Hazel Dell Hollow Neighborhood Association

New Road County Comments: Jan #1

119th Street Alignment Study
NW 7th Ave. to NW Hazel Dell Ave.
Summary of Comments and Questions
from December 9, 1998 Open House Comment Form

Comments
Attendees at the December 9, 1998 Open House were asked to complete a comment form. Sixteen forms were returned at the open house and 32 more were received after the open house. More than 60 pages of comments and questions were received. The comments have been summarized and the questions compiled and responded to by Clark County staff. Where possible, the number of respondents providing the same comment was recorded. Because of the wide range of comments it was not possible to group all comments and provide an exact count. The comments were often similar, but not exactly the same. Many people asked the same question, so you may not find your exact wording in the question, but will find an answer. We want to thank all of you who took the time to send in comments and questions. Your input will help the staff in their continued effort to find an alignment that provides the maximum benefit with the least impact, at a reasonable cost.
¨ Ten respondents were in favor of the completion of an extension of 119th from NW 7th Ave. to NW Hazel Dell Ave., but did not indicate a preference for the alignment. They cited concern over increasing traffic volumes on 114th, difficulty in accessing 114th from NW 2nd Ave., and unsafe conditions on 114th. One respondent urged that any right-of-way acquisitions be done as soon as possible to keep costs as low as possible and to allay concerns of residents who are not sure how their property will be impacted.
¨ Approximately 20-25 respondents stated opposition to any alignment in the study area or stated no specific opposition but provided arguments against alignments. They, and several other respondents, expressed concern over potential loss of habitat and open space, increased noise and pollution, the unstable hillside and springs in the northern section, loss of large trees, increased drainage impacts on the properties below any new road, driveway access for 117th residents, and impacts on wetland area and a semi-rural residential area. Some of them supported the widening of 114th Street and 7th Ave., with the addition of bike lanes, sidewalks and a light at 114th and Hazel Dell. Some in this group believed that older homes on 114th would be less expensive to purchase. One respondent in this group opposed the removal of any homes to accomplish these improvements, while another could foresee long and costly litigation.
¨ Approximately 5 respondents preferred alignment in the northern portion of the study zone. They expressed concern over the loss of property values with the southern alignment and felt the additional cost of a northern alignment was worth the reduced number of impacted homes. (Please note that 8 homes are directly impacted by the northern alignment versus 4 homes with the southern alignment.) Another respondent felt "the original master plan would have specified the northern alignment along the 119th corridor. The builders and/or owners of the homes east of the intersection of NW 119th and 7th Avenue chose to ignore this when they sited their homes. The homeowners along the future 117th Street should not be penalized for this …decision." Another respondent stated that, "Until this year, all information we had encountered regarding the extension of NW 119th Street to the east dealt with a direct extension of 119th St. rather than utilizing parts of NW 117th St. A map showing the proposed location appeared in the Dec 2, 1998 issue of the Battleground Reflector and it depicted the northern route. Thus, as late as Dec 2 1998, the PUBLISHED routing was the northern route. It is understood that minor adjustments are sometimes necessary in implementing such a project but NO ALTERNATE ROUTING was identified as being under consideration. ¨
¨ One respondent stated that their experience shows 80-90% of the commuter traffic was turning south on Hazel Dell, not north, and that this would cause substantial backups at the intersection. "…there is no guarantee that (traffic) will not continue to use 114th St. which is more direct and flat route" for traffic headed south on Hazel Dell.
¨ Several respondents stated that north/south, not east/west, improvements are needed in this area. Capacity improvements on 36th, connecting 78th, 99th and 134th, with speed bumps and stops signs to slow and detour traffic off 114th would address much of the needs. It was also suggested that a connector not be implemented "until the remaining streets in the area have been modified to increase capacity. "Let's see NW 21st, NE Hazel Dell Ave., NE 117th, and NE 119th widened to allow more traffic, then take a look at this connector and see if it's needed."
¨ Two respondents pointed out that the other east/west streets have access to the freeway. They questioned the logic for putting additional traffic onto Hazel Dell Ave. that will need to search north or south for freeway access.
¨ Five respondents expressed concern over increased traffic on 119th resulting from the new road. They urged the county to complete the improvements to 119th before adding this extension. They cited concern over exacerbating sight distance problems in the Cougar Creek area. They also pointed out that the widening of 119th to an 80' ROW would result in the loss of many homes. They were also concerned about increased traffic on Hazel Dell. "Hazel Dell Avenue needs to be completed from 99th St north, widened where it is 2 lane blacktop, sidewalks installed ….."
¨ Four respondents expressed concern over speeding on the new road. They suggested addressing speed in the following ways: "wide straight roadways encourage speeding - add curves, narrow the travel lane, and add trees to the median and side clearance". Another respondent suggested "Maintaining the northern alignment has one gradual curve as the arterial curves into Hazel Dell rather than three curves at 7th, 6th and a tighter curve at Hazel Dell. The tighter radius curves in 117th Street alignment could possibly contribute to future accidents of cars coming from the west and failing to negotiate the curves. A straight alignment with one huge radius curve provide longer sight distances for people entering the new street and is an obvious better solution."
¨ One respondent expressed concern over additional traffic being "dumped onto Hazel Dell Avenue if it goes south does so through a school zone."
¨ One respondent stated that the open area near where 7th and 119th currently meet is "a low wetland area and I've been told that it is not even suitable to build a house on much less a road…."
¨ There were several suggestions for the intersection of Bassel Road with NW Hazel Dell and/or the new alignment. They included: "developing a four-way intersection with 119th, 117th, Hazel Dell Ave. and Bassel Road", "Bassel Road should join new roadway as far west as possible to avoid new roadway intersection at Hazel Dell Ave.". One respondent felt that "some provisions will have to be (made) to ensure slope stability where the 119th would join Hazel Dell and 117th. With the current state of the art, that should present no great difficulties."
¨ Suggestions for design of the new road include: "bike lane next to the sidewalk; the clearance should be next to the travel lane. ….the clearance should be treed", improved bicycle and pedestrian access to Salmon Creek Park , including the consideration of a pedestrian/bike "underpass" for the new alignment, "If this road is built, provide sound barriers similar to 134th."
¨ One respondent suggested that the county review the need for this project with a citizen committee, including members from this area. Another urged that the county review their goals for this project and make sure that a new alignment in this area would actually accomplish those goals. Another felt that, "The county should re-evaluate the priority rankings for its transportation projects. More priority should be given to widening NW 21st Ave. from 119th to 99th Street." ¨
¨ Several respondents felt it was inappropriate for staff to be proposing alignment options without visiting the area and questioned why the northern area was even considered without visiting and/or doing a geological study. They felt that maps and aerial photos could not provide the staff with needed insight into the true nature of this area.
¨ Several respondents chastised the county for not purchasing the needed property ROW while the land was vacant and for not accounting for the transportation needed before issuing building permits both in the alignment zone and in areas to the west. "Put the roads in first, then the houses."
Respondents offered the following additional suggestions and comments:
¨ Pursue "Needs grants or other agencies to help fund this project."
¨ "The county should take pride in a neighborhood that has old growth timber surrounding it, is located within walking distance of a County Park, and continues to have wildlife roaming the hillsides."
¨ "Vancouver is a growing city and the communities of Hazel Dell, Salmon Creek still have a rural feel to them. The people, who want to live farther out because of the openness of the area should think about that and realize that it might take them a bit longer to get to work in the morning. Do those citizens of Felida want to have wide-open space, but use our community as a quick fix to their morning commute? Perhaps they should have thought about that when they moved farther away from the main roads and freeway access."
¨ Two respondents recommended a moratorium on building until transportation needs are addressed and the development of a grid system. One respondent said, "Also, grids are nice. Not Necessary. There is no grid on Burnt Bridge Creek. There doesn't need to be one on Salmon Creek"
There were many comments and questions about traffic counts and other data that support the need for this alignment. Those questions have been addressed in the question and response section of this document.
Questions and Responses
1. Classification of roadway?
The proposed roadway is classified as an M-2cb (Urban Minor Arterial, 3-lane with bike lanes).
Although the Arterial Atlas may not indicate the use of NE 117th Street as part of this minor arterial connection, the history of land division indicates that it has been part of the County's plans since the late 1970's.

2. What are the exact specifications for an urban minor arterial? Now and in the new road standards?
The following is the criteria for an Urban Minor Arterial, 3-lane with bike lanes
Current
Maximum Spacing Less than 2 miles
Minimum Right-of-Way (ft) 80
Lane Width (ft) 11-12
Median Width (ft) N/A
Shoulder Parking N/A
Roadway Width (ft) 46
Design Speed (MPH) 40
Maximum Grade (%)*
Flat
Rolling
Mountainous
6
8
10
Min. Centerline Radius (ft)
Flat
Rolling
Mountainous
955
560
410
Design Volume (ADT) 16,000
Min. Full Access Intersection Spacing (ft) 500
Sidewalk (both sides)
Curb and Gutter required 6'
18" Curb & Gutter
Minimum Radii (ft) 35
Min. R/W radius chords 25

*May be steeper for short distances where permitted by AASHTO Guidelines.
New road standards have not yet been adopted by Clark County.

3. What are the maximum slopes for a minor arterial?
This area is classified as Rolling Terrain with a maximum slope is 8%. It may be steeper for short distances where permitted by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines.

4. Why is the county not subject to the same wetland or greenbelt environmental regulations as private landowners?
The Clark County Wetlands Protection Ordinance (section 13.36.420) allows for the construction of facilities (utilities, public roads, trails, etc.) within areas where, for example, a private road would not be allowed. The idea behind the ordinance is that these facilities provide for the greater public good as compared to a private facility. The County must comply with the ordinance's requirements pertaining to the mitigation of impacts to wetland and associated buffers. This includes wetland restoration and enhancements, which must be incorporated into the design of the project.

5. What transportation studies and been done? How old are the studies? Were these studies done with an unbiased mind, or were the studies done with the objective of proving that the east/west connector was best?
The need for arterial facilities is documented in the supporting transportation planning analysis for the Comprehensive Plan. A complete alternatives analysis on this link has not been performed. Preliminary analysis indicates that the adopted land use plan will result in a poor level of service on parallel routes (NW 99th Street, NW 114th Street, NW 7th Avenue) if this link is not constructed.
All transportation analyses performed for development of the capital facilities plan (CFP) are "unbiased" in that no particular link or route is given preference at the outset of the study. Some routes have historically evolved into Principal Arterials and the analyses recognize that regardless of what the County wants to plan, those routes will likely remain high-volume roadways.

6. How can the county propose construction in a designated wetland? (Northerly route along ridge)
The ridge is not a designated wetland, although the bottom slopes may have areas designated as such. The most restrictive designation of the area up along the ridge slopes is Wetland Buffer, and it would require the proper mitigation for construction in this area.

7. Does the county have a current 80 foot Right of Way along all of NW 119th St, 117th St, Klineline Road, from NW 36th to Highway 99? If not, what is the current ROW for this area?
The Right-of-Way varies along the entire route, from the required 80-foot width to a 40-foot width. There are Quarter Section property maps available for review at Real Property Services that give detailed information of the entire route. In addition these property maps are also available in the Assessor's Office at the Clark County Courthouse.

8. Does Hazel Dell Ave. from NW 99th Street to the proposed intersection have an 80-foot ROW?
The majority of the Right-of-Way along this section of Hazel Dell Avenue is a 60-feet total.

9. If the county does not have 80 foot ROW's addressed in the last two questions how many land parcels will be affected?
When the project is designed and the necessary right of way determined it will be possible to know how many parcels will be affected. Property is continually being developed resulting in the number of parcels changing. Alignment hasn't been set which could cause variations in the parcels affected.

10. What is the total cost of all ROW from 36th both sides of 119, 117, Klineline Road to Highway 99?
The Right-0f-Way needs have not been determined yet. An appraisal would be required to determine the value of the parcels. As development is on going and land values are always changing, it is difficult to determine an estimate of Right-0f-Way costs even with a known alignment.

11. What is the number of cars that would facilitate a "minor arterial"?
An Urban Minor Arterial, 3-lane with bike lanes is designed to handle an Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volume of 16,000 vehicles. Facilities are not designated solely on the basis of their design volume. The roadway designations are the result of the historical use of the facility, the existing and expected use of the facility (both volume and type of traffic), the location of the roadway in relationship to other arterial and non-arterial roadways, and the location of the roadway in relationship to the designated land uses it serves. NW 119th-NE 117th is a minor arterial because it has historically served east-west through movements in the north-west Hazel Dell-Felida area, it is projected to have volumes consistent with a minor arterial designation, and it would connect two principal arterials (NW Lakeshore/NW 36th Ave. and Highway 99).

12. What are the number of lots available in the vacant land inventory for the area bordered on the south by Salmon Creek, West by 36th Ave., north by approx. 109th, east by Hazel Dell Ave.?
The availability of vacant land changes on almost a daily basis as development applications and building permits are approved. There is no static inventory of vacant land available for review and inspection. Given sufficient time for processing and payment of associated costs, a specific area vacant lands analysis can be conducted by staff from the Department of Assessment and Geographic Information Systems. Zoning also affects the number of available lots.

13. What is the capacity for 99th St once the new improvements from 21st Ave. to Lakeshore are complete?
The Clark County Arterial Atlas (20-Yr Plan) classifies NW 99th Street as an Urban Minor Arterial, 3-lane with bike lanes, from Lakeshore Drive to NW 11th Avenue. This portion is designed to handle an ADT volume of 16,000 vehicles. Capacity is most appropriately measured in terms of how many vehicles the roadway can handle and still provide adequate travel speed, time and mobility for its users. The transportation model has NE 99th Street in this section as having a capacity of 800 vehicles per hour per direction. From NW 11th Avenue to I-5, 99th Street is classified as an Urban Minor Arterial, 4-lane with bike lanes. As such, it is designed to handle an ADT volume of 18,000 vehicles. The transportation model has this section of 99th Street as having a capacity of 1700 vehicles per hour per direction.

14. What are the current slopes and grade of Cougar Creek hill on 119th St?
The steepest grade along NW 119th Street between NW 13th Avenue and NW 9th Avenue (Cougar Creek hill) is approximately 12%.

15. NW 11th Ave. and 16th Ave. are slated for improvement. How much of the traffic will this take from 119th?
The Arterial Atlas (20-Yr Plan) designation for NW 11th Avenue and NW 16th Avenue is C-2, a 2-lane collector. This designation has a design volume of 2,000 to 12,000 vehicles per day. The model capacity for collectors is dramatically lower than for higher-level arterial roadways. A two lane collector has a model capacity of 500 peak hour vehicles per direction.

16. The ESA, Salmon-Steelhead will be greatly effected by work on the Cougar Creek Hill, culvert and road widening, to bring 119th St up to minor arterial status which would allow the proposed new 119/117 alignment to be needed? Please show us the county's draft work on these issues.
Compliance with the Endangered Species Act is addressed as a part of the design and right-of-way acquisition process. The review process for compliance will not commence until a roadway alignment has been selected and a preliminary roadway design has been achieved.

17. In the 99-04 TIP draft, the determination, supporting comments state: "No impact, Improved air quality resulting from enhanced traffic movement." The statement, "No impact" is untrue, as reaffirmed by staff at the meeting. How will critical lands, slopes, drainage, water quality, ESA, runoff, wetlands, steelhead, etc. are going to be addressed and how could they be minimized?
As a part of the development of the TIP, each project was reviewed by the County's environmental biologist to provide a preliminary assessment of the environmental considerations associated with the proposed project. A determination of "no impact" was assigned to those projects, which did not appear to have major environmental impacts resulting in costly mitigation. If the project was deemed capable of complying with local, state and federal environmental standards while still maintaining a reasonable cost/benefit ratio, the project was given a "no impact" designation. Specific environmental issues including drainage, runoff, water quality, wetlands and slope stability will conform to all local, state and federal guidelines and will incorporate the most up-to-date engineering practices.

18. What is the exact data which would indicate improved air quality by this route and the cost/benefit analysis that would be done as part of that data.
An air quality analysis is not required on this project. Most analyses are required on projects with federal and state grant funding. This project is funded by Clark County road funds. Qualitatively, however, air quality will improve once the new road alignment is constructed because automobiles are more efficient (release less pollutants) when they are running versus idling. With the new alignment motorists will avoid the 90-degree turn onto NW 7th Ave. from NW 119th St., a stop sign at NW 7th Ave. and NW 114th St., and a stop sign at Hazel Dell Ave. and NW 114th St.

19. You started the presentation stating that TIP rankings were based mostly on safety. However, based on per million vehicles 119/117 rates much lower. Also, congestion if not a direct reflection of the higher TIF ranking. From TIP records, exactly what information and recommendations moved this from #46 in 1998 to #28 in 1999.
As per recommendations by the Board of County Commissioners, safety was given the highest consideration in the evaluation of projects in the 1999-2004 Transportation Improvement program. While this project did not rank as high in the safety category as compared to other projects, it did receive high marks in other categories including Consistency with the Arterial Atlas (20-Yr Plan), Support of Alternate Transportation, Route Connectivity, Environmental Impacts, and Support of Outside Agencies. The rationale for this project's movement from #46 in the 1998-2003 TIP to #28 in the 1999-2004 TIP is attributed to the scoring system developed by the Transportation Improvement Program Involvement Team (TIPIT). The scoring system utilized in this year's TIP is based on data gathered for each project. This data includes traffic counts, accident reports, environmental designations, maps, and field visits. The data is fed into a model that systematically applies each evaluation criteria to the project and in turn, produces a ranking assignment for the project.

20. How much weight did county staff put on it for "completing the grid"?
One of the evaluation criteria utilized in the development of the 1999-2004 TIP is "Route Connectivity". TIPIT recognized this importance of completing the county's arterial grid system as a significant attribute of the TIP. Route Connectivity was assigned a weighting factor of 2 in the TIP scoring system.

21. What will impact on Salmon Creek be?
According to Phil Gaddis, Clark County Public Works Senior Ecologist, the new route will have an insignificant impact to Salmon Creek. The route is well away from the Salmon Creek waterway.
Vehicles that will use the new route are currently using other roads in the area. Most of the runoff from these roads does not get treated, and eventually ends up in Salmon Creek. Traffic will shift to the new route once it is built. The new route will be built to collect, treat and provide a controlled release of runoff. Therefore the runoff going to Salmon Creek will be cleaner than what is currently going there, resulting in a slight positive impact. There will be some increase in noise as traffic is shifted closer to the waterway, resulting in a slight negative impact.

22. Why was the northerly route presented to the public without staff visiting the area and checking recorded documents that detail the wetland area?
The area was visited by staff, from below on Bassel Road and above on NE 117th Street and NE 2nd Court prior to exploring alternate routes. Staff did not go on the private property that could possibly be included in the northern alignment. Discussions were also held with Phil Gaddis, Clark County Public Works Wetland Biologist, who provided information about wetlands, buffers, and possible impacts.

23. Why even consider the northerly route without doing a geological study to determine if it is possible route?
A field review of the site indicates that the slope is stable, and a roadway along this ridge is feasible. If the decision were made that a more northerly route is preferable to a southerly route, then a geological study would provide the details as to what is required to construct the roadway.

24. What are development rights of existing property owners?
Existing property owners have the ability to develop their property subject to the regulations contained in Clark County Code. The density to which property can be developed and the type of development allowed is determined by the zoning of the particular parcel. The zoning of property is the major development regulation that implements the adopted comprehensive plan. Specific information about a parcel can be obtained from the Information Counter in Community Development. Detailed information, which is binding upon subsequent review, can be obtained by applying for a "pre-application conference". There is no fee for "over the counter" information, but there is a fee for the pre-application conference.

25. How much per acre for 5 acre plot in property acquisition?
The value of a parcel is determined by an appraiser at the time of right of way acquisition.
26. How is the proposed widening of 117th going to go under I-5, and what expenses are going to be incurred not only for the purchasing of homes and businesses along the way?
At this time, there has not been an identified project for the widening of NE 117th Street under Interstate 5 in the County's 6-yr Transportation Improvement Program. The Arterial Atlas (20-yr Plan) designates this portion of the 117th corridor as a minor arterial with 2-lanes and a center/left turn lane/median. Specific expenses associated with a project of this nature have not been determined at this early stage.
27. How will homeowners who have the value of their homes negatively impacted by being on an arterial be compensated?
Appraisals are done after the amount of necessary right of way has been determined. If the appraiser determines that there have been damages caused by the change in proximity of the home to the road, the appraiser will put a value on the damages.

28. Is 119th going to need widening and grade changes such as were done on NE/NW 99th Street?
In order to bring NW 119th Street up to the standards for a Minor Arterial the existing road will require both widening and vertical alignment changes.

29. Will 119th Street west from its present intersection with 7th to Lake Shore Drive be brought up to minor arterial standards?
The County Arterial Atlas (20-yr Plan) calls for the same designated arterial west of NW 7th Avenue as what is being proposed with this project. Such a project has not been identified in the County's 6-yr Transportation Improvement Program. However, as this project moves forward, it is likely that such a project will be identified as a means for completing the arterial system through this corridor.