City Council
May 17, 2022
RECOMMENDATION
AGENDA REPORT
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing An Amendment And Extension Of A Cooperative Agreement With The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) For Support Of The Operations And Management Of The Uptown Bike Station; Approving A Contribution In An Amount Not To Exceed One Hundred Ninety-Five Thousand Dollars ($195,000.00) in Measure BB Bicycle and Pedestrian Funds; And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Uptown Bike Station, in operation since February 2015, provides attended and secure bicycle parking and ancillary services for up to 130 bicycles at the storefront level. The initial lease term was five years from 2014 to 2019, and it was extended for an additional three years in 2019. The current lease expires on June 30, 2022; however, the lease includes an option to extend the term. The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is negotiating a three-year lease extension agreement which they will sign, contingent upon the BART Board approval of authority to execute and the City of Oakland’s (City) approval of the resolution to extend a Cooperative Agreement (Agreement) with BART and contribute three-years’ worth of operating funds. The current Agreement, attached, committed the City to contributing operating funds for the extended three-year lease term, and committed BART to managing the lease commitment, overseeing operations of the Bike Station, and assuming responsibility for covering any cost overruns.
BART is currently designing a new bike station facility to serve the 19th Street BART Station.
The site for this facility, currently a surface parking lot, is a BART-owned parcel adjacent to the Paramount Theater on Broadway in Oakland. A BART-owned facility will significantly reduce operating costs. The new bike station facility is anticipated to be completed within three years.
Staff propose an additional three-year extension of the existing lease to continue operations until the new facility is completed. The City's $195,000 contribution of Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian funds will be paid to BART over the three-year lease term of the Bike Station.
TO: Edward D. Reiskin FROM: Ryan Russo
City Administrator Director, Oakland Department
of Transportation
SUBJECT: Uptown Bike Station Agreement
Amendment
DATE: April 7, 2022
City Administrator Approval Date: May 3, 2022
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Uptown Bike Station Lease Extension
Date: April 7, 2022 Page 2
City Council
May 17, 2022
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Based on recommendations in the 2007 Oakland Bicycle Master Plan and the Alameda Countywide Bicycle Plan, the City, in partnership with BART, applied for and was awarded a Safe Routes to Transit grant of $531,000 from Regional Measure 2 funds in January 2012 to design and construct a new bicycle parking facility near the 19th Street BART Station.
In August 2013, City Council approved Resolution No. 84632 C.M.S. (Attachment A) to accept Safe Routes to Transit grant funds and authorize the City to enter into an Agreement with BART to support the operations and management of the Uptown Bike Station. The facility, located in a 2,440 square feet retail space at the corner of 19th and Broadway in Uptown Oakland (directly across the street from a BART entrance), began operations in February 2015. It has capacity to park 130 bikes with a valet style parking program. BART manages the operation of the Bike Station with BikeHub, which also provides bicycle retail and repair services designed to support and encourage bicycle access. The facility had a brief closure in mid-July 2020 due to COVID- 19 and currently operates on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; BART and BikeHub staff are monitoring BART ridership and bike parking demand and will extend hours as they recover.
The initial lease term was five years from 2014 to 2019. In March 2019, City Council approved Resolution No. 87652 C.M.S. (Attachment B) to extend the lease term for an additional three years. The current Agreement with BART (Attachment C) and lease expires on June 30, 2022.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The Uptown Bike Station provides secure and free all-day bike storage for bicyclists using BART and major AC Transit routes and serves as a convenient location near downtown Oakland offices and destinations. The station helps advance the following Citywide priorities by encouraging bicycle usage and providing affordable and secure transportation services: holistic community safety and vibrant, sustainable infrastructure. It enlivens an otherwise previously empty storefront and provides a positive economic impact by encouraging bicyclists to travel to downtown Oakland.
The 2007 Oakland Bicycle Master Plan first identified the 19th Street BART Station as a priority location for a bike station. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bike parking at the Uptown Bike Station filled to capacity daily with some bicyclists even being turned away in the late morning, demonstrating high demand for secure bike parking in the vicinity of the BART station.
Continuing to provide free and convenient bicycle amenities in downtown Oakland encourages biking and may help support the City’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Due in large part to the success of the current facility, BART is currently designing a new and larger bike station on a BART-owned parcel, currently a surface parking lot, at 21st Street and Broadway adjacent to the Paramount Theater. It is anticipated that the new facility, designed with space to park approximately 400 bikes in addition to providing bicycle retail and repair, will be completed within three years. This facility, when completed, will be owned and operated by Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Uptown Bike Station Lease Extension
Date: April 7, 2022 Page 3
City Council
May 17, 2022
BART and will not require any City subsidy. City operating support of the Bike Station will provide continuity of service for three years until the new station is constructed. The proposed contribution of $65,000 per year represents approximately 2% of Bicycle and Pedestrian funds received annually by the City through Measures B and BB.
Should the City decline to extend the Agreement with BART and/or decline to provide financial support, BART would terminate the lease and close the Bike Station in June 2022, resulting in the loss of free and secure bicycle parking in Uptown Oakland until the new BART-owned facility opens.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of the proposed resolution would enable the City to extend the existing Agreement with BART and contribute a total of $195,000 over the three-year extended lease term of July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025 as follows in Table 1:
Table 1: City Financial Contributions Summary
Fiscal Year City Contribution Proposed Fund Source
2022/23 $65,000 Fund 2219 – Measure BB Bicycle and
Pedestrian
2023/24 $65,000 Fund 2219 – Measure BB Bicycle and
Pedestrian
2024/25 $65,000 Fund 2219 – Measure BB Bicycle and
Pedestrian
Staff propose to fund these annual contributions from Fund 2212 Measure BB Bicycle and Pedestrian Funds. This commitment of $65,000 per year, consistent with the City’s previous contribution in Fiscal Year 2021/22, represents approximately 2% of Bicycle and Pedestrian funds received annually by the City through Measures B and BB. Funding for the three-year term, from Fiscal Year 2023-24 to Fiscal Year 2024-25, will be contingent upon the availability in each year’s budget adopted by the City Council.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The Uptown Bike Station proposal was presented to the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) at their July 2011 and January 2019 meetings. The BPAC reaction to the project was positive and members voted to endorse the extension of the Agreement between the City and BART. Prior outreach was also completed with Walk Oakland Bike Oakland and East Bay Bicycle Coalition. BART conducted a survey in December 2018 to assess user satisfaction with the station. The survey had the following positive findings:
• 95% of respondents indicated that the bike station made it more likely they would use their bike for this trip
• 95% were very satisfied with the services provided
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Uptown Bike Station Lease Extension
Date: April 7, 2022 Page 4
City Council
May 17, 2022
• 87% of users were taking BART in conjunction with their use of the bike station • 51% of the users are female (most studies show women to be approximately 25% of commute cyclists)
COORDINATION
This project is coordinated with BART. This report and legislation have been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney and the Budget Bureau.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The Uptown Bike Station provides secure bicycle parking for visitors to downtown Oakland, improving access to jobs in Oakland and encouraging patronage of downtown businesses. Continuing to provide free and convenient bicycle amenities in downtown Oakland may help support the City’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Environmental: Bicycling is a zero-emission form of transportation. By providing secure bike parking and ancillary services, the Uptown Bike Station encourages bicycle access to BART and downtown Oakland, thereby supporting the City’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance climate equity.
Race & Equity: The Uptown Bike Station provides a free transportation service to Oaklanders and encourages bicycling as an affordable travel option. The station’s secure bicycle parking addresses concerns of bicycle theft, which has a disproportionate impact on low-income Oaklanders.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
Per CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301 – 15332, this project is categorically exempt under CEQA as a Class I: Existing Facilities exemption.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Uptown Bike Station Lease Extension
Date: April 7, 2022 Page 5
City Council
May 17, 2022
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing An Amendment And Extension Of A Cooperative Agreement With The Bay Area Rapid Transit District For Support Of The Operations And Management Of The Uptown Bike Station And Approving A Contribution In An Amount Not To Exceed One Hundred Ninety-Five Thousand Dollars ($195,000.00) in Measure BB Bicycle and Pedestrian Funds; And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Craig Raphael, Funding Program Manager, at [email protected].
Respectfully submitted,
RYAN RUSSO
Director, Department of Transportation
Reviewed by:
Ariel Espiritu Santo
Assistant Director
Department of Transportation
Craig Raphael
Funding Program Manager
Department of Transportation
Prepared by:
Yvonne Chan
Transportation Planner II
Department of Transportation
Attachments (3):
A: Resolution No. 84632 C.M.S.
B: Resolution No. 87652 C.M.S.
C: Current Cooperative Agreement with BART