Title
Staff Report for a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) for the East Bay Corridors Initiative
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
ABAG seeks to implement the East Bay Corridors Initiative (Initiative) to create a regional and coordinated approach to planning and investment along major transit-oriented areas, including East 14th Street and San Leandro Boulevard, in cities and unincorporated areas within Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties. There are two major corridors under the Initiative: the Oakland-Union City Corridor and the San Pablo Corridor. San Leandro falls under the former. The Oakland-Union City Corridor includes Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, and Union City, as well as Alameda County. The San Pablo Corridor includes Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules and Contra Costa County.
The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is to define and formalize the working relationship among regional and local agencies. No funding commitment from participants is required to join the Initiative. Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the ABAG East Bay Corridor MOU.
BACKGROUND
ABAG and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) adopted Plan Bay Area in the summer of 2013. Plan Bay Area is an integrated land use and transportation strategy to accommodate the region's projected population, housing and job growth between 2010 and 2040 to achieve State targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Plan Bay Area is based primarily on the Priority Development Areas (PDAs) in the nine county San Francisco Bay Region. PDAs are locally-driven land use planning programs administered by ABAG for sustainable development near transit-oriented areas.
Plan Bay Area projects that PDAs along major corridors will grow at a faster rate than the region as a whole. Many of the investments included in Plan Bay Area connect and/or serve the cities and counties within the East Bay Corridor. In addition, regional and State community development and transportation funding and resources have been, and continue to be, prioritized for PDAs throughout the State to further the Plan's goals.
Between 2000 and 2014, San Leandro and other localities such as Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Hayward, Hercules, Oakland, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, Union City, Alameda County and Contra Costa County adopted 25 land use plans to establish ABAG/MTC certified PDAs. All of these PDAs are located within the East Bay Corridor. San Leandro has two PDAs: Downtown San Leandro and East 14th Street.
The Downtown PDA conforms to the area established as a ½ mile radius around the San Leandro BART Station under the City's Downtown Transit-Oriented Development Strategy adopted in 2007. The East 14th Street PDA includes the entire length of East 14th Street from Bristol Boulevard to the north to Hesperian Boulevard to the south and was established under the East 14th Street South Area Strategy (2004) and the North Area Specific Plan (1991). The City received an MTC planning grant in the summer of 2014 to form a PDA and TOD specific plan for the area in and around the Bay Fair BART Station and Bayfair Center, which includes the adjacent portion of East 14th Street.
Analysis
In September 2013, the East Bay Corridor Initiative was presented to ABAG's Executive Board as a top implementation strategy for realizing Plan Bay Area. Since 2013, staff from East Bay Corridor jurisdictions (including San Leandro), ABAG, and other public agencies have met to identify 1) obstacles to achieving the level and quality of growth planned for PDAs in their jurisdictions and 2) preliminary inter-jurisdictional strategies for implementing local PDAs and regional planning objectives for each segment of the corridor.
Pursuant to the MOU, beginning in 2015, participating jurisdictions, ABAG and other public agencies will engage to solidify these mutually determined preliminary strategies. This will set the stage for further engagement with city leadership, development of partnerships with the non-profit and business communities, and obtaining funding to carry out the strategies.
Participants will undertake the following activities under the MOU:
1. Continue to coordinate with city and county staff the development of multi-jurisdictional strategies to create a network of thriving neighborhoods and downtowns within the East Bay Corridor.
2. Identify and develop funding sources to implement agreed upon strategies.
3. Endorse joint applications by participants for grants and other funding that support agreed upon multi-jurisdictional strategies.
ABAG will coordinate the East Bay Corridors Initiative. However, each participating jurisdiction will assign a representative to the Initiative Steering Committee under the MOU to implement the Initiative. Each jurisdiction's appointee should have expertise and experience in land use and development and will in most cases be Planning Department staff.
Legal Analysis
The City Attorney's Office reviewed and approved the staff report and the MOU, the latter as to form.
Fiscal Impacts
There is no funding commitment required for the City to enter into and participate in the proposed activities under the MOU. However, each participating jurisdiction will appoint a staff person to be part of the Initiative Steering Committee.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachments to Resolution
· Exhibit A: East Bay Corridors Map
· Exhibit B: Memorandum of Understanding - East Bay Corridors Initiative
PREPARED BY: Tom Liao, Deputy Community Development Director, Community Development Department