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 if not monitored closely.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct budgetary/fiscal impact associated with this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit’s operations and service are affected not just by our own planning, but also by the planning of governmental agencies at multiple levels-state, regional, county, and city. Our district includes 13 cities and portions of 2 counties. Actions of these agencies can affect AC Transit positively or negatively in funding, policymaking, roadway design, transit performance and land use. Therefore, the District seeks to monitor and affect other agencies’ plan-making on an ongoing basis. Resources permitting, the District seeks to take an active role in these planning processes. Activities include participating on Technical Advisory Committees, submitting comments on plans, designs and other documents, and speaking before staff and governing bodies.
This report summarizes transportation and land use planning processes led by these other agencies, which affect AC Transit. This report focuses primarily on long-range planning activities rather than project level implementation (although several slow streets programs, very common during the pandemic, are listed). A list and summary of these planning processes is included as Attachment 1. The report covers planning activities during November and December of 2020.
Despite the severity of the pandemic, some planning activities went forward. MTC and ABAG announced the Final Blueprint for Plan Bay Area 2050. The Blueprint is a suite of 35 housing, transportation and policy strategies to make the region more efficient, equitable, and ecological. MTC is also guiding the Blue Ribbon Transit Task Force and the Fare Integration Study-there will be separate reports to the Board on these items.
AC Transit continues to work with the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) on corridor plans for major transit corridors. Mission Blvd./East 14th St. are in active planning phases. The San Pablo corridor-a joint project with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is moving into a design and implementation phase.
Some plans have received final approval and are therefore removed from this report. There was the Adeline Corridor Plan in Berkeley, which will now help guide the planning and development process at the nearby Ashby BART Station. Also, the City of Hayward approved its bicycle and pedestrian master plan. The report adds the Alameda General Plan, one of several General Plans which will be underway here in coming months and years.
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 20-428, 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 Service Development and Planning
Claudia Burgos, Director of Legislative Affairs & Community Relations