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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-09-1998sp CITY OF AUBURN SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL February 9, 1998, 4:30 PM Minutes I. Introduction Mayor Booth called the special meeting of the City Council to order at 4:30 p.m. in the Council Work Area located in City Hall. Mayor Booth and the following members of the City Council were present: Pete Lewis, Sue Singer, Jeanne Barber, Trish Borden, Gene Cerino, Fred Poe, and Rich Wagner. Staff members present included: Public Works Director Frank Currie, City Engineer Dennis Dowdy, Senior Engineer Dennis Selle, Traffic Engineer Steve Mullen, Project Engineer Russ Bauder, Special Projects Engineer Jack Locke, Water Utility Engineer Carl Every, Utilities Engineer Dwight Holobaugh, Planning and Community Development Director Paul Krauss, Associate Planner Bea Sanders, Finance Director Diane L. Supler, City Attorney Michael J. Reynolds, Assistant City Attorney Judith Ausman, Police Chief Dave Purdy, Fire Chief Bob Johnson, Parks and Recreation Director Dick Deal, and City Clerk Danielle Daskam. I1. Bonney Lake Settlement Agreement A. City Council to approve the Settlement Agreement with the City of Bonney Lake. For clarification of these minutes, discussion of the Bonney lake Settlement Agreement occurred after discussion of the separated grade projects and after the executive session. City Attorney Reynolds announced the settlement agreement between the City of Bonney Lake and the City of Auburn would resolve litigation with respect to water service areas, which include the Lakeland Company property. Mr. Reynolds reported the City Council has reviewed the settlement agreement and a copy of the agreement was provided to the Lakeland Company for their review. City of Auburn Special City Council Meetin9 Minutes For February 9, 1998 Page 2 Steve Sheehy, 5004 43rd Avenue South, Seattle, WA, 98118 Mr. Sheehy identified himself as the attorney for The Lakeland Company. Mr. Sheehy acknowledged the receipt of the proposed settlement agreement between the cities of Auburn and Bonney Lake with the exception of the exhibits to the agreement. Mr. Sheehy identified The Lakeland Company's concerns with the proposed settlement agreement as it relates to the Lakeland property. The proposed settlement agreement is limited to the Bonney Lake water service area. Approximately 400 acres of the Lakeland Company property lies within the Bonney Lake water service area. The remaining 285 acres of Lakeland is not within the Bonney Lake service area and therefore is not addressed in the settlement agreement. He expressed concern with constructing a water system for the entire Lakeland area which extends through two service areas. Mr. Sheehy pointed out that Lakeland Company's annexation agreement with the City of Auburn provides that the Lakeland Company shall convey wells and property for a storage tank to the City of Auburn in exchange for water service from the City of Auburn. The City's proposed settlement agreement with Bonney Lake provides that Bonney Lake will be the water service provider for Lakeland. According to the proposed settlement agreement, the City of Auburn wilB have the option to provide water service seven years after annexation of the area. Mr. Sheehy questioned whether both cities would build separate water storage tanks to serve the same area. He suggested the cities join together to construct one storage tank to serve a broad region. Mr. Sheehy pointed out that the City's proposed settlement agreement with Bonney Lake is in conflict with the City's annexation and utilities agreement with Lakeland to provide water service to the Lakeland development. Mr. Sheehy requested the City Council delay action on the proposed settlement agreement for one to two weeks in order for The Lakeland Company to fully review the impact of the settlement agreement. Ci~ of Auburn Special Ci~ Council Meeting Minutes For Februa~9,1998 Page 3 Chuck Henderson, The Lakeland Company, PO Box 3866, Bellevue, WA, 98009 Mr. Henderson requested the City Council delay action on the settlement agreement with Bonney Lake to allow all three parties to come to a mutually acceptable resolution of all issues. Mr. Henderson pointed out the City of Auburn would lose $4 million in system connection charges by entering into the settlement agreement with Bonney Lake. Lakeland would be required to pay Bonney Lake $10 million more in water connection charges than if service came from the City of Auburn. He also suggested that the agreement creates $6 to $10 million in redundant expenses. Mary Urbach, 1201 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA Ms. Urbach spoke on behalf of the Terrace View development. Ms. Urbach expressed concern with City's proposed settlement agreement with Bonney Lake and the potential effect of the agreement on water service to the proposed Terrace View development. She requested that the City include representatives from Terrace View in their discussions regarding a settlement with the City of Bonney Lake. Council took no action on the proposed Settlement Agreement between the City of Auburn and the City of Bonney Lake. III. South 277th Grade Separation Project Senior Engineer Dennis Selle presented a status report on the South 277th Street separated grade project. The project focuses on the 277th corridor from Auburn Way North to West Valley Highway, and calls for widening 277th to four lanes for through traffic with turn lanes at intersections. The City of Kent plans to include a connection from Kent- Kangley Road. The project is a cooperative effort among the state of Washington, King County, and the cities of Kent and Auburn to benefit the region. Staff reviewed three alternatives for the project: an at-grade widening of the existing road, a grade separated alternative passing under the Union Pacific (UP) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad tracks, and a grade-separated alternative passing over the tracks. After a short alternative analysis, it was determined that the grade separated City of Auburn Special City Council Meeting Minutes For February 9, 1998 Page 4 alternative passing over the tracks was the most cost effective alternative. Concerns with groundwater in the area made the undercrossing alternative less cost effective. The project will require new bridges over the BNSF and UP railroad tracks. The intersection of 277th and West Valley Highway will be raised slightly to flood proof the intersection. The connecticon of "B" Street to the elevated structure will require the elevation of "B" Street and consequently impact properties near the intersection. The project also calls for the relocation of the 78th Avenue South intersection with South 277th by realigning 78th Avenue with "D" Street NW at their intersection with 277th. City staff are working with state of Washington staff on an analysis of the SR 167 interchange at 277th and the improvements needed to the structure and ramps. A bike corridor is also planned for the south side of the 277th corridor. The City of Kent is constructing a pedestrian bridge across the Green River which can be utilized by bicyclists. The bike corridor will ultimately connect the Green River Trail with the Interurban Trail via the 277th corridor. The project will be designed and constructed in two phases. Phase 1 includes improvements from Auburn Way North to Frontage Road. Phase 2 includes improvements from Frontage Road to West Valley Highway. The City recently received $2 million from King County and the Ports to continue the design work through the area. The cost for the entire project is estimated at $43 million. Phase 1 costs are estimated at $33 million. The predesign phase of the project is nearly complete and nearly all environmental documentation has been assembled. Within the next month, predesign will be complete for the entire corridor and the project will be submitted for environmental review. If funding becomes available, some preliminary preparation work could be accomplished this fall with major construction taking place in 1999. In response to questions from Councilmember Poe, Mr. Selle advised that City of Auburn staff have been urging City of Kent officials to construct a connection from 108th. The City of Kent has purchased the property required to construct a half-diamond interchange which will allow access to 277th at 108th. Mayor Booth opened the meeting for questions from the audience. City of Auburn Special City Council Meeting Minutes For February 9,1998 Page 5 Michael Bocatch, 111 "H" Street SE, Auburn, WA Mr. Bocatch asked whether the corridor would have Metro bus access. Mr. Selle advised that the corridor is not designated as a bus stop area. IV. 3rd Street SW Grade Separation Project Mr. Selle reviewed the four alternatives for the 3~d Street SW grade separation project at the "C" Street SW/SR18 interchange. Grade separation is proposed at 3rd Street SW over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks. Alternative 1 Alternative 1 is the depressed roadway alignment. It provides for the removal of the off-set intersection and allows 3rd Street SW to pass under the BNSF railroad tracks. Of most concern is the cost to construct and maintain the roadway because the grade lines o'~: 3rd Street SW falls below the groundwater table. The project would also require the temporary relocation of the railroad tracks during construction. Truck traffic would also have a difficult time with this type of intersection due to the depressed elevation and transition to Highway 18. The estimated cost of the Alternative 1 is $27.5 million. Alternative 2 Alternative 2 provides for an elevated roadway alignment. It raises the intersection of "C" Street SW and 3rd Street SW to cross over the BNSF railroad tracks. "A" Street SW would pass under 3~d Street SW and loop around to the south of 3~d Street SW to connect with Division Street. "A" Street SW remains on its existing grade line. A concern with the proposal is access to the proposed transit station. The estimated cost of the project is $19.2 million. Alternative 3 Alternative 3 is referred to as a single-point-urban-interchange (SPUI). The proposal calls for "C" Street SW to remain at its vertical grade line, while 3rd Street SW is grade separated from the BNSF tracks and "C" Street SW. Ramps parallel to "C" Street SW connect between "C" Street SW and 3~d Street SW. The ramps would terminate to form a single point intersection grade separated from "C" Street SW. The intersection would have a level of service of "C". Problems with this design include access to and from the transit station and its impact upon more properties City of Auburn Special City Council Meeting Minutes For February 9,1998 Page 6 because of the size of the structure. The estimated cost of the project is $24.5 million. Alternative 4 Alternative 4 is referred to as the loop ramp alternative and is the alternative recommended by staff. It utilizes a loop ramp in the southwest quadrant of the crossing of 3'd Street SW and "C" Street SW to provide a connection between the two roadways. "C" Street SW remains at grade. The alternative has good access to the transit station and traffic on the elevated roadway is free flowing. The intersection is rated at a level of service "C". The loop ramp alternative also has less impact to adjacent properties since "C" Street SW remains at grade. Mr. Selle displayed a three dimensional design of the intersection to illustrate the traffic flow. Mr. Selle also advised that the Auburn Downtown Plan Task Force reviewed the alternatives. The Task Force supports the staff recommendation for Alternative 4. Michael Bocatch Mr. Bocatch expressed concern that the design would create a traffic bottleneck eastbound on 3ru Street. In response to a question from Councilmember Wagner, Mr. Selle advised that Metro is aware of the City's design alternatives. Metro has not indicated any concerns thus far. The estimated cost of Alternative 4 is $23.5 million. The City has spent approximately $3 million in property acquisition and design work to date. Alan Keimiq, Auburn Downtown Plan Task Force Mr. Keimig advised that Alternative 4 is the Task Force's recommendation as the preferred alternative for the 3rd Street SW grade separation project. He requested that the Task Force continue to be involved in the review of the design. Councilmember Poe inquired regarding the use of open structures. Mr. Selle advised that open structures are substantially more expensive. The cost estimates for the projects do not include open structures, and it may be difficult to justify open structures when there are other more cost effective alternatives. City of Auburn Special City Council Meeting Minutes For February 9,1998 Page 7 Mr. Selle indicated that if the City continues to receive funding for the project, design work will continue this summer. It may be possible to accomplish some minor construction work late this fall. Major construction could take place in 1999 and last over two construction seasons. Councilmember Wagner expressed concern with the driver's expectancy in Alternative 4 in that it may create a driver expectancy to go south toward the Supermall and Boeing rather than to downtown. Mr. Selle advised that additional signing will be installed to assist drivers. V. Funding Status for Grade Separation Projects Special Project Engineer Locke distributed a handout of project cost and funding summaries. The City has received $900,000 in federal ISTEA funding and $545,000 in Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) funding for the South 277th project. The Port of Seattle and King County have allocated $1 million each to the project. The funding received to date will be used to complete the design, environmental review, and right-of-way acquisition. Approximately $21 million is expected from the FAST Partnership for construction of the South 277th project. The FAST Partnership is a coalition of three counties, three ports, the three major cities of Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett as well as nine other cities formed to acquire state and federal funds for the FAST Corridor projects. Approximately $8 million is expected in additional TIB funding for construction of South 277th. Approximately $3 million has been expended thus far for the predesign and design of the 3rd Street SW project. Up to $5.3 million in ISTEA, TIB, Washington State Department of Transportation, Port of Seattle, King County, and City funds have been allocated for the project to date. Approximately $13 million is expected from the FAST Partnership and $4.7 million from the TIB for construction of the 3rd Street SW project. Mr. Locke reported that the Auburn projects for South 277th and 3rd Street SW have received a high priority for FAST Partnership funding. Additionally, with predesign and design work nearly complete for both projects, the City has positioned the projects well in anticipation of state funding. However, transportation and freight mobility funding legislation is uncertain at this time. City of Auburn Special City Council Meeting Minutes For February 9,1998 Page 8 Michael Bocatch Mr. Bocatch noted that the state legislature is considering House Bill 3038 which would prohibit the Port of Seattle from imposing tax levies. He questioned whether the passage of the proposed legislation would affect the Port's contribution to the grade separation projects. Mr. Locke advised that the legislation could affect the Port's ability to fund the FAST Corridor projects. Mayor Booth recessed the meeting to executive session at 5:50 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes in order to discuss litigation. Councilmember Barber left the meeting at 6:20 p.m. Mayor Booth reconvened the meeting at 6:25 p.m. Mayor Booth opened discussion on the Bonney Lake Settlement Agreement immediately following the executive session. (P/ease refer to Item II.A above for Council discussion of the Bonney Lake Settlement Agreement.) VI. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Council this evening, the meeting adjourned at 6:46 p.m. Approved on the c2 ~/~ day of ~ ,1998. Charles A. Booth, Mayor nielle Daskam, City Clerk 98M02-09