Drafter

Clerk 09/29/2016

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A MOTION approving the executive's Eastside Rail Corridor Regional Trail Master Plan.

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                     WHEREAS, the Woodinville Subdivision, formerly referred to as the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe rail line corridor, is an approximately forty-two-mile long railroad corridor that extends south from the city of Snohomish in Snohomish county to the cities of Renton and Redmond in King County, passing through unincorporated King County and the cities of Woodinville, Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton and Redmond, and

                     WHEREAS, in accordance with the federal National Trails System Act and its implementing regulations, 16 U.S.C. 1247(d) and 49 C.F.R. l152.29 ("the Trails Act"), in December 2009 King County entered into an interim trail use agreement with Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway Company to railbank a portion of the Woodinville Subdivision on the mainline from Woodinville to Renton as well as the Redmond Spur from Woodinville to Redmond, subject to potential future reactivation of interstate freight service, and

                     WHEREAS, the railbanked portions of the Woodinville Subdivision are now known as the Eastside Rail Corridor ("the ERC"), and King County remains the designated interim trail user for the ERC outside the city of Redmond, and

                     WHEREAS, on February 8, 2013, after the city of Redmond, Puget Sound Energy, the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority ("Sound Transit"), and the city of Kirkland acquired property interests in the ERC, King County and the Port of Seattle executed a purchase and sale agreement through which King County acquired from the Port of Seattle all of the Port's remaining property interests in the ERC in support of outcomes including:  providing a well-integrated trail system that supports the regional transportation network; consolidating the property rights that undergird the regional wastewater system that protects water quality and aids economic development; supporting other uses, including transit and utilities; and preserving the ERC for potential future reactivation of interstate freight service, and

                     WHEREAS, the ERC is a regional asset that through ongoing public ownership can be managed to support shared objectives of a vibrant, growing community, and

                     WHEREAS, in October 2013 the ERC Regional Advisory Council established a vision for the ERC as a corridor whose development will: enhance the mobility of our region by creating a critical north-south transportation corridor that will allow for multimodal connections, including high-capacity transit, such as heavy commuter rail, light rail or other forms of fixed guideway transportation, and nonmotorized trail use; help the region integrate the pieces of our larger transportation networks; enable key utility improvements to help meet the demands of a growing population; and expand the recreation network, creating equitable access for all residents and benefiting generations of Puget Sound residents, and

                     WHEREAS, the parks and recreation division conducted a trail master planning process that commenced in March 2014 that evaluated conditions in the corridor for development of a regional trail in the context of the multiple use vision for the corridor which includes trail, transit and utilities, and

                     WHEREAS, a Draft Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement compared on-railbed and off-railbed alignments for the trail, analyzed environmental impacts, partner plans and costs in relation to these alternatives, and

                     WHEREAS, a preferred alternative was identified based on community input through a public process, agency and public comments, the current status of plans for Sound Transit and Puget Sound Energy projects in the corridor, estimated costs, and potential environmental and community impacts, and

                     WHEREAS, the trail master planning process culminated in the publication of a Final Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement published on July 18, 2016, that identifies the preferred alternative, consisting of a combination of on-railbed and off-railbed alignments for the trail, depending on corridor conditions and partner plans, seeking to minimize costs and impacts while providing opportunities for optimized co-location of the trail with transit and utilities;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:

                     The King County council approves the Eastside Rail Corridor Regional Trail Final Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, Attachment A to this motion.