REPORT TO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Recommend to City Council a Project for the Application of Transportation Development Act Article 3 Funding for Fiscal Year 2024/25
Report
BACKGROUND
Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 is a source of funding created by State legislation and processed through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) that annually returns sales tax revenues designated for bicycle and pedestrian projects to local agencies.
The eligibility requirements to receive funds in the FY 2024/25 funding cycle are outlined in the MTC Resolution No. 4108, “Transportation Development Act, Article 3, Pedestrian/Bicycle Projects, Policies and Procedures” (Attachment 2). The resolution requires each city to have a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) review and prioritize TDA Article 3 bicycle and pedestrian projects.
Combined with the funding amount banked last year, the City has $411,038 for reimbursement of eligible projects for FY 2024/25. At the February 15, 2024 BPAC meeting, the BPAC voted not to bank FY 2024/25 funding for future use.
The City Council is scheduled to consider this item at their June 4, 2024 meeting.
EXISTING POLICY
• Council Policy Manual 7.2.19 (b)i: Boards and Commissions, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission - Recommend priorities for bicycle and pedestrian projects for the annual Transportation Development Act (TDA) Article 3 funding application cycle.
General Plan, Chapter 3, Land Use and Transportation Element:
• Goal LT-1: Coordinated Regional and Local Planning - Protect the quality of life, the natural environment, and property investment, preserve home rule, secure fair share of funding, and provide leadership in the region.
• Goal LT-2: Environmentally Sustainable Land Use and Transportation Planning and Development - Support the sustainable vision by incorporating sustainable features into land use and transportation decisions and practices.
• Goal LT-3: An Effective Multimodal Transportation System - Offer the community a variety of transportation modes for local travel that are also integrated with the regional transportation system and land use pattern. Favor accommodation of alternative modes to the automobile as a means to enhance efficient transit use, bicycling, and walking and corresponding benefits to the environment, person-throughput, and qualitative improvements to the transportation system environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
DISCUSSION
The determination of TDA Article 3 projects for FY 2024/25 is based on the review of TDA eligibility requirements, consideration of the Active Transportation Plan, Vision Zero Plan, Roadway Safety Plan, resident requests, and Commissioners’ and staff’s knowledge of bicycle and pedestrian facility priority needs in the City. Based on the discussion at the March 21, 2024 BPAC meeting and further staff research, the following five (5) candidate TDA Article 3 projects are identified:
1. Install Sidewalk on Poplar Avenue
Description: The ATP calls for Safe Routes to School Improvements for Peterson Middle School on Poplar Avenue south of El Camino Real. Currently there is no sidewalk on either side of the street. The ATP calls for a study for filling in the sidewalk gap, which might consist of a pedestrian path with delineators or implementation of a permanent sidewalk. In 2021, Council ranked this sidewalk study on Poplar Avenue between El Camino Real and Peterson Middle School (DPW 21-04) highly, and approved funding to conduct the study. The study determined that the installation of sidewalk on the east side of Poplar Avenue is feasible, and subsequently evaluated the viability of filling in the sidewalk gap on Bryant Way east of Poplar Avenue per the request of the Santa Clara Unified School District. The project includes design and construction phases to fill in the sidewalk gaps on both Poplar Avenue and Bryant Way. At the May 23, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council accepted the findings of the study issue and selected a proposed concept which included using TDA funding to design and construct the improvements. The design phase has started already and is anticipated to be ready to move into the construction phase in summer 2025.
Approximate cost: $895,000 (Construction)
2. Convert all part-time bike lanes on Homestead Road into full-time bike lanes
Description: At the Aug. 8, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council approved converting all part-time bike lanes on Homestead Road into permanent full-time bike lanes by removing parking, and incorporating buffered bike lanes and road diets where possible.
Approximate cost: $110,000 (Design), $520,000 (Construction)
3. Reduce pork chop islands on westbound El Camino Real at Murphy Avenue and at Frances Street
Description: The project focuses on reducing the existing pork chop islands and reconstructing the concrete curbs of the island at both locations to provide a more direct and safer path for bicyclists traveling westbound on El Camino Real. The project will include both design and construction phases of the project.
Approximate cost: $70,000
4. Implement Class III Bicycle Route on Pastoria Avenue
Description: The Active Transportation Plan (ATP) calls for a Class III Bicycle Route on Pastoria Avenue between Olive Avenue and Evelyn Avenue. The project will include the installation of “Bicycle May Use Full Lane” signs and posts, bicycle sharrows, shoulder striping on both sides of the street, and double yellow centerline. The project will add approximately 1.34 miles of Class III Bicycle Route, and includes both the design and construction phases.
Approximate cost: $30,000
5. Widen fence opening at Crawford Drive near Las Palmas Park
Description: The project focuses on widening the fence opening at Crawford Drive to better accommodate bicycle access to Las Palmas Park. Staff have already coordinated with the City arborist to determine the width of which the fence could be widened without impacting the existing redwood trees. The project will also level the pathway at this location for a smoother transition for bicyclists and pedestrians to meet ADA requirements. The project will include both design and construction phases of the project.
Approximate cost: $130,000
Candidate Project No. 1 (Install Sidewalk on Poplar Avenue) is estimated to cost more than the allocated TDA Article 3 grant funds for FY 2024/25 including TDA Article 3 grant funds banked from FY 2023/24. Including banking FY 2024/25 funds, the total available funding for construction would be $411,038 which consists of $176,620 of banked FY23/24 funds, $226,343 of new FY24/25 TDA Article 3 funds and $8,075 of unexpended TDA Article 3 funds from completed projects. Possible funding sources to complete the anticipated construction funding gap are Green Stormwater Implementation (GSI) funds and potentially general fund monies.
The program administrators allow jurisdictions to bank and accumulate the funds for up to four years and program utilization of the funding on the fifth year. The design phase has begun and is anticipated to finish early 2025. The construction phase will tentatively begin Summer 2025, pending identification of funding for construction.
FISCAL IMPACT
TDA Article 3 fund is a program that reimburses cities for the incurred costs of selected bicycle and pedestrian projects. No local matching funds are required for TDA Article 3 funded projects. The City will have $411,038 in TDA Article 3 funds from the City’s guaranteed fund apportionment for FY 2024/25 and previously banked funds from FY 2023/24. TDA Article 3 funds are accounted for in a Special Revenue Fund. As the allocation is annual and subject to review, the City’s budget does not include any anticipated funding in its planning process. Therefore, this funding provides resources for projects that might otherwise not be completed.
TDA funding does not cover ongoing maintenance costs associated with any of the candidate projects.
Should Council choose to bank the FY 2024/25 funds, there will still be a funding gap for the construction phase. GSI funds and potentially general fund monies can be utilized to close the gap, as the project is tentatively scheduled to start construction in Summer 2025. Closing the gap will require Council approval of a budget modification in the future, or inclusion of additional funding in the FY 2025/26 Recommended Budget.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council meeting agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board at City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. In addition, the agenda and this report are available at the NOVA Workforce Services reception desk located on the first floor of City Hall at 456 W. Olive Avenue (during normal business hours), and on the City's website.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Recommend to City Council to bank FY 2024/25 TDA Article 3 grant fund for the construction phase of Project No.1, consistent with Council’s preliminary direction on June 20, 2023.
2. Recommend to City Council to use the FY 2024/25 TDA Article 3 grant fund for an alternative project listed or a combination of projects listed.
3. Recommend to City Council to use the FY 2024/25 TDA Article 3 grant fund for a project not listed.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Recommend to City Council to bank FY 2024/25 TDA Article 3 grant fund for the construction phase of Install Sidewalk on Poplar Avenue (Project No.1).
JUSTIFICATION FOR RECOMMENDATION
At the June 20, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council approved using $160,000 of the FY 2023/24 TDA Article 3 funds for the design phase of Install Sidewalks on Poplar Avenue (Project No.1) and to bank the remaining FY 2023/24 funds of $176,620 for the construction phase of Install Sidewalks on Poplar Avenue (Project No.1) (RTC No. 23-0241). At the February 6, 2024 City Council meeting, the City Council reaffirmed the action to reserve the future TDA Article 3 funding allocations for the construction phase of Install Sidewalks on Poplar Avenue (Project No. 1) when they approved the design contract for Install Sidewalk on Poplar Avenue (RTC No. 24-0016). Therefore, staff is recommending Alternative 1 to align with the previous City Council actions. Once implemented, the sidewalk will provide improved, connected, safe and convenient walking and biking access to students to and from Peterson Middle School. Project Nos. 2 and 4 are recommended improvements identified in the ATP as bicycle improvements. Project Nos. 3 and 5 are proposed by the BPAC to provide more convenient and safer access for bicyclists; however, they were not identified in the ATP as recommended improvements.
Staff
Prepared by: Angela Wong, Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Department of Public Works
Reviewed by: Sarah Johnson-Rios, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Reserved for Report to Council
2. MTC Resolution No. 4108
3. Policies and Procedures Update on TDA Article 3 (Res. 4108)