body,date,page,text,path
CityCouncil,2015-02-25,1,"MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
WEDNESDAY- - FEBRUARY 25, 2015- -7:00 P.M.
(15-142) A Special Meeting was called to allow the Council to attend the Special Joint
Transportation Commission and Planning Board Meeting addressing transportation at
Alameda Point Site A and Citywide.
Lara Weisiger
City Clerk
The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.
Regular Meeting
Alameda City Council
February 25, 2015",CityCouncil/2015-02-25.pdf
TransportationCommission,2015-02-25,1,"Transportation Commission
March 25, 2015
Item 4B
Action
Joint Meeting Minutes of the Transportation Commission and
Planning Board
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Commissioner Michele Bellows called the Joint Planning Board and Transportation Commission
meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
1.
Roll Call
Roll was called and the following was recorded:
Transportation Commission Members Present:
Michele Bellows (Chair)
Eric Schatmeier (Vice Chair)
Jesus Vargas
Christopher Miley
Thomas G. Bertken
Michael Hans
Gregory Morgado
Planning Board Members Present:
Mike Henneberry (President)
Dania Alvarez
David Burton
Lorre Zuppan
John Knox White
Stanley Tang
Staff Present:
Alex Nguyen, Assistant City Manager
Jennifer Ott, Chief Operations Officer for Alameda Point
Andrew Thomas, City Planner
Virendra Patel, Transportation Engineer
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Lev Kushner, Alameda Point",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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2.
Agenda Changes
None.
3.
Announcements/ Public Comments
None.
4.
Provide Feedback on Recommended Approach to Citywide
Transportation Delivery Strategy
Jennifer Ott, Chief Operations Officer for Alameda Point, presented the report.
Nate Conable, Principal at Fehr Peers, presented the transportation trends of the City.
Boardmember Knox White stated that well over a decade, the City worked with BART to identify
a BART stop. He wanted to know if Jennifer Ott included BART in the discussions because
Alamedans comprise 50 percent of Fruitvale BART ridership.
Jennifer Ott replied the omission was not purposeful because her team focused on current
transportation services. However, she felt that BART should be added to the stakeholder list.
Lorre Zuppan asked staff if discussions with the City of Oakland also should be conducted.
Commissioner Schatmeier said the overriding goals presented were the Estuary Crossing and
decreasing Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) trips. He wanted to know if staff went through a
process of reviewing a number of possible goals and boiling them down. He felt the other goal
that staff should review would be for Alameda to become a multi-destination with multiple
transit service options city.
Jennifer Ott said staff listened to the collective experiences resonating from the community
meetings and from discussions at City Council meetings.
Boardmember Burton stated that Jennifer Ott talked about having one goal with two
deliverables, but he needed clarification.
Jennifer Ott replied staff identified the deficiencies, and would review the citywide approach to
Transit Demand Management (TDM) and would update the transit plan. She explained that they
would hire a consultant team to prepare the citywide TDM and transit plan documents. Staff
also could focus on increasing transit for the rest of Alameda by increasing transit usage by say 1
percent, but the main concerns were focused on congestion at the crossings.
Commissioner Bellows opened the floor to public comments.",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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Tony Kuttner, President of Greater Alameda Business Association, was concerned for the
business community and the City's community as a whole. He would like to see a free local
shuttle that serves the businesses and residents similar to the city of Emeryville's Emery Go
Round shuttle. He stressed that a free, reliable transit system could be funded from a variety of
funding sources, and he emphasized the goal of the plan was focusing on the Estuary crossings
and reducing SOV trips because the transit plan should serve businesses and residents within the
City.
Kurt Petersen, Alameda resident, has been in sales for 35 years before retiring and he told the
Board and Commission they are getting a hard sale. He believed the idea of the plan was great
and needed, but he was concerned about the outcome of Site A and the several developments in
the pipeline. He urged the Board and Commission to take some time and analyze the results. He
also felt ongoing community input was not taken into consideration.
Jim Strehlow, Alameda resident, explained that a plan to force people to mostly ride public
transit would not work and this plan is for a transportation czar for the City. When he reviewed
the statistics, he did not see how that would fit into the real world because people do not fit into
statistics. If parking is not available then residents will place their vehicles in the surrounding
neighborhoods. He also mentioned that recently an accident in the Webster Tube created havoc
for people trying to get into the City. So, the impending month long closure of the High Street
Bridge will be an experiment to see how hard it will be for residents to get off the island.
Linda Morris, AC Transit Senior Transportation Planner, stated that the presentation was
appreciated and she looked forward to working with the City. She said the plan was timely
because AC Transit is preparing a Comprehensive Transportation Analysis (COA) and is going
out to the community to elicit feedback. She will present the results at the Transportation
Commission. She explained that one thing to focus on was the timeline because AC Transit
created a short, medium and long range plan and in terms of the short range there will be service
online starting March 15 and weekend service to the Faction Brewery. In terms of the short and
medium timeline, she said there will be a public hearing in the summer of this year and the AC
Transit Board will approve and implement a plan in late fall with some service increases for
Alameda. Regarding the discussion of shuttles in Alameda, she said the job landscape of the
City is less dense than the city of Emeryville. Staff could work with developers to create an AC
Transit Easypass for residents to use the bus network.
Eugenie Thomson, Alameda resident, thanked the staff and Board and Commission for
addressing the TDM plan. She pointed out that the City is looking towards the biggest growth
plans in quite some time. Therefore, she urged the Board and the Commission to maintain the
existing good quality of life and to recognize that goals need to be set for TDM and Vehicle
Miles Traveled (VMT) with all the upcoming growth.
Trish Herrera Spencer spoke as an Alameda citizen and thanked Tony Kuttner for raising the
issue of how the shuttle could support local businesses. Traffic is a problem.
Carol Gottstein, Alameda resident, echoed Jim Strehlow's comments and restated that the plan",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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would create a transportation czar that is too behavior controlling. She urged the Commission
and Board to see that the City must be inclusionary and not select residents based on their
transportation choices.
Commissioner Vargas stated that in the future he would like to see the materials sent in enough
time for everyone to read it. However, he felt that it was good to see different agencies such as
AC Transit and BART collaborating and he wanted the city of Oakland to be included in the
discussions. He noted that the VMT information will be required to report on to the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and to the state of California.
Commissioner Miley explained that the City should look at this process as an opportunity since
the passing of Measure BB. He also said the future street work around Broadway and Jackson
Streets in Oakland should be included in the analysis. He asked Jennifer Ott why the
Transportation Commission, Planning Board and City Council would participate in the
contractor selection process because in his experience working with the County these bodies are
not involved in that process.
Jennifer Ott explained that in the past staff have invited the president of the Planning Board to
participate. However, she said she will confirm with the City Attorney's office before asking a
member to join.
Commissioner Miley said he seconded Boardmember Knox White's comments about BART
being a critical partner in this discussion. He felt the plan should include all the City's bridges
including Bay Farm Island Bridge because island circulation is critically important. He also
thanked staff for bringing the update to the Board and Commission, but he thought the timeline
to get things accomplished was quite aggressive.
Boardmember Burton said that naming the plan according to its intent and its meaning to the
community was vital. The goal should be to minimize net increases of SOV travel in and out of
the City. He also recognized that congestion and mode shifts are an economic development issue
where the City should provide incentives and opportunities to current residents to reduce VMT
through job creation within the City and focusing on TDM strategies for all new developments.
He said staff needed to coordinate with the existing plans and explain this effort to the public. In
terms of the staff report, he said three items were left off or not fully explained: 1. on page 5 of
the staff report the recommended approach to divert SOV trips was not mentioned and it should
be; 2. the first major tasks should be to define the project and scope of work and 3. outline the
community and stakeholder engagement process.
Boardmember Tang stated it was important to engage with people who do take public
transportation to gather their feedback. Younger generations do not drive as frequently.
Boardmember Zuppan said the project's scope was too narrow when speaking about the estuary
crossings. She urged staff to think bigger and analyze citywide traffic reductions.
Boardmember Alvarez said she feared staff was not engaging with the city of Oakland because of",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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the issues that we are facing with the accessibility to freeways when crossing the bridges and
tunnels. She also felt excluded because she did not see a lot of work on Harbor Bay or Bay Farm
Island. Overall, she would like to see the entire island especially the area that has limited
transportation options reviewed. Furthermore, she questioned the ability to have a portable
barrier on Park Street Bridge similar to Golden Gate Bridge or the old Caldecott Tunnel.
Commissioner Schatmeier stated that focusing on the estuaries crossings should not be the only
goal in this effort because there are all kinds of transit needs.
Commissioner Morgado concurred with Commissioner Schatmeier stating that the City should
update the plan to create more livable streets.
Boardmember Knox White stated that he agreed with everyone, but he felt they need multiple
goals like no new net trips or setting a threshold for VMT. There are benefits to VMT, but there
are also a lot of risks. He noted that livability is a goal by maintaining or reducing current traffic
levels.
Commissioner Vargas stated that rather than focusing on the goals and the aggressive timeline of
setting these goals, he believed the idea of measuring and monitoring the results is important.
Boardmember Henneberry said that intercity circulation should include traffic calming.
Commissioner Bellows stated that another goal should be to look at different transit options other
than public transportation based on the type of trip. She felt people with cars should not be
vilified and there should be an option to deal with peak periods trips on and off the island for all
points of access including Doolittle Drive.
Jennifer Ott said she will speak with the City Council on March 10, and there were a lot of
commonalities found in the comments between the Commission and Board.
5.
Approve Cross Alameda Trail Preliminary Design for the Ralph
Memorial Appezzato Parkway Section
Staff Payne presented the report and introduced the project consultants Eric Swanson of BKF
Engineers and Sarah Sutton of Placeworks Inc.
Eric Swanson, Civil Engineer, BKF Engineers presented.
Sarah Sutton, Principal Landscape Architect, Placeworks Inc. presented.
Commissioner Bellows asked Sarah Sutton to describe a rain garden.
Sarah Sutton replied that a rain garden can be described as a bioswale that is flat and captures the
water.",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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Commissioner Bellows asked Sarah Sutton if the rain garden will be irrigated.
Sarah Sutton replied the project does not have funds for irrigation, so they chose low water
needy plants.
Commissioner Bellows mentioned that in the presentation Sarah Sutton said the area was flat, so
she wanted to know where the trees fit in the area.
Sarah Sutton explained that the placement varies because they do not want to place trees on the
bottom in case of heavy rain activity in the future.
Commissioner Bellows asked staff if the federal funding could be used for the remediation.
Staff Payne replied yes and there was $1.8 million for the project. Staff is not sure how much the
remediation will cost.
Commissioner Miley wanted to know the total budget for the complete build out.
Staff Payne replied right now the cost estimate is for $1.8 million and some elements can be
added into the construction document for example the Webster Tower would be an added
alternative.
Boardmember Burton said that there was not an attached resolution included in the staff report,
so wanted clarification on the process.
Staff Payne replied that staff would be asking for approval on the preliminary design and there
was no need to take it onward, but just to continue the work.
Boardmember Knox White asked staff if they would be able to approve how the plazas look
exactly or conceptually.
Staff Payne replied the design was the ultimate vision.
Boardmember Knox White replied so if the whole $1.8 million was adequate to completely build
out then approving the design was the final review.
Staff Payne replied yes.
Commissioner Miley asked staff if she needed a separate action from the Board and the
Commission.
Staff Payne replied one action since it is a joint meeting.
Commissioner Hans said that last time when they voted on this design the schools came to talk",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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about how they used the pathway for parking. When he passed by the area the other day he saw
about 50-60 cars between the school and the Boys and Girls Club. He wanted to know if the
design goes through where will the staff park.
Staff Payne replied they have met with Alameda Unified School District and the school
management plans to look for parking offsite. She explained that the Housing Authority and
Park and Recreation Departments have underutilized parking lots close to the school and near
Hometown Donuts.
Boardmember Tang asked if there would be low lighting along the multiuse path or water
fountains.
Staff Payne replied not at this phase for the lighting and no for the water fountains.
Commissioner Bellows opened the floor to public comments.
Rion Cassidy, Alameda resident, said he was an avid bicycle rider and wondered why there was
not a bike lane on Appezzato Parkway. He was glad to see the project come to light, but he did
not understand the need to construct a park there just to get a bike path built. He also called for
responsible government by not overspending to get the site built and then not maintaining the
site afterwards. Additionally, he questioned the 15 foot set back from the bike path to the street
for a future bus only lane because that limits the amount of lighting on the path.
Jim Strehlow said he rode his bicycle from Bay Farm Island along Fernside Drive and the bike
path when heading towards High Street was pleasant. Yet, when he rode his bicycle near Fifth
Street, the middle bike lane caused him to have cars on his left and on his right, which was
uncomfortable. So, he questioned the design on Fifth Street. Furthermore, he asked staff what to
do about bus stops adjacent to the path and how can pedestrians access them especially with a
cycle track in the way.
Trish Herrera Spencer said there was not much parking near Hometown Donuts, so she would
like more specificity. Also, she was concerned about the bike path being set back because of
visibility issues especially for females and children.
Boardmember Knox White stated that he was concerned about the Webster Street Plaza because
the configuration focused everyone sitting at the wall and looking at the expanse of intersection
concrete. He believed that turning the plaza to focus on places where people want to be was
a
better option.
Staff Payne replied she had the same reaction and she wanted the plaza to be flipped as well, but
when she brought the idea up to the Webster Street Business Association Design Committee they
did not like the idea. Ultimately, she said the committee would like a gateway that serves their
area.
Boardmember Knox White asked staff if there was a way to remove the curb or the double",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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yellow line near Hometown Donuts at Appezzato and Main Street.
Commissioner Miley stated that as a jogger he really liked the meandering path and he liked the
fact that pedestrians were buffered from the traffic. However, he was concerned about approving
the design without knowing that the budget can create the full vision and that will leave open
questions on the precise design. So, he asked staff if there were time constraints from the other
funding sources.
Staff Payne replied there are no time constraints with the other funding sources except for the
federal monies, which need to be expended by December. She explained there are few ways of
handling the design based on the outcome of the funds. Firstly, the competitive grant that was
received was for multiuse and jogging paths. If there are funding issues then staff will have to
go with the original approach for the first phase, which would be to construct the multiuse path
and later on construct a separate walking path. If the project is delayed due to environmental
remediation then staff may have to scale back the separate path concept.
Commissioner Miley moved the item and asked staff to come back to the Commission and Board
if the Board is interested with any changes, updates or delays. Commissioner Schatmeier
seconded the motion. The motion was approved 13-0.
6.
Approve TIGER Grant Application: Naval Air Station Alameda
Multimodal Regional Connections Project
Lev Kushner presented the report and asked the Commission and Board for an endorsement of
the concept.
Commissioner Schatmeier stated that the proposal had a circle with a ""T"" inside and labeled
proposed transit center.
Lev Kushner replied the symbol represented the linkage of the bus rapid transit and ferry
terminal.
Commissioner Schatmeier said there was a star located north side of the ferry terminal icon on
another map and that interface was different so, he wanted a clear understanding of what the
icons represent.
Lev Kushner said he will revise the maps since it was not clear.
Boardmember Burton asked Lev Kushner to describe the Central Avenue bike lane changes in
detail and describe in detail the changes to the bus lanes on Stargell Avenue.
Lev Kushner said along Stargell Avenue there will be queue jump lanes at the two intersections
of Main and Fifth Streets headed towards the Webster Tube.",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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Jennifer Ott replied there was an existing right of way that has enough room on the street to
accommodate queue jump lanes.
Boardmember Knox White asked staff about the location of the queue jump lanes on Main Street
and Stargell Avenue.
Jennifer Ott replied the maps presented are for their trip to Washington D.C. and they will be
refined at a later time.
Commissioner Miley moved staff recommendations. Commissioner Schatmeier seconded the
motion. The motion was approved 13-0.
7.
Presentation on Site A Development at Alameda Point, Including
Initial Discussion of the Site A Transportation Demand
Management Strategy
Jennifer Ott presented the report.
Joe Ernst, Principal of SRM Ernst, presented.
William Duncanson, BAR Architects, presented.
Phil Olmstead, Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates, presented.
Commissioner Schatmeier stated that the Clipper Card does a lot for people and he was glad to
see it in the presentation as something to be explored.
Commissioner Vargas asked staff what was the underlying intent of the presentation and what
should the Commission likely see in the future.
Jennifer Ott replied that they wanted additional feedback to incorporate in the plan and gain
additional feedback. She said that they will return for the March 25 Transportation Commission
meeting to explain more about the TDM strategy and gather more feedback.
Boardmember Knox White asked Jennifer Ott if there was an intent to meet the TDM goal since
they plan to review the outcome every year.
Jennifer Ott said staff will meet with Nelson Nyggard about the results of reviewing the TDM
every year.
Boardmember Knox White replied the plan does not specifically say what we are doing and he
felt establishing goals and meeting them was important.",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf
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8.
Announcements/Public Comments
Jim Strehlow, said the Panama Pacific Exposition will have its 100 anniversary on Saturday,
February 28 at the Palace of Fine Arts and the exposition incorporates a lot of Alameda history.
He also felt that the Commission and Board did not answer his or other speakers' questions or
take in feedback and that greatly concerns him.
Staff Payne said at a previous Commission meeting the Commissioners decided to create an ad
hoc transit committee to better understand what the city's highest transit priorities are. So,
members of the Planning Board can join and the procedure would be for the President
Hennebery to nominate members.
Trish Herrera Spencer said that three speakers on the items presented received no discussion or
input from the Board or Commission and she encouraged future acknowledgement and input.
9.
Adjournment
11:02 pm",TransportationCommission/2015-02-25.pdf