TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Quarterly External Planning Processes Report
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Quarterly Report on the District’s involvement in external planning processes.
Body
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct budgetary/fiscal impact associated with this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
This report summarizes transportation and land use planning processes led by other agencies, which affect all or part of the AC Transit District. This report focuses on long-range planning activities rather than project level implementation. AC Transit participates in and tracks multiple external planning processes at the state, regional and local levels. Depending on circumstances, our participation may take various forms, including attending and participating in meetings, holding individual meetings, and preparing comments. A list and summary of these planning processes is included as Attachment 1.
Several plans were completed and approved in this period:
• The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) approved its countywide Active Transportation Plan for (bicycles and pedestrians).
• Let’s Bike Oakland/Oakland Bike Plan was approved on July 9. AC Transit provided comments supporting the plan as a step forward for integrated multimodal bike/bus planning in Oakland, but also requested bus boarding islands on high-frequency transit corridors.
• The City of Hayward approved its Hayward Downtown Specific Plan with the goal of developing Downtown Hayward as a more robust mixed use area. The Plan includes a recommendation that the bus bays at Hayward BART be moved from the east (downtown) side of the station to the west side.
These plans will not appear on future reports.
The Oakland Climate Action Plan, now receiving community input, is newly listed on this report. MTC/ABAG’s Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy has completed its “Horizon” phase of multi-issue analysis and scenario testing. The Plan is moving into the more “traditional” phases of project review and economic/demographic projections. MTC will also be considering how to implement the Priority Development Area (PDA) program. While many PDAs in the AC Transit district have been successful at attracting housing and/or job growth, this has not necessarily been the case elsewhere in the region.
AC Transit’s ridership is concentrated along major corridors, so corridor improvement planning is important to us. AC Transit is participating in corridor improvement planning for San Pablo Avenue, Mission Boulevard/East 14th St., and Grand Avenue (Oakland). Smaller scale planning is also underway along Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, in Emeryville, and in Berkeley along Adeline Street.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
External planning processes provide AC Transit with opportunities to influence decisions by cities, counties, and other agencies that affect roadway design, transit and land use. In addition, our participation ensures transit service plans can anticipate and adjust to meet the needs of the community.
The disadvantage is that participation in external planning processes can be time-consuming with no guarantee of positive results for the District.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Because this report does not recommend an action, there is no alternatives analysis.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 19-164, External Planning
ATTACHMENTS:
1. External Planning Tracker
Approved by:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Reviewed by:
Robert del Rosario, Director of Services Development and Planning
Claudia Burgos, Director of Legislative Affairs & Community Relations
Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications
Prepared by:
Nathan Landau, Senior Transportation Planner, Long Range Planning