REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Acceptance of Google Inc.’s voluntary implementation of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Improvements on Bordeaux Drive with an estimated construction cost of $1,573,000 and Finding of Exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act
Report
BACKGROUND
Bordeaux Drive is a predominantly north-south commercial/industrial collector that connects North Mathilda Avenue in the north, and Moffett Park Drive in the south. On Bordeaux Drive between Moffett Park Drive and Java Drive, there is one travel lane in each direction with a two-way center turn lane and a Class II bicycle lane on both sides of the street. There are sidewalks on Bordeaux Drive at intermittent locations along this segment.
On Bordeaux Drive between Java Drive and North Mathilda Avenue, there is currently one travel lane in each direction, with on-street parking on both sides of the roadway and no bicycle facilities. On this portion of Bordeaux Drive, there is also limited sections of sidewalk.
In early 2018, Google Inc. (Google) approached the City with a request to install voluntary improvements consisting of sidewalk gap closures and on-street Class II bicycle lanes along Bordeaux Drive. Google has retained the services of a professional engineering firm to prepare plans suitable for construction of the voluntary improvements.
EXISTING POLICY
In performing the analysis and developing the conclusions identified in this report, the following policies were referenced and considered:
General Plan Chapter 3 Land Use and Transportation:
• Policy 7: Emphasize efforts to reduce regional vehicle miles traveled by supporting active modes of transportation including walking, biking, and public transit.
• Policy 24: Promote modes of travel and actions that provide safe access to city streets and reduce single-occupant vehicle trips and trip lengths locally and regionally.
The order of consideration of transportation users shall be:
(1). Pedestrians
(2). Non-automotive (bikes, three wheeled bikes, scooters, etc.)
(3). Mass transit vehicles
(4). Single-occupant automobiles
• Policy 28: Prioritize street space allocated for transportation uses over parking when determining the appropriate future use of street space.
• Policy 40: Provide safe access to city streets for all modes of transportation. Safety considerations of all transport modes shall take priority over capacity considerations of any one transport mode.
General Plan Chapter 6 - Safety and Noise
• SN-3.5: Facilitate the safe movement of pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles.
Sunnyvale Municipal Code 10.16.020 Signs or Markings Indicating Restricted Stopping, Standing or Parking
(a) The city traffic engineer is authorized to designate, install and maintain, by appropriate signs or by paint upon the curb surface, all parking space markings and restricted stopping, standing or parking areas. All such designations in excess of fifty continuous feet shall be incorporated in the traffic control regulations document. Appeals of the city traffic engineer’s decision to install signs or markings mentioned in this section in excess of fifty continuous feet, may be made as described in Chapter 10.04.
City Council Policy 7.1.5 Grants, Donations, Contributions and Sponsorships
3. For donations, contributions or sponsorships with values of $100,000 or more, as
estimated by the donor, a Report to Council will be written outlining its purpose
and the advantages and disadvantages prior to acceptance. Authority to accept any such donation, contribution or sponsorship shall rest with the City Council. For monetary donations, it will be stated in the Report to Council if the gift is a onetime contribution for a specific purpose or a contribution where the principal
could be invested and the interest used to support all or part of a special project or program for a number of years.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action to accept the donation is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (c) and (d) for existing streets, sidewalks, bicycle lanes and facilities involving negligible or no expansion and that does not create additional automobile lanes. The CEQA document will be filed at the County Recorder’s Office prior to the start of construction activities.
DISCUSSION
Google has voluntarily committed to implement bicycle and pedestrian facility improvements on Bordeaux Drive between Moffett Park Drive and North Mathilda Avenue for the benefit of the community. There are two phases of the proposed improvements:
Phase 1
Google will be responsible for implementing the following improvements under Phase 1 of the project: install 2,630 linear feet of sidewalk, remove existing trees and planting new trees, slurry seal over the existing pavement, restripe pavement markings to include new Class II on-street bicycle lanes, and install green bike lanes where applicable. An encroachment permit would be issued to enable Google to perform these construction activities.
The estimated value of these improvements based on the engineer’s probable construction cost is $1,573,000. Per City Council Policy 7.1.5 - Grants, donations, Contributions and Sponsorships, authority to accept any contributions with values of more than $100,000 shall rest with the City Council.
If the City Council accepts this donation, then Google estimates that construction may start as soon as late October 2019.
Sidewalk Improvements
Phase 1 of the project will install 2,630 linear feet of sidewalk at some of the locations where feasible and there are currently no sidewalks present. As part of this project, two private property owners have consented to grant to the City two public sidewalk easements where the sidewalk meanders around existing trees to remain in place. As part of the project, a total of 20 trees will be removed, of which 14 are in the public right-of-way and six (6) are on private properties. A new tree will be planted for each tree removed: Canary Island Pines will be planted in the public-right-of-way and on private properties, unless requested differently by property owner. As part of the design, Google will obtain all necessary tree removal permits from the Department of Public Works and Community Development Planning Division.
With the completion of Phase 1 of the project, there would be five remaining parcels with no sidewalk along their property frontages. Four of these parcels have been approved for redevelopment and are required to install sidewalk along their frontages as part of their conditions of approval. The remaining one parcel is also owned by Google (100-200 Caribbean Drive) and is currently undergoing the approval process for redevelopment. As part of its conditions of approval, Google will be required to install sidewalk along this property frontage.
The portion of Bordeaux Drive on the west side of the street between Innovation Way and the Sunnyvale West Channel maintenance road will not receive sidewalk in Phase 1 due to complexities involving permitting from Valley Water (formerly SCVWD). This segment of sidewalk will be installed in Phase 2.
Removal of On-Street Parking and Installation of Class II Bicycle Lanes
Phase 1 of the project will remove all the on-street parking to install Class II Bicycle Lanes on both sides of the Bordeaux Drive between N. Mathilda Avenue and Java Drive. The proposed on-street parking removal and installation of Class II Bicycle Lanes on Bordeaux Drive are identified in the current Sunnyvale Bicycle Plan.
To assess parking impacts to the corridor, a parking study was conducted by Mark Thomas, a transportation engineering firm retained by Google, on Wednesday, March 27, 2018 between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The parking study recorded the number of vehicles parked on the street as well as the number of vacant parking spaces in the off-street parking lots along the corridor. During the peak 30-minute interval, the study found that 34 vehicles were parked on the street, whereas a total of 1,049 vacant parking spaces were available in the off-street parking lots. The study concluded that there are sufficient off-street vacant parking spaces available, which can easily accommodate all the existing on-street parking demand. As part of this project, a total of 107 on-street parking spaces on Bordeaux Drive will be removed, and the removal of these on-street parking spaces will be documented in the City’s traffic control regulations document.
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the project would potentially include the installation of a prefabricated pedestrian bridge over the Sunnyvale West Channel within the Valley Water right-of-way, and construction of pedestrian paths connecting the bridge to the street sidewalk north of the bridge and to the pedestrian ramp at the northwest corner of Bordeaux Drive and Innovation Way. Currently, Google is working with Valley Water to obtain an encroachment permit for Phase 2 of the project.
If Phase 2 is completed, the pedestrian bridge would connect the sidewalk on the west side of Bordeaux Drive north of the Sunnyvale West Channel maintenance road to the existing crosswalk at the intersection of Innovation Way and Bordeaux Drive. The timing for Phase 2 of the project is subject to Valley Water and the City’s approval. It is anticipated that construction could begin as early as spring 2020. Prior to the construction of the Phase 2 portion of the project, it is anticipated that the project will be brought to the Council for acceptance of voluntary implementation of the pedestrian bridge, discussion on the potential bridge ownership, operations and maintenance impacts, and potential approval of a maintenance agreement with Valley Water and Google. The ownership and maintenance responsibility of the potential new bridge has not yet been determined or discussed as Google is currently in discussion with Valley Water concerning the feasibility of a new bridge and impacts to Valley Water operations activities.
If Phase 2 construction is completed, Bordeaux drive would have connectivity for both pedestrians and bicycles along the full corridor between Mathilda Avenue/1st Avenue and Moffett Park Drive.
FISCAL IMPACT
Installation of bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Bordeaux Drive under Phase 1 of the project will be fully funded by Google Inc. Upon acceptance of improvements, the City will be responsible for maintenance. The additional sidewalk will be maintained under Department of Public Works Street Operations Program 120 - Pavement and Concrete Maintenance.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
Public outreach efforts also included the following:
• In early 2019, a letter was sent to all property owners who might be impacted by the removal of on-street parking. Subsequently, a meeting was set up with individual property owners to inform them of the project scope and results of the parking study.
• A community meeting with property owners and tenants along the project frontage was also held on May 30, 2019. No property owners were opposed to the removal of on-street parking at the community meeting, and they were supportive of the bicycle and pedestrian improvements that are included in this project.
• The project was presented to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) at the June 20, 2019 BPAC meeting.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Accept Google Inc.’s voluntarily implementation of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Improvements on Bordeaux Drive with an estimated construction cost of $1,573,000 and make a finding that the action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (c) and (d) for existing streets, sidewalks, bicycle lanes and facilities involving negligible or no expansion and that does not create additional automobile lanes.
2. Do not accept Google Inc.’s voluntarily implementation of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Improvements on Bordeaux Drive.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Accept Google Inc.’s voluntary implementation of Bicycle and Pedestrian Facility Improvements on Bordeaux Drive with an estimated construction cost of $1,573,000 and make a finding that the action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (c) and (d) for existing streets, sidewalks, bicycle lanes and facilities involving negligible or no expansion and that does not create additional automobile lanes.
Staff believes by installing sidewalks and bike lanes where they are currently missing and feasible to install, it will provide better bike and pedestrian connectivity between the different office buildings along Bordeaux Drive, as well as to and from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Light Rail Station on Java Drive. Upon the completion of this project, the entire length of Bordeaux Drive will have Class II Bicycle Lanes, which will provide a connection to the future Class I off-street path that is currently under construction on Moffett Park Drive west of Bordeaux Drive as part of the Mathilda Avenue Improvements at SR 237 and US 101 project.
Staff
Prepared by: Lillian Tsang, Principal Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: Dennis Ng, Transportation and Traffic Manager
Reviewed by: Jennifer Ng, Assistant Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Bordeaux Drive - Proposed Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
2. Bordeaux Drive - Existing and Proposed Cross Section
3. Preliminary Estimate Construction Costs
4. Excerpt from Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes of June 20, 2019