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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1465RESOLUTION NO. /L/b5 A RESOLUTION of the City Council of the City of Kent, Washington, relating to transportation and the City's proposed South 196th/200th Street Orillia Road to 84th Avenue South Corridor Project ("Proposed Action"); and directing further action on the final design and construction of the Proposed Action. WHEREAS, the number of east-west arterials within of the Green River Valley and, in particular on the Kent Valley floor, is limited; and WHEREAS, in recent years, use of these east-west arterials has increased dramatically, leading to serious congestion that has impacted residences and businesses within the City and the greater Seattle region; and WHEREAS, the City must, as an urgent priority, increase east-west traffic capacity along the Valley floor in order to accommodate present and future transportation demands created by the implementation of the adopted land use plans of the City of Kent ("City"), Metropolitan King County ("County") and other nearby jurisdictions and in order to comply with local and regional concurrency requirements established under the State Growth Management Act; and WHEREAS, additional east-west roadway capacity is necessary to mitigate existing and projected congestion on local east-west roadways, specifically including South 180th and South 212th Street; and WHEREAS, the Kent Valley transportation system is currently severely crippled because no grade-separated crossings exist over the two mainline railroads that run north-south through the Kent Valley floor, the nearest such crossings being I-405 in Renton and 15th Street in Auburn; and WHEREAS, the need for the South 196th/200th Street Corridor has been identified as early as 1984 in City planning documents, and 1987 in regional studies such as the Green River Valley Transportation Action Plan (GRVTAP) ; and WHEREAS, since 1986, County transportation plans have listed the South 196th/200th Street Corridor as a high priority; and WHEREAS, since 1989, the South County Transportation Benefit District has listed the South 196th/200th Street Corridor as a top priority; and WHEREAS, the County's Soos Creek Plan identifies the South 196th/200th Street corridor as a high priority; and 2 WHEREAS, the City commenced its State Environmental Policy Act ( 11 SEPA'') environmental review of a major arterial running from Orillia Road to 84th Avenue South on the South 196th/200th Street corridor (11 Proposed Action 11 ) in 1993 and has subjected the Proposed Action to detailed scrutiny in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement which was issued in final form on February 29, 1996 (11 EIS 11 ); and WHEREAS, the City has complied with all applicable SEPA substantive and procedural requirements, and has sought and received substantial public participation on this matter, including receiving public testimony and written public comments at several stages of the environmental review process that led to this City Council decision on the Proposed Action; and WHEREAS, after consulting with other jurisdictions and reviewing the EIS, the Council has determined that the Proposed Action will have independent utility regardless of whether additional roadway extensions are provided at some future date to the east or west of the Proposed Action on the South 196th/200th Street Corridor; and WHEREAS, after extensive review in conjunction with the County, the City has studied the increased use of high occupancy vehicle (''HOV 11 ) lanes, other transit facilities, and Commute Trip Reduction (11 CTR 11 ) programs in an effort to eliminate the need for construction of new corridors, and all these previous studies have established that these improvements will not remove the need for the Proposed Action; and 3 WHEREAS, the Council has had an opportunity to review the draft EIS and Final EIS for the Proposed Action, in addition to the various appendices and other materials that were incorporated by reference into the EIS, including a review of the analysis of alternatives, potential environmental impacts, and possible mitigation measures for the Proposed Action; and WHEREAS, the Council recognizes and acknowledges the efforts of those concerned parties and public agencies who submitted extensive written and oral comments during the environmental review process, and further notes that the Final EIS includes additional studies and appropriate project revisions in response to their comments; and WHEREAS, the Council has considered the potential environmental impacts and mitigating measures discussed in the EIS, and has weighed this information with other relevant considerations, including the need for east-west transportation capacity for residents, businesses and travelers to meet the growing demand and reduce existing and projected congestion levels; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENT, WASHINGTON DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The foregoing recitals are incorporated in this resolution as if fully set forth herein. 4 Section 2. The City Council specifically makes the following findings: A. The City has complied with all applicable SEPA substantive and procedural requirements. B. The Proposed Action has logical termination points at Orillia Road on the west, which borders the City's "West Hill" and connects with I-5 and Sea-Tac Airport, and 84th Avenue South on the east, a major north-south arterial that leads to connections with SR-167; these are logical endpoints for the Proposed Action, whether or not future extensions to the Proposed Action are ever constructed. C. The City, in conjunction with the County and other local agencies, has studied the increased use of HOV lanes, other transit facilities and commute trip reduction programs to determine whether this new Corridor should be constructed, and all these studies establish that these improvements, even when fully constructed and implemented, will not remove the need for the Proposed Action. D. The City, the County and other affected jurisdictions have conducted extensive prior planning regarding local and regional transportation needs, and the plans and policies all support and confirm the need for the Proposed Action. The EIS and its accompanying documents identify in greater detail the prior planning and environmental review that was conducted before the City commenced its EIS process on the Proposed Action, and, in addition, identify any subsequent environmental review that may be associated with the specific permits issued by various agencies. 5 E. The Proposed Action will carry out existing and approved transportation plans. It will alleviate a longstanding constraint in the City's transportation system by creating additional east-west capacity for residents and businesses in the region. The Proposed Action will reduce congestion on existing arterials within the City and provide a safe, high- capacity east-west connection. F. The Proposed Action will also provide invaluable increased capacity, circulation and safety by providing a grade- separated arterial crossing of the two in-line railroads through the valley. Section 3. The City Council hereby reaffirms its commitment to those portions of the City Comprehensive Plan that call for the Proposed Action and ratifies and confirms all decisions taken earlier in regards to the Proposed Action. Section 4. In accordance with the City Comprehensive Plan, the City hereby grants approval for the development of a new South 196th/200th arterial, running from Orillia Road on the west to 84th Avenue South on the east, subject to future determinations following review of financing plans, final engineering plans, and all mitigation measures specified in cooperation with permitting agencies. Section 5. The Public Works Director is authorized to take the following actions relating to the Proposed Action: 6 A. Submit applications to construct the Proposed Action to appropriate agencies for review and issuance of any necessary permits and approvals; B. Prepare a detailed financing plan for construction of the Proposed Action, including federal, county, or other appropriate funding sources. C. Retain professional services and prepare the final engineering design for the Proposed Action within authorized budget limitations. D. Finalize acquisition of all additional property necessary for the Proposed Action. The Public Works Director additionally is authorized to retain professional services if necessary to conduct the acquisition program, and all actions taken to acquire property are hereby specifically ratified and confirmed. Section 6. The adoption of this Resolution constitutes a "final action" on the Proposed Action by the City of Kent for purposes of appeal. Notice of the adoption of this Resolution shall be provided 1n the manner specified by local ordinance and applicable law. Section 7. If any one or more sections, sub-sections, or sentences of this Resolution are held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion of this Resolution and the same shall remain in full force and effect. 7 Passed at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Kent, Washington this /1 day of m~ , 1996. Concurred in by the Mayor of the City of Kent, this ;;zof1'-day of~ , 1996. ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: 8 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of Resolution No. /lfftz5 , passed by the City Council of the City of Kent, Washington, the /1 day of )naAcA , 1996. BRENDA: JACOBER:, CITY CLERK I "J) E.PU yY 1962DD.res ])OilJ/t)ft ..SWAl.U 9