STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of October 25, 2022
TO: Members of the City Council
VIA: Dante Hall, City Manager
SUBMITTED BY: Michael Roberts, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Update on Regional Intermodal Transportation Center Project RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive presentation, discuss, and provide feedback and direction, if any FISCAL IMPACT OF RECOMMENDATION:
None as a result of this item.
DISCUSSION:
Background
As one of the City’s top priorities, the Hercules Regional Intermodal Transportation Center (RITC) is designed to achieve the vision of the Hercules Bayfront as a model transit-oriented community. The project has NEPA and CEQA approvals and the City has completed the first three phases of construction. In 2019, the City and the Gray-Bowen-Scott team succeeded in advancing the Let’s Get I-80 Moving initiative, which resulted in the Capital Corridor Joint Powers Authority’s decision to grant Candidate Station Status to the RITC in Hercules. In 2020, the City completed the interim bus improvements on Bayfront Boulevard to allow buses to serve the area.
The next three phases to be implemented to allow the train to stop are the utility relocations, followed by the track and platform improvements, and lastly the station work. There is currently a unique window of opportunity to pursue grant funding for the completion of the RITC as an unprecedented amount of federal and state grant funding for pandemic relief, economic stimulus, and infrastructure investment is becoming available on a competitive basis.
Having received approximately $46M to date, the RITC is highly competitive, and continues to score exceptionally well on grant criteria. The Project relieves congestion on I-80 and reduces greenhouse gases. It is the cornerstone of a transit-oriented development that includes over 400 new apartments with another 325 slated for construction in the coming months and is an easy sub-10-minute bike ride on the Bay Trail from Rodeo, a community of concern.
In August 2022, the City hired Gray-Bowen-Scott for continued services to advance the RITC for grant funding and project readiness. This staff report and presentation will provide an update on progress to date.
Progress to Date
The team arranged a meeting with long standing MTC Commissioners Amy Worth and Federal Glover and MTC executive leadership. A key outcome of the meeting was that MTC staff agreed to support the City in both developing and executing a competitive funding plan for the remaining project phases. The team has scheduled a follow-up meeting with MTC staff to further refine applicable Federal, State, and Regional grants for which the project would be competitive. An update of these discussions will be presented at the meeting tonight.
The team has arranged a meeting with CCJPA Managing Director Rob Padgette on October 24, 2022. Key outcomes of this meeting are to garner agreement on near-term funding opportunities and to formalize a partnership structure to steer the project though the remainder of design delivery. An update of these discussions will be presented at the meeting tonight.
The team has rebranded the project name to The Hercules Hub and updated the project messaging to highlight its alignment with the Bay Area’s focus on investing in transit-oriented communities. The messaging captures the realized and potential housing and employment development at the site, communicating the benefits and features of the project to gain support from elected officials, commission members, opinion leaders, and the general community. Updated project messaging tracks include the creation of affordable housing, a model for Transit-Oriented Development, reduction of traffic congestion, and connectivity to transit and active transportation. The updated messaging is included in the presentation, and we look forward to your feedback.
To support the funding plan development, the team reviewed and updated the project cost estimate and schedule. As part of this effort, the team developed a Risk Register to incorporate the costs of any remaining project delivery uncertainties. Funding agencies view the consideration of project risks as an important factor in funding applications because it increases confidence that the project costs will be fully covered. The Risk Register will also be used to identify and implement risk mitigation strategies throughout project delivery.
Next Steps:
The following key activities are anticipated over the next few months:
The team will finalize the funding plan in collaboration with MTC staff. This effort is vital to the continued advancement of this project. The team will work with City staff to confirm the City’s contribution commitment, and the final funding plan will be presented to Council at a future update.
Following the CCJPA meeting, the team will formalize the partnership with CCJPA and initiate regular coordination to ensure a cohesive vision in pursuing funding opportunities.
The team will finalize and present the updated public outreach materials that will be used to garner support from stakeholders and community members. Project exhibits, brochures, and website updates will be presented at the next council update.
The team will determine an approach to maintain project momentum while the project waits for grant awards and will begin development of initial grant funding applications.
City staff and our Project Managers from GBS will be making a presentation on progress to date and the next steps.
ATTACHMENTS:
PowerPoint Presentation
Date Page 1