Audio and video recordings of the meeting proceedings and meeting materials are available on the Port of

Seattle web site - http://www.portseattle.org/about/organization/commission/commission.shtml

(The approximate point in the audio recording for the specific item is identified by minutes and seconds;

example: 01:30)

APPROVED MINUTES

COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MARCH 29, 2011

The Port of Seattle Commission met in a special meeting at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at Port

of Seattle Headquarters, Commission Chambers, 2711 Alaskan Way, Seattle, Washington.

Commissioners Albro, Bryant, Creighton, Holland, and Tarleton were present.

1. CALL TO ORDER

The special meeting was called to order at 10:37 a.m. by Commission President Bill Bryant.

2. EXECUTIVE SESSION pursuant to RCW 42.30.110

None.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

None.

4. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS

None.

5. UNANIMOUS CONSENT CALENDAR

None.

Commissioners

Bill Bryant

Commission President

Tom Albro

John Creighton

Rob Holland

Gael Tarleton

P.O. Box 1209

Seattle, Washington 98111

www.portseattle.org

206.787.3000

Tay Yoshitani

Chief Executive Officer

PORT COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES P. 2

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011

6. DIVISION, CORPORATE AND COMMISSION ACTION ITEMS

None.

7. STAFF BRIEFING

None.

8. NEW BUSINESS

None.

9. POLICY ROUNDTABLE

a. (00:01:17) Policy Roundtable on Seattle Freight Mobility.

Presentation documents: Commission agenda memorandum dated March 22, 2011, from Mike Merritt,

Local Government Relations Manager, and Geraldine Poor, Regional Transportation Manager. Also

provided was a computer slide presentation.

Commissioner Bryant introduced the issue of freight mobility within the City of Seattle and the region and

explained that the purpose of the roundtable was to discuss the current state of freight mobility in Seattle,

particularly in industrial areas, and to discuss the relationship between freight mobility, industrial districts,

and job retention in King County. Mr. Bryant introduced the following roundtable participants:

 Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, chair of the City of Seattle Transportation

Committee;

 Peter Hahn, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT);

 Dr. Anne Goodchild of the University of Washington, Assistant Professor of Transportation

Engineering and Chair of the Freight Advisory Board;

 Eric Candelaria, Division Manager of Air and International Operations at UPS and a member of

the Freight Advisory Board;

 Terry Finn, Director of Government Relations at the BNSF Railroad and member of the Freight

Advisory Board and the Washington State Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (FMSIB);

 John Odland, Vice President of MacMillan Piper and Chair of the Manufacturing Industrial

Council;

 Michael Turek, Director of Licensed Transportation at Boeing; and

 Herald Ugles, Washington Arbitrator of International Longshore and Warehouse Union/Pacific

Maritime Association.

Seattle City Councilmember Rasmussen described his participation on the Board of the Association of

Washington Cities (AWC), which exposes him to the concerns of his counterparts in other communities

regarding freight mobility in and through the City of Seattle to the Port of Seattle and the regional

significance of local decisions affecting freight mobility and the Port. Mr. Rasmussen described the

importance of the City of Seattle’s responsiveness to the concerns of the freight community and his efforts

to establish Seattle’s Freight Advisory Board, which ensures that the concerns of the freight community are

PORT COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES P. 3

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011

considered by staff and the City Council when planning projects and crafting policies, such as the Complete

Streets Policy.

Seattle Department of Transportation Director Hahn noted that about a third of the Freight Mobility Board

was in attendance at the roundtable, and stated he is optimistic about the board’s ability to contribute to a

comprehensive policy-making approach to mobility for everyone, together with the pedestrian and bicycle

advisory boards.

Public comment was received from the following individual:

 Kirk Robbins, 2540 Sixth Avenue West, Seattle, Neighbors Advisory Committee representing the

Queen Anne Community Council. Mr. Robbins commented on the detrimental effects of street

rechannelization (“road diets”) in the Interbay manufacturing area, especially on Nickerson

Street, where he stated that travel times for transit, cars, and trucks have increased. He noted

that Seattle’s transportation policy-making approach from the perspective of freight, pedestrians,

and bicycles omits cars as a mode of transportation.

Mr. Robbins submitted for the record additional comments in emails from himself, Susan Casey,

and Rodney Guest related to road diets, Nickerson Street truck traffic, and staggering truck-

driver lunch breaks at T46. Copies of the emails are, by reference, made a part of these

minutes, are marked collectively as Exhibit A, and are on file in Port offices.

Commission President Bill Bryant thanked Mr. Robbins for his comments and asked the panelists to

introduce themselves.

Mr. Herald Ugles, Washington Area Arbitrator for the ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association and past

president of ILWU Local 19, described his experience on the Alaskan Way Viaduct Committee and various

freight mobility boards. Mr. Ugles commented on the importance of industrial lands as a generator of jobs.

He stated that maritime uses support approximately 22,000 jobs regionally, and that it is imperative to

prevent gridlock, which drives away jobs, and preserve industrial lands for industrial uses. Mr. Ugles

emphasized that cutting capacity on industrial routes segment by segment hinders jobs.

Mr. John Odland, Vice President of MacMillan Piper and Chair of the Manufacturing Industrial Council,

explained that MacMillan Piper is the largest freight company in the Pacific Northwest, handling between

7,000 to 10,000 loads monthly. Mr. Odland made the following assertions about road diet constrictions:

 population growth brings increased demand for freight transport and creates need for greater

truck capacity rather than less;

 with the variety of disruptive transportation projects underway, now may not be the right time to

consider road constrictions; and

 proposed improvements for Airport Way will force truck traffic onto East Marginal Way, which is

proposed to be rechannelized, and that appropriate consideration has not been given by SDOT

to the opposition of the Manufacturing and Industrial Council to these street improvement plans.

PORT COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES P. 4

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011

Mr. Terry Finn, Director of Government Relations at the BNSF Railroad, commented on the work of the

Freight Mobility Board and the timing of decisions on rechannelization on East Marginal Way and Airport

Way. He described his background with the Port of Seattle and the BNSF and the similarity of freight-

movement goals of the two organizations. Mr. Finn also described his work on FMSIB and the tension

between projects with conclusions based on traffic analysis and observations from truckers about actual

driver choices. He described the importance of retaining businesses and stated that Portland, which has

successfully accommodated pedestrians and bicycles in its transportation planning, has also lost many

businesses and has income levels 20 percent lower than Seattle.

Mr. Michael Turek, Director of Licensed Transportation at Boeing, introduced himself and described the

amount of freight moved through the region by Boeing and the concern caused by congestion and traffic

constraints that reduce Boeing’s ability to move parts freely and efficiently.

Mr. Eric Candelaria, Division Manager of Air and International Operations at UPS, described recently

joining the Freight Mobility Board and stated that while he understands SDOT’s direction with recent

projects, it seems the freight community was left out of much of the project planning. Mr. Candelaria

expressed UPS’s interest in maintaining and building commerce in the Seattle area and the West Coast,

his concerns over some projects in the State’s transportation funding plan, and his focus on freight and

commerce in and through Seattle and road safety.

Dr. Anne Goodchild, Assistant Professor of Transportation Engineering at the University of Washington,

described her research in freight and logistics estimating economic impacts of freight and freight projects

and in the relationship between ports and landside transportation networks. Dr. Goodchild stated that it

would be important for the Freight Mobility Board to invest in preparation of a master plan in order to

effectively advocate for its perspective as do advocacy groups for pedestrians and bicycles. She

commented that it would be helpful to have an established process for working out conflicts between

competing interests on specific projects. Dr. Goodchild also stated the importance for the freight

community to educate the public about the economic benefits of freight and the value of learning to

communicate these benefits in a way that is meaningful to the public.

Commissioner Bryant directed the first discussion question to Mr. Hahn and asked why road diets would be

implemented at the present time, given the number of jobs dependent on Seattle’s working waterfront and

the importance to those jobs of a truck-friendly transportation system.

Mr. Hahn responded by pointing out that SDOT has considered all the concerns mentioned by other

panelists and similar concerns posed by the City of Seattle Transportation Committee when debating road

diets on Nickerson Street and that one reason to rechannelize streets now, rather than wait, is to improve

safety. Mr. Hahn stated that SDOT sought not to negatively affect capacity and mobility. He described the

kinds of data gathered and explained that SDOT’s position is that the harm forecasted by road diets has not

really occurred and the affected streets still have enough capacity to handle the changes. Mr. Hahn added

that SDOT has committed to monitoring traffic on Nickerson Street and to reconsidering and restriping the

street if the road diet there did not work out. He concluded by emphasizing that safety is an area where

SDOT does not want to compromise.

Commissioner Bryant requested clarification on the safety issues to be resolved by road diets on East

Marginal Way and Airport Way. Mr. Hahn responded that the road diet on East Marginal Way was

implemented because the street was designed to accommodate 47,000 daily trips in 1961, but daily trips

PORT COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES P. 5

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011

have been reduced to 26,000, making the third traffic lane unnecessary. This particular road diet was not

due to a safety concern.

Commissioner Bryant asked how the potential restriction of East Marginal Way and Airport Way South with

curbs for pedestrian bulb-outs would affect the ability to evacuate the downtown in a six-hour period in the

event of an emergency evacuation. Mr. Hahn stated that he didn’t believe the major roads in and out of

Seattle have been restricted to capacities that cannot handle existing traffic and added that it was unclear

why there would be 1961 traffic volumes on East Marginal Way in 2011.

Councilmember Rasmussen opined that considering emergency conditions when planning road-system

changes was a reasonable evaluation to expect before altering the road system. He commented on the

practicality of the Complete Streets Policy, which he said recognizes each street’s uniqueness and

classifies some streets as truck streets.

Commissioner Tarleton asked for a discussion of the pros and cons of an advocacy planning approach to

transportation planning and how to engage the public to understand the value of freight in transportation

planning.

Mr. Ugles commented on the approach to resolving differences over recent work on SR-519 and asked for

more information about the urgency of rechannelizing East Marginal Way and Airport Way, the statistics

supporting the road diet, and anecdotal problems, rather than simply making the changes because the

decision was made to do it.

Dr. Goodchild remarked on the pros and cons of seeking public input when making transportation

decisions. She pointed to the Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) Freight Mobility Roundtable and

efforts by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to consider both individual and

corporate interests when resolving transportation questions. Dr. Goodchild added that one possible

outcome of a constituent-oriented decision-making process is that opposing parties become invested in the

same process and outcomes.

Commissioner Creighton pointed out that when transportation data differs from the public’s anecdotal

experience, the anecdotal evidence can affect the industrial community’s opinion of the value of industrial

property. Mr. Creighton said he supported the idea of preparing a renewed freight master plan in order to

ensure consideration of freight issues alongside pedestrian and bicycle issues.

Mr. Odlund recalled road construction planning, such as for First Avenue South, that engaged diverse

groups at the planning stage and resulted in better understanding of each transportation mode’s interests

and the result of having achieved a well-planned, effective roadway. He said that current frustration over

road diets by the industrial community boils down to whether their voice was heard during the road-diet

decision making process.

Commissioner Albro stated that these are questions of pragmatic policy and that the problem calls for a

conversation about the fundamental vision of the city and the region. He cautioned that only discussing the

details, such as bike lanes or road diets, creates the risk of becoming entrenched in positions that while

seemingly in conflict, don’t necessarily have to be. Mr. Albro shared his vision that Seattle remain a

dynamic, industrial, maritime city and asked the group to consider the economic and cultural enrichment for

the entire community that would result from doubling the number of Port-related jobs. He offered the

PORT COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES P. 6

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011

opinion that moving forward with road diets on East Marginal Way and Airport Way compromises the

community’s infrastructure for an unnecessary benefit and sets up a conflict.

Mr. Finn commented that involvement by advocacy groups leads to political, rather than scientific or data-

based, decisions and that the city’s policy seems to be aimed at compromising freight routes for the benefit

of other transportation modes rather than making the total system work better.

Responding to Commissioner Albro’s vision of the community, Michael Turek proposed the importance of

looking at the entire system of movement of people as well as freight. Mr. Turek described the

transportation system as a production system and warned that developments like road diets deteriorate the

system over time.

Councilmember Rasmussen commented that advocacy boards, such as the Freight Mobility Board, should

contribute real-life experience, knowledge, and professionalism to discussion of transportation issues. He

stated that it is the responsibility of SDOT and the city council to make sure all groups are represented and

heard during the decision-making process. He added that the Complete Streets Policy is not intended to

balance every use on every street but to ensure that modes of transportation appropriate to a particular

street are accommodated there.

Mr. Hahn talked about the possibility of applying the decision-making model used for SR-519 to the

improvements on East Marginal Way, possibly in April.

Commissioner Holland suggested looking at Seattle as a regional leader and consulting further with the

freight community, PSRC, and FMSIB from that perspective. He stated that now was not the time to adopt

road diets, especially during an economic recovery period.

Mr. Candelaria stated that restricting the streets in and out of the Port would hinder the Port’s ability to

serve as a driving force behind the state’s economy and that he would like to hear more about how

Seattle’s transportation policies tie in to the state’s economic development efforts.

Commissioner Bryant remarked on the disconnect in the state between stated long-term goals and the

budgets and policies that are adopted on a day-to-day basis. He echoed Commissioner Albro’s comments

on the importance of considering overall vision rather than focusing on individual projects and emphasized

the Port’s goal of growing its container business by a third and the need to be able to move cargo quickly

and efficiently through Seattle and over the Cascades to the Midwest. Commissioner Bryant indicated he

was impressed with the quality of SDOT analysis prepared on options for West Mercer Place and indicated

his desire for a similar analysis for proposed road diets on East Marginal Way and Airport Way South.

Commission Albro and Mr. Hahn commented on the importance of completing improvements to SR-509 to

accomplishing the Port’s goal of growing container business.

Mr. Ugles emphasized that growth in Port commerce is affected by grain shipments and the cruise

business as well as container cargo.

Port of Seattle Chief Executive Officer Tay Yoshitani thanked the roundtable participants for their insightful

contributions and stated he was encouraged by the inclination of the group toward further collaboration.

PORT COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES P. 7

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2011

Mr. Yoshitani posed for consideration whether the city’s policy of prioritizing streets based on function was

consistent with implementing road diets on a freight corridor.

Commissioner Tarleton commented on the importance of having a vision and discussing that vision with the

public because the choices being discussed have impacts that are broader than the City of Seattle. She

pointed out that increasing freight movement along freight corridors also affects the quality of life of

communities along those corridors and that increased population brings increased automobile traffic.

Given the support of or disagreement with existing policies of the Port, the City of Seattle, King County, and

the State by various communities of interest, Commissioner Tarleton asked for further discussion with the

public about a vision for the community that relates to jobs, opportunities, and the future economy of the

State.

Commissioner Albro asked the City of Seattle to revisit its decision to implement road diets on East

Marginal Way and Airport Way in order to reconcile different visions of the community represented by the

key stakeholders.

10. ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the special meeting was adjourned at 11:57 a.m.

(A digital recording of the meeting is available on the Port’s website.)

John Creighton

Secretary