{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 1, "text": "Transportation Commission Minutes:\nWednesday, April 23, 2014\nCommissioner Jesus Vargas called the Transportation Commission to order at 7:00 p.m.\n1.\nRoll Call\nRoll was called and the following was recorded:\nMembers Present:\nJesus Vargas (Chair)\nThomas G. Bertken\nMichele Bellows\nGregory Morgado\nMembers Absent:\nChristopher Miley (Vice Chair)\nEric Schatmeier\nStaff Present:\nStaff Haun, Public Works Director\nStaff Patel, Transportation Engineer\nStaff Payne, Transportation Coordinator\n2.\nAgenda Changes\nCommissioner Vargas said the Commission had not reached a quorum. So, they would vote on\nthe Consent Calendar items in May. He also requested a moment of silence for the pedestrian\nkilled by an auto on Otis Drive a few weeks ago. Moreover, he said he attended the National\nAssociation of City Transportation Officials (NATCO) meeting in Oakland and found that\nCaltrans embraced the organization's mission. Additionally, he reported that they were the third\nstate to adopt the NATCO policies for transportation, bikeways and all modes.\n3.\nAnnouncements / Public Comments\nJim Strehlow, Alameda Resident, referred to the last Commission meeting and the presentation\non the I-880 project. He exclaimed that the project manager's only goal was to move people into\nAlameda. However, his goal was to ask the Commission to search for funds to assist the\noverlooked needs of Alameda commuters. Thus, he requested that the Commission ask for a\nTraffic Study along the 23rd and 29th at Fruitvale Avenue and High Street intersections. He felt\nthe Commission should request a formal traffic study to consider movements into and out of\nAlameda. If Alameda County Transportation Commission decides against it then the City should\nfund it for their own purposes. Ultimately, he would like this topic included as a future agenda\nitem.\nCommissioner Vargas asked Jim Strehlow if he wanted the study to review the changes during", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 2, "text": "Page 2 of 7\nconstruction or after construction.\nJim Strehlow said if the study could happen soon and the numbers found after construction are\nworth acknowledging, then the City could ask for the problems to be rectified.\nCommissioner Vargas replied that the Commission could look into inserting this topic into a\nfuture agenda item when they arrive at Item 6A.\nStaff Payne stated that the Alameda Police Department will hold a pedestrian safety walk event\non Saturday, May 3 from the two Alameda ferry terminals and ending at City Hall. She said that\ninterested parties should register at the following link: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/alameda\npolice-department-6132421551?s=22507629\n4.\nConsent Calendar\n4A.\nMeeting Minutes - Special Meeting - Wednesday, December 11, 2013\n4B.\nMeeting Minutes - Wednesday, January 22, 2014\n4C.\nMeeting Minutes - March 26, 2014\n5.\nNew Business\n5A. Draft Transportation Demand Management Plan for Alameda Point\nAndrew Thomas, Alameda City Planner, presented and requested that the Commission provide\nrecommendations for the plan.\nCommissioner Vargas stated that a draft went before the Planning Commission recently. He\nwanted to know the draft's revisions and highlights since going before the board.\nAndrew Thomas replied that the document was reorganized to show a clear and concise\nperspective as well as clarifying how the City would require new development to comply with\nthe Transportation Demand Management (TDM) policy. He noted that the TDM policy was\nneither optional nor negotiable.\nCommissioner Vargas opened the floor to public comments.\nJim Strehlow said he attended the Planning Board meeting and one of the board members said\nthe contribution for the TDM did not seem to add up. He concluded that the average household\nwould spend $90 to travel from Alameda Point to Oakland or Berkeley via public transit each\nmonth. Thus, they should reach for the $90 figure as a TDM tax. Moreover, he felt the\nalternative travel mode wish list was quite aggressive. Staff should think of residents' minimal\nneeds for the plan to be justifiable.\nCommissioner Bellows referred to page 4 of the memo, where a residence averaging $370,000", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 3, "text": "Page 3 of 7\nmarket value would be required to pay $3,000 a year plus $200 a year. She felt the tax was fairly\nhigh and she wanted to know the foundation for choosing the value.\nAndrew Thomas stated that the tax could be adjusted over time as they would do for any project.\nHowever, staff's challenge was balancing major operation and capital costs for Alameda Point.\nThe easiest way to cover this heavy burden was to distribute the cost the best way possible.\nCommissioner Bellows replied that she understood the need to pay for operation and capital\ncosts. However, if a resident has a $300,000 house and must pay the property tax and special\nTDM tax, there is no mechanism on how to cap the costs. Additionally, she found no\ninformation on how the fee was derived.\nAndrew Thomas replied that the amount was derived from taking the total burden that the City\nwould expect on a residential unit and each residential unit would pay for transportation and\nmunicipal expenses.\nCommissioner Bellows replied so that is the gross burden for all public needs.\nAndrew Thomas stated yes. The annual taxes are $200 for the TDM plan and $3,000 for\nmunicipal expenses for a residential unit totaling $370,000.\nCommissioner Bellows replied so instead of paying a 1 percent tax, residents would pay a 2\npercent tax. Additionally, she remembered that there was an issue with the structure of the\nschool tax, which was levied differently between businesses and homes. She wondered if the\nissue was relevant in this case.\nAndrew Thomas stated that there is no legal issue because the City owns the land. Therefore,\nfrom a Planning perspective the City is the owner of the land and the City can impose certain\nconditions and requirements when selling the land to individuals who are aware of the proposed\ntax.\nCommissioner Bellows wondered if there would be a tax cap on the TDM plan.\nAndrew Thomas replied that the cap would work similar to a negotiation and the developer\nwould agree to an assessment. He said once the special district is established, the City could\nreassess the area to see if the tax worked.\nCommissioner Bellows asked if the assessed value decreased would the rates decrease as well.\nAndrew Thomas said staff discussed this issue and Commissioner Bellows is correct.\nCommissioner Bertken asked if the document becomes part of the environmental document.\nAndrew Thomas replied yes, the plan becomes part of it.\nCommissioner Bertken referred to the number of different policies for reducing vehicle miles", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 4, "text": "Page 4 of 7\ntraveled and one is using the ferry. He viewed the importance of the ferry based on the current\nincrease to ferry patronage and that has caused parking issues.\nAndrew Thomas said that the ferry system was an important component to Alameda Point. The\ncapital improvements to extend BART and the freeway system are more costly than extending\nthe ferry service from Alameda to areas such as San Francisco and South San Francisco.\nCommissioner Morgado asked about the timeframe for the total build out.\nAndrew Thomas stated that the build out estimate is 20-30 years, but it depends on the economy\nand commercial development, which generally takes longer.\nCommissioner Bertken wondered if the 80-acre development discussed earlier would be phased\nas each developer acquires land.\nAndrew Thomas replied yes.\nCommissioner Bertken asked about the specific infrastructure tax that is being levied on the\ntaxpayer.\nAndrew Thomas replied there are a lot of infrastructure needs such as the sea level rise perimeter,\nopen space system and fire building. The City will have the developers pay their share for this\ndetailed infrastructure.\nCommissioner Vargas said he wanted to know the timing of the plan relative to the guidelines to\nbe consistent with the plan's performance measures. He also encouraged the easiest and most\neffective options to be implemented to reduce vehicle trips. He also wondered if the plan does\nnot meet the intended reductions could staff implement the plan citywide. The TDM plan should\nlist the regional agencies that are included in the TMA, and should clarify it.\nCommissioner Vargas called for a motion.\nCommissioner Bertken made a motion to approve the item. Commissioner Morgado\nseconded the motion. The motion was approved 4-0.", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 5, "text": "Page 5 of 7\n5B. Next Steps of the Federal Transportation Administration Grant Funds for Improving\nTransit Access to and from Alameda Point\nStaff Payne presented the report.\nCommissioner Bertken said last spring he was using AC Transit's Line W two days a week and\nhe was annoyed by the lack of a queue lane along Webster Street north of Atlantic Avenue.\nCommissioner Bellows asked if the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) monies had an\nexpiration date.\nStaff Payne replied yes there is expiration and they requested an extension. Staff Payne also\nexplained that BART allowed an extension until December 31, 2015.\nCommissioner Bellows asked if the queue jump design was currently under design.\nStaff Payne replied yes it is under design and they have at least 65 percent of the construction\ndrawn out.\nCommissioner Bellows asked staff if the project would be fully funded.\nStaff Payne replied yes. Also, she explained that Commissioner Vargas presented an idea which\nwould give the queue jump lane the first in line for construction.\nCommissioner Bellows asked staff about the Cross Alameda Trail and the timing of the\nconstruction.\nStaff Payne replied the funds have to be used by December 31, 2015.\nCommissioner Bellows stated that measure B monies typically are used within a couple of years.\nShe wanted to know if the plan is fully funded or easily phased because the ultimate goal is to\nget the trail to Alameda Point.\nStaff Payne replied yes.\nCommissioner Vargas called for a motion.\nCommissioner Bellows made a motion to approve the item. Commissioner Morgado\nseconded the motion. The motion was approved 4-0.", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 6, "text": "Page 6 of 7\n5C.\nTransportation Grant Applications: Transportation Development Act, Active\nTransportation Program and TIGER\nStaff Payne presented the report.\nCommissioner Bellows asked staff if the budgeted amount for the Transportation Development\nAct (TDA) monies is not fully used for the project would the monies go back into the City's\nreserve.\nStaff Payne replied yes.\nCommissioner Morgado asked if the bicycle parking was in the form of boxes.\nStaff Payne replied yes as well as bicycle racks.\nCommissioner Vargas asked about the bicycle counts and wondered if the counts would be\nconducted by electronic devices or human counters.\nStaff Payne replied that the project would go out to bid with a contractor and traditionally they\nhave multiple individuals conducting the bicycle counts at each intersection for the turning\nmovements.\nCommissioner Vargas called for a motion.\nCommissioner Bertken made a motion to approve the TDA item. Commissioner\nMorgado seconded the motion. The motion was approved 4-0.\nStaff Payne presented the remaining portions of the report.\nCommissioner Vargas asked about the dollar amount for constructing the trail along the Jean\nSweeney Open Space.\nStaff Payne replied that they are in the middle of developing the detailed cost estimate, but the\ncost may go up to $2 million for the total stretch. Furthermore, the cost includes the section near\nthe Starbucks, which is tricky because it is a constrained space.\nCommissioner Vargas asked if the funds are for studies or construction.\nStaff Payne replied that the grant is for construction.\nCommissioner Bertken asked staff if construction along the intersection is the next phase from\nwhat the Commission voted on regarding pedestrian safety and crosswalks.\nStaff Payne replied that this would be the long-term solution of construction.", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}
{"body": "TransportationCommission", "date": "2014-04-23", "page": 7, "text": "Page 7 of 7\nCommissioner Vargas asked staff and the Commission what could be done to increase the\nchances of receiving the funds. He acknowledged that if staff received letters of support from\npublic agencies or other supporters that would help.\nStaff Payne stated that they received support letters from Congresswoman Barbara Lee and\nvarious assembly members.\nCommissioner Bellows felt staff should have a better chance of receiving funds because the\napplication was submitted at a previous time and the grantors like to see persistence.\n6.\nStaff Communications\n6A.\nPotential Future Meeting Agenda Items\n- Next Transportation Commission meeting will be held Wednesday, May 28\n- Presentation on Line W by AC Transit\n- Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA)\n- Quarterly report\n- Pedestrian Safety Program\n- Voting on all Meeting Minutes\n7.\nAnnouncements/ Public Comments\nJim Strehlow asked for funding to repair the bikeways and walkways approaching Bay Farm\nIsland. Also, he announced the annual Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 8 and Bike Walk\nAlameda will have Energizer Stations at various locations from 6:30 am to 9:30 am.\n8.\nAdjournment\n8:30 pm", "path": "TransportationCommission/2014-04-23.pdf"}