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Summary Title: Adopt Resolutions to Apply for Alameda County Transportation Commission Funding and Commit Any Needed Matching Funds for: 1) Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project; 2) Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations; 3) Neighborhood Greenway Crossings Safety and Connectivity Improvements Project; and 4) Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Filing of an Application for Alameda County Transportation Commission Administered Funding for the Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project and Committing Any Necessary Matching Funds and Stating Assurances to Complete the Project; and
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Filing of an Application for Alameda County Transportation Commission Administered Funding for Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 and 4) and Committing Any Necessary Matching Funds and Stating Assurances to Complete the Project; and
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Filing of an Application for Alameda County Transportation Commission Administered Funding for the Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements Project and Committing Any Necessary Matching Funds and Stating Assurances to Complete the Project; and
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Filing of an Application for Alameda County Transportation Commission Administered Funding for the Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases and Committing Any Necessary Matching Funds and Stating Assurances to Complete the Project.
The Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project funding request does not constitute a “project” as defined in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 in that the scope of the project is not yet known. An Environmental Impact Report was prepared by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority for the Water Shuttle project and the Neighborhood Greenway and Willie Stargell Transit Improvements projects are exempt from CEQA under Sections 15301(c) and 15304 (h). (Planning, Building and Transportation 24562743)
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To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City of Alameda (City) staff wrote and submitted four grant applications in October, totaling $4.5 million, to submit to the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) in response to their Notice of Funding Opportunity for their 2026 Comprehensive Investment Plan (CIP). Each of the four submitted projects are included in the City’s Strategic Plan (2023-2026) and each project received City Council review via adopted City plans and project-specific City Council items. The projects are:
1. Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project
2. Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 And 4)
3. Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements
4. Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases
Each project includes a local match which is a grant requirement. ACTC requires that a local support resolution be submitted for each application. The award announcement is expected in May 2025, after which staff would bring a request to City Council for allocation of the matching funding for any awarded grants. Staff recommends the City Council adopt separate resolutions for each of the four projects per the grant requirement.
BACKGROUND
In September 2024, ACTC issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for its 2026 CIP, with applications due October 31, 2024. Eligible project categories included bicycle/pedestrian capital projects and programs, complete streets capital improvement projects, transit-related capital projects and shuttle operations. ACTC typically aggregates its multiple discretionary funding sources and issues one call for projects every two years. The 2026 CIP has a total fund estimate of $100 million, with eligible applicants allowed to submit up to three “Discretionary Program” applications and one application under its “Major Trails Grant Matching Program.”
ACTC requires that each individual project application have a separate Resolution of Local Support, by which the applicant is committing to adhering to ACTC’s funding requirements including:
1. Delivering the proposed project’s scope within the identified schedule;
2. Providing matching funds to the project if awarded funds from ACTC;
3. Delivering the proposed project in line with the CIP guidelines, policies and procedures; and
4. Complying with post-funding allocation requirements such as funding agreement and reporting requirements.
DISCUSSION
City transportation staff evaluated potential projects to submit to the 2026 CIP call for projects and selected four projects that had a need for funding, were a good fit for the program and were considered competitive. The below projects, all of which received previous support from City Council, were submitted by the October 31, 2024 deadline. All the projects are in multiple City plans, including the City’s Strategic Plan, and three of the projects are on the “2024 Grant Application Priorities” list from the City’s 2024 Transportation Work Plan, which City Council accepted earlier this year.
The following four projects were submitted:
Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project
• Background: On February 20, 2024, City Council approved the City’s submittal of a $55.5 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant for this larger project. FEMA has since recommended the project for further review and a final determination is expected by Spring 2025. The City’s share of the local match is $1.9 million, which was expected to come from grants.
• 2026 CIP Application: The request is to cover a portion of the matching funds needed for the overall FEMA BRIC grant project. The project will reduce flood risks on Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 by Oakland Airport's commercial area and along Alameda's Bay Farm Island northern shoreline, which includes bolstering the San Francisco Bay Trail (Bay Trail) and closing the Doolittle Drive Bay Trail gap. The project includes flood mitigation elements that will remove the Airport and communities within the Cities of Oakland and Alameda from the FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area while also protecting important transportation corridors, enhancing access to the San Leandro Bay shoreline via the Bay Trail, and providing adaptive capacity and resilience for future sea level rise.
• 2026 CIP Funding Request: $937,000
o Required City match is $737,000 which is anticipated to be allocated from Measure BB, General Fund and Local Stormwater Fees, per City Council action on February 20th.
Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 and 4)
• Background: In 2022, City Council authorized an application to ACTC’s 2024 CIP for $1 million for a two-year water shuttle pilot program; the grant was later awarded. In July 2024, the City and its partners launched the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle service which has now been in operation for over three months with significant success.
• 2026 CIP Application: The project will continue operations of the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle service for two additional years, beyond the two-year pilot, from July 2026 to June 2028. Given the early success of the water shuttle, and the fact that this opportunity to secure critical operational funding is only available every two years, the City and the current project partners, including the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), the Alameda Transportation Management Association (TMA), and the Port of Oakland, all agreed to continue or exceed their current funding contributions for another two-year period. The amount of service would be similar to what exists today unless additional funding is secured, which the partners are seeking.
• 2026 CIP Funding Request: $730,000.
o Required City match is $225,000. Of this, $75,000 would be in-kind (staffing and marketing) and the remaining $150,000 is anticipated to come from the City’s local Measure BB funds or the General Fund.
Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements
• Background: On September 17, 2024, City staff updated City Council on the implementation phasing for the Neighborhood Greenways and described that the City would be pursuing grant funding to assist in construction of the Greenways. Staff is now developing designs for the Phase 1 Greenways.
• 2026 CIP Application: The Project will make safety and connectivity upgrades to four priority Neighborhood Greenway intersections on the Active Transportation Plan’s 2030 Low Stress Backbone Network, accelerating implementation of the Greenways. All of the intersections are on a planned Neighborhood Greenway street that intersects a cross street with high auto speeds, high volumes and/or extreme width. Two of the intersections (Third St & Pacific Ave and Ninth St & Lincoln Ave) are part of the City’s Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific corridor safety project, which is not fully funded, although significant funding has been secured through a federal Safe Streets for All grant. The other two intersections are along the Pacific Ave Neighborhood Greenway. One is at Wilma Chan Way, where a pedestrian hybrid beacon would be installed, and the second is at Sherman Street, which would have concrete bulbouts and flashing beacons.
• 2026 CIP Funding Request: $2,000,000.
o City match of $1,689,000. A minimum 25% local match is required, however staff proposed a larger match to increase the project’s competitiveness. Of this amount, $1,102,000 would be matched with the Safe Streets for All grant; and $587,000 is anticipated to come from the City’s local Measure BB funds or the General Fund.
Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases
• Securing funding for complete streets and safety improvements along Stargell Avenue has been a priority since 2016, when the City submitted its first grant application for the project. The project has been included on the City’s transportation Grant Application Priorities list since 2022, and the City submitted an additional five applications since then, with two applications pending which would fully fund the project through the construction phase.
• 2026 CIP Application: The request is for funding to complete the environmental and design phases of the Stargell Avenue project, from Main Street to Mariner Square Loop. The project will ultimately build bicycle paths and separated bicycle lanes, a new sidewalk, traffic calming treatments and new bus stops, which will support AC Transit’s newly approved re-aligned Line 19. Significant community outreach already occurred, and staff anticipates bringing a concept design to City Council to approve in 2025.
• 2026 CIP Funding Request: $800,000
o City match of $300,000. A minimum 25% local match is required however staff proposed a slightly larger match, which will increase the project’s competitiveness. The matching funds would come from the City’s local Measure BB funds or the General Fund.
Staff is recommending City Council adopt the separate Resolutions for each of the four projects.
ALTERNATIVES
City Council may consider a range of alternatives:
• Authorize the filing of all of the grant applications submitted by staff
• Authorize the filing of some of the grant applications, but not others
• Do not authorize the filing of any of the four grant applications. Not authorizing the filing of the grant means the City must seek other funding sources to fund these projects.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
If any of the four ACTC grants are awarded, the City will be required to contribute the following in local matching funds:
Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project: The grant can only fund up to 30% of the applicant’s matching funds for the overall project. The 2026 CIP would provide $937,000 in funding for the City to use towards the City’s portion of the BRIC grant required local match. The City’s required local match for this grant is $737,000 and is anticipated to be allocated from Measure BB, General Fund and Local Stormwater Fees, per City Council action on February 20, 2024, when it approved the City’s BRIC grant submittal.
Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 And 4): A minimum 75% local match is required, and the proposed total match is $2.2 million. The City’s portion would be $225,000. Of this, $75,000 would be in-kind (staffing and marketing) and the remaining $150,000 is anticipated to come from the City’s local Measure BB funds or the General Fund. The remaining match of $1,975,000 would come from public agency and non-profit Water Shuttle partners, as it does for the existing pilot project.
Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements: A minimum 25% local match is required, however staff proposed a larger match, totaling $1,689,000, which will increase the project’s competitiveness. Of this amount, a total of $1,102,000 would come from the Safe Streets for All grant; and $587,000 is anticipated to come from the City’s local Measure BB funds or the General Fund.
Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases: A minimum 25% local match is required however staff proposed a slightly larger match, which will increase the project’s competitiveness. The $300,000 in matching funds would come from the City’s local Measure BB funds or the General Fund.
ACTC expects to make a funding decision in May 2025, after which City staff would come back to Council to request allocation of the needed grant matching funds.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
All of the four grant application projects are included in multiple City planning documents, in addition to the City’s Strategic Plan (2023-2026), as follows:
Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project
• Strategic Plan, #CC6: Develop long-term adaptation plan and short-term adaptation projects
• Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP, 2019)
Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 And 4)
• Strategic Plan, TIE #7: Implement a free public Water Shuttle pilot program on the west end
• Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan (2022)
Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements
• Strategic Plan, TIE #9: Convert Slow Streets to Neighborhood Greenways as directed in the Active Transportation Plan and #10: Plan, Design and Construct a backbone low-stress bicycle network, pedestrian safety, and traffic calming projects
• Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan (2022)
Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases
• Strategic Plan, TIE #11: Plan, Design and Construct Stargell Avenue bicycle and pedestrian improvements
• Alameda’s Active Transportation Plan (2022)
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
For the Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project: This funding request does not constitute a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378 in that the scope of the project is not yet known. Further environmental review will be conducted for the individual resilience projects once they are better defined.
For the Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 And 4): A Program Environmental Impact Report for the Expansion of Ferry Service in the San Francisco Bay Area was prepared by WETA and certified in accordance with CEQA (State Clearinghouse #2001112048). No further environmental review is required under Public Resources Code section 21166 and Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines.
For the Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements: The Council previously found this project categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) (Minor Alterations to Land and the creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights of way).
For the Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases: This project is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) (Minor Alterations to Land and the creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights of way). In addition, this project partially implements Mitigation Measure 4.C-2m (Stargell Avenue Bike) required in the 2014 Alameda Point EIR.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Supporting bicycling and walking with these four projects will help the City meet its goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by supporting mode shift away from automobiles. The CARP found that transportation accounts for 70% of the City’s GHG emissions, and that moving people out of automobiles is paramount to reducing transportation-related emissions. As well, the Doolittle Drive/SR 61 and Bay Farm Island Project will reduce existing and future flood risk of future sea level rise.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of an application for ACTC administered funding for the Doolittle Drive/State Route 61 and Bay Farm Island Project and committing any necessary matching funds and stating assurances to complete the project; and adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of an application for ACTC administered funding for Oakland Alameda Water Shuttle Operations (Years 3 and 4) and committing any necessary matching funds and stating assurances to complete the project; and adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of an application for ACTC administered funding for the Neighborhood Greenway Crossings: Safety & Connectivity Improvements Project and committing any necessary matching funds and stating assurances to complete the project; and adopt a resolution authorizing the filing of an application for ACTC administered funding for the Willie Stargell Ave Safety and Transit Improvements Project: Environmental and Design Phases and committing any necessary matching funds and stating assurances to complete the project.
Respectfully submitted,
Allen Tai, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
By,
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director