Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1)
Purpose and process.
(a)
Purpose of local CTR plan.
The state's intent in requiring local CTR plans is to ensure that CTR program
goals and targets help jurisdictions achieve their broader transportation and
land use goals, and that the jurisdiction in turn develops services,
regulations, policies and programs that support the trip reduction investments
of major employers. This can be achieved by integrating the local CTR plan and
program with other transportation and land use plans and programs, and
collaborating with local service providers, interest groups, and others to
develop effective trip reduction strategies. Nothing in these rules is intended
to change the requirements for local comprehensive plans developed under the
Growth Management Act. The state intends for the CTR planning process to
provide a new perspective on the local comprehensive plan; while a jurisdiction
may choose to update or amend its comprehensive plan based on the outcome of
the CTR planning process, nothing in these rules requires it.
(b)
Plan development
process.RCW
70.94.527(4) requires local
CTR plans to be developed in consultation with local transit agencies, the
applicable RTPO, major employers, and other interested parties.
(i) Consultation. The local jurisdiction
shall invite, as appropriate, representatives of major employers, local transit
agencies, the applicable RTPO, business associations and economic development
organizations, nonprofit transportation and land use advocacy organizations,
pedestrian and bicycle advocacy organizations, public health agencies, tribal
governments, and residents, employees and businesses that will be affected by
the CTR plan to participate in the development of the local CTR plan. The state
intends for the invited partners to work collaboratively with the local
jurisdiction by providing data and plans and discussing opportunities,
including new and reprioritized investments and policy changes, to reduce
drive-alone commute trips in the jurisdiction and increase transportation
access to affected major employer worksites.
(ii) State role. WSDOT shall provide
information to support local CTR plan development. This information shall
include employer and jurisdiction base year values, calculated from CTR survey
data, state highway system performance data, and other information as
appropriate. WSDOT shall also provide technical assistance to support
implementation of the local CTR plan, which may include but is not limited to:
(A)Printing and processing of state CTR
survey forms;
(B) Creation of
survey reports and customized data reports;
(C)Online survey set-up and
assistance;
(D)Online annual report
set-up and assistance; and
(E)Program reviewer and survey
training.
(iii) Regional
role. It is critical that the local jurisdiction collaborate with the
applicable RTPO in the development of its local CTR plan. By working closely
with the RTPO, the local jurisdiction can produce a CTR plan that meets state
requirements and is consistent with the regional CTR plan.
(iv) Public outreach. The local jurisdiction
shall follow, at a minimum, a comparable process to the local requirements and
procedures established for purposes of public outreach for comprehensive plan
development, adoption, or amendment, including public notices and public
meetings and hearings.
(c)Consistency and integration with
other plans, programs and local requirements.RCW
70.94.527(5) requires local
CTR plans to be consistent with applicable state and regional transportation
plans and local comprehensive plans.
RCW
70.94.527(5) also requires
local CTR plans to be coordinated and consistent with those of adjoining
jurisdictions or related regional issues to ensure consistency in the treatment
of employers who have worksites in more than one jurisdiction. The local
jurisdiction shall review the local comprehensive plan to ensure that it is
consistent with the local CTR plan. If the local jurisdiction determines that
the local comprehensive plan needs to be updated or amended to be consistent
with the local CTR plan, the local jurisdiction shall identify in the local CTR
plan what changes may be needed and when the changes will be made. The local
jurisdiction shall use the regional CTR planning process as a means to discuss
regional issues with adjoining jurisdictions. The local jurisdiction shall
follow the administrative guidelines established by WSDOT and posted on the
agency's web site to ensure consistency in the treatment of employers who have
worksites in multiple jurisdictions.
(d)
Plan review and
approval.RCW 70.94.527(1)
requires the local CTR plan to be submitted to the RTPO and be included in the
regional CTR plan.
(i) Schedule. In order for
a local jurisdiction to receive state CTR program funding in the 2007-2009
biennium, the CTR board must receive the final draft of the local CTR plan by
October 1, 2007. For biennia after 2007-2009, the CTR board must receive
updated CTR plans by March 31 every two years thereafter if updates to the
local CTR plan have been made or if a jurisdiction is adopting a local CTR plan
for the first time.
(ii) RTPO
review. RCW 70.94.527(5)
requires the RTPO to review the local CTR plans. Local jurisdictions shall
submit the final draft of their local CTR plans to the applicable RTPO by the
date specified by the RTPO, so that the RTPO may review the plans before
submission to the CTR board. The RTPO will review the local CTR plan to
determine its consistency with the regional CTR plan and state
requirements.
(iii) Determination
of consistency.
RCW
70.94.527(7) requires the
RTPO to collaborate with the CTR board to evaluate the consistency of local CTR
plans with the regional CTR plan. When the RTPO submits its regional CTR plan
to the CTR board, it shall also submit any final drafts of local CTR plans in
the region and recommend to the CTR board which local CTR plans are consistent
with the regional CTR plan and state requirements.
(iv) Approval by CTR board.
RCW
70.94.527(7) requires local
CTR plans to be approved by the CTR board in order to be eligible for state CTR
funding. The CTR board shall review the final drafts of local CTR plans and
communicate its findings in writing to the submitting RTPO within one hundred
twenty days following receipt of the plans. If the CTR board approves a local
CTR plan, the local jurisdiction shall then adopt the local CTR plan by
ordinance and begin to implement the plan and any other necessary changes to
local ordinances, plans, or programs. If the CTR board rejects a local CTR
plan, it shall communicate its reasoning and recommendations for improvement to
the submitting RTPO. The RTPO shall then work with the local jurisdiction to
improve the local plan. Jurisdictions may submit a revised local CTR plan to
the RTPO and CTR board in the schedule jointly established by the RTPO and the
CTR board.
(v) Appeal. If a local
CTR plan is not approved by the CTR board, the local jurisdiction may choose to
appeal the decision to the secretary of transportation or his/her designee
within sixty days of the board's decision by submitting a written request for
appeal to the secretary of transportation or his/ her designee. The secretary
of transportation or his/her designee shall consider the appeal within sixty
days of the jurisdiction's request. If the secretary of transportation or
his/her designee grants the appeal, the local CTR plan shall be considered
valid by the CTR board and RTPO. If the secretary of transportation or his/her
designee denies the appeal, the local jurisdiction is not eligible for state
CTR program funding until its revised plan is submitted and approved by the CTR
board.
(e)
Plan
update cycle. According to
RCW
70.94.527(5), local
jurisdictions shall review their local CTR plans annually and revise them as
necessary to be consistent with applicable plans developed under
RCW
36.70A.070. The local CTR plan shall be
updated at least once every four years, in order to establish new four-year
targets and program strategies and update other elements as needed.
(2)
Required plan
elements.RCW 70.94.527(4)
requires affected local governments to adopt CTR plans consistent with the
rules and deadlines established by WSDOT. The state intends for local
jurisdictions to use information in existing plans and programs, such as the
local comprehensive plan, unified development codes, the transportation
improvement program, economic development plans, and others, as much as
possible in order to develop the local CTR plan. The local CTR plan is required
to meet the requirements specified in these rules, but local jurisdictions may
choose to adjust the scope of their local CTR plans as needed to make them more
effective. The local CTR plan shall describe how the CTR program will help
achieve the jurisdiction's broader land use and transportation goals.
The local CTR plan shall contain the following elements:
(a)
Description of land use and
transportation context. Jurisdictions shall evaluate the significance of
local land use and transportation conditions, characteristics and trends to
describe the most critical factors to the success of CTR.
The plan shall highlight the existing and future land use and
transportation conditions and characteristics considered most critical by the
jurisdiction and evaluate the degree to which existing local services,
policies, regulations, and programs, as well as any documented future
investments, will complement the trip reduction efforts of CTR employers.
Jurisdictions may choose to broaden the scope of their local CTR plan by
developing a jurisdiction-wide analysis, rather than focusing only on major
employers.
The plan shall evaluate the existing barriers to the success of
the CTR program, and identify how the jurisdiction and its partners can
overcome these barriers. The state intends for the plan to be a mechanism
through which employers can describe what policy changes, services and support
they need to make their CTR programs more effective.
The plan shall also discuss cross-boundary issues, such as
pass-through commute patterns or larger regional issues, and how these affect
the local CTR plan.
(b)Goals and targets. The plan
shall establish the jurisdiction's CTR goals and targets and show how
achievement of these goals and targets will contribute to the jurisdiction's
other adopted land use and transportation goals. The plan's goals and targets
shall be established consistent with the standard described in WAC
468-63-030, Program goals and
measurement. The plan shall describe the base year values and numerical targets
for each major employer worksite required to participate in the CTR
program.
(c)Measurement
methodology for determining base year values and progress toward meeting goals
and targets. The plan's measurement methodology shall be consistent with
the measurement guidelines established by WSDOT and posted on the agency's web
site.
(d)
Description of
local services and strategies for achieving the goals and targets. The
plan shall describe what local services and strategies will be implemented to
achieve the plan's goals and targets, and how these services and strategies
will support the CTR programs of major employers. Strategies may include, but
are not limited to:
(i) Modifications of local
policies and regulations, including the transportation concurrency system,
street design standards, parking, and zoning;
(ii) Investments in services and facilities,
including transit services, nonmotorized facilities and amenities;
and
(iii) Marketing and incentives.
Transit agencies shall work with counties, cities and towns as
a part of their six-year transit development plan established in
RCW
35.58.2795 to take into account the location
of major employer worksites when planning and prioritizing transit service
changes or the expansion of public transportation services, including rideshare
services (RCW 70.94.527(5)
).
(e)Description of requirements for
major employers. The plan shall describe the requirements for major
employers that will be outlined in the local ordinance. The plan shall also
describe the program that the local jurisdiction will offer to its employees
and how this contributes to the success of the overall plan. The plan shall
also identify the major employer worksites, including affected state agency
locations, within the jurisdiction's affected urban growth area and any major
employment installations.
(f)
Documentation of consultation. The plan shall include
documentation from the local jurisdiction that verifies consultation with
employers, transit agencies and others to develop the plan. If the CTR plan
includes new or reprioritized transit service beyond that identified in the
six-year transit development plan as a strategy to meet the goals and targets,
the plan shall include acknowledgement from the applicable transit agency that
it supports the transit element of the plan and has agreed on a plan to fund
future service investments. If the plan submittal to the CTR board does not
include acknowledgement of support from the applicable transit agency, then the
new or reprioritized transit service element of the plan shall not be
considered as a valid strategy to meet the plan's goals and targets.
(g)
A sustainable financial
plan. The plan shall describe the funding revenues from public and
private sources that are reasonably expected to be available, as well as the
expected costs, to implement the plan and achieve its goals and targets. If a
jurisdiction identifies program elements that are not necessary to the success
of the plan, but would support the plan and are beyond expected resources, the
plan shall describe the level of funding that would be needed to implement the
program element and how it would contribute to the success of the
plan.
(h)
Implementation
structure. The plan shall describe how the various strategies identified
in the CTR plan will be implemented, either by the local jurisdiction, its
partners, or its contracting partners, and when the elements of the plan are
expected to be implemented. If the local jurisdiction decides to update its
comprehensive plan to be consistent with the CTR plan, it shall describe which
elements need updating and when the update will occur.
(i)
Growth and transportation
efficiency centers. If the jurisdiction has designated a growth and
transportation efficiency center, the local jurisdiction shall summarize and
incorporate the GTEC program plan into the local CTR plan in the next update of
the plan.
Statutory Authority:
RCW
70.94.537. 07-05-065, § 468-63-040,
filed 2/20/07, effective 3/23/07.