At an extended Metro Policy Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 27, local elected officials and regional representatives discussed policy questions relating to urban and rural reserves and also made recommendations to the Metro Council on a number of specific areas around the region. Before digging into details of specific areas, MPAC members were cautioned by Metro Council President David Bragdon to remember why they supported this process in the first place and what the region stands to lose if the process fails.

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On Jan. 13, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the Obama Administration's plan to change how projects are selected to receive federal funding assistance through the Federal Transit Administration. Effective immediately, the FTA has rescinded restrictions that prioritized a calculation that compared the cost of a proposed project with how much the project would shorten commute times. Until new regulations are in place, the FTA will focus on the project's local financial commitment and justification. A project's justification analyzes its mobility improvements, environmental benefit, cost effectiveness, operating efficiencies, economic development effects and public transportation supportive land use policies.

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This Wednesday the Metro Policy Advisory Committee will continue discussion on urban and rural reserves, focusing conversation on key areas to address options identified by the Core 4 including the Stafford Basin and western Multnomah County, as well as broader policy questions identified by members at the Jan. 13 committee meeting. MPAC's discussion will provide the Metro Council and Core 4 guidance on the development of the final intergovernmental agreement scheduled for Core 4 consideration on Feb. 8.

View the agenda and meeting packet
Learn more about urban and rural reserves

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Residents from throughout the Portland metropolitan area turned out in numbers for the final two opportunities to share their views on where cities will grow over the next 40 to 50 years. Sherwood and Wilsonville were the sites for area residents to view the proposed reserves map and testify before the Metro Council. Despite the often long wait to testify, pushing both hearings past 10 p.m., many expressed appreciation to the Metro Council for its willingness to hold hearings around the region and listen to public comment. A number of participants complimented Metro and county staff on producing materials that were understandable and informative to the discussion. That's where the agreement ended.

Metro's build-a-system tool tied for runner-up in the Transportation Research Board's Communicating with John and Jane Public competition. The national competition recognizes innovative methods of communicating technical transportation issues and concepts to the public. Metro transit project analysis manager Tony Mendoza and Brandy Steffen from CH2MHill accepted the award at the board's annual meeting, held Jan. 10 to 14, 2010.

"It is great to be recognized at this level," Mendoza said. "We felt that the tool was successful in reaching out to residents of the metro region, but it's also great to have the transportation industry recognize that we took a big step forward in how we asked the public's thoughts on a really complex issue. Beyond the award, we had folks from all over the country, really from all over the world, coming to speak to us because they had heard about the build-a-system tool."

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