HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 325-05
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TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
ATTN: FINANCE COMMITTEE
FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT
DATE: JULY 19, 2005 CMR: 325:05
SUBJECT: PROPOSED CHARLESTON-ARASTRADERO CORRIDOR PEDESTRIAN
AND BICYCLIST SAFETY IMPACT FEE
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Finance Committee recommend to Council the following actions:
1) Conduct a public hearing regarding the proposed Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian
and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee and
2) Adopt an Ordinance making certain findings regarding the proposed Charleston-Arastradero
Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee and adding Chapter 16.59 to the Palo Alto
Municipal Code to impose and implement the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and
Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee (Attachment A).
BACKGROUND
The City Council directed staff on August 9, 2004 to report back on the feasibility of a Charleston-
Arastradero Corridor Plan development impact fee to partially fund bicycle and pedestrian safety
improvements called for in the Council-adopted Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan (CMR
385:04). Council approved the Corridor Plan on January 29, 2004 and directed staff to obtain
funding to implement the Plan (CMR 122:04).
The Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee Program
comprises estimated capital costs for creating new and enhancing existing pedestrian crosswalks,
eliminating gaps in existing bicycle lanes, and enhancing the visibility of bicycle lanes and
crosswalks along the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor from Fabian to Miranda, one of the principal
school commuter corridors in Palo Alto. The Impact Fee Program comprises a set of measures
designed to enhance safety for bicycle and pedestrian travel by shortening pedestrian crossing
distances and providing additional spatial separation between bicycles and motor vehicles by
widening bicycle lanes in some locations and eliminating gaps in bicycle lane continuity in other
locations along the corridor.
Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan improvements that could be funded in the proposed
Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee Expenditure Program
includes the following:
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1) Converting approximately one -half of the total Corridor length from a four -lane to a
three-lane cross-section (one travel lane in each direction with sections of raised
landscaped center medians interspersed with left turn pockets and raised center
medians for pedestrian refuge at crosswalks), providing room for pedestrian refuge
and for widening bicycle lanes where needed.
2) Widening, removing gaps in, and enhancing the visibility of the on-street bicycle
lanes in both directions along the Corridor to enhance safety by providing
continuous, highly visible bicycle lanes.
3) Deploying additional electronic speed advisory signs and pedestrian signal heads
with countdown capability as well as, at selected crosswalk locations, pedestrian-
actuated in-pavement crosswalk lighting to enhance crosswalk visibility.
4) Removing the two free right turn (pork chop) islands on the southern leg of the El
Camino Real/West Charleston Road/Arastradero Road intersection to enhance
bicycle and pedestrian safety and installing pavement treatments on all four
crosswalks to enhance pedestrian safety.
5) Re-configuring the existing center median at Louis and Montrose to enhance bicycle
and pedestrian safety while preserving its existing function, which prevents traffic
intrusion into the neighborhoods.
6) Installation of bicycle route signs along the entire Corridor to enhance safety through
increasing awareness of drivers to the presence of bicyclists.
7) Enhancing pedestrian safety by adding street trees and other landscaping to the
buffer area between the curb and sidewalk along sections of the Corridor.
A nexus study is required of all proposed development impact fees in California under AB 1600.
The nexus study sets forth the purpose of the proposed fee, the type and geographic area of
development it will pertain to, the pertinent impacts of such development, and the link or nexus
between these development impacts and mitigations funded under the fee. A key consideration is
whether or not the fee charged is proportionate to the development impact being mitigated. A
Council-adopted municipal Ordinance is also required to establish a new development impact fee.
DISCUSSION
The key provisions of the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact
Fee are as follows:
· Funds a portion of Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan.
· Addresses future bicycle and pedestrian safety needs arising from greater numbers of bicyclists
and pedestrians in close proximity to increasing numbers of motor vehicles on the street and in
crosswalks.
· Assessed on the basis of net increase in weekday bicycle and pedestr ian trip volumes generated
by new development or re-development along the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor.
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· Assessed to new developments and re-developments within one half mile on each side of the
centerline and at each end of Charleston Road and Arastradero Road between Fabian and
Miranda within the Palo Alto city limits.
· Funds a share of the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan proportionate to the percentage of
bicyclists and pedestrians added to the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor due to new
development and re-development.
· Provision to account for future inflation in these future capital improvement costs through
annual adjustment of the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
Impact Fee based on changes in the Construction Cost Index published by The Engineering
News Record, the industry standard for infrastructure cost information.
· Includes exemption for public facilities, day care centers, small retail, and affordable housing
developments, including those in the Below Marke t Rate program consistent with the
methodology for other development impact fees levied by the City.
· The Fee is not assessed if a development is projected to generate the same or fewer weekday
bicycle and pedestrian trips than the prior use of the property to be developed.
· Does not disturb existing impact fees and improvement programs in the Stanford Research Park
and the San Antonio/East Bayshore areas, which are geared toward mitigating local impacts of
development on the efficient operation of nearby intersections rather than impacts on safety of
bicycles and pedestrians due to increased numbers of potential conflicts between those on foot
and on bicycle and motor vehicles. Also does not affect the City’s ability to impose
development conditions requiring local transportation improvements to mitigate impacts in the
immediate vicinity of new development.
The Planning and Transportation Commission recommended the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor
Improvement Plan to City Council by unanimous vote on December 10, 2003. Council adopted the
Corridor Plan on January 29, 2004. The Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist
Safety Impact Fee Expenditure Program is based on the Corridor Plan the Commission
recommended and Council subsequently approved.
RESOURCE IMPACT
The following table displays elements of the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan, the estimated
cost of each, and the proportion of cost proposed to be paid by the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee. Based on the methodology documented in the
Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee Nexus Study Draft
Final Report (Attachment B), 12.2% of Corridor Program costs are assignable to new development
and redevelopment along the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor. The 12.2% share represents the
proportion of projected weekday bicycle and pedestrian traffic on the Corridor to the year 2015
attributable to new development and redevelopment along the Corridor.
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COST ELEMENT TOTAL COST* C-A FEE SHARES**
Roadway&
Median Improvements
$2,722,997 $332,000
Frontage
Improvements
$2,130,620 $260,000
Contingency @15% $728,042 $89,000
Construction
Subtotal
$5,581,660 $681,000
Architecture&
Engineering
$837,249 $102,000
Project Management
@5%
$279,083 $34,000
Project Total $6,697,991 $817,000
*Annual inflation of 3.0% used to adjust original 2003 cost estimate to 2005.
** Rounded to nearest $1,000.
The proposed Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee equates
to $740 per net new weekday bicycle or pedestrian trip generated by a development or re-
development along and within one -half mile on either side and at either end of the Charleston-
Arastradero Corridor, from Fabian to Miranda (Attachment C). This fee amount represents the 12.2
percent share of the $6.698 million Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Program cost, or $817,000,
assignable to new development and re-development along the Corridor divided by the 1,107
projected average growth in net weekday bicycle and pedestrian trips from 2005 through 2015 with
an origin, a destination, or both on the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor. It should be noted that
development and redevelopment that does not generate an increase in weekday bicycle and
pedestrian trips over and above that estimated for the land use it replaces would not be subject to the
Corridor Plan Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee.
The following table shows potential funding sources for the 87.8% of Corridor Program Plan costs
that are not assignable to new development and redevelopment along the Charleston-Arastradero
Corridor. Staff has provided judgments as to how much of the 87.8% of Corridor Plan costs may be
funded under each funding source, as well as the probability of success in obtaining funds from
each source to implement the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan.
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GRANT PROGRAM SOURCE FUNDING
AVAILABLE
PROBABILITY OF
FUNDING
Bicycle Transportation
Account (BTA)
Caltrans Less than 10% High
SB 680 (pend ing) Santa Clara Valley
Transportation
Authority (VTA)
Less than 10% High
Local Streets and
County Roads (LSCR)
Santa Clara Valley
Transportation
Authority (VTA)
Up to 80% share Medium
Safe Routes to School
(SRS)
Caltrans Less than 10% Medium
Transporta tion
Enhancements (TE)
US Department of
Transportation
(USDOT)
Up to 80% share Medium
Transportation for
Livable Communities
(TLC)
Metropolitan
Transportation
Commission (USDOT)
Up to 80% share Low
Transportation Fund
for Clean Air
Bay Area Air Quality
Management Board
(BAAQMD)
Less than 10% Low
In addition to these grant sources and proposed Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and
Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee proceeds, an analysis by staff indicates some elements of the
Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan not funded by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Impact Fee
may be eligible for funding under existing Stanford Research Park and San Antonio/East Bayshore
Road Traffic Impact Fee account balances (see Attachment D). As discussed in the attached staff
memorandum, it may be feasible to use a portion of the Stanford Research Park Traffic Impact Fee
account balance to construct a new right turn lane at the Gunn High School driveway for westbound
traffic on Arastradero, as well as fund traffic signal automation for the Charleston-Arastradero
Corridor west of Alma. As indicated in the attached staff memorandum, these improvements may
mitigate traffic conditions for Stanford Research Park commuters. These funds, along with proceeds
from the proposed Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Impact Fee may
be used to match federal, state, and regional grants. It is important to note that such grants typically
require from ten to twenty-five percent of project costs in matching fundi ng, depending on the grant
program and the project.
The Charleston Arastredero Corridor Plan will require future maintenance. Funding for these
maintenance costs are not included in the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan. Additional
maintenance activities will impact City staff workload. Annual estimated maintenance costs for the
Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan improvements are approximately 2% of total project costs
(assuming a 50-year project life), or $134,000. These costs will vary year by year with lower costs
expected in earlier years and higher in later years.
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POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The proposed Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee
implements two of the Council’s Top 5 priorities, City Finances and Alternative
Transportation/Traffic Calming, and helps implement both the Bicycle Transportation Plan and
Transportation Strategic Plan. The Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
Impact Fee Expenditure Plan furthers the following 1998-2010 Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan
Transportation Goals:
T-1: Less Reliance on Single-Occupant Vehicles
T-3: Facilities, Services, and Programs that Encourage and Promote Walking and Bicycling
T-5: A Transportation System with Minimal Impacts on Residential Neighborhoods
T-6: A High Level of Safety for Motorists, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists on Palo Alto Streets
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee Expenditure
Program will fund only capital projects described in the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan.
Environmental review of the Corridor Plan pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act
was included in the Mitigated Negative Declaration environmental review adopted by Council on
January 27, 2004. The lane re-configuration trial project element of the Charleston-Arastradero
Corridor Plan will be subject to a project-level environmental analysis prior to implementation to
analyze whether it is consistent with the performance measures adopted with the Charleston-
Arastradero Corridor Plan and Mitigated Negative Declaration.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Draft Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Impact Fee Ordinance
B. Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Development Impact Fee Nexus Study Draft Final Report
C. Map of Charleston-Arastradero Corridor One -Half Mile Buffer Area
D. July 8, 2005 Memorandum to Steve Emslie, Director of the Planning and Community
Environment Department from Gayle Likens and Heba El -Guendy of the Transportation Division
entitled “Recommendations on the Use of the Stanford Research Park Fee”.
PREPARED BY:
JOSEPH KOTT
Chief Transportation Official
DEPARTMENT HEAD: ______________________________________________
STEVE EMSLIE
Director of Planning and
Community Environment
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CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: _______________________________________
EMILY HARRISON
Assistant City Manager
cc: Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Ad Hoc Transportation Subcommittee
Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee
Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Plan Stakeholders Input Group