DATE: October 15, 2024
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with Placeworks in the Amount Not-to-Exceed $250,000 for the Development of the City’s Community Based Transportation Plan (CIP Project 06940)
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to execute a professional service agreement with Placeworks in the amount of $250,000 for the development of the City’s Community Based Transportation Plan (CIP Project 06940).
SUMMARY
In January, Staff applied for the 2022-2026 Community Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) funding cycle to improve access and mobility for historically underserved and systemically marginalized groups, including people with low incomes, communities of color, and residents of Equity Priority Communities (EPC). This regional program requires the engagement of residents and community organizations in conducting the analysis and shaping CBTP recommendations. The Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) approved the allocation of funds on April 25, 2024 and Council adopted a resolution to accept and appropriate the funds on May 7, 2024. On August 9, 2024, Staff published a request for proposal for the development of the City’s CBTP and received three proposals. The staff review panel unanimously ranked the Placeworks proposal the highest due to the robust focus on equitable engagement and prior success completing CBTPs for other communities. Staff recommends executing a professional service agreement with Placeworks to develop the CBTP.
BACKGROUND
The CBTP program was launched in 2002 by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to identify transportation challenges in equity communities around the region and strategies to overcome them. The CBTP program has been funded by the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG3) Federal funds program. MTC awards CBTP funding to county transportation agencies to administer funding for and development of these community plans on MTC’s behalf. ACTC oversees the distribution of funds for CBTPs in Alameda County.
A CBTP is a strategic document that outlines transportation goals, priorities, and strategies tailored to the unique needs of a community. It involves extensive community engagement to gather input from residents and stakeholders. The objective is to improve transportation accessibility, safety, and sustainability while addressing local concerns in an equitable way. CBTPs consider all transportation modes, including walking, biking, public transit, and others to create a comprehensive and integrated transportation network effectively serving community needs.
The goals of the CBTP are consistent with Hayward’s progressive stance on social equity. For example, Equity is a key pillar of the Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP established equity guardrails as the foundation for the entire greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategy. CBTP program guidelines are congruent with the equity guardrails and commitment to prioritize underserved communities. The completion of this CBTP will add to the City’s track record of building a culture of equity that ensures the needs of all residents are met, taking into consideration past inequities and injustices. Through listening, learning and informed recommendations for overcoming transportation barriers in our most vulnerable communities, this planning program contributes to the City’s commitment to provide “equitable services that improve the lives of all residents” as stated in the 2024-2025 Strategic Roadmap.
MTC has defined EPCs throughout the region to direct funds to the areas with the highest equity need. EPCs are census tracts with a significant concentration underserved populations, including low-income households and people of color. MTC establishes thresholds for the factors used to identify a census tract as an EPC, which also include the concentrations of people with disabilities, seniors, people with limited English proficiency, no-vehicle households, and cost-burdened renters. As shown in MTC’s Race and Equity Action Plan, Central Alameda County equity communities are disproportionately burdened by transportation outcomes in safety and health, including exposure to heavy traffic and diesel trucks, and adverse public health outcomes as indicated by high prevalence of serious heart and lung disease and a high density of traffic collision and fatalities.
Within the City of Hayward, there are 13 census tracks that qualify as EPCs and these communities have some of the highest shares of low-income and people of color, single parent families, and limited English proficiency in the region.
ACTC last completed a countywide CBTP in 2020 that formed the basis for community-identifies priorities for low-income communities and communities of color in the 2020 Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP).
ACTC staff recommended that the City of Hayward develops its own CBTP due to the unique set of transportation priorities, including established CAP GHG reduction measures, actions, and equitable community goals that may be different from other municipalities in the County. A City-led CBTP also enables more robust and comprehensive engagement with EPCs in the City.
DISCUSSION
Staff released an RFP on August 9, 2024 and received proposals for the CBTP from three consultant teams: Kittelson & Associates, Inc., MIG, Inc., and PlaceWorks. The review evaluation team included City staff and staff from the Alameda CTC . Each evaluator scored the proposals on project management, project understanding, approach, qualification of firm and team, participation of disadvantaged business enterprise, and appropriateness of cost. Following individual review and discussion, Placeworks received the highest score with an average of 92/100. Kittelson & Associates, Inc. scored second highest (77.5), and MIG, Inc. scored third (73.5).
Placeworks is a planning, design, and environmental firm with experience developing multiple CBTPs. The Placeworks team is familiar with MTC’s policies and process for CBTPs, which they demonstrated in multiple CBTPs conducted in San Mateo and Contra Costa Counties. The Placeworks team includes experience with equitable transportation policy, providing bilingual staff to support outreach, and a robust plan to work with community based organizations (CBO) in the City, dedicating up to $30,000 to directly compensate these organizations.
The consultant submitted cost of $245,389 includes project management, outreach and creation of a public engagement plan and steering committee, the CBTP, and a monitoring and evaluation plan. ACTC awarded $250,000 to the City that is only available to compensate a consultant services to deliver the CBTP. Staff recommends awarding the full $250,000 to Placeworks to provide a small contingency and/or provide additional funding to CBOs.
The execution of this contract will allow the City to proceed with the development of the CBTP. The anticipated completion of the final plan is expected to be by the end of 2026.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Residents, employers and employees in the City will benefit from the funding received through identification of transportation challenges and strategies to overcome them in equity priority communities around the City. Identifying and overcoming transportation challenges will support economic vitality by making it safer for residents to walk and ride bikes, reducing economic losses from crashes. Additional benefits can include reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, which are related to negative health and environmental consequences.
The CBTP will also make the City of Hayward more competitive for future Grant Funding opportunities.
FISCAL IMPACT
The CBTP is funded by ACTC OBAG3 Federal funds for $250,000 and was received in the Transportation System Improvement Fund (Fund 460). There is no local funding match required for this funding, so there is no direct fiscal impact on the City’s General Fund related to this project.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority to Confront Climate Crisis & Champion Environmental Justice. This item specifically relates to the following Project:
Reduce Greenhouse Gases and Dependency on Fossil Fuels
Project C1: Implement Year 1 Programs from the adopted GHG Roadmap (CAP) CAP Action
T-1.4: Prioritize active transportation and mobility projects in historically under-invested neighborhoods. CAP pillar Equity
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
The CBTP will produce a prioritized list of initiatives, projects and programs along with costs for each recommendation aimed at increasing active transportation, safety and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The CBTP is centered on community engagement. The plan development process will include a public engagement plan to ensure successful community engagement. A Steering Committee will be established to help guide the project and provide feedback. It will be composed of Community Based Organization members and other relevant groups.
NEXT STEPS
If Council approves this request, the City Manager will execute a professional service agreement with Placeworks for the Community Based Transportation Plan in a not-to-exceed amount of $250,000.
Prepared by: Colin Patterson, Associate Transportation Planner Fred Clay, Executive Fellow
Hugh Louch, Deputy Public Works Director – Transportation Recommended by: Alex Ameri, Director of Public Works
Approved by:
____________________________________________
Dustin Claussen, Interim City Manager
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