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City staff lay out phased plan to update transportation standards, prioritize safety and quicker pilot projects
Summary
Staff presented a three-phase approach to update Bend’s transportation standards, including near-term administrative updates, a fall public engagement phase with consultants, and longer-term policy work tied to the Transportation System Plan and growth planning.
City of Bend staff on June 23 summarized a planned multi-phase update to the city’s transportation standards and related development-code work, focusing on safety, clarified street cross sections, quicker pilot projects and steps to reduce the need for design waivers.
Staff told the Enabling Subcommittee that near-term administrative updates could be completed within a year and noted an intention to bring a bigger community engagement effort and consultant support in the fall. The work will address right-of-way and street section standards, cross-section options for different street types, speed management, quick-build and pilot projects, and sidewalk fee-in-lieu options for infill sites.
Russ Grace, the city’s chief operations officer, said staff objectives include adopting “clear standards based on feedback and operations on what systems we’re using and where we are going to deploy those throughout the city.” The presentation framed the effort as balancing safety and maintainability — for example, choosing street products that public works crews can maintain without a proliferation of incompatible materials in the right of way.
Staff outlined three phases: (1) near-term administrative updates to standards and specifications that staff can implement in-house within about a year; (2) a consultant-supported public engagement and technical review phase beginning in the fall to tackle larger policy topics such as cross sections, speed management and development-code changes; and (3) longer-term items to feed into the city’s Transportation System Plan and growth-plan updates over several years.
The timeline as presented would also include a fall funding conversation with council to determine whether to set aside dedicated funds for pilot demonstrations and quick-build projects and how the updates might shift capital priorities, including projects tied to the city’s upcoming capital and bond planning processes.
Staff emphasized operational coordination: the design standards will be developed with input from maintenance crews, fire and EMS, and other stakeholders to minimize the need for waivers and to ensure chosen elements are maintainable. The presentation listed stakeholders who will be involved in the phase-2 engagement, including public safety, school and park districts, neighborhood groups, and business and engineering communities.
Council members raised several implementation questions, including the role of public engagement during the near-term administrative updates, how speed management policy will be threaded through multiple project types, and whether pilot projects could be funded from existing CIP allocations. Staff said they would return to council in the fall with a clearer engagement plan and a proposed funding approach for demonstration projects and pilots.
Staff recommended splitting work that can be done administratively from issues that require broader policy decisions and indicated that some near-term cross-section updates could be adopted quickly so they are available as tools while larger policy and funding conversations continue.
