Committee backs Transportation Master Plan update, presses for land-use/transportation coordination

Planning staff told the committee that the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update has been added to the committee's top priorities and that staff expects the TMP process to conclude in 2027. The committee directed that several transportation items be nested under the TMP, including a study of safe crossings at major arterials and a review of standards that connect proposed developments to sidewalks, bike lanes and transit stops.

Planning staff described the implementation worksheet that departments completed; the worksheet lists a lead department for each recommendation, a status (initiated, in progress, ongoing, complete), a narrative update and the performance metric used to track progress. Staff said the TMP and permitting data will be among the tools used to develop clearer performance metrics.

Committee members pressed staff on implementation tools. Members discussed the possibility of impact fees or negotiated development agreements to help pay for off-site connections and debated a "development overlay" (described by staff as a PDD-lite) that would permit limited refinements to development standards without wholesale waivers of code. One committee member suggested a GIS-based baseline showing current numbers of housing units within set walk or transit times of services; staff said such mapping is feasible and would be incorporated into TMP work.

Planning staff noted that the committee may present the TMP and the committee's recommendation document to Planning and Zoning Commission before City Council, and that council incorporation would be the mechanism to align city strategy with the TMP outcome.