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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFollowUp attachment King County MetroFrom:Vangie Garcia To:Julia Medzegian; April Alexander Cc:Gregg A. Zimmerman; Jim Seitz; Robert Harrison Subject:King County Metro - Follow up from August 12th COW Presentation Date:Monday, September 23, 2019 12:04:36 PM Attachments:King County Metro Follow_Up August 12 COW_092319.pdf image002.png Hi Julia, Would you please forward this document to all the Mayor and all the Councilmembers? This is a follow-up to the Metro presentation from August 12th, specifically regarding the outreach in the Highlands and the Benson Hill neighborhoods. Also, the Metro Public Outreach person has recently been in contact with Renton’s AmeriCorps VISTA staff and will be coordinating outreach for both these neighborhoods in the future for better engagement. Thank you! Vangie Vangie P. Garcia, PE, PMP (she/her) Public Works - Transportation systems Division Transportation Planning and Programming Manager Desk: (425) 430-7319 | Mobile: (206) 503-4066 E-mail: vgarcia@rentonwa.gov City of Renton | 1055 South Grady Way, 5th Fl. | Renton, Washington 98057 September 16, 2019 Public Engagement and Service Changes Update in Renton Area King County Metro is in the process of creating a single transit route connecting Renton, Kent, and Auburn to replace existing routes 169 (Kent Station to Renton TC) and 180 (Auburn to Burien TC). This route is anticipated to begin operating in 2020 and be replaced by the bus rapid transit route, RapidRide I Line, in 2023. This document summarizes the public engagement that has occurred and is planned to continue to implement the Renton-Kent-Auburn Area Mobility Plan (RKAAMP) that will deliver a network of services that are coordinated together so people are able to get to where they need to go. These services include fixed-route transit, dial-a-ride transit, and flexible mobility services. Part of this effort included the Community Connections Project for the Benson Hill neighborhood that been started in the year prior. The outreach effort for this program has been incorporated in the RKAAMP process and the pilot projects will be identified and implemented through the Concepts of Change. I Line and RKAAMP Outreach Process and Outcomes in Renton: Metro conducted outreach to receive input on both RapidRide I-Line and the extended service network simultaneously from community members. In the City of Renton, this included: • Staffing tables at community events, including ORCA To Go at Renton City Hall, Renton River Days, King County Refugee Forum (at Renton Library) • On-board outreach where people were interviewed while riding transit • Engaging with local community organizations including Renton Inclusion Task Force, Renton YWCA, Renton Area Youth and Family Services • Promoting an online survey. Specific outreach to Benson Hill residents: • At summer community events, asked those stopping by what area they were from, if from Benson Hill asked specifically about service needs. • Direct correspondence with residents of Gainborough Commons, and the Benson Hill Community Advisory Plan distribution list • Developed specific survey about transit routes and service in the Renton area for Metro’s table for Renton River Days • On-board engagement with people on Routes 148 (Fairwood-Renton TC) and 906 (Fairwood to Southcenter) The RKAAMP process included establishing a Mobility Board, consisting of a diverse group 27 transit riders from the Renton, Kent, and Auburn areas with a range of mobility needs and experiences using the transit system. Members include native English, Somali, and Spanish speakers, and bilingual speakers who speak Somali, French, Arabic or Farsi. This board is charged with prioritizing mobility needs and developing service concepts. After reviewing the feedback received from the multiple engagement processes, the Mobility Board helped develop the following Concepts for Change for the Renton area: • Providing a faster trip from Fairwood to downtown Seattle by investing Route 102 resources in a new connection from Fairwood to the Sounder train at Tukwila Station • Investing in more all-day service in Fairwood and the Renton Highlands • Simplifying pathways for faster transit travel times in Fairwood and Benson Hill • Considering a new flexible service option in Renton Highlands • Considering a new flexible service option in the Benson Hill These concepts and graphics are outlined in the Phase II survey under (Renton Highlands, Renton Fairwood, and Renton Benson Hill) https://publicinput.com/rkaampen Next steps Continue Benson Hill focused engagement through October 2019 • Identify existing community event, meeting, or engagement opportunity in Benson Hill and request to present at it or at least table; • Provide a 15 min presentation provides opportunity for residents to provide ideas, solutions to current transit challenges, and give feedback to Metro’s potential plans including specific to potential service changes for the area; • Administer in person site specific survey on at engagement event. Target Audience o Community members who live in the Benson Hill areas who would have access to or benefit from a community connections project. Challenges • Identifying anchor organizations, specific community events, and additional social leaders to partner with. Next Steps • Targeted outreach in Benson Hill this fall will inform the design of a flexible service option for that neighborhood. • Metro will share proposed changes with our partner review board (of which Renton city staff is a member) on October 2nd, prior to the beginning of our final phase of outreach later that month. • Metro will provide a presentation to the Renton COW on 11/18 how the proposal will improve connectivity overall in Renton. • King County Council is scheduled to pass a service change and alignment ordinance for the I-Line in 2020.