Lake Oswego to Portland TRANSIT PROJECT Public scoping report August 2008 Metro People places. Open spaces. Clean air and clean water do not stop at city limits or county lines. Neither does the need for jobs, a thriving economy and good transportation choices for people and businesses in our region. Voters have asked Metro to help with the challenges that cross those lines and affect the 25 cities and three coun- ties in the Portland metropolitan area. A regional approach simply makes sense when it comes to protecting open space, caring for parks, planning for the best use of land, managing garbage disposal and increasing recycling. Metro oversees world-class facilities such as the Oregon Zoo, which contributes to conservation and educa- tion, and the Oregon Convention Center, which benefits the region’s economy Metro representatives Metro Council President – David Bragdon Metro Councilors – Rod Park, District 1; Carlotta Collette, District 2; Carl Hosticka, District 3; Kathryn Harrington, District 4; Rex Burkholder, District 5; Robert Liberty, District 6. Auditor – Suzanne Flynn www.oregonmetro.gov Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project Public scoping report Table of contents SECTION 1: SCOPING REPORT INTRODUCTION …………………………………......... 1 Introduction Summary of outreach activities Summary of agency scoping comments Public comment period findings Conclusion SECTION 2: PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING ………………………………………………… 7 Summary Handouts SECTION 3: AGENCY SCOPING COMMENTS ………………………………………..... 31 Environmental Protection Agency SECTION 4: PUBLIC SCOPING COMMENTS ……………………………………..…….. 45 Comment cards Letters E-mails SECTION 5: OUTREACH MATERIALS …………………………………………………. 215 Media advisory Newspaper advertisement Postcard Federal Register Notice of Intent SECTION 6: INDEX OF COMMENTS …………………………………………………… 223 Alphabetical listing of commenters SCOPING REPORT Introduction Summary of outreach activities Summary of agency scoping comments Public comment period findings Conclusion INTRODUCTION Ninety-six public comments were received during the scoping period between April 21, 2008, and July 18, 2008, for the Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project. The scoping process was designed to gather public input on three aspects of the project: the proposed Purpose and Need statement for the project, the proposed alternatives to be studied in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and any specific environmental or community impacts that need to be addressed in the DEIS. For a full report on public involvement and comments on the project, refer to the Alternatives Analysis Public Comment Report dated September 2007 and its addendum dated December 2007. For copies of these reports, visit the project web site at www.oregonmetro.gov/lakeoswego or call 503-797-1756. Preliminary statement of purpose of and need for the project The project is needed because mobility and traffic conditions in this corridor are projected to worsen as population and employment projections for Portland and Clackamas County continue to grow, especially on the west side of the Willamette River. The corridor already experiences long traffic queues, poor levels of service and significant capacity constraints at key locations. Travel times in the corridor for traffic and bus transit are unreliable due to congestion on Highway 43. The purpose of the Portland to Lake Oswego Transit Project is to develop transit that meets future travel demand, supports local and regional land use plans, and garners public acceptance and community support; and which will: • increase the mobility and accessibility within the geographically constrained Highway 43 Corridor connecting from the Portland Central City through the Lake Oswego Town Center • minimize traffic and parking related impacts to neighborhoods • support and enhance existing neighborhood character in an environmentally sensitive manner • cost effectively increase corridor and system-wide transit ridership • support transit-oriented economic development in Portland and Lake Oswego • improve transportation access to and connectivity among significant destinations and activity centers • increase transportation choices in the corridor, and access for persons with disabilities • integrate effectively with other transportation modes • anticipate future needs and impacts and not preclude future expansion opportunities. Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project public scoping report, August 2008 1 SUMMARY OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES A media advisory was distributed on April 17, 2008, to announce the public comment period and the public meeting on April 21, 2008. Newspaper advertisements were placed in the Southwest zone of the Oregonian on April 10, 2008, and in the Lake Oswego Review, the West Linn Tidings, the Oregon City News and the Clackamas Review on April 9 and 10, 2008, and postcard invitations were mailed to business and property owners along the proposed alignments as well as interested persons, advocacy groups, neighborhood groups and elected officials on April 9, 2008, to announce the public meeting, invite participation and encourage use of the project web page. A Notice of Intent was submitted to the Federal Register and published in the April 16, 2008, edition. SUMMARY OF AGENCY SCOPING COMMENTS Environmental Protection Agency The U.S. EPA reviewed the Federal Register Notice of Intent to prepare the project Environmental Impact Statement and submitted scoping comments on July 18, 2008 in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Section 309 of the Clean Air Act. The comments offer the EPA’s recommendations for potential areas of impact that should be assessed and addressed during the EIS process and document. These areas of impact are: • indirect and cumulative effects • aquatic resources • river, stream, riparian and floodplain encroachment • 303(d) listed waters and total maximum daily loads • source water protection areas • climate change • ecological connectivity • endangered, threatened, candidate, sensitive species • air toxics • community impact assessment • environmental justice • tribal consultation • cultural resources • invasive species. The text of the comments can be found in the agency scoping comments section of this document (page 31). 2 Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project public scoping report, August 2008 PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FINDINGS Public comments were received between April 21, 2008 and July 18, 2008. Public scoping meeting The April 21, 2008, public scoping meeting was held at the Lakewood Center for the Arts in Lake Oswego and included handouts, a presentation and a question and answer session. Comment cards were distributed for inclusion in the record. Public testimony and responses to the information presented are included in the comment summaries below. The full meeting summary can be found in the public scoping meeting section of this document (page 7). Comment cards Twenty-nine comment cards were received during the public scoping period. Four cards stated support for the use of the Willamette Shoreline right of way for the streetcar alignment. Four cards stated opposition to or concerns about the use of the Willamette Shoreline right of way. The Safeway terminus and Albertsons terminus were each given support by one comment card. Four comment cards stated support for a bicycle path or trail to be part of the project. Ten comment cards directly stated support for streetcar to Lake Oswego. Of those that offered an alignment or terminus preference one stated support for an alignment through John’s Landing with the Safeway terminus, four stated support for the use of the Willamette Shoreline right of way, one of which came with a letter of testimony representing five Foothills area residents. Four cards implied support for streetcar to Lake Oswego. One card stated support for streetcar or bus rapid transit to Lake Oswego, supporting the Albertsons terminus and a circulator in Lake Oswego to retain the bus stops at Safeway. One said that streetcar has to be separate from Highway 43 traffic to be a successful alternative. One said that the streetcar should be extended to West Linn for a park and ride outside of Lake Oswego and that another river crossing would support Clackamas County to Washington County commuters. One card simply stated support for mass transit to Lake Oswego from Portland. Four comment cards stated opposition to the streetcar and/or preference for an enhanced bus service on Highway 43 rather than streetcar service. One of these cited safety concerns and one suggested a dedicated biodiesel bus lane on Highway 43 during peak hours, and another suggested that if streetcar goes to Lake Oswego, it should continue to West Linn for a park and ride outside of Lake Oswego. One of the four cards opposing the use of the Willamette Shoreline right of way was submitted with a letter of testimony. Those opposed to the use of the right of way cited safety, property impacts, lack of potential riders and cost as issues with this alignment, asking how the safety of pedestrians and children through residential areas would be ensured, whether the park and ride would have capacity spill over, and how the Milwaukie light rail line would impact cost per rider and demand projections. Two others expressed concerns about the impact of streetcar through the corridor, one worried that the streetcar speed needed to meet travel time estimates would be a safety hazard, and one questioned how a downtown park and ride would affect traffic in Lake Oswego and whether the Lake Oswego growth will be