Bastyr Master Plan
Response to Transportation Questions
M E M O R A N D U M
Date: July 19, 2005
To: File
From: Laura Van Dyke, P.E., P.T.O.E.
Marni C. Heffron, P.E., P.T.O.E.
Subject: Bastyr University Master Plan
Response to Councilmember's Transportation Questions
This memorandum presents additional information to respond to questions from a City of Kenmore councilmember. The questions and the responses are listed below.
Question 1. After reading the cover letter provided by J&S, I am still at a loss as to how the mitigation $s were arrived at. In my broad and not necessarily correct understanding, Bastyr goes from 400 some (allowable) students to over 1200 between 1995 and 2003 and the study says they only add a total of 110 trips during peak hours. This results in 79 trips and 31 trips over this time period. I don't understand this at all. How do 800 students only add I'm assuming 79 trips in the morning and 31 trips in the afternoon. I don't understand the methodology used to arrive at these figures.
Response to Question 1. The campus population at Bastyr has grown considerably since the approval for Bastyr to operate under the original Conditional Use Permit that was granted in 1995. Because the “over 1,200” campus population in 2003 includes both students and faculty/staff (1,034 students and 228 faculty/staff), this number should not be compared directly with the “400 some” students. Also, only a portion of students travel during the PM peak hour (the critical hour in the afternoon when transportation impacts are determined). Due to the nature of the school, many classes are offered during times of the day when travel during the PM peak hour is not required. Bastyr students come and go throughout the day, beginning before morning peak hour, and extending well into the evening. That is why the increase in peak hour trips is so much lower than the increase in students.
One way to determine mitigation for past growth is to identify the increase in trips generated by the site from 1995 and 2003. This was not possible because there were several uses on the Bastyr University campus in 1995 that also generated traffic but for which no data are available, including a conference center, Western Washington University, drug treatment center, little league, and other tenants The only way to estimate the trip generation using the data the City of Kenmore and Bastyr had available used information about the total parking supply. For Bastyr’s use, parking supply has likely grown in proportion to the number of trips generated by the site. This methodology was discussed with and approved by City of Kenmore staff.
According to Bastyr staff, there were a total of 398 parking spaces in 1995. There are currently 671 parking spaces. Therefore, parking spaces in 1995 were about 59% of those in 2003. Since there are currently 270 PM peak hour trips generated by Bastyr University, it can be estimated that the site generated approximately 59% or 160 PM peak hour trips in 1995. Therefore, it can be deduced that there has been an increase of approximately 110 PM peak hour trips at Bastyr between 1995 and 2003.
According to City of Kenmore staff, the City charged about $1,000 per new PM peak hour trip until June 2001, and $2,000 per new PM peak hour trip since then. Assuming that these fees were charged between 1995 and 2003, and the increase in trips were evenly distributed over the course of the past nine years (about 12 trips per year), the transportation mitigation fee for past growth of 110 PM peak hour trips would total $141,000 (79 PM peak hour trips x $1,000 per trip + 31 PM peak hour trips x $2,000 per trip). It was discussed that the fee could be paid to the City of Kenmore as mitigation for past growth, or it could be credited to Bastyr University towards signalization of the NE 145th Street/Juanita Drive intersection.
Question 2. Describe Bastyr’s contribution to traffic on Juanita for current and build-out conditions.
Bastyr CURRENTLY contributes to traffic on Juanita: X% of total trips and Y% of PM peak hour trips. The number of pass through trips is Z%.
*At BUILDOUT, Bastyr will contribute to traffic on Juanita: X% of total trips and Y% of PM peak hour trips. The number of pass through trips is Z%.
New daily and PM peak hour counts were performed on Juanita Drive near NE 145th Street in October 2003 in conjunction with the EIS. In addition, daily and PM peak hour counts were performed on NE 145th Street just west of the State Park entrance in order to determine the number of trips currently generated by Bastyr.
The daily traffic volume on Juanita Drive, north and south of NE 145th Street was approximately 14,200 and 13,400, respectively, in October 2003. At that time, Bastyr University generated approximately 2,840 trips on an average weekday. Approximately 62% of Bastyr’s traffic is destined to and from the north on Juanita Drive (approximately 1,760 daily trips), and 38% to and from the south (approximately 1,080 daily trips). Therefore, in 2003 Bastyr contributed approximately 12% of the daily traffic on Juanita Drive (1,760 Bastyr daily trips/14,200 total daily vehicles) north of NE 145th Street, and approximately 8% of the daily traffic on Juanita Drive to the south (1,080 Bastyr daily trips/13,400 total daily vehicles) in October 2003.
The PM peak hour traffic volume on Juanita Drive, north and south of NE 145th Street was approximately 1,350 and 1,325, respectively, in October 2003. Bastyr University generated approximately 270 trips during the PM peak hour on an average weekday at that time, with 167 trips destined to and from the north on Juanita Drive, and 103 trips destined to and from the south on Juanita Drive. Therefore, Bastyr contributed approximately 12% of the PM peak hour traffic on Juanita Drive (167 Bastyr PM peak hour trips/1,350 PM peak hour vehicles) north of NE 145th Street, and approximately 8% of the PM peak hour traffic on Juanita Drive to the south (103 Bastyr PM peak hour trips/1,325 PM peak hour vehicles) in October 2003. Note that Bastyr’s contribution to traffic volumes on Juanita Drive was essentially the same over the course of an average weekday and during the PM peak hour in 2003. This makes sense because Bastyr is a school that generates trips over the course of the day and into the evening, not just during the PM peak hour. Also, it should be noted that these percentages represent the highest proportion of Bastyr trips along Juanita Drive. This is because all of Bastyr trips travel on these sections of Juanita Drive adjacent to NE 145th Street. On sections of Juanita Drive near Bothell Way NE, the percentage of trips contributed by Bastyr is reduced since some trips turn off of Juanita Drive prior to Bothell Way NE, and the background traffic volumes on Juanita Drive are higher. It is also important to note that many Bastyr students live in apartment housing on Juanita Drive to the north of the campus, and thus not all northbound trips on Juanita result in additional congestion at Juanita Drive and SR 522.
In 2020 with the Master Plan Proposal, the PM peak hour traffic volume on Juanita Drive, north and south of NE 145th Street is projected to be approximately 1,770 and 1,670, respectively. The Master Plan Proposal is expected to generate approximately 188 trips to and from the north on Juanita Drive, and 123 trips destined to and from the south on Juanita Drive. Therefore, the net increase in trips associated with the Master Plan Proposal would account for approximately 10.6% of the PM peak hour traffic on Juanita Drive (188 Bastyr PM peak hour trips/1,770 PM peak hour vehicles) north of NE 145th Street, and approximately 7.4% of the PM peak hour traffic on Juanita Drive to the south (123 Bastyr PM peak hour trips/1,670 PM peak hour vehicles) in 2020. Because the Master Plan Proposal would generate approximately the same proportion of daily and PM peak hour trips as Bastyr currently generates, it is expected that the Master Plan Proposal would account for daily volume percent increases similar to those described for the PM peak hour. In total when the Bastyr Master Plan is complete, Bastyr University traffic is expected to be 20% (167+188/1770) of the PM peak hour on Juanita Drive north of the site, and about 13% (103+123/1670) south of the site.
It is important to note that these percentages represent a worst-case scenario because the Master Plan Proposal was assumed to be built out in 2020 in order to match the City’s 2020 transportation model. Because the Master Plan Proposal is currently planned to be built out in 2030, and background traffic volumes would likely continue to grow during those 10 years, the Master Plan Proposal would likely account for a smaller percentage on Juanita Drive than described above. In addition, the Master Plan Proposal’s impact to Juanita Drive would reduce with distance from Bastyr because some trips would turn off of Juanita Drive and background volumes on Juanita Drive would be higher.
It is recognized that many of the trips now using Juanita Drive are pass-through trips that use this route to get around Lake Washington. However, there are no data that would allow us to determine the percentage of pass-through traffic. A formal license-plate survey that tracks through vehicles would be needed for that assessment. Those types of studies are appropriate for corridor-level studies and to secure state or federal funding for regional routes. These types of studies are not performed as part of project-development SEPA studies.
LSV/MCH
