FONES ROAD VALUE PLANNINGCITY OF OLYMPIA
City of Olympia | Capital of Washington State
Presented by:
Mark Russell, Transportation Director Sophie Stimson, Senior Planner
City of Olympia Public Works Department
THE PROBLEM
• $14M project to widen and add sidewalks and bike lanes
• In CFP for 10+ years
• Public raised concerns recently, mostly about widening
RE-ENVISION FONES
• Meet community vision
• More value relative to cost
• Rethink approach to a transportation project
• Meet economic, environmental and livability goals
2-DAY PROCESS PLANNED
Charrette:
• Generate conceptual solutions
• Draw on diverse expertise
Consultant team:• Rhys Roth, Director
Center for Sustainable Infrastructure
• Andrea Ramage, CEOSomersault Consulting LLC
• Steve Moddemeyer, Principal CollinsWoerman
• Jemae Hoffman, DirectorVIA Architecture
• John Gibson, Owner, Gibson Economics
A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE
Staff/others:
• Land Use planners
• Economic development specialists
• Parks planners
• Utility engineers
• Habitat specialists
• Transportation engineers
• Former City Council member/advocate
• Thurston Regional Planning Council staff
BRIEFING BOOK
• Zoning
• Transportation features
• Utilities
• Natural systems
• Topography
• Employment and residential data
DAY 1: FIELD TRIP TO FONES
Process to record observations:
• Land Use
• Commerce
• Transportation
• Environment
• Social
DAY 2: CHARRETTE | NEW IDEAS
Morning:
• Recorded ideas for improving Fones
• Organizing solutions into themes
• Choose up to 5 themes to focus on
• Developed success criteria
Afternoon:
• 5 geographic areas
• Create concepts with maps, drawings
• Compare concept to success criteria
• Presented concepts to group
WHAT WE LEARNED
• Who the street serves
• Hidden assets in the landscape
• Potential for stormwater
• Land use and transportation considered together
• Interdisciplinary
FINAL REPORT
Synthesis alternative:• Fewer lanes in some areas
• Another roundabout
• Improved trail crossing
• Protected bike lanes
• Street connectivity
• Green stormwater improvements
• Pathways for people walking and biking
• New street connections
• Zoning modifications
Triple Bottom Line Analysis:
• Synthesis alternative
• Business as usual alternative
• Social, environmental and financial impacts
Next steps:
• Engineering firm to vet ideas
INSIGHTS ON VALUE PLANNING
• Do early, when a project is first identified
• Best for large-scale projects
• Use to promote collaboration, interdisciplinary interaction
• Use to integrate land use, transportation and utility planning early
• Ideal for comp plan study or sub area plan
City of Olympia | Capital of Washington State
