Fremont City Council Meeting: 09/08/26 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Public Works
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Grants
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5804) DOC ID: 5804
Updated: 9/2/2026 3:00 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 Grimmer Greenway Trail Extension Project - Accept $285,000 in Transportation for Clean Air (TFCA) Grant Funds from the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s (Alameda CTC) for the Grimmer Greenway Trail Extension Project (PWC8932); and Make Findings of CEQA Exemption.
Contact Persons:
Name: Jeanne Suyeishi Matt Cano
Title: Principal Civil Engineer Public Works Director
Div/Dept: Public Works Public Works
Phone: 510-494-4728 510-494-4722
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to accept $285,000 in TFCA funds for the construction of a new trail along Grimmer Boulevard between Central Park and the Irvington District.
Background: Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) annually receives Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) funds from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) as part of the $4 vehicle registration fee collected across the Bay Area. Sixty percent of the total vehicle registration fees collected in Alameda County are managed and allocated through the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on a competitive and discretionary basis. The remaining 40% of collected vehicle registration fees are managed by the Alameda CTC and set aside via formula for the various cities and the county.
TFCA funds must be used for projects or programs that improve air quality by reducing motor vehicle emissions, including but not limited to implementing or updating traffic signal coordination timing, constructing bicycle/pedestrian improvements near transit corridors, implement transit improvements, deployment of clean air fleet vehicles, or developing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs. Should the City’s project proposal be approved for TFCA funding, the City is required to comply with required funding expenditure deadlines, assist with pre and post-project air quality benefit analysis, and submit annual project status reports.
Discussion/Analysis: The project will construct a new separated two-way trail along the north side of Grimmer Boulevard between Paseo Padre Parkway and Fremont Boulevard (Project). Coupled with other bikeway Council Staff Report (ID # 5804) Meeting of September 8, 2026 Updated: 9/2/2026 3:00 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 improvements already implemented along Fremont Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway, the proposed new trail will allow residents to comfortably and safely bike or walk between the Irvington District and Downtown and connect the Irvington District residents to regional BART and transbay express bus service at the Fremont Downtown BART station. The Project will also provide active transportation connection to shopping, major medical facilities, and local and county government destinations within the Downtown area as well as connect to the popular trail system within Central Park.
In March 2026, the City submitted a project application seeking $285,000 from its share of TFCA funds for the construction phase of the Project. In May 2026, the Alameda CTC approved the City’s request. A draft funding agreement that specifies the terms and conditions for the proper utilization of the funds was prepared by the Alameda CTC and sent to the City for review and execution. In order to receive and utilize the TFCA funds, the City is required to approve the Alameda CTC funding agreement, execute the funding agreement, and appropriate the TFCA funds to the project.
Fiscal Impact: The recommended actions will allow the City to receive new grant funding from Alameda CTC’s TFCA program in the amount of $285,000 to support construction of the Grimmer Greenway Trail Extension project.
Staff will provide a complete fiscal impact analysiswhen the actual project comes back to city council for the construction contract award. Project is currently scheduled to begin construction in Spring or Fall 2027, pending progress on receiving permits, and will take approximately nine months to complete.
Environmental Review: The recommended action is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) in that it is an administrative or governmental funding mechanism or fiscal activity that does not involve a commitment to any specific project and is not a project that has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
Further, the right-of-way improvements supported by the grant are exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 Existing Facilities (c), which provides an exemption for the repair, maintenance, and minor alteration of existing public facilities, including streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails and similar facilities, that involves negligible or no Council Staff Report (ID # 5804) Meeting of September 8, 2026 Updated: 9/2/2026 3:00 PM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 expansion of the existing use, including alterations such as the addition of bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings and other similar alterations that do not create additional automobile lanes, as the proposed project involves replacement of existing sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and similar facilities and construction of a pedestrian and bicycle trail. The project is additionally exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 Minor Alterations to Land (h), which exempts the creation of bicycle lanes within existing rights- of-way.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Draft Project Funding Agreement
Recommendation: Approval of the following actions related to the Grimmer Greenway Trail Extension Project (PWC8932):
1. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the Project Funding Agreement and prepare any other documents required to implement said agreement with Alameda CTC.
2. Accept TFCA funds in the amount of $285,000 and appropriate the funds to PWC8932-504.
3. Find that the action taken is not a project under CEQA.