As originally defined in Sound Move, the SR 522 HOV Enhancements project would build HOV improvements on SR 522 between Bothell and Woodinville. To initiate the project in January 2001, Sound Transit established a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of the City of Bothell, City of Woodinville, City of Kenmore, WSDOT, Community Transit and King County Metro. Although the City of Kenmore was not defined as part of Sound Move, Sound Transit invited the City of Kenmore to participate as part of the TAC because of its close geographic proximity to the City of Bothell. The goal of the TAC was to define a project along the SR 522 corridor that met the goals of Sound Move, fit within the established project budget, and met a completion deadline of 2006.

Throughout 2001, Sound Transit worked closely with the members of the TAC and reviewed several studies to identify a project along the SR 522 corridor between the Cities of Bothell and Woodinville. Key outcomes of these studies were:

1. The determination there is a higher bus volume and ridership in Kenmore than in Woodinville or Bothell;

2. The construction of Business and Transit (BAT) lanes east of Kenmore (in the Bothell-Woodinville area) were not a cost-effective solution until transit volume and ridership increase. Instead, the study recommended the installation of Transit Signal Priority (TSP) in the Bothell area.

The studies were reviewed and discussed at several TAC meetings. The members of the committee concurred that the inclusion of the City of Kenmore and a change in the geographic project scope (from "Woodinville-to-Bothell" to "Kenmore-to-Bothell"). They agreed that this change would fulfill a greater need in the region by improving transit service to areas east of Kenmore and would be a better focus of a Sound Transit investment on this corridor. The City of Woodinville agreed with the conclusions of the committee and on February 19, 2002, recommended to its City Council that the City prepare a letter of support to Sound Transit to endorse the change to Sound Move.

At the request of the TAC, the Cities of Bothell and Kenmore proposed a group of transit projects in each city that could meet the goals of Sound Move. Sound Transit and the TAC members recommended the Cities complete preliminary engineering and environmental documentation (PE/ED) on their projects before any decisions regarding Sound Transit funding is made. As the Cities’ projects move through the PE/ED phase, Sound Transit will be evaluating them to assess their benefits to transit and HOV.

On February 7, 2002, Sound Transit staff brought a discussion before the Executive Committee recommending a project approach that would include the City of Kenmore and remove the City of Woodinville. Staff also recommended that Sound Transit participate in the cities’ PE/ED efforts with a partial funding contribution and that the cities will be the lead agencies. At that time staff advised the Executive Committee that it would come back to the Board with this action and for review/approval of the Memorandums of Agreement (MOA’s) with the cities of Kenmore and Bothell (March 2002). The Executive Committee concurred with staff’s recommended approach.

The Board could decide not to take this action until the transit recommendations on the project are fully defined. This is anticipated to occur during the third quarter of 2002. Staff is seeking Board approval at this juncture to communicate clearly to our partner agencies, jurisdictions, and regional committees that the geographic scope of the project has been revised.

• Through the establishment of the TAC, Sound Transit has coordinated with the City of Bothell, City of Woodinville, City of Kenmore, King County Metro, Community Transit and WSDOT to develop criteria for project site selections and provide input during selection of a preferred alternative.

• The Eastside Transportation Partnership has endorsed the City of Kenmore’s project for consideration as a Sound Move project.

• The members of the TAC (City of Bothell, City of Woodinville, City of Kenmore, WSDOT, King County Metro, Community Transit and Sound Transit) concur with the inclusion of the City of Kenmore and a change in the geographic project scope.

• The Woodinville City Council endorsed this project approach at its February 19, 2002, meeting.

• Metro has written a letter of support endorsing the inclusion of the City of Kenmore to this project.

• Eastside Transportation Partnership has written a letter of support for the City of Kenmore’s inclusion into a Sound Move project.

Changing the geographic scope to include Kenmore and remove Woodinville shifts the focus of this project to Kenmore and Bothell. Woodinville’s transit needs are currently being addressed through another Sound Move project; #376, Woodinville Arterial HOV Enhancements Project. Woodinville concurs with this approach.

This change to Sound Move meets and is consistent with Resolution No. R98-22 establishing the criteria to guide evaluation of proposals to amend Sound Move. Specifically, this action is consistent with:

• Sound Transit’s enabling legislation, its funding requirements and priorities

• The proposition approved by the voters

• The transportation goals, commitments, projects and corridors served in Sound Move

Furthermore, the proposed revision has been reviewed and is supported by the subarea, local jurisdiction and community.

• The City of Kenmore was incorporated on August 31, 1998, after the inception of Sound Move, and is now part of the East King County subarea.

• All parties of the TAC concur that the studies to date have yielded the conclusion that there is a need to focus this investment in Kenmore to Bothell area along the SR 522 corridor.

• The City of Woodinville concurs in this conclusion and endorsed the project change at its February 19, 2002, council meeting.

• The Eastside Transportation Partnership has endorsed the City of Kenmore’s project and requested it be considered for funding.

• The projects proposed by the Cities of Kenmore and Bothell will still provide transit benefits to the City of Woodinville through corridor improvements along SR 522.

• The City of Woodinville’s transit project needs are being addressed through another Sound Move project (#376, Woodinville Arterial HOV Enhancements).

1. Adopt action as proposed by staff and revise geographic scope/rename the project.

2. No change to Sound Move, which would preclude Sound Transit from performing work in the City of Kenmore.

3. Revise the existing project into two separate projects, one for Bothell and a new one for Kenmore.

4. Include the City of Kenmore while keeping Woodinville as part of the project.

JW 02/21/02