Resolution _________________

A RESOLUTION relating to the State Route 520 Interstate 5 to Medina Bridge Replacement and High Occupancy Vehicle Project; recognizing the completion of the Seattle Community Design Process and recommending actions by the City of Seattle and State of Washington based on results of this process.

WHEREAS, Ordinance 123733, passed in October 2011, authorized execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Washington State Department of Transportation (State) and the City of Seattle (City) regarding State and City roles, responsibilities and future actions in the State Route 520 Interstate 5 to Medina Bridge Replacement and High Occupancy Vehicle Project (Project); and

WHEREAS, Section 2.3.5 of the MOU stated that the State and City intended to coordinate with City neighborhoods, King County Metro, Sound Transit, the University of Washington, the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board and the Seattle Design Commission in a Seattle Community Design Process (Process) for community amenity and lid design features within the Project limits; and

WHEREAS, the State organized and led the Process as intended by the MOU, consistently with the Preferred Alternative and baseline design features and environmental footprint of the Project as approved by the Federal Highway Administration's Record of Decision; and

WHEREAS, in September 2012 the State issued a draft report on the results of the Process and solicited public comments on the report, in October 2012 issued a report on the public comments received, and in December 2012 issued the Final Report on the Process; and

WHEREAS, in October and November 2012 , the State briefed the City Council on the Process and these reports, and the Council itself received public comments on the Process and on the design recommendations resulting from it; and

WHEREAS, Section 1.1.5 of the MOU calls for the City to maintain a meaningful role throughout the Project design process, Section 2.1.15 says the State will consult with the Seattle Design Commission, Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board, and City neighborhood groups on design and construction of the Project as necessary or requested by the Parties, and Sections 2.3.3, 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 say the State and the City will continue to consult with community members on a variety of aspects of the Project design; NOW, THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. The City recognizes that the Seattle Community Design Process (Process) intended by Section 2.3.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Washington State Department of Transportation (State) and the City authorized by Ordinance 123733 is complete and fulfills the intent of that section of the MOU.

Section 2. The City endorses the general vision expressed in the December 2012 Final Report on the Process (Report) and concurs with the following specific recommendations from the Report, as they are described in the Report:

A. Roanoke Area

(1) A 30-foot wide landscaped bicycle and pedestrian shared use path should be constructed across Interstate 5.

(2) The intersection of 10th Avenue East and Delmar Drive East should have a "T" design.

(3) The lid at 10th Avenue East and Delmar Drive East should be blended into the hillside on the south side and should include bicycle and pedestrian paths, while ensuring safe public spaces and privacy for adjacent neighbors.

(4) There should be an accessible pedestrian connection between Delmar Drive East and Boyer Avenue East.

B. Portage Bay Bridge

(1) In order to reduce the time required to construct the Portage Bay Bridge, the west end of the bridge should be shifted to the north from the position described in the Preferred Alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Project provided that the State works with the Queen City Yacht Club to ensure that any effects to the Club during construction are appropriately addressed and that operation of the Club (including Dock 3) can continue after the bridge is constructed. The City requests that the State continue to consult with the Seattle Design Commission, Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board, Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board and neighborhood residents on the specific design and impacts of the shift.

C. Montlake Area

(1) In the Canal Reserve area, the westbound off-ramps under 24th Avenue East should be lowered and the shared-use path should be shifted to the south.

(2) East Lake Washington Boulevard should be designed so that neighbors are buffered from traffic, the appearance of the roadway is improved, and the size of the planted buffer between the roadway and homes on the south side is increased in order to integrate the roadway with the Arboretum.

(3) At the stormwater facility, a wetland facility should be constructed that is integrated with East Montlake Park and the shoreline.

Section 3. The City and State should continue to develop and evaluate options with respect to the following issues and recommendations in the Final Report:

A. Roanoke Area

(1) The Bagley Viewpoint should be expanded if possible, and should include significant green space and provide unobstructed views. The City and State should continue to review the adequacy of on-street parking along Delmar Drive East to meet demand for use of the viewpoint and the lid at Delmar Drive East and 10th Avenue East.

B. Portage Bay Bridge

(1) The City supports providing a bicycle and pedestrian path on the Portage Bay Bridge. The City also continues to support a bridge design that minimizes the width of the bridge and its overall visual and environmental impacts while preserving a reliable transit pathway across the bridge and to and from Interstate 5. Further, the utility of a bicycle and pedestrian path on the bridge requires good quality connections at the ends of the bridge to the network for bicycle and pedestrian travel. Thus the City requests that the State develop options for a path on the bridge with these goals in mind and cooperate with the City in developing options for related improvements to the network.

(2) The City requests that the State continue to refine and analyze the two options for bridge type, namely, box girder and cable stay. This should include reviewing and if necessary updating the engineering assumptions for each type, continuing to evaluate options to minimize the width and overall visual impact of each, developing options for including a bicycle and pedestrian path in each, and refining cost estimates for each accordingly. The City requests that the State discuss these options with and consider the views of the Seattle Design Commission in this analysis.

C. Montlake Area

(1) The City and State should reexamine and consider a wider range of options for the Montlake Lid. This analysis should consider how the lid can best support connections for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users, including uninterrupted connections across the lid and westbound SR 520 off-ramps. It should consider how the lid can best reduce the impacts of roadway sound and make good visual connections among the neighborhoods. It should consider how alternative lid designs can best support active and passive uses of the lid itself, and should define the requirements for managing the space on the lid to support and ensure positive uses. It should estimate the costs of these options. The City and State should solicit the advice of the Seattle Design Commission on these options.

(2) The City and State should refine the designs of and connections currently provided by the Bill Dawson Trail and East Portage Bay Underbridge Area to make these connections direct, safe and comfortable.

D. Bicycle, pedestrian and multimodal connections generally

(1) The City and State should continue to pursue improvements in bicycle and pedestrian connections for people of all ages and abilities in the entire area covered by the Process and Report, including Montlake Boulevard. This includes improving the functionality, safety and attractiveness of bicycle and pedestrian facilities by creating clear and seamless routes and making good connections to transit and existing and planned trails and neighborhoods surrounding the area.

(2) The City and State should collaborate with King County Metro, Sound Transit and the University of Washington to refine multimodal connections to and within the State Route 520 corridor. These refinements should be consistent with existing and prospective plans for transit and for bicycle and pedestrian routes, and should consider access, mobility and safety, with the overall goals of eliminating gaps in the system and maintaining and enhancing existing networks in the city.

Section 4. The City requests that the State construct the West Approach Bridge following the design recommendations in the Report and those of the Seattle Design Commission. This includes a simple, clean structural design with a regional bicycle and pedestrian path. Consistent with the Report, the bridge should be constructed on the assumption that access to East Montlake Park from 24th Avenue East will be limited to bicycles and pedestrians.

The City also requests that the State develop an interim design for the connection between the West Approach Bridge and the Montlake Area, including all transportation connections and connections among open spaces in the Area. The interim design would have several purposes. One is to ensure that these connections work as well as possible in the interim period between the construction of the bridge and the funding, design and construction of the other transportation improvements and related amenities in the Area. Another is to ensure that the choices necessarily made in the construction of the bridge do not unduly constrain the options for the other transportation improvements and amenities in the area, including but not limited to the Montlake Lid. A third is to ensure that the impacts of the bridge and the Project as a whole on the neighborhood and the community are adequately mitigated in the interim period.

Section 5. The City intends to implement two general recommendations of the Seattle Design Commission for the subsequent design processes in the Project area. These are that the City assign a "Champion" as a single coordinating voice for the Project across all City departments and that the Commission itself have ongoing involvement in these designs.

Section 6. The City requests that prior to finalizing the design for the Portage Bay Bridge the State consider changed conditions that may affect performance for all modes of transportation and review this information with the City.

Section 7. The City urges the State Legislature to provide sufficient funding to the State Department of Transportation for its share of the work described in Sections 1-4 of this Resolution. This includes funding the development of additional information that is necessary and sufficient for these design decisions, and funding the development of any required design refinements when construction funding is available.

Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2013, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this________ day

of ______________________, 2013.

_________________________________

President ___________of the City Council

THE MAYOR CONCURRING:

_________________________________

Michael McGinn, Mayor

Filed by me this ____ day of ________________________, 2013.

____________________________________

Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk

(Seal)

Michael Fong, Peter Harris LEG SR 520 Seattle Community Design Process RES February 6, 2013 Version #4