Title
Consideration of General Plan Conformity for Acceptance of An Easement From Alameda Unified School District Related to a Roundabout on Central Avenue at Third Street. This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301, 15304, 15061(b)(3) and 15183.
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City of Alameda (City) staff is recommending that the City Council accept an easement from Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) for a sidewalk, bikeway and landscaped bioretention area on a portion of the Encinal Junior & Senior High School property. The improvements will be installed as part of the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project (www.alamedaca.gov/Central <http://www.alamedaca.gov/Central>), in association with a roundabout at Central Avenue and Third Street, which is expected to begin construction in 2023. Prior to the City taking steps to accept the easement from AUSD, the Planning Board must make a finding that the location, purpose and extent of the easement conforms with the General Plan pursuant to Government Code Section 65402.
BACKGROUND
Central Avenue between the Main Street/Pacific Avenue intersection in west Alameda and the Encinal Avenue/Sherman Street intersection in central Alameda is a high injury corridor. Despite the 25-mile per hour speed limit, average speeds on this 1.7-mile corridor are over 30 miles an hour. In accordance with City Council direction, City staff has been working with the community, a team of nationally respected design and safety consultants, and Caltrans for over eight years to develop a plan to improve the safety of the Central Avenue corridor for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and automobile drivers, which is partially on Caltrans’ State Highway 61. In April 2021, the City Council approved a redesign of the street that is projected to reduce crashes by about 35 percent. The proposed reconfiguration includes roundabouts, which reduce speeding and travel times in that intersections with roundabouts reduce crashes by 90 percent while also reduce delays. Specifically, the subject easement between AUSD and the City of Alameda is intended to allow the City to construct a roundabout at the Central Avenue/Third Street intersection.
Staff recommends that the Planning Board find that the location, purpose and extent of the proposed easement is in conformance with the Alameda 2040 General Plan.
DISCUSSION
After a multi-year effort, on June 21, 2022, the City Council will consider a staff recommendation to authorize the City Manager to accept an easement from AUSD for a sidewalk, bikeway and landscaped bioretention area on a portion of the Encinal Junior & Senior High School property. The easement will greatly improve safety for the community, students and staff at Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School. Construction is expected to begin 2023 as part of the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project.
Pursuant to Government Code Section 65402, the Planning Board must make a general plan conformity finding before the City Council acquires the property for public purposes.
Acquisition of the easement is an important part of the Central Avenue project, which is consistent with the Alameda 2040 General Plan and other applicable policy documents as follows:
• The Mobility Element of the Alameda 2040 General Plan highlights the following four goals of equity, safety, choices and sustainability, which are addressed in the Central Avenue project. The easement facilitates construction of a roundabout and improvements to the Central/Third Avenue intersection that would address safety for students and pedestrians. Mobility Element Policy ME-7 specifically calls out the use of roundabouts as a traffic calming measure.
• The Pedestrian Plan identifies the Central Avenue improvements as a priority.
• The Bicycle Plan identifies the Central Avenue bikeway project as a high-priority project.
• The Transportation Choices Plan lists the Central Avenue project as a Vision Zero Safety Improvements and Traffic Calming priority.
• The Vision Zero Plan focuses on eliminating fatal and severe injury collisions, and is the citywide guiding principle for transportation planning, the design of streets and sidewalks, and the maintenance of the public rights-of-way making safety as the highest priority when balancing competing needs and demands for space within the public right-of-way.
PUBLIC PROCESS
A multi-year effort involving City Council actions related to the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project have preceded the consideration of the AUSD easement:
• In February 2016, the City Council approved an initial concept for the Central Avenue project and directed staff to continue the design development process with Caltrans and to work with the neighboring community to provide safer improvements for the Webster Street area;
• In October 2016, the City Council approved a federal grant application submittal to the Alameda County Transportation Commission, which the City won so as to fully fund the construction at $10.8 million in combined grant monies;
• In June 2017, the City Council approved $557,000 of the Central Avenue local match monies for fiscal years 2017 to 2019 as shown in the Capital Improvement Program;
• In January 2018, the City Council adopted the Transportation Choices Plan, which included the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project to address the climate crisis and to increase the safety and convenience of walking, bicycling and using transit;
• In April 2018, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a Cooperative Agreement with Caltrans and a contract with CDM Smith to prepare the Caltrans required Project Initiation Document (PID) since the eastern part of the corridor is a state route;
• In March 2019, the City Council approved a revised Central Avenue concept between Paden School and McKay Avenue extending the safer two-way bikeway;
• In June 2019, the City Council approved $2.5 million in Central Avenue expenditures from local and federal funding sources for fiscal years 2019 to 2021 as shown in the Capital Improvement Program;
• In November 2019, the City Council approved a CDM Smith contract amendment for the Central Avenue project approval and environmental phase (PA&ED) and the final concept - plans, specifications and estimate phase (PS&E);
• In May 2020, the City Council approved the Caltrans Cooperative Agreement for the PA&ED and the PS&E.
• In April 2021, the City Council approved the final concept for the Central Avenue project; and
• In June 2021, the City Council approved $12.2 million in Central Avenue expenditures from local and federal funding sources for fiscal years 2021 to 2023 as shown in the Capital Improvement Program.
AUSD Education Code required a two-step process for granting easements. The first step occurred at the Board's May 10 meeting where Resolution 2021-2022.54 Declaration of Intent to Grant an Easement to the City of Alameda was adopted. On May 24, the AUSD Board approved Resolution No. 2021-2022.56, which formally grants the easement to the City. The community was also advised of the AUSD Board's intent to grant this easement through notice in the Alameda Journal on May 18, 2022.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The easement is granted from AUSD to the City at a no cost donation. The City is responsible for the construction of the roundabout as part of the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project, which is CIP # C65600 and is funded $12.2 million in the CIP budget for fiscal years 2021-23.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301, 15304, 15061(b)(3) and 15183. No further CEQA review is required. The Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project final concept 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), each as a separate and independent basis. In addition, CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) applies because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed acquisition will have a significant effect on the environment, and Section 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan, or Zoning) applies to the project, which is consistent with the General Plan, Transportation Choices Plan, Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, and zoning, and does not have any significant effects that are peculiar to the project which are not addressed by uniformly applied development policies or standards. None of the exceptions in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply. CEQA authorizes the City to combine multiple exemptions to find a project exempt, and to rely on and cite several different exemptions to support a determination that CEQA review is not required for a particular activity. For the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination, Caltrans has specified that this project is a categorical exclusion under 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 771.117(c): activity (c)(3).
CLIMATE IMPACTS
Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, City staff is expecting that the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project would have a positive climate impact. The concept is being developed to make it safer and more convenient to bicycle, ride the bus and walk and to reduce congestion and idling motor vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution finding that acceptance of the easement related to a roundabout on Central Avenue at Third Street as part of the Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project conforms with the General Plan under Government Code Section 65402 (Exhibit 5).
Prepared By,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Reviewed By:
Allen Tai, City Planner
Exhibits:
1. Grant of Easement
2. Easement Legal Description and Map
3. AUSD Resolution
4. Central Avenue Concept at Encinal School
5. Draft Resolution