Drafter
Clerk 02/06/2013
title
A MOTION transmitting King County's dual use plan for the Eastside Rail Corridor.
body
WHEREAS, the Eastside Rail Corridor ("the ERC") has been designated a corridor of regional significance and an essential public facility, and
WHEREAS, the city of Redmond, Puget Sound Energy, Sound Transit, the city of Kirkland and King County have acquired from the Port of Seattle significant property ownership interests in the southern portion and of the ERC, including on the main line and spur, and
WHEREAS, the ERC is a dual use corridor that will support rail, trail and utility uses in the near- and long-term that are important to the vibrant and growing eastside and the region, and
WHEREAS, in King County council Ordinance 17500 passed on December 10, 2012, the council requested that the executive transmit by January 30, 2013, a dual use plan for the ERC that includes the following:
1. A proposal to erect signs at at least fifteen major crossing points within King County's ownership areas of the ERC during 2013, along with a proposed design for the signs that will alert the public to the county's ownership and to the dual usage planned for the ERC;
2. A proposal for the planning process by which a comprehensive signage and wayfinding plan will be developed during the regional planning process for the ERC;
3. A proposal for the process by which rail and trail interconnectivity will be achieved;
4. A proposal to coordinate with Sound Transit so that the trail location will not make potential future high capacity transit development cost-prohibitive, including considerations of whether the trail should be kept off the crown;
5. A description of potential amendments to planning documents, code provisions, regulations or other relevant documents that could be adopted in order to protect the status of the ERC as a dual use transportation corridor, and to require that planning for the ERC is coordinated so that motorized public transportation and public regional trail facilities can be developed and used in an efficient manner that minimizes the overall cost to the public, with consideration given, without limitation, to amendments of the Countywide Planning Policies, the King County Comprehensive Plan, the King County Open Space Plan: Parks, Trail, and Natural Areas and the King County Code;
6. A proposal for how the process will address connections between the ERC and the regional trail system, including but not limited to the Lake to Sound Trail;
7. A proposal for how the process will address transportation connections in coordination with Sound Transit; and
8. A proposal for how the planned trail area will be perfected under the reciprocal coordination and cooperation covenant agreement as called for by Ordinance 17501, and
WHEREAS, the executive has transmitted an ERC dual use plan that addresses each of these elements;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The Eastside Rail Corridor Dual Use Plan, which is Attachment A to this motion, meets the requirements in Ordinance 17500.