HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 2024-02-22 ITEM 7 - DRAFT TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT GOALS AND POLICIES / REMAINING PLAN ELEMENT UPDATES - STAFF MEMORANDUMTO:
FROM:
BY:
DATE:
City of Tukwila
Thomas McLeod, Mayor
Department of Community Development - Nora Gierloff, AICP, Director
Tukwila Planning Commission
Hari Ponnekanti, Public Works Director and Nora Gierloff, AICP, DCD Director
Cyndy Knighton, Nancy Eklund, AICP & Neil Tabor, AICP
February 22, 2024
SUBJECT: Draft Transportation Element Goals and Policies, and Remaining Plan Element
Updates
ISSUE
This agenda is intended to brief the Planning Commission on the proposed Draft Transportation
Element Goals and Policies for the comprehensive plan update, and provide further refinements to
select elements reviewed to date prior to the Public Hearing on the Comprehensive Plan (March 14th).
TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT
BACKGROUND
The Transportation Element (TE) of the City of Tukwila's Comprehensive Plan is used to ensure that
adequate transportation infrastructure is provided to accommodate future land use growth as
required by the Growth Management Act. Updates are required on a regular basis, and this update
must be adopted by the City Council by the end of 2024.
DISCUSSION
Building on the past TE goals and policies, current priorities, and outreach conducted with residents
and businesses, a new set of draft goals and policies has been developed. A summary of the changes
proposed to date is shown below and will be discussed during the meeting.
General Additions
• New goals added and vetted through community conversations.
• Policies added to address requirements from Puget Sound Regional Council, King County Metro, and
Department of Commerce.
• Policies added to address community feedback, including:
o Partnering with transit agencies to improve safety.
o Reducing speeding.
o Using a network approach to improve bicycle connectivity.
o Evaluating parking usage to provide capacity near key destinations.
o Minimizing conflicts between non -motorized modes and freight vehicles.
• Policies added to reflect the state of transportation best practices regarding emerging technology
and innovative approaches to deliveries and mobility.
Tukwila City Hall • 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, WA 98188 • 206-433-1800 • Website: TukwilaWA.gov
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Tukwila Planning Commission — February 22, 2024
Draft Transportation Element and Final Review of Elements
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Revisions
• Policies reorganized under 2024 goals.
• Policies removed due to repetition, overly specific references, or concepts better stated as actions.
• Minor grammatical changes.
Additional Topics for Future
• Safety policies through development of Local Road Safety Plan.
• Further equity analysis to identify the communities to focus efforts on.
• Freight mobility policy organization.
• Adoption of multimodal level of service (MMLOS) guidelines.
• Developing list of actions to support transportation policies, programs, and projects.
UPDATES IN COMMUNITY CHARACTER ELEMENT
Modifications
• Minor editing changes identified in minutes of 2/8/24 Planning Commission meeting were
completed as discussed.
• The Human Services Department asked that we not use the term "citizens." This term was
replaced with the term "residents" where it appeared in the goals and policies.
• A question was raised about the bullets used to describe the Human Services Program. Staff
coordinated with the Human Services Department, and they suggested the following change:
30. Support the City's human services program in providing a solid foundation for all
Tukwila residents, through high -quality services and actively collaborating with
service providers to help meet basic needs and job readiness, including:
• Safety net for urgent and basic needs,
• Positive and healthy relationships,Community wellness
• Support for self-sufficiency, and
• Information referral.
UPDATES IN LAND USE ELEMENT
The Draft Land Use Element has been updated with additional materials and revised based on Planning
Commission (PC) Feedback and further staff review and public input.
Modifications
• Added goal and policies around Boeing Access Road Station.
• Added language around educational, institutional and recreational uses in the proposed
Community Residential (CR) designation.
• Amended Table 1 to reflect omissions to comprehensive plan designations.
• Amended uses stated in goal for Tukwila South to broaden uses.
• Amended Tukwila South policy to reframe intent for cohesive development.
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Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov
Tukwila Planning Commission — February 22, 2024
Draft Transportation Element and Final Review of Elements
Page 3
• Added policy to consider safety in street, sidewalk and public infrastructure design to ensure
safety for pedestrians and cyclists within TIB District.
Areas for further discussion
Modification of Light Industrial Allowances in TIB District
In the previous Planning Commission meeting commissioners suggested adding language to policy
previously numbered 61, section b to clarify light industrial uses should not include use of outdoor
space in their operations. This policy was listed as policy 8.2.11 in the 2015 update of the
comprehensive plan.
Inclusion of this policy was by omission, as staff had originally intended to remove references to
allowing light industrial uses in the TIB District for several reasons:
• Light industrial uses are generally low density uses, which generally have a lower number of
jobs per square feet than other employment types.
• Areas in close proximity to major transit facilities should be prioritized for denser uses that
support transit oriented development, whereas other parts of Tukwila have large areas already
designated for light and heavy industrial uses.
• While nuisances from these uses can be mitigated, the use is usually not complimentary to
denser retail, residential and office uses.
• Staff estimates there are only two of such uses in existence in the TIB district area, and the cost
of land and property within this district make it unlikely future light industrial uses would
choose to site here.
Staff would like to revisit striking section (b) of the policy seen below.
61. On commercial properties along or near TIB, allow:
b. types of light industrial uses that require hands-on labor and operate in such a manner that
minimal nuisances are created, and the scale of such activities does not conflict with the TIB
District vision of a walkable, pedestrian -oriented neighborhood.
Alternatives for Policy Regarding Parking near Major Transit Facilities
In the February 8th meeting there was discussion over Policy numbered 68, under the heading TIB as a
Main Street: Street Design. This policy is almost exactly as written in the 2015 update of the plan where
it was policy 8.5.1.
Staff has prepared several alternative suggestions for revisions to the policy proposed for selection and
discussion:
Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov
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Tukwila Planning Commission — February 22, 2024
Draft Transportation Element and Final Review of Elements
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Previously Proposed:
Recognize that parking needs will generally be less for uses in close proximity to transit and along
neighborhood shopping streets because many shoppers will arrive on foot, by transit, or bicycle.
Alternative Policy Language:
• Parking requirements reflect the availability of public transportation options in areas close to
major transit facilities.
• Development standards encourage denser development close to major transit facilities through
prioritization of usable commercial and residential space over parking.
• Parking requirements encourage dense development supported by major transit facilities, while
accommodating the needs of residents, workers and visitors frequenting the area.
Economic Development Considerations for TIB
Commissioners discussed the need to integrate a new policy or additional language around economic
development specific to TIB in the element. Under the heading Public and Private Investment staff had
previously added a policy directed at marketing the area to employers (below).
90. Encourage broad -scale marketing of the TIB area, and Tukwila as a whole, in order to draw from
a broader array of potential employers.
Staff also reviewed the Economic Development for overlapping policies, of which none directly
targeted economic development on TIB. Staff suggests amending the goal language as shown below to
better frame the desired outcome.
Original Language Proposed
GOAL Public and private investment in the TIB District has sparked additional project and
business success and increased the overall pace of redevelopment.
GOAL
Amended Language Proposed
Public investment has catalyzed greater private investment in the TIB District which has
created additional development and business success and increased the overall pace of
redevelopment.
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Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov
Tukwila Planning Commission — February 22, 2024
Draft Transportation Element and Final Review of Elements
Page 5
Attachments:
• A - Draft Transportation Policies — Clean Version
• B - 2015 Transportation Element — Markup
• C - 2015 Transportation Element
• D - Draft Land Use Element - Clean
• E — Draft Land Use Element — Markup
Phone: 206-433-1800 • Email: Mayor@TukwilaWA.gov • Website: TukwilaWA.gov
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