Fremont City Council Meeting: 07/19/22 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: City Manager's Office
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Council Referrals & Appointments
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
STAFF REPORT (ID # 4663) DOC ID: 4663
Updated: 7/14/2022 6:29 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 1
RESPONSE TO COUNCILMEMBER KASSAN REFERRAL – Regarding Input from Commissions for Major Road Projects
Contact Persons:
Name: Amanda Gallo Hans Larsen
Title: Management Analyst II Public Works Director
Div/Dept: City Manager's Office Public Works
Phone: 510-284-4016 510-494-4722
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to provide background information, context and options for Council to consider regarding having the Mobility Commission and Senior Commission provide input into major transportation road projects.
BACKGROUND: On April 19, 2022, the City Council discussed and approved a referral from Councilmember Kassan directing staff to consider “engaging the Mobility Commission and Senior Commission in providing input into major transportation roadway projects and providing the Council with straw poll results and meeting minutes of Commission inputs on such projects.”
The stated context for the referral followed recent Council action items related to the roadway design for Fremont Boulevard in the Centerville area (on February 8, 2022 Council agenda) and for Paseo Padre Parkway from Driscoll to Washington (on April 19, 2022 Council agenda). While each of these projects involved a direct community outreach process -- including meetings, community input surveys, and a project webpage -- interest had been expressed by some City Commissioners for having direct input from the Mobility Commission and Senior Commission on these projects.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Role of Commissions in Fremont
The City of Fremont hosts 15 advisory bodies, pursuant to the Fremont Municipal Code, and have the capacity to advise and identify issues before the Council makes final decisions.
Advisory body members are appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of a majority of the Council. Most members serve four-year terms of office with compliance requirements of meeting attendance. Advisory body members serve without pay except for Planning Commissioners.
With the exception of the Planning Commission in Fremont, the purpose of commissions has been to work with City staff liaisons to develop and create agenda items in their respective topic areas to host public commission meetings which follow Brown Act requirements.
Commissioners often receive reports from staff, comments from the public or respective organizations, and develop recommendations that are approved by their voting majority.
This has also included providing formal recommendations to the City Council regarding upcoming projects or Council agenda topics when it applies to functions of the respective commission outlined in Fremont’s Municipal Code. However, these recommendations are Staff Report (ID # 4663) Meeting of July 19, 2022
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currently made at the discretion of the respective commissions and not required for any particular topics or issues.
Commission Practices in Other Jurisdictions
Staff conducted research on the organization structure and agendas in other jurisdictions that have commissions focused on the topics of transportation and seniors. Surveyed cities included San Jose, Oakland, Union City and Newark. The City of Fremont is unique in having a Council appointed Mobility or Transportation Commission, that includes community residents representing various travel modes.
Most cities have a committee that is advisory to staff specifically related to bicycle and pedestrian issues. Such Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs) for jurisdictions in the Bay Area have been required by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in order to be eligible for specific grant funding for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. It is noted that Oakland’s BPAC is a Council-appointed Commission. It is further noted that Fremont’s Mobility Commission fulfils MTC’s requirement for having a BPAC since the Mobility Commission includes designated representatives for people who walk and bicycle.
In reviewing recent agendas for both the BPAC and Senior Commissions from the surveyed cities, the role appears to be focused on being an advisory “sounding board” for staff on relevant topics and they are not involved with taking policy actions. In several instances regarding Oakland’s BPAC, information was provided on how Commissioners can participate in the public input process and City Council meetings, and other public meetings, which is similar to how Fremont operates.
Overall, Fremont’s current practices regarding the role of Commissions appears to be typical among other cities. Having Commissions take on a more active role in addressing major policy issues or controversial projects would be considered precedent setting. The one exception is the role of Planning Commissions, which have authority under the State Government Code to hold public hearings and make decisions regarding land use and permits.
Fremont Roadway Projects
The roadways in Fremont are undergoing a transition from what was historically designed around providing for efficient vehicular movement. Today, urban streets are designed to provide equitable mobility for all users so that people have a safe and viable option to walk, bicycle, travel in a wheelchair, drive, and use transit, generally referred to as “complete streets”. This design practice for complete streets is now a part of transportation design standards, policies, and funding programs at all levels of government (local, county, regional, state, and national).
For Fremont, the transition to complete streets has been thoroughly incorporated into the City’s policies and plans which include the following, all of which were adopted by the City Council, except as noted:
• General Plan
• Complete Streets Policy
• Pedestrian Master Plan
Staff Report (ID # 4663) Meeting of July 19, 2022
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• Bicycle Master Plan
• Vision Zero Policy and Action Plan
• Safe Routes to School Plans (a total of 40 individual school plans; not approved by Council)
• Mobility Action Plan
• Climate Action Plan
• Downtown Community Plan and Design Guidelines
• Warm Springs Community Plan
• Irvington BART Station Area Plan
The subject of the Council referral addresses City Commission participation for “major transportation road projects” that are considered conversions to “complete streets”. As a point of clarification, provided below is a distinction between different types of projects, how they are implemented, and the current level of Commission coordination.
• Projects Implementing New Complete Street Design Standards – Any new construction or reconstruction of City streets is generally done to comply with complete street design standards. This includes projects built through private development, lane adjustments installed with pavement maintenance work, and safety upgrades to intersections. It is noted that as a current standard practice, high speed right-turn lanes (slip lanes) at intersections are systematically being eliminated as they are considered a hazard for people walking, bicycling, and in wheelchairs, and particular for pedestrians with visual impairments. For projects which are considered “basic” upgrades to conform with adopted street design standards, there is no specific coordination with the Mobility Commission.
• Improvements Identified in a Citywide Transportation Plan – The City has various Citywide transportation plans that do identify design treatments and priority projects for “complete street” implementation. Examples include the City’s Pedestrian Master Plan, Bicycle Master Plan, Vision Zero traffic safety plan, and Citywide Trails Strategy. Since the formation of the Mobility Commission, these Citywide Transportation Plans are closely coordinated with the Mobility Commission, and the Commission has taken a formal vote to recommend approval to Council. The development of these plans includes a community outreach program. It is noted that the recently adopted Citywide Trails Strategy was coordinated and approved together with the Recreation Commission, since trails can serve both as corridors for recreation and transportation.
For transportation improvement projects that align with an adopted plan, there is typically not any action taken by the Mobility Commission, although staff provides regular informational updates on projects of interest to the Commission. Approval of projects that align with already adopted City plans is done by the City Council when a project is added to the City’s Capital Improvement Program (or when grant funds are received), and when the project is awarded for construction. An example of a recent project that was part of an adopted transportation plan is the Walnut Avenue Protected Bikeway (Mission to Paseo Padre) which links high density housing, the Fremont BART station, and Downtown Fremont.
• Major Transportation Road Projects - Staff’s definition of a “major transportation road project” includes a roadway corridor of considerable length, that has a variety of design issues/options, and a diverse set community of interests (such as from local residents, Staff Report (ID # 4663) Meeting of July 19, 2022
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commuters, and businesses). These projects may involve the consideration of removing traffic lanes, commonly referred to as a “road diet”, along with a variety of other design features that include facilities for walking, bicycling, school access, and parking. Recent examples include the Centerville/Fremont Blvd and the Paseo Padre Parkway (Driscoll to Washington) projects. For such “major” projects, staff conducts a specific outreach program for the project to receive community input. Staff has kept the Mobility Commission informed of these outreach opportunities and has invited Commissioners to participate directly at the community meetings, input opportunities, and subsequent Council meetings, based on their interest and time availability.
Context on Future Major Transportation Road Projects
The recent Council items for major roadway projects on Fremont Boulevard (Centerville) and Paseo Padre Parkway (Driscoll to Washington) are considered to be unique. There are not any other major transportation road projects currently planned for Council action that involve road diets or are viewed as controversial. Some major active projects include:
complete street modifications to Fremont Boulevard and Walnut Avenue in the Downtown area; interchange modernizations at 680/Mission and 880/Decoto; and upgrades to State Route 262.
Options for Council Consideration
Staff suggests that the City Council consider among the following options with regards to gaining input from the Mobility Commission and Senior Commission on major transportation road projects.
1. Continue to have Mobility Commission members participate as interested individuals during project outreach opportunities and City Council agenda items. (Status quo option).
2. Have the Mobility Commission provide an advisory action to Council (straw poll) and have staff document comments from Commissioners.
3. Have the Mobility Commission and Senior Commission provide an advisory action to Council (straw poll) and have staff document comments from Commissioners.
4. Have staff provide notification to the Senior Commission on actions related to major transportation road projects and invite their participation at community input opportunities and at a Mobility Commission meeting where an advisory action is being taken. Comments from any participating Commissioner would be documented in a subsequent staff report to Council. (This option establishes the Mobility Commission as the lead commission for transportation issues, but facilitates input from the Senior Commission where there is interest)
5. When a future major transportation road project is identified, staff will coordinate with City Council to identify the desired level of Commission involvement.
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: None.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
Staff Report (ID # 4663) Meeting of July 19, 2022
Updated: 7/14/2022 6:29 PM by Susan Gauthier Page 5
RECOMMENDATION: Provide direction to staff regarding the options for consideration outlined in this report.