City of Washougal
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study Summary | August 2017
Acknowledgements Thank you to the Washougal community and members of the Town Center Focus Group who dedicated their time and insights to the development of this plan, and to the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board for project funding.
City of Washougal
Contents Introduction 1 Town Center District
1
Town Center District Vision
3
Option 1
3
Option 2
4
Option 3
5
Transportation and Infrastructure Plan
5
Transportation Improvements
5
Utility Infrastructure Improvements
6
Infrastructure Costs and Funding
7
Fiscal Impact Analysis
7
Next Steps
8
Attachments 8
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
Introduction Development and redevelopment in Washougal’s Town Center District will require improving the infrastructure that supports transportation and utilities in the District. Preparing for job growth and providing a framework for development in the District requires a transportation infrastructure plan (TIP) that strengthens the City’s infrastructure backbone and extends it into underdeveloped portions of the Town Center District and surrounding areas.
Town Center District The Town Center District is an 185-acre area in downtown Washougal bounded by E Street on the north, 32nd Street on the east, the Columbia River and SR 14 on the south, and Washougal River Road on the west. Of the total area, approximately 52 acres are composed of critical areas, including wetlands. Access to the District is indirect and limited by the BNSF tracks to the north and SR 14 to the south.
The Town Center District at a glance Numbers in Acres
City of Washougal
185
Study Area Downtown
52
Critical Areas and Wetlands
44
Developable Land
21
Parks and Open Space
11
Historic District Residential
Significant public and private investments have already been made in the District and property owners and stakeholder groups like the downtown association and Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association are ready to build on them. In addition, through its Northwest and Northeast Urban Growth Area (UGA) study, the City reduced the amount of employment land in its UGAs and recommended focusing employment uses in the District. With all this interest and activity as background, private developers are showing increased interest in the District. Today, parts of the District are characterized by municipal structures, local restaurants, retail shops, and professional offices, while others consist of single-family residences, industry, and large parcels of vacant or underutilized land. The District is zoned as Town Center Core (TC-C) to support the highest intensity uses – retail, office, residences, and hotels anchored by a public open space – and Town Center East Village (TC-EV), which supports a mix of higher-density housing and retail contained within low-rise buildings and public open spaces.
As envisioned by this zoning, the District will be home to municipal, commercial, industrial, and residential uses in two- to three-story mixed-use developments. The development will include pedestrian and infrastructure improvements necessary to support a vibrant and active downtown.
Access to the District is indirect and limited by the BNSF tracks to the north and SR 14 to the south. The western third of the District includes an existing transportation grid with sidewalks while the network in the largely undeveloped eastern two-thirds is limited. Only Main Street currently provides through access in the District, but there is opportunity for greater pass-through and north-south connectivity. The District has no designated bike lanes. Like the transportation network, utility infrastructure within the District is most developed in the western third with good water main connectivity from north to south, but east-west connectivity and capacity are lacking in the eastern two-thirds. Similarly, existing sewer is primarily located in the northwest third of the District, and future development likely will require upsizing. Existing storm infrastructure is mostly limited to the western third of the District, where public storm sewer collects runoff and discharges to a roadside swale. The eastern two-thirds lacks any significant collection or conveyance storm drain, with runoff infiltrating in roadside ditches and open space. Franchise utilities include Frontier Communications, Comcast, Northwest Natural, and Clark Public Utilities; this last has adequate coverage throughout the District with heavy overhead power along Main Street.
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
2
Town Center District Vision To establish a District vision and prepare development options, the TIP required purposeful coordination between agencies, landowners, developers, and stakeholders. The vision mixes municipal, commercial, office, and residential uses in the context of a functional, attractive, and well integrated transportation and infrastructure network. The project team held two focus group meetings with representatives of private businesses, the City, the Port of Camas/Washougal, and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The community weighed in at an open house and WSDOT SR 14 access improvement workshops. As envisioned, the District mixes municipal, commercial, office, and residential uses in the context of a functional, attractive, and well integrated transportation and infrastructure network. The buildings – primarily two- to four-stories interspersed with some six-story buildings – house residential development that supports Town Center restaurants and businesses. Parks and open spaces are dispersed throughout the District with a larger downtown park along Main Street. A trail network connects to the Columbia River and pedestrians and bicyclists move easily throughout the District. This vision, established by project stakeholders, informed the three development options discussed broadly below. With the three options in hand, the team prepared capacity estimates for the new residential units and jobs that might be developed in the District over the next 25 years. While the locations of land uses differed for each option, their development capacity is roughly the same: over 1,100 new residential units and approximately 1,000 jobs in the District.
Option 1 This option proposes a mixture of medium- and high-density development across the District with the higher-density land uses clustered near 27th Street and along Main and Addy Streets. Option 1 includes a new downtown park at 22nd Street, preserves wetland areas along SR 14, and uses pedestrian trails to link development areas and open space. The option includes a new pedestrian underpass under SR 14 connecting to the waterfront and the levee trails, designates land for a waterfront park, and identifies medium-density development south of SR 14.
Option 1 at a glance Numbers in Acres
City of Washougal
3
Mill Village Development
11
Historic District Residential
39
Town Center Medium Density
7
Town Center High Density
19
Parks and Open Space
Option 1 extends the A Street to Addy Street roadway network and accesses development parcels with new downtown streets. This option uses the SR 14 interchange improvements to upgrade downtown access and includes a new 27th Street rail overpass connecting SR 14 and the study area to E Street. The option identifies public parking at 22nd Street in downtown and along 27th Street. Option 1 includes the development proposed in the East Village Master Plan, identifies a Mill Village development area near Pendleton Woolen Mills, and retains the historic residential district along the District’s north side. Full-size map available on page 9.
Option 2 This option proposes a mixture of medium- and high-density development across the District with the higher-density land uses clustered near 24th Street and along Addy Street. Option 2 creates park blocks – a set of public open spaces extending from the rail lines south to SR 14.
Option 2 at a glance Numbers in Acres
3
Mill Village Development
11
Historic District Residential
29
Town Center Medium Density
7
Town Center High Density
23
Parks and Open Space
The park blocks and the encircling high-density development associates new open space with community events and a mix of commercial and residential uses. This option preserves wetlands, includes a new pedestrian trail and tunnel under SR 14 connecting the new park blocks to the Columbia River waterfront and levee trails, designates land for a waterfront park, and identifies medium-density development south of SR 14. Option 2, like Option 1, extends the A Street to Addy Street roadway network and accesses development parcels with new downtown streets; the option also extends Front Street between Washougal River Road and 27th Street. Other improvements use the SR 14 interchange upgrades to improve access with a roundabout giving direct access to the District. Option 2 also includes a new 32nd Street rail underpass connecting SR 14 and the District to E Street. The option identifies public parking in downtown and along 27th Street. Like Option 1, Option 2 includes the development identified in the East Village Master Plan, identifies a Mill Village development area near Pendleton Woolen Mills, and retains the historic residential district along the north side of the District. Full-size map available on page 10.
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
4
Option 3 Option 3, a hybrid option, is based on feedback received from the Town Center focus group and includes elements of options 1 and 2. Option 3 features a parks block corridor of open space extending along 24th Street from Main Street south to Front Street. High-density Town Center land uses parallel the park blocks and then transition to medium-density uses.
Option 3 at a glance Numbers in Acres
3
Mill Village Development
11
Historic District Residential
30
Town Center Medium Density
7
Town Center High Density
20
Parks and Open Space
The option locates a new downtown park at 22nd Street that accommodates community events. Like the other options, Option 3 preserves the wetland areas along SR14 and uses pedestrian trails to link development areas and open space. Option 3 includes a new pedestrian underpass under SR 14 connecting the new trails and open space to the waterfront and levee trails, designates a new waterfront park, and identifies medium-density development south of SR 14. Option 3 extends Front Street between Washougal River Road and 27th Street and provides access to small medium-density parcels south of Front Street. The option uses SR 14 interchange upgrades to improve access and includes a new 32nd Street rail underpass, and identifies centralized public parking at 22nd Street and 25th Street. As with the other options, Option 3 includes the development proposed in the East Village Master Plan, identifies a Mill Village development area, and retains the historic residential district along the north side of the study area. The strong District pedestrian network established with Option 3 designates corridors along 24th Street, 32nd Street, and Front Street. Full-size map available on page 11.
Transportation and Infrastructure Plan The chief goal of the downtown transportation study was to identify key transportation and utility infrastructure improvements that will allow the development and redevelopment of the District and stimulate economic growth in the area.
Transportation Improvements As proposed, the new roadways and pedestrian trails give residents, workers, and visitors more choices for east-west navigation with a full connection of A Street to Addy Street and a new Front Street. The improvements also complement the new state-funded roundabouts and related SR 14 upgrades and enhance access to the District.
City of Washougal
The proposed transportation network includes options having both 40-foot and 60-foot rights of way. Both include sidewalks on both sides of the street, parallel and diagonal street parking, and 4-foot-wide planters behind some curbs and bike lanes. Transportation Network Map available on page 12. Cross sections available on page 13. 40-foot right of way
60-foot right of way
70-foot right of way with bike lanes and parking
Utility Infrastructure Improvements The growth projected over the next 20 years in the District requires upgraded water and sewer infrastructure, new water and sewer mains, a new sewer pump station, and new stormwater infrastructure. The proposed stormwater management strategy uses the existing wetland areas east and west of 24th Street as an enhanced wetland and regional stormwater facility and for regional flood control. However, development in the eastern two-thirds of the District requires a new and upgraded storm drain network. Frontier Communications improvements include extending a manhole and conduit east on Main Street and adding a new feed route. Northwest Natural and Comcast do not anticipate significant issues related to extending their systems to new development while Clark Public Utilities anticipates adding two new underground power feeder lines. Proposed Water System and Sewer System Maps on pages 14 and 15.
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
6
Infrastructure Costs and Funding The cost of the transportation, utility, and park improvements as proposed in the options are estimated at approximately $26.7 million at buildout. The estimated funding for stormwater, transportation, and parks, trails, and open space improvements falls short. Revenue is sufficient to pay for 79.8 percent of the utility infrastructure cost and 27.3 percent of the transportation, parks, trails, and open space infrastructure cost. Sources for the additional funding include grants, low interest state-sponsored loans, developers or landowners, City general obligation debt, or other City capital or operating sources. Infrastructure Costs vs. Revenue Infrastructure Type
Cost
Revenue
% of Costs Covered
Water
$2,140,000
$1,990,000
93.0
Sewer
$6,730,000
$3,710,000
55.1
Stormwater
$1,040,000
$440,000
42.3
Utility Revenue Bonds
NA
$1,770,000
NA
Total Utilities
$9,910,000
$7,910,000
79.8
Transportation
$12,260,000
1,850,000
15.1
Parks, Open Space, Trails
$4,510,000
$1,330,000
29.5
Total Transportation and Parks
$16,770,000
$3,180,000
19.0
Real Estate Excise Tax (REET)
NA
$1,390,000
NA
Total Transportation and Parks with REET
$16,770,000
$4,570,000
27.3
Fiscal Impact Analysis District development is projected to generate an estimated $85.2 million in net present value (2017) fiscal benefit over 25 years. The state’s share is an estimated $60.3 million or 70.8 percent, the City’s share is an estimated $15.6 million or 18.3 percent, and the balance of the benefit would go to other local taxing districts (e.g., Clark County and the Port). Total Fiscal Impact by Tax Source over 25 Years Tax Source
Net Present Value (2017)
Utility Tax
$4,727,000
Real Estate Excise Tax (REET)
$5,120,000
Property Tax
$13,608,000
Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax
$14,341,000
Construction Sales Tax
$15,587,000
Sales Tax
$31,779,000
Total
$85,162,000
City of Washougal
Next Steps The vision and framework for development presented in this summary reflect the high level of consensus reached by the stakeholders. The economic analysis shows that the cost of extending the transportation and utility infrastructure is greater than can be funded with revenue generated from the development (based upon assumed development factors); the creative mix of funding that is required can be derived from City and developer sources in combination with state/federal grants and/or low interest loans. To encourage the development of the District as envisioned and thereby ensure its continuing attraction, the City should consider three courses of action before development becomes reality: • Incorporating minimum performance standards requiring increasing density and employment intensities; • Looking proactively at expanding/developing park infrastructure before land becomes less available; and • Developing a parking plan that addresses long-term parking-related issues – the actuality of the District as a vibrant hub for residents, workers, and visitors depends largely on parking availability.
Attachments The Proposed Vision Plan Studies (1,2, and 3), Transportation Network Map, Street Cross Sections, and Proposed Water and Sewer Systems Maps are included on the following pages. The information presented in this executive summary is supported by technical documents included in the Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study Report, on file at the Washougal Engineering Department.
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
8
Development Option 1
City of Washougal
Development Option 2
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
10
Development Option 3
City of Washougal
Transportation Network Map
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
12
City of Washougal
Washougal, WA / Concept Map / July 2017
Town Center District Infrastructure Plan Study - Sections
SYMBOL
ARTERIAL/COLLECTOR WITH PARKING
SYMBOL
TOWN CENTER DOWNTOWN STREET 40 FOOT R.O.W. (PLANVIEW)
ARTERIAL/COLLECTOR WITH BIKE LANES SYMBOL
TOWN CENTER DOWNTOWN STREET 60 FOOT R.O.W. SYMBOL
SYMBOL
ARTERIAL/COLLECTOR WITH PARKING & BIKE LANES
Street Cross Sections
Proposed Water System
Town Center District Transportation and Infrastructure Study | August 2017
14
Proposed Sewer System
City of Washougal
City of Washougal