Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Carolyn Bloede, Director, Office of Sustainability
Subject: Resolution to Adopt the Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution to approve the Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan.
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BACKGROUND:
Active transportation refers to any type of human-powered transportation including walking, rolling, and biking. Active transportation plans, or bicycle and pedestrian plans, are intended to give planners, engineers, advocates, and policymakers the tools they need to build safe, comfortable, and convenient facilities for walking and biking in communities. These plans provide a framework for the implementation of infrastructure improvements and supporting policies and programs. The County will increase its eligibility and competitiveness for grant funding by having a Board-adopted active transportation plan.
In 2018, the Office of Sustainability (OOS) was awarded a Sustainable Communities Transportation Planning grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in the amount of $228,820, to develop the County’s first bicycle and pedestrian master plan for its unincorporated areas. On August 7, 2018, this Board approved Resolution No. 076059 authorizing the County to accept the grant award and enter into a grant agreement with Caltrans to fund the project. On January 29, 2019, this Board adopted Resolution No. 076936 approving a contract between the County and Toole Design Group to develop the Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan (Plan).
OOS started the planning process with Toole Design Group, the project consultant, at the beginning of 2019. The Plan was developed through three main phases of work informed by three periods of community engagement, as well as with input from an interdepartmental Technical Advisory Committee with participation from the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County and Caltrans. The County’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, an advisory body to this Board, was engaged in informing the development of the Plan throughout the three phases of work. The first phase of work focused on data collection and analysis and receiving community input on walking and bicycling needs. In phase two, draft project recommendations based on community input and data analysis were developed and brought to the community for feedback. Phase three included the development of an implementation strategy and a draft of the Plan informed by a final round of community outreach. A final draft of the Plan has been completed for consideration by this Board.
DISCUSSION:
As part of the planning process, thousands of community members and stakeholders were engaged over the course of the project through in-person workshops and pop-up events, surveys, interactive online tools, and presentations to community councils and other community partners. Throughout this engagement, community members shared their input for recommendations improving pedestrian crossings and dedicated bikeways as well as a desire to rethink how space is allocated on roadways, considering current needs and future demand.
The Plan and corresponding Appendices include:
• Overarching goals and objectives
• Recommendations for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements
• Recommendations for support programs and policies
• Prioritization methods and criteria for bicycle and pedestrian projects
• Implementation strategies, planning-level project costs and potential funding sources
• A design toolkit for pedestrian and bicycle facilities
The Plan serves as a starting point and a guide for future decisions about active transportation improvements throughout unincorporated county communities. After Board approval of the Plan, staff will seek funding to start the implementation process with more detailed capital project planning and development and additional community outreach as needed. The Plan and Appendices can be found in Attachments A and B.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the corresponding resolution approving the Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
County Counsel determined that environmental review is not required for approval of the Plan given that it is not considered a project subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. As infrastructure recommendations contained in the Plan are brought forth for consideration, they will be reviewed by County staff to determine if they are a “project” under CEQA. A summary of this determination, as well as an overview of the types of CEQA review and standard measures/practices that will apply to all County-initiated Plan projects can be found in Attachment C.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact for the approval of the Plan. However, implementation of the Plan will require significant funding and staff resources. Planning level cost estimates, based on 2020 dollars, indicate that the cost to build out the bicycle network is over $166,000,000, not including ongoing maintenance or staff resources. Significant investment will also be needed to build out pedestrian improvements throughout the County and to implement the Plan’s program and policy recommendations. Actual project costs and staffing and resources required for project planning and implementation will vary based on the scope of work and further engineering studies. The County will need to commit and leverage its own funding sources and seek external grants to fund the development of projects and programs in the Plan. Proposed projects, authorization to enter into funding agreements from potential external grant awards, and internal County funding requests may come before this Board for consideration on a case-by-case basis.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan
B. Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan Appendices
C. Unincorporated San Mateo County Active Transportation Plan CEQA Considerations Memo