REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Request for City Council Endorsement and Local Match Commitment for a Metropolitan Transportation Commission Grant Application from the City of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority for the Peery Park Rides Program
Report
BACKGROUND
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) issued a Call of Interest on June 1, 2015, for funding available through the Climate Initiatives Parking Management and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Grant Program. This program provides $6 million to support parking management strategies, park and ride lots, first/last mile transportation solutions and other TDM strategies. The grant can pay for direct project costs, including staff and project management. A minimum 15 percent local match is required. Only public agencies may apply for the grant, but business, non-profit or community organizations can apply if they partner with a public agency as the sponsor.
Sunnyvale staff contacted VTA staff to consider a joint grant application for this grant program. After reviewing the grant guidelines and evaluating different options, a proposal was developed entitled the "Peery Park Rides Program." This proposal is an innovative transportation project that would combine a dynamic and flexible transit service with aggressive trip reduction targets for Peery Park to yield measurable reductions in greenhouse gases and vehicle trips. The proposed program is a two-year pilot project to purchase two buses and to use the latest software technology to operate a flexible shuttle bus service to meet the transit needs in Peery Park and adjacent neighborhoods. The estimated cost for the two-year program is $1.9 to $2.2 million, which includes purchasing two buses and the costs for project development and operations. The success of the pilot program is predicated on establishing mandatory TDM goals to induce a commitment to alternative transportation modes. A mandatory TDM program is...
Click here for full text