Applicant Response to Public Comment

Traffic Concerns: The bulk of comments express concern that the TIA as submitted is inadequate from various perspectives and/or does not cast a wide enough net; that further and broader study should be required. We are not traffic engineers, nor do we purport to understand the science, standards, or data behind the analysis. Therefore, we rely on experts for that - City Transportation Planners who establish the requirements, Professional Traffic Engineers who collect and analyze the data, and national organizations who establish the standards by which such analysis is to be conducted in order to produce results by which decision-makers can make informed decisions. To the best of our knowledge and ability we have fulfilled every standard and requirement set forth for this project and every similar development in our community. It seems many commentators take issue with TINs in general and how they are performed. These may all be valid points and, if so, then one should focus such effort on changing the system by which traffic is studied and analyzed, and the requirements set forth by public agencies that are applied to development projects. Under the current system, it is unreasonable to expect that expanding the study area would produce a different result from a traffic analysis perspective. To put things into perspective, the City of Eugene 2013 Traffic Flow Map indicates a daily average of 23,300 vehicle trips along Hilyard Street between 30th and 33rd Avenues. One can imagine that the current number is higher, four years later. However, using the 2013 numbers, the projected number of daily trips from the proposed development (990) along this same section represents roughly a four percent increase in daily traffic. According to our Traffic Engineer, this section of Hilyard (the primary route of travel for the development) has capacity for 31,000 average daily trips, indicating a growth capacity of 33 percent from the 2013 number. This project would contribute roughly three percent of that total if/when the roadway reaches capacity. Since the project location is highly conducive to access via alternative transportation modes, coupled with our efforts to reinforce and encourage these, the vehicular impact described above is expected to be minimized. Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety: Regarding pedestrian safety and the existing condition of unsafe pedestrian and bicycle crossing across Hilyard, we engaged in discussion with Public Works Transportation Planning very early in our planning process and we specifically identified this as an issue. Because this has been identified as a current issue, and will potentially worsen with the proposed development, we intend to continue discussions with the City to determine where and how a protected crossing can appropriately be incorporated into the project.