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Agenda Report:
October 27, 2025
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Finance Committee
FROM:Department ofTranspori:ation
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SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT
AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN
TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (METRO) TO ACCEPT METRO
ACTIVE TRANSPORT, TRANSIT, AND FIRST/LAST MILE PROGRAM
CYCLE 2(MAT)FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,171,250 FOR THE
PASADENA ROSE BOWL MULTIMODAL OLYMPIC ROUTE
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that this action proposed herein is not a "project" subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 21065 and within the meaning of Section 15378(b);
2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to enter into an agreement with Metro to receive grant funding for the MAT grant in the amount of $7,171,250 and execute any subsequent agreements regarding this grant award; and
1 3. Amend the Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget to appropriate $7,171,250 in MAT Program grant funds to the Mobility Hubs and First/Last Mile Improvements project.
BACKGROUND:
In 2016, the Metro Board of Directors approved the Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan Ordinance, known as Measure M. That same year, Los Angeles County voters approved Measure M, which partially funds many Metro projects, as well as making funding available to local jurisdictions via the Multi-Year Subregional Program, the MAT, and Local Return. The MAT grant is a competitive, discretionary program available I
MEETING OF.10/27/2025AGENDA ITEM NO.6__J
Grant Acceptance - Metro Active Transport, Transit, and First/Last Mile Program Cycle 2 October 27, 2025
to municipalities in Los Angeles County that funds active transportation projects throughout the region. Projects are expected to improve and grow the active transportation network and expand the reach of transit, while increasing travel options as described in Metro's Active Transportation Strategic Plan.
In March 2025, the City of Pasadena signed a historic agreement with the Los Angeles Organizing Committee to bring the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Pasadena.
The Rose Bowl was selected as a Games Venue to host the semifinals and finals for men's and women's soccer and the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center to host diving.
To advance a transit-first 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Metro partnered with Venue cities to identify key streets and corridors that would provide first/last mile connections from venues to high-quality transit. In 2022, as part of Metro's Mobility Concept Plan for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a high-level access analysis was conducted to identify possible improvements and recommendations around ten key venues, including the Rose Bowl. Subsequently, Metro refined these recommendations and compiled a list of 2028 Games High-Value Corridors with the respective local cities to develop conceptual designs. This collaboration resulted in the identification of the Pasadena Rose Bowl Multimodal Olympic Route, which connects the Metro A Line Memorial Park Station and the future North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Station, to the Rose Bowl with active transportation improvements. The proposed route begins at Holly Street at Memorial Park Station, travels to Pasadena Avenue, and then turns onto Walnut Street to Orange Grove Boulevard. Due to MAT Program guidelines, the project area must remain within a half-mile of the A Line Memorial Park Station, where the project terminates at the intersection of Orange Grove Boulevard and Rosemont Avenue.
City staff applied to the MAT grant in April 2025 for the Pasadena Rose Bowl Olympic Route for community outreach, design, and construction. In September 2025, the City was awarded $7,171,000 in MAT grant funding for this project that will accomplish the following goals:
Improve the active transportation network between the Memorial Park Metro Station and the Rose Bowl;
Facilitate walking, hiking, and transit access for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and
Implement legacy improvements to enhance long-term access and connectivity to the Rose Bowl, Aquatics Center, and Brookside Park, following the Olympic Games.
The project will advance through the following phases: concept development, environmental review and clearance, engineering design, and construction. Community input and engagement will be central to the project at every phase of the work, leading to final design and construction towards a solution based on community consensus. Several Grant Acceptance - Metro Active Transport, Transit, and First/Last Mile Program Cycle 2October 27, 2025
engagement strategies will be considered, such as pop-up events, workshops, walking tours, and online tours.
The planning efforts are actively progressing in collaboration with key transportation partners, including LA28, Caltrans, LA Metro, and LADOT, to evaluate and plan for access needs to the Rose Bowl. As these efforts evolve, adjustments and refinements to the proposed route may be necessary. In addition, staff will continue to coordinate closely with the Rose Bowl Operating Company, Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, local business districts, and key stakeholders to further shape and enhance the route.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The MAT grant and the project supports the City's vision of being a more livable andeconomically strong city where people can circulate without cars. The vision relies uponthe integrated and multimodal transportation system that provides choices and accessibility for everyone living and working in the City. This proposed action is consistentwith General Plan Mobility Element policies to enhance livability, and encourage walking,hiking, 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.
E NVIRQN ME NJ'AL ANALYSIS :
CEQA excludes, from environmental review, actions that are not "projects" as defined byCEQA Guidelines Section 21065 and within the meaning of Section 15378(b). Sections 21065 and 15378(b) define a project as an action which may cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Section 15378 excludes from the definition of "project" organizational or administrative governmental activities that do not result in physical changes to the environment. The actions proposed herein, authorizing the City Manager to enter into a contract to receive grant funding, is an organizational or administrative governmental activity that does not result in physical changes to the environment, and therefore is not a"project" as defined by CEQA. Since the action is not a project subject to CEQA, no environmental document is required.
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Grant Acceptance - Metro Active Transport, Transit, and First/Last Mile Program Cycle 2 October 27, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT:
Amend the FY 2026 Capital Improvement Program Budget by appropriating $7,171,250 in MAT grant funds to the Mobility Hubs and First/Last Mile Improvements project. There is no local matching requirement for this grant. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Respectfully submitted,
JOAQUIN T. SIQUES
Director, Department of Transportation
Prepared by:
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Christopher Macias
Associate Engineer
Approved by:
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MIGUEL-^IARQUEZ
City Manager