City Council Minutes - 04/07/2009 Agenda Item No.
Meeting of
City of Tigard
Special Joint Meeting of Tigard and
gi Beaverton City Councils — Minutes
TIGARD CITY COUNCIL
MEETING DATE/TIME: April 7,2009 —6:30 p.m. - Special Meeting
MEETING LOCATION: City of Tigard—Town Hall, 13125 SW Hall Blvd.,Tigard, OR 97223
1. SPECIAL MEETING
1.1 Mayor Dirksen called the meeting to order at 6:31:40 PM
1.2 Roll Call:
Members Present:
• Tigard City Council: Mayor Dirksen, Councilors Buehner, Henderson, Sherwood,
and Wilson
• Beaverton City Council: Mayor Doyle,Councilors Arnold,San Soucie,and Stanton
1.3 Pledge of Allegiance
1.4 Council Communications&Liaison Report: None
1.5 Call to Council and Staff for Non-Agenda Items: None
6:32:52 PM
2. TRAFFIC CONTROL ON SHARED FACILITIES (SCHOLLS FERRY ROAD AND
HALL BOULEVARD) —DISCUSSION
Scholls Ferry Road
Tigard Right-of-Way Administrator McCarthy briefly reviewed jurisdictional responsibility and
control of Scholls Ferry Road.
Mayor Dirksen advised he knew of no plans by the City of Tigard for changes or
improvements. He asked if the City of Beaverton had any plans. Beaverton Public Works
Director Brentano advised Washington County received an Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT) grant last year. The grant was to allow the County to equip all of the
major traffic signals in the County with the flashing yellow arrow left-turn signal. The County is
now in the process of bidding for that work. Mr. Brantano said he believes the contract will be
issued prior to the end of this fiscal year. City of Beaverton has agreed to support the County
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in this effort on Scholls Ferry Road and Murray Boulevard. In exchange, the County has agreed
to accelerate the replacement of the left-turn arrows on those streets.
6:36:18 PM
Mr. Brentano reported that Metro was successful in their grant application for Federal stimulus
funds to replace traffic signal controllers at 277 intersections throughout the metropolitan area.
These signals will allow real-time monitoring of traffic at intersections and better inter-connect
devices to monitor traffic flows. They will also allow the later installation of the type of devices
that will be implemented on Farmington Road in the City of Beaverton as part of a Federal
grant to monitor traffic at real-time and adjust signal timing in response to the demand.
6:37:08 PM
Mayor Dirksen advised that the City of Portland has also received a grant to change out these
types of signals on 99W through the City of Tigard from the I-5 ramp to Durham Road.
6:37:45 PM
Councilor Buchner noted she had written to the County, as a citizen, asking if the signals at
135`'' Avenue and Barrows Road could be better coordinated. Mr. Brantano said he thinks the
County has wanted to close the intersection at Barrows Road because they believe this would
improve traffic management. The new signal controllers will provide a greater opportunity to
make some adjustments. At this time, the County does not allow their signals on major
highways to go into a "demand responsive mode." Mr. Brantano said it was his hope that
County officials will recognize the efficiency of these internal controllers.
6:39:41 PM
Mayor Dirksen said in recent discussions with the County about Barrows Road and Barrows
Road Bridge and the potential closure of the intersection, the position of the City of Tigard was
that we would prefer a right-turn in and out of the intersection at the time the signal is
removed.
Councilor San Soucie asked if there were circumstances under which the County would
relinquish traffic signal management to a city. Mr. Brantano he was not aware of this type of
situation.
6:41:19 PM
In response to a question from Councilor Stanton, Mr. Brantano advised that the Oregon
Department of Transportation (ODOT) received the grant to improve the signals. Essentially,
it will be ODOT equipment given to local jurisdictions for installation. There is no immediate
plan for interconnects. The City of Beaverton is connected to the ODOT and Portland
systems,which facilitates coordination.
Mr. McCarthy advised that as part of another Tigard project, the signals on 99W would be
connected to the downtown Portland signal center. The flashing yellow arrows and the signal
controller upgrades will be done as two separate projects.
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Councilor Stanton commented on safety concerns. She noted that when people use Scholls
Ferry Road, they tend to drive faster than necessary to "beat that light." In response to a
question from Councilor Stanton, Mr. McCarthy said there are strict criteria used to evaluate
whether a flashing yellow should be installed. Councilor Stanton pointed out that, according
the list she was referring to, every signal between Conestoga and Barrows Road appears to be
scheduled for a flashing yellow light. Mr. McCarthy said those signals meet the state criteria.
Monitoring will be done after installation of the yellow lights and changes can be made if
needed.
Council President Wilson advised that Tigard would soon be updating its Transportation
System Plan (TSP). He asked how this can be coordinated on Scholls Ferry Road, which is a
County Road affecting both Tigard and Beaverton. Currently, the Tigard TSP calls for
widening the road from the freeway to 130`'' Avenue. This is an expensive project. Council
President Wilson said 4,000 additional homes are planned for Areas 63 and 64 and he was
wondering about the plans for Scholls Ferry Road.
Mr. McCarthy said both Tigard and Beaverton are beginning work on their TSP's.
Representatives are involved from both jurisdictions during the planning for each other's TSPS.
6:47:11 PM
Councilor Buchner asked about the timing of the extension of Davies Road. Mr. Brantano
advised that much of this area is in wetland so much of the extension from Davies to Barrows
would be a bridge. In today's cost, this represents about a $7-10 million project. Councilor
Stanton noted projects that have been on the Beaverton Capital Improvements Plan since 1972.
She said her personal commitment is to do some of the older projects in established
neighborhoods before dollars are spent on new connections.
6:48:32 PM
Mayor Doyle referred to an earlier comment from Councilor San Soucie. He said that about 12
years ago he asked how a city could gain control of an intersection the County currently
controls. He was told then that it was a matter of money. He suggested that either Tigard or
Beaverton staff ask the County if there is ability for a city to take over management of the
signals when its residents are impacted by how the signals are functioning at an intersection.
6:49:27 PM
Hall Boulevard
Council President Wilson said that on Hall Boulevard approaching the Washington Square
entrance,there is a right-turn only lane on Hall Boulevard followed by a short travel lane,which
then becomes another right-turn only lane. He noted it would appear to be an inexpensive,
easy fix to correct this transportation-flow problem. Mayor Dirksen added that from the
information before them,it appears that staff has discussed this with ODOT.
City Engineer Duenas said he thought ODOT would support the project if some other
jurisdiction would pay for it. This is a state route and historically local jurisdictions have been
"hands off," although recently Tigard has been assisting with projects to improve 99W. Mr.
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Duenas said it might be a good time to approach ODOT to determine if the cities participate,if
this project could be completed. Mayor Dirksen asked about what it would take to estimate the
construction costs. Mr. Duenas advised he did not think it would be difficult; conceptually, it
looks feasible with enough right-of-way available. Mayor Dirksen suggested staff determine a
"ballpark" figure for the project.
6:52:49 PM
3. BARROWS ROAD BRIDGE REPAIR—DISCUSSION
Community Development Director Bunch introduced this topic. He corrected an error on the
Agenda Item Summary for this item. He said he referred to four parties participating on this
project; however, there would be only three: Washington County, City of Tigard, and the City
of Beaverton.
City Engineer Duenas reviewed the bridge repair project,which would get 15-20 years' use of a
replacement bridge. This would allow keeping Barrows Road open. The cost for each of the
parties would be $69,000 assuming that the costs remain within the estimate. Also under
discussion is joint jurisdiction of Barrows Road after project completion. Negotiations are
underway regarding the level of the upgrade. A draft Intergovernmental Agreement is being
circulated and once the IGA is approved, the project can commence.
The County plans to start this project in mid-July and complete it by mid-August. At some
time in the future, there might be a right-in, right-out at Barrows Road to Scholls Ferry Road.
The County has included this intersection for a flashing yellow-arrow signal, which will help
significantly.
In response to a question from Councilor San Soucie regarding the cities taking responsibility
for a portion of Barrows Road, Mr. Duenas said he would foresee a negotiated IGA between
Beaverton and Tigard. Mr. Brantano advised there is an existing IGA for the western section of
Barrows Road that runs from Walnut Street to Loon and Scholls Ferry Road.
Councilor Arnold clarified the topic under discussion for the public. The County was
proposing to close off the failing Barrows Road Bridge. Neighborhood groups from the cities
approached Washington County requesting this bridge be kept open. Mayor Dirksen added the
resulting proposed partnership among the three jurisdictions was a great way to address this
matter. Barrows Road is no longer on the list of significant roads within the County,which has
led the County to request that once the bridge has been repaired that the two cities take on the
responsibility of the jurisdiction for the road,which seems reasonable.
In response to a question from Councilor Stanton,Mr. Duenas advised that ODOT would not
have jurisdiction over Barrows Road. He added that a right-in, right-out from Scholls and
Barrows would be considered workable right now by the County. Over the long-term, he said
this should be removed after the Davies extension is completed. Councilor Stanton said she
would like to see some commitment from the County before the cities committed to oversight
and funding. Mayor Dirksen commented that from his discussions with County staff and
elected officials, their major goal appears to get rid of the left-turn. He did not hear any adverse
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reaction to keeping it open as right-in, right-out until Davies could be opened. Mayor Dirksen
said Councilor Stanton made a good point that this be included as a condition in the IGA.
There was additional discussion on whether the County would be concerned about
commitments by future elected officials from the cities regarding Barrows Road. Councilor
Stanton suggested a higher comfort level if the cities would include this in their CIP and TSP.
Councilor San Soucie asked if the County has modified the status of this intersection in the
Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) update. Mr. Duenas said he recalled that the intersection is
not shown on the RTP, and he referred to the long-term plan for the Davies Road extension to
Barrows. Mayor Dirksen said with the replacement bridge and the ability to use a right-in,
right-out turn, there will be 20 years available to construct the Davies-Barrows connection.
Council President Wilson commented that the right-in, right-out is better than nothing;
however,left-in is a major direction that people want to travel. He said he uses that intersection
everyday and he hoped the County would evaluate the impact of a flashing yellow before they
decide to close it.
Mr. Brantano referred to a new commercial center being developed in this area. The intention
of the developer is to create a small community feel in the course of what otherwise would be a
suburban type of highway. There will be additional traffic signals installed in that section of
Barrows. The intention is to reduce speeds and cut-through traffic that is now using Barrows
Road. Part of the problem with the left-turn from Scholls Ferry Road to Barrows is that there
is a fair amount of cut-through traffic that now uses Barrows Road to bypass Scholls Ferry
Road and reconnect at Scholls at the west end of Barrows. When the new center is complete,
the traffic volumes might shift yet again if the traffic speeds are reduced significantly because of
the increased number of traffic signals. The left-tum signal at Scholls Ferry and Barrows might
not be the problem it is today.
7:06:14 PM
Councilor Stanton said that at the north end of Barrows,where it connects to Scholls, there is a
substantial amount of housing. Those people are not cutting through to Scholls Ferry, but this
is how people access their homes. She noted the area she fives in, which is used as a cut-
through. If part of her street was cut off to make a connection then that would put her and her
neighbors in a bind for easy access. No decisions should be based on cut-through traffic issues;
we need to find ways to meet the needs of existing residents.
7:08:00 PM
Councilor Buchner said Barrows Road is the primary access for people traveling the northwest
side of Bull Mountain. When this issue came up, there was immediate, tremendous outcry at
CPO 4B. Discussion followed about the need for traffic calming and giving people options for
travel routes.
7:10:18 PM
Discussion followed on the two options for the bridge construction and associated costs.
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Mr. Duenas reviewed the initial option, soil testing and further analysis of the conditions. The
goal was to arrive at a 10- to 15-year solution. The Tigard City Council reviewed the latest
option with an estimate of a$65,000 cost for each jurisdiction. The Tigard Council felt it would
be worthwhile to expend the additional money to quadruple the life of the bridge. This is under
negotiation with the County and the City of Beaverton. Mr. Brantano advised the Beaverton
City Council has not yet reviewed this matter. The remaining "sticking point" for Beaverton
staff is the depth of the overlay on Barrows Road. The County recently proposed a 1-1/2-inch
overlay, which is inadequate for the 6,000 vehicles-per-day use. Beaverton wants to see a
certain minimum of not less than a 2-inch overlay.
Mr. Duenas reported recent discussions with the County that need to be shared with the City of
Beaverton. The proposal now is now for grinding 2-inches off, followed by a 2-inch overlay.
In response to a question from Mayor Doyle, Mr. Brantano advised this proposal would be
coming before the Beaverton City Council fairly soon once agreement has been reached on the
standards to be followed for the overlay. The plan is for the bridge deck to be constructed in
July followed by the sidewalk and overlay work on the bridge and street. The hope is to have
the entire project completed before the start of the school year.
(Note: Agenda Item No. 5 was discussed before Agenda Item No. 4.)
7:44:47 PM
4. DOWNTOWN URBAN RENEWAL—TIGARD'S EXPERIENCE—DISCUSSION
Tigard Community Development Director Bunch reviewed this agenda topic. He summarized
the history and lessons learned for urban renewal. Highlights included:
• Pre-election activities included careful preparation and a lot of citizen information and
participation.
• The community received an award from the American Planning Association for the citizen
engagement efforts.
• Specific concepts were developed to determine how urban renewal funds would be
expended.
• A broad constituency of citizens were engaged.
• There are always different constituencies; no one shares the same viewpoint. They have
different needs. It is important to attempt to "bring in" everyone.
• Urban renewal is a long-term prospect. Timing is critical to bring players together: city,
developer,bonding companies,and landowners.
• It is important to hold to a vision but also have many things going on at the same time;it is
a balancing effort.
• Progress is essential; have 15-20 things going on at once of varying sizes.
• Tax increment growth has occurred at a much slower rate than expected.
• It is important to establish realistic expectations in the short term.
• Changing circumstances can drastically affect urban renewal plans. Flexibility is important;
have numerous plans and options and always show progress.
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• The first few years of fiscal support of urban renewal operations and capital projects often
comes from other sources and not from tax increment financing. Tax increment financing
is used to repay debt. Getting things started requires a commitment from other parts of a
municipality's budget.
• In the Portland-Metropolitan region, many partners can assist. For example, TriMet and
Metro are helping Tigard with the Transit Oriented Development Program.
• Success sometimes comes from the least-anticipated sources. In Tigard, the Community
Partners for Affordable Housing are moving forward on a housing project, which is a
strong symbol of progress for the downtown.
• It is important to have resilient, committed, and engaged citizens and business support for
urban renewal. If there are conflicts among the constituent groups over process or style,
work to resolve those issues—spend a lot of time to bring people together.
• Urban renewal is not about bringing in chain stores. These can be important factors for
new business; but also, in the traditional downtown, there have been business owners and
properties that have existed for a long time and helping to redevelop existing businesses
through support programs is important.
• High-density transit-oriented housing is essential to provide a market base for downtown
goods and services.
• An effective,interconnected street and pedestrian system is important. Tigard's downtown
has not changed much since 1952. It has the same street system. One of the reasons is
because Highway 99W adversely affected the retail life when the viaduct was constructed
and walled off the downtown. It is essential to make the downtown permeable, accessible,
and easy to move around in.
• A long-term parking strategy is essential.
• Leadership on the part of City Council/Urban Renewal Agency is also required.
• Urban renewal is part of the whole community and its value for livability should be
communicated.
• Convince economic development groups of the importance of the urban renewal; i.e.,
Chamber of Commerce or industrial group.
Community Development Director Bunch distributed copies of A Tigard Downtown Future
Vision. In the early stages, a downtown improvement plan was created outlining all types of
proposed improvements. Mr. Bunch shared the three-dimensional visions of the downtown.
Councilor San Soucie asked if the downtown capital plan is maintained independently of the
work done for urban renewal. Community Development Director Bunch said the capital plan
and the urban renewal are "part and parcel of the same thing." The downtown vision is part of
the urban renewal plan. What the City of Tigard expects to do and wants to do is develop a
specific capital project plan for the downtown and look at the range of costs necessary to get to
a final vision. The urban renewal plan needs to be updated every three or four years.
Mayor Dirksen offered his perspective. When the City began this process, a citizen group was
formed,The Downtown Task Force. Their goal was to create a downtown improvement plan.
A consultant worked with the Task Force to create the plan before the city even considered the
concept of urban renewal. Once the downtown plan was in place, the question was, "How do
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we achieve this vision...the goal of doing these improvements..." This is the time when the
discussions began about the possibility of creating an urban renewal district as a tool to achieve
the goal of the downtown improvements. The Mayor said, "We don't think of urban renewal
as a separate entity...urban renewal and tax increment financing is a tool, not the only tool, to
fund the kinds of improvements we want to see in our downtown area."
Councilor San Soucie noted that Beaverton has a downtown plan that was put together in 2004.
One of the tools not available to the City to consider at that time was urban renewal because
the vote to change the Charter had not taken place. One of the things Beaverton now has to
consider is the technical work for urban renewal along with the visioning work to update
previous work.
Councilor Buchner noted the City established the City Center Advisory Commission (CCAC).
The first job of the CCAC was to draft the urban renewal plan that was brought to the City
Council. The plan was the basis for ballot measure development. Subsequent to the passing of
the ballot measure,the CCAC continues to be actively involved on various parts of the plan.
Mayor Doyle noted his appreciation of the information shared by the City of Tigard. He asked
about the timeframe for the entire process. Community Development Director Bunch advised
that the urban renewal vote was conducted in 2006. The conversations started in 2002.
Council President Wilson added that prior to 2002 there were two failed urban renewal votes.
Leading up to the urban renewal plan that passed, there was a long dialogue with downtown
business owners with talk of forming an Economic Improvement District (EID) and a Business
Improvement District (BID).
8:04:36 PM
Mayor Doyle said it is important for Beaverton to begin to look at the Tigard and Lake Oswego
experiences to learn what has worked.
8:05:19 PM
In response to a question from Councilor San Soucie, Community Development Director
Bunch said Tigard has modeled development for a five- to ten-year period. During this time,
the parking will be surface parking. Structured parking is related to land rents/prices and the
ability for a developer to make a certain amount of money. The City of Tigard anticipates that
it will be about 15 years before parking structures would be constructed. In 50 years,when the
Portland Metro Westside is at full build-out, there should be rents high enough to warrant
structured parking. The entire premise of the downtown is based on high-capacity transit on
99W/Barbar Boulevard and a multi-modal transit center (commuter rail, bus, and light rail).
The strategic location is important; it is between two retail centers, Washington Square and
Bridgeport. Tigard expects the downtown be a lifestyle center, focused heavily on residential
and employment with enough retail to serve the surrounding rooftops within a mile radius.
8:07:46 PM
Council President Wilson said that for the downtown vision to become a reality, quite a few
developers need to "step up" because the City is not going to build those housing and retail
units.
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8:08:27 PM
Discussion followed a question by Councilor Stanton on the transit center. City Manager
Prosser advised that TriMet is making a business decision to close down small transit centers.
The transit center on Commercial Street is not being shown because it will no longer be there.
Mr. Prosser said Tigard and TriMet are discussing the transit center's future; this site might be
one of the first redevelopment opportunities.
8:09:47 PM
Councilor Arnold asked about Tigard's experience with regard to financing and expectations.
City Manager Prosser said financing is critical. Tax increment financing is a tool. Private
financiers willing to buy bonds are needed and financiers are not willing to buy bonds until
there is a record of accomplishment. In a new urban renewal district like Tigard's (three years
old), a lot of increment is not being produced. Therefore, the City cannot sell bonds at this
time because there is no market for it. The challenge for a new district is to have City funding,
grants, and partners who work with you to get projects going. You need to need get projects
and public improvements established to attract developers to build new facilities downtown to
increase the increment. The advice Tigard received from its financial advisor is to figure within
the first years all expenses will be coming from the City. After that, the hope is there will be
some incremental growth. It is all about building a credit history. The first bonds will likely be
issued in the five- to ten-year period.
8:12:02 PM
In response to a question from Councilor Arnold, Mr. Prosser explained that under state law,
tax increment revenues can only be used to pay off indebtedness. Tigard is loaning money
from the City general fund to the urban renewal agency. The tax increment money will be used
to repay to the City over a period.
8:13:31 PM
Community Development Director Bunch noted the importance by the City organization to
develop and maintain a positive relationship with the businesses in the downtown. The City
can facilitate the idea to business/property owners to invest in underutilized properties to make
money. Mr. Bunch spoke about additional tools: predevelopment grants, introducing people
to developers, bringing people together, and negotiating to enhance development. The first
two or three projects need to get going and a record of accomplishment also needs to be
established for the development community to see. Design and design character is important
to "set the bar" for the kind of developer you want in the downtown.
8:15:08 PM
In response to a question from Councilor Arnold, City Manager Prosser (a former member of
the Lake Oswego City Council) advised that Lake Oswego started on their urban renewal in the
1980's. Projects were first developed along the river followed by a period of dormancy. Focus
then shifted to the downtown area. In this interim period, increment was building and they
were creating a positive record of accomplishment.
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Mr. Prosser explained the "Redevelopment Agency"under Oregon law is a separate legal entity.
In setting it up, you have the choice whether the City Council plays the role as the governing
body of the redevelopment agency or a separate governing body could be appointed. There
was a lot of interest in Tigard to have a separate governing body. In checking with the majority
of redevelopment agencies in the state, the governing body members of these jurisdictions also
sit on the redevelopment agency. The Portland Development Commission is an example of a
separate governing body. For the early years, the Tigard City Council decided it wanted to
fulfill the role of the redevelopment agency because of the heavy involvement in the City and
the reliance on City funding. It is possible that once the district is on stable financial footing,
the City Council would revisit the decision and create a separate governing body.
(Note: Item No. 5 was discussed out of order after Item No. 3)
7:16:44 PM
5. WASHINGTON COUNTY COOPERATIVE LIBRARY SERVICES (WCCLS)
STRATEGIC FUNDING PLAN FOR LIBRARY SERVICES—UPDATE/DISCUSSION
Tigard Library Director Barnes and Beaverton Library Director House facilitated the discussion
on this agenda item.
Ms. Barnes reviewed the current government model for Library services for jurisdictions
throughout Washington County, which is under review and has been discussed by the various
jurisdictions. A finalized report on the results of the discussions has not yet been released by
the consultant. For the governance structure within the City of Tigard, there remains a strong
commitment to local control and accountability. Other jurisdictions have also reported they are
of a similar mind set with regard to responsibility for their library facilities. It appears that the
current governance model in place is likely the most beneficial in terms of efficiency and the
local experience of the community.
Mr. House said he thinks Beaverton agrees with what Ms. Barnes just stated. Beaverton wants
to continue to maintain their libraries,not only as libraries, but as the center of the community:
hold meetings, programs and other events representing the local identity. Mr. House reviewed
the funding side of the plan for library services in the County. Currently, there is $23.5 million
being spent countywide to provide services. This includes the money that all the cities
contribute to these services (34% of the funding comes from the local community). The
remaining funding is provided by the County. Of that 66%, about 2/3 comes from the
County's general fund and 1/3 comes from a levy passed two years ago.
Mr. House advised funding for the library services is not stable. There has been a "gentleman's
agreement" for a number of years from the County that they would provide these general fund
dollars and increase this amount about 4% each year. This agreement could be taken away at
any time. As the economy presents other issues, the County might have to decide to spend this
money some other way.
Mr. House explained that the local option is levy is on a four-year cycle, which needs to be
approved by voters. This is not a stable source of funding for the long term. Each local
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municipality or organization has its own money they are contributing. We have been fortunate
over the last couple of years because the levy was approved and funding is good now.
Mr. House reviewed the elements of a special district.A special district would need a permanent
tax base of about 75 cents. In the future we would require an additional sutra to meet the
upward adjustments as experienced over time. There is the difficulty of convincing the voters
to add yet another level of government and a new taxing authority. It would also be difficult for
the cities and the county to "under-levy" for a period, meaning the full amount of the tax base
would not be levied so residents would not see a great increase immediately. He noted the
problems with instituting a new financing structure with current circumstances lies with the
situation where unincorporated residents are not paying less than incorporated residents in
property taxes. The unincorporated residents would experience a greater percentage increase.
There is also the issue of determining when the base taxing authority become not enough. You
might be able to operate for ten years before inflationary costs are such that funding and needs
are not lining up and then there would be a need to go to the voters again.
Mr. House noted there is always the discussion about who pays for facilities; i.e., the
maintenance, capital improvements (current local bonds), and any new facilities that might be
desirable for the County.
Mr. House summarized that the above are all issues that do not forebode well to pursue any
type of change in the taxing structure.
7:24:17 PM
Mr. House pointed out that in 2008 a new paradigm was created when it no longer is required
that voters approve funding by a double majority. If the decision is made to submit a request to
voters to renew the levy in 2010, Mr. House speculated that it should pass if it has been
demonstrated that current funds have been spent wisely. Therefore, it looks as if the current
way of funding libraries is probably still the best way.
7:25:14 PM
Mayor Dirksen clarified that the County funding is not funding external to the cities. This is
funding provided from the County that includes money, about 60%, from taxes paid by people
who live in cities. These people also pay into a city's general fund.
7:25:49 PM
Councilor Sherwood said she heard that the County spent around $300,000 to do the studies,
polling, and public information disseminated pertaining to the levies. Ms. Barnes said she
would check to confirm the amount spent. She said she did not know the total, but was aware
there was money spent to place the measure on the ballot and produce informational, factual
literature.
7:26:44 PM
Councilor Stanton referred to the consultant hired to do the County study. She asked what is
planned next. Will the consultant return to the County Board of Commissioners with a
recommendation that the current funding and governance structure remain the same?
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7:27:13 PM
Ms. Barnes responded that she understood that the consultant has represented that their
mandate was to gather information from all of the participating jurisdictions and to present a
report. She said they indicated numerous times that they did not have a taxing model or
governance structure that they were going to out forward. Even if the consultant did propose a
model or structure, Ms. Barnes pointed out the local officials would have strong opinions to
express based on the joint meeting of the library directors and city managers — there was no
clear mandate.
7:28:16 PM
In response to a question from Councilor Stanton, Ms. Barnes said she understood the
consultant's contract was with WCCLS and the final report would go to the WCCLS manager.
This is in keeping with the request made by the WCCLS Executive Board,which is made up of
city managers and mayors participating in WCCLS. Mr. House added that the consultant's
basic charge was to look at the options available in the State of Oregon. After presentation of
the options, which were then discussed by the representatives of the jurisdictions, the findings
were that the current structure is working, so why change it.
7:29:15 PM
Councilor Stanton referred to meetings of the focus groups for strategic planning. Will
anything come from these efforts? Mr. House said, "Yes." The policy group, made up library
directors from the participating libraries, were reviewing long-term strategic planning to
determine how best to continue to provide library services.
7:30:10 PM
Councilor Stanton asked what kind of support could be expected from the central services. Ms.
Barnes said the County levy is administered by the County; however, we all give input and
receive benefit from a successful levy. The Tigard City Council has met and identified support
of a levy in its long-range goal list. Ms. Barnes said she believes the County will continue its
support;the operational levy benefits all County residents. The ramifications of that happening,
especially in this economic time whereby activity has increased at all libraries, leads Ms. Barnes
to believe the County would be supportive. Mr. House concurred with Ms.Barnes.
7:33:02 PM
Councilor Arnold asked for clarification on costs associated with forming a separate district.
Mr. House advised the costs are bases on operational costs only assuming what individual cities
contribute along with the current funding of WCCLS. The funding received from WCCLS,
excluding what is being received from the levy, is about 6 cents per $1,000 of property tax
assessment. Mr. House explained that local support contributes $8 million, the County general
fund $10.2 million, and the County levy is$5.26 million.
7:34:38 PM
Councilor Stanton pointed out that the $10.2 million from the County's general fund was based
on a previously approved serial levy.
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7:35:09 PM
In response to a question from Councilor Arnold, Mr. House said he thought the County
would honor their agreement with regard to the funding of the library system, unless they were
faced with a crisis and other pressing needs.
7:35:39 PM
Councilor Arnold commented that in her experiences, she has learned that we do well as a
region and County in working together.
7:36:06 PM
Councilor Arnold asked if there was any thought given to the fact that cities are paying for
bonds and the building costs. Ms. Barnes said she thought these would remain the
responsibility of each jurisdiction. In response to a question about the "fairness" of this, Ms.
Barnes said there are examples in other parts of the state. She referred to the Deschutes
District, which is probably the most successful state library district. About 10 years ago, they
held an election, formed a district, and reopened buildings. Through negotiation, the buildings
were transferred to the District. For Washington County, both in terms of governance and the
funding structures,the existing composition is successful for us now.
7:38:58 PM
In response to a question from Councilor Arnold,Ms. Barnes said the decision to move toward
consolidation depends on circumstances from state-to-state. In the Midwest, there are many
instances of special districts for all types of things: parks, libraries, etc. In this part of the
country,we tend to form departments within local municipal governments.
7:40:04 PM
Councilor Buchner spoke of the underlying concern about the County Commissioners having
the option to spend as they choose the money consolidated into the permanent County tax
base. She said she was certain they would continue to honor the "gentleman's agreement" to
continue to spend this money on the library system. She said her concern is that as Measure 50
continues to deplete resources for all of us, at some point in the next five- to seven-years, the
County might feel it is in their best interests to redirect this money for their critical programs.
She said that if we continue the status quo, the County could "pull" the money with very little
notice,which would be a devastating impact on the libraries.
7:41:13 PM
Mayor Dirksen said he thinks a decision on the part of the Commissioners to redirect those
funds would be politically difficult. When that time comes we, as cities, will be looking at a
similar crisis and libraries might become a luxury that we might not be able to afford either.
7:41:49 PM
Beaverton Assistant to the Mayor Deardorff noted that all jurisdictions are at the County library
system's table. She reviewed the composition of the system's decision-makers. An inter-
dependence exists that would not be overlooked or set aside in a cavalier manner. She referred
to an upcoming meeting of the executive group to discuss the study results,where to go in the
next phase, and discuss strategic planning. All recognize there is a need to continue to look at
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the long-term funding even though the decision has been made that the current structure and
the current funding is working.
7:43:09 PM
Mayor Doyle commented that times are getting tough. Hopefully the experience of the two
failed levies prior to passing the current levy was a clear signal that we cannot take libraries for
granted. He said, "In this state, like it or not, public opinion loves to drive things. Every four
years, we are saying you can drive whether or not we are going to have libraries. It's a real
simple deal. I relish the task to go out, campaign, and make sure that the answer is always,
`From now on,yes,we need the libraries.' It's just a fact of life,we have to do it. We can't lose
sight of the fact that that's the way we function now...We can't get lazy about it."
8:18:36 PM
6. URBANIZATION ISSUES—DISCUSSION
A. City of Tigard Community Aspirations and Growth Expectations
Community Development Director Bunch introduced this agenda item. Highlights of his
comments follow:
• A good discussion was had by the Tigard City Council when Washington County asked
Tigard about its growth aspirations. Tigard approached this question by asking, "What are
our responsibilities as a municipal government and where would we expect to grow?"
Tigard does not aspire to grow or take in new territory, but the City does see it as its
responsibility. It is good public policy because Tigard for the last few years has taken the
position that there should be no additional unincorporated urban development in the
County. Tigard accepts that new urban lands will be needed to accommodate population
and employment growth in the coming decades; therefore, Tigard will have to go
"somewhere" and provide urban services.
8:20:25 PM
• Tigard is now landlocked, so it wants to increase densities and intensities of urban uses in
areas such as the downtown, Washington Square, along Highway 99W, and in the Tigard
Triangle.
• Recently there was a preliminary designation of the Barbur/Highway 99W corridor as the
top tier of the next high-capacity transit corridor for study. This fits within the stated
"aspirations"promoted by the Tigard Mayor and City Council.
• Tigard has been a low-density, suburban community. Those neighborhoods are sacrosanct.
We want to retain those single-family land use designations because Tigard believes there
must be a choice for housing opportunities.
• Tigard expects it will provide municipal services, including water, to unincorporated areas
within its urban services area.
• Tigard went through the urbanization process. It will not change its SB 122 agreements
about where Tigard's urban planning areas are. Those areas are within Tigard's urban
planning areas and urban service boundaries.
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• Because it is good public policy and the fact that Tigard is the only logical service provider
for water services, urban growth Areas 63 and 64 will ultimately be in the City. Lands south
to Beef Bend Road and toward the Tualatin River and Vandermost Road will ultimately be
in a municipality.
• Tigard staff considered a 30- to 50-year growth scenario: Where will the housing and jobs
be? Inside the City,we anticipate we will get anywhere from 14,000 to 16,000 new housing
units if our visions for 99W, the Tigard Triangle and Washington Square come to pass.
Tigard is doing a similar vision exercise for Highway 99W as was done for the downtown to
look at what might be possible.
• Tigard has a jobs/housing ratio of about 1.7 jobs per 1 household. It is job-rich for a
suburban community and the community wants to retain that. Therefore, Tigard wants to
increase the density in the existing industrial lands that are accessible and useable to
establish another 23,000 jobs in the next 30-50 years. Tigard needs those jobs for
prosperity.
• Areas 63 and 64 along with other lands should yield about another 8,000 housing units.
The difference between what the County is planning for 63 and 64 is that there are no jobs
planned for the area. Jobs are absolutely necessary for a complete community. Tigard
believes that at least .75 jobs per household is needed. The transportation infrastructure has
not been included in the concept planning process for Areas 63 and 64 development.
Close-to-home jobs are needed so people do not need to drive long distances.
8:25:45 PM
• Councilor Buchner pointed out that Tigard's plans for the 99W Corridor, Dowtown and
the Triangle are dependent upon a light rail system because of limitations imposed by
ODOT.
• Community Development Director Bunch reported that when responding to Metro's
request regarding aspirations, every jurisdiction identified the Transportation Planning Rule
as a problem. ODOT's position is that they want to protect the capacity of major roadways
from land use, and this is not the way it should be from our perspective. This is an area
that will need to be worked out.
• Mayor Dirksen commented he thinks the situation should be reversed so that land use
dictates what the transportation system needs to be instead of allowing transportation
system to dictate what land use will be allowed.
8:27:49 PM
• Mayor Doyle advised he concurred with Mayor Dirksen. He then asked about the job
growth aspirations for Tigard; that is, what does the number of 5700 additional jobs
represent. Community Development Director Bunch confirmed this was a number to
meet the goal of.75 jobs per each residential unit. Communities need to be integrated and
held together by more than housing. The .75 figure is the baseline for jobs. Community
Development Director Bunch confirmed this was the vision for the job ratio in Areas 63
and 64 and lands to the south that he identified earlier. The City has partners and some of
these jobs might be accommodated within their geographies;i.e.,Tualatin, Sherwood, King
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City, and Durham. The objective is the communities sharing common boundaries to work
together to have solid, core employment bases.
8:29:58 PM
• Council President Wilson noted that the City of Tigard is not responsible for planning
Areas 63 and 64 at this time. The employment figures are aspirations.
8:30:11 PM
• In response to a question from Councilor Stanton, Council President Wilson advised that
Metro sets the target numbers for the urban reserves; however, the plan is generated by
Washington County. Community Development Director Bunch said the concept plan is
required to meet Metro's Functional Plan land-use requirements. The essential parts of the
functional plan of concern to Tigard is the ability of the concept plan to show all needed
public facilities and services, including transportation, can be provided. In addition, the
concept plan has to provide for a business plan, a financial structure — showing how the
plans will be accomplished. Tigard has serious concerns with the transportation system.
Tigard has water and parks. Before Metro can adopt a plan to show conformance to the
Functional Plan, facilities must be available. Staff would likely recommend to the City
Council that the City would not support a plan that does not include facilities and services.
B. West Bull Mountain(Areas 63 and 64)Traffic Analysis
8:32:22 PM
Tigard Right-of-Way Administrator McCarthy advised that Washington County is the agency
leading the planning effort for Areas 63 and 64. The County's analysis assumes about 4,000
new homes and the majority of those would be single family. Mr. McCarthy advised the
County is also planning for an area near the intersection of Beef Bend and Roy Rogers Roads,
which is not currently in the urban growth boundary. Depending on the option the County
selects, there will be 30-40,000 new vehicle trips per day. Mr. McCarthy said for comparison
purposes, the current daily volume of traffic on Scholls Ferry Road between Murray Boulevard
and Nimbus Street is 30-40,000 vehicle trips per day. The new trips will need to be absorbed
into the existing transportation network,which does not have the capacity.
8:33:43 PM
Right-of-Way Administrator McCarthy reviewed traffic numbers prepared for the area. One set
of assumptions is that the traffic will be so bad so that people will not drive. Mr. McCarthy did
not find this to be an acceptable assumption. A plan has yet to come forward that looks at how
to handle all of the traffic generated by development. He reviewed a number of challenges that
need to be addressed by jurisdictions responsible for planning and providing services.
8:38:09 PM
Councilor San Soucie advised of his knowledge about the planning work for these areas and
advised he is a member of the Washington County Planning Commission. He said he is
looking forward to seeing more detail on the economic and transportation analyses. He
pointed out that residents in the new areas might be traveling to Beaverton or Hillsboro for
employment, not just Tigard—adding to the complexities of planning for transportation.
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8:39:47 PM
Council President Wilson agreed that we will have to look creatively at using our existing
facilities more effectively. He referred to the amount of pavement reserved for bicycle lanes (12
feet of pavement) that is not well utilized. He's been thinking about the possibility of moving
the bike paths off Scholls Ferry, perhaps paralleling Summer Creek through Summer Lake Park
and down SW North Dakota. He said he has talked to Randy McCourt at DKS Associates
about the possibility of a reversible lane. Given the "impossible cost" of road widening, why
not look at using the available pavement more effectively.
8:41:21 PM
Beaverton Senior Planner Fryer advised that Beaverton,as they are planning for their urban
reserve areas,has similar concerns about traffic as Tigard. She advised they commented to
Washington County twice,but did not receive a response on either comment letter.
8:42:15 PM
7. TIGARD ASPIRATIONS FOR THE WASHINGTON SQUARE REGIONAL CENTER—
UPDATE/DISCUSSION
Community Development Director Bunch presented historical information on this item:
• Tigard's plan for the Washington Square Regional Center was a joint plan, involving
Beaverton and Washington County and envisioned the Center as a vibrant, higher density
urban environment with 50 dwelling units per acre.
• It would retain its shopping center niche along with a greatly expanded mix of land use
designations and urban-level activities.
• The Center is dependent on an integrated light-rail,high-capacity transit system.
• The multi-modal transportation improvements identified in the Center's plan are expensive
to build. Perhaps, if the region cannot go forward with these improvements, we need to
think about a revised planning effort based upon the prospect that we will get light rail
eventually on 99W. We need to deal with ODOT's Transportation Planning Rule
standards as Tigard is having similar problems in the Tigard Triangle.
• Housing construction in the Washington Square area has been slow. New strategies are
needed.
• Recent national reports indicate that high-quality rental housing (smaller units) will become
more the norm. There will be a need for new housing types.
• Local street connectivity needs to be improved.
• Tigard would like to work with Beaverton and Washington County to revisit the 1998
planning effort and update the vision for Washington Square.
• Tigard would like for this to remain a regional center.
8:46:40 PM
In response to a question from Mayor Doyle, Mr. Bunch agreed that taking another look at the
Washington Square area would occur among the staff of the jurisdictions. Tigard has been
successful with ODOT and DLCD in terms of receiving TGM grants to fund studies.
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8:47:34 PM
Mayor Doyle asked if the possible outcome might result in the change of boundaries for the
regional center. Does the entire Center have to remain as part of the Regional Center?
Community Development Director Bunch said facts need to be reviewed to establish history of
what has happened in the area and then work done to model some of the potential market
economics. Mr. Bunch said that if Beaverton is interested in different land uses in the future,
this could certainly be a collaborative effort.
8:48:49 PM
Mayor Doyle said it is the time for a discussion about the Center. Nothing of consequence has
happened. This will be an incredible undertaking and suggested taking a look at it "along with
our other partners."
8:49:31 PM
Community Development Director Bunch said he would expect the Metro Council to be open
to a review this area as part of their"creating the greatest place" efforts.
8:50:34 PM
Council President Wilson said he was on the task force when the Washington Square Regional
Center Plan was created. Whether Metro designates this as a regional center or not, the reality
is that it is a regional center: Washington Square is a regional shopping center, Embassy Suites
is the largest hotel in Washington County, and the Lincoln Center is the largest single office
complex. The area has developed into a "defacto" downtown. Most of the land is under the
ownership of Macerich Corporation and they realize certain parts of the area are under-utilized
and they are considering options for the property. He said he's uncertain if Macerich has
considered housing development, so he questioned whether this part of the plan was realistic.
8:52:34 PM
Council President Wilson referred to recent rezoning in the Metzger area, which is now
developing with townhouses; the density is increasing. The Metzger community was extremely
concerned about their neighborhood changing from a single-family, detached neighborhood.
He agreed it might be time to revisit. "We won't come up anywhere near the $200 million
worth of public infrastructure that the plan said needs to happen...we need to dial down to a
little bit more realism." Council President Wilson disagreed that nothing has happened
pointing out that Washington Square recently constructed a $50 million addition.
8:53:34 PM
Councilor San Soucie commented that this has been under discussion for quite awhile, both by
Beaverton City Council and Planning Commission. He concurs with Mayor Doyle and others
who said this area needs to be revisited. More partners need to be involved,including ODOT.
Councilor San Soucie found the comment by Council President Wilson interesting regarding
the concentrated land ownership in the area. If there is a "re-planning" effort to come, there is
a great opportunity to get a relatively small number of people together who have significant
influence for actual results.
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8:55:17 PM
Councilor Sherwood advised she lives in the area and someone has been buying homes in the
area. At least five homes have been leveled and removed and others are for rent. There are
some vacancies in the buildings around Washington Square. She said "We need to all need to
be sitting down with Macerich...having some discussions and finding out what their aspirations
are and what we can do to facilitate, or what they can do to help us." She noted cooperation
between the Tigard Police Department and Macerich regarding traffic control during the
holiday season.
8:56:34 PM
Tigard City Manager Prosser referred to the work by Metro on the high-capacity transit study.
A draft, detailed corridor evaluation is set up in tiers: regional priority, next phase, developing,
and vision. Tigard is pleased that Barbur/99W is the first priority listed in the regional priority
Est. The second priority is Clackamas Town Center to Washington Square; this new
information might address some issues.
8:58:08 PM
Right-of-Way Administrator McCarthy reported that Line 29 listed by Metro would go from
Clackamas Town Center, through Milwaukie, across the Willamette River on the existing rail
bridge,through Lake Oswego, on to Bridgeport Village,through Tigard to Washington Square.
8:58:35 PM
Tigard City Attorney Ramis added that he also represents Clackamas Town Center in re-
planning that property. He urged that jurisdictions also consider involving anchor tenants in
planning discussions as they can play a catalyst role. There are uses, other than housing, that
can create a mixed-use environment that are of great interest to the anchor tenants. There is a
lot of opportunity to expand the number of stakeholders.
8:59:43 PM
Council President Wilson said he has had conversations with Washington Square Mall Manager
Jonae Armstrong about light rail. He said she is not enthusiastic about it because from her
perspective their No. 1 issue is lack of parking. There is concern that the Square might have
issues with parking by commuters if a light rail line was too close to the mall.
9:00:29 PM
Tigard City Attorney Ramis said the synergy of light rail is not what some planners might think.
It is not the fact that that high-capacity rail can bring shoppers and, therefore, drive sales.
However, there is a recognition by most of the anchor companies that rail can create
densification and diversification of uses in the area around the mall,which will drive sales. The
mall manager might not be as broadly focused.
9:01:24 PM
Councilor Arnold referred to benefits of structured parking. She recently was in Tacoma and as
part of their commuter rail, they developed several significant parking structures. Communities
are looking at utilizing these structures to attract commuters to stay and shop and dine at
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adjacent businesses. She said "we have really missed the boat" by not concentrating more on
that with our light rail and commuter rail.
9:02:42 PM
Councilor Stanton referred to an earlier comment from Council President Wilson regarding
vacant properties near the Washington Square mall. She suggested additional structures similar
to the Lincoln Tower might be more beneficial to the mall than housing.
9:03:16 PM
Councilor Stanton advises she uses mass transit and involving TriMet will be necessary for the
planning in the this area. She noted her concerns that payroll taxes collected go the "central
city" and not to Washington County.
9:04:44 PM
Mayor Dirksen said that City Manager Prosser indicated that TriMet was part of the discussions
of the Regional Center Plan. The City of Tigard has been in close discussion with TriMet
regarding Tigard's high-capacity needs on 99W;they are"on board"with that concept.
9:05:05 PM
City Manager Prosser added that TriMet has been the first and strongest supporter of light rail
on 99W. Councilor Stanton agreed that TriMet supports light rail; she clarified she was
referring to transit service "to get people out of the neighborhoods to corridors to access the
bus service..." Mr. Prosser said staff has noted the experience has been that once the light rail
line is put in,the bus routes are realigned to feed into the light rail lines. Tigard's long-term plan
is to get the light rail in, which will strengthen our arguments to get the bus service into the
neighborhoods and higher density areas.
9:06:17 PM
Councilor Buchner advised that Tigard has developed a good relationship with TriMet over the
last few years. Last winter she took TriMet General Manager Hansen on a long tour of
northwest Tigard and south Beaverton to see all of the dense development that has occurred.
She said she believes this got him to think more about bus service for these areas.
9:07:18 PM
Mayor Dirk sen commented that while working with TriMet to improve service in the Tigard
area, one criteria used to decide where new or improved service is needed is how well an area
connects to the existing system. This is problematic if there is no existing system to tie into.
9:08:07 PM
Councilor Arnold advised she has heard there are a number of people who would travel on
light rail or a trolley but not on a bus. She noted the light rail lines are fixed so the property
values increase because the development community is assured the service will remain.
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9:08:40 PM
Councilor Stanton pointed out that moderate- to low-income families do not live near fixed
routes and transit-oriented developments. They live on corridors and older apartment buildings
on side streets.
9:08:57 PM
Mayor Doyle said he appreciated the comments on light rail for the east side. He said he thinks
that when Hillsboro comes to the table with their new AmberGlen development, this will
become a spur off of the MAX light rail system.
9:09:38 PM
Several City Council members indicated their appreciation and the value of the discussions tonight
In response to the comments made, Mayor Doyle concurred with continuing the "new tradition" of
periodic joint Beaverton/Tigard City Council meetings.
9:11:04 PM
8. ADJOURNMENT
Motion by Councilor Buehner, seconded by Councilor Sherwood,to adjourn the meeting.
The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of City Council present
Mayor Dirksen Yes
Council President Wilson Yes
Councilor Buehner Yes
Councilor Henderson Yes
Councilor Sherwood Yes
&therineWheatley, City Rec rder
Attest:
ay , City of T1gar
ldi
Date:
L•ADM\CATHY\CCM\090407 final.doc
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