More than 50 people signed up to comment, with passionate responses on both sides of the issue, as one grassroots organization takes on the city’s Complete Street project

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

The battle over the direction of city streets reached City Hall on Monday night.

One council member said it was the biggest crowd he could remember at a Vancouver City Council meeting, as more than 50 people signed up to voice their opinion on the Save Vancouver Streets initiative. 

By the end of the meeting, the City Council, on advice from its legal team, took no action on the initiative signed by more than 6,000 residents.

The fight will continue, though. Justin Wood of Save Vancouver Streets says the next step is to go to court.

Those who support the Save Vancouver Streets grassroots organization want their initiative to go to the vote of the people. The long-term goal is to mandate that the city get voter approval any time the city wants to take away a current lane of traffic.

This comes in response to the city’s Complete Streets project, which has reduced lanes of traffic in several neighborhoods. The recent change to Southeast 34th Street and the proposed major changes to McGillivray Boulevard in east Vancouver caught many neighbors off guard with what they say was a lack of communication from city officials. 

That led to the creation of Save Vancouver Streets early last year, and the start of the initiative process.

Justin Wood, one of the organizers of Save Vancouver Streets, said that while the city can claim it was transparent with the proposed changes, neighbors felt like they had no say. There might have been three options for residents to weigh in on, but all three options required that the city take away a lane of traffic in each direction on both 34th and McGillivray. 

“I’m so tired of hearing the city talk about all of the outreach they did,” Wood said Tuesday afternoon. “The problem is their outreach is ‘We’re going to change the street in your neighborhood, here’s what it will look like, do you like it?’ That’s not engaging the public. ‘You’re going to have fish for dinner. Do you want salmon or halibut?’”

It led to frustration, then action.

On the other side of the argument are those who appreciate the city’s attempts to be more friendly to those who choose not to travel by car. They say the Complete Streets project is better for cyclists and pedestrians, and for those behind the wheel. 

Folks from both sides of the issue had their say in front of the City Council on Monday.

Those opinions did nothing, however, to change the argument from the city manager and the city attorney, who both say the initiative is against state law. Therefore, they recommended the city council take no action.

“I must advise you not to proceed with action on the petition. If I advised otherwise, it would be asking City Council to proceed with an action that the best available information tells me is illegal,” said City Manager Lon Pluckhahn before public comment. 

He added: “To move forward with the initiative as it was presented is a significant risk to the city.”

During public comment, a lawyer representing Save Vancouver Streets disagreed with that assessment.

“The city council has three options on what to do with the initiative tonight. One is to pass the initiative. The second is to reject the initiative and allow it to go to the ballot. The third is to pass an alternative measure in a different form,” Jackson Maynard said. “What it does not have is the power to reject the initiative and prevent it from going to the ballot, to prevent it from being submitted to the registered voters at the next election.”

He asked that the council follow the city charter and allow the initiative to go to a vote.

“If it fails, then there is no harm. If it passes, then whatever legal arguments are appropriate can be raised in court,” Maynard said. 

On Tuesday, Wood said that a city attorney or manager does not decide if something is legal or illegal. A city attorney gives his opinion on the legality of an issue. It is up to a court to decide. Save Vancouver Streets, Wood added, will be going to court. 

Public comment lasted more than 100 minutes. The council then asked for comments from city transportation officials. They noted the goals of Complete Streets and how the city communicated those goals to residents. 

“Staff really does care about informing the community and we use a variety of tools to reach them,” said Rebecca Kennedy, deputy director of community development for the city.

That includes online surveys, open houses, lawn signs, and the mailing of thousands of postcards.

Council member Sarah Fox said this entire process is an opportunity for improvement for the city to do a better job of transparency. Yes, communication was made, but perhaps the city could have done a better job of explaining why taking away lanes was beneficial, Fox said.

She said she is “a little heartbroken” for those who have put so much energy into the initiative process, only to have the city council take no action. 

Public comment on the initiative started about 45 minutes into Monday’s meeting. Almost 1 hours and 45 minutes later, Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle proclaimed: “It is the consensus of the Vancouver City Council that no action be taken on this initiative.”

Earlier in the evening, Wood explained how he got involved. It was out of frustration that there was no easy way to contact Vancouver City Council.

“I can easily figure out how to contact … many other city councils in the area, my state legislatures, and my federal congressional delegation. As a resident of the City of Vancouver, I cannot, however, easily communicate with my council,” Wood said. 

“Regardless of the outcome of this initiative, I implore this Council to reevaluate how it engages with the public,” Wood said. “This initiative, if it makes it to the ballot and if it were to pass, does not prevent the city from making any changes to roads. All it does is require the city to properly inform, engage, and ask residents before making changes.”

There were passionate arguments for Complete Streets, as well.

“Removing a car lane is nothing more than a minor inconvenience at most, but for everyone else, it’s a large increase in safety. It opens the door for more choices, a quieter and more peaceful neighborhood, and a better place to live for everyone,” said Jason, who lives and works in Vancouver and walks and rides his bicycle. “Because the city isn’t just for people who drive, it’s for people of every age, ability, and background who deserve a choice in how they travel.”

There were dozens of similar arguments in favor of Complete Streets. 

One resident, though, simply asked for the initiative to go to the ballot. If enough Vancouver residents want the city to take away lanes of car traffic without the will of the people, the initiative will fail and the current policy will continue.

“Please let us have a chance for real public involvement in the future with a vote on major lane changes,” Janice said.  … “You may or may not be surprised by (the) outcome of a vote … but at least it would be fair and transparent.”

That is what Wood and Save Vancouver Streets want for the future.

Based on the many comments in favor of Complete Streets, the initiative might not even pass. But Save Vancouver Streets clearly wants an opportunity to make its case to the voters.

Wood said his organization received close to $10,000 in contributions in the last 24 hours for its legal fund. If anyone wants to help with the Save Vancouver Streets legal fund, go to: https://www.savevancouverstreets.com/

“On Monday January 6th, the Vancouver City Council chose to ignore the over 6,500 signatures on the presented and certified initiative,” the website states. “While disappointing, this was not unexpected. We now will move into a legal challenge phase.”