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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project Cooperative Agreement
1) Motion authorizing the City Manager, or his designee, to conclude negotiations and execute a Cooperative Agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the design and construction of the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project, in substantially the form presented to the City Council, subject to approval as to form by the City Attorney.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for June 23, 2026 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is advancing the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project (Project), a regional bus rapid transit project intended to connect North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena through a combination of local roadway and freeway segments.
The Project includes improvements within the City of Glendale and requires continued coordination between Metro and the City regarding design review, permitting, utility adjustments, construction activities in the public right-of-way, traffic control, inspection and acceptance, reimbursement, and future operation and maintenance responsibilities.
The purpose of this report is for the City Council to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute a Cooperative Agreement with Metro for the design and construction of the Project as it relates to the City of Glendale. The Cooperative Agreement will establish the procedures, roles, responsibilities, and cost reimbursement framework necessary for the City and Metro to coordinate project delivery within Glendale.
Approval of this action will set up the formal framework needed to coordinate delivery of the Glendale portion of the Project, including City review, permitting, construction coordination, reimbursement of eligible City costs, and coordination of future operation and maintenance responsibilities.
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RECOMMENDATION
Approve a motion authorizing the City Manager, or his designee, to conclude negotiations and execute a Cooperative Agreement between the City of Glendale and Metro for the design and construction of the Project, in substantially the form presented to the City Council, subject to approval as to form by the City Attorney.
ANALYSIS
The Project is a regional transportation project being advanced by Metro to provide premium bus rapid transit service between the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys.
The Project corridor extends approximately 19 miles and is planned to serve major activity, employment, commercial, entertainment, and residential destinations within North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock, and Pasadena. The Project is intended to improve transit reliability, provide faster and more competitive transit service, and improve regional connections for residents, employees, and visitors traveling within the corridor.
The Project will include a combination of mixed-flow and dedicated bus lane segments, station improvements, transit priority features, and related roadway, utility, traffic signal, pedestrian, accessibility, and streetscape elements. Because a portion of the Project will be located within Glendale, Metro and the City must coordinate on work affecting City rights-of-way, City facilities, City-owned utilities, permitting, traffic operations, and long-term maintenance responsibilities.
Metro certified the Final Environmental Impact Report and approved the Project on April 28, 2022. Since that time, Metro and City staff have continued to coordinate on design, constructability, traffic operations, utility conflicts, permitting, maintenance responsibilities, and other matters necessary to advance the Glendale portion of the Project.
The proposed Cooperative Agreement is intended to provide the framework for this coordination. The Agreement generally addresses the following key areas:
• Project scope, schedule, and the City portion of the Project; • Roles and responsibilities between Metro and the City during design, construction, and future operation and maintenance coordination;
• Design review, plan submittal, permitting, and City standard requirements; • Construction requirements for work in the public right-of-way, including traffic control, inspection, acceptance, and closeout procedures; • Utility adjustment coordination, including work involving City-owned utilities; • Annual work planning, Form 60 preparation, work orders, reimbursement procedures, and credits;
• Betterment procedures for improvements requested by the City that are beyond the required Project scope;
• Insurance, warranty, indemnity, and dispute resolution provisions; and • Principles for future operation and maintenance responsibilities between Metro and the City.
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Under the proposed agreement, Metro may deliver design and construction activities directly or through Metro contractors. The City’s role will include review and approval of activities consistent with the agreement, coordination of permits and public right-of-way requirements, coordination of City facilities and utilities, and performance of City work or support services when authorized through approved work orders. Eligible City costs would be reimbursed in accordance with the work order and annual work plan procedures established in the agreement.
The agreement also recognizes that future operation and maintenance responsibilities will need to be further defined. The Cooperative Agreement includes general operation and maintenance principles; however, the City and Metro are expected to work on a separate agreement amendment to address post-construction operation, maintenance, and related responsibilities in greater detail before those obligations become effective.
At the time this report was prepared, the Cooperative Agreement remained subject to final coordination between the City and Metro. The City and Metro legal teams have been negotiating the agreement language, including remaining items related to betterments. Staff is requesting authorization for the City Manager, or his designee, to conclude the negotiations and execute the agreement in substantially the form presented to the City Council, subject to approval as to form by the City Attorney.
Approval of this action will not, by itself, approve final project design details, appropriate construction funds, establish post-construction maintenance responsibilities, or waive any required City approvals. Future City actions, permits, work orders, reimbursements, budget appropriations, or operation and maintenance obligations will be processed in accordance with the final agreement, any future operation and maintenance agreement, and applicable City procedures.
The Cooperative Agreement establishes a process for Metro to reimburse the City for eligible costs related to the Project. These may include City staff time, consultant support, plan review, inspection, acceptance, closeout, utility coordination, and other City support services requested or required for the Project. These costs would be authorized through future Work Orders and Annual Work Plans, as applicable.
Furthermore, any City-requested improvements beyond the required Project scope, also known as betterments, would be handled separately in accordance with the agreement and would remain subject to applicable City approvals and budget appropriations.
Future operation and maintenance responsibilities may result in City costs for City facilities within the public right-of-way. However, these costs are not being approved at this time and will depend on the final Project scope and a future operation and maintenance agreement to be executed between the City and Metro. Any required future City funding appropriation needs will be presented to the City Council through the City’s budget process or separate Council action, as applicable. 10b4
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STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
Metro is the lead agency responsible for the overall Project development, environmental clearance, regional coordination, and public outreach for the Project. City staff will continue to support coordination with Metro as it relates to the Glendale portion of the Project, including coordination on design review, construction impacts, permitting, utility adjustments, traffic operations, public outreach, and maintenance responsibilities.
Internal coordination has included, and will continue to include, Public Works, the City Attorney’s Office, Water and Power, Police, Fire, and other City departments as needed based on the Project scope and potential impacts. Additional stakeholder and public coordination will occur as the Project advances through design, preconstruction, and construction phases.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no immediate fiscal impact associated with this report, and no appropriation is requested at this time. The requested action authorizes execution of an interagency Cooperative Agreement, subject to approval as to form by the City Attorney.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
Metro, as the lead agency for the Project, conducted environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and an Environmental Impact Report was prepared pursuant to 14 Cal. Code Regs. § 15080 et seq. and was certified by the Metro Board of Directors on April 28, 2022. The action under consideration is limited to authorizing the City Manager, or his designee, to execute a Cooperative Agreement between the City and Metro for design and construction coordination related to the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project. The City’s authorization to execute the Cooperative Agreement is administrative in nature and is not a separate project under CEQA.
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Alternative 1: Do not approve the motion authorizing the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Cooperative Agreement with Metro for the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project. This alternative would delay the City’s ability to establish a formal agreement with Metro for the Glendale portion of the Project, including procedures for design review, permitting, construction coordination, utility adjustments, reimbursements, and future operation and maintenance responsibilities.
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ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Daniel Hernandez, Director of Public Works
Prepared by:
Sarkis Oganesyan, Deputy Director of Public Works/ City Engineer Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Draft Cooperative Agreement
Exhibit 2: Project Location Map/Vicinity Map