08.10.16
 
The Department of Land Use & Transportation
Weekly Update
MSTIP Bonding Cost-sharing Program featured in APWA journal
An article on Washington County's Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP) Bonding Cost-sharing Program was recently published in the August edition of the American Public Works Association monthly journal The Reporter.
The article, Traveling in new directions: Proactively addressing future transportation needs, was written by Andrew Singelakis, director, Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation. The article describes how the County's Bonding Cost-sharing Program leverages MSTIP and Transportation Development Tax revenue to proactively improve existing County arterials impacted by four high-growth areas.
These areas are expected to generate about 18,000 homes and thousands of additional vehicles in the next 20 years. Thanks to funding partnerships with the cities of Tigard, Hillsboro and Beaverton, the County will fund two-thirds of the estimated $140 million for capacity and safety improvements through bonding, using incremental revenue growth from MSTIP to pay back the bonds. The remaining one-third will be funded by the cities.
A groundbreaking ceremony for one of the high-growth areas, South Hillsboro, was held Aug. 9. Without the MSTIP Bonding Cost-sharing Program, the area would not have developed so quickly, said Andy Duyck, chair, Washington County Board of Commissioners.
"This funding partnership is benefiting not only the future residents of South Hillsboro, but all of Washington County and its cities by improving transportation mobility," he said.
Countywide
Board to consider Vehicle Registration Fee
Video_  Maintenance - Keeping Our Roads and Bridges Safe
Maintenance_ Keeping Our Roads and Bridges Safe
Due to a maintenance funding shortfall, the County has had to defer road, bridge and culvert maintenance, which has impacted transportation safety.
The Westside Economic Alliance, Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce, Rural Roads Operations and Maintenance Advisory Committee (RROMAC),   Urban Road Maintenance District Advisory Committee (URMDAC) and the Washington County Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) have all sent letters and/or testified before the Board at the Aug. 2 meeting, asking for a $43 annual vehicle registration fee (VRF) to increase road maintenance funding.
Almost all of the County's road maintenance funding comes from the state gas tax and vehicle fees and the County gas tax. Though the number of vehicles is increasing, many of those vehicles are hybrid and electric cars. This means that gas tax revenue is not keeping pace with growing road maintenance needs. At the same time, the cost of road, bridge and culvert maintenance has more than doubled since 1993.
At its August 9 work session, the Board discussed a potential ordinance implementing a $30 annual countywide vehicle registration fee (VRF) to improve safety through increasing road maintenance funding.
Benefits of a local $30 VRF include:
  • An estimated annual $13.5 million would be generated. Under state law, this would be split 60/40 between the County ($8.1 million) and the cities within the County ($5.4 million).
  • All VRF funds would be used locally.
  • All VRF funds received by the County would be used for maintenance to improve the safety and condition of major County roads, bridges and culverts.
  • If a state funding package is implemented in 2017 that generates additional County revenue equal to, or greater than, the funding generated by a local VRF - then the County VRF would not be implemented.
If adopted by the Board, the VRF would not go into effect until July 2018. Funding generated by the VRF would be utilized by the County for road maintenance beginning in the 2018 summer construction season.
Later this month, the Board is expected to authorize filing an ordinance, which is anticipated to be considered in September. Washington County Transportation Funding KeepRoadsSafe.org
Countywide

Public input sought on the Transportation Safety Action Plan 

An open house for the Washington County draft Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP) is providing an opportunity for public comment through Aug. 20. The online open house provides an opportunity for the community to learn about the TSAP and to submit comments.  Online open house   Media release   TSAP webpage 

Countywide

Open Houses
Road News
Roadwork and road closures
Visit www.wc-roads.com f or the latest road information, including capital road construction, upcoming road maintenance work and weekend events that may impact traffic in Washington County. All paving work is weather-dependent and schedules may be adjusted due to changes in the weather or for other unforeseen circumstances.
Purdin Road at Hwy 47 to close for roundabout construction
Purdin Road will be closed at Hwy 47 from Aug. 12 through September for construction of a roundabout at Hwy 47 and Verboort-Purdin roads.
Traffic will be detoured to Kemper Road via Hwy 47 and Thatcher Road. All travelers, including those operating farm equipment, will be required to use this signed detour. Hwy 47 and Verboort Road will remain open.
Travelers should also be aware that a portion of Porter Road will be closed, north of the Hwy 47 intersection, from Aug. 1 through October, for replacement of the Council Creek Bridge. Signs will mark the designated detour.  Verboort-Purdin/OR 47 roundabout website  Porter Road Bridge website   Media release
CPO 13; District 4
Portion of Walnut Street closed through Aug. 15
A portion of Walnut Street, between 112th and 114th avenues, is closed through Aug. 15 for replacement of a culvert as part of the Walnut Street Widening Project.
The designated detour includes 121st Avenue, North Dakota Street, 115th Avenue, Tigard Street and Tiedeman Avenue.   Project website   Media release
CPO 4B; District 3
Weekend lane closures expected on Brookwood Parkway
Lane closures on Brookwood Parkway, between Evergreen Parkway and Dawson Creek Drive, will occur the weekends of Aug. 19-21 and Sept. 9-11 for reconstruction of the existing roadway.
Closures will begin at 9 p.m. on Fridays and continue through 5 a.m. Mondays. Detours will include Dawson Creek Drive and Evergreen Parkway. Only northbound traffic will be impacted during the August closure. Only southbound traffic will be impacted during the September closure.  Media release
CPO 9; District 4

E-subscriptions available

Visit Washington County's e-subscriptions page to view available e-subscriptions on a variety of topics of interest to county residents. You'll receive periodic emails based on the topics to which you subscribe.

Neighborhood Meetings for Proposed Developments:

NOTE: These meetings are for proposed developments in the unincorporated portions of the County (outside cities) only. For information on development within a city, please contact the city. This information is provided as a courtesy only. Developers are required to hold Neighborhood Meetings prior to submitting certain land use applications to Washington County. A developer may also choose to hold such a meeting voluntarily if it is not required by county code. These meetings are intended to serve as a forum for the developer, affected CPOs (Citizen Participation Organizations), and property owners within the required notification buffer (500 feet in urban areas; 1,000 feet in rural areas) to discuss the proposal prior to the developer submitting an application to the county. County staff do not schedule these meetings and do not attend them. For more information, see the Mandatory Neighborhood Meeting & Mailings Requirements.

Aug. 17 - Proposed childcare facility
At 6 p.m. at the subject property, Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus, Building 2, Room 101, 17705 Springville Road. A childcare facility is proposed on the site of a caretaker's dwelling on the 40-acre campus in the INST district (Institutional). Contact Amanda Moser at 971-722-8410.
CPO 7; District 2
Aug. 17 - Proposed two-parcel partition
At 6:30 p.m. at Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Station 60, 8585 NW Johnson St. The property is 0.34 acre in the R-5 district (Residential, 4-5 units/acre) and is located at 11 SW 68th Ave. Contact Matthew Newman at 503-601-4402 or  mattn@nw-eng.com.
CPO 1; District 2
Aug. 22 - Proposed 10-lot subdivision
At 6 p.m. at Westside Community Church, 18390 SW Farmington Road. The property is 2.16 acres and is located in the R-9 district (Residential, 7-9 units/acre) and is located at 19710 SW Marlin Drive. Contact Bill McMonagle at 503-639-1232 or bill@h-mc.com.
CPO 6; District 1
Aug. 23 - Proposed equipment storage yard and parking area
At 6 p.m. at Russell Construction, 20915 SW 105th Ave. The property is 6.67 acres in the FD-20 district (Future Development, 20-acre minimum) and is located on tax lots  #2S134DC00300,   #2S134DC00850 and  #2S134DC00851 . Contact Bruce Vincent 503-842-5391 or brucevincent@embarqmail.com
CPO 5; District 3
Check out these pages for more information on Land Development projects in Washington County:



Melissa De Lyser | Communications Coordinator
Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation
155 N First Avenue, Suite 350 MS 16 | Hillsboro, OR  97124
503-846-4963 direct | 971-713-9658 mobile | 503-846-3588 fax
melissa_de_lyser@co.washington.or.us | www.co.washington.or.us/lut