Title
Staff Report for a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution to Authorize the City Manager to Execute Agreements with the California Department of Transportation and to Approve the Receipt of Grant Funding from the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program for the Crosstown Class IV Corridors Study
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The City was conditionally awarded a Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant to study the implementation of Class IV bicycle lanes on Bancroft Avenue and Williams Street in the Crosstown Class IV Corridors Study (Study). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) requires a resolution, signed by the City Council that includes the grant project title and job title of the person authorized to enter into a contract with Caltrans to meet the general conditions for award of the Grant.
Staff recommends the following action:
• Authorize the City Manager to execute agreements with Caltrans to receive $349,248 in grant funding from the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program and provide a minimum local match amount of $45,252 for a total of $394,500 for the Crosstown Class IV Corridors Study.
BACKGROUND
The Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program was created to support the state’s goal to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated, and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy and livability. The program encourages and supports local planning projects that will benefit the multi-modal transportation system, improve public health, social equity, environmental justice, the environment, and provide other important community benefits.
The California Legislature passed, and Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed into law, Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, a transportation funding bill that provides the source of funds to maintain and integrate the State’s multi-modal transportation system. Approximately $25 million in SB 1 funds for Sustainable Communities Grants is available for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 grant cycle. The SB 1 grant funding is intended to support and implement Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) (where applicable) and to ultimately achieve the State’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 40 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2050, respectively.
In October 2019, the City of San Leandro submitted an application for a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Sustainable Communities Grant for the Crosstown Class IV Corridors Study. Caltrans notified the City on June 18, 2020 of the conditional award of the grant subject to the submittal of a revised application cover sheet, scope of work, timeline, and local agency resolution.
Analysis
The Crosstown Class IV Corridors study project was identified as a high priority in the 2018 Update of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (BPMP) based on a robust public planning process, review of existing data, and on the ground conditions. The Crosstown Class IV Corridors Study seeks to review and identify how to improve safety, access, and mobility for all roadway users along Bancroft Avenue and Williams Street. These two major corridors provide important connections to schools (six elementary, two middle and one high school), transit (two BART stations), new and planned housing developments, recreation areas, as well as regional and local parks.
The proposed project will develop a community-based Class IV Corridor Study for these two major roadways and by doing so, will help transition San Leandro’s transportation network into a safer and more accessible system for all users. The goal will be to provide safe and balanced pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic flow while connecting schools, parks, shopping, employment, and transit. The grant amount of $349,248 in State Highway Account-Sustainable Communities funding and the required minimum local match of $45,252 will be used to fund the $394,500 study project and hire a consultant to conduct the study and prepare the report. The City will appropriate approximately $50,000 in Measure BB funds for the Study upon the award of the consulting contract, thus fulfilling the required local match requirement.
The City has not yet selected a consulting firm to lead the study effort; however, the proper procurement procedures will be used through a competitive RFP process. City staff anticipates that the final project budget figures will not differ substantially and will not exceed the grant request amount. The project will be led by Engineering and Transportation Department staff. The conditions of award provides until February 28, 2023 for completion of the Study. Grant work cannot begin until all Conditions of Grant Acceptance have been satisfied and the City receives a Notice to Proceed letter from Caltrans which is anticipated this October 2020.
Current Agency Policies
• Maintain and enhance San Leandro’s infrastructure
Committee Review and Actions
• Several updates on the proposed Study have been provided to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), the most recent occurring on May 21, 2020.
Applicable General Plan Policies
• Policy T-2.1 Complete Streets Serving All Users and Modes. Create and maintain “complete” streets that provide safe, comfortable, and convenient travel through a comprehensive, integrated transportation network that serves all users.
• Policy T-3.1 Citywide Bikeway System. Develop and maintain a bikeway system that meets the need of both utilitarian and recreational users, reduces vehicle trips, and connect residential neighborhoods to employment and shopping areas, BART stations, schools, recreational facilities and other destinations throughout San Leandro and nearby communities.
• Policy T-3.2 Funding. Maximize the City’s eligibility for funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and aggressively pursue such funding to complete desired projects.
• Policy T-3.3 Designing for Multiple User Groups. Recognize the dual needs of experienced cyclists relying on bicycles for commute trips and daily travel and less experienced cyclists using bicycles principally for recreation. Where needed, develop facilities designed to serve each user group, with recreational routes primarily using low-volume streets and off-street bike paths.
Environmental Review
The Project qualifies for a statutory exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per California Public Resources Code Section 21080.19 “Restriping of Streets or Highways”.
Fiscal Impacts
The awarded Sustainable Transportation Planning grant funds in the amount of $349,248 require a minimum local match of $45,252. Approximately $50,000 of Measure BB funds will be used to meet the match requirement and provide a total of $394,500 for the Study. These funds will be appropriated at the time of the award of the consulting contract for the Study.
Budget Authority
Grant funds in the amount of $349,248 will be appropriated for Fiscal Year 2020-2021. Measure BB/B Street and Bicycle & Pedestrian Funds of approximately $50,000 will be appropriated in Fiscal Year 2020-2021 for this Study for the City’s local match.
ATTACHMENTS
Crosstown Class IV Corridors Study - Sustainable Communities Grant Application
Conditional Grant Award Letter dated June 18, 2020
PREPARED BY: Keith R. Cooke, Director, Engineering & Transportation Department