CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION endorsing strategies to improve the movement of people and goods in Seattle’s industrial and maritime areas.
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WHEREAS, the maritime and industrial sectors are critical parts of the local, regional, and state economy; and
WHEREAS, Seattle contains two regionally designated Manufacturing Industrial Centers (MICs), a designation that prioritizes long-term use for industry and serves a critical function to the regional and statewide economy, is subject to regional policy protections in the Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC’s) Vision 2050 plan, and is eligible for allocation of federal and state transportation funding; and
WHEREAS, industrial and maritime uses in the MICs provide quality jobs, two-thirds of which are accessible without four-year college degrees; and
WHEREAS, a high proportion of jobs on industrial lands in fields including maritime, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, construction, utilities, and services are unionized with high-quality benefits; and
WHEREAS, there is a high potential for equitable access to quality jobs in industrial and maritime sectors by women and other workers who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) when coupled with job training and access programs provided by the City and other public agencies, private entities and unions; and
WHEREAS, the economic contributions and the quality jobs provided by the businesses and major intermodal transportation facilities in the MICs are dependent on maintaining and improving the functionality, safety, and efficiency of the internal freight networks and the freight network that connects the MICs to each other and to the regional and state freeway system; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle’s Complete Streets Ordinance (Ordinance 122386), Section 3, states: “Because freight is important to the basic economy of the City and has unique right-of-way needs to support that role, freight will be the major priority on streets classified as Major Truck Streets. Complete Street improvements that are consistent with freight mobility but also support other modes may be considered on these streets”; and
WHEREAS, it is a benefit to the regional, state, and national economy when supply chains are strong and a variety of agriculture products and goods supporting everyday life are manufactured in the United States and are exported through our ports around the world, and efforts are underway at all levels of government to onshore more manufacturing activities; and
WHEREAS, an Industrial and Maritime Strategy Advisory Council convened between December 17, 2019, and May 21, 2021, and issued a report based on an 80 percent consensus that recommended 11 strategies to strengthen and support our industrial maritime sectors; and
WHEREAS, the Industrial and Maritime Strategy Advisory Council report included transportation strategies that form the basis of this proposed resolution
WHEREAS, the transportation strategies laid out in this resolution are intended to complement and not conflict with the Industrial and Maritime Strategy Advisory Council’s 11 strategies as detailed in the March 2023 OPCD Director’s Report and Recommendation on the Industrial and Maritime Strategy, and should be read in concert with the report; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), and Office of Economic Development (OED) are requested to work collaboratively with the City’s regional transportation partners including Sound Transit, the Port of Seattle and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Seattle Freight, Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Advisory Boards, railroads, industrial trade unions, representatives of major Washington State agricultural commodities, property owners, and other stakeholders in the industrial areas of the City to:
A. Analyze transportation plans (including industrial subarea plans, programs, project designs, changes to the operation of City streets, or changes to the allocation of right-of-way affecting truck mobility) for their impacts on all transportation modes, especially freight, in order to provide the City with the information required to:
1. Prioritize freight movement on streets classified as Major Truck streets in planning, funding, and developing street improvements within and near the Manufacturing Industrial Centers (MICs) and surrounding areas: and
2. Improve the movement of workers and goods by making transit and freight networks more efficient, in particular, for industrial and maritime users; and
3. Improve last-mile connections to maritime, industrial, and railroad facilities for active transportation, transit, and freight, including large trucks; and
4. Identify priority transportation projects on the City’s freight network and work to advance projects that can compete effectively for freight grant funding; and
5. Prioritize those projects that ensure goods are moving in an efficient, safe, predictable, and sustained manner to help maintain and grow maritime jobs and the economic health of the MICs; and
6. Identify funding strategies for this prioritized freight project list; and
7. Implement regulatory and design standards to reduce conflicts between industrial and non-industrial users of the freight network, such as limits on the number and location of curb cuts for non-industrial uses and standards for intersections that provide turning radii that can safely accommodate truck movements.
B. When a transportation project may result in the reduction in the number or width of lanes along a Major Truck Street within industrial zones or connecting Port facilities to highways, the Council requests that SDOT offers a briefing to the Seattle Freight, Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit Advisory Boards and the Seattle City Council’s Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee, or successor committee with purview over transportation issues, with a goal of demonstrating that adjacent land uses will not be compromised. Transportation projects should be designed with safety as the top priority, ensuring predictable, reliable travel for all modes, and support Vision Zero while freight mobility between the Port and highways should not be compromised. All projects must improve safety for all, in accordance with Vision Zero best practices.
C. Continue advocating for Sound Transit’s West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions, that include:
1. A tunnel alignment for Ballard and Interbay future light rail; and
2. Maintaining efficient freight movement during construction of the light rail.
D. Regulatory impact analysis by SDOT, OPCD, and SDCI:
1. Within two years of the effective date of Ordinance 126862, and every year thereafter, OPCD should report on non-industrial development in the MICs, including the number of non-industrial development project permits applied for, issued, and completed during the prior two years.
2. Within four years of the effective date of Ordinance 126862, and every four years thereafter, for newly introduced non-industrial uses (such as lodging, entertainment, retail, or office uses), OPCD, in consultation with SDOT and SDCI, should consider how new development patterns are improving or growing the industrial center and its transportation system, as well as considering potential unintended consequences, such as impacts on truck mobility. Additional analysis related to barriers to development consistent with the zoning in the MICs, including but not limited to the effectiveness of incentive programs, should be included in these studies if funding to undertake that work is provided by the Council. These quadrennial reports should include recommendations for regulatory and transportation changes needed to support development consistent with the zoning and maintain efficient movement of goods and a strong maritime, manufacturing, and logistics ecosystem.
E. Site development impact analysis: When non-industrial uses (such as lodging, entertainment, retail, or office uses,) are proposed in MICs, SDOT and SDCI staff should work with the applicant to explore opportunities to improve or enhance the industrial centers and their transportation networks. This analysis should address safety issues with pedestrians and other modes of transportation and freight movement in MICs including along designated Major Truck Streets, State Routes, or heavy haul corridors. This work should include limits on curb cuts on Major Truck Streets, to the extent feasible. This work should be prioritized in areas where new uses are being allowed amongst major generators of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, such as in the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District.
F. Prioritize freight movement on streets that provide essential connections between MICs, port facilities, interstates, and state highways, with tools such as freight-only lanes, freight and transit lanes, queue jumps for freight and transit, and other tools.
G. Seek increased funding for pavement maintenance, including maintenance of Minor Truck Streets and non-arterials in industrial areas, and bridge repair or preservation projects for bridges that serve industrial areas such as the Ballard Bridge, the bridges over Argo Yard, and the 1st Avenue South Bridge.
H. Support Vision Zero projects with unique industrial-area applications to reduce traffic deaths and injuries.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2023, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2023.
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President ____________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2023.
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Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2023.
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Scheereen Dedman, City Clerk
(Seal)