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Agenda Report
October 28, 2024
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Finance Committee
FROM: Department of Transportation
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT
AGREEMENT WITH THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION TO
ACCEPT SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL (SS4A) PLANNING
AND DEMONSTRATION GRANT IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$1,556,520
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the action proposed herein is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3)(Common Sense Exemption);
2. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to accept the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning and Demonstration grant in the amount not to exceed $1,556,520 and execute any subsequent agreements regarding the grant award; and
3. Amend the Department of Transportation's FY 2025 operating budget to receive and appropriate $778,260 as detailed in the fiscal impact section.
BACKGROUND:
In 2024, the US Department of Transportation issued a notice of funding opportunity for the SS4A grant program with up to $1.256 billion available for local, regional, and tribal agencies to enhance roadway safety. The SS4A grant program is divided into two distinct grant opportunities, Planning and Demonstration grants and Implementation grants. Planning and Demonstration grants are intended for agencies to develop an Action Plan, conduct supplemental safety planning, or carry out demonstration safety project activities, white Implementation grants are intended to fund projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan.
MEETING OF _10/ 28 /_2024_AGENDA ITEM NO.JJL
Grant Acceptance - Safe Streets and Roads for All
October 28, 2024
The Department of Transportation applied for and was awarded a Planning and Demonstration grant to deploy a Greenway Demonstration Safety Project informed by the City's previous planning documents the 2015 Bicycle Transportation Action Plan and 2021 Greenways Feasibility Study. The award is for $1 ,556,520 and requires a $389,130 local match. Grant funds must be expended within five years of the grant agreement execution.
The project is a 3.8-mile stretch of El Molino Avenue from Atchison Street to Bonita Drive that provides connections to key destinations, includes diverse typologies (residential and commercial), and has a documented crash history. Additionally, this section of El Molino Avenue is identified for Greenway improvements in the City's Bicycle Transportation Action Plan. The demonstration project would evaluate temporary safety treatments, engage the community, and gather data through an innovative Greenway quick-build demonstration. Evaluating Greenway demonstration safety treatments across El Molino Avenue's varied contexts will create a template for future implementation of the Greenways Project permanent improvements. The City intends to evaluate a breadth of Greenway treatments with quick-build materials that would include pedestrian medians, traffic circles, painted curb extensions, vehicle traffic diverters, hardened centerlines, bike boxes, and speed tables. These temporary installations will allow residents to experience different Greenway treatments firsthand, providing valuable feedback. This approach will inform the forthcoming Citywide Active Transportation Plan and Greenways Project, ensuring evidence-based planning and deployment of effective safety measures with strong community support.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The Planning and Demonstration grant supports the General Plan guiding principle that Pasadena will be a city where people can circulate without cars. This proposed action is consistent with General Plan Mobility Element policies to enhance livability, and encourage walking, biking, transit, and other alternatives to motor vehicles. This program is also consistent with the City's goals to improve, maintain, and enhance public facilities and infrastructure and to improve mobility and accessibility in the City.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The action proposed herein is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the "Common Sense" exemption that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Such is the case with the authorization to enter into a contract with the FHWA for the Safe Streets and Roads for All Planning and Demonstration grant and related activities.
Grant Acceptance - Safe Streets and Roads for All
October 28, 2024
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended action will result in a total grant award of $1,556,520 over two years which requires a local match of $389,130 ($113,208 In-Kind and $275,922 direct funding). Of this amount, $778,260 is anticipated to be spent in FY 2025.
Therefore, the Department of Transportation's FY 2025 Operating Budget will be amended by recognizing revenue and appropriating $778,260 to General Fund (101), Project 95072. Funding for the local match will be absorbed in the Department of Transportation's operating budget. The Department will budget future grant revenue and appropriations during the annual operating budget cycle.
Respectfully submitted,
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JOAQUIN T. SIQUES
Director, Department of Transportation
Prepared by:
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Scott Johnson
Senior Planner
Approved by:
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MIGUETMARQUEZ
City Manager