| Plans and Programs Committee - February 9, 2010 |
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AGENDA PLANS AND PROGRAMS COMMITTEEMeeting Notice Date: 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 9, 2010
1. Roll Call 2. Approval of Minutes of the December 8, 2009 Meeting - ACTION* attachment 3. Citizens Advisory Committee Report - INFORMATION* attachment 4. Recommend Appointment of One Member to the Citizens Advisory Committee - ACTION* attachment The Authority has an eleven-member Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). CAC members serve two-year terms. Per the Authority's Administrative Code, the Plans and Programs Committee recommends and the Authority Board appoints individuals to fill any CAC vacancies. Neither Authority staff nor the CAC make any recommendations on CAC appointments, but we maintain an up-to-date database of applications for CAC membership. A chart with information about current CAC members is attached, showing ethnicity, gender, neighborhood of residence, and affiliation. There is one vacancy on the CAC requiring Committee action. The vacancy resulted from the term expiration of Peter Tannen. Mr. Tannen has expressed interest in seeking reappointment. We are seeking a recommendation to appoint one member to the CAC. 5. Recommend Approval of the Columbus Avenue Neighborhood Transportation Study Draft Final Report - ACTION*attachment enclosure The Columbus Avenue Neighborhood Transportation Study is a Caltrans-funded community-based planning process led by the Authority in partnership with RENEW SF, a community organization based in North Beach. The Chinatown Community Development Center provided translation and outreach services to the Chinese-speaking stakeholders along Columbus Avenue. The study’s technical analysis and community outreach identified the top transportation needs along Columbus Avenue as: 1) improving pedestrian conditions, both on sidewalks and at intersections; 2) supporting sidewalk activity; 3) coordinating with the Municpal Transportation Agency’s (MTA’s) plans for Central Subway construction; and 4) improving parking availability. The study developed three Columbus Avenue design alternatives intended to improve pedestrian and sidewalk conditions, all consistent with MTA plans for Central Subway construction. The study also conducted a comprehensive parking occupancy and turnover study. Following technical evaluation of benefits and impacts, and input from a Technical Advisory Committee and members of the public, the study recommends design Alternative III for Columbus Avenue. Alternative III calls for widening of the Columbus Avenue sidewalk—in place of the parking lane—over time, to support the active sidewalk activity, reduce pedestrian crowding, improve pedestrian visibility, and reduce crossing distances. A comprehensive package of parking management strategies (including creation of a Parking Benefit District) is also recommended to improve the overall availability and utilization of on-and off-street parking in the vicinity of Columbus Avenue. Estimated at $10 million, these improvements could initially advance via a low-cost shared space strategy through the flexible use of parking lanes for café seating and other sidewalk activities. Potential sources for capital improvements include Transportation for Livable Communities, Safe Routes to Transit and Prop K sales tax funds. We are seeking a recommendation for approval of the Columbus Avenue Neighborhood Transportation Study Draft Final Report. 6. Recommend the Allocation of $2,807,175 in Prop K Funds, with Conditions, to the Municipal Transportation Agency for Six Requests, Subject to the Attached Fiscal Year Cash Flow Distribution Schedules, and Amendment of the Traffic Calming 5-Year Prioritization Program - ACTION* attachment Due to a crowded February Plans and Programs Committee agenda, we have grouped six Prop K allocation requests from the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) into a single memo. The MTA has requested a total of $2,807,175 in Prop K funds for a variety of projects, including: procuring and installing raised pavement markings; continuing its Traffic Sign Graffiti and Upgrade Program; planning, design, and implementation of traffic calming projects; planning and design work for five bicycle infrastructure projects; creation of an innovative bicycle treatments toolbox and implementation of two innovative pilots (i.e., green-wave and back-in angled parking); and development of the 2011 State of Cycling Report. Attachment 1 summarizes the applications received, and Attachment 2 provides a brief description of each project. Attachment 3 provides a summary of our staff recommendation, highlighting issues of potential interest to the committee, such as recommended special conditions. The Authority Board has previously approved the 2009 Prop K 5-Year Prioritization Program (5YPP) update for the relevant Prop K categories. Only the traffic calming request requires minor revisions to the corresponding 5YPP, which would remain consistent with programming levels and financing assumptions in the Strategic Plan. We are seeking a recommendation to allocate $2,807,175 in Prop K funds, with conditions, to the MTA for six requests, subject to the attached Fiscal Year Cash Flow Distribution Schedules, and amendment of the Traffic Calming 5YPP. 7. Recommend Approval of the Authority's Jobs for Main Street Project Prioritization Strategy for Local Streets and Roads and Transportation Enhancements Funds - ACTION* attachment In December, the House of Representatives approved Jobs for Main Street, a second economic stimulus bill containing $40 billion in new funds for surface transportation. The Senate version of the bill is expected to include approximately $25 billion for transportation, significantly less than the House bill. Given the differences between the House and Senate versions, Jobs for Main Street will likely undergo significant modifications if it moves forward at all. The House version currently requires that contracts for at least half of the funds are executed within 90 days of the bill's signing, which will present a significant challenge to the state and the region. To ensure the Bay Area has a list of ready-to-go projects before the Jobs for Main Street bill is signed, which could be as early as March, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has requested that Bay Area Congestion Management Agencies, including the Authority, begin prioritizing projects and pre-screening them for their ability to meet the delivery deadlines, including executing contracts within 90 days of the bill's signing. MTC is moving forward under the assumption that Jobs for Main Street funds may be distributed similarly to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with a portion of funds programmed by formula to states and regions. Based on this, MTC has provided programming targets of $11,350,000 in local streets and roads funds and $797,000 in Transportation Enhancements (TE) funds to the Authority. In January, we released a call for proposals for San Francisco projects and received more than $57 million in proposals (Attachment 2). We screened the submitted proposals for eligibility and likelihood of meeting the stringent contract execution deadlines, and worked with project sponsors to determine each agency's priority projects. Our staff recommendation (Attachment 3) contains a Tier 1 list of projects to submit by February 19 to MTC for consideration, and a Tier 2 back-up list. As the House and Senate reconcile their versions of the bill, we will use these projects lists and the prioritization criteria described in this memo, to advance the highest priority projects that meet the bill's final eligibility criteria and timelines and fit within the final amounts of available funds. We are seeking a recommendation to approve the Authority's Jobs for Main Street project prioritization strategy for local streets and roads and TE funds.
8. Status Report on the Development of a Draft Expenditure Plan for the Imposition of an Additional Vehicle Registration Fee of Up to $10 in San Francisco Pursuant to the Requirements in SB 83 - INFORMATION* attachment
In late October, the Governor signed into law SB 83 (Hancock), which authorizes congestion management agencies (CMAs) to impose an annual fee of up to $10 on motor vehicles registered within their respective counties. The funds would have to be used for programs and projects benefitting the people paying the fee, and they would have to be consistent with the regional transportation plan. In December 2009, the Authority approved Resolution 10-27, authorizing the Executive Director to initiate the development of an Expenditure Plan for a new vehicle registration fee consistent with the requirements of SB 83. Placing the measure on the November 2010 ballot would necessitate a tight timeline for developing and approving an Expenditure Plan and the required nexus study. The schedule shown in Attachment 1 includes monthly updates and feedback from the Citizens Advisory Committee, Authority Commissioners, our Technical Working Group, and other city stakeholders and culminates in the Authority Board adopting an Expenditure Plan and the required nexus study in May 2010. Since December, we have developed draft revenue projections for the proposed vehicle registration fee and initiated recruitment for the Stakeholder Advisory Committee among other tasks. These efforts will inform the development of a draft Expenditure Plan structure, which we plan to present to the Plans and Programs Committee in March. We are seeking input and guidance from the Plans and Programs Committee. This is an information item. 9. Update on Upcoming Funding Opportunities: New Federal Surface Transportation Act - Cycle 1 Programming - INFORMATION* attachment In December, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) adopted the framework for programming funds anticipated under the yet-to-be-developed six-year federal surface transportation act. Cycle 1 covers the first three fiscal years of the new act, and it includes several grant programs with upcoming funding opportunities, many of which will be managed by the respective county Congestion Management Agency (CMAs), such as the Authority in San Francisco. In this memorandum, we provide the Plans and Programs Committee with a brief update on the new CMA Block Grant and regional Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Programs. We anticipate issuing calls for projects for both programs this spring, with prioritized project lists due to MTC by its July 30, 2010 deadline. The CMA Block Grant Program includes three fund programs: county share Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC), the Regional Bicycle Program (RBP), and the Local Streets and Roads Programs (LS&R). MTC has assigned San Francisco programming targets of $2.9 million for county share TLC, $1.3 million for the RBP, and $7.5 million for LS&R. Consistent with the intent of a block grant program, MTC has granted CMAs the flexibility to program up to 20% of funds available to each program to any of the other programs in order to best tailor the block grant program to the particular counties' needs. MTC's regional SR2S program will distribute $15 million region-wide based on K-12 school enrollment, with San Francisco's share estimated at just over $1 million. The intent of the program is to fund projects (operations and capital) that reduce emissions related to school-related travel. The TLC and SR2S have corresponding regional programs administered by MTC, for which San Francisco projects can compete for funds along with sponsors from other Bay Area jurisdictions. All the aforementioned programs have local match requirements and can be used to leverage Prop K funds. We are seeking input and guidance from the Plans and Programs Committee. This is an information item. 10. Introduction of New Items - INFORMATION 11. Public Comment 12. Adjournment Please note that the meeting proceedings can be viewed live at http://www.sfgov.org/sfgtv or that evening at 6:00 pm on Cable Channel 26 in San Francisco, with a repeat on the weekend (either Saturday or Sunday evening). To know the exact cablecast times for weekend viewing, please call SFGTV at (415) 557-4293 on Friday when the cablecast times have been determined. In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at all public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products. Please help the City accommodate these individuals. To obtain a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, to participate in the meeting, please contact Erika Cheng at 415.522.4800 or via email at at least two business days before the meeting. The nearest accessible BART station is Civic Center (Market/Grove/Hyde Streets). Accessible MUNI Metro lines are the F, 5, 21, 47, 49, 71, 71L, J, K, L, M, N, T (exit at Van Ness Station). MUNI bus lines also serving the area are the 6, 7, and 9 San Bruno. For more information about MUNI accessible services, call (415) 701-4485. There is accessible parking in the vicinity of City Hall at Civic Center Plaza and adjacent to Davies Hall and the War Memorial Complex. Accessible curbside parking is available on Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place and Grove Street. If any materials related to an item on this agenda have been distributed to the Plans & Programs Committee after distribution of the agenda packet, those materials are available for public inspection at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority at 100 Van Ness Avenue, Floor 26, San Francisco, CA 94102, during normal office hours. Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements: Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code, Sec. 2.100] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the S.F. Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness Ave., Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102, telephone (415) 581-2300; or website www.sfgov.org/ethics.
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