Transportation Plan

Project Description:

Transportation is critical to Woodinville’s future, boosting the economy and local tax base, improving resident quality of life and giving the City a greater sense of “identity” and “place.” Woodinville’s existing twenty-year Transportation Plan now needs updating, ensuring investment in the transportation system is consistent with the community’s vision and functional need. The new Woodinville Transportation Plan aims to do just that, establishing well-defined goals and outlining ways to get there – including new policies, project ideas, and investment priorities.

What changes would you like to see in Woodinville’s transportation system over the next 5, 10, and 15 years?

The City is creating a transportation plan and is looking for input on these and other issues:

How can we best respond to growth in downtown?
What should we do about parking downtown?
What are the best ways to connect our neighborhoods to shopping and recreation?
How can we better serve people walking and bicycling?
How do we optimize access to transit in our city?

February 2023 Progress Update: Multi Modal Level of Service Policies

Last fall, the Transportation Plan project team consulted the Woodinville community to gather ideas and develop and refine Plan goals (see Phase 1 Outreach below). Since that time, we have been focused on evaluating the City's existing street network, particularly in areas where we anticipate more cars on the road in the coming years. In addition to that work, we are now developing level of service (LOS) policies for the walking, biking, transit, and roadway networks within the city. These LOS policies will set the acceptable performance standards for each of these transportation networks. Setting these standards will help the community identify potential transportation improvements, and ultimately will lead to a list of transportation projects to build over the next 20 years. This flow chart highlights the step-by-step process from system evaluation, to establishing LOS policy, to identifying capital needs, and finally development of a capital project list.

The LOS policies we select as part of the Transportation Plan update will influence the way our city grows moving forward. Future development will also pay a key role in building transportation projects through assessment of transportation impact fees, frontage requirements (including sidewalks, lighting, and street furniture), and potential state environmental requirements. The flow chart below illustrates the relationship between LOS policies and development.

The updated Transportation Plan will include standards for a wider range of transportation modes, including automobile, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit LOS standards. The table below shows the approach currently being considered for each mode.

Community Engagement Opportunities

Community engagement is a key component of the Woodinville Transportation Plan. It helps ensure that goals included in the plan reflect the needs and perspectives of residents and community members. Three phases of outreach initiatives are planned to occur at the beginning, middle, and end of the plan development period.

Phase 1 Outreach - COMPLETE

The first round of Transportation Plan community engagement took place in October and November 2022. This phase included identifying goals and priorities for the Plan. Much of this work took place at the Transportation Plan Storefront Studio, which was open to the community in early October, and through an online survey that was promoted across a variety of City communication platforms in late October. The City’s combined in-person and online engagement efforts solicited feedback from over 100 community members on topics ranging from specific goals for the Plan, to downtown walkability and parking, desire for improved transit options, and more. For more information, see the Transportation Plan Phase 1 Public Outreach Summary (PDF).

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

Additional opportunities for community members to engage and provide feedback on policies and more will be offered throughout 2023.

State of the City Address at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon- February 16, 2023, Chateau Ste. Michelle
City leadership will provide a brief overview of the Transportation Plan, and will be available afterwards to talk with local business representatives and community members. Staff will have a table set up with illustrative exhibits and can provide more detailed information on plan elements and progress to date.

Celebrate Woodinville Concerts & Festival- Summer 2023 (exact dates TBD), Wilmot Gateway Park
The Transportation Plan project team will staff an informational booth at several Celebrate Woodinville events to provide information and solicit input on a draft transportation project list.

Project Timeline

The Transportation Plan update kicked off in August 2022. A draft plan will be available by fall of 2023, with anticipated Council Adoption to occur in late 2023.

Key Public Meeting Milestones

Sept/Oct 2022: Transportation Plan 101, priorities, what we've heard from the community
Feb/Mar 2023: Modal Plans, LOS standards, performance measures, Outreach Series 2
Jul/Aug 2023: Prioritization and draft projects
Aug/Sep 2023: Draft Plan
Oct/Nov 2023: Final Plan
Nov/Dec 2023: Plan Adoption
Jun 2024: Transportation Impact Fee Update