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For the purposes of this chapter, the terms listed shall have the following definitions and meanings consistent with RCW 82.02.090:

“Capital improvement program (CIP)” means the section of the annual city budget that contains a comprehensive list of the adopted citywide capital improvement needs, including specific multimodal transportation system improvements. The CIP is cross-referenced in the capital facilities element of the Bellingham comprehensive plan and multimodal transportation system capital improvements are derived from the annually adopted six-year transportation improvement program (TIP).

“Development activity” means any construction or expansion or use of a building, structure, or use, any change in use of a building or structure, or any changes in the use of land that create additional demand and need for public multimodal transportation facilities.

“Development approval” means any written authorization from a county, city, or town which authorizes the commencement of development activity.

“ITE Trip Generation Manual” means Institute of Transportation Engineers Trip Generation Manual (most current edition).

“Multimodal level of service (LOS) standard” means the person trips available within each concurrency service area to serve new development as adopted in the transportation element of the comprehensive plan. Per Chapter 13.70 BMC, Multimodal Transportation Concurrency Management, Bellingham and its urban growth area (UGA) are divided into concurrency service areas (CSAs) based on differing land use contexts. The multimodal LOS standard is calculated for each CSA using the following performance measurements:

1. Completeness of sidewalk network;

2. Completeness of bicycle network;

3. WTA transit capacity, transit route frequency, and transit ridership;

4. Vehicle traffic volume to capacity*; and

5. Access to multiuse trails.

*NOTE: The “vehicle traffic volume to capacity” performance measurement compares (a) the ratio of the volume recorded in the most recent p.m. peak hour traffic count to the design capacity of an arterial street segment or signalized intersection to (b) level of service “E” in the most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) published by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). LOS “E” (v/c 0.901 to 1.001) is a qualitative and quantitative measure of vehicle throughput and congestion on arterial streets and signalized intersections throughout the city.

“Multimodal transportation impact fee (TIF)” means a payment of money imposed upon development as a condition of development approval to help pay for multimodal transportation system improvements needed to serve planned growth and development. The multimodal TIF is reasonably related to the new development that creates additional demand and need for such system improvements; is a proportionate share of the cost of such system improvements; and is used for facilities that reasonably benefit the new development. “Multimodal transportation impact fee” does not include a reasonable permit or application fee.

“Multimodal transportation system improvements” means those publicly funded multimodal transportation facilities projects that are included in the six-year transportation improvement program and capital improvement plan and are necessary to accommodate the multimodal transportation demands generated by land use development as adopted in the Bellingham comprehensive plan. By way of example and not limitation, multimodal transportation system facilities include streets, sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails.

“Owner” means the owner of record of real property, although when real property is being purchased under a real estate contract, the purchaser shall be considered the owner of the real property if the contract is recorded.

“Person trips” means the number of persons who enter/leave the development over a given time period. For transportation impact fees, this is typically defined as the peak hour. A person trip can be made by any mode (e.g., walking, driving a car, a passenger in a car, on a bus, on a bicycle, etc.).

“P.M. peak hour project trips” means the person trips estimated to be generated by a proposed development during the one-hour weekday afternoon period during which the greatest volume of traffic uses the road system. The peak hour project trips shall be estimated based on procedures identified in the multimodal transportation impact fee rate study and the city’s development guidelines and improvement standards manual.

“P.M. peak hour traffic” means traffic volumes during the one-hour weekday afternoon period during which the greatest volume of traffic uses the road system, as identified separately for each segment of a transportation facility. Bellingham measures the heaviest 60-minute traffic period between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. during weekdays Monday through Friday.

“Project improvements” means site improvements and facilities that are planned and designed to provide service for a particular development project and that are necessary for the use and convenience of the occupants or users of the project, and are not transportation system improvements. No improvement or facility included in a capital facilities plan or transportation improvement program approved by the governing body of the county, city, or town shall be considered a project improvement.

“Proportionate share” means that portion of the cost of public multimodal transportation system improvements that are reasonably related to the service demands and needs of new development.

“Six-year transportation improvement program (TIP)” means the expenditures programmed by the city for capital purposes over the next six-year period in the six-year transportation improvement program pursuant to RCW 35.77.010. The financial plan underlying the adopted six-year transportation improvement program identifies all applicable and available revenue sources, and the plan forecasts these revenues through the six-year period with reasonable assurance that such funds will be timely put to such ends.

“Transportation demand management strategies” means transportation industry-accepted techniques or programs that reduce single-occupant vehicle commute travel or improve the people-moving capacity of a multimodal transportation facility and that are approved by the public works department. Strategies may include but are not limited to vanpooling, carpooling, and public transit, access management, and channelization.

“Transportation impact” means the generation of new person trips on the citywide transportation network, which reduces the multimodal transportation capacity available to the general public.

“Travel demand forecast model” is the region’s computerized transportation model, which is used to develop and analyze peak hour travel demands on transportation facilities throughout Whatcom County. The model is used to forecast vehicular travel demand on the Bellingham arterial street network based on current land use designations, population, housing, and employment data. This information is used as the basis for the multimodal transportation chapter of the Bellingham comprehensive plan and in other transportation planning and traffic engineering applications. The Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG) owns and maintains the regional transportation model.

“Vehicle trip” means the number of vehicles that enter/leave the development over a given time period. For transportation impact fees, this is typically defined as the p.m. peak hour. [Ord. 2018-12-029 § 4; Ord. 2006-11-106; Ord. 2006-03-021].