August 2, 2007
TriMet & Haggen working together on Tualatin Commuter Rail Station
Parties sign agreement to work together on resolving park & ride issues
TriMet and Haggen Food & Pharmacy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding outstanding issues related to the Washington County Commuter Rail’s Tualatin Station.
At last night's Architectural Review Board hearing in Tualatin, TriMet and Haggen were granted a continuance to further refine the design for the park-and-ride lot adjacent to the Tualatin commuter rail station. TriMet and Haggen have until the Sept. 26 ARB hearing to work together on design issues. The continuance also was supported by ZIAN Limited Partnership, owner of the Hedges Green Retail Center that includes the Haggen store and is adjacent to the station.
TriMet has been meeting with Haggen for several weeks to address its concerns about parking, traffic and safety.
"Our goal is to design a commuter rail station that supports the community and enhances the nearby retail center,” said TriMet deputy project manager Steve Witter. “We’re working with Haggen to help improve the park and ride to work for commuter rail passengers and for visitors to the shopping center."
"Haggen is a strong supporter of commuter rail," said Bolar Brown, store manager of the Tualatin Haggen. "We also support a Tualatin station that will enhance the community and provide our guests with a safe and convenient transportation facility. The 'work in progress' that we have so far demonstrates our willingness to work in developing cooperative solutions that are in the best interests of this community."
The Memo of Understanding signed by TriMet and Haggen will look at:
- Parking entrances that relieve potential congestion at SW Nyberg Road and Boones Ferry Road.
- Altering the parking lot design to add more parking spaces, developing a shared-use agreement and parking management plan.
- Design refinements that maximize pedestrian safety and safe traffic flow for commuters and shoppers.
About the project
The 14.7-mile Washington County Commuter Rail will use existing freight tracks to provide commuter rail service to Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville when it opens in fall 2008. It is the first commuter rail line in Oregon, and among a handful of suburb-to-suburb commuter lines in the country. When complete it will connect to the Beaverton Transit Center with nearly a dozen bus lines, and MAX Blue and Red lines, as well as bus service at each station.