Resolution 3284 - Laserfiche WebLink

assumptions in the traffic studies. Many residents were concerned that the studies underestimated the number of vehicle trips from this project which would occur on Mukilteo Boulevard. Joe Savage, the Applicant's traffic expert, stated that he used the best information available in making assumptions in the studies. He also provided information to City Council stating that even if the number of trips from the Merrill Creek site directed to Mukilteo Boulevard were tripled, the increase would not be significant. The City's Traffic Engineer stated that an error in the traffic studies did occur in that the number of vehicle trips for the Seaway Center project was undercounted. This error was discussed on page 88 of the FEIS. He stated that the change in daily traffic volume (from using the higher number) is not large enough to create any significant changes in the impact analysis for the proposed project. In fact, he does not feel that the higher traffic volumes would provide a different result than outlined by Entranco. The developers are being required to mitigate all transportation system impacts of which the development is the direct cause. The only areas of the study where the higher Seaway Center traffic volumes would have changed the Entranco results were at locations where required improvements were only indirectly related to the development and the developer is required to pay his "fair share" of the improvements. The higher volumes would have increased the percentage of traffic at an intersection requiring mitigation which was not related to the Merrill Creek development and thereby reducing Merrill Creek's "fair share" percentage. The City's Traffic Engineer stated that in his opinion, the lower traffic volumes used on Seaway Center resulted in a higher contribution for offsite mitigation by the Merrill Creek proposal . 22