Public Works Committee
April 11, 2023
SUBJECT: Active Transportation Program
Cycle 6 – Bancroft Ave Greenway
AGENDA REPORT
DATE: March 27, 2023
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Execute And File An Application For Funding For The Bancroft Avenue Greenway (Project) For Regional Discretionary Funding Under The Federal Transportation Act Or Continued Funding; Accept And Appropriate An Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Totaling Twenty-Nine Million Three Hundred Eleven Thousand Dollars ($29,311,000) For The Project; Commit A Match Of Up To Five Million Three Hundred Sixty-Four Thousand Dollars ($5,364,000) In Local Funds; State The City’s Intent To Complete The Project; And Adopt Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Approval of this proposed resolution will allow the City of Oakland (City) to accept and appropriate $29,311,000 in grant funds from the California Transportation Commission (CTC) Active Transportation Program (ATP) and commit to a local match of $5,364,000 for the Bancroft Avenue Greenway project (Project). The Project will provide a two-mile, low-stress separated multi-use path in the existing Bancroft Avenue median that enhances alternate, affordable, and safer mobility to East Oaklanders to essential places such as schools, parks, food markets, and critical services at the Eastmont Town Center. Local match will be funded through a combination of Measure B/BB, Measure KK, Development Impact Fees, and Federal Earmarks, should the City be successful in the earmark process.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The ATP is a competitive Caltrans grant program administered by the CTC with the aim of encouraging increased use of active modes of transportation through more equitable, safe, and healthy biking and pedestrian infrastructure. Funds are derived by consolidating existing federal and state transportation programs, including the
TO: Steven Falk, FROM: Fred Kelley
Interim City Administrator Director, Oakland Department of Transportation
Mar 29, 2023
Steven Falk, Interim City Administrator
Subject: ATP Cycle 6 – Bancroft Ave. Greenway
Date: March 27, 2023 Page 2
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 11, 2023
Transportation Alternatives Program, Bicycle Transportation Account, and State Safe Routes to School into a single program with a focus to make California a national leader in active transportation. In 2017, the Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 1, also known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act, which directed an additional $100 million annually from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account to the ATP, significantly augmenting the available funding for this popular program.
For the current ATP Cycle (6), the City submitted two applications and was awarded funds for this Project through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s regional ATP funding. This grant represents the largest award to date that the City has received for active transportation streetscape improvements.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Adoption of the proposed resolution will allow the City to move forward with building the Project.
The selection of this project is consistent with the Council-adopted Capital Improvement Program (CIP) prioritization criteria (Resolution No. 87376 C.M.S., adopted September 20, 2018). Priority projects were identified for this grant based on CIP score, grant prioritization criteria, and funding needs.
This prioritization process resulted in the following proposed project:
Bancroft Avenue Greenway Project
• Project Description: The Project will provide a low-stress Class I multi-use path on the existing Bancroft Avenue median from 73rd Avenue to 103rd Avenue. This will involve dedicated bicycle signals at all intersections and new pedestrian-scale lighting. In addition, this Project will install new wayfinding signage, benches, landscaping, and spaces for people to meet or picnic. The proposed project was requested by a predominantly low-income Black and Brown community and will address safety and comfort deficiencies to expand an all-ages and abilities network and improve access to transit and essential places. • Project Readiness: The Department of Transportation (OakDOT) developed concept designs for the Bancroft Avenue Greenway in response to community input during outreach for the 2018 Planning for Paving work, the 2019 Let’s Bike Oakland Plan, and the 2022 East Oakland Mobility Action Plan. Once the ATP funding is appropriated, OakDOT will contract with an outreach and design consultant to refine the designs and bring the Project to construction, working alongside the East Oakland community. • Funding Needs: The local match required for this project is estimated at $5.364M dollars.
This match can be satisfied by various sources currently programmed in the CIP, including the Measure KK Infrastructure Bond, Measure BB grant matching funds, and the Measure U Infrastructure Bond.
Steven Falk, Interim City Administrator
Subject: ATP Cycle 6 – Bancroft Ave. Greenway
Date: March 27, 2023 Page 3
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 11, 2023
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The Oakland Bicycle Master Plan Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), initially certified in 2007 and reaffirmed in 2019 via Addendum, found the recommendations of the plan—including construction of a multi-use path in the existing median on Bancroft Avenue—would result in less than significant impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Project would have no new or substantially more adverse severe impacts, nor would there be any potentially significant off-site impacts, cumulative impacts, or previously identified significant effects not discussed in previous environmental documents. Also, there are no previously identified significant effects determined to have a more severe adverse impact than those discussed in previous environmental documents.
Furthermore, the Project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan or Zoning), 15301(c) (Existing Facilities, Highways and Streets), 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction), 15303 (Small Structures), 15304(h) (minor alterations to land), and/or 15061(b)(3) (No Significant Effect on the Environment). Each of the above exemptions provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
FISCAL IMPACT
Implementation of the Project will have a net positive fiscal impact on the City by funding infrastructure upgrades and enabling the completion of the Project, which would not be possible without significant grant funding. Because this funding source is very competitive, the local match identified below helped secure state funding for East Oakland investments in transportation safety.
The funding breakdown is as follows:
Project Active
Transportation
Program Grant
Local Match
Amount
Local Match
Sources
Notes
Bancroft
Avenue
Greenway
$29,311,000 $5,364,000 Measure KK,
Measure BB,
Measure U
Funds will be appropriated into project and fund numbers to be determined. Local match source funds will be from project and fund numbers to be determined.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The Project was requested by a predominantly low-income Black and Brown community through the planning processes outlined below. Through these efforts, Oakland developed a resident and community-based organization-led design process to ensure that the conceptual designs and final recommendations for the active transportation network along Bancroft Avenue met and prioritized the mobility needs of East Oaklanders.
Steven Falk, Interim City Administrator
Subject: ATP Cycle 6 – Bancroft Ave. Greenway
Date: March 27, 2023 Page 4
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 11, 2023
(1) Through the 2018 Oakland Planning for Paving outreach process, OakDOT learned that many residents in low-income Black and Brown neighborhoods found existing bike lanes, like those on Bancroft Avenue, to be signs of displacement and gentrification.
(2) The Let’s Bike Oakland: 2019 Bike Plan had extensive engagement in East Oakland, including in-person events near the Bancroft Avenue Greenway project corridor. Residents expressed feeling unsafe using the existing bike lane on Bancroft Avenue, due to its location next to speeding vehicles. The Scraper Bike Team and local youth expressed their preference to ride in the middle of the street, where they can comfortably ride side-by-side. Some community members agreed that converting the center median to a shared-use path could be a solution to respond to community preferences. Outreach for the Bike Plan also included a survey, which found that 82 percent of Central East Oaklanders see aggressive drivers as a barrier to biking and 64 percent said they would drive less if biking in Oakland was safer, suggesting a greater need for low-stress bikeways.
As result of this community feedback, the 2019 Bike Plan recommended the construction of the Bancroft Avenue Greenway Class I path.
(3) The 2022 East Oakland Mobility Action Plan included engagement around design elements of the Bancroft Avenue Greenway project using interactive boards and a facilitated short survey.
COORDINATION
The Project builds on community outreach conducted for the 2018 East Oakland Planning for Paving effort, the 2019 Let's Bike Oakland Plan, and the 2022 East Oakland Mobility Action Plan.
All of these plans were coordinated with various internal departments within the City, as well as external stakeholders like the East Oakland Collective, Bike East Bay, and AC Transit. Additionally, OakDOT has worked with the City’s Tree Services Department on placement of volunteer-led tree plantings so the greenway path will not interfere with new tree locations.
The Budget Bureau and City Attorney’s Office were consulted in the preparation of this report and proposed resolution.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Improving key bicycle and pedestrian corridors in East Oakland will contribute to local economic activity. Specifically, the new route will provide a comfortable path to two commercial centers (Eastmont Town and Foothill Square Shopping Centers) that are near the project location.
Environmental: The proposed Project, by providing safer and more comfortable routes for pedestrians and bicyclists, will encourage an overall shift in mode of transportation away from single-occupancy vehicles to more energy-efficient forms of transportation – walking and biking.
The project will also enshrine the existing median as an open space in the community.
Steven Falk, Interim City Administrator
Subject: ATP Cycle 6 – Bancroft Ave. Greenway
Date: March 27, 2023 Page 5
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 11, 2023
Race & Equity: The proposed Project is located in high and highest priority areas as identified in the Department of Transportation’s Racial Equity Team Geographic Equity Tool and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Equity Priorities Community map. The project will advance affordable, accessible, and equitable mobility for East Oakland, specifically informed by public outreach in East Oakland where residents stated that off-street Class I pathways are the preferred treatment for these facilities. The multi-use path creates a new recreational space and affords residents new opportunities for physical activity, relaxation, and non-auto travel.
Steven Falk, Interim City Administrator
Subject: ATP Cycle 6 – Bancroft Ave. Greenway
Date: March 27, 2023 Page 6
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 11, 2023
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Execute And File An Application For Funding For The Bancroft Avenue Greenway For Regional Discretionary Funding Under The Federal Transportation Act Or Continued Funding; Accept And Appropriate An Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant Totaling Twenty-Nine Million Three Hundred Eleven Thousand Dollars ($29,311,000) For The Bancroft Avenue Greenway; Commit A Match Of Up To Five Million Three Hundred Sixty-Four Thousand Dollars ($5,364,000) In Local Funds; State The City’s Intent To Complete The Project; And Adopt Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Craig Raphael, Strategic Planning and Administration Division, at 510-238-7229.
Respectfully submitted,
FRED KELLEY
Director
Department of Transportation
Reviewed by:
Megan Wier
Assistant Director
Department of Transportation
Craig Raphael
Funding Program Manager
Department of Transportation
Prepared by:
Cathy DeLuca
Transportation Planner
Planning and Project Development
Department of Transportation