Minutes of a Public Meeting
MINUTES OF A
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MEETING OF THE
GOVERNOR’S TRANSPORTATION VISION 21 TASK FORCE
9:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Arizona State Capitol
Executive Tower, Grand Canyon Room
Phoenix, Arizona
The Planning and Programming Committee of the Governor’s Transportation Vision 21 Task Force met in official session for a meeting at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 7, 2001 with Chairman Kevin Olson presiding. Other members in attendance were Malcolm Barrett, Paulson Chaco, Diane McCarthy, Mary Peters (arrived at 10:00 a.m.), Raul Pina and Rene Redondo. Also present were John Carlson, Governor’s Transportation Advisor, Mary Lynn Tischer, Alan Maguire, Consultant, Maguire Company, and Matt Carpenter. Mr. Martin Shultz, Task Force Co-Chair, attended the meeting for a brief period of time.
Welcome and Pledge of Allegiance
Vice Chairperson McCarthy called the meeting to order at 9:18 a.m. and led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Acceptance of Minutes from January 23, 2001
Action: A motion to accept the minutes of the January 23, 2001 meeting, as written, was made, seconded and passed unanimously.
Discussion and Adoption of Planning and Programming Processes Recommendations
Mr. Maguire provided copies of DRAFT Potential Recommendations dated March 5, 2001. He highlighted the minor changes that had been made.
Mr. Barrett asked if the land use language addressed aviation-related land use problems, such as at Luke Air Force Base. Mr. Maguire explained that the Governance Committee recommendations address land use issues relating to aviation. Mr. Carlson added that Mr. Browning is working on recommendations to the Task Force to identify aviation and land use issues. Mr. Maguire read the Governance recommendation related to the issue.
Mr. Pina expressed concern with the recommendation to withhold HURF funds from local jurisdictions that do not meet compliance requirements, specifically in Pima County. Mr. Olson explained why he felt the consequences should apply and Ms. McCarthy agreed. Mr. Carlson explained how ADOT can hold HURF funds if a jurisdiction does not meet compliance requirements. He explained that the funds are held in a special account by the State Treasurer. He reviewed basic requirements on local jurisdictions with respect to Roads of Regional Significance and the oversight by the district engineer. Mr. Carlson offered to share a list of potential roads identified for modeling purposes. Mr. Pina reiterated his concern and said he is very concerned with the potential of ADOT managing such roads as Valencia and Speedway in Tucson. Mr. Redondo explained that the idea is to force jurisdictions to adhere to a set of standards intended to improve traffic flow. He expressed confidence in the ability and fairness of the State Transportation Board in handling the matter. Mr. Carlson indicated that ADOT would work with local jurisdictions to define the Roads of Regional Significance.
Mr. Olson stated his belief that the recommendation to withhold HURF dollars is the most important component of the committee’s recommendations. Mr. Redondo agreed, stating that the "hammer" for compliance is a very effective tool. Mr. Maguire added that it is easy to adopt standards, but there needs to be force behind compliance.
Mr. Carlson passed out a draft of the Roads of Regional Significance concept guidelines and the list of roads in the PAG region. He said that areas where overpasses are needed in the PAG region are also being identified, along with potential rail grade separations.
Mr. Shultz stated that the basis for the creation of regional transportation districts is the two metropolitan areas of the state, and a major objective is to maximize capacity on Roads of Regional Significance. He suggested that the Task Force is simply interested in results, and he felt the structure necessary to achieve those results would be worked out.
Mr. Maguire reviewed the changes made to paragraph three on page five. It was discussed and agreed by all that the authority for state routes would remain with ADOT, while the authority for regional routes would lie with the regional transportation district.
Committee members reviewed and discussed the Additional DRAFT Potential Recommendations dated March 6, 2001.
Mr. Carlson said he would meet with Ms. Peters and the ITCA to make sure consensus is reached by the March 22 Task Force meeting.
Mr. Chaco emphasized that the provision entitled "Examine legal and contractual impediments to State and Tribal Cooperation" was critical to the process. He indicated the Navajo Nation has been trying to resolve impediments for seven years without success. He said he would work with Mr. Carlson and Ms. Peters on the language. He stated that either the Navajo Nation or the State of Arizona or both have to change laws to facilitate accomplishment of the objective.
Mr. Maguire reviewed the Land Use Issues portion of the recommendations.
Ms. McCarthy noted that two significant state laws tied to this issue were being re-written in new bills being considered now by the legislature. She recommended that they be reviewed.
Mr. Carlson discussed the need to establish limited access requirements in conjunction with bypasses to restrict development, which negates the intent of the bypass. Mr. Olson said that this is an example of where regional jurisdiction versus local jurisdiction is most important. There was unanimous agreement with Mr. Carlson’s suggestion.
Committee members discussed the impact of the lack of affordable housing in new development areas, which forces service personnel to drive long distances to and from work. Mr. Olson was not sure this was a transportation issue. Mr. Maguire suggested that the concept is that development cannot distance employment centers from residential centers. There needs to be a balance of employment and appropriate residential development to avoid problems with traffic patterns. Mr. Carlson indicated that the Growing Smarter Commission passed this issue off to the Task Force and did not touch upon it in their report to the Governor. He suggested that the Task Force try to incorporate something in their recommendation. Dr. Tischer suggested making a statement of principle regarding the relationship between transportation, land use and affordable housing. Mr. Olson agreed with making a statement, as long as the Task Force doesn’t overstep its bounds into Growing Smarter. Mr. Maguire said he would write a paragraph and send it out for consideration.
Action: A motion to approve the core recommendations and the additional draft recommendations was made by Ms. McCarthy and seconded by Mr. Barrett.
Ms. Peters asked how the last paragraph on page two of the additional draft recommendations played into the Governance recommendation. Mr. Maguire stated his understanding of the committee’s intent that Roads of Regional Significance in rural areas would be under the jurisdiction of the state highway system and ADOT, while those roads in urban areas would be under the jurisdiction of a regional transportation district. He indicated he would look carefully at the verbiage to ensure its clarity. Mr. Pina stated that he didn’t believe the regional transportation district concept would be easily approved.
Upon a call for the question, the motion carried unanimously.
Call to the Public
There were no requests to speak.
Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 10:21 a.m.
KEVIN OLSON, Chairperson
