HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 6557
City of Palo Alto (ID # 6557)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 1/25/2016
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Draft Process Letter from Palo Alto to the CHSRA and Caltrain
Title: Review and Approval of a Draft Process Letter from the City of Palo
Alto to the California High Speed Rail Authority and Caltrain
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff and the City Council Rail Committee recommend that Council review and approve
the attached draft process letter to be sent from the City of Palo Alto to the California
High Speed Rail Authority and Caltrain.
Background
At the October 13, 2015 City Council meeting, staff was directed by Council to clearly
convey to both the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and Caltrain the
following:
1. That the full Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) approach should be
retained for the process of High Speed Rail (HSR) along the Peninsula;
and
2. That the timeline for the CHSRA’s Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for
the San Francisco to San Jose project segment be adjusted to include
adequate time to fully integrate the CSS process.
At the December 15, 2015 City Council Rail Committee meeting, staff presented a draft
letter on these issues to the Committee for their discussion and review.
Following their discussion and review the Committee made recommendations to staff on
the letter and voted 4-0 to forward it to Council for approval.
The draft letter is attached (Attachment A).
Attachments:
ATTACHMENT A: Draft Process Letter to the CHSRA and Caltrain_1-25-2016 (DOCX)
Draft
January 25, 2016
California High Speed Rail Authority Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
Dan Richard Adrienne Tissier
Chair Chair
770 L Street, Suite 1160 P.O. Box 3006
Sacramento, CA 95814 San Carlos, CA 94070
RE: City of Palo Alto Comment Letter on the California High Speed Rail Authority Environmental
Clearance Process for the San Francisco to San Jose Segment
Dear Chair Richard & Chair Tissier:
I am writing you regarding the process that has been proposed by the California High Speed Rail Authority
(CHSRA) for completing the environmental clearance work necessary for the CHSRA’s San Francisco (SF) to
San Jose (SJ) project segment.
This letter is addressed to you jointly because with the “Blended System” concept no action taken on the
corridor by either agency can be done in isolation. Action taken by Caltrain impacts the CHSRA and action
taken by the CHSRA impacts Caltrain.
The CHSRA is proposing to have the environmental clearance work for the CHSRA’s SF to SJ project segment
completed by the end of 2017. The City of Palo Alto believes strongly that trying to complete such a complex
process on this timeline is not only rushed but is likely to result in less than desirable results.
Therefore, the City of Palo Alto requests the CHSRA along with the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
(PCJPB) take the following actions:
1. That the CHSRA adjust its timeline for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the SF to SJ project
segment so there is adequate time for the EIR and CSS processes;
2. That the CHSRA use the full Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) process for developing High Speed Rail
(HSR) along the Peninsula as the CHSRA agreed to do under the Peninsula Rail Program (PRP) in
2009. CSS is a clearly defined process used by the United States Department of Transportation and
other agencies for project design and implementation. CSS is “a collaborative, interdisciplinary,
holistic approach to the development of transportation projects. It is both process and product,
characterized by a number of attributes. It involves all stakeholders, including community members,
elected officials, interest groups, and affected local, state, and federal agencies. It puts project needs
along with agency and community values on a level playing field and considers all trade-offs in
decision making. Often associated with design in transportation projects, CSS should be a part of all
phases of program delivery including long range planning, programming, environmental studies,
design, construction, operations, and maintenance.” Source: (www.contextsensitivesolutions.org);
3. That the CHSRA and Caltrain enhance their communication protocols with both policymakers and
staff of the cities along the SF to SJ portion of the rail corridor to ensure no action is taken without
community awareness and input; and
4. That the CHSRA include grade separations as an essential part of the project description to be
evaluated pursuant to CEQA. Failure to include grade separations as an element of the project would
not only result in more significant impacts to be mitigated by CHRSA and other agencies, but would
also effectively segment the cumulative effects of high speed rail operation and subsequent localized
construction projects necessary for the CHSRA project to safely and effectively operate.
Thank you for your time and if you have any questions or comments, please contact Palo Alto City Manager
James Keene at (650) 329-2563 or by email at james.keene@cityofpaloalto.org.
Sincerely,
Patrick Burt
Mayor, City of Palo Alto
cc: Palo Alto City Council
Palo Alto City Manager
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo
Senator Jerry Hill
Assemblymember Rich Gordon
Executive Director of Caltrain Jim Hartnett
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board