WE HAVE BEEN HEARD!! Thanks to you all – and the “Futures Study” - AROUND THE MOUNTAIN is on the 2017 Washington County Transportation Long Range Planning Work Program proposal. We’ve made it this far – but we still need everyone to voice support by March 14. Please feel free to forward this message to friends living in Washington County to ask for their support as well.
Here’s the full WorkPlan document website:
http://www.co.washington.or.us/LUT/Divisions/LongRangePlanning/PlanningPrograms/upload/2017_DraftWP_021417_Web.pdf
The Long Range Planning Section's annual work program outlines priorities and recommended ordinance topics for planning staff to address. The public is asked to comment via:
· Email: [email protected]
· Fax: 503-846-4412
· U.S. Mail: Department of Land Use & Transportation Long Range Planning; 155 N. First Ave., Suite 350, MS-14; Hillsboro, OR 97124
In person: Accepted at the above address, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday
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Excerpt from Page 16 of the 26-page LUT Work Plan Proposal “…TIER 1 (new Tasks are italicized)”:
Transportation Planning
1.15 Refinement Plan for arterial connections between high growth residential areas. Identify potential alignments and funding sources for transportation connections between South Hillsboro, South Cooper Mountain, and River Terrace. Building off findings from the Transportation Futures Study, this will evaluate both existing and potential new roads between 175th and River Rd., including an option raised by community members for an ‘around the mountain’ route that would reduce traffic on 175th and provide more direct connections.
The Public Opinion comment period starts now (deadline is 14 March 2017). Why is this a MAJOR MILESTONE – Why do we request that EVERYONE PARTICIPATE? Because “…those citizens who show up make the decisions…”
Here’s the full WorkPlan document online:
http://www.co.washington.or.us/LUT/Divisions/LongRangePlanning/PlanningPrograms/upload/2017_DraftWP_021417_Web.pdf
Here’s the LUT Announcement of the Public Comment invitation sent:
Comment sought on Long Range Planning annual work program
Public comment on the Draft 2017-18 Work Program for Long Range Planning is being accepted by Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation (LUT) through March 14.
The Long Range Planning Section's annual work program outlines priorities and recommended ordinance topics for planning staff to address. The public is asked to comment via:
· Email: [email protected]
· Fax: 503-846-4412
· U.S. Mail: Department of Land Use & Transportation Long Range Planning; 155 N. First Ave., Suite 350, MS-14; Hillsboro, OR 97124
· In person: Accepted at the above address, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
Comments must include senders' first and last names and complete mailing address to be included in the staff report. The report will be presented to the Board of Commissioners at its April 4 meeting. Annual Work Program
Below are possible comments you might want to draw from. 175th OBJECTIVES have been Improving neighborhood livability and Improving traffic flow and Improving safety for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists. Our position is that we support the need for a Parkway-type solution for greater mobility, but we also believe that we need a more-immediate alternative route for 175th – and our concern is that the Parkway would, because of land use, be further out in time. Below are some possible wordings which you might want to consider for your Public Opinion – Note: there are other important matters on the Workplan, feel free to comment on those as well:
POSSIBLE COMMENTS:
Here’s the full WorkPlan document website:
http://www.co.washington.or.us/LUT/Divisions/LongRangePlanning/PlanningPrograms/upload/2017_DraftWP_021417_Web.pdf
The Long Range Planning Section's annual work program outlines priorities and recommended ordinance topics for planning staff to address. The public is asked to comment via:
· Email: [email protected]
· Fax: 503-846-4412
· U.S. Mail: Department of Land Use & Transportation Long Range Planning; 155 N. First Ave., Suite 350, MS-14; Hillsboro, OR 97124
In person: Accepted at the above address, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday
---------------------------------------------------
Excerpt from Page 16 of the 26-page LUT Work Plan Proposal “…TIER 1 (new Tasks are italicized)”:
Transportation Planning
1.15 Refinement Plan for arterial connections between high growth residential areas. Identify potential alignments and funding sources for transportation connections between South Hillsboro, South Cooper Mountain, and River Terrace. Building off findings from the Transportation Futures Study, this will evaluate both existing and potential new roads between 175th and River Rd., including an option raised by community members for an ‘around the mountain’ route that would reduce traffic on 175th and provide more direct connections.
The Public Opinion comment period starts now (deadline is 14 March 2017). Why is this a MAJOR MILESTONE – Why do we request that EVERYONE PARTICIPATE? Because “…those citizens who show up make the decisions…”
Here’s the full WorkPlan document online:
http://www.co.washington.or.us/LUT/Divisions/LongRangePlanning/PlanningPrograms/upload/2017_DraftWP_021417_Web.pdf
Here’s the LUT Announcement of the Public Comment invitation sent:
Comment sought on Long Range Planning annual work program
Public comment on the Draft 2017-18 Work Program for Long Range Planning is being accepted by Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation (LUT) through March 14.
The Long Range Planning Section's annual work program outlines priorities and recommended ordinance topics for planning staff to address. The public is asked to comment via:
· Email: [email protected]
· Fax: 503-846-4412
· U.S. Mail: Department of Land Use & Transportation Long Range Planning; 155 N. First Ave., Suite 350, MS-14; Hillsboro, OR 97124
· In person: Accepted at the above address, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
Comments must include senders' first and last names and complete mailing address to be included in the staff report. The report will be presented to the Board of Commissioners at its April 4 meeting. Annual Work Program
Below are possible comments you might want to draw from. 175th OBJECTIVES have been Improving neighborhood livability and Improving traffic flow and Improving safety for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists. Our position is that we support the need for a Parkway-type solution for greater mobility, but we also believe that we need a more-immediate alternative route for 175th – and our concern is that the Parkway would, because of land use, be further out in time. Below are some possible wordings which you might want to consider for your Public Opinion – Note: there are other important matters on the Workplan, feel free to comment on those as well:
POSSIBLE COMMENTS:
- Commuter traffic in the north south direction is congesting local roads and destroying neighborhood livability and safety.
- We need bus expansion to the new High Growth areas since LUT has built bedroom communities compelling residents to drive when there are no nearby buses.
- Starting NOW, transportation capacity must be created to serve new development (change Land Use rules). Transportation MUST be built at the same time as the new buildings, not promised for later.
- A comprehensive system of express type roadways must be planned now and built soon to deal specifically with north south commuter and freight traffic near the west edge of the Urban Growth Boundary.
- Reduce rural arterial speeds to 35mph where there are numerous driveways, poor line of sight or other potential safety issues. Safety should trump over driver comfort speeds.
- Make certain we focus on safe, cost-effective, all-weather roads – not invest in enhancing roads over Cooper Mountain.
- Alternative North-South routes are needed NOW including new road corridors. People are utilizing every local street to avoid the gridlock on larger roads.
- New N-S roadway needs to be the EAST-most alternative – the westerly path encroaches on rich farmland and is least beneficial to already-urbanized High Growth Areas. Best if elevated.
- New alternative routes must be more "express" than today's system with many intersections.
- Time and fuel are being wasted due to lack of capacity on the existing road system to serve present development.
- We need “Around Cooper Mountain” solution AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (in our lifetimes!) – but also for Washington County to implement short-term modifications needed to facilitate traffic “Around Cooper Mountain” and onto safer, flatter roads in addition to implementing transit solutions in the High Growth areas as soon as possible. This area is already being urbanized and developed so the issues are here and now. We also recommend not investing in trying to make 175th serve as the major arterial for Sherwood-Beaverton-Hillsboro.
- Where the Parkway (especially an elevated one) would seem a better long-term solution, we are concerned about this option since the diagram shown in the Staff Report (see page 52 of the report, Figure 5.8) shows a wide swath and two distinctly different options for the actual location, one of which is so far west of 175th that we are concerned it would not significantly reduce the traffic off 175th. I want to support the option being discussed at the Transportation Futures Study that is a limited access Parkway within a new north south corridor serving commuters, trucks and transit vehicles traveling from south County to the jobs in north Hillsboro and Beaverton.