590 Castro Street Mixed-Use
Development
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan
Prepared for:
The Sobrato Organization
September 22, 2021
Hexagon Transportation Consultants, Inc.
Hexagon Office: 4 N. Second Street, Suite 400,
San Jose, CA 95113
Hexagon Job Number: 20TC09
Phone: 408.971.6100
Client Name: Mr. Robert Tersini
Attachment 6
590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 1
2. Existing Transportation Facilities ................................ ................................ ............................ 6
3. TDM Programs ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 12
4. TDM Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting ................................ ................................ .. 17 List of Tables
Table 1 Existing Bus, Shuttle, and LRT Service ................................ ................................ .......... 9 List of Figures
Figure 1 Project Site Location ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 3 Figure 2 Site Plan ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 4 Figure 3 Parking Plan ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 5 Figure 4 Existing Bicycle Facilities ................................ ................................ ............................. 10 Figure 5 Existing Transit Services ................................ ................................ .............................. 11
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1. Introduction
This transportation demand management (TDM) plan has been prepared for the mixed-use development at 590 Castro Street in downtown Mountain View, California. TDM is a combination of services, incentives, facilities, and actions that reduce single-occupant vehicle (SOV) trips to help relieve traffic congestion, parking demand, and air pollution problems. The purposes of TDM are to (1) reduce the amount of traffic generated by new developments; (2) promote more efficient utilization of existing transportation facilities and ensure that new developments are designed to maximize the potential for alternative transportation usage; (3) reduce the parking demand generated by new developments and allow for a reduction in parking supply; and (4) establish an ongoing monitoring and enforcement program to guarantee the desired trip and parking reductions are achieved.
The project is required by the City of Mountain View to prepare and implement a TDM plan. The purpose of the proposed TDM plan is to reduce employees’ peak-hour SOV commute trips and parking demand. The City’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program (GGRP) established a goal of an eight percent (8%) peak-hour vehicle trip reduction target for the downtown area. However, this proposed TDM program may achieve up to a 20% peak-hour vehicle trip reduction.
Project Description
The mixed-use development is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Castro Street and Church Street in downtown Mountain View. The project comprises a 4-story mixed-use building with 97,213 square feet of general office space and 7,000 square feet of retail space. The project would replace the existing 9,228 square foot one-story building that is currently occupied by a bank.
Figure 1 shows the location of the project. Figures 2 and 3 show the site plan and parking plan, respectively.
The project is located in downtown Mountain View, close to El Camino Real and to the Mountain View Transit Center. The Transit Center provides Caltrain and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) transit services, as well as local shuttle services. Existing transportation facilities in the project vicinity are described in Chapter 2. The project location by itself provides the following advantages in promoting transit, bicycling, and walking to reduce SOV trips generated by the project.
• Downtown Location. The location of a project within or adjacent to a central business district promotes pedestrian and bicycle travel in a relatively high-density area of complementary land 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 2
uses. The project is located within the downtown district, and it is a short walk or bicycle ride from the retail, office, and residential land uses in the downtown and the surrounding area. The project location effectively renders it part of a large-scale mixed-use development in a pedestrian-friendly environment with a significant share of internal trips. • Proximity to Transit. The project is located at about 0.2 mile (about a 5-minute walk), from El Camino Real and 0.6 mile (about a 12-minute walk), from the Mountain View Transit Center.
There is frequent bus service, including express bus service on El Camino Real. The Transit Center provides Caltrain commuter rail and VTA light rail transit (LRT) services. Caltrain and VTA provide frequent and reliable transit service to a high percentage of regional destinations. = Site Location
LEGEND
Mountain
View
Caltrain
Station
OUNTAINOMOUNTAIN
VIEW
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
Villa St
Central Expy
Mercy St
View St
Castro St
Bush
St
Church St
Easy St
W Dana St
Oak St
Hope St
Franklin St
California St
S Shoreline Blvd
Central Ave
Palo Alto Ave
W Evelyn Ave
W El Camino Real
Bryant St
Calderon Ave
Latham St
Mountain View Ave
Mariposa Ave
Moffett Blvd
Blossom Ln
Sno
w St
Cypress Point Dr
Escuela Ave
Wild Cherry Ln
Blossom Ln
85 590 Castro Street TDM Plan
Figure 1
Project Site Location
590 Castro Street TDM Plan
Figure 2
Site Plan
Ϯ>
s
>W>E
ϭ>
s
>W>E
590 Castro Street TDM Plan
Figure 3
Parking Plan
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2. Existing Transportation Facilities
Transportation facilities and services that support sustainable modes of transportation include buses and shuttle buses, LRT, commuter rail, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This chapter describes existing facilities and services near the project site. Figure 4 shows the existing bicycle facilities, and Figure 5 shows the existing bus and rail services.
Pedestrian Facilities
A complete network of sidewalks is present along the streets in the vicinity of the project site, including Castro Street and Church Street. Crosswalks with pedestrian signal heads are located at the signalized intersections in the downtown area. Crosswalks also are provided at several mid- block locations on Castro Street and at some of the unsignalized intersections in the project vicinity.
Overall, the existing network of sidewalks and crosswalks provides pedestrians with safe routes to transit services and other points of interest within the downtown area.
Bicycle Facilities
The bicycle facilities that exist within one mile of the project site include the Stevens Creek trail (Class I bikeway), striped bike lanes (Class II bikeway), and shared bike routes/boulevards (Class III bikeway). The existing bicycle facilities are shown graphically on Figure 4.
The Stevens Creek trail runs from the North Bayshore Area north of US 101 to Dale Avenue/Heatherstone Way in the south. The trail is shared between pedestrians and bicyclists and separated from motor vehicle traffic. The trail can be accessed from Dana Street and El Camino, less than one-mile walking/biking distance from the project site. A short Class I bikeway runs along the east side of Shoreline Blvd between Wright Ave in the north and Villa St in the south.
Striped bike lanes are present along the following street segments:
• Shoreline Boulevard between El Camino Real and Charleston Road, • California Street between Castro Street and Del Medio Ave, • Evelyn Avenue east of Hope Street,
• Dana Street between Calderon Avenue and Moorpark Way, • Calderon Avenue between Mercy Street and Evelyn Avenue, • Calderon Avenue between El Camino Real and Church Street, • Phyllis Avenue between El Camino Real and Grant Road, • Castro Street between Miramonte Avenue and El Camino Real, and 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 7
• Grant Road between Phyllis Avenue and Foothill Expressway.
Bike routes are typically designated with signs and/or sharrows (shared-lane markings). Bike routes are present along the following street segments:
• Church Street between Shoreline Boulevard and Calderon Avenue, • California Street between Castro Street and Bush Street, • View Street between California Street and Evelyn Avenue, • Bush Street between California Street and Dana Street • Dana Street between Bush Street and Calderon Avenue,
• Evelyn Avenue between Castro Street and Hope Street, and, • Miramonte Avenue between El Camino Real and Harpster Drive.
Bike boulevards are modified bike routes offering especially convenient and efficient through-routes for bicyclists of all skill levels. Central Avenue, Stierlin Road, Montecito Avenue, and Evelyn Avenue are designated as bike boulevards.
Transit Services
Existing transit services in the project vicinity are provided by VTA, Caltrain, Mountain View Transportation Management Association (MTMA), and the Mountain View Community Shuttle.
These transit services described below and are shown on Figure 4.
VTA Service
The VTA operates local bus routes, one frequent bus route, one rapid bus route, and one LRT line within the project vicinity. The VTA bus routes with bus stops near the project site and the LRT lines are described in Table 1, including their terminus points, closest scheduled stop, and commute hour headways.
The closest bus stop (0.2 mile from the project site) is located at the El Camino Real/Castro Street intersection with service provided by local route 51, frequent bus route 22, and rapid bus route 522.
Local route 40 stops at the Castro Street/Villa Street intersection (0.4 mile from the project site).
Local route 51 and Local Route 52 stops at the Hope Street/California Street intersection (0.25 mile from the project site).
The VTA operates the 42.2-mile LRT system extending from south San Jose through downtown to the northern areas of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. The service operates from approximately 5:25 AM to 1:00 AM with 20-minute headways during much of the day on weekdays. The Mountain View-Winchester LRT line (Orange Line) operates along Central Expressway within the project vicinity and stops at the Mountain View Transit Center, which is about a 0.6 mile walk north of the project site.
Caltrain Service
Caltrain is a regional, intercity commuter rail service between San Francisco and Gilroy. Caltrain provides service with approximately 20- to 30-minute headways during the weekday AM and PM commute hours. Trains stop frequently at the Mountain View Station between 4:30 AM and 11:00 PM in the northbound direction, and between 6:00 AM and 1:30AM in the southbound direction. On weekdays, there are 28 northbound and 31 southbound trains stopping at the Mountain View Station. Baby Bullet trains are currently suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 8
Mountain View Transportation Management Association Shuttles The MTMA operates the MVgo shuttle system. This shuttle system is provided through the collection of MTMA member dues. MVgo operates three shuttle routes that provide service to employment areas from the Mountain View Transit Center. Two routes serve the North Bayshore area, and one route serves the N. Whisman area. The shuttles are timed to meet Caltrain arrivals during the AM and departures during PM commute periods. The shuttles are free and open to the public. The MVgo shuttle system is currently suspended during COVID-19.
Mountain View Community Shuttle
The Mountain View Community Shuttle is operated by the City of Mountain View and Google. The Community Shuttle route forms a loop around the city. The Community Shuttle route includes stops at the Mountain View Transit Center, along Middlefield Road, at El Camino Hospital, Civic Center, and along Rengstorff Avenue. The Community Shuttle operates seven days a week from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM with 30-minute headways on weekdays and 1 hour headways on weekends. The nearest Community Shuttle stop is located approximately 0.1 mile north of the project site near the Castro Street/Mercy Street intersection.
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Table 1
Existing Bus, Shuttle, and LRT Service
Bus/LRT Route Route Description
Closest Stop & Distance to
Project Site
Weekday Hours
of Operation 1 Headway 1
VTA Transit
Service²
Local Bus 21 Stanford Shopping Center to
Santa Clara Transit Center
Hope/California,
0.25 mi 5:30 AM-8:00 PM 60 min
Local Bus 40 Foothill College to Mountain View
Transit Center via North Bayshore
Castro/Villa
0.4 mi 6:15 AM-8:30 PM 20-40 min
Local Bus 51 Moffett Field/Ames Center to
West Valley College
El Camino Real/Castro,
0.2 mi 6:00 AM-6:45 PM 60 min
Local Bus 52
Foothill College to Downtown
Mountain View Transit Center via
El Monte
Hope/California,
0.25 mi 8:10 AM-4:10 PM 60 min
Frequent Bus 22
Palo Alto Transit Center to
Eastridge Transit Center via El
Camino
El Camino Real/Castro,
0.2 mi 4:30 AM - 1:45AM 15-20 min
Rapid Bus 522 Palo Alto Transit Center to
Eastridge Transit Center
El Camino Real/Castro,
0.2 mi 5:15 AM-11:00 PM 15-20 min
Orange Line (LRT) Mountain View Station to Alum
Rock Station
Mountain View Transit Center,
0.6 mi 5:25 AM-1:00 AM 20 min
MVgo Transit Service ³
Mvgo A MV Transit Center to Whisman,
Clyde and Middlefield Mountain View Transit Center,
0.6 mi
AM & PM Peak Hours
meeting each train 20-25 min
MVgo B MV Transit Center to Shoreline,
La Avenida, and Crittenden Mountain View Transit Center,
0.6 mi
AM & PM Peak Hours
meeting each train 20-25 min
MVgo C MV Transit Center to Charleston,
Garcia and San Antonio Mountain View Transit Center,
0.6 mi
AM & PM Peak Hours
meeting each train 20-25 min
MVgo D MV Transit Center to San
Antonio, Garcia and Charleston Mountain View Transit Center,
0.6 mi
AM & PM Peak Hours
meeting each train 20-25 min
Mountain View Community Shuttle
Community Shuttle Loops around the City via
Middlefield Road, Whisman Road,
Villa Street, and Rengstroff
Avenue
Castro/Mercy
0.1 mi 10:00 AM-6:00 PM 30 min
Notes:
1. Approximate weekday operation hours and headways during peak commute periods in the project area, as of October 2020.
2. VTA is running reduced bus service due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
3. Routes temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mountain
View
Caltrain
Station
= Site Location
LEGEND
= Class II Bike Lanes
= Class III Bike Routes
= Bike Boulevard
= Class I Bike Paths
OUNTAINOMOUNTAIN
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
Miramonte AveMiramonte Ave
Miramonte Ave
85 Villa St
Central Expy
Mercy St
View St
Castro St
Bush
St
Church St
Easy St
W Dana St
Oak St
Hope St
Franklin St
California St
S Shoreline Blvd
Central Ave
Palo Alto Ave
W Evelyn Ave
W El Camino Real
Bryant St
Calderon Ave
Latham St
Mountain View Ave
Mariposa Ave
Moffett Blvd
Blossom Ln
Sno
w St
Cypress Point Dr
Escuela Ave
Blossom Ln
590 Castro Street TDM Plan
Figure 4
Existing Bicycle Facilities
Mountain View
Transit Center
Caltrain LRT
MV GO Routes:
A, B, C, D
22 52
40 40
40 52
52 52
52 40
51 51
51 51
51 51
51 21
21 21
21 21
21 21
21 21
21 52
522
522
OMOUNTAIN
VIEW
MOUNTAIN
VIEW
85 Villa St
Central Expy
Mercy St
View St
Castro St
Bush
St
Church St
Easy St
W Dana St
Oak St
Hope St
Franklin St
California St
S Shoreline Blvd
Central Ave
Palo Alto Ave
W Evelyn Ave
W El Camino Real
Bryant St
Calderon Ave
Latham St
Mountain View Ave
Mariposa Ave
Moffett Blvd
Sno
w St
Cypress Point Dr
Escuela Ave
Blossom Ln
= Local Bus Route
= Rapid 522
= Light Rail and Station
= Community Shuttle
= MVGO Route D*
= MVGO Route C*
= MVGO Route B*
= MVGO Route A*
Mountain
View
Caltrain
Station
= Site Location
LEGEND
XX
522
= Frequent Bus Route
*Routes temporarily suspended due to Covid-19 pandemic.
XX
= Caltrain
590 Castro Street TDM Plan
Figure 5
Existing Transit Services
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3. Recommended TDM Program
The TDM measures recommended for the 590 Castro Street mixed-use project include design features, programs, and services that promote sustainable modes of transportation and reduce the vehicular demand that would be generated by the project. The goal of this TDM plan is to meet the eight percent (8%) peak-hour vehicle trip reduction target established in the GGRP for the downtown area. TDM programs encourage employees to take other modes of transportation through benefits and assistance in trip planning, which could achieve up to a 20% reduction.
TDM Coordinator
It is recommended that the project appoint a TDM coordinator who would be the primary contact with the City and would be responsible for implementing and managing the TDM plan. it is recommended that the TDM coordinator be a point of contact for employees/tenants if TDM-related questions arise and be responsible for ensuring that employees/tenants are aware of all transportation options and how to fully utilize the TDM programs. It is recommended that the TDM coordinator provide the following services and functions to ensure the TDM plan runs smoothly:
• Provide information about monthly transit passes
• Provide transportation information packets to new employees/tenants • Audit and review building transportation needs
• Manage travel surveys to track trends and develop new commute programs Alternative Transportation Information and TDM Marketing “Online Kiosk”: An Online Information Center
A key element of this TDM plan is to set up an attractive, up-to-date “online kiosk” with site-specific information about the transportation resources available to employees. We envision a website that would include information about transit maps/schedules (Caltrain, VTA, MVgo, Community Shuttle), locations of bus stops and Caltrain/LRT stations, and all the measures, services, and facilities discussed in this plan.
Information Packet for Employees
In addition to the online information center, the Transportation Coordinator for each tenant should provide “hard copy” information packets to all employees when they first occupy the building.
Because all information would be available online, this packet need not be a comprehensive stack 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 13
of paper about all services available, which employees tend to disregard anyway. Instead, the New Employee Packet would provide a quick easy-to-read announcement of the most important features of the TDM program for employees to know about immediately.
In addition, the packet would send a message to workers that their employer values alternative modes of transportation and takes their commitment to supporting alternative transportation options seriously. For example, it would include a flyer announcing the “online kiosk”. It is recommended that the packet include information regarding how to contact the TDM coordinator. Additional packets would be provided for distribution to new employees subsequently hired or transferred to the site.
Rideshare Matching Services
One of the greatest impediments to carpool and vanpool formation can be finding suitable riders with similar work schedules, origins, and destinations. Facilitated rideshare matching can overcome this obstacle by enabling commuters who are interested in ridesharing to enter their travel preferences into a database and receive a list of potential rideshare partners. The success of these programs is largely determined by the number of participants and, in turn, the number of potential matches that can be made.
It is recommended that the TDM Coordinator provide employees/tenants with information on 511.org’s ridematching service and other ridematching services. For example, ridematching assistance is available through a number of peer-to-peer matching programs, such as Scoop and Waze Carpool, which utilize mobile apps to match commuters.
Vanpool/Carpool Incentives
It is recommended that the TDM Coordinator provide employees/tenants with information on 511.org’s carpool/vanpool subsidy program. The 511.org’s Carpool/Vanpool Program offers a number of incentive programs to encourage people to try carpooling and vanpooling. Most of these programs are designed to reward someone for forming or trying a carpool or vanpool and provide an award or subsidy after the first three to six months of use.
Telecommute/Flexible Work Schedule Program
Offering employees the opportunity to work from home or travel outside the peak travel periods can help reduce the number of commute trips to and from the project site.
It is recommended that the project include the following infrastructure to support its future tenants to implement an alternative work schedule:
• Heating, cooling, and ventilation systems for extended schedules • High-bandwidth internet connections to facilitate telecommuting • Security services provided to support extended schedules This telecommute/flexible work schedule program would be most beneficial to the employees of the office use.
Guaranteed Ride Home Program
Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) is a program that provides a “back-up” ride to employees who use transit, carpool, biking/walking, or another alternative as their commute mode. It is an important supportive measure to encourage employees to not drive alone to work. 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 14
It is recommended that the project require future tenants to provide a GRH program to employees.
The GRH program can be implemented through a taxi company or a ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft. For employees that commute to work using a mode other than driving alone that need to use a taxi company or ridesharing service to get home in an emergency, they would submit a receipt for the cost of their trip and be reimbursed.
Transit Passes
Subsidized transit passes are an extremely effective means of encouraging employees to use transit rather than drive to work. Transit passes allow employees to save money and avoid the stress of driving during the commute periods. One element of this recommended TDM plan is to provide employees with financial incentives to utilize public transit when commuting to and from the project site.
It is recommended that the project require future office tenants, as part of the lease agreement, to provide free transit passes (Caltrain or VTA) for their employees. There are a number of ways to structure a financial incentive for transit. Employers can cover the total monthly cost of transit for those employees who take transit through a pre-tax benefit, or purchase transit passes themselves and distribute them to employees, or offer a universal transit pass program.
Employers may consider universal transit pass programs, which are different from financial incentives in that an employer purchases a pass for all employees, regardless of whether they currently ride transit or not. These passes typically provide unlimited transit rides on local or regional transit providers for a low monthly fee; a fee that is lower than the individual cost to purchase a pass, since a bulk discount is given. Such programs can be more cost-effective option for employers to reducing vehicle trips as compared to purchasing individual passes.
It is likely that the majority of the employees taking public transit will take Caltrain to work; therefore, it is recommended that future tenants consider the Caltrain universal transit pass program (Go Pass program). The Caltrain Go Pass is an annual pass purchased by a company for its employees. All eligible employees receive the Go Pass, whether they use it or not. The passes are purchased from Caltrain at a significant discount and provide all employees with free Caltrain travel between all zones, seven days a week. The passes are non-transferable stickers applied directly to the Employee ID card to prevent cheating, which can otherwise be a problem with transit subsidies. it is recommended that the project offer Caltrain passes to all employees, and if a significant number of employees elect to use Caltrain then it is recommended that the project consider enrolling in the Caltrain Go Pass program.
Bicycle Storage
The project site plan shows 20 secured bike parking spaces on parking level 1 and 16 short-term bike parking spaces in racks near the southwest and northwest corners of the property.
Estimated TDM Reduction
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has prepared a software tool that is designed to quantify by how much a TDM Plan for a specific project in a specific location is likely to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). For this report a reduction in trips is considered equivalent to a reduction in VMT. This Transportation Demand Management Tool (TDM Tool) is based on the steps and calculations documented in the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) report, Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Measures, published in August 2010. 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 15
The TDM Tool provides an estimate of the amount by which a project’s location and land use characteristics, its site enhancements, and the measures taken to reduce commute trips will reduce VMT. Hexagon has applied the BAAQMD Tool to the TDM Plan for the mixed-use development at 590 Castro Street. Based on the TDM Tool, the project is likely to reduce trips by 20%, with 10.8% coming from the implementation of this TDM Plan. Therefore, the project is expected to achieve the eight percent (8%) peak-hour vehicle trip reduction target established in the City’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program (GGRP) for the downtown area.
The following discussion summarizes how the tool calculated the VMT reduction for this project and this TDM Plan. It should be noted that there are some characteristics of the project (such as its density) for which the TDM Tool gives a significant amount of credit in calculating the VMT reduction, but which are not listed as specific TDM measures in the preceding chapter. Conversely, there are some specific TDM measures (such as efforts to promote bicycling) that are given very little or no credit by the TDM Tool. As such, the VMT reduction calculated by the tool should be regarded as a preliminary estimate for the TDM Plan but should not be used as a monitoring tool after the building is occupied. The best way to monitor the success of any TDM Plan is with driveway counts that provide actual data on the trip-making patterns of the employees and visitors to the building. However, the TDM Tool does provide a useful indicator prior to implementation of a Plan as to whether it is likely to achieve a certain reduction target.
The VMT reduction calculated by the BAAQMD Tool is based on the following factors:
Transit Accessibility. The TDM Tool compares the transit mode share for this site to that of a typical ITE development. There are numerous transit options within walking distance of the project site. For example, the Mountain View Station is approximately 0.6 miles away from the project site and provides access to Caltrain, which connects from San Francisco to Gilroy, and the VTA LRT system, which extends from south San Jose through downtown to the northern areas of San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Mountain View and Sunnyvale.
Destination Accessibility. The project is located within downtown Mountain View. As such, nearby destinations can be easily accessible by transit, bicycle, or walking. Because of this, a VMT reduction is estimated based on the urban setting and desirable location of the project.
Pedestrian Network. The immediate area surrounding the project site is adequately served by pedestrian facilities. The project would bring upgrades to the pedestrian network both on the project site and the area surrounding it. The project earns VMT reductions based on planned improvements to the pedestrian network and facilities and the high density of the area.
TDM Program with Monitoring and Reporting Requirements. The TDM Tool provides more credit to TDM programs that include a performance standard (such as a trip reduction goal or VMT reduction goal) and that include requirements for monitoring and reporting than those that do not.
The rationale for this is that if development managers/owners are required to monitor their results and report those results to a City or other authority and if there is a specific target to be achieved, they will take their responsibilities to implement the TDM Program more seriously.
Transit Fare Subsidy. The TDM Tool provides a significant VMT credit for the implementation of transit fare subsidies when available to all employees of the property. This reduction is credited based on the transit passes provided by employers. The proximity to transit stations would encourage the use of these transit passes for all trips. The project’s proximity to destinations that 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 16
are served by Caltrain, light rail, and its connections would generate transit trips that are not solely work related.
Telecommute Program. Telecommuting receives VMT reductions as some employees no longer would be required to travel to their work location from home. The TDM plan includes the addition of heating, cooling, and ventilation systems for extended schedules, high-bandwidth internet connections to facilitate telecommuting, and security services to support extended schedules. The TDM program assumes that employees would spend at least 1.5 days per week working from home. As a part of the plan, it is estimated that 5% of employees would telecommute.
Marketing Program for the TDM Plan. This TDM Plan includes creation of an “online kiosk” which would serve to provide information about all resources and programs included in the plan to all employees, wherever and whenever they want to access it. In addition, New Employee Information packets would be distributed to employees when they start work at the site. The Transportation Coordinator would be available to answer questions and provide additional information to employees as needed. The TDM Tool provides credit for this level of marketing activity.
As noted above, the TDM Tool estimates that the project is likely to reduce trips by 20%, with
10.8% coming from the implementation of this TDM Plan. This meets the 8% trip reduction target for this project.
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4. TDM Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting
The purpose of this TDM plan is to reduce the overall trips generated by the proposed development. The goal of this TDM plan is to meet or exceed the eight percent (8%) peak-hour vehicle trip reduction target established in the GGRP for the downtown area, with a greater reduction expected. The property owner will be required to submit to the City an annual TDM performance report that identifies the TDM plan’s effectiveness at achieving the vehicle trip reduction requirement.
Implementation
It is recommended that the project applicant submit this TDM plan to the City. The project applicant along with the property manager/TDM Coordinator would be responsible for ensuring the TDM plan is implemented.
In addition, it is recommended that all lease agreements require tenants to participate in the TDM plan immediately upon occupancy. It is recommended that lease agreements describe the elements of this plan for which tenants have immediate or potential future responsibility.
Monitoring and Reporting
The purpose of monitoring and reporting the TDM plan is to ensure that the program is successfully achieving the trip reduction goal.
The property owner shall prepare an annual TDM report and submit it to the City to document the effectiveness of the TDM program in achieving the goal of peak-hour vehicle trip reduction by employees within the project. The TDM report shall be prepared by an independent consultant and paid for by the property owner; the consultant shall work with the property’s TDM coordinator. The TDM report will include a determination of historical employee commute methods, which shall be informed by surveying all employees working on the project site project. All nonresponses to the employee survey will be counted as a drive-alone trip.
It is recommended that the initial TDM report for the project be submitted one year after final occupancy. Subsequent reports will be collected annually.
The TDM report shall either: (1) state that the project has achieved the goal peak-hour vehicle trip reduction or higher, providing supporting statistics and analysis to establish attainment of the goal; 590 Castro Street Mixed-Use Development TDM Plan September 22, 2021 P a g e | 18
or (2) state that the project has not achieved the peak-hour vehicle trip reduction goal, providing an explanation of how and why the goal has not been reached and a description of additional measures that will be adopted in order to attain the TDM goal of peak-hour vehicle trip reduction.
It is recommended that the property owner and the consultant preparing the report coordinate with City staff for any additional reporting requirements.