REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve Budget Modification No. 20 to Appropriate $3.5 Million in Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) 2016 Measure B Funding and $389,000 from the Transportation Impact Fee Funds for the Environmental, Permitting, and Design Costs for the Stevens Creek Trail Segment from W. Remington Drive to W. Fremont Avenue and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant-Related Documents
Report
BACKGROUND
The idea and vision for a Stevens Creek Trail for pedestrians and bicyclists was first identified by the Santa Clara County Planning Department in 1961. The County’s plan for a “Stevens Creek Park Chain” created a framework for preserving land along Stevens Creek for an interconnected system of parks and trails. Today, the Stevens Creek Trail extends approximately five miles from the Bay Trail at Shoreline Park to the Dale Avenue/Heatherstone Way bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing of State Route 85 in Mountain View. An additional one-mile trail segment is in place from Stevens Creek Boulevard to McClellan Road through Blackberry Farm Park and McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino.
A coordinated trail planning effort between the cities of Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View and Sunnyvale started in 2009 with the appointment of the Joint Cities Working Team (JCWT), which consisted of one elected official and one staff member from each agency. In the fall of 2012, the Citizens Working Group (CWG) was also created to assist with public outreach and act in an advisory role to the JCWT. A consultant team was selected to prepare a feasibility study to evaluate potential routes to bridge the gap in trail segments that currently exist in Mountain View and Cupertino. The Joint Cities Coordinated Stevens Creek Trail Feasibility Study was completed September 2015. The Study identified and evaluated potential routes to complete the gaps in the existing Stevens Creek Trail. Goals and policies regarding the development of the Stevens Creek Trail have been integrated into the long-range planning documents of all participating cities.
Upon completion of the Study, the JCWT made recommendations on trail alignment preferences, as well as policy recommendations, such as protecting and improving wildlife habitat, preserving public land, and continuing the collaboration with regional partners. These recommendations were presented to the four city councils in 2015 and 2016. Overall, the cities supported the JCWT recommendations and each city council had city-specific direction for other improvements or policies. The Sunnyvale City Council selected the preferred alignment at their February 9, 2016 meeting (RTC No, 16-0034). The preferred alignment selected was from Dale Avenue/Heatherstone Way to Fremont Avenue. This includes an off-street trail along the 22 acres of open space along State Route (SR) 85 from Dale Avenue/Heatherstone Way to Fremont Avenue, and connections at Fremont Avenue, on both sides of SR 85.
The City of Mountain View is leading the effort for the trail segment from Dale/Heatherstone Way to W. Remington Drive. The City of Sunnyvale will be working jointly with the City of Mountain View on this project once it begins.
The City of Sunnyvale is leading the effort for the trail segment from W. Remington Drive to W. Fremont Avenue. This report focuses on this segment.
GRANT SUMMARY
In 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved Measure B, a 30-year, half-cent countywide sales tax to enhance transit, highways, expressways and active transportation (e.g., bicycles, pedestrians, and complete streets). Over the 30-year period, VTA anticipates that the 2016 Measure B sales tax will generate $6.3 billion in 2017 dollars. The Measure B program is categorized into nine different transportation projects to allocate the funds appropriately:
• Local Streets & Roads
• BART Silicon Valley Phase II
• Bicycle & Pedestrian
• Caltrain Grade Separations
• Caltrain Corridor Capacity Improvements
• Highway Interchanges
• County Expressways
• State Route 85 Corridor
• Transit Operations
The Bicycle & Pedestrian category consists of three subcategories listed below, of which VTA administers these funds and awards them to individual cities on a competitive basis.
• Education & Encouragement Programs
• Planning Studies
• Capital Projects
The Bicycle & Pedestrian - Capital Projects competitive grant is to fund bicycle and pedestrian projects of countywide significance identified by the cities, Santa Clara County, and Valley Transit Authority (VTA). Approximately $250 million would be allocated for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Capital Project Competitive Grant Program to support projects in eliminating bike/pedestrian gaps, improving connections, mobility, and providing for a safer and more convenient environment for bicyclists and pedestrians.
In April 2020, staff submitted a grant application for the Stevens Creek Trail Extension (from W. Remington Dr. to W. Fremont Ave.) to the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for the 2016 Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian Program - Capital Projects Competitive grant funds for FY 2020/21 totaling $26.8 million.
The intent of the Stevens Creek Trail Extension project is to provide a continuation of the north-south trail from W. Remington Drive to W. Fremont Avenue to further close the existing gap between Mountain View and Cupertino. Mountain View has also received Measure B funding to design the Dale Avenue/Heatherstone Way to W. Remington Drive segment and staff is actively coordinating with them on their project.
In July 2020, VTA notified staff that this project was recommended for funding. A total of $3.5M for the environmental and design phases of the project was awarded. See Attachment 1 for the award letter. The competitive grant program requires a 10% non-2016 Measure B contribution. The 10% local match required for this project is $389,000. This phase of the project does not include construction.
Granting Agency
The FY 2020/21 VTA’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Capital Program funds set aside for competitive local government grant awards are administered by the VTA.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan, Chapter 3, Land Use and Transportation Element:
• Goal A: Coordinated Regional and Local Planning - Protect the quality of life, the natural environment, and property investment, preserve home rule, secure fair share funding, and provide leadership in the region.
• Goal B: 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 C: 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.
• Goal H: Options for Healthy Living - Create a city development pattern and improve the city’s infrastructure in order to maximize healthy choices for all ages, including physical activity, use of the outdoors, and access to fresh food.
Council Policy 7.1.5 Donations, Contributions and Sponsorships:
The City Manager may apply for grants of any dollar amount but shall notify the Council when grants are being pursued. Council approval of a budget modification to appropriate grant monies is required before funds can be expended by staff. Such a budget modification shall include the use to which the grant would be placed; the objectives or goals of the City which will be achieved through use of the grant; the local match required, if any, plus the source of the local match; any increased cost to be locally funded upon termination of the grant; and the ability of the City to administer the grant. For grants under the amount of $5,000 that do not have any external reporting requirements or any local match requirement, Council approval of a budget modification is not required. The City Manager is authorized to accept and administratively appropriate the grant funds.
This grant does not meet all the criteria to be administratively appropriated by the City Manager; therefore, a budget modification is required. Grant funds from VTA have external reporting requirements and fall under the federal single audit guidelines.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) as the approval of the Budget Modification in support of the City’s grant application for Measure B as part of the City’s application for the 2016 Santa Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian Competitive Grant Program is not a commitment to the extension project and it does not require environmental review at this time. Should Council direct staff to move the project forward, appropriate CEQA analysis will be performed during the project design process.
FISCAL IMPACT
VTA has authorized the disbursement of $3,500,000 for the environmental and design phase of the Stevens Creek Trail Extension (W. Remington Dr. to W. Fremont Ave.) The total cost of this phase of the project, including the City’s local match, is $3,889,000. The cost to construct the project will be developed through the design phase.
Budget Modification No. 20 has been prepared to appropriate FY 2020/21 Measure B funds from the VTA Bike & Pedestrian Capital Program in the amount of $3,500,000 and the 10% in local match funds from the Transportation Impact Fee Fund in the amount of $389,000 to fund the environmental permitting and design costs for the Stevens Creek Trail Extension project (from W. Remington Dr. to W. Fremont Ave.).
Budget Modification No. 20
FY 2020/21
|
|
Current |
Increase/ (Decrease) |
Revised |
|
VTA Measure B Fund |
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
|
|
|
FY 2020/21 2016 Measure B Bike/Ped Capital Project Fund Allocation |
$0 |
$3,500,000 |
$3,500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital Projects Fund - Transportation Impact Fee Sub Fund |
|
|
|
|
Reserves |
|
|
|
|
Capital Projects Reserve |
$40,646,428 |
($389,000) |
$40,257,428 |
|
Capital Projects Fund - General Assets Sub Fund |
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
New Project - Stevens Creek Trail Extension (W. Remington Ave. to W. Fremont Ave.) |
$0 |
$3,889,000 |
$3,889,000 |
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve Budget Modification No. 20 to Appropriate $3,500,000 in Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) 2016 Measure B Funding and $389,000 from the Transportation Impact Fee Funds for the Environmental, Permitting, and Design Costs for the Stevens Creek Trail Segment from W. Remington Drive to W. Fremont Avenue and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant-Related Documents
Staff
Prepared by: Nabilah Deen, Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: Dennis Ng, Transportation and Traffic Manager
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Timothy J. Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Jaqui Guzmán, Deputy City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. VTA 2016 Measure B Funding Award Letter FY20-FY21
2. Draft Sunnyvale FY 2020/21 Stevens Creek Trail Extension Funding Agreement