MEMORANDUM

Date: October 31, 2016

To: John Shaw, City of DPD From: Marni C. Heffron, P.E., P.T.O.E. Project: 1201 2nd Avenue (MUP #3019177) Transportation Analysis Subject: Response to Stoel Rives Comment Letter

This memorandum responds to the transportation-related comments in the Stoel Rives comment letter (dated October 27, 2016) on the referenced project and MUP application. The comments are summarized below followed by the response.

Response to Comments

Comment 1 Summary: Vacation of the alley will exacerbate conditions on Seneca Street.

Response: The current conditions on Seneca Street are temporary until the new State Route 99 is complete and the Viaduct is demolished. The existing Viaduct has a northbound exit ramp at Seneca Street west of which carries hundreds of vehicles per hour and many of the bus routes from south and southwest Seattle into the downtown core. Once the new SR 99 Tunnel is open to traffic (expected in early 2019), the will be closed to traffic and prepared for demolition. At that time, most buses would be rerouted to an improved Columbia Street, and vehicular traffic would be rerouted to many streets including the new SR 99 interchange and ramps near S King Street. In the future, no buses are expected to use Seneca Street, and the bus between 2nd and 3rd Avenues will likely be removed. Details about existing conditions, planned changes related to the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project and 1st Avenue Streetcar, and expected changes in traffic patterns were documented in the Transportation Technical Report for the 2+U Project (1201 Second Avenue).1 Traffic volumes on Seneca Street are expected to substantially decrease compared to existing conditions and the analyses found that all intersections along the portion of the Seneca Street corridor referenced in the comment letter (between 1st Avenue and 5th Avenue) would operate at LOS C or better during both the AM and PM peak hours with the proposed project.

As outlined in the Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) section 11.14.025, the definition of an Alley provided as: ‘Alley’ means a highway not designed for general travel and primarily used as a means of access to the rear of residences and business establishments. (RCW 46.04.020). Further, the Loading and Load Regulations outlined in SMC section 11.74 note that commercial vehicle loading may occur in alleys for up to 30 minutes, which does not support use of the alley as a cut-through alternative to the arterial street grid.

1 Heffron Transportation, Inc., August 23, 2016.

6544 NE 61st Street, Seattle, WA 98115 Phone: (206) 523-3939 Fax: (206) 523-4949 1201 2nd Avenue (MUP #3019177) Response to Stoel Rives Comment Letter

Comment 2 Summary: The 2+U parking garage and loading dock entry/exit planned for Seneca Street will only add to congestion.

Response: As noted above and detailed in the Transportation Technical Report, the existing conditions on Seneca Street are expected to greatly improve in the future once the Alaskan Way Viaduct and its ramp to Seneca Street are permanently closed to traffic. Traffic volumes on Seneca Street are expected to substantially decrease compared to existing conditions, and it would no longer be the primary bus access point for south and southwest Seattle bus routes. Detailed analysis was presented in the Transportation Technical Report to compare various driveway access locations with and without the alley vacation (See Section 3.5, page 42). It was determined that locating the site’s driveway on Seneca Street would result in the best conditions for pedestrian safety and comfort, transit operations, of vehicles, and vehicular safety.

Comment 3 Summary: The bicycle lane on 2nd Avenue was not considered.

Response: The bicycle lane on 2nd Avenue is an existing condition as noted in Section 2.7 of the Transportation Technical Report. Its effect on the lane configuration and signal timing along the 2nd Avenue corridor was accounted for in all of the traffic operations analyses.

MCH/mch

Comment Letter Response Response - MUP 3019177 (1201 2nd Avenue) - 10312016.docx

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