CRESCEN
CITY
CALIFORNI REDWOOD COAST TRANSIT
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CRESCENT CITY
AND THE
REDWOOD COAST TRANSIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MINUTES
Flynn Center
981 H Street
CRESCENT CITY, CA 95531
TUESDAY December 6, 2022 4:30 P.M.
OPEN SESSION
Redwood Coast Transit Board of Directors
Call to order Chairman Altman called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
Roll call Directors present: Director Darrin Short, Director Valerie Starkey, Director Vidette Roberts, and Chairman Ray Altman
Staff present: RCTA Manager Joe Rye
City Council
Call to order Mayor Wright called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m.
Roll call Council Members present: Council Member Ray Altman, Council Member Jason Greenough, Mayor Pro Tem Blake Inscore and Mayor Isaiah Wright Staff members present: City Manager Eric Wier, City Attorney Martha Rice, Public Works Office Technician Heather Welton for City Clerk/Administrative Analyst Robin Altman
Pledge of Allegiance led by Chairman Altman
NEW BUSINESS
1. Front Street Transit hub Site Selection
• Recommendation: Hear staff report
• Technical questions from the Board/Council
• Receive public comment
• Further Board/Council discussion
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Special Meeting Minutes
December 6, 2022
• Give staff direction regarding preferred location of the transit hub • If appropriate for the transit hub location direct staff to bring back an MOA between the City / RCT Board for the use of public property City Manager Wier reported to the Board and Council that this is a great alternative for transportation in our community. RCTA Manager Rye gave a short history of the project, there was extensive market research, community outreach, and stakeholder engagement. The main area of concern was safety and security at the transit hub. The present hub, there is no place for staffing to keep an eye on the area. The vision has evolved to include an off-street location where RCTA can build a customer service center, restrooms, and have off-street bays for buses, shelters and seating for boarding and alighting passengers, real-time bus info, etc. At the current location at the Cultural Center, riders felt alone and vulnerable without RCTA staff to turn to for assistance or information. RCT went into discussions with Green Dot Transportation to review the project.
Jeff Schwein of Green Dot gave a brief history of the process they went through last winter looking for a new home. He also detailed a community hub and how they are beneficial to the residents.
The two sites that are being considered is a parking lot on I and H Street and the parking lot at K and Front Street. City Manager Wier went over the development that will be forthcoming for Beachfront Park. He stated that in discussions of a regional transit center, it was said that the library parking lot due to it's proximity to the Cultural Center which will soon house Redwood National Parks. Supervisor Starkey asked that there are 25 spaces being removed to make the transit station work at the library parking lot, what about the second location between H & I; Mr.
Schwein stated it was the same. Supervisor Starkey confirmed that the Farmer's Market would be staying at the location; Mr. Schwein answered in the affirmative. Supervisor Starkey asked if the electric vehicle charging stations could be moved; City Manager Wier stated that the City does have a lease agreement with the company and it is licensed to have those spaces. Supervisor Starkey wanted to confirm if they would have covered areas on both locations; Mr. Schwein stated that there will be. Supervisor Starkey asked if the library has been contacted about the impact to their parking; Mr. Schwein stated he has not reached out to the Library. Chairman Altman stated that the charging station has already been moved twice; City Manager Wier answered in the affirmative that the charging location was chosen due to the impact of family parking for soccer games. Mr. Schwein stated that the reason this has come before the Board and Council is to obtain feedback from them regarding the matter. Chairman Altman stated that if space is going to be an issue, then something such as the proposed Coffee Hut can be eliminated as it's not as essential as other planned items. Mayor Pro Tem Inscore asked for clarification for the charging hub and what was allowed; City Manager Wier stated that the Council had approved three spaces.
Director Short asked if there were different options for funding opportunities as it relates to the two sites; Mayor Pro Tem Inscore stated it is not the location that matters for funding it is to have a defined dedicated transit hub. Mr. Schwein stated that most funding that is coming to communities is for transit. Council Member Greenough stated that since Front Street will be repaved, there will be additional parking created in the design. Mayor Wright asked if either location could be used as a long-distance bus stop such as Greyhoud? Mr. Schwein said they are planning on 35' buses, therefore there could be one that accommodates a 40' coach bus. The K Street location has the ability to accommodate a large bus. However, this will not be intended for use by charter buses to drop off passengers for the smaller buses. Supervisor Starkey asked who was funding the $725k or the $325k for the remodels; Manager Rye stated it was Redwood Coast Transit Authority. Supervisor Starkey asked for confirmation that the City owns both lots and would be leasing either site to RCTA; City Manager Wier answered in the affirmative. City Manager Wier also confirmed that the City is working in partnership with RCTA for a Clean California grant with the application due in April. Supervisor Starkey stated that the library parking lot location seemed to be better suited to be expanded if necessary. Mayor Wright stated that like City of Crescent City/Redwood Coast Transit
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December 6, 2022
the airport, there could be designated spots for Ubers and charter buses outside of the transit station. Mayor Pro Tem Inscore spoke in support of the larger location. He stated it is important to have the transit hub close to where tourists will be so that they can easily access transportation.
There were no comments from the public.
Vice-Chair Short stated that the library parking lot is used a lot more by vehicles than the other location at H Street and | Street. He said that at an RCTA meeting, it was discussed that the parking lot is used by the Farmer's Market and the location of the electric vehicle charging stations. Stated that RCTA discussed the different location for the transit hub so the library parking lot can be used for the current activities. He spoke in support of having the larger parking lot remain available for large events, etc. Director Starkey asked RCTA Manager Rye preference; Manager Rye stated either site would work well. Back in April, the RCTA Board selected the H to I Street location for the transit hub based on some positive aspects as well as the quickness of the design before construction. The one issue he has with the library location is that if they are restricted to not having certain parking spots, then the issue becomes mixing general public traffic with buses. Along with pedestrians, adding vehicle traffic is a safety risk. Would like whatever location is selected to be bus traffic only. Chairman Altman stated he agreed that the library parking lot is a much more active area. For the Farmer's Market has already moved before and shouldn't be a problem moving to another location. Asked Manager Rye if the transit hub would accommodate the new electric buses that will be purchased and would being by the charging station already in place be a benefit should we need a bus charging station placed. He further stated that it would be better to do it in an empty parking lot since the hub will have to be constructed in phases. Does not want to disrupt an already busy area, however is in support of the hub being across the street from the Visitors Center. He also spoke of his concern for safety and making sure there is staff on hand to report incidents to law enforcement. Mayor Pro Tem Inscore stated in his opinion, it is the activity at the library location that makes him want to select that location. People are already used to coming there and it will make for an easy transition.
Vice-Chair Short asked if only the north half of the parking lot was going to be used, or the whole parking lot; Manager Rye stated that the intention was not to use only half of the parking lot.
Mayor Pro Tem Inscore clarified that the entirety of the parking lot would be used for the transit hub; Manager Rye answered in the affirmative. Mr. Schwein stated that a new design plan can be brought forward at a future meeting based on this meeting's discussions. Mayor Wright asked for clarification of how many buses and the direction of the traffic would be at the transit hub that is the whole parking lot. Mr. Schwein stated they would be coming in both directions and you'd have a total of five buses. Director Short stated that the H to I Street location would be the most effective use of space for the hub. Would like to see clearer drawings of what is being proposed so the RCTA Board and Council can meet again to make a final decision. Mayor Pro Tem Inscore stated he would like it to be done in a timely manner as the NOFA will come out in January or February and doesn't want an undue burden put on staff to rush to get the application done.
Council Member Greenough stated that if it is the desire to make Crescent City "destination city", then he feels the transit hub she be close to where visitors can get information on our local businesses and activities to do, therefore supports the library parking lot location and giving RCTA the north part of the parking lot. Director Starkey stated that her choice is the library parking lot due to the close proximity to the Visitors Center. The other location limits it to be only a transit hub as the library parking lot makes it a public space. Mr. Schwein stated that if they can compartmentalize the transit vehicle versus regular traffic and make sure pedestrians are being moved through the site. Discussions with the library will be held as well, especially concerning pedestrians walking through the area. Mr. Schwein stated that if the H to I Street location is selected, RCTA can guide people to the Visitors Center with the use of wayfinding signs, etc. 3 City of Crescent City/Redwood Coast Transit
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The following resident addressed the Council and Board:
Tamera Leighton: stated that she does not want the transit hub to negatively impact the library and knows that discussions with the library are forthcoming. She further stated that if the library parking lot is selected, then there should be parking spaces designated for library patrons.
Chairman Altman stated that what the design shows is that the lanes for the transit are right up against the entrance to the library. Vice-Chair Short stated that the library is not the only business that will be affected by a transit hub at this location, there are a lot of businesses in Mason Mall and they use the parking lot as well. Director Roberts asked that if the H to I location is chosen, could a shuttle be available to take people to the Visitors Center that may not be able to walk that far. Vice-Chair Short asked City Attorney Rice that since the RCTA Board had already voted and chose the H to I Street location for the transit hub, is it now up to the City Council to decide; City Attorney Rice stated that this meeting was to have open discussions about the pros and cons of each site. She further stated that both Boards will have to agree on the same site. Mayor Pro Tem Inscore stated that having this meeting with both together allows for the ability to come to the best decision for the community. He would like to meet again that is reasonable to have a real proposal in front of them that could work. City Manager Wier stated that January 3rd is available for the next meeting. The Board and Council was in consensus to meet again, January 3, 2023.
ADJOURNMENT
Redwood Coast Transit Board of Directors:
There being no further business to come before the Redwood Coast Transit Board of Directors, Chairman Altman adjourned the meeting at 5:46 p.m. to the special joint meeting of the City Council and Redwood Coast Transit Board of Directors scheduled for January 3, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Flynn Center, 981 H Street, Crescent City, CA 95531.
City Council:
There being no further business to come before the City Council, Mayor Wright adjourned the meeting at 5:46 p.m. to the regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Crescent City scheduled for December 19, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. at the Flynn Center, 981 H Street, Crescent City, CA 95531.
Robin Altman, City Clerk/Administrative Analyst
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