Compass chief outlines regional growth, transit study and funding shortfalls for Nampa area
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Summary
Compass executive director Craig Rayborn told the Nampa City Council workshop that the metropolitan planning organization projects steady regional growth, a westward shift in jobs and housing, and large investment needs; he urged local coordination and legislative work to close a multibillion-dollar gap.
Craig Rayborn, executive director of Compass, told the Nampa City Council at a workshop presentation that the regional metropolitan planning organization is focused on 20-year transportation planning and helping local governments secure federal funds. "Compass is where transportation projects happen," Rayborn said, describing the agency’s roles in long-range planning, grant assistance and technical support.
Rayborn presented maps showing that the Treasure Valley region is adding roughly 15 households and 16 jobs per day and that growth is concentrated in Canyon County. He said the region’s center of jobs and housing is shifting westward, lengthening commutes and increasing congestion on corridors used by Nampa residents. "When you average that across the 850,000 people that currently live in the region, that's what explains a lot of the traffic that's on the roads," Rayborn said.
He summarized the Communities in Motion plan and the region’s investment needs. Rayborn said Compass identified an approximately $11 billion set of investments regionwide and that existing funding still leaves a multi‑billion‑dollar shortfall; annualized shortfall figures discussed in the presentation were on the order of low hundreds of millions of dollars. Rayborn said Compass will pursue a proactive legislative strategy and engagement with federal partners during the coming cycle to help generate revenue and support projects that allow growth to pay for growth.
Council members asked how Compass’ priorities relate to Valley Regional Transit (VRT) and to potential commuter or intercity rail connections. Rayborn said VRT is likely to lead specific transit funding efforts and described Valley Connect planning; he also said the region’s location between Portland and Salt Lake City creates potential co‑benefits for federal funding of rail connections if the network reaches a critical scale.
The presentation included examples of local projects Compass supports, such as a bicycle and pedestrian connectivity study tied to State Highway 16 and a high‑capacity transit study whose alignments would serve Nampa. Rayborn said Compass also is working on resilience planning for natural disasters and improving development review feedback to local governments.
Rayborn concluded by offering Compass' technical and grant‑finding services to Nampa staff and elected officials and said the agency will continue outreach and training for member jurisdictions.