Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Grant (923-2026)

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard and outcomes incomplete.

What: Ordinance 923-2026, as amended (Councilmember Santana, Councilmember Bishop and Council President Griffin, by departmental request), authorizes applying for and accepting a US Department of Transportation Regional Infrastructure Accelerator grant and entering professional services contracts to carry it out.
Where it stands: passed on second reading on 2026-10-12 under suspended rules by a 12-1 vote, the only split vote of the night.
Committee: heard earlier that day by the Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, which adopted an amendment requiring quarterly reports to council and approved it as amended (about 27 minutes of questions).
Next: quarterly reports to council on the consultant, scope and spending; a written answer on who is lobbying in Washington on Burke Lakefront Airport.

Rules suspended 13-0; passage 12-1. The captions do not identify the dissenting member and no one explained the vote.

Staff: a $1.15 million US Department of Transportation award (April, 36-month term, no match) for technical advisers on financing, phasing and legal work, tied mainly to the Shoreway-area tax increment district and the lakefront and riverfront plans; eligible only for work that supports projects seeking federal TIFIA or RIF loans, which the city does not yet hold. Advisers would be chosen by the Board of Control.
Councilmember Kazy and Councilmember Polensek questioned why advisers are needed alongside the existing waterfront entities and whether Burke Lakefront Airport is involved (staff: not anticipated); the North Coast Connector (the planned Shoreway change) could draw on the advice for phasing and financing.
Councilmember Polensek's amendment requiring quarterly reports on the consultant, scope and spending was seconded and adopted by voice vote; he also asked who has been retained to lobby on closing Burke and at what cost.
Councilmember Slife said council risks being backed into the Shoreway plan without public discussion of west-to-east connections and expects, with Councilmember Kazy and the mayor of Lakewood, to convene a public meeting with the regional planning agency. Staff said the grant would not move that question either way, and Council President Griffin asked that council have the conversation before final decisions.

About 28 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-12 - Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee	27
2026-10-12 - City Council	1

2026-10-12 - City Council - Passed 12-1 on second reading; no debate.
2026-10-12 - Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee - Heard in committee; quarterly reporting amendment adopted, approved as amended.
2026-10-06 - Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee - Committee amended (directors of development and/or finance) and approved the $1.15 million grant ordinance.