Agenda Item F.2
CPMS DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEM
Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Jaime A. Valdez, Neighborhood Services Director
CONTACT: Gerald Comati, Project Manager (COM3 Consulting) SUBJECT: Goleta Train Depot Status Update and TIRCP Supplemental Funding RECOMMENDATION:
A. Receive an update on the Goleta Train Depot Project and Transit and In tercity Rail Capital Program Supplemental Funding Application; and
B. Authorize the City Manager to set aside $1,000,000 as committed fund balance for a possible match for supplemental Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program requested funding for the Goleta Train Depot project from the City’s Unassigned Fund Balance.
BACKGROUND:
On April 26, 2018, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) notified the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) that SBCAG had been awarded $13 million in funding resulting from an application prepared by the City of Goleta under the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).
On May 31, 2018, the City closed escrow on the purchase of the former Direct Relief site, an approximately 2.5 -acre property located at 27 South La Patera Lane (Assessor’s Parcel Number 073-050-033) for $6.7M as part of the future Goleta Train Depot (GTD) Project. The site is currently developed with a 39,800 square -foot vacant warehouse structure, with an associated parking lot, outdoor storage area, and vehicle yard. The project site’s land use designation is listed as Business Park (I-BP) according to the City’s General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan (General Plan). The zoning designation of the project site is depicted as an Office District with a Business Park (BP) designation under the City’s Title 17 Zoning Ordinance.
The awarded TIRCP grant is to fund the development of a new, multi-modal train station at the location of the existing AMTRAK platform with the intent to increase rail ridership and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Through the completion of a full -service station, the project will improve connections to bus transit, accommodate transit service 1 Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
to/from the Santa Barbara Airport and the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), add new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, add a food service component and new restrooms, and allow accommodation for potential future additional train storage that will support increased commuter rail needs. The potential future additional train storage is a separate project led by the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obi spo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN). These improvements will create a new, safer, more functional and inviting rail station in Goleta. The GTD Project site is adjacent to the existing AMTRAK platform at the northern end of South La Patera Lane (SLP).
The pr oposed GTD structure w ill be approximately 8,500 square feet in size and w ill provide a permanent, enclosed, and safe structure for Amtrak passengers to use as they wait to board or after they disembark from trains. The GTD building will be located in the northern portion of the project site, adjacent to the railroad right -of-way, with the parking lot and driveways located in the southern portion of the project site. The architecture of the structure would be a traditional depot design with modern elements. The structure would have large windows and columns to support a roof overhang to create protected outdoor areas around the building. An additional turnaround area would be located at the entry of the site and would be designed to allow buses and shuttles to provide easy drop- off and pick-up for passengers. 111 parking spaces would be provided for passengers to leave their vehicles for various lengths of time.
Electric vehicle charging stations are proposed for the site, and approximately half of the roof would contain solar panels to capture solar energy. The proposed Depot would be designed and constructed consistent with City Resolution No. 12 -65 which requires City owned buildings of 2,000 square feet or greater of conditioned space to achieve United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.
GTD Project Timeline
On December 18, 2018, the City Council authorized the Mayor to execute the TIRCP Grant Funding Agreement between SBCAG and the City.
On June 4, 2019, the City Council authorized a Professional Design Services Agreement with Anil Verma Associates (AVA) for the GTD Project in an amount not to exceed $2,400,000 with the term of agreement expiring on June 30, 2022. In addition to AVA, the multi-firm design team includes RailPros, Rincon Environmental, MNS Engineering, ENGEO, and SE Solutions. They have been providing services for design, rail authority coordination, and environmental planning. The project design team is providing pla ns, specifications, estimates, and environmental approvals to develop two packages: The Goleta Train Depot facility and site; and South La Patera Lane Improvements.
The initial key work product required by the TIRCP Grant was the completion of a Station Area Master Plan (SAMP) for the GTD Project which informed the GTD’s design in terms of site layout, building features/amenities, and circulation/access to and from the site. The City Council unanimously adopted the SAMP on February 4, 2020. 2 Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
On March 3, 2020, City staff presented an update of the GTD Project along with three building designs and pedestrian and bicycle improvements to SLP. It included background on the site’s location and context (land use, road network, etc.), potential community themes for inspiration, as well as potential depot building designs in context of visual perspectives (“Schooner,” “Traditional,” and “Sunrise” concepts). The update to Council also provided e xisting and proposed site layouts, landscaping, stormwater, and hardscaping design concepts , as well as s ustainability design concepts for the building and the site. It briefly touched on the existing SLP configuration and options for roadway improvements of sidewalks, bike accommodations, parking and landscaping.
On June 3, 2020, Staff hosted a virtual community workshop for the GTD Project. The three depot design concepts were presented along with options for the proposed roadway improvements along SLP. The workshop was recorded and continues to be available online. Over 30 members of the public participated in the live workshop and over 165 views of the recorded workshop have occurred on YouTube. Staff also created a survey open for the public to provide feedback on expectations and preferences for the GTD.
The survey went live on May 26, 2020, and closed on June 19, 2020, with 1,119 complete responses.
Building on the community input received from the community outreach efforts described above, on August 5, 2020, City staff provided an update on the three buildi ng design concepts for Council’s consideration and the Council concurred with Staff’s recommendation to proceed with the “Traditional” theme with modern elements for the train depot building. The City Council asked staff to return in October of 2020 for an update and discussion on potential public roadway improvements along with additional information on refined building design and site plan.
On August 18, 2020, and September 23, 2020, members of the Project Team met with representatives of the Santa Barb ara Bicycle Coalition (SB BIKE) and the Coalition for Sustainable Transportation (COAST) to receive input on bicycle access, circulation, storage and amenities at and to/from the GTD Project. A number of their suggestions were incorporated including amount , placement, and preferences of bicycle storage as well as input related to bicycle circulation and access. Both SB BIKE and COAST support Staff’s recommended “ Infill” public roadway improvements from Hollister Avenue to the terminus of SLP.
On October 20 , 2020, the Project Team returned to City Council with a GTD Project update on the roadway improvements, site plan , and building. City Council provided direction to proceed with the Project Team’s recommendation for an infill approach to the roadway improvements presented.
The GTP Project went to the Design Review Board (DRB) on January 26th, April 27th and July 13th, 2021, for Advisory Review. While the GTD Project did not require formal review or approval by the DRB, as an important gateway project for t he community, City staff was interested in soliciting the DRB’s input. Although advisory, the Project Team 3 Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
addressed the DRB’s input from these meetings and revised the project renderings accordingly.
On January 18, 2022, the City Council received a GTD P roject update and certified the Goleta Train Depot Final Environmental Impact Report (SCH#2020050499) and Approved the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Goleta Train Depot Project Located at 27 South La Patera Lane and Approving the Proje ct (City Capital Improvement Project 9079).
DISCUSSION:
The GTD Project Team has been progressing beyond the preliminary design plans stage provided to City Council back in January of 2022 and in November of 2022 reached the 100% design plans stage. Attachment 1 is a presentation on the most up to date GTD design that includes the requested deviations from certain development standards for the Goleta Train Depot approved by City Council in January of 2022. Since January of 2022, the Project Team has seen widespread and substantial increases in costs for materials and construction on large scale projects throughout California and generally throughout the country due in large part to the high inflationary environment.
The financial plan for delivery o f the project at the time the original TIRCP funding was awarded in 2018 is shown in Table 1 below:
Table 1: Goleta Train Depot (CIP 9079) – Original Project Cost Estimate and Funding Plan (2018)
Activities Phase Cost Estimate
2018
Funding
Original
TIRCP
City of
Goleta Total
Land Acquisition R/W $6,700,000 $0 $6,700,000 $6,700,000 Station Area Master Plan PA&ED $150,000 $150,000 $0 $150,000 Preliminary Engineering/
Environmental/Final Design PA&ED + PS&E $2,412,000 $2,412,000 $0 $2,412,000 Project Management (City +
SBCAG)
PA&ED + PS&E
+ CON $250,000 $250,000 $0 $250,000
SBCAG/LOSSAN Network
integration Plan CON $250,000 $250,000 $0 $250,000
Purchase of Electric Shuttles CON $400,000 $400,000 $0 $400,000 Construction (includes
contingency, CM and DSDC) CON $9,547,000 $9,547,000 $0 $9,547,000 Total Original Estimate $19,709,000 $13,009,000 $6,700,000 $19,709,000
The changes in project cost between the 2018 finance plan and 2022 plan can be summarized as follows:
Increase in Project Approval & Environmental Documentation (PA&ED, or more commonly known as “Preliminary Design and Environmental”) phase costs due to a more rigorous architectural design review by the City of Goleta resulting in considerable redesign. In addition, a comprehensive value engineering effort was requested by the City of the architectural/civil design team in an effort to reduce 4 Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
construction costs. This occurred between the 35% design and 65% design stage in 2021. These changes resulted in an increase in PA&ED costs of $459,000, which the City funded.
Increase in construction costs : Construction cost increases are due to extensive increases in unit costs as well as the implementation of enhanced bicycle and pedestrian improvements to the access road to the train depot. The changes resulted in a total construction cost increase of $6,559,000. Of this amount, the Project Team is requesting the City Council to provide a $1,000,000 match to the supplemental TIRCP requested funding of $5,559,000 to improve the chances that the supplemental funding request will be approved . Table 2 below shows an updated project cost estimate and funding plan given the increased costs.
Table 2: Goleta Train Depot (CIP 9076) – Project Cost Estimate and Funding Plan (2022)
Activities Phase
Cost
Estimate
2022
Funding
Original
TIRCP
Additional
TIRCP Total TIRCP City of
Goleta Total
Land Acquisition R/W $6,700,000 $0 $0 $0 $6,700,000 $6,700,000 Station Area Master
Plan PA&ED $150,000 $150,000 $0 $150,000 0 $150,000
Preliminary
Engineering/
Environmental/ Final
Design
PA&ED +
PS&E $2,871,400 $2,412,000 $0 $2,412,000 $459,400 $2,871,400 Project Management
(City + SBCAG)
PA&ED +
PS&E +
CON
$250,000 $250,000 $0 $250,000 $0 $250,000
SBCAG/LOSSAN
Network integration
Plan
CON $250,000 $250,000 $0 $250,000 $0 $250,000
Purchase of Electric
Shuttles CON $400,000 $400,000 $0 $400,000 0 $400,000
Construction
(includes
contingency, CM
and Design Support)
CON $16,106,000 $9,547,000 $5,559,000 $15,106,000 $1,000,000 $16,106,000 Total $26,727,400 $13,009,000 $5,559,000 $18,568,000 $8,159,400 $26,727,400
On November 15, 2022, CalSTA released a call for projects and final guidelines for an upcoming round of TIRCP funding (Cycle 6), which included a special ‘carve -out’ for existing projects that need additional funding for project completion. This is the first time TIRCP has provided supplemental funding as part of a call for projects, and it is our understanding that the rationale for this is the substantial increases in construction costs of these types of projects throughout California. Specifically, existing projects were considered eligible if the new TIRCP funding would leverage, or be matched by, local and/or federal contributions. Awardees interested in seeking additional funding under this special program were required to provide certain information to Caltrans by December 6, 2022. Given this unique opportunity, SBCAG and the City of Goleta coordinated to review eligibility and develop the necessary information. Additionally, City staff worked to identify required local funding sources as the match. Regarding the upcoming timeline and 5 Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
notification of award, a question -and-answer period between agencies and CalSTA is scheduled from December 20, 2022, to January 13, 2 023. CalSTA will then formally evaluate project funding requests, with project awards anticipated to be released on January 31, 2023.
The project is now at the 100% design stage and will be ready for bidding in spring 2023 and start of construction in FY23/24. Table 3 below shows the anticipated cash flow over time for the construction phase of the project.
Table 3: Project Construction Phase Cash Flow
Fiscal Year
FY 23/24 FY 24/25
Total Funds TIRCP
Funds
City of Goleta
Funds
TIRCP Funds City of Goleta
Funds
Construction
Phase Funding $6,673,929 $0 $8,432,071 1,000,000 $16,106,000
If the requested supplemental TIRCP funds are awarded, the City of Goleta will be able to deliver the construction phase of the project and all of its benefits will be realized.
SBCAG staff is scheduled to take an information item on the CalSTA supplemental application for the Goleta Train Depot to its board on December 15, 2022, on consent .
The item references the City Council’s consideration of appro val of the $1M in matching funds at this December 20, 2022 Council meeting.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Staff recommends setting aside $1 million as committed fund balance from the General Fund as a possible match for supplemental TIRCP funding for the Goleta Train Depot Project. Committed fund balance are amounts used for specific purposes determined by formal action of the City Council and are held for its committed purpose until the funds are appropriated or released. Staff is in the process of evaluating other city funds that may be available and eligible as a match instead of the General Fund. This includes LRDP funds that may be available for reprogramming, Measure A discretionary funds, or eligible Development Impact Fees.
Should other city funds be determined to be available to relieve the General Fund impact, the $1 million committed fund balance will be released, and recommended budget adjustments will be made at the second quarter (mid -year) financial review in February 2023. Should the General Fund be determined as the only source of matching city funds, the committed funds will be formally appropriated at that time.
ALTERNATIVES:
If the requested supplemental funding is not provided, based on the December 2022 Architect’s Construction Cost Estimate, the City will not be financially able to award a construction contract. The outcomes of such a scenario are that the construction of the project will be delayed until such time that the City can secure other grant funding, if 6 Meeting Date: December 20, 2022
possible. As construction is delayed the additional funding needed can only be expected to increase with annual escalation. If the City is not successful in securing other grant funding, the City will not allocate the $1.0 Million towards the construction phase, and the Goleta Train Depot will be stalled and none of the project benefits will be realized, until another fund source is identified.
Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:
___________________ ___________________ _________________ Kristine Schmidt Megan Garibaldi Robert Nisbet
Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Goleta Train Depot Project Update Presentation, December 20, 2022
7 Attachment 1
Goleta Train Depot Project Update Presentation
December 20, 2022
8 Goleta Train Depot
Update
December 20, 2022
9 Proposed Site Plan
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 2
10 View from Drive Entry
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 3
11 Additional Exterior Views
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 4
12 Interior Views
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 5
13 Additional Interior Views
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 6
14 Floor Plan
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 7
15 Flooring/Paving Patterns
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 8
CHUMASH BASKET DESIGNS - SANTA
BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
16 Site Furnishings
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 9
BOARDWALK BENCH
CASCADE TRASH AND
RECYCLING RECEPTACLE
CATERPILLAR PLAY STRUCTURE
KEY BIKE RACK
STAINLESS STEEL
REMOVABLE BOLLARD
BICYCLE CHARGING STATION
17 Questions?
December 20, 2022, City Council Meeting 10
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