HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 12395
City of Palo Alto (ID # 12395)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 8/9/2021
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Council Priority: Grade Separations
Summary Title: VTA Measure B Funding Joint Letter on Grade Separations
Title: Endorse and Authorize the Mayor to Sign a Joint Letter to the Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) From the Cities of Mountain View, Palo Alto,
and Sunnyvale Recommending a Measure B Funding Allocation for Grade
Separations
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Transportation Department
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the joint letter
from the three cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale to Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA) recommending allocation of Measure B funding for grade separations along the
Caltrans Corridor.
Background
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. This measure includes
an estimated $700 million (in 2017 dollars) of program tax revenues to fund grade separation
projects along the Caltrain corridor in the cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale,
separating the Caltrain tracks from roadways to provide increased safety benefits for drivers,
bicyclists, and pedestrians and also reduce congestion at the intersections. The funding of
projects provided through this tax measure is managed by the Valley Transportation Authority
(VTA). The program that funds grade separations in this measure currently does not have any
set basis for allocating such funds.
Discussion
There are a total of ten (10) existing at-grade crossings along the Caltrain Joint Powers Board
owned corridor within Santa Clara County. Two (2) of the crossings are in the city of San Jose.
The other eight (8) crossings are within the cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale;
the break-down is that Palo Alto has four (4), Mountain View has two (2), and Sunnyvale has
two (2) crossings.
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Staff from Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale have been meeting regularly to share
information, discuss strategies for funding, and discuss mutually beneficial ways to allocate the
Measure B Grade Separation funds. Each city is working within their communities to determine
the preferred concepts that are the right fit for them.
Staff from the three cities are proposing that allocation of the Measure B funding to be based
proportionally on the number of the existing at-grade locations in each jurisdiction and
recommends the following allocation strategy:
• Funds are allocated by City as opposed to by location as follows:
• City of Palo Alto: 50% of funds
• City of Mountain View: 25% of funds
• City of Sunnyvale: 25% of funds
• No ranking or criteria to be applied to each location
• Each City will determine how to distribute funding among their locations.
The City of Sunnyvale obtained approval from the City Council on July 27, 2021 and the City of
Mountain View is ready to sign this joint letter. The next step will include processing this
request through VTA for their consideration and acceptance of the proposed funding allocation
agreement for the life of the current 2016 Measure B Caltrain Grade Separation Program.
Resource Impact
The staff recommendation to send this joint letter to VTA does not result in any direct resource
impact at this time.
Funding for planned evaluation of grade separation alternatives is programmed in the FY 2022
Adopted Capital Budget Railroad Grade Separation and Safety Improvements project (PL-
17001). Funding for future years is subject to City Council approval through the annual budget
process. Historically, the Capital Improvement Fund supports this project through funding
sources such as SB1 (the State’s Road Repair and Accountability Act), other State/Federal
funding for transportation, Measure B, or through General Fund support. Measure B has a
dedicated portion of funding component for grade separations that is the major source of
funding for this project.
Environmental Review
The proposed recommendation in this report does not constitute a project in accordance with
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and is therefore not subject to environmental
review.
The proposed action is part of financial planning efforts for a possible future action, which has
not been approved, adopted, or funded and is therefore exempt from the CEQA. The future
decision to approve project construction would be subject to CEQA and require the preparation
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of an environmental analysis. Environmental review and design for the grade separation project
will be performed in the subsequent steps of the project development.
Attachments:
• Attachment A: Letter to VTA_Measure B Share Proposal
Page 1 of 2
August 9, 2021
Carolyn Gonot
General Manager and CEO
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
3331 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95134
Re: 2016 Measure B Grade Separation Funding Allocation Proposal
Dear Ms. Gonot,
In 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved Measure B, a sales tax measure intended to
generate funding for various transportation projects throughout Santa Clara County, including
improving safety at Caltrain crossings through grade separations. Measure B is anticipated to
generate $700 million in 2017 dollars over 30 years for the Grade Separations category. Projects
in this category provide increased safety benefits for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians and
reduce congestion at the railroad crossings. This funding is intended to aid in the design and
construction of grade separation projects in the cities of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo
Alto along the Caltrain corridor.
There are ten existing at-grade crossings along the Caltrain/Joint Powers Board owned corridor
within Santa Clara County, eight of which are within the cities of Sunnyvale, Mountain View,
and Palo Alto combined. The City of Sunnyvale has two existing at-grade locations, Mountain
View has two existing at-grade locations, and Palo Alto has four existing at-grade locations. All
three cities are in various stages of planning of grade separations for all locations and are
committed to constructing their grade separations within their jurisdictions.
In the spirit of collaboration and equity, staff from all three cities have been meeting regularly to
share information, discuss strategies for funding, and discuss mutually beneficial ways to
allocate the Measure B Grade Separation funds. City Managers, Public Works Directors, and
Office of Transportation Directors have been actively involved in these conversations.
Page 2 of 2
The three cities have developed and agree to the following proposal for allocation of the
Measure B funding:
• Funds be allocated by City as opposed to by location as follows:
o City of Palo Alto: 50% of funds
o City of Mountain View: 25% of funds
o City of Sunnyvale: 25% of funds
• No ranking or criteria to be applied to each location
• Each City will determine how to distribute funding between their locations.
The Cities of Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto have collectively come to this
agreement and respectfully request that VTA accept this allocation plan for the life of the
current 2016 Measure B Grade Separation fund. We look forward to working with VTA on its
biannual budgeting process to identify more specifically when funds are needed as each city
continues with its planning and environmental review process.
Sincerely,
Larry Klein
Mayor, City of Sunnyvale
Ellen Kamei
Mayor, City of Mountain View
Tom DuBois
Mayor, City of Palo Alto
CC: Jane Shinn, 2016 Measure B Program Manager
Deborah Dagang, Chief Planning & Programming Officer