Title
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Filing of Applications for Funding Assigned to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Committing Any Necessary Local Matching Funds and Stating Assurance to Complete the Central and Clement Avenue Complete Street Projects and the Citywide Resurfacing Project. (Transportation 91625)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Filing of Applications for Funding Assigned to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Committing any Necessary Local Matching Funds and Stating Assurance to Complete the Central and Clement Avenue Complete Street Projects and the Citywide Resurfacing Project
BACKGROUND
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) awarded approximately $35 million of Alameda’s major priority transportation projects as part of Alameda CTC’s 2018 Comprehensive Investment Plan. The six City of Alameda funded projects are as follows:
• Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal - $8.2 million (Measure BB 2014 monies) in FY2019-20 for construction;
• Central Avenue Complete Street (Main/Pacific to Sherman/Encinal) - $3.487 million (federal monies) in FY2019-20 for construction;
• Clement Avenue Complete Street (Broadway to Grand) - $5.018 million (federal monies) in FY2017-19 for environmental/design and FY2019-20 for construction;
• Clement Avenue East Extension and Tilden Way including Right-of-Way Purchase from Union Pacific - $8.395 million (Measure BB 2014 monies) in FY2017-19 for planning/environmental/design/ROW and FY2019-20 for construction;
• Alameda Point Bus Rapid Transit: Dedicated Bus Lanes - $9 million (Measure BB 2014 monies) in FY2017-19 for planning/environmental/design and FY2019-20 for construction; and
• City Wide Street Resurfacing: Pavement Management - $827,000 (federal monies) in FY2019-20 for construction.
Three out of these six funded projects - Central and Clement Avenue Complete Streets and Citywide Resurfacing - will receive federal monies from the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) program totaling $9.3 million. This second round of OBAG - or OBAG 2 for short - is projected to total roughly $916 million regionally to fund projects from 2017-18 through 2021-22. The OBAG 2 program is divided into a Regional Program, managed by MTC, and a County Program, managed by the nine County-level Bay Area Congestion Management Agencies.
For Alameda County, the OBAG 2 program is intended to support Alameda CTC’s Sustainable Communities Strategy by linking transportation dollars to land-use decisions and targeting transportation investments to support priority development areas (PDAs). The OBAG 2 program is funded with the Surface Transportation Program and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality federal funding sources. The OBAG 2 program supports California’s climate law, Senate Bill 375, which requires a Sustainable Communities Strategy to integrate land use and transportation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Per the OBAG 2 requirements, 70 percent of the funds must be used toward transportation projects within PDAs. The two PDAs in the City of Alameda are Alameda Point and Northern Waterfront.
DISCUSSION
Alameda CTC is responsible for selecting and programming the Alameda County share of OBAG funds provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). Alameda CTC consolidates the programming and allocation for all fund sources that are under Alameda CTC’s purview including OBAG, Measures B and BB into a single document - the Alameda CTC Comprehensive Investment Plan. As part of this process, the following three City of Alameda projects are recommended to be funded by OBAG monies:
• Central Avenue Complete Street (Main/Pacific to Sherman/Encinal) - $3,487,000 (OBAG federal monies) in FY2019-20 for construction
• Alameda City Wide Street Resurfacing - Pavement Management - $827,000 (OBAG federal monies) in FY2019-20 for construction
• Clement Avenue Complete Street (Broadway to Grand) - $5,018,000 (OBAG federal monies) in FY2017-19 for environmental/design and FY2019-20 for construction
As part of the OBAG funding process, the City of Alameda is required to have the City Council authorize the filing of the applications for funding assigned to MTC, to commit any necessary local matching funds and to state assurance to complete the projects. The Transportation Commission recommended approval of the Alameda CTC 2018 CIP grant applications, which included these three OBAG-funded projects, on September 28, 2016 and the City Council recommended approval of these grant applications on October 18, 2016.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The budget for the projects is included in the Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Department for fiscal years 2017-2019 as part of the City’s draft Capital Improvement Program (CIP) (Table 1). In the proposed CIP, the local match for the projects - totaling $1.2 million - will be funded with monies allocated either from Measure B/BB Local Streets and Roads or Development Impact Fees, which is consistent with the City Council staff report for the grant applications on October 18, 2016. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Table 1: Total Project Costs
|
Projects |
OBAG Grant |
Local Match (11.47%) |
Total |
|
Central Avenue Complete Street |
$3,487,000 |
$451,778 |
$3,938,778* |
|
Alameda City Wide Street Resurfacing - Pavement Management |
$827,000 |
$107,147 |
$934,147 |
|
Clement Avenue Complete Street |
$5,018,000 |
$650,135 |
$5,668,135 |
|
Total |
$9,332,000 |
$1,209,060 |
$10,541,060 |
*Note that the full Central Avenue Complete Street project totals $12.2 million and is funded by two different grants - OBAG and the Active Transportation Program - covering $10.8 million with a local match covering $1.4 million.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. These projects directly support the Transportation Element of the General Plan as shown below:
• Objective 4.3.2, “Enhance opportunities for pedestrian access and movement by developing, promoting, and maintaining pedestrian networks and environments.”
• Policy 4.3.3.a, “Maintain and implement the Bicycle Master Plan with regard to physical system improvements (especially the identified priority projects), as well as programs and policies relating to encouragement, education and enforcement.”
• Objective 4.4.4.a, “Implement programs to fund maintenance of the existing and future transportation systems to the extent feasible to meet desired service levels.”
Furthermore, these projects will assist in meeting the goals of the City of Alameda's Local Action Plan for Climate Protection.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), these projects are Categorically Exempt under the 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. On a separate and independent basis, the projects are also statutorily exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21080.20.5 (restriping of streets and highways for bike lanes in an urbanized area that is consistent with a bike plan). For the Clement Avenue and Central Avenue projects, the City prepared assessments of the project related traffic and safety impacts, and recommended concepts that alleviate potential vehicular traffic impacts and bicycle and pedestrian safety impacts. No further environmental review is required because the project fits within the above categorical and statutory exemptions that are specifically designed for these types of bicycle infrastructure projects in urban areas.
RECOMMENDATION
Adoption of resolution authorizing the filing of applications for funding assigned to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, committing any necessary local matching funds and stating assurance to complete the Central and Clement Avenue Complete Street Projects and the Citywide Resurfacing Project.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Director
By,
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director