DATE:
May 9, 2023
CATEGORY:
Consent
DEPT.:
Public Works
TITLE: Plymouth Street to Space Park Way
Realignment, Project 20-40—Various
Actions
RECOMMENDATION
1. Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Mountain View Adopting an Addendum to the North Bayshore Precise Plan Subsequent Final Environmental Impact Report for Plymouth Street Realignment, Project 20-40, to be read in title only, further reading waived (Attachment 1 to the Council report).
2. Approve removal of 86 Heritage trees and the first -stage mitigation replacement with 84 new 24” box trees for Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40.
3. Approve plans and specificat ions for tree removal and demolition of existing buildings located at 1600 and 1616 North Shoreline Boulevard, for Plymouth Street Realignment, Project 20-40, and authorize staff to advertise for bids.
4. Authorize the City Manager or designee to award the construction contract to the lowest responsible bidder if the bid is within the project budget.
BACKGROUND
On December 9, 2014, the City Council adopted the North Bayshore Precise Plan (NBPP) establishing standards for the development of the North Bayshore Area, including transformation of the existing street network and conceptual street diagrams within the plan area to support a reduction in single -occupancy vehicle (SOV) use and an increase in multi -modal transportation modes. The NBPP also identified a list of Priority Transpo rtation Improvements necessary to ensure circulation into and within the North Bayshore Area and in support of the multi -modal goals.
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40 (Project), is one of NBPP’s Priority Transportation Improvements. The Project will realign Plymouth Street to connect with and create a four-way signalized intersection at Space Park Way and North Shoreline Boulevard (see Figure 1 and Attachment 1). It includes an additional left -turn lane from northbound North
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
Shoreline Boulevard to westbound Plymouth Street and the following NBPP complete street elements that will improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and support transit services:
• Two-way cycle track on the west side of North Shoreline Boulevard;
• Protected intersection improvements;
• 6’ and 7’ separated sidewalks on Plymouth Street and North Shoreline Boulevard, respectively;
• Park strip area between the street and sidewalk with new landscaping, trees , and green stormwater infrastructure;
• Bike lanes on Plymouth Street from North Shoreline Boulevard to Joaquin Road; and
• Extension of a reversible transit lane on North Shoreline Boulevard from Pear Avenue to the realigned Plymouth Street/Space Park Way/North Shoreline Boulevard intersection.
Figure 1: Project Location Map
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
To accommodate the planned improvements, on February 13, 2018 , Council approved the acquisition of four properties listed below for a total of $28.5 million. On May 25, 2021, acting in its capacity as the Board of Directors of the Shoreline Regional Park Community, Council appropriated an additional $40,000 from the Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund to close escrow on the property acquisitions. As shown in Figure 2, the real property acquired included:
• 1600 North Shoreline Boulevard;
• 1616 North Shoreline Boulevard;
• A portion of 1015 Joaquin Road; and
• A portion of 1674 North Shoreline Boulevard.
Figure 2: Property Location Map
On June 25, 2019, Council authorized a professional services agreement with BKF Engineers (BKF) to provide engineering services for the design of the Project in a not -to-exceed amount of N
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
$1,155,565. On March 8, 2022, Council authorized an amendment to the professional services agreement adding $400, 000 for a new total not -to-exceed amount of $1,555,565. Since that time, the City has conducted appraisals for additional right -of-way (ROW) needs and developed project design documents.
ANALYSIS
The Project will be implemented in three phases due to the Project’s timing needs and specialized nature of the contractors needed. The phases include tree removals, building demolition, and street realignment. The first two phases , tree removals and building demolitions, are ready to proceed following the bird nesting season (February 1 to August 31).
Tree Removals
Staff used the North Bayshore Master Plan (NBMP) development tree removal framework , previously supported by the Environmental Planning Commission and Council , to develop recommendations for the Project’s tree removal and replacement. The framework, which was presented to Council at the December 14, 2021 Study Session, provides a process to:
1. Prioritize retention and integration of existing and healthy trees;
2. Explore the opportunity to transplant healthy trees; and
3. Where tree removal is necessary, replace with trees that contribute to tree canopy and meet the goals of biodiversity.
In October 2022, an arborist report prepared by HortScience | Bartlett Consulting Arborist evaluated the trees within the Project area and identified 137 trees as Heritage status based on their sizes and species. Consistent with the first step of the process described above, it was determined that 51 Heritage trees shall be preserved on -site. The remaining 86 Heritage trees and 21 non -Heritage trees are recommended for removal due to the new road alignment, sidewalk, and bicycle improvements . The 86 Heritage trees include 60 redwood trees, seven California pepper trees, seven Canary Island pine trees, and 12 trees of various species.
The City arborist evaluated the trees to be removed for potential transplant, including the 86 Heritage trees. Factors considered for tree transplant include likelihood of survival based on tree size and health, tree age, nearby infrastructure, compatibility with recycled water irrigation, availability of suitable nearby locations that are not planned for future infrastructure or development work, and consistency with the NBPP plant palette and street tree list. Few trees met the criteria , and 21 Heritage trees were determined to be marginally suitable in size for Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
transplant, including the purple-leaf plums, crape myrtles, and crabapples based on the criteria above. Staff recommends replacement over transplant for all trees for the following reasons:
• Many of the trees are large redwood trees and would not be suitable for transplant due to their size.
• For those trees marginally suitable for transplant, the transplanted trees would need to be boxed and stored off -site for 12 to 18 months while the three phases of the Project are constructed. The trees would then be brought back and replanted. This process would further lower the likelihood of survival.
• The majority of the trees are not consistent with the NBPP plant palette.
The first phase of the project has a critical timing element, where the tree removals are required to be performed outside of bird nesting season. The first phase will be bid as a stand-alone project so that a contractor can be retained and the tree removals can take place this fall, following the bird nesting season.
Tree Mitigation
The NBMP area includes a substantial portion of North Bayshore with significant planned improvements that require their own tree-mitigation plantings that limits available areas in the North Bayshore to place trees. Due to limited space within the project area to replace all trees being removed, staff’s recommended strategy is to split the planting into two stages, on-site and off-site plantings, with total removal and mitigation as follows:
Table 1: Tree Removal and Mitigation Summary
The first stage will plant 84 new 24” box trees on-site within the project limits along Plymouth Street and North Shoreline Boulevard . These trees will be installed as part of the street realignment phase (third phase) of the Project.
The second stage will include the remaining 109 plantings to be installed off-site within Shoreline at Mountain View (Shoreline). The off-site plantings in Shoreline will be performed as a separate project and within one year of the street -realignment phase starting construction. In the event suitable planting locations are not found within Shoreline for all 109 plantings, the Project will Description Removal Mitigation Notes
Heritage Tree 86 172 Mitigation at a 2:1 Ratio
Non-Heritage 21 21 Mitigation at a 1:1 Ratio
TOTAL 107 193
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
contribute an in-lieu fee at the equivalent 24” box-tree rate ($750 per tree) to the Tree Mitigation Fund.
Urban Forestry Board
On February 15, 2023 , the Urban Forestry Board (UFB) supported staff’s approach to a staged tree mitigation that includes on-site and off-site plantings. The UFB approved staff’s mitigation recommendation for the first stage to install 84 new 24” box trees on -site. The UFB recommended staff return with a species list for the first stage on-site mitigation that will include more native trees, provide large tree canopy, and meet the biodiversity goals of the NBPP. Staff plans to present a new recommended species list for on -site plantings for UFB consideration in fall 2023.
Additionally, staff will return to UFB with the recommended plans for the second stage of mitigation plantings in Shoreline in 2024 prior to seeking Council approval of these plans.
Demolition of Existing Buildings
As shown previously in Figure 1, Plymouth Street will be realigned as an S -curve that will cross four properties. The 1600 and 1616 North Shoreline Boulevard buildings are in conflict with the realignment project, and building demolition is required to allow the third phase of the Project to proceed. The building demolition for these two buildings is planned as a separate construction phase due to the specialized nature of the demolition work.
Next Steps
Should Council approve the recommended actions, and if responsive bids are received within the project budget, tree removals and demolition of the two buildings would begin in fall 2023.
Installation of the mitigation trees on -site will be included as par t of the construction of the Project’s realignment phase, anticipated to be completed by early 2025. Staff will also proceed with the design plans for the second stage of tree mitigation off-site within Shoreline to bring to the UFB and Council for approval in 2024.
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
In accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the City Council certified the NBPP Subsequent Final Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) on December 12, 2017. The NBPP SEIR provided the program -level environmental review for Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40. An environmental review at the project-level was conducted to determine if any additional environmental impacts would result.
The project-level environmental impact assessment concluded th at no new significant impacts or impacts of substantially greater severity than those discussed in the SEIR would result from Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
the Project. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15164, an Addendum to the SEIR was prepared (Attachment 1).
FISCAL IMPACT
The acquisition of real property for Plymouth Street Realignment, Project 18-70, was funded with $15,170,350 from the Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund and $13,369,650 from North Bayshore Impact Fees, for a total project budget of $28,540,000.
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20 -40, design and construction is currently funded as follows:
Table 2: Project 20-40 Funding
Funding Source Amount
2018 Shoreline Regional Park Community Bond $21,400,000 Shoreline Regional Park Community Fund 6,380,000
Shoreline Community Public Benefit 3,200,000
1860-2159 Landings Drive* 885,952
TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET $31,865,952
* Developer funding provided for advance reimbursement of improvements the development is responsible for but included in this project scope for efficiencies in coordination. The developer responsible improvements include a second North Shoreline Boulevard northbound left -turn lane to westbound Plymouth Street and second vehicular lanes on Plymouth Street.
The construction cost estimate for the tree removal and demotion work is approximately $2.2 million. Project 20-40 has sufficient funding for the recommended action, and the remaining funding will be used for the const ruction of the road realignment project and off -site tree mitigation project. No additional appropriation is being requested at this time.
CONCLUSION
Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20 -40, is an identified Priority Transportation Improvement that will deliver critical infrastructure consistent with the NBPP , improve circulation, and provide multi -modal improvements. The Project will be implemented in three phases: tree removals, building demolition, and street realignment. The first phase of the project has a critical timing element where the tree removals are best performed outside of bird nesting season. Staff used the NBMP t ree removal framework to develop a tree removal mitigation plan that meets the diversity, sustainability of tree canopy, and biodiversity goals of the NBPP. With Council approval to proceed with the first stage of mitigation, 84 trees will be Plymouth Street to Space Park Way Realignment, Project 20-40—Various Actions May 9, 2023
planted on-site when the street alignment is in construction. Staff will return to Council for the second stage of mitigation, which will include the plan for the remaining 109 plantings.
An Addendum to the NBPP SEIR, certified by Council in December 2017, concluded no substantive revisions were needed to the 2017 SEIR because no new significant impacts or impacts of substantially greater severity would result from the Project.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Modify or do not approve the tree removal and mitigation plan for the project.
2. Do not approve the plans and specifications for tree removal and demolition of existing buildings located at 1600 and 1616 North Shoreline Boulevard and authorization to bid the project.
3. Provide other direction.
PUBLIC NOTICING—Agenda posting.
Prepared by:
Marichrisse Hoang
Associate Civil Engineer
Reviewed By:
Robert Gonzales
Principal Civil Engineer
Edward Arango
Assistant Public Works Director/
City Engineer
Approved by:
Dawn S. Cameron
Public Works Director
Audrey Seymour Ramberg
Assistant City Manager
MH/LL/1/CAM
921-05-09-23CR-1
202902
Attachment: 1. Resolution Adopting SEIR Addendum