Council considers arterial map amendments and Bicycle Advisory Board term changes
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Summary
Staff proposed five amendments to the city's arterial street map (upgrades to Wellesley, Summit Parkway, Freya and Weber; removal of a Wall Street block) to support traffic operations and grant funding; council also reviewed a code change to shorten Bicycle Advisory Board terms to two years (with longer allowable consecutive service) and to formalize BAB review of street‑vacation impacts at the planning level.
The committee reviewed two transportation policy items on Dec. 15: proposed amendments to the city’s arterial street map and updates to the Bicycle Advisory Board (BAB) Municipal Code.
Staff described five proposed map changes to SMC 12.08.040: (1) upgrade Wellesley Street west of Assembly to support increased traffic from Flett Middle School and to enable use of arterial‑street funds for paving and stormwater upgrades (STA offered partnership funding for a layover on Wellesley); (2) upgrade Summit Parkway (Nettleton to Cedar) to match its WSDOT collector function; (3) reclassify a short block of Freya Street between Palouse Highway and 55th to major collector; (4) upgrade Weber Drive to arterial due to substantial county subdivision traffic accessing the city street; and (5) remove a block of Wall Street that does not function as an arterial. Staff said some changes allow the city to tap arterial street funds and better match neighboring jurisdiction classifications.
On the Bicycle Advisory Board, staff and council discussed proposed code changes to align BAB term lengths with the Transportation Commission: moving from three‑year terms with a limit of two consecutive terms to two‑year terms with a higher consecutive‑term allowance to preserve continuity on multi‑year projects. The proposed code also adds BAB consultation on street vacations and planning‑level connections to parks, schools and activity centers. Council members pressed staff on the practical weight of BAB recommendations (staff stressed the board makes advisory recommendations and does not supersede council or permitting decisions) and asked for clearer routing/filtering of vacation requests to ensure the board sees relevant items.
Next steps: staff will refine code language based on council feedback and return the arterial map amendment for formal council consideration (these map changes require council approval to use arterial funds and to update the official map).