November 10, 2009

City approves traffic plan
Councilors delay some elements

By Rodger Nichols
The Chronicle

     The Dalles City Council approved the long-discussed Chenowith Interchange Area Master Plan (IAMP) at Monday night’s meeting, with some last-minute changes.
     Councilor Bill Dick moved to add a sentence each to parts A and B of the existing staff recommendation, and append new parts C and D.
     The changes postponed two of the most controversial measures of the plan for at least five years. They were the installation of a median on West 6th Street from River Road to Chenowith Loop, and an underpass under the railroad tracks at Hostetler. Both would have caused disruptions to local businesses.
     The IAMP was required by an intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT required the agreement in order to sign off on the city’s zone change from industrial to commercial of a 57-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Chenowith interchange on Interstate 84. The transportation agency said commercial development in the area would overwhelm the ability of that interchange to handle traffic, creating potential safety problems.
Wal-Mart has announced plans to build a 150,000-square-foot superstore on part of that property.
     The IAMP is designed to encourage traffic to the area to take alternate routes by modifying existing streets and intersections. The plan contains a number of modifications that would be triggered by different levels of development. It includes provisions to expand West Sixth Street to five lanes, including a center turn lane, and, ultimately, providing a median barrier that would restrict left turns.      That would cause a significant impact on the only commercial truck fueling station in The Dalles, owner Doug Hattenhauer has repeatedly testified.
     Another key feature, the original plan would create an underpass below the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at Hostetler. In order to do so, Hostetler would have to be excavated below the ground-level tracks, and so would the intersection West Second Street. The retaining walls needed for the underpass would cut off access to four properties, leaving them landlocked.
     Both of those options have been, in the words of Councilor Bill Dick, “taken off the table” until at least the first plan review in five years. He also added a clause to the IAMP that would require a public hearing by the city planning commission and/or the city council before they could take either action.
     Other changes included a requirement that a future IAMP for the Webber Street intersection should include “further consideration of Exit 83,” that development of the intersection of River Road and West Sixth should include the option of traffic signals as well as a roundabout, and that the northern driveway to Hattenhauer’s truck-fueling operation remain open to access as long as it remains a fueling station.
     The IAMP now goes to Wasco County and ODOT for their approval.
     In other actions, the council met as a contract review board and awarded three contracts:
     • $4,067,375 to Crestline Construction for a new 2.7 million gallon reservoir and pumping station above Mid-Columbia Medical Center.
     • $654,939 to Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for program management during construction of the reservoir.
     • $195,070 to Bremik Construction of Portland to repair and stabilize the Waldron Drug building, constructed in 1867. The building will be adjacent to the festival site that the city plans to develop on 1st Street, and there has been some interest in refurbishing the building for use in conjunction with the festival site.
     Councilors also heard a preliminary request for a 1.5 percent increase on garbage collection within the city. A public hearing on the matter will be held at the city’s next regular meeting on Nov. 23.
     Councilors have also scheduled a “state of the city” town hall meeting for Nov.16 at 5:30 at the Senior Center. Topics for discussion include the urban growth boundary, residential street and sidewalk improvement standards, the East Gateway project, the marine terminal and festival area project, airport projects, the newly-designed city website and the Chenowith IAMP. There will be time for public comment and questions on all of these issues.