Title
Recommendation to Accept the Annual Report on the Alameda Landing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program and Approve City Staff Recommendations for Program Improvements. (Transportation 91802)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: David L. Rudat, Interim City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City staff is requesting City Council accept the Alameda Landing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program report for 2016 and 2017 and approve recommendations for program improvements. The Alameda Landing Transportation Management Association (TMA) has met the substantive components of the Alameda Landing TDM Program, which primarily consists of a ground shuttle between Alameda Landing and downtown Oakland/BART. Alameda Landing residents and employees support public transit and shuttle programs and have shown a willingness to change commute modes with new or expanded transit services. In 2017, monthly shuttle boardings averaged almost 2,000 in Alameda Landing and AC Transit’s Line 96 has over 1,000 monthly boardings in Alameda Landing. Additionally, staff recommends improvements for the upcoming year: (1) the Alameda Landing TMA join the citywide Alameda TMA to ensure that more of the TDM fees are used for transportation services rather than administration and services and programs can be coordinated more effectively across the City; and (2) the Alameda Landing TMA form a partnership with AC Transit to provide free bus passes to Alameda Landing residents and employees instead of the ground shuttle so as to benefit the entire west end.
BACKGROUND
The geographic area of the Alameda Landing project includes the land south of the Oakland Alameda Estuary, north of the College of Alameda and the Bayport Residential District, east of Coast Guard Housing, and west of Webster Street (Exhibit 1). The Bayport-Alameda Landing Master Plan and the Alameda Landing Development Agreements as approved by the City Council on January 2, 2007, requires an Alameda Landing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan to mitigate transportation impacts resulting from the Alameda Landing project as described in the project’s Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. On March 28, 2007, the Transportation Commission (TC) reviewed the Alameda Landing TDM Program, and recommended that the Planning Board approve the TDM Program as amended. On May 14, 2007, the Planning Board held a public hearing and approved the Alameda Landing TDM Program (Exhibit 2). Transportation-related requirements also are mentioned in the entitlement documents for the development. Both the entitlement document requirements and the TDM Program requirements are summarized below.
Development Agreements/Entitlement Documents: The development agreements and entitlement documents for Alameda Landing require:
i. Approval of a Transportation Demand Management Program for the site concurrent with approval of the first Development Plan for construction of Alameda Landing commercial or residential buildings;
ii. Operation of the first phase of the TDM Program on 'Day One' of the certificate of occupancy for either the 100,000th square foot of commercial development or the 150th dwelling unit;
iii. Employment of a TDM manager to coordinate, monitor, and implement the Program;
iv. Preparation of a phasing program describing a schedule of implementation of the various TDM Program components;
v. Establishment of a funding mechanism to establish the TDM Program, including long-term operating and management expenses; and
vi. Annual reporting to City of TDM Program effectiveness and progress.
Annual Report: An Annual Report on the TDM Program is required according to the conditions of the Master Plan and the Alameda Landing Commercial Development Agreement. The TDM Annual Report is required to be submitted to the TC for review and comment at the TC’s first meeting in January of each year and then is required to be submitted to the City Council for review and comment in March of each year. The Annual Report is required to provide the following information:
i. An accounting of Annual TDM Program expenditures.
ii. Ground and Water Shuttle ridership counts; AC Transit ridership counts if available and if applicable.
iii. Ongoing assessment of the Water Shuttle.
iv. Summary of marketing activity, including available statistics on distribution of materials to employees and residents.
v. An update concerning implementation of new measures and new activities discussed in the previous Annual TDM Report.
vi. A list of Program elements that are planned to be initiated and/or discontinued over the next year.
vii. A review of web site traffic statistics.
viii. A discussion of any new opportunities to implement other peak-hour trip reduction and/or trip elimination programs, such as compressed work weeks, telecommuting, staggered hours, flex-time, or incentives for local hiring.
ix. An assessment of feasibility of incorporating zero or low emission strategies to minimize program emissions and maximize use of clean air vehicles and maximize opportunities to partner with Alameda Municipal Power. Ongoing assessments shall be provided as part of the required Annual Report.
x. A review of current parking strategies and a discussion of potential parking strategies to support transportation demand management objectives.
In January 2016, the Transportation Commission reviewed the initial report, which covered the “Day One” requirements that were triggered with the opening of Target in fall 2013 and the two initial years of 2014 and 2015. The City Council reviewed this initial Annual Report in March 2016.
In December 2017, the City Council approved the final phase of Alameda Landing, which includes 364,000 square feet of existing warehouse for maritime and manufacturing use, up to 400 residential units and a 4.5 acre waterfront park. The final phase is required to pay TDM fees, which will be covered in subsequent annual reports. The TDM fees for the residential units range between $350 and $550 annually depending on the type of housing with single family detached being $550 and apartments at $350. The TDM fees for the employees of the final phase is at $110 per employee per year.
This Alameda Landing TMA report covers 2016 and 2017 (Exhibit 3), and staff is requesting the City Council review the report and staff recommendations. On July 25, 2018, the Transportation Commission supported both the report and staff recommendations for program improvements.
DISCUSSION
This staff report and the attached Annual Report (Exhibit 3) cover 2016 and 2017 under the Alameda Landing TDM program administered by the Alameda Landing TMA. As described above and in the TDM program, the purpose of the program is to mitigate transportation impacts by the development project, and specifically targets the reduction of drive alone trips since these trips are the least efficient, most polluting and require the most space on roadways and for parking. The following discussion includes a review of the first years of operations and recommendations for changes to the program and future annual reports. Table 1 provides a summary of the Alameda Landing TDM Program compliance for 2016 and 2017.
Staff Recommendations for Improvements to the Alameda Landing TDM Program and TMA
One of the purposes of an annual report is to identify how the program may be improved in future years. Based on the Annual Report and transportation conditions and priorities citywide, staff has the following recommendations for the Alameda Landing TDM Program and TMA:
Future Annual Reports: The TMA has met the substantive components of the TDM Program. City staff requests the following items to be addressed in future Annual Reports:
• Review web site traffic statistics and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the marketing program.
• Assess the feasibility to incorporate zero or low emission strategies to minimize program emissions and maximize use of clean air vehicles and maximize opportunities to partner with Alameda Municipal Power such as electric vehicle charging stations.
• Assess potential parking strategies to support TDM objectives such as improved bicycle parking, accessible parking, carsharing partnerships or motorcycle parking.
• Consider a public-private partnership with AC Transit similar to Line 19 in the Northern Waterfront area to improve the adjacent Line 96 peak service so as to provide a more frequent bus service for the general public instead of the Alameda Landing shuttle, which serves mainly Alameda Landing affiliates. This partnership also would include the purchase of AC Transit EasyPasses - bulk purchase bus passes that would be free to Alameda Landing residents and employees.
• Partner with the City and the Alameda TMA to assist with the implementation of its citywide transportation planning efforts - the Transportation Choices Plan. Projects for potential collaboration could include a Transportation Awareness Campaign, discounted bus passes, bus queue jump and bikeway on Stargell Avenue, Estuary Water shuttle, bike share and carsharing.
• Join the citywide Alameda TMA, which currently includes Alameda Point and Northern Waterfront areas, so as to ensure that more of the TDM fees are used for transportation services rather than administration. As described in the 2007 TDM Program, the Alameda Landing TMA was originally designed to be expandable, and the citywide TMA - the Alameda TMA - also was designed to expand. Every major development approved since 2007 has included a requirement that the development either join an existing TMA or create their own TMA. Each major development also has been conditioned to include many of the same transit services and requirements that were imposed on Alameda Landing.
As mentioned previously, the Transportation Commission supported both the report and staff recommendations for program improvements on July 25, 2018. Transportation Commission member comments included the need to carefully transition Alameda Landing’s private shuttle users to AC Transit’s Line 96 service, the need for more data on the viability of a water shuttle and the desire to explore bikes in buses through the tubes, which is a project in the Transportation Choices Plan (project #31).
The next annual report will be the five year status report, which has special significance because Alameda Landing TMA must show at that time that they are on target with the trip reduction requirements stated in the Alameda Landing TDM Program. The next annual report also will include the TDM fees from the final phase for Bay Ship and Yacht maritime and manufacturing uses. Subsequent annual reports will include the residential units in the final phase once they are constructed and first occupancy occurs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact to the City, including the City’s General Fund.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code, and is consistent with the Alameda Landing TDM Plan (May 2007). The Transportation Element of the City's General Plan directly supports the Transportation Element objective related to Transportation Demand Management: “Increase the efficiency of the existing transportation system by emphasizing Transportation System Management (TSM) strategies and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) techniques.” (Objective 4.1.6)
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project under section 21065 of the California Environmental Quality Act and CEQA Guidelines section 15378.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the Annual Report on the Alameda Landing TDM Program and Approve City Staff Recommendations for Program Improvements
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Assistant Community Development Director
By,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Map
2. TDM Program (May 2007)
3. TDM Program Annual Report
4. Water Shuttle Feasibility Study