TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Quarterly Report on District Involvement in External Planning Processes
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Quarterly Report on the District’s involvement in external planning processes.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
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 services are strongly affected by planning conducted by state, regional, county, and city agencies. These agencies’ plans and actions can affect AC Transit positively or negatively in funding, policymaking, roadway design, transit performance, and land use. Some plans will provide input into the District’s Network Realign, such as the Berkeley El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan (BECCAP) and the Southern Alameda County Rail Study.
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. District activities include participating in Technical Advisory Committees (TACs); providing comments on plans, designs, and other documents; submitting letters and speaking before governing bodies and their advisory commissions.
This report summarizes transportation and land use planning processes led by these other agencies which affect AC Transit. It focuses on planning activities rather than project implementation. A list and summary of these activities for the period of February-April 2023 is included as Attachment 1.
The Governor’s order allowing fully remote public meetings expired as of February 28, 2023. Agencies have resumed holding public meetings as either in-person meetings, or hybrid in-person/remote meetings.
PLANNING PROCESSES AT OR NEAR KEY POINTS
This section of the report identifies plans which are reaching or have reached key points in their development. These are plans which have been recently approved, have upcoming outreach processes, have reached other key milestones, and new plans.
Plans Approved/Completed February-April 2023:
West County Action Plan--Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee (WCCTAC)-Approved by WCCTAC Board, February 28, 2023 and forwarded to CCTA Board for action.
BART BECCAP-Plan completed; no BART Board action planned.
City of Alameda Lincoln/Marshall/Pacific Safety Plan-Approved by City Council, April 18, 2023
City of Alameda Clement Ave/Tilden Way Project-Approved by City Council, March 21, 2023
Plans Scheduled for Outreach, May-July 2023
City of Oakland Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP)-Plan to restructure zoning map and zoning provisions in Downtown Oakland, generally increasing permitted levels of development.
City of Oakland General Plan-Revision of Oakland’s General Plan, beginning with Housing Element. Hearings on General Plan amendments and zoning amendments to implement the Housing Element approved in January 2023.
Plans that Reached Other Key Milestones, February-April 2023:
Transit Transformation Action Plan-Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). MTC has hired or funded staff to work on the Connected Network Plan and the Transit Priority Plan. Staff work both at MTC headquarters and AC Transit’s General Office, the latter work on behalf of Bay Area transit agencies as a group.
Contra Costa County Integrated Transit Plan (ITP)--CCTA has initiated planning work on the ITP, which seeks to better integrate and to improve the services and physical facilities of the four transit agencies operating in Contra Costa County.
New Plans:
MTC Next Gen Freeways Plan-Developing plans to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the Bay Area’s freeway network, particularly through tolling and complementary strategies.
City of San Pablo and CCTA-Contra Costa College Mobility Hub-Plan to improve vehicle, transit, and bicycle access at Contra Costa College, including the AC Transit transit center.
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:
Board Policy 522 - Policy for Transit-Oriented Development and Transit-Supportive Land Use.
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
Beverly Greene, Executive Director of External Affairs, Marketing & Communications