CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
June 6, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Anita D. Gutierrez, AICP, Development Services Director SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH the Southern California Association of GovernmentS (SCAG) FOR THE City of Pomona Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) Grant Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Pomona Technical Assistance Project RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU) and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the City.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City Council will consider a MOU (Attachment No. 1) with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to support the City of Pomona Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) Grant Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Pomona Technical Assistance Project (Project) with funding, consultant procurement and administrative oversight. This Project consists of a parking, mobility and open space infrastructure, and housing feasibility analysis for Pomona’s City-owned parking lots within its Downtown area to potentially support housing development and leverage the City’s TCC project outcomes.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no General Fund impact with this item. SCAG’s contribution to the Project is funded wholly with REAP Program funds. SCAG shall contribute a maximum, not to exceed Two-Hundred Seventy Thousand Dollars ($270,000) towards the Project to be used solely for the procurement and payment of the Consultant. No Grant Funds will be provided directly to Partner Agency by SCAG.
DISCUSSION:
The request for this MOU comes as a result of the REAP funding becoming available under the California 2019-2020 Budget Act. SCAG was awarded $47 million in REAP funding to support local governments and stakeholders with housing planning activities that accelerate housing production and meet the region’s goals for producing 1.3 million new units of housing by 2029, as determined by the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). SCAG has framed its REAP funding into three umbrella categories including: (1) Partnerships and Outreach, (2) Regional Housing Policy Solutions and (3) Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) Integration. As part of Category (3) Sustainable Community Strategies, SCAG has committed to pursuing partnerships with a particular emphasis on state-funded Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) areas within Priority Growth Areas with a goal of furthering next steps on housing supportive land use analysis and strategy development.
The Project to be funded consists of a parking, mobility and open space infrastructure, and housing feasibility analysis for Pomona’s City-owned parking lots within its Downtown area to potentially support housing development and leverage the City’s TCC project outcomes. There are currently (26) parking lots owned by the City of Pomona’s Vehicle Parking District (VPD) and approximately (21) of those lots would be included in this study. This analysis and pre-development planning work is necessary to support the future release of Requests for Proposals for the re-development of one or more of these lots for housing development, and to establish definitive strategies for parking management and allocation within the Downtown Pomona Specific Plan area, and the enhancement of multi-modal and open space amenities for future residents. The Project also envisions supporting the City’s sustainability goals, including energy and water efficiency.
The goal of the parking analysis component is to provide a strategic plan with specific implementation measures outlining the City’s options for future investments in the parking network to improve mobility, access and utilization in a way that is safe and convenient while minimizing auto congestion, reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), and associated impacts as well as informing the City where parking would be best suited and which lots do not need to remain parking and could be considered for housing or a mix of both. The parking analysis will also recognize evolving technology and future trends in parking systems, management strategies and service delivery. At this juncture, the City is interested in understanding existing parking supply and demand patterns, determining the impacts of future development on existing parking, and conducting a robust stakeholder engagement process intended to both inform the public of quantitative and qualitative findings related to parking and obtain input to shape the parking planning process. As a subsequent component, the City is interested in industry best practices with regard to management of the parking system to improve efficiency and customer service, as well as evaluating possible sites for new parking infrastructure and reevaluating supply and demand following construction of certain high-impact projects. Having a well-planned and coordinated parking system is vital to the long-term fiscal health of the City and ensures the continued viability of Downtown’s economic growth.
Housing is already permitted in the Downtown Pomona Specific Plan, with some of the highest density permitted in the City (40 du/ac min. to over 100 du/ac max) located there. The City envisions that Downtown will play an important role in fulfilling the City’s housing goals in the future. With 26 surface parking lots owned by the VPD, many of which are currently underutilized, there is opportunity to consider some of these assets for housing development, based upon the parking analysis component of this study. The City desires to obtain market and financial feasibility analysis of underutilized (or unneeded based on parking analysis) VPD parking lots to determine the suitability for housing. As part of the housing analysis, existing and current state and local regulations related to housing density and affordability as well as infrastructure needs should be evaluated and integrated in the final site recommendations for housing.
A Project consultant will be procured by SCAG and shall prepare a final package for SCAG and the City that combines all project deliverables, including: a parking analysis, inclusive of parking management plan for downtown Pomona specific plan area, a mobility and open space infrastructure analysis, a feasibility analysis for housing on city-owned lots and recommendations for future programs and incentives.
COUNCIL PRIORITIES & GOALS:
This item supports the 2021 City Council Priority 3: Increased Opportunity and Housing Stability – Goal J: Encourage the development and maintenance of quality housing opportunities for all.
ALTERNATIVE(S):
The City Council has the following alternatives:
Decline to enter into the agreement.
Prepared by:
Anita D. Gutierrez, AICP
Development Services Director
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment No. 1 – Proposed MOU
Memorandum of Understanding with SCAG