DATE: October 17, 2023
TO: Paul Buddenhagen, City Manager
FROM: Chadrick Smalley, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Active Transportation Plan:
Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Adopting A General Plan Amendment To Modify Figure 3-1 (Circulation Map), Figure 3-4 (Pedestrian System Map), And Figure 3-6 (Bicycle System Map) In The General Plan Transportation Element (Chapter 3) Of The City Of Emeryville General Plan Resolution Of The City Council Of The City Of Emeryville Adopting The Active Transportation Plan And Accepting The Appendices To The Active Transportation Plan (CEQA Determination: Exempt Pursuant To Public Resources Code Section 21808.20 And CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301(c), 15302, 15304(H), And 15061(b)(3))
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council hold a public hearing, then review and approve the City of Emeryville’s Final Active Transportation Plan (ATP) through the adoption of two resolutions. The first resolution will adopt a General Plan Amendment to ensure consistency between the General Plan and the ATP. The second resolution will approve the ATP.
BACKGROUND
On November 17, 2020, the City Council authorized the execution of a contract with Alta Planning + Design (“Alta”) for the preparation of the ATP, to replace the current Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, which was adopted on May 15, 2012. The ATP continues the work of the current Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan and is a blueprint for improving active transportation infrastructure and programs over the next ten years. Adoption of the ATP will include rescinding the current Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, which it will replace.
The adoption of the ATP will require an update to the General Plan, specifically certain maps in the Transportation Element (Chapter 3). A 90-day Tribal Consultation Period is required for any General Plan Amendment and notification letters to six tribes were mailed on July 7, 2023. As of the writing of this staff report, the City had not received any replies to these letters. A verbal update will be provided as part of the staff presentation at the City Council hearing.
Changes to the General Plan maps are summarized below:
Figure 3-1 (Circulation)
Update Class I, II, and III facilities to reflect the ATP.
Add Class IV facilities from the ATP.
The position of Shellmound Way is amended to show the actual position of the street.
Figure 3-4 (Pedestrian)
Update Class I facilities (Bicycle/Pedestrian Paths) to reflect the ATP.
The position of Shellmound Way is amended to show the actual position of the street.
Figure 3-6 (Bicycle System)
Add Class IV facilities from the ATP.
The position of Shellmound Way is amended to show the actual position of the street.
The development of the ATP included several draft documents to facilitate the incorporation of feedback received during review, as follows:
The “Public Review Draft Plan” was the first published draft (posted October 31, 2022, and available for comment through January 2023). For clarity, in this staff report it is referred to as the “First Draft Plan.” The “Final Draft Plan” (posted June 15, 2023, and currently available on the project website www.emeryvillemoves.org). For clarity, in this staff report it is referred to as the “Revised Draft Plan.” The “Final Plan” incorporates minor changes to the Revised Draft Plan for the adoption of the ATP. These modifications are listed below, and represent staff’s recommendation for adoption.
Minor edits were made to the Revised Draft Plan and Appendices to include the July 2023 committee and commission public meetings discussed below and staff’s review of the documents. The Final Plan before the City Council includes the following changes:
To the Plan Document:
The date on the cover has been updated to “October 2023.” On page 20 a note has been added stating “In addition, the City should consult the Alameda CTC Countywide Bikeways Design Guide as a resource for implementing recommendations in the Active Transportation Plan,” and a hyperlink provided to the Countywide Bikeways Design Guide.
On page 60 the header has been corrected.
To the Appendices:
The date on the cover has been updated to “October 2023.” On page A-18 changed “meeting to be held” for Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (“BPAC”) Meeting #9 to date of “July 10, 2023” and added a note that the BPAC recommended the City Council adopt the ATP.
On page A-18 changed “meeting to be held” for Transportation Committee Meeting #3 to date of “July 10, 2023” and added a note that the Transportation Committee recommended the City Council adopt the ATP.
DISCUSSION
Outreach and Public Input
Development of the ATP included extensive outreach and public participation. Over 1,300 people participated in the development of the ATP in various ways, including in-person tours, pedestrian and bicycle tours, on-line surveys, focus groups, and website comments. Appendix B of the Appendices contains details on the outreach and public participation activities.
Highlights of this process include:
Ten BPAC meetings.
Three Transportation Committee meetings.
Three listening sessions: small focus groups focusing on the needs and experiences of hotel and retail workers, community members with disabilities, and families with children.
One interactive youth outreach event focusing on the needs and experiences of school age children.
One walking tour and one bicycling tour.
Three online community meetings.
One online survey and two online interactive map activities to gather comments and experiences on existing and proposed infrastructure improvements.
Promotion of public participation opportunities was done through:
Targeted social media ads in English and Spanish placed on Facebook, Instagram, and Google.
Use of the City of Emeryville social media accounts and websites.
Use of City email lists.
The placement of 20 bilingual (English and Spanish) sidewalk decals around the city in key locations (including the Greenway, transit stops, and parks).
Mailing of 19,000 bilingual (English and Spanish) postcards to every residential and business address in the city.
Hand delivering bilingual (English and Spanish) flyers and holding impromptu conversations at retail businesses, hotels, and restaurants.
On September 19, 2022, staff received the first working draft of the ATP from Alta. Staff meetings were held in September and October 2022 to provide comments to Alta. The First Draft Plan was posted on October 31, 2022, and was available through January 2023. The First Draft Plan was reviewed at the following public meetings:
November 7, 2022 – BPAC
December 8, 2022 - Planning Commission
December 15, 2022 - Transportation Committee
January 11, 2023 - Public Workshop on Zoom
January 17, 2023 - City Council
In January 2023, staff worked with Alta to prepare for the meetings listed above and reached out to stakeholders including neighboring jurisdictions, Emeryville Police Department, and Alameda County Fire Department, to make sure that comments from these agencies were gathered. In February 2023, staff and Alta systematically reviewed comments received. Revisions of the plan were developed in April 2023, and staff provided comments back to Alta in May 2023 following internal meetings.
Changes made to the ATP in the Revised Draft, which was published on June 15, 2023, are summarized in the attached memo titled “Emeryville ATP Public Draft Comment Responses” (Attachment 1).
The Revised Draft Plan was posted on the ATP website beginning on June 15, 2023. Since then, the Revised Draft Plan was presented at the following public meetings for recommendation to the City Council:
July 10, 2023 – BPAC
July 10, 2023 – Transportation Committee
July 27, 2023 – Planning Commission
The BPAC, Transportation Committee and Planning Commission each unanimously recommended the City Council approve the ATP. A presentation on the ATP was also provided to the Commission on Aging, who actively participated in the development of the ATP concurrently with their development of the Age Friendly Communities Action Plan. The presentation reviewed the Revised Draft Plan, including how the commission’s input was incorporated.
Plan Organization
The Plan is organized into five chapters:
Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Chapter 2: Plan Vision and Goals
Chapter 3: Biking, Walking, and Rolling in Emeryville Today Chapter 4: Policies, Programs, and Projects
Chapter 5: Implementation and Funding
The Appendices are organized into three sections:
Appendix A: Complete Streets Policy
Appendix B: Public Engagement Documentation
Appendix C: Project Recommendation Tables
Plan Highlights
Chapter 2 introduces the visions and goals of the ATP. The ATP vision statement is:
“The City of Emeryville is a community where active, sustainable transportation is the easy choice: it is safe, comfortable, equitable, and accessible to all. The continuous, connected network of world-class facilities eliminates the necessity of driving a car and makes active transportation accessible to people of all identities (race, ethnicity, age, gender, socio-economic status, ability, or orientation). The City promotes active travel through infrastructure, education and encouragement programs. The City inspires other communities with its visionary and forward thinking commitment to active transportation.” The six goals of the ATP are described under the headings Comfortable, Connected, Joyful, Equitable, Sustainable, and Implementable. These goals provide purpose and guide the rest of the document.
Chapter 3 describes the current state of active transportation in Emeryville. This includes demographics (pages 26 – 27), transportation and land use patterns (pages 28 – 31), and equity with a focus on low-income workers and households (pages 32 – 34). Commute mode shares are assessed (pages 35 – 37) and an overview of current infrastructure is provided (pages 39 – 46). Current connectivity, safety and collision data is provided (pages 47 – 52). Four key takeaways from this Chapter that inform the rest of the plan are:
Arterial roadway crossings are stressful (particularly 40th Street, Powell Street, and San Pablo Avenue).
San Pablo Avenue and Adeline Street are focus areas as this is where the residents with the lowest incomes live, and this area also has the highest population density.
Walking routes can be improved by removing barriers identified in the plan.
The existing bikeway network is not comfortable for all ages and abilities; upgrading existing bikeways to lower stress facilities and improving arterial crossings will make the rolling network more accessible.
Chapter 4 contains the Plan’s projects, programs, and policies. Policy recommendations (page 59), programmatic recommendations (pages 59 – 69), and wayfinding recommendations (page 70 – 71) are all made at the beginning of the chapter.
Notably, pedestrian and bicycle wayfinding signage was added to the scope of the ATP contract and began as a separate process in January 2023. The scope included developing signage and identifying sign locations throughout the city and was adopted by the City Council on July 5, 2023. The installation of signs to implement the wayfinding program is included as an item in the Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2023-2024 through 2027-2028.
Projects are categorized as Pedestrian Network Recommendations, Spot Improvement Recommendations, and Bikeway Network Recommendations. These recommendations are included on pages 80 through 112.
Chapter 4 concludes by reviewing multimodal focus areas and studies. A map summarizing the location of these major multimodal projects and studies is located on page 114, with details for each project and study located on pages 115 – 146.
Chapter 5 outlines a strategy for the implementation of the proposed infrastructure projects and includes a graphic titled “How a Project Gets Built” that includes both project delivery steps, and how public participation is included at each step of the project (page 152). Chapter 5 also discusses possible funding sources for implementation.
Revised Draft Plan
Since its publication in June 2023, the Revised Draft Plan has been reviewed by the BPAC, the Planning Commission, and the Transportation Committee, as noted above. Input received at those meetings is summarized below.
BPAC
The BPAC reviewed the Revised Draft Plan at their July 10, 2023 meeting. The committee asked for clarification, and staff provided information on how the ATP is to be funded and implemented through the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
Three public comments were received. The first commenter expressed appreciation that leading pedestrian intervals are included in the ATP but wished that other pedestrian priorities had been included; and also suggested that the Transportation Committee and BPAC work together to create a crosswalk policy and a pedestrian priority policy by assessing multiple options simultaneously. The second commentor expressed concern about the potential of Holden Street being blocked to vehicular traffic; however this comment was more directly associated with another agenda item regarding the implementation of the 40th Street Multimodal Project. The third commentor expressed support for the plan overall but noted that specific recommendations for the intersection at Powell and Christie were not included in the ATP, and did not think that preventing sidewalk obstructions was emphasized enough in the ATP.
BPAC member comments included support of the ATP, great enthusiasm for moving forward with the ATP, and tracking its implementation and prioritization. The committee unanimously recommended the City Council adopt the Revised Draft ATP.
Transportation Committee
The Transportation Committee reviewed the Revised Draft Plan at their July 10, 2023 meeting.
One public comment was received in which the commenter asked questions about how to find more information about the ATP and its funding, and the approval process.
The committee appreciated the robust outreach process; and expressed support for the ATP. It recommended that the ATP should include a reference to the Alameda CTC Countywide Bikeways Design Guide, which has been incorporated (as discussed in the Background section, above). The committee unanimously recommended the City Council adopt the Revised Draft ATP.
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission reviewed the Revised Draft Plan at their July 27, 2023 meeting. There were no public comments.
The Commission asked clarifying questions including how the Tribal notification for General Plan Amendments worked, verified that the bike path on the west side of the Emeryville Center for Community Life (ECCL) that is to be constructed as part of phase two for any site development of ECCL remains in the ATP, and asked about when metrics for gathering traffic counts on bicycle boulevards will occur. Staff responded that counts would occur when it is determined that assessment is needed and as well as part of the approval process for new development projects. Staff noted that, while tracking implementation does not explicitly include traffic counts, ATP implementation will be monitored and regularly reported on to the BPAC and other committees.
Commissioner comments included gratitude for the public process; noted that it is an “excellent and thorough plan,”; described the plan as being well vetted; requested that staff assess what worked well for public engagement for this plan and apply it to other outreach processes; and expressed excitement for implementation. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended the City Council adopt the Revised Draft ATP.
Fiscal Impact
The Cost Estimates section of the ATP (page 151) states that “Estimating the cost of active transportation projects can be quite a complex task. In addition to inflation and fluctuations in the costs of materials and labor, the wide range of project types, existing conditions, and scale of a given project greatly influence final costs. From smaller striping jobs to larger capital-intensive projects that include signals, concrete work, and paving, each project presents its own unique challenges. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to estimating costs.” Comparative project costs in 2023 dollars are then provided as examples of variation in recent project costs.
The ATP is funded through the City’s recently adopted 2023-24 through 2027-28 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). CIP #SUT-02 (page 61) is described as “The funding bucket [that] encompasses studies aimed at financing active transportation initiatives outlined in the Active Transportation Plan.” The description also states that this “bucket can help fund previous initiatives, such as connections across our City border to Mandela Parkway, neighboring projects to create seamless connections with MacArthur BART, and any other opportunity to enhance the active transportation infrastructure in the regional area. By improving pedestrian and cycling networks through our City, into neighboring jurisdictions, and towards last-mile transit connections, we can help promote sustainable and healthy transportation modes for the community.” Staff Communication with the Public
As noted above, development of the Plan has included extensive outreach and public participation. Over 1,300 people have participated in the development of the ATP in various ways, including in-person tours, pedestrian and bicycle tours, on-line surveys, focus groups, and website comments. In addition, the First Draft Plan and the Revised Draft Plan have both been reviewed by the BPAC, the Planning Commission, and by the Transportation Committee. Comments from those meetings are summarized above.
ENVIRONMENTAL REIVEW
Adoption of the ATP and corresponding General Plan Amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to Pub. Res. Code section 21080.20, which states that adoption of an active transportation plan involving restriping of streets and highways, bicycle parking and storage, signal timing to improve street and highway intersection operations, and related signage for bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles is exempt from CEQA review provided that noticed public hearings are held prior to adoption, which the City has completed. Further, adoption of the ATP and corresponding General Plan Amendments are exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c), which applies to minor changes to existing highways, streets, sidewalks, and trails, including the addition and modification of pedestrian and bicycle facilities; Section 15302, which applies to replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities; Section 15304(h), which applies to the creation of bicycle lanes on existing rights-of-way; and the “common sense exemption” at Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that adoption of the ATP and corresponding General Plan Amendments may have a significant effect on the environment. The action would not authorize any construction. Environmental review would be conducted for any future project that would implement the policies in the General Plan and ATP
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
None.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Final Active Transportation Plan and the Appendices to the Plan.
PREPARED BY: Navarre Oaks, Senior Planner
REVIEWED BY: Miroo Desai, Planning Manager
Approved and Forwarded to the
City Council of the City of Emeryville:
Paul Buddenhagen, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - Memo: “Emeryville ATP | Public Draft Comment Responses.” Draft Resolution: General Plan Amendment
-Exhibit A: Figure 3-1: Circulation Map
-Exhibit B: Figure 3-4: Pedestrian System Map
-Exhibit C: Figure 3-6: Bicycle System Map
Draft Resolution: Active Transportation Plan Adoption
-Exhibit A: Final Active Transportation Plan
-Exhibit B: Final Appendices to the Active Transportation Plan Active Transportation Plan (ATP) Adoption
City Council Meeting | October 17, 2023
City of Emeryville
CALIFORNIA
MEMORANDUM