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Kittitas County 1'ransportation Element 2018 <br />Ellensburg <br />Ellensburg, the county seat of Kittitas County, is a <br />city rich in history, and home to Central Washington <br />University. Ellensburg has continued to grow since it <br />was incorporated in 1883, and is projected to have <br />11,757 new residents and 6,998 new jobs by 2037. <br />Currently half of county residents live in Ellensburg. <br />The main commercial areas in Ellensburg are the <br />Central Commercial zones, the Commercial Highway <br />zones, and the Commercial Tourist zones. The <br />Central Commercial zone is generally comprised of <br />older historic buildings in the historic downtown <br />core that was rebuilt after the fire of 1889 and that <br />was revitalized beginning in the late 1970s. Outside <br />of the Central Commercial zone, areas of commercial <br />development are largely auto -oriented with larger <br />buildings and ample off-street parking lots. The <br />Central Commercial II zone includes newer <br />developments, like the Fred Meyer shopping center. <br />Newer developments are also located in pockets of <br />Commercial Highway zones, mostly centered on <br />Canyon Road near 1-90, West University Way, and <br />Vantage Highway. Tourist services such as <br />restaurants, coffee shops, and gas stations are <br />clustered in the Commercial Tourist zones around <br />the two interstate interchanges in Ellensburg. <br />As the largest urban center in the county, Ellensburg <br />provides many essential services. The Ellensburg <br />School District serves almost 3,300 students as of <br />May 20163 and operates five K-12 schools that serve <br />the community. Kittitas Valley Healthcare Hospital <br />serves Ellensburg and the surrounding areas. The <br />hospital is a 25 -bed inpatient facility, although <br />outpatients make up 85 percent of the total usage. <br />The hospital employs approximately 600 people in <br />addition to other medical clinics on the same <br />campus. Ellensburg also has a number of retirement <br />communities and medical facilities. ADA accessible <br />pedestrian infrastructure surrounding retirement <br />communities and medical communities should be in <br />place for those that wish to walk. <br />3 Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 2016. <br />"Washington State Report Card, Ellensburg School District" <br />https/Ireportcard.osp i. 1<12.wa.us/summa ry.aspx?groupLevel=Dist <br />rict&school! d=127&reportLeve!=District&or6L! nkl d=127&yrs=201 <br />5-16&year=2015-16 <br />"Central Washington University. 2016. "Quick Facts" <br />https://www.cwu.edu/about/quick-facts <br />Central Washington University <br />Central Washington University (CWU) is a major <br />destination and economic driver in the County. The <br />380 -acre campus is located northeast of historic <br />downtown Ellensburg. The University had almost <br />11,000 students enrolled in the 2015-2016 academic <br />year, of which over 3,000 live on campus4. In <br />addition to students, there are about 1,500 faculty <br />and staff members-. The large concentration of <br />students, faculty, and staff leads to university - <br />specific transportation issues, such as clustering of <br />arrivals and departures around class schedules, <br />parking availability and pricing concerns, and how to <br />accommodate students without access to personal <br />vehicles. The University has plans for continued <br />growth in enrollment and campus facilities, <br />particularly on the relatively undeveloped areas on <br />the north end of campus. Growth at CWU was <br />considered in future conditions analysis. <br />Bowers Field Airport <br />Bowers Field (ELN) is the largest airport in Kittitas <br />County and is located just north of Ellensburg. Home <br />to the Central Washington University Flight training <br />program, it provides regional connections for <br />tourism, emergency medical services, and <br />firefighting operations. In 2012, it supported 129 <br />jobs and $11.8 million in regional economic activity' <br />ELN is planning for significant capital construction <br />over the next six years. During the period of 2019- <br />2024, improvements to runway 11-29 and <br />construction of a parallel taxiway will be <br />implemented as shown in Figure 4. By 2024 it is <br />anticipated that runway 11-29 will be lengthened <br />from 4,301 feet to approximately 5,128 feet to <br />better serve small jet aircraft and increase additional <br />economic development opportunities for ELN. <br />The airport supports the County's largest land bank <br />of industrial land. It is likely that as airport <br />improvements progress, businesses will want to use <br />this land for development and truck and passenger <br />vehicle traffic will increase. Due to these anticipated <br />5 Central Washington University. 2014. "Economic impact" <br />http://www.cwu.edu/president/sites/cts.cwu.edu.president/files/ <br />documents/economic%20impact%20broch ure%20fi nal2. pdf <br />`'WSDOT. 2012. "Airport Economic Profile". <br />https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/N R/rdonlyres/A3 DF6FC9-CB27-4CBD- <br />BAA4-31 F26BC08896/0/2012BowersField. pdf <br />:.�I. age <br />