TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Quarterly Report on District Involvement in External Planning Processes
BRIEFING ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Quarterly Report on the District’s involvement in external planning processes.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Strong Public and Policymaker Support
Initiative - Service Quality
External planning activities develop public and policymaker support by facilitating dialogue and consensus between cities, AC Transit and other stakeholders about their proposals affecting transit. The District’s participation in these activities is generally designed to improve or maintain service quality. Proposals by cities and other entities can improve operating conditions for AC Transit service or degrade them.
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 AC Transit. This report focuses primarily on long-range planning activities rather than project level implementation. AC Transit participates in and tracks multiple external planning processes at multiple levels. A list and summary of these planning processes is included as Attachment 1.
This report covers activities in the period between mid-January 2020 and early April 2020. The county and state Shelter-in-Place orders have been in effect for about a third of this period, or roughly a month. The orders have dramatically affected the practice of planning in the Bay Area and elsewhere. In person public meetings are prohibited. Staff level meetings, such as technical advisory committees, are also prohibited. Agency planning staffs are typically working from home, although many agencies’ operations staffs continue to work at their regular worksites.
No new external planning processes in or affecting AC Transit have been initiated in this period. However, those processes already underway have continued to move forward, albeit at a slower pace. Agencies have used phone and videoconferencing techniques for both public and technical meetings. It is not yet clear how much COVID-19 and its aftermath will lead to changes in transit, transportation, and land use planning. Formal planning efforts for this future have not yet started. However, the proponents of the proposed regional FASTER transit ballot initiative have decided not to seek voter approval this year. However, the author of Senate Bill 278, Senator Jim Beall, has not yet provided a clear indication of next steps regarding this piece of legislation. Some elements of FASTER may be incorporated into Plan Bay Area 2050 in a modified form.
On the regional level, MTC/ABAG continues to move forward on Plan Bay Area 2050, also known as the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) and the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Plan Bay Area 2050 will be completed next year, while the Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be completed in 2021. It will have sections on transportation, housing, economy, and environment, with equity as a cross-cutting focus. The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) is developing its Countywide Plan in parallel with MTC’s efforts. The Countywide Plan is likely to include several arterial projects of interest to AC Transit. Contra Costa’s Countywide Transportation Plan, Measure J, which appeared on the March 3rd ballot failed to garner the votes needed for passage. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) will soon be issuing a draft of the Community Based Transportation Plan (CBTP), outlining potential actions to improve transportation for low-income communities in the Richmond Area.
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 20-066, External Planning
ATTACHMENTS:
1. External Planning Tracker
Prepared by:
Nathan Landau, Senior Transportation Planner, Long Range Planning
Approved/Reviewed by:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Robert del Rosario, Director of Services Development and Planning
Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications
Claudia Burgos, Director of Legislative Affairs & Community Relations