San Francisco County Transportation Authority
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AGENDA

PLANS AND PROGRAMS COMMITTEE

Meeting Notice

Date: 10:00 a.m ., Tuesday, June 14, 2005 **New time**
Location: Room 263, City Hall
Commissioners: Dufty (Chair), Peskin (Vice-Chair), Alioto-Pier, Daly, Maxwell, and McGoldrick (Ex-Officio)
CLERK: Pooja Jhunjhunwala

1. Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes of the May 10, 2005 Meeting – ACTION* (attachment 1)

3. Citizens Advisory Committee Report – INFORMATION* (attachment 2)

4. Recommend Confirmation of Aida Berkovitz and Andrew Green as New Members to the Geary Citizens Advisory Committee and the Appointment of 3 New Alternates to the Committee – ACTION* (attachment 3)

At the June 10, 2003 Plans and Programs Committee meeting, Commissioner McGoldrick requested that the Authority appoint a Geary Citizens Advisory Committee (GCAC) for the Geary Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Study, which is intended to advance the implementation of bus rapid transit in the Geary corridor. In September, the Authority Board approved the proposed GCAC structure in Resolution 04-18. The Authority Board initially appointed 11 members and 5 alternates in Resolution 04-24. Subsequently, the Authority Board appointed an additional 4 members in Resolution 04-50, bringing the total membership to 15 members and 5 alternates. Following the resignations of two Committee members, the GCAC voted to nominate alternates Aida Berkoviz and Andrew Green to become members of the GCAC. A third original GCAC member resigned in April, and at the April 2005 meeting, GCAC members requested that this vacancy not be filled until the Board appoints new alternates. Thus, the GCAC now consists of 14 members and 3 alternates. Staff publicized a call for alternates interested in serving on the GCAC during late April and May. As of the June 3 deadline, we had received 6 new applications. In addition, we are resubmitting 46 previous applications, 3 of which have updated information. The Plans and Programs Committee will recommend three GCAC alternate appointments at its June 14 meeting, to be confirmed by the Authority Board at its June 21 meeting. The recommendation is to confirm Aida Berkovitz and Andrew Green as members of the GCAC and to appoint 3 alternates to the GCAC.

5. Recommend Approval of Prop K 5-Year Prioritization Programs for Pedestrian and Bicycle Facility Maintenance; Bicycle Circulation/Safety; and Tree Planting and Maintenance, as presented– ACTION* (Attachment 4) (5YPP)

The voter-approved Expenditure Plan includes a number of requirements, including the development of 5-Year Prioritization Programs (5YPP) as a condition for receiving allocations in each programmatic (i.e., not project-specific) category in the Expenditure Plan. Seventeen of twenty 5YPPs prepared this year were approved by the Authority Board on May 17, 2005. The three remaining 5YPPs are complete and ready for approval. The 2005 Prop K Strategic Plan, which was approved in March, informed the preparation of each 5YPP, particularly the allowable annual funding levels. The remaining three 5YPPs are consistent with the Strategic Plan, and therefore, will not require amendments to the Strategic Plan. We are seeking a recommendation for approval of Prop K 5-Year Prioritization Programs for Pedestrian and Bicycle Facility Maintenance; Bicycle Circulation/Safety; and Tree Planting and Maintenance, as presented.

6. Recommend Allocation of $46,646,204 in Prop K Funds, with Conditions and Subject to the Attached Fiscal Year Cash Flow Distribution Schedules, for 36 Prop K Funding Requests and Appropriation of $50,000 in Prop K Funds Subject to the Attached Fiscal Year Cash Flow Distribution Schedule for the Van Ness BRT Conceptual Design, as Presented – ACTION* (Attachment 5) (Allocation Request Forms)

Each spring the Authority issues an annual call for Prop K projects with the intent of bringing as many of the programmatic and other individual capital project allocations to the Authority Board for approval in June. This allows project sponsors to incorporate the level of Prop K funding in their annual budget processes, and to put into place the staff and other resources necessary to deliver Prop K projects and programs. Subject to funding availability, project sponsors that can demonstrate need and project readiness can also receive allocations for individual projects and programs during the year. We are pleased to report that the recent approval of the Prop K Strategic Plan and the 5-Year Prioritization Programs has greatly streamlined the annual call for projects. We are recommending approval of 37 requests at this time, including the majority of the annual programs and a number of individual projects, and reflecting deferral until June of only a very small number of requests. The recommended allocations are consistent with the Strategic Plan and will not trigger the need for additional financing beyond that already assumed in the Strategic Plan. We are recommending allocation of $46,646,204 in 36 Prop K funding requests and appropriation of $50,000 in Prop K funds subject to the attached Fiscal Year Cash Flow Distribution Schedule for Van Ness BRT Conceptual Design, as presented.

7. Recommend Support for the Fourth Street Alignment of the Central Subway as the Locally Preferred Alternative and Amendment of Resolution 04-51 Authorizing a Change in Scope so that Previously Allocated Funds Can Be Spent on the New Alignment – ACTION* (Attachment 6)

The Central Subway is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail project. Work has been progressing on additional studies for a proposed Fourth Street alignment alternative. The project team has concluded that the Fourth Street alignment, crossing Market Street in a deep tunnel, is preferable to the previously adopted Third Street alignment with a shallow crossing at Market Street. Some of the reasons for preferring the Fourth Street alignment are shorter travel times, ease of construction, shorter construction duration, less surface disruptions during construction, and reduced cost. This proposed alternative will require supplemental environmental work, and MUNI is in the process of issuing a contract modification to the consultant design team to perform the additional work. The Authority has allocated $5M in TCRP funds and $11.8M in Prop B funds for Conceptual and Preliminary Engineering of the Central Subway, which is scheduled to be completed in December 2006. Final Design is scheduled to be completed in early 2009 and Construction will be completed in 2012. We are seeking recommendation for support of the Fourth Street Alignment as the Locally Preferred Alternative and for Amendment of Resolution 04-51 authorizing a change in scope so that previously allocated funds can be spent on the new alignment.

8. Recommend Approval of an Amendment to Resolution 02-17 to Change Scope, Cost, and Schedule for MUNI's Operator Restroom Project, as Requested – ACTION* (Attachment 7)

In 2001, under Resolution No. 02-17, the Authority approved an allocation of $1,016,000 to MUNI for conceptual engineering, public outreach, design, and construction of nine operator restrooms. In 2003, MUNI completed the CER, narrowing the number of sites to seven, including one that was added to address the loss of a planned site eliminated due to the construction of the Hotel Vitale. The CER also increased the cost estimate to $2,300,000 due to new ADA requirements, improvements to the design to address problems identified by vehicle operators and maintenance staff, and additional landscaping and architectural treatments needed to win community support and approval from the Arts Commission. Subsequently, MUNI allocated $330,000 in developer fees from the Hotel Vitale project to the Operator Restroom Project, for a new total of secured funds of $1,346,000. Since the CER was completed, MUNI has encountered strong community opposition and other obstacles to a number of the originally proposed locations. Because no additional funds existed under Prop B for the project, and there were no other sources of funds available, MUNI decided to proceed with the construction of as many restrooms as possible with the available funds, which amounts to only three locations. The magnitude of the scope, schedule and cost changes compared to the original allocation requires Authority-Board approval. We note that we now have codified various policies in the 2005 Strategic Plan, particularly a policy to allocate funds by project phase, that are intended to encourage refinement of scope and cost estimates, as well as building of community consensus earlier in project development, before allocation of construction funds. There is no financial impact to the Prop K program. We are seeking a recommendation for the approval of an amendment to Resolution 02-17 to change scope, cost, and schedule for MUNI's Operator Restroom Project, as requested.

9. Status Report on the Third Street Light Rail Project – INFORMATION* (Attachment 8)

This is a status report on the Third Street Light Rail Project. Construction activities are currently ongoing throughout the entire corridor. As of April 30, 2005, the project has spent approximately 66% of the total budget, including soft costs. With construction 59% complete, various contracts are approaching completion. All contracts, except Segment A, are currently within budget and most of them are scheduled to be completed in time to support the start of revenue service. Segment A, the 4th Street Bridge, has been plagued with delays caused by unforeseen site conditions, quality control problems, and the contractor's inability to prosecute the work efficiently. Up until now, the contract schedule showed completion of this contract in May 2005, a nine-month extension from the baseline date of August 2004. Issues currently under negotiation have affected the project duration. Based on the contractor's production rate of 4-5% per month, DPW, which is managing the contract, is now projecting completion of this contract for November 2005, resulting in a rescheduling of the start of revenue service to June 2006. Starting with the April progress payment, DPW will assess liquidated damages at the rate of $25,000 per day in accordance with the contract. Bids for the Metro East Maintenance Facility (MME) were opened on May 18. Stacy and Witbeck was the sole bidder for the contract. Their bid of $130.8M was $15.9M over the Engineer's Estimate. On May 25, MUNI had the first in a series of meetings with the contractor in an effort to bring the cost within budget. Efforts continue in the corridor to address environmental concerns along Third Street, and MUNI continues to publish its air monitoring results. During March 2005, 82% of the tests were below the action threshold. This is an information item.

10. Draft Strategic Analysis Report on Northeast Waterfront Issues – INFORMATION* (Attachment 9)

This Strategic Analysis Report (SAR) was requested by Commissioner Peskin in response to concerns about proposed land use changes in the Northeast Waterfront area and the implications for transportation system performance and development policies. Consistent with Board-adopted SAR procedures, the Draft SAR will first be presented to the committee on which the requester sits, in this case the Plans and Programs Committee. Subsequently, the Draft SAR will be circulated to City Departments and other interested stakeholders for comment. We anticipate presenting the Final Draft SAR to the Citizens Advisory Committee at its July meeting, and then to the Plans and Programs Committee for action at its September meeting. We are seeking input and guidance from the Plans and Programs Committee. This is an information item.

11 . Level of Service Technical Working Group Update – INFORMATION* (Attachment 10)

In December 2003, the Board adopted the Transportation Level of Service (LOS) Methodologies Strategic Analysis Report (SAR), as originally requested by Commissioner McGoldrick, examining alternative methodologies for assessing the transportation impacts of projects pursuant the CEQA. The SAR recommended convening a technical working group (TWG) to refine the SAR's recommendations for the Authority Board's approval and action. Based on LOS TWG discussion, two key reforms to the measure and process for analyzing the transportation impacts of projects are recommended. First, the existing measure of auto delay should be replaced by a measure of auto trip generation, which is more consistent with City policy. Second, a transportation impacts mitigation fee program should be adopted to increase the transparency and efficiency of the review process for project sponsors and the Planning Department. The benefits of this set of reforms are threefold: they improve the transparency and predictability of transportation impact analysis for project sponsors; they reduce the review burden on the Planning Department; and they are more consistent with the City's Transit First policy than the existing measure. A policy-level roadmap for implementing these recommendations has been developed. We are seeking input and guidance from the Committee. This is an information item.

12. Introduction of New Items – INFORMATION

13. Public Comment

14. Adjournment

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