Title
Recommendation to Accept the 2022 Annual Reports on the General Plan, Transportation Choices Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, and the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. CEQA Determination: Endorsement of the Annual Reports is Statutorily Exempt from Environmental Review Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). (Planning, Building, and Transportation 20962710) [Continued from March 21, 2023]
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Each year, the City Manager’s Office, the Public Works Department, and the Planning, Building and Transportation Department produce four annual reports (Exhibit 1). These reports include:
• The General Plan and Housing Element Annual Report The Transportation 2022 Annual Report & 2023 Work Plan
• The Vision Zero 2022 Annual Report , and
• The Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP) 2022 Annual Report & 2023 Work Plan
These reports document progress made towards meeting established City Council goals, and they propose priorities for the coming year. Staff prepares these annual reports early in the spring of each year so that the community and City Council is able to use the annual report information and recommendations to inform City Council budget and Capital Improvement Program decisions.
BACKGROUND
The Annual Report on the General Plan describes the current status of the General Plan and progress towards meeting the City’s regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) over the past year. The report identifies priorities for the upcoming year to better achieve General Plan and Housing Element objectives and regional housing obligations. Government Code section 65400 et seq. requires that the City of Alameda (City) annually review the adequacy of the General Plan and progress made toward meeting the City’s RHNA. The attached annual report documents progress made toward meeting the City’s RHNA in 2022, the final year of the previous 2015-2022 Housing Element planning period. As described in the Annual Report, Alameda’s housing production for the planning period achieves the City’s regional obligations for total housing production, but not the need for housing for lower income households. Priorities for upcoming years focus on the development of additional affordable housing in Alameda.
The Annual Report on Transportation provides performance metrics about transportation in Alameda, a summary of 2022 accomplishments, and a work plan to further improve transportation in Alameda in 2023. This report fulfills the Transportation Choices Plan (2018) and Vision Zero Action Plan (2021) requirements for an annual review of progress made toward meeting the City’s transportation and traffic safety improvement goals, which are to provide for the mobility needs of the full diversity of Alameda community members; expand and improve alternatives to low occupancy automobile trips to incentivize mode shift; reduce automobile congestion, and reduce Alameda’s transportation system’s impacts on the environment and global warming.
The Vision Zero Annual Report uses performance metrics from the Vision Zero Action Plan. The goal of the Vision Zero Plan is to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries in Alameda by 2035. This is the first annual report since adoption of the Vision Zero Action Plan in December 2021. Next year the Vision Zero Annual Report will also include a report on the Active Transportation Plan, which the City Council adopted in December 2022.
The CARP Annual Report presents the CARP’s vision and goals, 2023 work plan objectives, 2022 accomplishments and next steps, partnerships and staffing updates, and funding needs. The goals of the CARP are to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 through transportation, building energy, carbon sequestration and waste reduction actions; to increase resiliency to flooding, drought, extreme heat, hazardous air quality and earthquakes; and to build social resilience and local government capacity. The CARP aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible in accordance with Alameda’s Climate Emergency Declaration, which was passed in March 2019 by the City Council. The Annual Report fulfills the annual reporting requirement for the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan (2022).
DISCUSSION
The goal of these Annual Reports is to educate and inform the community, the advisory boards and commissions, and the City Council about progress made to date and anticipated needs and priorities for the future. The Annual Reports are not designed or intended to limit or determine future City Council actions regarding City budgets, capital improvements, projects, programs or initiatives. The reports should help inform those future decisions.
The 2022 Accomplishments can be found at the following:
• General Plan Annual Report 2022 - Exhibit 1, page 6
• Transportation 2022 Annual Report and 2023 Work Plan Draft - Exhibit 1, page 75
• Vision Zero 2022 Annual Report Draft - Exhibit 1, page 140
• CARP 2022 Annual Report and 2023 Work Plan Draft - Exhibit 1, page 27
The 2023 Work Plan / Priorities can be found at the following:
• General Plan Annual Report 2022 - Exhibit 1, page 4, 8
• Transportation 2022 Annual Report and 2023 Work Plan Draft - Exhibit 1, page 80
• Vision Zero 2022 Annual Report Draft - Exhibit 1, page 147
• CARP 2022 Annual Report and 2023 Work Plan Draft - Exhibit 1, page 30
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council may:
• Review and comment on all the reports and associated priorities.
• Recommend revisions to one or more of the reports and associated priorities.
• Request more time to review the reports before commenting.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Endorsement of the Annual Reports have no financial impact. The recommended priority actions are designed to be accomplished within existing (or anticipated) approved budgets and with existing (or anticipated) funding sources, where the City is the lead agency. Final budget decisions on specific programs and capital projects will be made by the City Council when it approves the Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Program. Endorsement of a work priority in the Annual Report does not predetermine or obligate the City Council to make a particular funding decision when it adopts the citywide Budget and Capital Improvement Program.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. An annual review of the General Plan, Transportation Choices Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan, and the CARP are required by the respective plans. Undertaking the annual reports is consistent with the City's General Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Endorsement of the annual reports is statutorily exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the general rule that CEQA only applies to actions that have the potential to cause a significant impact on the environment.
CLIMATE IMPACT
These planning documents support improvements to transportation operations, energy and water efficiencies, sequester carbon and reduce waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and also will improve the resiliency to the impacts of climate change.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the 2022 Annual Reports on the General Plan, Transportation Choices Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, and the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. 2022 Annual Reports