Improvements to Interstate 5 and securing one or more connector routes between I-5 and Hwy. 99W took center stage yesterday in a discussion among nearly two dozen business leaders from the Wilsonville, Sherwood and Tualatin areas with Metro Councilor Carl Hosticka and Metro staff.
Hosticka along with Andy Cotugno and Ray Valone from Metro staff presented the recommendations contained in Metro COO Michael Jordan’s report, “Making the Greatest Place: Strategies for a sustainable and prosperous region,” issued on Sept. 15. Jordan’s report proposes to integrate local and regional land use and transportation policies and public investments in a way that focuses more growth inside the existing urban growth boundary, promotes economic prosperity, invests in existing public assets, and protects farm and forest land.
Members of the South Metro Business Alliance listened attentively and queried Hosticka and Cotugno on how best that area of the region can secure funding for improvements to I-5 and the development of the I-5/99W connector.
“It is critical that the I-5/99W connector be realized,” said Paul Phillips, president of Pac/West Communications and a former state senator, who led the meeting.
Phillips and Larry Harvey, also with Pac/West, also asked how the business community could help move a study of I-5 improvements forwarded towards funding. Cotugno responded that, as I-5 is an ODOT facility, ODOT and the Oregon Transportation Commission need to hear from the business community.
But the lack of funding for these projects also presents a significant drawback.
“ODOT doesn’t see the value in creating big study projects if there is little prospect of having funding to build them,” said Cotugno. He noted that, though the Legislature approved additional funding for transportation projects in the 2009 session, most of those funds were earmarked to certain projects and I-5 was not on the list. Cotugno also noted that even with the recent gas tax and vehicle registration fees passed earlier this year, there is not enough money to build or enhance the transportation projects necessary to support growth. “There will need to be new revenues in the future, no questions about that.”
“If nothing happens to I-5, we still need to promote the arterial (road) system to help get freight around” the frequent bottlenecks, said Linda Moholt, CEO of the Tualatin Chamber of Commerce.
“I-5, even if it is a problem, cannot be circumnavigated easily. The arterials are jammed,” agreed Parker Johnstone, owner of Parker Johnstone’s Wilsonville Honda.
In addition to transportation issues, Valone presented the highlights of Jordan’s report pertaining to possible urban and rural reserves in the South Metro area. Valone noted that, while the COO report does not have maps illustrating specific reserve areas recommended by Jordan, the report largely follows the recommendations of Clackamas and Washington counties relating to urban reserves near the I-205 interchange in Stafford (either for employment lands or to create a town center), urban reserves in East Wilsonville for housing and employment, urban reserves west of Wilsonville and south of Sherwood for future employment lands, and rural reserves south of the Willamette River.
Wilsonville City Councilor Alan Kirk noted that the city’s planning commission, in anticipation of the urban and rural reserves process and future urban growth boundary expansions, identified 10 areas around Wilsonville for inclusion into the urban growth boundary, which are reflected in the Clackamas County reserves recommendations and Jordan’s report.
Hosticka urged the group to present a united front to state, local and regional policymakers to advocate for the investments and policies that will support economic growth in the southern part of the Metro area.
“To the extent that there is disagreement in this part of the region about what needs to be done, it makes it harder (to get results),” said Hosticka. “To the extent you can come up with a unified position, you can get a better result.”