VITALITY
OR THE LACK THEREOF ABOUT THE
WHOLE REGION, NOT JUST THE
CITY. AND ALSO, MAKE NO MISTAKE
, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE
ANOTHER COMMENT THAT YOU MADE.
COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE, AND, YOU
KNOW, ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AT
WITH THE LEVY, AND HOW FAR WE
HAVE COME. I THINK THAT SDOT
HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB
OVERALL, GETTING TO THE PLACE
WHERE WE ARE AT, IN TERMS OF
SUBSTANTIALLY ACHIEVING ALL OF
OUR METRICS AND PENDING GOALS.
TODAY, WE ARE FALLING A BIT
SHORT ON SOME DEPENDENCIES
THAT WE DO NOT DIRECTLY
CONTROL, LIKE SOUND TRANSIT
AMONG OTHER THINGS. I KNOW, AND
I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT HAS
ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE, AND
THERE HAS BEEN SOME RAMPING UP,
SOME NONTRADITIONAL CHALLENGES
WITH RAMPING UP, GETTING UP TO
SPEED, AND IF SO, I APPLAUD
THEM FOR HOW THEY HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO OVERCOME SOME OF THOSE
CHALLENGES. AND REALLY START
PERFORMING AND IMPLEMENTING
THIS LEVY, AND AS A FORMER ,
AS A HAS-BEEN MARATHON RUNNER
, IT IS NOT HOW YOU START A
RACE THAT MATTERS , AND
FINISHING STRONG, I THINK,
YOU KNOW THAT IS IMPORTANT.
AND ANYWAY, THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
KETTLE, FOR THE DELIVERY,
WHEN I USED TO WORK FOR
DIFFERENT SEVEN, I CAN TELL
YOU, THE UW LAB HAS VERY
SMART RECOMMENDATIONS. BEFORE
A LOT OF THOSE BUILDINGS ARE
BUILT, AT THE END OF THE DAY,
YOU HAVE HEARD ME SAY IT. IF
YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO
GET FREIGHT IN AND OUT , AND
DELIVER IT INTO THE BUILDINGS,
YOU CANNOT HAVE THAT. AND
EVERYTHING , WITHIN 15 MINUTES,
THAT IS DEPENDENT UPON THE
FREIGHT, AND IF WE COULD GO
BACK TO SLIDE 13, MAYBE 14, I
WILL TRY TO BE BRIEF.
COUNCILMEMBER SAKA FOR, I WILL
AGREE WITH YOU, IT IS
SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE BEEN
WORKING ON FOR THE LAST FEW
YEARS. AND WITH THE OLD
COUNCIL, AND COUNCILMEMBER
ALEX PEDERSEN, HE ALWAYS DID A
GOOD JOB WITH THE BRIEFINGS
HEARD AND WHAT THE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE WAS UP TO ,
DISCUSSING, AND THAT IS ALWAYS
VERY HELPFUL, AND THAT IS WHY
I DO NOT FEEL LIKE I WILL HAVE
TO DO THAT, AND THE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE HAS ALWAYS PLAYED A
CRITICAL ROLE, 2018 AND 2019 .
QUIETLY BLOWING THE WHISTLE,
MAYBE THAT WOULD BE THE WRONG
TERM. BUT REALLY BEING BEHIND
IN SOME OF THE DELIVERABLES.
IT WAS NOT DONE IN A
MEAN-SPIRITED, OR A DOCTOR
MOMENT, BUT IT WAS AN
ACCOUNTABILITY MEMO -- METHOD,
REMINDING US THAT WE NEEDED TO
MOVE A LITTLE BIT FASTER OUT
THE GATE. IF THAT HAD NOT
HAPPENED IN 2018-19, WE WOULD
NOT HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO THE
PANDEMIC, BECAUSE THAT SLOWED
US DOWN EVEN FURTHER. I MEAN,
IN THE LAST COMMITTEE MEETING,
YOU KNOW WITH ALL OF THE
DELIVERABLES , AND A COUPLE OF
THE ONES, THAT WOULD NOT HAVE
BEEN THE CASE , WITH THE
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, AGAIN,
LOOKING AT THESE
RECOMMENDATIONS , THERE IS,
YOU KNOW, LOTS TO TALK ABOUT,
NUMBER FOUR, I UNDERSTAND IT
RIGHT NOW. CATCHING UP AFTER
THE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE BROUGHT
MORE CITY STAFF ON FROM OTHER
DEPARTMENTS, TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE ARE ABLE TO MEET OUR LEVY
DELIVERABLES. I THINK THIS IS
REALLY SMART. AND IF WE ARE
PREPARING TO INCREASE STAFF,
WITH THE LEVY MOVING FORWARD, I
THINK THAT SOME OF THOSE
CONVERSATIONS CAN START NOW,
ARE THESE POSITIONS WE NEED TO
FILL PERMANENTLY ? GRANTED, I
KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO FILL
THOSE POSITIONS UNTIL AFTER YOU
KNOW THAT IT PASSES. BUT, WE
ARE RAMPING UP TEMPORARY STAFF
NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE
EXECUTING OUR GOALS FROM THE
LAST LEVY AND HOW DOES THAT
CARRY FORWARD INTO THE NEXT
ONE, MOVING INTO SLIDE 14,
NUMBER SIX, THIS WAS SOMETHING
THAT WE FELL VICTIM TO IN THE
LAST LEVY AND I REALLY
APPRECIATE THIS RECOMMENDATION
COMING UP, IT IS BETTER TO
UNDER PROMISE AND OVER
DELIVER. NOTHING WAS DONE
INCORRECTLY, BUT I THINK THAT
THE VOTERS EXPECTED A LOT.
AGAIN, IT WAS THE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE THAT FLAGGED THIS TO
MOVE EVEN FASTER. LOOKING AT
NUMBER SEVEN, I WOULD ALSO
AGREE HERE, WE SHOULD BE
LOOKING AT WHAT IS THE ROLE OF
THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE? WE
NEED TO BE VERY CLEAR IN
MEETING THE OBJECTIVES TODAY.
NO QUESTION . GERI, I REALLY
APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO
FOR THE PORT. ONE LAST CALL
OUT FOR COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE,
IT IS THE MILE BETWEEN THE
PORT AND I-90 TEACHES US TO
GET GOODS AND SERVICES ACROSS
AMERICA, IT ALL STARTS THERE.
>> WE ARE A PORT CITY, INDEED,
THANK YOU AGAIN, COCHAIRS
GERI POOR AND KEVIN WERNER,
THIS IS AWESOME, AND I AM
EXCITED TO CALL EACH OF YOU
COLLEAGUES ON THIS OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE , AS A de FACTO
MEMBER, I HAVE LEARNED A LOT
AND YOU ALL KNOW THAT I AM A
FAN OF BENCHMARKING, AND NOT
REINVENTING THE WHEEL. AND
ADOPTING BEST PRACTICES, SO,
I COMMEND YOU ALL. I LOVE
THIS. WHAT MY PREDECESSOR,
CHAIR PEDERSEN DID WAS BE VERY
ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN ATTENDING
THOSE MEETINGS . AND I WILL
LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO DO
EXACTLY LIKE THAT, ON A
MOVING-FORWARD BASIS. I WANT
ALL OF US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS
GOING ON AROUND US AND ADOPT
BEST PRACTICES. AND I WANT TO
POINT THE FINGER BACK AT ME TO
DO THE EXACT SAME THING. THANK
YOU AGAIN. WE WILL NOW MOVE ON
WITH OUR SECOND ITEM OF
BUSINESS. WILL THE CLERK READ
ITEM NUMBER TWO INTO THE
RECORD?
>> A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND
SUPERSEDING THE TRANSIT,
BICYCLE, FREIGHT, AND
PEDESTRIAN MASTER PLANS.
>> THANK YOU, WILL THE
PRESENTERS PLEASE JOIN US AND
ONCE READY, PLEASE INTRODUCE
YOURSELVES, AND BEGIN YOUR
PRESENTATION. BEFORE WE GET
THERE, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THIS
, FOR THE VIEWERS AT HOME AND
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. WHAT I
HAVE IN MY HAND HERE IS A
BINDER FULL OF THE NEW,
PROPOSED SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN, THIS IS A
600-PAGE DOCUMENT, THIS IS ,
THIS DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE ,
WHAT I HAVE HERE IN MY HAND, IS
THE SAME THING I HAD IN MY HAND
THE LAST COMMITTEE MEETING. BUT
THIS IS DUPLEX, PRINTED ON THE
FRONT AND BACK TWO PAGES PER
SHEET. WE CRAMMED A LOT INTO
HERE. I SPENT THIS PAST WEEKEND
ON A COUPLE OF THINGS, AS THE
FATHER OF THREE YOUNG KIDS,
ALL IN SPORTS, ON YOUTH
RECREATION, SPORTS, BASEBALL,
SOCCER, AND, YES, I DOVE EVEN
DEEPER INTO THIS DOCUMENT HERE.
I EARMARKED, AND I ADDED STICKY
NOTES AND I MADE MORE
ANNOTATIONS. AND, JUST, I LEAD
A VERY EXCITING LIFE. AND I
HOPE THAT IS CLEAR. THIS IS A
VERY IMPORTANT DOCUMENT. AND
NOW WE ARE GOING TO HEAR A
LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT, FROM
OUR STAFF PERSPECTIVE. GO
AHEAD AND
>> CHAIR, I WILL FILE THAT NEXT
WEEKEND.
>> GOOD MORNING, I AM TO BE
EIGHT AND I AM HERE TO
CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION. AT THE
LAST COMMITTEE MEETING, THERE
WAS A VERY DETAILED
PRESENTATION. AND SDOT CAN
COME UP TO THE TABLE IF WE WANT
TO GO INTO MORE DETAILS AGAIN.
AGAIN, I AM NOT PRIMED TO GO
INTO AS MUCH DETAIL ON THE
PLANETS OUT. BUT I DO PLAN TO
GO THROUGH MY MEMO, THAT IS
ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA THAT I
SENT LAST WEEK, HIGHLIGHTING,
SORT OF THE KEY STAFF
OBSERVATIONS. AND THEN GO
THROUGH THE RESOLUTION, THE
LEGISLATION THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
IN FRONT OF YOU AND HAVE
FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT AS
WELL. THE FIRST POINT I WANTED
TO MAKE THE SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN , IT IS A
20-YEAR VISION DOCUMENT, IT IS
REALLY BUILT ON THE BACK OF A
LOT OF EXISTING PLANNING WORK
THAT HAS BEEN DONE OVER THE
YEARS. WHAT IT DOES, IT
SERVICES A LOT OF INTERNAL
PLANNING POLICIES. AND IT
INTEGRATES WITH A LOT OF
DIFFERENT KIND OF REPORTS. AND
INITIATIVES, WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT. IT SERVICES THEM
ALL FOR DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU ,
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WITH
THE PUBLIC. LIKE I SAID, A VERY
BIG ACHIEVEMENT, BUT IT REALLY
REAFFIRMS A LOT OF de FACTO
EXISTING POLICIES, WHICH IS
MAYBE AN IMPORTANT
DISTINCTION. THE OTHER THING
THAT IT DOES IS PROVIDE A
FRAMEWORK FOR TRYING TO HELP
RESOLVE CONFLICTS BETWEEN
DIFFERENT MODES. PREVIOUSLY, WE
DID HAVE A LOT OF THE TRANSIT
MODES, SORT OF, SPEAKING TO
THEIR OWN AUDIENCE, AND NOT
NECESSARILY TALKING ACROSS ONE
ANOTHER, THIS PLAN PROVIDES A
FRAMEWORK FOR HAVING THOSE
DISCUSSIONS, IT DOES NOT
RESOLVE CONFLICTS BETWEEN
BIKES, BUSES, FREIGHT, AND
CARS, BUT IT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
THEY EXIST AND IT PROVIDES A
FRAMEWORK FOR HOW THE
DEPARTMENT WOULD START TO LOOK
AT THOSE, RESOLVING THOSE
ISSUES WHEN IT COMES TO
IMPLEMENTATION, AND IT ALSO
IDENTIFIES, THE FUTURE PLANS,
IN TERMS OF LARGER PROJECTS,
THAT WOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO
FULFILL THE VISION. IT
HIGHLIGHTS THAT THEY DO SERVICE
MULTIPLE MODES, IT TRIES TO
PUT THAT CONFLICT UPFRONT AND
MAKE IT PART OF THE EXERCISE,
THE EARLY DESIGN WORK, SO THAT
WE HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF
RESOLVING THEM, BEFORE WE GET
TO CONSTRUCTIONS. THE THIRD
POINT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE, THE
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN IS
NOT A FUNDING PLAN. IT IS A
RESOURCE UNCONSTRAINED PLAN,
LOOKING AT THE 20 YEARS OF
GROWTH WITHIN THE CITY, BUT THE
DECISIONS OF HOW WE ARE GOING
TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN THIS, I
GUESS , OF COURSE, THE
POTENTIAL TO RENEW THE LEVY,
THAT WILL LARGELY SET UP WHAT
THE NEW IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
WILL LOOK LIKE, GIVEN HOW KEY
THE FUNDING HAS BEEN TO THE
FINANCING OFFICES OF SDOT. THE
STP , IT HIGHLIGHTS ANYONE
CANDIDATE PRODUCTS, IT DOES NOT
FUND ANY ONE OF THOSE AND THOSE
WILL BE DECISION THAT YOU WILL
ALL HAVE TO MAKE SEPARATELY
THROUGH THE LEVY OVERSIGHT, THE
LEVY DISCUSSION, AND IN
BUDGETS. THE LAST POINT THAT I
WANTED TO MAKE, IS THAT THIS
DOESN'T SERVE, THIS EXERCISE,
IT IS HAPPENING AT THE SAME
TIME AS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN,
WHICH WAS BEING PUT FORWARD, SO
THE COMPANY HAS A PLAN, THE
DRAFT, THIS IS A
TRANSPORTATION DRAFT PLAN, IT
IS A HIGHER-LEVEL PLAN, AND IT
IS GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT
THE 20-YEAR GROWTH TARGETS
WITHIN THE REGION, AND, HOW DO
WE SATISFY GROWTH MANAGEMENT?
THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN IS A
LITTLE MORE DETAIL, BUT ABOUT
WHAT THE SPECIFIC POLICIES ARE,
AND THEY ARE CONSISTENT, THE
MAIN TAKE AWAY THAT I TAKE,
FROM THE COPPERHEADS OF PLAN,
IS THAT, IS THAT THEY ARE USING
ACCESS TO TRANSIT, AS A KEY
ELIMINATOR, INTO TERMINATING
SOME OF THE FUTURE RESIDENTIAL
ZONES , THAT WILL RESIDE
WITHIN THE FUTURE SPACES. AND
THEY DO USE A LOT OF THE
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
MAPS, AND THE DATA , TO SUPPORT
THE COPPERHEADS OF PLAN WORK
AND THE TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT.
AND THE RESOLUTIONS THAT
WERE TRANSMITTED AND ARE IN
FRONT OF THE COMMITTEE TODAY
HAVE DIFFERENT SECTIONS. THIS
IS SORT OF THE LEGISLATIVE
REQUESTS FOR YOU, TO APPROVE
THE STP, SECTION 1 OF THE
RESOLUTION. THE RESOLUTION GOES
FURTHER TO SECTION 2. IT TALKS
ABOUT FUNDING DECISIONS BEING
MADE IN THE PROCESS, HOW THOSE
THINGS WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED.
SECTION 3 HIGHLIGHTS THE STP
FRAMEWORK, THE APPROACH TO
HELPING CLARIFY HOW FUTURE
PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS WOULD
RESOLVE SOME OF THE CONFLICTS
INHERENT IN ALL OF THESE
DIFFERENT POLICIES. SECTION 4
TALKS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE STP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN,
CALLING UPON THAT TO BE DONE BY
SEPTEMBER, 2025. AND THAT IS
ONE OF THE MORE REAL ROADMAPS
OF WHAT ACTIVITIES AND
PROJECTS SDOT WOULD BE WORKING
ON, TO PURSUE THIS VISION.
SECTION 5 SPECIFIES THE
PROGRESS AND PERFORMANCE
MEASURES. SECTION 6 SPECIFIES
MAJOR UPDATES TO THE STP EVERY
10 YEARS. SECTION 7 ALLOWS STP
, EXCUSE ME, ALLOWS SDOT TO
RECOGNIZE WHEN THE COMPLETION
OF THE PROJECT HAS BEEN DONE
AND UPDATE THAT AND FINALLY,
SECTION 8 SUPERSEDES THE
PRE-EXISTING MASTER PLANS,
SINCE THIS DOCUMENT INCLUDES
THEM ALL. NOW, COUNCILMEMBERS,
I DO NOT HAVE TOO MUCH ELSE TO
TALK ABOUT, I WANT TO BE
RESPONSIVE TO HOW WE CONTINUE
THIS DISCUSSION. WE HAVE A
PRESENTATION FROM AVAILABLE
LAST YEAR, EXCUSE ME, FROM THE
LAST MEETING AVAILABLE, LOOKING
TO HELP THAT, WITH WHERE WE
WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE
CONVERSATION.
>> YEAH. SO. THANK YOU, CALVIN
CHOW . WE REALLY APPRECIATE
THIS. THANK YOU FOR A
THOUGHTFUL MEMO. WE DOVE DEEP
INTO THIS OVER THE WEEKEND.
SO, I APPRECIATE YOUR
PARTNERSHIP HELPING TO EMPOWER
ME AND MY COLLEAGUES AT THE
DAIS AND THROUGHOUT THE SECOND
FLOOR, IF THERE ARE NO MEMBERS
OF THIS SPECIFIC COMMUNITY,
ALLOWING THEM TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND THIS PROPOSED
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
SO, I GUESS , FIRST OFF, DO ANY
OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD,
COUNCILMEMBER DAN STRAUSS.
>> I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP, NOW
THAT WE HAVE SDOT STAFF IN THE
ROOM, I WILL GIVE YOU A HUGE
COMPLIMENT. I WAS VERY
CONCERNED THAT WE WOULD NEVER
BE ABLE TO DO THIS BY APRIL
2nd. BUT YOU HAVE DONE YOUR
HOMEWORK, YOU HAVE DONE YOUR
WORK VERY WELL. I MAY BRING A
FEW SMALL CHANGES AND TWEAKS
THROUGH THE AMENDMENT PROCESS.
AND CALVIN , WE WOULD LIKE TO
WORK WITH YOU ON THIS.
OVERALL, I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE
VOTING ON IT APRIL 2nd , OR
THE FOLLOWING MEETING,
DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH TIME,
CHAIR, YOU WANT FOR AMENDMENTS.
ASKING US TO PASS IT IN 28
DAYS WAS A VERY LARGE ASK. FOR
ME, IT IS UNCOMFORTABLE .
BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF WORK
THAT SDOT HAS DONE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER KETTLE ?
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR ROB SAKA.
AND THANK YOU, MR. CALVIN CHOW
FOR YOUR MEMO, YOUR
BACKGROUND, AND YOUR COUNCIL
TO OUR STAFF. YOU HAVE PROVIDED
SUCH GREAT INSIGHTS. YOU
KNOW, I DO FIND IT VERY
INTERESTING. I HAVE NOT BEEN
ABLE TO DIGEST THIS, WITH
CHAIR SAKA, HIGHLIGHTING WHAT
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS SAID,
LOOKING AT EACH PIECE. I THINK
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
THERE IS, THERE IS A PIECE
HERE, YOU KNOW? THAT THERE IS
A CONFLICT, OR A LITTLE PUSH
AND PULL, IF YOU WILL, BETWEEN
THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND ALSO THE
CITYWIDE APPROACH TO
TRANSPORTATION. I HAVE MET WITH
A NUMBER OF GROUPS . THERE ARE
ALSO NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, THIS
TENSION, THIS PUSH AND PULL, IS
SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK
AT, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO, AS WE LOOK AT SOME OF THESE
ELEMENTS, YOU KNOW , WE SHOULD
BE, YOU KNOW, MINDFUL OF THE
LOCAL ASPECT, THAT HAS THE
INSIGHT ON SOME OF THESE , THAT
MAY REFLECT A NEED FOR SOME
TWEAKING , OR AS COUNCILMEMBER
STRAUSS SAID, ESSENTIALLY
SECTION 2, WHETHER YOU FUND
OR NOT, THAT IS A DECISION AS
WELL. THAT WILL ADJUST THE STP
AS NECESSARY. SO, I WANTED TO
MAKE THAT POINT VERY CLEAR,
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A
LOT OF GROUPS OUT THERE
LISTENING AND A LOT OF
NEIGHBORHOODS LISTENING.
FINDING THAT BALANCE, YOU KNOW,
BETWEEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD PIECE,
WHICH MAY HAVE SOME VERY
INSIGHTFUL, YOU KNOW, PIECES OF
WHY THEY ARE FOR OR AGAINST, A
CERTAIN PIECE OF THIS STP,
OBVIOUSLY, THE VARIOUS
CITYWIDE GROUPS AS WELL, I AM
STATING THIS OUT LOUD, BECAUSE
IT WILL BE PART OF THE PROCESS
MOVING FORWARD, WHEN WE GET TO
THE FINAL, THE FINAL
COMBINATION OF THE STP ITSELF
AND AS WE GO THROUGH THE BUDGET
PROCESS. THANK YOU.
>> I THINK THAT IT IS, YOU
KNOW, IT IS IMPORTANT TO SEE
WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT
POLICIES, THEY DO CONFLICT
WITH ONE ANOTHER. AND IT TRIES
TO DO THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE
DECISIONS, I THINK ONE THING
IT DOES IS HIGHLIGHT THE OTHER
CONSIDERATIONS THAT HAVE NOT
NECESSARILY HAD A LOT OF THE
SAME PROFILE, YOU KNOW LIKE THE
MASTER PLAN, THE FREIGHT
MASTER PLAN, THE CURBSIDE
MANAGEMENT. THOSE ARE LOADING
ZONES. THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW WE
DEAL WITH CURB SPACE, PARKING,
AND ALL OF THE OTHER ISSUES
THAT ARE A KEY PART OF WHAT THE
DEPARTMENT DOES, BUT IT
HIGHLIGHTS THE POLICIES THAT
THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE, TO MAKE
SURE THAT IS PART OF THE MORE
BROAD CONVERSATION. THE
REALITY IS , ANY INTEREST, YOU
WILL FIND POLICIES THAT SUPPORT
IT, AND THE ISSUE IS GOING TO
BE, HOW DOES THE DEPARTMENT
IMPLEMENT THESE KINDS OF
THINGS, AND IT COMES DOWN TO
FUNDAMENTAL DECISIONS ABOUT
SPECIFIC STREETS, SPECIFIC
PROJECT. THIS IS THE PLANNING
FRAMEWORK.
>> THANK YOU, YOU DO BRING UP A
VERY IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT
CURBSIDE MANAGEMENT, YOU KNOW,
THE ABILITY TO MAKE A LEFT-HAND
TURN, OR IN SOME CASES A
LEFT-HANDED TURN. THEY HAVE
CASCADING EFFECTS. SO, YES,
CURBSIDE MANAGEMENT, THE
KEYWORDS.
>> THANK YOU. MY COLLEAGUES,
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS,
OR FEEDBACK FROM ANY OF YOU
ALL? OKAY. A COUPLE OF QUICK
THOUGHTS, FOR MY OWN
PERSPECTIVE, ON THIS SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN , AS
PROPOSED. OVERALL, A THINK --
I THINK IT IS A GOOD STARTING
POINT. AS WE LEARNED, IT IS A
20-YEAR FRAMEWORK.
APPROXIMATELY ZERO DOLLARS ARE
ATTACHED TO THIS DOCUMENT, BUT
IT IS, AS WE LEARNED, INTENDED
TO INFLUENCE FUTURE RESOURCE
ALLOCATION DECISIONS, FUTURE
FUNDING DECISIONS AND THE LIKE.
SO, IN ANY EVENT, I THINK
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
OPPORTUNITIES TO POTENTIALLY
ENHANCE, CLARIFY, AND UP LEVEL
A FEW THINGS. I HAVE BEEN
LISTENING VERY CLOSELY TO YOU
ALL, MY COLLEAGUES , I HAVE HAD
THE PLEASURE OF HEARING YOUR
THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS AND
ENGAGEMENT DURING THE PAST
MONTH AND A HALF AT OUR
VARIOUS COMMITTEE MEETINGS. I
HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF
SITTING WITH EACH OF YOU,
INDIVIDUALLY, ONE-ON-ONE TO
BETTER UNDERSTAND THE
PRIORITIES, OBJECTIVES, AND
VISION FOR WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS
LIKE IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE. I
HAVE LISTENED INTENTLY TO THE
VARIOUS PUBLIC COMMENTERS,
THANK YOU , EVERY LAST ONE OF
YOU, WHO SHARE COMMENTS.
PEOPLE WRITE LETTERS , STILL,
AND IT IS GREAT. I HAVE BEEN
ATTENTIVELY LISTENING AND I
HAVE BEEN REVIEWING ALL OF THE
TRANSPORTATION STUFF. BECAUSE
THIS IS IMPORTANT , IT IS
IMPORTANT WORK. AND I HAVE ALSO
APPRECIATED HEARING DIRECTLY
FROM MANY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.
AND TRANSPORTATION ADVOCACY
ORGANIZATIONS. AND DISABILITY
RIGHTS WASHINGTON, AND, THERE
ARE SO MANY ORCS. PARDON MY
LAPSE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE HAVE
BEEN DEALING WITH A LOT OF THEM
AND THERE ARE MORE TO COME, AND
WE WILL HEAR THEIR
PERSPECTIVES. FOR THE BENEFIT
OF EVERYONE HERE, WE ARE ALL
FRESH OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
THAT IS FROM, IN MY VIEW, FROM
A DEMOCRATIC STANDPOINT, OUR
CONNECTEDNESS TO OUR
CONSTITUENTS AND WE ARE
UNDERSTANDING THE SPECIFIC
WANTS, NEEDS, DESIRES, AT THEIR
PEAK. AFTER THE ELECTION
RESULTS HAVE JUST BEEN FRESHLY
CERTIFIED IN THE KING COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTIONS, YOU
KNOW, ALL OF THAT TOGETHER, I
THINK THAT WE ALL HAVE A GOOD
VIEW, AND, AS THE CHAIR OF THIS
COMMITTEE, I DO FEEL CONFIDENT
, AND I HAVE A GOOD VIEW, WITH
MORE DEVOLUTION TO COME, BUT
OF SORT OF WHERE WE ARE AT AND
WHAT ARE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE
SPECIFIC NEEDS AND
OPPORTUNITIES. NOT ONLY FOR THE
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN BUT
ON A GOING-FORWARD BASIS TO
BETTER SUPPORTING A TRULY
PRIORITIZING TRANSPORTATION
ACROSS OUR CITY, I DO THINK IN
THIS SPECIFIC TRANSPORTATION
PLAN, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR IDENTIFYING COUNCIL
PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW RENEWAL
LEVY. EVERYTHING I AM ABOUT TO
SAY IS INTENDED TO BE VERY
HIGH-LEVEL, PRINCIPAL-LEVEL
ONLY. THIS IS A 600-PAGE
DOCUMENT. AND I DO NOT INTEND
TO DIVE DEEPLY AND REDLINE OR
WORDSMITH THIS . BUT THERE IS,
I THINK, AN OPPORTUNITY TO
IDENTIFY AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL,
NOT BEING SUPERDUPER
PRESCRIPTIVE, OR HAVING WHAT I
THINK, THE LEVY PROCESS WILL
LOOK LIKE, THERE IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY WHAT
THIS LOOKS LIKE, WHAT THAT
MIGHT POTENTIALLY LOOK LIKE.
YOU KNOW, THE MAIN
PRESENTATION, THE
MODERNIZATION, FOCUSING
HEAVILY, AND IT INCLUDES THE
ONCE IT INTO HER NECK
INCLUDING EV CHARGING,
INFRASTRUCTURE. FOR PERSONAL
VEHICLES. AND ALSO IMPROVING
THE PUBLIC TRANSIT SAFETY
EXPERIENCE. ALSO , THERE MIGHT
BE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ONGOING
ENGAGEMENT OF VARIOUS ADVISORY
BOARDS , WHETHER IT IS THE
PEDESTRIAN , GREAT, BICYCLE ,
ALTHOUGH THEY ARE SUBSUMED,
THEY ARE SUPERSEDED, WHATEVER
THE SDOT PREFERRED TERM IS. MY
PREFERRED TERM IS SUBSUMED , BY
THE PLAN, THAT DOES NOT MEAN
THAT THE WORK IS INTENDED TO
CARRY FORWARD, YES IT IS, IT
MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
CLARIFY AS MUCH. NEW SIDEWALKS,
HUGE, I JUST CALLED IT OUT,
THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
HIGHLIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY, AND
I THINK THAT , EXPLICITLY
THROUGH ONE OF THE RECITALS.
SPECIFICALLY , 27%. OR WHAT HE
4%, DEPENDING . WE ARE GOING TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
OPPORTUNITY. 27%, 24%,
DEPENDING ON IF YOU CAN'T THE
BLOCK OR THE TRADITIONAL
SQUARE BLOCK OF SIDEWALKS. WE
HAVE 27% MISSING SIDEWALKS, AT
THE CURRENT CLIP, THE CURRENT
PACE, THE INVESTMENT IN NEW
SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION, IT
WOULD TAKE YEARS TO CLOSE THAT
GAP. UNACCEPTABLE, UNACCEPTABLE
. WE CAN DO AND MUST DO BETTER,
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE, LET US
CALL THAT OUT AS AN OPPORTUNITY
AND CLARIFY AS MUCH THROUGH THE
MAIN BODY, THE STATEMENT OF THE
MAIN BODY, OF, OF, THE, THE, OF
THE COMING OF THE AMENDMENT AS
WELL. AND, ALSO, LOOK. WE
TALKED A LOT ABOUT A LOT OF
THIS. THE IMPORTANCE OF
IMPROVING THE TRANSIT SAFETY
EXPERIENCE! TRANSIT SAFETY
EXPERIENCE! QUALITATIVE DATA
MATTERS. SO DOES QUANTITATIVE
DATA. AND I THINK THE CURRENT
OPPORTUNITY FOR FURTHER
ADJUSTMENTS , AND THE CURRENT
PLAN, IT MEASURES , HOW IT
MEASURES, SUCCESS. AND HOW IT
DEFINES WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS
LIKE, FOR TRANSIT! AND , I
THINK, YES. EXPANDING TRANSIT
SERVICE, FREQUENCY,
RELIABILITY, THAT IS ONE
IMPORTANT DIMENSION. BUT LET
US ALSO MEASURE AND HOLD
OURSELVES TO ACCOUNT FOR THE
PUBLIC SAFETY EXPERIENCE. WE
NEED TO PUT BUTTS IN CHAIRS,
WE NEED TO PUT BUTTS IN SEATS.
WE NEED TO CREATE , GET OUT OF
THE BUSINESS OF CREATING SHINY
NEW THINGS THAT NOT A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE EXCITED TO TAKE.
BETTER MEASURE, LET'S
UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW? THE
SAFETY ASPECTS OF THE TRANSIT
EXPERIENCE PROVIDERS. AND
MEASURE, AND HOLD OURSELVES
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT. ANOTHER
THING IS, YOU KNOW, IT IS A
MINOR NIT . IT RELATES TO
DOWNTOWN , THE REVITALIZATION
IMPERATIVES THAT WE HAVE. ONE
OF THE RECITALS CALLS OUT,
SOME, SOME TRENDS. IN OUR
TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, AS A
RESULT OF COVID, TRIPS,
TRIPS, THEY ARE DOWN. MORE
PEOPLE ARE WORKING REMOTELY.
TRIPS TO DOWNTOWN ARE DOWN.
AND FOR THE 20-YEAR VISIONARY
DOCUMENT, IT IS A BIT MYOPIC
TO THINK THAT , THAT IS , TO
LEAVE IN PLACE, THAT , THOSE
ARE THE FACTS OF TODAY. AND I
THINK THAT WE NEED TO
ACKNOWLEDGE, THE INTENT, TO AT
LEAST RESTORE SOME OF THOSE
THINGS TO PRE-COVID LEVEL.
BECAUSE FOLKS, THE SUCCESS OF
OUR REVITALIZATION EFFORTS IN
DOWNTOWN, THEY HINGE , THEY
HINGE! THEY HINGE ON
INCREASING TRIPS DOWNTOWN.
YES, THERE ARE CHALLENGES, BUT
THE LONGER-TERM GOAL IS TO
INCREASE TRAFFIC TRENDS, TRENDS
, DOWNTOWN BRIDGE ASSET
MANAGEMENT PLAN. MIGHT BE GOOD
TO SPECIFICALLY CALL THAT OUT
HERE AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
WHETHER WE CAN MAKE THAT IN, TO
OUR REPORTING. OR SOMETHING. I
THINK THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME,
MY CONSTITUENTS, AND A LOT OF
PEOPLE IN THE CITY. ESPECIALLY
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, I
KNOW THERE IS A LOT GOING ON
WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROPOSED
TRANSPORTATION PLAN. THE LEVY
RENEWAL, SO MANY PENDING
APPLICATION PLANS, WITH HIS
VARIOUS DOCUMENT. AND SO MANY
OTHER THINGS COMING IN. AND
SDOT IS HARD AT WORK. BUT WE
STILL DO NEED, WE STILL DO NEED
THAT BRIDGE ASSET MANAGEMENT
PLAN. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE
REPORTING ON LARGE CAPITAL
PROJECTS AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
YOU KNOW? THERE IS, YOU KNOW, A
LIST THERE ANYTHING WE COULD
CLARIFY A COUPLE OF MINOR
THINGS. TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE,
EVERYONE KNOWS, I AM A STRONG
ADVOCATE OF POLICY
BENCHMARKING. AND I THINK THAT
SDOT AND A LOT OF CITY AGENCIES
AND DEPARTMENTS ALREADY DO THIS
AS PART OF UNDERSTANDING
RESEARCH AND PART OF
UNDERSTANDING WHAT GOES ON ,
WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS ACROSS
THE REGION, ACROSS THE STATE,
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND
SOMETIMES THE WORLD, TO FIND
SUCCESS IN A PARTICULAR AREA .
IT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, AN
OPPORTUNITY TO UP LEVEL THAT ,
IN EXISTING PRACTICE. AND
ENSHRINED IT, INTO, INTO AN
AMENDMENT , OF SOME SORT. FOR
EXAMPLE, VISION ZERO! HUGELY
IMPORTANT. AND WE NEED TO , I
DON'T KNOW, LIKE, WHAT HAS
WORKED WELL IN HOBOKEN, NEW
JERSEY THAT WE COULD
POTENTIALLY REPLICATE HERE? IT
IS NOT, NEVER ACTUALLY, TO BE
HONEST, A DIRECT ONE-FOR-ONE,
APPLES-TO-APPLES COMPARISON,
BUT HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY HAS
FOUND REMARKABLE SUCCESS. THE
VISION ZERO DEATHS AND
FATALITIES, IT , IT, IT'S
TOTALLY OUT OF HAND, SO WE CAN
AND MUST BE BETTER. IN ANY
EVENT! ALL THAT IS TO SAY, I
WOULD LIKE MY OFFICE TO WORK
WITH YOU, KEVIN, TO DRAFT AN
AMENDMENT THAT WILL RAISE UP
AND CLARIFY SOME PRIORITIES, IN
HOW I BELIEVE THAT STP SHOULD
BE USED FOR CRAFT THE NEW
TRANSPORTATION LEVY PROPOSAL.
WE WILL FOLLOW-UP A LITTLE BIT
WITH WHAT THAT KIND OF LOOKS
LIKE. AND NOW, COLLEAGUES? I
ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU, WITH
AMENDMENTS, PLEASE, PLEASE
SERVICE THEM TO ME. ME AND MY
STAFF, IN ADVANCE OF OUR NEXT
COMMITTEE MEETING, ON APRIL
2nd. PLEASE, PLEASE SERVICE ANY
AMENDMENT THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE!
NOT THEM, TO ME! PLEASE. AND
THANK YOU.
>> MR. CHAIR, WHO SHOULD WE
SEND THOSE AMENDMENTS TO?
>> ME!
>> PLEASE WORK WITH ME , SO
THAT WE CAN PUT THEM IN THE
RIGHT FORM.
>> LET'S, LET'S, WE WILL HELP
MASSAGE, AND -- YES. A POINT
OF ORDER.
>> I AM GLAD THAT I TOLD YOU
ABOUT THE AMENDMENT YESTERDAY.
>> YES, YES, THANK YOU. ALL
RIGHT. WELL? WE WILL NOW MOVE
ON TO OUR THIRD ITEM OF
BUSINESS. WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
READ ITEM NUMBER THREE INTO THE
RECORD?
>> THE NEW SIDEWALK
PRIORITIZATION AND FUNDING
BRIEFING, FROM SDOT.
>> GOOD MORNING,
COUNCILMEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR
THAT LIVELY CONVERSATION. IT
WAS REALLY FANTASTIC. I AM
FRANCISCA STEFAN, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR AT SDOT AND I AM
PLEASED TO SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT
NEW SIDEWALK. I AM JOINED BY MY
COLLEAGUES. YOU KNOW, THEY
NEED NO INTRODUCTION. BUT WE
HAVE JIM CURTIN, DIVISION
DIRECTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
AND SPENDING DIVISION. WE ALSO
HAVE JIM CURTIN ONE, JUST TO
SAY A FEW WORDS. AS YOU NOTED,
ONE-QUARTER OF OUR CITY IS
MISSING SIDEWALKS. IT IS A
HUGE PRIORITY FOR US.
PEDESTRIANS ARE THE MOST
VULNERABLE TRAVELERS AND
PROVIDING SIDEWALKS IS
IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE CAN TRAVEL TO WORK,
SCHOOL, AND THEIR DAILY
DESTINATIONS. WE ARE
INCREASINGLY DEDICATED TO
PROVIDING SIDEWALKS. THE LEVY
THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER
HELPS TO FUND NEW SIDEWALK
PRODUCTS, IT HAS BEEN AN
IMPORTANT FOR ADVANCING WORK
ON SIDEWALKS. WE ALSO LOOK FOR
LEVERAGE ARE LOCAL AND STATE
AND FEDERAL FUNDING TO BUILD
MORE SIDEWALKS, IN THIS
PRESENTATION WE WILL DEVELOP A
VARIETY OF WAYS THAT WE DEVELOP
NEW SIDEWALKS. SOME OF THE
TRADITIONAL GUTTER DRAINAGE
THAT YOU ARE USED TO, AS WELL
AS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO
TO EXPAND THESE SIDEWALKS. WE
KNOW THAT THE NEED IS GREAT, WE
WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE
SIDEWALK EXPANSION AND HOW WE
PRIORITIZE THEM. AND , FINALLY,
WE WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE DELIVERY WITHIN THE NEW
SEATTLE LEVY AND WHAT THAT
PROVISO WILL LOOK LIKE. WITH
THAT, I WILL HAND IT OVER TO
JIM.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE
TODAY, COUNCILMEMBERS. AS
FRANCISCA STEFAN MENTIONED, WE
WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE EXTENT OF MISSING SIDEWALKS
IN THE CITY, HOW WE PRIORITIZE
NEW SIDEWALKS, THE DIFFERENT
DESIGN CHOICES THAT WE MAKE TO
GO OUT AND BUILD NEW PEDESTRIAN
FACILITIES. AND WE WILL TALK
ABOUT SOME RECENT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS WELL. SO,
SIDEWALKS GET BUILT THROUGH A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT MECHANISMS
IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE. FIRST
AND FOREMOST, PRIVATE
DEVELOPMENT. DEVELOPERS
TYPICALLY DELIVER ABOUT 400
DIFFERENT -- WELL, THERE ARE
400 PERMITS ISSUED ANNUALLY
FOR NEW AND REPLACEMENT
SIDEWALKS, I SHOULD SAY. THAT
COULD BE A NUMBER OF NEW BLOCKS
OF SIDEWALKS. IN MANY CASES,
THESE ARE HAPPENING IN OUR
URBAN VILLAGES AND URBAN
CENTERS WHERE THE MOST
DEVELOPMENT IS OCCURRING IN THE
CITY. OTHER THINGS LIKE
SEATTLE PARKS AND REC , THEY
ALSO DELIVER SIDEWALKS AS WELL.
WE JUST PARTNERED FOR NEW
SIDEWALKS AND NATIONAL --
NATURAL DRAINAGE, THERE ARE
SEVERAL SDOT PROGRAMS THAT
DELIVER. WE HAVE A PROGRAM
THAT IS SOLELY DEDICATED TO NEW
SIDEWALKS. AND OUR TRANSIT PLUS
MULTIMODAL CORRIDORS HAVE A
LONG HISTORY OF DEVELOPING NEW
SIDEWALKS, AS WELL AS OUR
PAVING PROJECTS AS WELL. THE
SEATTLE MUNICIPAL CODE REQUIRES
PRIVATE DEVELOPERS TO BUILD
NEW SIDEWALKS. WHATEVER THEY
ARE BUILDING IN URBAN VILLAGES,
URBAN CENTERS, NEW SIDEWALKS
ARE REQUIRED TO BE BUILT
OUTSIDE OF THOSE AREAS WITH 10
OR MORE UNITS ARE BEING
CONSTRUCTED IN RESIDENTIAL
ZONES. RESIDENTIAL AREAS, OR
WHEN SIX OR MORE UNITS ARE
BEING CONSTRUCTED IN ALL OTHER
ZONES, EXCEPT FOR ONE NOTABLE
EXCEPTION. NEW SIDEWALKS ARE
NOT REQUIRED IN MARITIME
MANUFACTURING AND LOGISTICS
ZONES. THERE ARE FRONTAGE
REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE
REQUIRED, BUT THEY ARE NOT
ROUTED AROUND SIDEWALKS. SO, AS
COUNCILMEMBER SAKA HIT ON, WE
ARE MISSING SIDEWALKS ON 27%
OF THE STREETS OF SEATTLE.
MOST OF THOSE MISSING SEGMENTS
ARE NORTH OF 5th STREET IN
NORTH SEATTLE, AND SOUTH OF
I-90 AS WELL. SIDEWALKS WERE
BUILT , HISTORICALLY , WHEN
LAND WAS SUBDIVIDED AND
RESIDENTS HAD THINGS BILLED
OVER THE YEARS, NORTH OF 85th
AND PARTS OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST
AND SOUTHEAST SEATTLE ARE
MISSING SIDEWALKS, BECAUSE
THEY WERE AREAS THAT WERE MADE
AFTER DEVELOPMENT, THEY WERE
FORMER COUNTY LANDS WHERE
SIDEWALKS WERE NOT REQUIRED AS
PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT, AND
LAST WEEK , COUNCILMEMBER SAKA
REQUESTED A MAP OF THE EXTENT
OF THE MISSING SIDEWALKS IN
SEATTLE. I WILL POINT THESE OUT
TO YOU RIGHT HERE.
>> THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH, JIM ! I REALLY APPRECIATE
IT. THIS IS BROKEN OUT BY
DISTRICT.
>> THAT IS CORRECT AND I
RECOGNIZE THAT THE FONT IS A
LITTLE SMALL ON THE PIE CHART.
BUT I CAN GO THROUGH THIS VERY
QUICKLY.
>> THANK YOU, THIS IS TERRIFIC.
>> THIS SHOWS THE NUMBER OF
MISSING SIDEWALKS BY TIER IN
THE SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION
PLAN. WHAT YOU WILL SEE HERE,
IS THAT, THE MAJORITY OF, OF
THE COUNCIL DISTRICT 5 IS
MISSING SIDEWALKS, 30% ARE
MISSING SIDEWALKS. IN COUNCIL
DISTRICT ONE, IT IS 22.1%
MISSING SIDEWALKS. FOR COUNCIL
DISTRICT TO, THAT GOES TO
17.5% OF BLOCKS. AND COUNCIL
DISTRICT 6, 8.4%. COUNCIL
DISTRICT 4, 7%. COUNCIL
DISTRICT 7, 4.7%. AND COUNCIL
DISTRICT THREE , 4%, WE WERE
LOOKING OVER THIS DATA. I THINK
ONE OF THE BIG TAKEAWAYS HERE
IS THAT 75% OF THESE MISSING
SIDEWALKS ARE IN COUNCIL
DISTRICTS FIVE, ONE, AND TWO.
I AM GOING TO PASS IT OVER TO
BRIAN.
>> THANKS, JIM. I AM BRIAN
DOUGHERTY AND I AM GOING TO BE
GOING OVER HOW WE PRIORITIZE
SIDEWALKS. AND THESE ARE
EXAMPLES OF SIDEWALKS THAT WE
BUILT RECENTLY. UNTIL THESE
YEARS , WE USED THE PEDESTRIAN
MASTER PLAN IS THE PRIMARY
PLANNING DOCUMENT, TO
PRIORITIZE WHERE WE BUILD
SIDEWALKS. THE PLAN PRIORITIZES
INVESTMENTS NEAR SCHOOL, K-12
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SPECIFICALLY,
AND FREQUENT TRANSIT ROUTES
LIKE LIGHT RAIL . IT SHOWS
THAT THE PRIORITY INVESTMENT
NETWORK --
>> LET ME INTERRUPT YOU FOR A
MOMENT THAT I WAS REVIEWING
THIS IN PARALLEL WITH YOUR
EXPLANATORY COMMENTS. THAT WAS
HELPFUL. I HAVE TO LOOK DOWN AT
THIS LILLIPUTIAN TYPING , BUT
I DO THINK I HAVE THE GIST OF
IT. AM I READING THIS
CORRECTLY? DISTRICT, DISTRICT,
5? IT IS AT THE GREATEST
NEED, 38.3%, FOLLOWED BY
DISTRICT 1? MY DISTRICT,
22.1%, FOLLOWED BY DISTRICT 2,
17.5%?
>> THAT IS CORRECT.
>> MY THEORY. I HAD A THEORY,
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS THING,
BECAUSE ALL OF THE ANALYSIS
BEFORE REDISTRICTING SAID THAT
DISTRICT TO ANDERSON FIVE HAD
THE GREATEST NEED, THERE IS
STILL GREAT NEED, INCLUDING
DISTRICT 2. BUT I THINK,
BECAUSE WE PICKED UP SOTO ,
DISTRICT 1, IT IS NOW SECOND,
IN TERMS OF THE GREATEST NEED
OF SIDEWALKS. AS WE KNOW,
COLLEAGUES, THE NEED IS GREAT
THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND THIS
IS A CRITICAL EQUITY ISSUE AS
WELL. BUT I AM SORRY, I,
COUNCILMEMBER OPCD, I WILL
TAKE QUESTIONS AT THE VERY END
BUT I TOOK CHAIR LIBERTY WITH
ASKING THAT ONE QUESTION.
>> GO AHEAD, PLEASE. [
LAUGHTER ]
>> THE INVESTMENT NETWORK
CONTAINS 3000 STREET
SEGMENTS. I WILL BE IN A LITTLE
BIT DEEPER TO GET THE
PRIORITIZED LIST OF PROJECTS.
NEXT SLIDE. WE LAYER ON
SAFETY AND URBAN VILLAGES. ON
THE LEFT , THE STREETS, IN
ORANGE , THOSE ARE THE ONES
WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
COLLISIONS . THE WIDEST ROADWAY
WIDTH AND SPEEDS. THE DARK
PURPLE AREAS ARE THE AREAS THAT
SCORE HIGHER AND THOSE ARE
AREAS WHERE THEY MEASURE
INCOME, AND THE DISABLED
POPULATION, OBESITY RATES ,
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RATES, THEN
URBAN VILLAGES GET A BOOST IN
PRIORITIZATION. ALONG WITH
COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE IS A
LARGE OLDER-ADULT POPULATION
AND SENIOR CENTERS AND
HEALTHCARE FACILITIES. NEXT
SLIDE? AFTER THE ADOPTION OF
THE SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION
PLAN, WE WILL USE THAT
DOCUMENT, MOVING FORWARD, TO
PRIORITIZE OUR INVESTMENT AND
THE CRITERIA AND THE FRAMEWORK
IN THE SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION
PLAN, THE PEDESTRIAN ELEMENT,
IT IS QUITE SIMILAR TO THE
PEDESTRIAN MASTER PLAN, WITH
THE ADDITION OF PARKS. AND
THEN, ANY CHANGES THAT OCCURRED
IN THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
PROCESS WILL HAVE TO BE
REFLECTED IN THE
PRIORITIZATION. IF ANY URBAN
VILLAGES ARE EXPANDED , THEY
WILL HAVE TO GO INTO THE
FACTOR AS WELL. AND THESE
THREE MAPS , THEY SHOW , VERY
SIMILARLY TO THE MAP JIM HANDED
OUT, THE MISSING SIDEWALKS AT
A GLANCE, IN DISTRICT 1,
DISTRICT 2, DISTRICT 5, WHICH
ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE THE MOST
MISSING SIDEWALK AND WE WILL
BE FOCUSING ON THE INVESTMENTS
PRIMARILY IN THE AREAS SHOWN IN
DARK BLUE OR DARK PURPLE, THOSE
ARE THE TIER ONE AND THE TIER
TWO STREETS IN THE SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN. THOSE ARE
THE ONES THAT SCORED THE
HIGHEST IN THE PRIORITIZATION
FRAMEWORK. AND THEY WERE THE
MONT -- MOST LIKELY TO DEVELOP
PRIORITIZATION PLANS MOVING
FORWARD. A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
APPROACHES WERE USED TO
SIDEWALKS, STARTING OFF WITH
TRADITIONAL CURB , GUTTER-TYPE
SIDEWALKS. FOURTH AVENUE
SOUTHWEST IS SHOWN WITH
SOUTHWEST CANYON STREET THESE
PROJECTS , WE PARTNERED
SPECIFICALLY TO INCLUDE
NATIONAL -- NATURAL DRAINAGE
. THE TOTAL SDOT COST WAS
APPROXIMATELY $3 MILLION ,
ABOUT 7.5 BLOCKS OF NEW
SIDEWALK. AND WE HAVE
PEDESTRIAN-SCALE LIGHTING AND A
NEW BRIDGE OVER LONGFELLOW
CREEK. THIS JUST WRAPPED UP
CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE PAST
MONTH. THIS WAS ALSO ONE WHERE
WE LEVERAGED, WE KNEW THAT A
COMMUNITY NEED EXISTED AND WE
HEARD ESPECIALLY FROM THE ONES
ON 24th AVENUE SOUTHWEST, THEY
HAVE REALLY BEEN BEGGING FOR
SIDEWALKS ON THEIR STREETS FOR
MANY YEARS. AND WE SAT DOWN
AND WE SAID WE KNOW THAT THIS
IS A PRIORITY FOR US, AND THEN
SPU SAID THIS IS A PRIORITY FOR
US AS WELL. IT WAS A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY WHERE THE
PRIORITIES OVERLAPPED, BETWEEN
SPU AND SDOT. AND THEN,
ANOTHER ONE THAT WE JUST
COMPLETED, IT IS GREENWOOD
AVENUE NORTH, BETWEEN 117th
AND 125th , 11 BLOCKS OF NEW
SIDEWALK. IT INCLUDED HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH
OF DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS AS
PART OF THE PROJECT. IT IS ON A
FREQUENT TRANSIT ROUTE,
MULTIFAMILY HOUSING. THERE ARE
RETAINING WALLS THAT WERE BUILT
AS PART OF THE PROJECT.
RESIDENTS HAD CLIPPED THE
FENCES IN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY,
AND THEY HAD TO BE MOVED. NOT
ALWAYS VERY POPULAR. AND WE
HAD SOME PAVEMENT REPAIRS THAT
WERE INCLUDED WITHIN THE
PROJECT AS WELL. SO, MOVING
ON TO SOME LOWER-COST
ALTERNATIVES , THIS ONE IS ON
110th STREET , THAT I AM
SHOWING HERE, THIS WAS A
TEMPORARY PAINTED WALKWAY.
THIS WAS IDENTIFIED AS A NEED,
ADJACENT TO A HIGH SCHOOL AND
MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND WE WANTED TO
DO SOMETHING IMMEDIATELY,
BECAUSE WE HAD SMALL KIDS
WALKING DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO
FAST IVAN MOVING TRAFFIC. AND
IT WE NEEDED TO GET THE
FUNDING TO BUILD THE SIDEWALK,
IT IS ON AN ARTERIAL, WE DID A
PAINTED HIGHWAY WITH WHEEL
STOPS. AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO
THAT SUPER QUICKLY. IN THE
MEANTIME, IT TOOK TWO OR THREE
YEARS TO DESIGN AND GET THE
MONEY TO FILL IT OUT. I SHOULD
HAVE SHOWN THAT HERE AS THE
FINAL EXAMPLE, BUT I HOPE YOU
CAN USE YOUR IMAGINATION. THERE
IS A TRADITIONAL CONCRETE
SIDEWALK AT THIS LOCATION NOW.
SO, WE CAN ALSO USE ASPHALT ,
WHICH IS CHEAPER THAN CONCRETE.
THIS EXAMPLE IS AN ASPHALT
WALKWAY WITH A PLANTING STRIP
ON HALF OF IT AND THE OTHER
HALF, WE COULD NOT GET THE
PLANTING STRIP, SO WE USED
WHEEL STOPS TO GET THE
SEPARATION BETWEEN CARS AND
PEDESTRIANS. AND THEN, IN THIS
ONE, THIS IS VERY INTERESTING.
YOU PROBABLY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE
TO SEE IT, BUT THE PHOTO ON THE
LEFT, THERE ACTUALLY IS A
CONCRETE WALKWAY. PEOPLE WERE
WALKING ON THIS, ADJACENT TO
THE BOREN K-8 SCHOOL . PEOPLE
WERE PARKING ON IT ALL THE
TIME. IF YOU CANNOT WALK ON IT
IT IS NO LONGER A SIDEWALK . IT
IS JUST A SHOULDER. WE LEFT THE
EXISTING CONCRETE WALKWAY AND
DID SOME MINOR REPAIRS TO IT
AND WE DID SOME DEEP PAVING,
WHICH IS WHERE WE REMOVE GRAVEL
AND ASPHALT. AND WE PUT IN A
PLANTING STRIP WITH STREET
TREES AND WHEEL STOPS. WE NOW
HAVE A FUNCTIONAL SIDEWALK
WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT PARKING
ANYMORE. AGAIN, SORT OF A QUICK
-BUILD VERSION OF PUTTING IN
NEW DEDICATED PEDESTRIAN SPACE.
TRADITIONAL SIDEWALKS, WE
WANT TO DO THOSE ON ARTERIAL
STREETS WERE WE WANT THE
SEPARATION BETWEEN FAST-MOVING
CARS AND PEDESTRIANS, THEY HAVE
DISADVANTAGES, THEY ARE A LOT
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE
ALTERNATIVE DESIGN APPROACHES.
ABOUT $400,000-$800,000 PER
BLOCK CASE. THAT DIFFERENCE
DEPENDS ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT
THINGS, INCLUDING WHAT DRAINAGE
REQUIREMENTS ARE TRIGGERED,
RETAINING WALLS . AND SOMETIMES
IT IS JUST NOT FEASIBLE , BASED
ON THE TOPOGRAPHY. WE HAVE A
LOT OF HILLS IN OUR CITY THAT
MAKE IT A LOT MORE DIFFICULT
THAN IN PLACES WHERE IT IS
FLAT. THEY ARE MORE DURABLE,
THEY REQUIRE LESS MAINTENANCE
THAN THE ALTERNATIVE WALKWAYS.
WHEN WE DO THEM ON BUSY
ARTERIALS, THEY REQUIRE A LOT
OF TRAFFIC CONTROL WHICH IS
EXPENSIVE, AND TYPICALLY, THEY
ARE DELIVERED WITH CONTRACTORS.
IF WE DO ALTERNATIVE WALKWAYS,
WE DO THEM WITH CREWS FROM
SDOT WHICH MAKES THEM LESS
EXPENSIVE. THEY DO REQUIRE A
LITTLE BIT MORE MAINTENANCE.
PAINTED WALKWAYS WILL NEED TO
BE REPAINTED IN FIVE TO 10
YEARS. AN ASPHALT WALKWAY CAN
PROBABLY LAST MANY MORE YEARS
. A CONCRETE SIDEWALK AND LAST
100 YEARS OF PEOPLE ARE NOT
PARKING ON IT OR IF IT IS NOT
DAMAGED BY TREE ROOTS. HOW DO
WE DECIDE WHEN TO DO A
TRADITIONAL SIDEWALK AND WHEN
DO WE USE THE ALTERNATIVE
LOWER-COST DESIGN APPROACH ? ON
BUSY ARTERIALS , THINK ABOUT
AURORA , GREENWOOD, RAINIER,
35th AVENUE SOUTHWEST, WE WANT
TO INSTALL TRADITIONAL SIDEWALK
WITH A PLANTING STRIP, STREET
TREES, AND A CURB, TO PROVIDE
THE SEPARATION THE PEOPLE
EXPECT FROM BUSY TRAFFIC . ON
NON-ARTERIAL NEIGHBORHOOD
STREETS, WE ALSO TURN TO
ALTERNATIVE WALKWAYS. THERE
ARE A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS. AS
I MENTIONED WITH 110th STREET,
WE CAN SOMETIMES DO THE
LOW-COST DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
ON BUSY STREETS IF IT WILL BE
TEMPORARY, IF WE PUT IN A
TRADITIONAL SIDEWALK, WE WILL
FIRST PUT IN A PAINTED
WALKWAY. CONVERSELY, ON
NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS, OR
NON-ALTERNATIVE --
NON-ARTERIAL STREETS, WE WILL
SOMETIMES USE THE ALTERNATIVE
APPROACH WHEN WE ARE FILLING A
GAP , SO THAT IT MATCHES WHAT
IS EXISTING. SO, THE LEVY ,
IT PROVIDED US THE FUNDING TO
BUILD 250 BLOCKS TO USE THE
TRADITIONAL APPROACH AND WE
ARE ON TRACK TO MEET THE GOAL
AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH, WE
EXPECT TO REACH 250 BLOCKS
COMPLETED OR IN CONSTRUCTION.
AGAIN, THAT IS A MIX OF
TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE
DESIGN TO MEET THAT GOAL.
PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES GET
BUILT BY MANY DIFFERENT
PROGRAMS AT SDOT. JIM
MENTIONED A FEW OF THEM. THE
FUNDING SHOWN HERE IS JUST FOR
THE NEW SIDEWALKS CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. FOR
EXAMPLE, OUR PROGRAM BUILDS
MANY CURB RAMPS AND
ACCESSIBLE PEDESTRIAN
SYMBOLS. OVER THE PAST 10
YEARS, FUNDING HAS AVERAGED
APPROXIMATELY $10 MILLION PER
YEAR, AND THAT IS TYPICALLY
ROUGHLY $9 MILLION IN LOCAL
FUNDS , WITH THE REMAINING
BEING A MIX OF GRANTS AND
REIMBURSABLES. THANK YOU FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT
NEW SIDEWALKS.
>> AWESOME, THANK YOU ALL, WE
REALLY DO APPRECIATE THIS
WONDERFUL PRESENTATION THAT
HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANT WORK
THAT YOU ALL DO, EVERY DAY,
WITH RESPECT TO SIDEWALKS.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC,
COLLEAGUES, THESE ARE THE
SIDEWALK EXPERTS AT SDOT. YOU
KNOW, I GEEK OUT ABOUT THE
WORK YOU ALL DO. SUPER COOL.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK
YOU. I WILL SAY, FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE AT LEAST, I SENSE A
BRIGHT FUTURE. THIS TEAM IN
PARTICULAR, THANK YOU ALL FOR
SHARING THIS ONE PAGE SLIDE
THAT KIND OF HIGHLIGHTS. IT
SHOWS THE VISUAL DEPICTION OF
THE OPPORTUNITIES BROKEN DOWN
BY DISTRICT. AND I WANTED YOU
ALL TO SEE IT, NUMBER ONE, SO
THAT YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE
OPPORTUNITY IS LIKE IN THE
RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS. IT IS
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO COMPARE
STARS AND WHO IS WORSE OFF
THAN ANYONE ELSE. THE LACK OF
SIDEWALKS, THE 27% THAT WE
CONTINUE TO SEE, NOT A
DISTRICT 5 PROBLEM, NOT
DISTRICT 2, NOT DISTRICT ONE,
IT IS CITYWIDE. WE HAVE TO DO
BETTER FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE
CITY. 100% OF TRANSIT RIDERS ,
AND CYCLISTS , AND DRIVERS, AND
CARGO FREIGHT OPERATORS , AND
DRIVERS , AND PEDESTRIANS AS
WELL. SO IT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT, FRANKLY AN URGENT
OPPORTUNITY, AND YOU KNOW, IT
IS GOOD TO HEAR THAT THERE ARE
A RANGE OF OPTIONS, WHICH WE
LEARNED , WITH SIDEWALKS,
ESPECIALLY TRADITIONAL
SIDEWALKS, BEING EXPENSIVE. IT
REQUIRES A NONTRIVIAL
INVESTMENT. ESPECIALLY FOR
TRADITIONAL SIDEWALKS, THE
CURB, THE PLANTING STRIPS, THE
FULL CONCRETE, AND THE DRAINAGE
KIT, THE CURB, THE GUTTER.
THERE ARE A NICE RANGE OF
OPTIONS THOUGH. SO, I WANT TO
ACTUALLY ASK, BEFORE I OPEN IT
UP TO QUESTIONS FROM MY
COLLEAGUES PRESENT HERE,
COLLEAGUES , OR COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE, SHE THOUGHTFULLY
PROVIDED WRITTEN QUESTIONS,
EIGHT OF THEM HERE. AND I AM
GOING TO ASSUME THAT THEY ARE
IN PRIORITY ORDER AND I WILL
ASK A FEW OF THEM AND THEN GIVE
YOU ALL THE OPPORTUNITY TO
WEIGH IN AND SHARE YOUR
FEEDBACK AS WELL. BUT FIRST.
COUNCILMEMBER MOORE WANTED TO
BE HERE, BUT HAS A CONFLICT
UNFORTUNATELY. AND SHE DID THE
WORK, SHARING HER QUESTIONS IN
ADVANCE. THE 2017 PEDESTRIAN
MASTER PLAN INCLUDED METRICS
FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW
SIDEWALKS, A BASELINE FOR GAPS
IN THE SIDEWALK NETWORK AND A
TARGET FOR FILLING THE GAPS. IT
INCLUDED CHARTS, SHOWING THE
NUMBER OF ARTERIAL AND
NON-ARTERIAL BLOCKS WITH OR
WITHOUT SIDEWALKS. IT DOES NOT
APPEAR THAT THIS IS INCLUDED IN
THE PEDESTRIAN SECTION OF THIS
NEW PLAN , OR THE PEDESTRIAN
SECTION OF THE PERFORMANCE
MEASURES LISTED IN APPENDIX C,
PAGE 10. WHY ISN'T ANY OF THAT
INCLUDED IN THIS PROPOSED PLAN?
IF SO, THIS IS A STP QUESTION
AS WELL.
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
THE STP IS A 20-YEAR DOCUMENT,
A LONG-TERM VISION FOR HOW WE
WANT TRANSPORTATION TO LOOK IN
THE FUTURE. AND THE STP REALLY
FOCUSED ON THE OUTCOMES THAT WE
WANT TO SEE. AND NOT SO MUCH,
AS WE HAVE DONE PREVIOUSLY, YOU
KNOW? COUNTING THE THINGS THAT
WE WANT TO BUILD OVER THE NEXT
20 YEARS, BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT
IS DEPENDENT UPON THE FUNDING
SOURCE THAT WE HAVE. AND RIGHT
NOW, THAT IS, QUITE FRANKLY, UP
IN THE AIR. WE ARE GOING TO BE
GOING FOR A NEW LEVY IN
NOVEMBER AND WE WILL HAVE A NOT
-- LOT MORE CLARITY, ONCE WE
GET TO THAT POINT. THE STP IS
FOCUSED ON THE OUTCOMES. WE
WANT MORE PEOPLE WALKING. WE
WANT MORE KIDS WALKING TO
SCHOOLS, RIGHT? AND WE WANT
MORE PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO WALK
TO FREQUENT TRANSIT SERVICE. WE
ARE REALLY KIND OF SHIFTING THE
MENTALITY AROUND FROM THOSE
OUTPUTS AND WE ARE REALLY
THINKING MORE ABOUT THE
OUTCOMES WITH THE STP. QUITE
FRANKLY, I THINK AS WE MOVE
INTO THE LEVY, WE WILL PROBABLY
BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FAVORING
WITH THE WIDGETS, THE THINGS
WE ARE ACTUALLY TRYING TO DO OR
ACCOMPLISH FOR THE FUNDING
SOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE.
>> THANK YOU. I WILL ADD THAT
TO MY PERSPECTIVE. THE OUTPUTS
, THE OUTCOMES, I THINK THEY
ARE BOTH REALLY IMPORTANT,
ESPECIALLY WITH SOMETHING LIKE
NEW SIDEWALK INVESTMENTS,
CONSIDERING THE NEED. 27%
MISSING SIDEWALKS, ALARMING,
ALARMING STAT THAT WE HAVE IN
THE CITY! FROM MY PERSPECTIVE,
ON THE RELEVANT PORTIONS OF
THE PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION
PLAN, I DID NOTICE THERE IS NOT
LIKE, PART TWO, IN THE
PERFORMANCE METRICS, THERE
ISN'T A BASELINE SET. THERE
IS NO SPECIFIC TARGET SET FOR
MISSING SIDEWALKS , SIMILAR TO
HOW SOME OF THE OTHER
PEDESTRIAN PERFORMANCE NETWORKS
ARE INCLUDED IN EARLIER PAGES
AND SECTIONS. SO, YEAH, WE
NEED, WE DO NEED TO TRACK AND
MONITOR THE COMPLEX DATA
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. BECAUSE
HOW ON EARTH ARE WE EVER GOING
TO HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE?
THAT MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR CLARIFICATION AND SETTING
EXPECTATIONS IN AN AMENDMENT OF
SOME SORT. THE NEXT QUESTION
FROM MY CALLING IS , MY
COLLEAGUE, COUNCILMEMBER MOORE,
ON SLIDE NINE, DO TRANSIT
STOPS AND ROUTES INCLUDE
AURORA, LAKE CITY, 105th TO
HOLMAN ROAD AND GREENWOOD
AVENUE?
>> YES.
>> PERFECT. NEXT QUESTION,
PEOPLE FEEL SAFER ON A
SIDEWALK, RATHER THAN FLAT
ASPHALT , IS IT POSSIBLE TO
CREATE A HIGHER BARRIER THAN A
CURB STOP , REFERRING TO
PICTURES OF SLIDE 14. WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT SLIDE 14.
SOMETHING THAT CREATES A
PHYSICAL SEPARATION BETWEEN
PEDESTRIANS AND CARS?
>> EACH SITE IS EVALUATED ON A
CASE -BY CASE BASIS, WE WANT TO
PROVIDE A BUFFER BETWEEN
FAST-MOVING VEHICLES AND HIGH
VOLUMES OF VEHICLES. I THINK
THAT WE ARE GAME FOR THAT, WE
ARE CURRENTLY, RIGHT NOW, ON
4th AVENUE, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE
DOOR HERE, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE
BUILDING, WE ARE PUTTING IN
MORE ROBUST BARRIERS FOR THE
BIKE LANE. THE CONTRACTOR HAS
BEEN OUT THERE SINCE THIS
MORNING. SO CURRENTLY, WE ARE
EXPLORING THE USAGE OF MORE OF
THESE BARRIERS THROUGHOUT THE
CITY, AND IF THERE ARE ANY
LOCATIONS THAT COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE IS INTERESTED IN
EXPLORING, I THINK WE ARE GAME.
>> NEXT QUESTION FROM
COUNCILMEMBER MOORE, WHAT IS
THE COST TO IMPLEMENT A
SIDEWALK ON ONE SIDE OF THE
STREET? REMIND ME THE NAME,
HOW IS IT PRONOUNCED? SWALE? A
SWALE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE STREET, FOR ALL OF THE
STREETS, WITHOUT ANY SIDEWALKS
THAT
>> THE COST CAN VARY. IT
DEPENDS ON A LOT OF FACTORS,
WHETHER THERE ARE RETAINING
WALLS, A NON-ARTERIAL OR
ARTERIAL STREET. THAT IS AT THE
LOW END OF THE SPECTRUM, IF WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT A LOW COST
RAMP ON ONE SIDE , AND A
NON-ENGINEERED SWALE ON THE
OTHER SIDE, IT COULD BECOME
VERY COST-EFFECTIVE. YOU KNOW,
MAY BE IN THE RANGE OF $200,000
PER BLOCK. AND IF WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT THE
HIGHLY-ENGINEERED SWALE, THAT
INCLUDES THE UNDER DRAIN, IN
CASE THE SWALE EVER FILLS WITH
WATER, THAT MAKES THE COST A
LOT HIGHER. IT COULD BE ON THE
LOW END , OR, DEPENDING ON THE
DESIGN APPROACH , IT COULD BE
ON THE HIGH END. I WILL SAY A
SIDEWALK ON ONE SIDE OF THE
STREET IS BETTER THAN ZERO
SIDEWALKS ON THAT SAME STREET.
AND THAT IS IT.
>> THE FINAL QUESTION I WILL
ASK, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
MORE, FROM COUNCILMEMBER
MOORE, ONE OF THE COST RANGES
FOR ALTERNATIVE SIDEWALKS ?
>> ON THE LOW END, THAT PAINTED
WALKWAY THAT I SHOWED YOU, THAT
IS 50 TO $100,000 PER BLOCK.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW? IF WE HAVE
TO REMOVE ASPHALT AND PUT IN A
PLANTING STRIP WITH TREES , AND
A NEW ASPHALT WALKWAY, IT
COULD BE ABOUT $400,000 PER
BLOCK.
>> THANK YOU ALL. I WILL PAUSE
HERE AND OPEN IT UP TO MY
COLLEAGUES FOR QUESTIONS.
COUNCILMEMBER ADJOURNED, I
KNOW YOU HAD YOUR HAND RAISED.
BUT , COUNCILMEMBER SPU, YOU
HAVE NOT ASKED THE QUESTION, I
WANT TO GIVE YOU THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR
QUESTIONS COMMENTS AND
FEEDBACK.
>> THIS MAP REALLY HELPS TO
VISUALIZE EVERYTHING. MY
QUESTION IS, WHEN IT COMES TO
NEW SIDEWALKS AND
DEVELOPMENTS, I THINK THAT WAS
ONE OF THE FIRST SLIDES, WHO OR
WHAT TRIGGERS HAVING TO BUILD
THAT SIDEWALK AND WHO PAYS FOR
THAT?
>> I THINK THAT IS A GREAT
QUESTION. TYPICALLY , IT
DEPENDS ON WHERE THE
DEVELOPMENT IS OCCURRING. SO,
IF YOU ARE IN, YOU KNOW, CLOSE
TO THE INNER-CITY, IN URBAN
VILLAGES, URBAN CENTERS, YOU
ARE 100% REQUIRED TO REPLACE
OR BUILD A NEW SIDEWALK WHEN
YOU GO IN TO DEVELOP THE
PROPERTY, ONCE YOU MOVE OUT,
ONCE YOU MOVE INTO THE SINGLE
IVAN FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONES,
THAT DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF
UNITS THAT ARE BEING BUILT, SO,
IF THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, 10 OR
MORE UNITS BEING BUILT IN A
SINGLE IVAN FAMILY RESIDENTIAL
ZONE, THEN THEY WILL BE
REQUIRED TO BUILD SIDEWALKS.
AND IF NOT, THERE ARE NO
REQUIREMENTS FOR STREET
IMPROVEMENTS IN THOSE
LOCATIONS. AND THE COST IS
ASSUMED BY THE DEVELOPER. SO,
THE CITY DOES NOT, THE CITY
DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THOSE
NEW SIDEWALKS, EXCEPT IN THE
REVIEW OF THE DESIGN AND THE
ISSUANCE OF THE PERMITS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> ALL RIGHT, VICE CHAIR
HOLLINGSWORTH?
>> I HAVE A COUPLE OF
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU ALL. THE
FIRST QUESTION I HAVE, JUST
DOING A WALKABOUT, CAPITOL
HILL, DIFFERENT AREAS. I HAVE
EXPERIENCED A LOT OF SIDEWALKS
THAT HAVE BECOME UPROOTED ,
BECAUSE OF TREES. THE
MAINTENANCE, THE STROLLER, IF
YOU ARE HAVING ACCESSIBILITY
ISSUES, HOW DO YOU ALL IDENTIFY
AND PRIORITIZE MAINTAINING THE
MAINTENANCE OF THOSE
SIDEWALKS, THAT HAVE BEEN
UPROOTED AND DAMAGED BY TREE
ROOTS ?
>> I CAN START AND MY
COLLEAGUES CAN CHIP IN. IT IS
A SEPARATE FUNDING SOURCE. A
SEPARATE WORKGROUP. THEY ARE
CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH OUR
MAINTENANCE TEAMS. I WANT TO
SAY, THANK YOU FOR
ACKNOWLEDGING THE GREAT WORK OF
THIS TEAM. WE HAVE CIVIL
ENGINEERS, ASPHALT FOLKS,
SIGNS AND MARKINGS FOLKS THAT
ARE ALL PART OF DEVELOPING
THIS. THEY ARE COMING OUT OF
THE ASPHALT AND CONCRETE
CRUISE, BUT AS YOU
ACKNOWLEDGE, A LOT OF THE
BEAUTY OF SEATTLE IS THE
WONDERFUL TREE CANOPIES THAT DO
A WONDERFUL JOB ON THE
SIDEWALKS, THEY MAINTAIN AND
THEY DO A CUSTOMER SERVICE
RESPONSE. OVER THE YEARS , THEY
HAVE DONE VARIOUS MOMENTS WHERE
THEY HAVE DONE CITYWIDE
EVALUATIONS . AND THERE IS
ACTUALLY A NICE RESOURCE BASED
ON THE SIDEWALK AUDIT. I THINK
IT IS CALLED THE STORY MAP
RESOURCE. WE GO TO THE
MAINTENANCE SECTION, THERE IS
AN RESOURCE DESCRIBING THE
SHAM AND BABBLE AND SOME OF
THE PANEL REPAIR THAT WE DO.
THE PRIORITIZATION IS INFORMED
BY CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUESTS
AND PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS OF THE
OVERALL CONDITIONS. AND THEY GO
OUT, AND THEY BUILD YOU
HIGH-VOLUME PEDESTRIAN ZONES
FIRST, IF THEY CAN. I WANT TO
ACKNOWLEDGE, SOMETIMES THESE
ARE TRICKY SOLUTIONS, WHEN WE
HAVE A VERY MATURE TREE, OR
VERY LARGE ROOTS OR A SPECIES
THAT DOES A LOT OF HIGH-LEVEL
ROOT GROWTH, THEY SORT OF HAVE
TO TAKE THAT ON IS A LARGER
PROJECT, THOSE TAKE A LONGER
TIME TO IMPLEMENT. AND I WANT
TO ACKNOWLEDGE, TOO,
TECHNICALLY, WITHIN THE CITY OF
SEATTLE, PROPERTY OWNERS ARE
REQUIRED TO DO SIDEWALK
MAINTENANCE. BUT WE DO
PARTICIPATE IN VERY SIGNIFICANT
BATTLE PROCESSES, SO THAT WE
CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE
SIDEWALKS BE PASSABLE.
>> THANK YOU, THAT IS GREAT.
AND ANOTHER QUESTION,
COUNCIL, NOT THAT, BUT I SIT
ON THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
COMMITTEE, ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE LEARNED AND DISCOVERED
WAS HOW BUSES ARE NOW TRYING TO
FEED INTO SOUND TRANSIT, THAT
IS THEIR GOAL, HOLISTICALLY
WITH SOUND TRAFFIC. WHAT YOU
THINK IS THE NORTHSTAR IN OUR
CITY FOR SIDEWALKS. LIKE WITH
OUR KIDS, WE ARE REALLY
PRIORITIZING AROUND KIDS,
SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW? IS THAT THE
NORTHSTAR FOR SIDEWALKS, WHEN
LOOKING AT THIS MAP, OR IS IT
LOOKING AT THAT , FOR THE
DISTRICT?
>> THAT IS A TOUGH QUESTION,
AS DISCUSSED, WE HAVE MANY
LAYERS THAT WE BRING INTO
ANALYSIS. WE HAVE THE BASELINE
ASSESSMENT OF WHERE THEY ARE
MISSING, ONE SIDE, TWO SIDES,
WE HAVE LAYERED LOTS OF
DIFFERENT PIECES OF
INFORMATION, TRANSIT ACCESS,
EQUITY, HEALTH SCORES, THINGS
LIKE THAT. SO, WE DO OUR BEST
TO USE OUR MULTIVARIATE
ANALYSIS THAT USES DATA AND
ALSO VALUES. WE KNOW THAT WE
HAVE AN HISTORIC
UNDERINVESTMENT IN THE NORTH
AND SOUTH PARTS OF THE CITY,
HOW DO WE DIRECT AN EQUIVALENT
LEVEL OF SERVICE. RIGHT NOW, I
AM SURE THAT WE WILL BE TALKING
ABOUT THIS MORE AS PART OF THE
LEVY RENEWAL. WE ARE TRYING TO
WORK THROUGH WHAT IS THE NEXT
EIGHT-YEARS, AND HOW WE WANT
TO TALK ABOUT IT. IT WILL ALSO
ALWAYS BE A MULTIVARIATE PLAN,
RIGHT? WE ARE LOOKING VERY
CLOSELY, CAN WE GET PEOPLE TO
THE TRANSIT STOPS AND HOW DO WE
GET PEOPLE TO THE LOCAL
DESTINATIONS? MORE
IMPORTANTLY, HOW DO WE
PRIORITIZE BUILDING SIDEWALKS ?
THE NUMBER IS ENORMOUS , WHAT
WE ARE TRYING TO FOCUS ON IS
CREATING THOSE CORE PATHWAYS .
HOW DO WE GET THE MOST PEOPLE
TO THE AREAS? I AM SURE THAT
WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THIS IN
UPCOMING HEARINGS AND DIFFERENT
DISCUSSIONS, BUT THAT IS WHAT
WE ARE TRYING TO BALANCE AS WE
BALANCE AND INFLUENCE THE NEW
DYNAMICS, RIGHT?
>> MY LAST QUESTION, MR. CHAIR,
IF I MAY?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> WHEN WE ARE CONSTRUCTING NEW
SIDEWALKS , PEOPLE PROBABLY
KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEST. HOW
DO YOU GO ABOUT CONNECTING WITH
THEM AND ASKING THEM WHAT THEIR
NEEDS ARE, ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT PRIORITIZING SAFETY? IS
IT AESTHETICS ? USABILITY ?
HOW DO YOU ENGAGE TO MAKE SURE
THAT IT IS ACCESSIBLE FOR THEM,
BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE
COMMUNITY.
>> IN THE DAY-TO-DAY , I WILL
SAY, ABSOLUTELY. LIKE, WE ARE
EXCITED ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK,
IMPLEMENTED WITHIN OUR EQUITY
FRAMEWORK. AND ALSO SOME OF THE
LANGUAGE AND INTENTION IN THE
STP, HOW DO WE PARTNER MORE
DEEPLY WITH THE COMMUNITY? AS
OPPOSED TO ONLY BEING PRESENT
WHEN WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE, AND THEN
BEING GONE? HOW DO WE HELP WORK
FOR THOSE ISSUES ? I WILL PASS
IT TO THESE GUYS.
>> I WILL SAY, WE FOLLOW A
DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE
MODELS. SO, ON THE FAR END, WE
HAVE EXAMPLES , WHERE WE LOOK
AT THE MAP, RIGHT? AND WE
THINK THAT THE MAP ISSUING IS
ROUGHLY WHERE WE WANT TO BE,
THEN WE GO AND WE ENGAGE WITH
THE COMMUNITY AND WE SAY, WHAT
STREETS ARE REALLY THE ROUTES
THAT WE USE, AND WHAT ARE THE
INVESTMENTS, AND , AND THEN,
REALLY, WE DO A THOROUGH
ENGAGEMENT ABOUT WHAT ROUTES WE
WILL SELECT , FOR NEW WALKWAYS
OR SIDEWALKS. AND ON THE OTHER
HAND, THERE ARE OTHER STREETS.
I WILL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE WITH
AURORA, WE WILL NOT HAVE
ANOTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT
SIDEWALKS. WE ARE PUTTING THOSE
SIDEWALKS SOMEDAY. IT MAY NOT
BE TOMORROW, BUT WE ARE GETTING
SIDEWALKS. WE MAY PUT THEM ON
OTHER STREETS. WE HAVE PEOPLE
WALKING ON THE STREETS , AND
THEY REALLY NEED SIDEWALKS. IT
VARIES. SOMETIMES WE DO THAT
DEEP ENGAGEMENT, WHERE WE WANT
TO IDENTIFY, WHAT ARE THE
ROUTES? PEOPLE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD NO BETTER THAN WE
DO. BUT, THERE ARE OTHERS, YOU
KNOW, WE NEED TO PUT SIDEWALKS
HERE.
>> THAT MAKES SENSE. I WAS
ONLY CURIOUS, BECAUSE I KNOW
THAT, IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE
IS A TON OF DEVELOPMENT AND A
LOT OF THE DEVELOPERS ARE ABLE
TO AFFORD TO KEEP UP WITH THE
SIDEWALKS . AND TO MAINTAIN
THEM. I AM LOOKING AT DISTRICT
TO SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW,
WHERE THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD
INCOME IS A LOT DIFFERENT THAN
THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS,
AND HOW THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO
KEEP UP WITH IT IF THEY NEVER
HAD A SIDEWALK BEFORE. THEY
PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY
WERE EVEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
THEN BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM
KEEPING MAINTENANCE, IF IT WAS
AN EDUCATION PIECE, ENSURING
THAT WE HAVE SAFE PATHWAYS,
BUT I KNOW THAT IT COULD BE A
CHALLENGE FOR PEOPLE,
ESPECIALLY IN DIFFERENT
DISTRICTS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE
INCREASE IN COSTS AND HOUSING .
JUST WONDERING , YOU KNOW?
JUST THAT COMMUNICATION PIECE.
>> FOR CLARITY, THANK YOU, MR.
CHAIR.
>> THANK YOU, VICE CHAIR. FOR
CLARITY, HELP ME UNDERSTAND, OR
VALIDATE MY UNDERSTANDING. YES,
ADJOINING PROPERTY OWNERS ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING THE
SIDEWALKS, THE EASEMENT WHERE
THE SIDEWALK SINCE , THAT IS
THE LEGAL OBLIGATION. AS I
UNDERSTAND IT , AS WELL, THAT
IS NOT AT ALL IN FOREST,
TODAY, OR EVEN HISTORICALLY, IS
THAT CORRECT?
>> WE DO HAVE A SHARED
RESPONSIBILITY AS IT RELATES
TO THAT PART OF TRAVEL. IT IS
ACCOMMODATED --, GET A PASSAGE
TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS. WE
DO REGULARLY PROVIDE NOTICE.
YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE SOME
PROCESSES AND ACTIONS AROUND
NOTIFYING PROPERTY OWNERS OF
THE NEED TO REPAIR, BUT
LESS-ESTABLISHED PUNITIVE
MEASURES.
>> CLARIFYING, IT IS A SHARED
RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN THE
CITY AND PRIMARILY THE
RESPONSIBILITY RESTS WITH THE
PROPERTY OWNER. WE HAVE SOME
ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS IN PLACE
THAT HAVE SOMEWHAT LIMITED
UTILITY, IN TERMS OF THE
ABILITY TO COMPEL COMPLIANCE,
IS WHAT I AM HEARING.
>> BUT, OKAY, LET ME ASK VICE
CHAIR HOLLINGSWORTH BROUGHT UP
GREAT POINTS. ESPECIALLY THE
LAST TWO QUESTIONS. I WILL
HIGHLIGHT AND FLAG, JUST FROM
OUR PERSPECTIVE, FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE, THERE IS A GREAT
FRAMEWORK FOR HOW SDOT
CURRENTLY APPROACHES IT. THEY
HAVE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THIS IN THE ANSWER TO THE GREAT
QUESTION WITH THE EARLIER
PRESENTATION, THEY HAVE A GREAT
FRAMEWORK IN DETERMINING THE
ADDRESSES -- ADDRESSING OF
NEEDS, THERE ARE CORE FACTORS,
THE PROXIMITY TO HIGH-DENSITY
PRINT AREAS, SCHOOLS, PARKS,
TRANSIT STOPS, ROUTES, SAFETY
IS THE NEXT FACTOR. FINALLY,
EQUITY. AND SO, I SUPPORT THOSE
PRINCIPLES. AND SDOT NEEDS TO
HAVE SOME EXECUTION FLEXIBILITY
TO IMPLEMENT THOSE. THAT
DECISION-MAKING FRAMEWORK, AS
THEY SEE FIT, WITH, THIS IS,
THIS IS WHERE MY COLOR
COMMENTARY, AND REFLECTION ALL
FEEDBACK COMES FROM. FROM ALL
OF US. FOR ALL OF US ON WHAT
THAT LOOKS LIKE. ONE CRITICAL,
YOU KNOW, ONE EXAMPLE, YOU
KNOW, THERE WAS AN EMAIL LAST
WEEK, I THINK, IN MY DISTRICT,
IN DEL RIDGE, THERE IS A
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERAN. DAV
, IT IS A NONPROFIT SERVICE
PROVIDER THAT ADVISES AND
HELPS, AS THE NAME IMPLIES,
VETERANS, NAVIGATING CLAIMS .
EITHER HELPING CONNECT THEM
WITH VARIOUS BENEFITS THAT
THEY DESERVE, THESE ARE WAR
HEROES IN MANY CASES. READ
OUTSIDE. AT THEIR FACILITY,
BETWEEN DEL RIDGE AND 25th,
THERE IS A PATH AREA ALONG
HUDSON, RIGHT NEXT TO THE
FACILITY. YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO
SIDEWALK. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE
POST COMMANDER ABOUT IT. WHO
WANTS THE SIDEWALK THERE, BUT,
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WOULD BE
AN INCIDENT WHERE THE EQUITY
FACTOR IS TRIGGERED, BUT IN ANY
EVENT, THERE IS AN EXISTING
FRAMEWORK WITH APPROPRIATE
OVERSIGHT, AND GUIDANCE FROM
US, WE CAN HELP EVERYONE
ACHIEVE MORE. AND I WILL STOP
THERE AND I WILL TAKE FURTHER
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS.
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
>> REALLY QUICK, I REALLY
APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
SIDEWALKS ARE VERY IMPORTANT
AND I WILL TALK ABOUT THE
BARRIERS, HOLDING ME BACK WHEN
I LIVED IN BAGHDAD, IN IRAQ. WE
HAD JERSEY BARRIERS, TEXAS
BARRIERS, AND WE HAD A LAPSE
IN BARRIERS. FORTUNATELY, WE DO
NOT HAVE THOSE TYPES OF
BARRIERS IN SEATTLE. IT DOES
HIGHLIGHT FOR ME, HOW IMPORTANT
IS THE AESTHETIC ? I REALLY
LIKE THE EXAMPLE OF SDOT AND
SPU , NOT HAVING TO GO TO THAT
ALASKA OR JERSEY BARRIER.
THANK YOU FOR THAT EXAMPLE OF
THAT KIND OF WORK IN THAT KIND
OF COLLABORATION. FOR ME,
OBVIOUSLY, PUBLIC SAFETY
REMAINS NUMBER ONE, IT IS
REALLY DRIVING THAT, THE SAFE
STREETS, AND THE VISION ZERO
PIECES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, AND
SIDEWALKS ARE VERY IMPORTANT,
ALSO TO THE POINT WHERE I
REALLY APPRECIATE THESE
QUESTIONS, WITH MY COLLEAGUE
TO MY RIGHT, THE NEIGHBORHOOD
ENGAGEMENT PIECE. AND IN MY
FORMER LIFE I DID A LOT OF
THIS, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, I
AM NOT SURE IF THIS HAS COME
UP, IN THE PRE-PANDEMIC, WE HAD
DIFFERENT FUNDING, WE HAD
DIFFERENT FUNDS THAT WOULD
ALLOW FOR NICE SIDEWALK
IMPROVEMENTS, BOLTS ON THE
CURB, WHATEVER IT MAY BE. THAT
WAS A WAIT FOR THE
NEIGHBORHOODS TO REALLY GIVE
THAT INPUT AND SAY, HEY, THAT
IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT. I WANTED
TO HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE
CAN BRING BACK THAT ENGAGEMENT
TO THIS PROCESS. SPEAKING OF
ENGAGEMENT, WE HAVE SUCH
INTERACTIVE ENGAGEMENT ON THE
DAIS. I AM WATCHING THE
BRIEFING AND LISTENING TO YOU
AND I GET THE POP-UPS.
NORMALLY I IGNORE THEM. BUT
THIS ONE SET SIDEWALKS. THIS IS
A DIRECT INTERFACE FROM
SEATTLE CHANNEL, THANK YOU
SEATTLE CHANNEL, AND THIS IS
OUT OF DISTRICT 3, FROM MY
COLLEAGUE'S DISTRICT. SHE
SAID SHE IS WATCHING THE
MEETING. WE HAVE A CONSENT
DECREE IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY
SPACE. SHE IS HIGHLIGHTING
THAT THE CITY IS UNDER A.D.A.
DECREE FOR A SPECIFIC NUMBER
OF SIDEWALKS. SDOT IS NOT
MEETING THE REQUIREMENT OF
THOSE ORDERS, CAN YOU ASK THEM
TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? THIS IS
INTERACTIVE, THAT JUST CAME IN.
I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THIS ON
BEHALF OF MY DISTRICT THREE
NEIGHBOR. I AM NOT GOING TO
SAY HER NAME, OUT OF COURTESY
ON THAT.
>> I THINK THAT IS A FANTASTIC
QUESTION AND I THINK IT IS
SOMETHING THAT WE ARE REALLY
PUSHING TO ADVANCE AT SDOT,
EVERY DAY, WE ARE LOOKING FOR
NEW WAYS TO ENSURE THAT THE
RIGHT OF WAYS ARE ACCESSIBLE
TO EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF HOW
THEY GET AROUND. WE ARE
CURRENTLY UNDER THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE CONSENT DECREE, AND
SO, THOSE CLAIMS THAT TAKE YOU
FROM THE STREET, UP TO THE
SIDEWALK LEVEL, WE ARE REQUIRED
TO BUILD 1250 PER BRANCH ,
EVERY SINGLE YEAR, AND WE HAVE
BEEN UNDER THE CONSENT DECREE
SINCE 2017 , AND WE HAVE INDEED
MET OUR COMMITMENTS FOR THE
CONSENT DECREE EACH YEAR, EVEN
WHEN WE HAVE CONCRETE A FEW
YEARS AGO, THAT PUT SOME OF
THOSE METRICS IN JEOPARDY AND
SOME OF THOSE GOALS IN
JEOPARDY AS WELL. WE STRIVE TO
MAKE SURE, AS WAS MENTIONED,
THAT THE SIDEWALKS THAT EXIST
REMAIN ACCESSIBLE, AND THAT
OUR SIDEWALK PREPAREDNESS
PROGRAM IS READY, WHETHER IT
MIGHT BE WHAT LIFTS THE
SIDEWALKS UP, REDUCING THE
CHALLENGE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO
MAY BE ROLLING DOWN OUR
STREETS, INSTEAD OF WALKING.
WITHOUT QUESTION, WE WANT TO
CONTINUE TO BUILD AND GROW ON
WHAT WE ARE DOING UNDER THE
CONSENT DECREE AND WE ARE
CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO
MAKE OUR PROGRAM MORE EFFICIENT
AND EXPEDITE THE DELIVERY OF
RAMPS AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES
IN AS TIMELY A MANNER AS WE
POSSIBLY CAN.
>> WITH DISTRICT 7 , I SHOULD
ADD, I SPENT THE BETTER PART OF
NINE MONTHS DRIVING MY WIFE
DOWNTOWN AVOIDING POTHOLES. YOU
KNOW, WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT.
WHEN SHE WAS BORN, WHEN OUR
DAUGHTER WAS BORN, I HAD TO
PURCHASE A STROLLER. OUR
NORMAL PLAN WITH THE STROLLER
WOULD NOT WORK, I HAD TO USE
THE BOB STROLLER, NOT JUST
BECAUSE OF MY NAME, BUT THE
NEED TO NAVIGATE THOSE
SIDEWALKS IN QUESTION.
GENERALLY, FROM THE EQUITY
POINT OF VIEW, THEY ARE
GENERALLY BETTER THAN THE OTHER
DISTRICTS, DISTRICT 1,
DISTRICT 2, DISTRICT 5, THEY
NEED TO BE THE PRIORITY, BUT I
DO WANT TO NOTE , AND THAT KIND
OF FOLLOWS UP THE QUESTION
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
PERSPECTIVE, THE HIGHLIGHT
REALLY QUICKLY, WE DO HAVE
AREAS IN QUEEN AND NORTH. THAT
IS AN AREA THAT IS GROWING,
FROM FREMONT TO BALLARD, THAT
IS AN AREA THAT I WOULD BRING
TO YOUR ATTENTION, AND I WOULD
LIKE TO BRING UP THE BOULEVARD,
WHICH IS A PARK, IT IS NOT JUST
QUEEN ANNE PARK OR DISTRICT 7
PARK, IT IS A WALKWAY, OR A
RUNWAY, THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS
AN AREA TO THE CITY, THAT IS
DEFINITELY WHERE THERE IS A
LACK OF A SIDEWALK, THAT PUSHES
SOME PEOPLE ONTO THE STREET,
IN SOME CASES, THAT MIGHT BE
OKAY, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU
HAVE A DISABILITY AND SO FORTH,
THAT IT IS NOT OKAY, AND I JUST
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, FOR
QUEEN ANNE. AND INTERBAY. IT
IS PRIMARILY LIGHT INDUSTRIAL,
AND IT SHOULD BE NOT AN AREA
TO BE DEVELOPING, BUT WE DO
HAVE AN AREA THAT HAS BEEN
DEVELOPED, AND I JUST
HIGHLIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A
NEW SEATTLE STORM FACILITY
GOING UP, THERE WILL BE A LOT
OF KIDS GOING TO THE PROGRAMS
THAT THE STORM WILL BE
PRODUCING, SO CONNECTING THAT
WITH THE STORM FACILITY, THAT
IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD
COME UP NORMALLY. IN TERMS OF
REVIEWS, IT IS QUOTE-UNQUOTE
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL, BUT THAT IS
WHERE THEY WOULD HIGHLIGHT THE
CHANGE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT AREA, TO,
YOU KNOW, BRING IN SOME BETTER
SIDEWALK CONNECTORS. AND THE
HIGHLIGHT MAGNOLIA TO THE
DISTRICT 7 PART OF MAGNOLIA,
WITH MY COLLEAGUE ON THE OTHER
END OF THE DAIS, THERE ARE
OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE HAVE
BEEN SHORTFALLS, PARTICULARLY
ON THE LOWER SLOPES. AND WE DO
HAVE SOME PARKS IN THAT AREA,
YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD PROBABLY
BE BETTER, THAT GENERALLY GOES
TO THE POINT, IN TERMS OF
DAMAGE TO SIDEWALKS AS WELL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN, AND
THANK YOU, CHAIR SAKA.
>> THANK YOU TO THE VIEWING
PUBLIC, IN PARTICULAR THE
MEMBER WHO SEND IN SUCH A
TERRIFIC QUESTION. I HAVE BEEN
TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THROUGHOUT
, THE CRITICAL NEED AND
OPPORTUNITY, THE IMPERATIVE WE
HAVE, TO ADD, TO SPECIFICALLY
ADD NEW SIDEWALKS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE ACROSS THE CITY.
BY DOING THAT, IT WILL DRIVE
SAFETY, ACCESSIBILITY ,
SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARD
CLIMATE GOALS, EQUITY , A.D.A.
COMPLIANCE, AMONGST OTHER
THINGS. SO, IT REALLY DOES
MEAN IT IS ARGUABLY A
NITTY-GRITTY, LAST-MILE DETAIL
. BUT IT MATTERS TO THE LIVES
OF EVERYDAY PEOPLE IN THE CITY
AND PEOPLE VISITING THE CITY,
WE CAN AND WE MUST DO BETTER
AND I AM HERE TO ENSURE AS MUCH
AS CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE. IN
ANY EVENT I AM DISHEARTENED. I
WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY AWARE OF
THAT CONSENT DECREE WITH THE
A.D.A. I AM DISHEARTENED TO
HEAR THAT, AS PART OF THESE NEW
ASSESSMENTS. WE DO NOT WANT TO
JUST MEET THE BARE MINIMUM
QUALIFICATIONS AND
REQUIREMENTS, WE NEED TO DO
BETTER SO , I AM LOOKING
FORWARD TO WORKING ALONGSIDE OF
YOU ALL. ALONGSIDE OF MY SDOT
COLLEAGUES, TO BETTER SUPPORT
SDOT IN THIS IMPORTANT WORK.
THANK YOU AGAIN, COUNCILMEMBER
KETTLE. COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS
?
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR
OUTLINING WHERE WE HAVE
SIDEWALKS MISSING. I NOW
UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS
REDISTRICTING. IF YOU LOOK AT
THIS MAP, ALL OF THE AREAS IN
DARK RED, IT USED TO BE IN MY
DISTRICT, AND THEY TOOK IT
FROM ME. I SAY THIS BECAUSE I
HAVE BEEN ON A QUEST FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS. AND I AM
REALLY INCITED -- EXCITED
ABOUT THIS NEW COUNCIL TO
ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, THAT IS
WHY I HAVE STATEMENTS OF
LEGISLATIVE INTENT, TWO YEARS
IN A ROW, BUILDING UPON THE
REPORTS THAT HAVE BEEN
PROVIDED. I REALLY APPRECIATE
THAT. WHEN I LOOK AT HOME AND
ROAD, TO THE WESTERN EDGE OF
THE JOHN LEWIS MEMORIAL BRIDGE,
AS WAS HIGHLIGHTED EARLIER IN
THE PRESENTATION AT THE
BEGINNING OF THIS COMMITTEE
MEETING, THAT IS 1.3 MILES, AND
IF YOU ADD THAT QUARTER MILE,
THAT IS 1.5 MILES FROM QFC ,
TO THE STATION, ON A DIRECT
ROUTE. AT ONE POINT, THERE IS
A SIDEWALK ALTERNATIVE THAT
GOES INTO AN ACTUALLY-CREATED
SIDEWALK ON THE SOUTH SIDE. I
SHARE THIS, NOT POINTING
FINGERS, BUT HOW DO WE
COLLABORATE FOR SOLUTIONS. THE
REPORT LAST YEAR THAT I
REQUESTED CALLED OUT GIVING
ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS AND
FRAMEWORK FOR DISTRICT 5.
DISTRICT 2, DISTRICT 1, AND
THAT IS WHY WE CALL OUT THOSE
DISTRICTS , IN PARTICULAR, SO
THE COUNCILMEMBERS, AT THAT
TIME, LEADING UP TO TODAY, HAD
THE ABILITY TO CALL OUT
SPECIFIC PLACES THAT THEY WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE COSTED OUT. THE
ANSWER COUNCILMEMBER MOORE 'S
QUESTION ABOUT CAN ASPHALT BE
USED AT A HIGHER HEIGHT TO
CREATE SEPARATION FROM THE
STREET , I HAVE SEEN IT DONE ON
THE EDGE OF OUR DISTRICT, AT
87th AND, I BELIEVE, JUST EAST
OF GREENWOOD. I CAN GET BACK
TO YOU ON THAT, I HAVE SEEN
IT, IT DOES REQUIRE SDOT AND
SPU TO REQUIRE , IT ACTUALLY
LOOKS LIKE SIDEWALK, AND YOU
CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE. I
WILL BRING US BACK TWO SLIDES.
AND I AM GOING TO ASK A
QUESTION AND THEN MORE ON 16.
I AM ALREADY LATE FOR ANOTHER
MEETING. THANK YOU FOR LETTING
ME KEEP TALKING. LOOKING AT
SLIDE NUMBER NINE, LOOKING AT
THE SLIDE, IN THE CRITERIA OF
NEEDING TO COUP -- CREATE
PRIORITY INVESTMENT, I DON'T
SEE GAPS, I DON'T IN A PASSED
EVEN KNOW WHY NECESSARILY
TODAY, HAVING THAT GAP SHOULD
CREATE ANY PRIORITY WE ARE
GOING BACK AND FORTH, AND I SEE
DIRECTOR WAITING FOR A
CONVERSATION, REGARDING 87th
AND PALATINE. IT IS A ONE-BLOCK
STRETCH THAT WOULD CREATE A
CONNECTION BETWEEN 3rd AND
GREENWOOD EXCEPT FOR THE ONE
BLOCK AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO
BRIDGE THAT GAP. SO, I DO NOT
EVEN NECESSARILY NEED AN ANSWER
TODAY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO COME
BACK TO THAT, IF WE COULD MOVE
TO SLIDE 16, IN THE INTEREST OF
TIME, I WILL NOTE HERE, I
APPRECIATE YOUR TRANSPARENCY
WITH THE PROS AND CONS. I WOULD
SAY, REGARDING ALTERNATIVES,
TRIGGERING MORE A.D.A.
UPGRADES MAY BE HARD FOR THE
DEPARTMENT FINANCIALLY. BUT
THAT SHOULD NOT BE LISTED AS A
CON. HAVING MORE A.D.A.
ACCESSIBILITY THROUGHOUT OUR
CITY IS A POSITIVE. AND IT
CANNOT BE SEEN AS A NEGATIVE
HERE. AS WELL AS , ADJACENT
RESIDENTS PREFER TRADITIONAL
SIDEWALKS. MANY OF THE PHOTOS
YOU HAVE CONTAINED WITHIN THIS
PRESENTATION WERE STREETS THAT
I KICKED ROCKS ON AND CAUGHT
THE BUS ON, WITHOUT SEPARATION
BETWEEN ARTERIALS AND WHERE I
WAS CATCHING THE BUS. WHAT YOU
HAVE CREATED IS NET POSITIVE,
EVEN IF NOT PERFECT, SO THAT IS
WHY I ALSO SHARE WHAT EVERYONE
PREFERS, THE GOLD STANDARD, I
PREFER TO DRIVE A FERRARI. BUT
I DRIVE A SUBARU. WE HAVE TO
BE ABLE TO PROVIDE OUR
RESIDENTS WITH SAFER
ALTERNATIVES TO WHAT IS ALL
THERE TODAY. THOSE ARE MY
COMMENTS. I APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME.
>> LOVE IT, COUNCILMEMBER
STRAUSS. I LEARNED A LOT FROM
YOUR INSIGHTS. THANK YOU FOR
SHARING. ONE THING I LEARNED
IS, SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN
NOTHING AND WE NEED TO DO
SOMETHING. AND ADD THAT TO THE
ONCE IN A GENERATION INVESTMENT
IN NEW SIDEWALKS, WHICH IS
GOING TO INCLUDE A NUMBER OF
SIDEWALK ALTERNATIVES, NOT
EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE AREA IS
GOING TO GET THAT FULL CONCRETE
SPU DRAINAGE KIT DEAL.
SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN
NOTHING, STARTING WITH THAT
PROPOSITION AND ANOTHER
PROPOSITION IS, WE NEED TO ADD
SOMETHING FOR FUTURE COUNCILS
TO BUILD UPON. WITH THAT, DO
NOT LEAVE JUST YET. LET ME
SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND
HIGHLIGHT AND EXPRESS MY
GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION FOR
YOU, COUNCILMEMBER ADJOURNED ,
COUNCILMEMBER MORALES . THANK
YOU FOR YOUR PRIOR LEADERSHIP
ON SIDEWALKS. YOU HAVE DONE A
LOT OF GREAT WORK AND I HAVE
BEEN MONITORING ALL OF THAT IN
TRACKING THE LINEAGE OF ALL OF
OUR POLICY WIDE EFFORTS AND
INITIATIVES, I KNOW THAT YOU,
AND COUNCILMEMBER MORALES WERE
INVOLVED IN THAT, I LOOK
FORWARD TO BUILDING UPON THAT ,
WITH THIS GROUP RIGHT HERE, IT
IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE. I
LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING IT EVEN
BETTER, AND I THINK THAT WE
ALL WIN WHEN WE DO THAT. THANK
YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
>> AMEN.
>> I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DID
NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE GREAT WORK
THAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH
RESPECT TO A FEW OF MY
COLLEAGUES IN PARTICULAR. AND
COLLEAGUES, NOW, THEY HAVE
THROWN US THE BALL, WHAT ARE
YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT? HERE
WE ARE, THANK YOU AGAIN, HERE
WE ARE , I LOVE ALL OF THESE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
MEETINGS. LIKE, EVERY LAST ONE
OF THEM SEEMS TO ONE-UP THE
NEXT ONE, WHO KNOWS WHAT IS
COMING NEXT, WE WILL BE
EXCITED. THANK YOU ALL, SDOT ,
YOU KNOW, KEVIN, AND THE CHAIR
OF THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE,
THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS , LIVE AS
WELL AS SHARING YOUR FEEDBACK.
WE APPRECIATE IT. WE HAVE
REACHED THE END OF THE AGENDA.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS
BEFORE WE ADJOURN ? HEARING
JIK NONE, COLLEAGUES, PLEASE
REMEMBER, FORWARD ANY
AMENDMENTS YOU HAVE FOR THIS
TRANSPORTATION PLAN, TO YOURS
TRULY, BUT, HEARING NO FURTHER
BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE. WE ARE ADJOURNED ,
IT IS 11:57 A.M.