Title
Approve Proposed Transportation Program and Fees for Alameda Point Existing Businesses Consistent with the Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management Plan (Action)
Body
Transportation Commission
Date of Meeting (01/24/2018)
Item # 5C
(ACTION)
Approve Proposed Transportation Program and Fees for Alameda Point Existing Businesses Consistent with the Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management Plan
Background
The City Council approved the Transportation Demand Management Plan for Alameda Point on May 20, 2014 (TDM Plan), a crucial component of the City’s approach to addressing the City’s transportation issues associated with the reuse and redevelopment of Alameda Point (Exhibit 1). The intent of the TDM Plan is to provide strategies, measures, and services that are combined into a comprehensive program to:
• Create the envisioned transit-oriented development at Alameda Point;
• Achieve the City of Alameda’s General Plan goals to reduce automobile trips, and in particular, targets the reduction of single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips; and
• Mitigate potential traffic impacts from existing and new development.
TDM strategies are designed to change travel behavior (when, where, and by what means people travel) by using combinations of incentives, disincentives, and convenient transportation services. The adoption of the TDM Plan is also required by the City’s General Plan and the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Alameda Point. The primary components of the TDM Plan include: creation of a Transportation Management Association to oversee the TDM Plan and administer and manage certain elements of it; develop common transit services; car and bicycle share programs; parking management; incentives and support services; and annual monitoring, reporting, and compliance.
Since approval of the TDM Plan, the City has taken active steps to implement the TDM Plan including applying and receiving a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to retain expert TDM consultants to help the City implement the TDM Plan at Alameda Point with developers, property owners and existing businesses. The City, in conjunction with these consultants, have accomplished numerous tasks to date, including the following:
1. Formation of the Alameda Transportation Management Association (Alameda TMA), a stand-alone non-profit organization, that oversees the ongoing implementation of the TDM Plan at Alameda Point and in the Northern Waterfront area with potential for expansion Citywide;
2. Established a Community Facilities District (CFD 17-1) for services requiring a special tax on private property at Alameda Point to fund transportation services and programs (among other public services) consistent with the TDM Plan;
3. Developed compliance worksheets for new members and ongoing monitoring and reporting forms, and conducted traffic counts in 2015 and 2016;
4. Prepared a budget for overhead costs;
5. Developed the Alameda TMA website: www.alamedatma.org <http://www.alamedatma.org>
6. Prepared information and marketing pieces on transportation options to access Alameda Point;
7. Prepared a draft Memorandum of Understanding with AC Transit for bus service from Alameda Point to the 12th Street BART Station;
8. Implemented the dockless bike share program with LimeBike; and
9. Continued discussions with AC Transit on how to expand their Easy Pass programs to all project areas within the Alameda TMA boundaries.
In addition, one of the key aspects of the TDM implementation efforts for Alameda Point has included preparing a proposed transportation program and budget for existing Alameda Point businesses, including a proposed fee for the first several years of transportation services and programs targeted at the needs of existing businesses at Alameda Point. The proposed program and fees for existing tenants, described in greater detail below, will be implemented by the Alameda TMA and integrated with the other transportation programs slated to be funded by Alameda Point developers, such as Alameda Point Partners, the Site A developer. The proposed transportation program and fees for existing tenants are the culmination of significant outreach and feedback from the tenants at multiple meetings over the last year and was approved by the Alameda TMA Project Area Committee for Alameda Point, comprised of existing businesses and property owners, earlier this month and is scheduled to be approved by the Alameda TMA Board earlier today. If approved by the Alameda TMA and the Transportation Commission, City staff will bring the proposed transportation program and fees to the City Council for ratification later this winter.
The following staff report discusses in detail City staff’s recommended transportation program and fees for existing Alameda Point tenants that will help further implement the City’s transportation plans for Alameda Point.
Discussion
After significant outreach with existing businesses, the proposed transportation program includes the following services for 2018 (Exhibit 2):
1. AC Transit EasyPasses and Line 96. AC Transit EasyPasses will be provided to all employees at Alameda Point and the City will be working with AC Transit to adjust the Line 96 to serve more of Alameda Point. These adjustments will come back to the Transportation Commission at a later date.
2. Subsidized Carpooling. Employees who carpool to Alameda Point via Scoop and Waze will have their trips subsidized between $2 to $12 per trip depending on the distance of their trip.
3. Incentivized Bicycle Commuting. Contract with the company, Ride Report, to develop a bike tracking program for Alameda Point to reward employees who commute via bicycle to and from Alameda Point, to allow employers to incentivize bike commuting and to track data regarding bicycle commuting.
4. Marketing and Information Sharing. Develop marketing materials and maintain and upgrade the Alameda TMA website to promote Alameda Point transportation program and services.
Based on current cost estimates developed by the City’s TDM expert, these programs are expected to cost approximately $100,000 in 2018 to be funded by fees paid for by existing tenants at Alameda Point consistent with the TDM Plan and as required by their leases with the City. Exhibit 3 summarizes the estimated costs for these services and programs and the fee amounts by type of business and for each of the businesses at Alameda Point, as well as the line item budget amounts for the management and operations of the TMA. Numerous other options were considered including branded electric vehicles, private shuttles, and Chariot private commuter shuttle service. These options were not preferred by the tenants and staff because they were more expensive, and provided less capacity and service duration (Exhibit 4). The proposed transportation programs are in addition to LimeBike, other services and programs to be funded by Alameda Point developers and the City’s other efforts to implement the recently approved Transportation Choices Plan. Again, if approved by the Alameda TMA and the Transportation Commission, City staff will bring the proposed transportation program and fees to the City Council for ratification later this winter.
Financial Impact
The costs of the proposed transportation programs for existing businesses will be funded by fees paid for by the existing businesses, as depicted in Exhibit 3. The fees from existing tenants and special taxes from developers and private property owners will be transferred from the City to the Alameda TMA consistent with the TDM Plan pursuant to a funding agreement that will be executed by the City Council at a later date.
Municipal Code/Policy Document Cross Reference
This action is consistent with the approved TDM Plan and the Transportation Element of the City’s General Plan, including Policy 4.1.6.a. and Chapter 9: Alameda Point of the General Plan, which outlines goals and policies for de-emphasizing the automobile; creating a mixed-use environment that promotes transit; and achieving a human-scale transit-oriented development, among many other transit-supportive policies.
Environmental Review
The Alameda City Council certified a Final EIR for the Alameda Point Project on February 4, 2014, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), Public Resources Code section 21000 et seq. and adopted and incorporated into the project all of the mitigation measures for the project that are within the responsibility and jurisdiction of the City, including this TDM Plan to mitigate traffic impacts.
Recommendation
Approve proposed transportation program and fees for Alameda Point existing businesses consistent with the TDM Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Director
Exhibits:
1. Alameda Point Transportation Demand Management Plan
2. Proposed Transportation Programs for Existing Businesses at Alameda Point
3. Program Costs and Fee Revenues for Proposed Transportation Programs
4. Comparison of Transportation Service Options