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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED (VMT) MITIGATION BANK PILOT PROGRAMCity Council MeetingDecember 17, 2024Public Works Department RiversideCA.gov2
SUMMARY•City of Riverside Presentation •VMT Background & Exemptions, Current Approach•Kimley-Horn & Associates (KHA) Presentation •Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Pilot Program 1 2
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SENATE BILL (SB) 743 BACKGROUND•Historically, Level of Service (automobile delay) was the transportation metric used when evaluating traffic impacts.•Senate Bill (SB) 743– State mandated local agencies to adopt Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) by 7/1/20 as transportation metric.Transition to VMT Methodology:•Phase I (Establish CEQA compliance, set thresholds & exemptions)- Adopted VMT methodology on 6/16/20 •Phase II– Establish VMT Mitigation Program (*we are here now*)(2024) RiversideCA.gov4
Level of Service (LOS)
Average Delay45 SecondsImpact to the DriverDriver’s Impact to Transportation System4 vehicles travel 30 milesor simply4x30 = 120 VMTLOS A B C D E F Source: Kimley Horn & AssociatesSenate Bill 743 Mandate July 2020Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)30 milesNon-CEQA 3 4
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W.R.C.O.G.– Traffic Impact Study Guidelines with VMT Methodology Blueprint (Adopted 2020)VMT Screening Tool Map of low, moderate or high VMT area & compares to thresholdsProject Type Screening 1. Transit Priority Area (TPA)2. Low VMT Area3. Project Type 4. Mixed Use Projects5. Redevelopment ProjectsVMT EXEMPTION PROCESS5 RiversideCA.gov6
VMT SCREENING CRITERIASCREENING PROCESS (Exemptions) – Does the Project Need a VMT Analysis? Residential & Transit Screening Office and Industrial Screening*Maps for visualization purposes only, individual site review conducted by Traffic Engineering Division 5 6
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VMT EXEMPTION HISTORICAL DATADEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS REVIEWED ANNUALLY ~ 175 ProjectsVMT exempted projects use screening criteria:•Local Serving Project (50%) (less than 50K square ft retail)•Project Type Screening (20%)•Housing Element Site (10%) •Smaller Projects (10%) 90% of development applications are exempt from VMT analysis RiversideCA.gov8
VMT IMPACTS & MITIGATION (EXISTING EFFORTS)•How To Mitigate Significant VMT Impacts of the 10% projects?-Mitigation measures from CAPCOA Handbook and / or- Prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR)•VMT Mitigation Costs:- EIR costs in the range of 100K-400K; EIR = TIME- Schedule will take months- Capital improvements can be excessive•VMT Mitigation - Lessons Learned:- Not so simple as state mandate for local agencies- Local agency approach varies widely- Full VMT mitigation may not be feasible 7 8
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VMT MITIGATION PILOT PROGRAM OPTIONVMT Mitigation Pilot Program Benefits:•Streamline the development process•Provide certainty to developers•Mitigation option for other agenciesVMT Mitigation Bank Pilot Program Started (2023)https://www.riversidevmt.com/Multiple Public Outreach Meetings Goal is to adopt program by 2024! RiversideCA.gov10
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VMT MITIGATION PILOT PROGRAM
Summary:
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VMT MITIGATION PILOT PROGRAM PURPOSEStudy Purposes•Identify new solutions to mitigate significant transportations impacts•Provide information to public about VMT •Evaluate the feasibility of a VMT Mitigation Program11 12 12/3/2024
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VMT MITIGATION PILOT PROGRAM OUTREACHOutreach Efforts
Targeted Agencies:•WRCOG•County of Riverside•RTA•UCRProject Website:https://www.riversidevmt.com/ RiversideCA.gov14
VMT MITIGATION PILOT PROGRAM RECOMMENDATION•VMT Bank is the Recommended Framework 13 14
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How VMT Mitigation Program Works (If There’s an Impact) Note: Numbers Used are Provided as an ExampleProject Specific Mitigation RiversideCA.gov16
How a VMT Bank Works
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MITIGATION PROGRAM PROJECTS ANALYZED•29 bike projects analyzed•11 pedestrian projects considered, 4 analyzed•14 transit operations projects screened•6 transit projects analyzed•3 Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures considered –Carpool – not analyzed–Telecommute: Work-from-Home (WFH) every day vs. WFH 1 day a week•Analyzed–Free Transit Pass – not analyzed RiversideCA.gov18
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PROGRAM COST PER VMT REDUCED COMPARISONCost per VMT Reduced ($/VMT Reduced)StatusVMT Mitigation Program FormatAgency$150/VMT reducedImplemented in 2023, with a cost basis of $150/VMTVMT Mitigation Fee Optional ProgramCity of Lancaster$261/VMT reducedImplemented 2024, with a cost basis of $261/VMTVMT BankCity of Palmdale$1,400/VMT reducedImplemented in 2020, with a cost basis of $1,400/VMTActive Transportation In-Lieu Impact FeeCity of San Diego$1,524/VMT reduced (maximum)Implemented March 2023, with a cost basis of $1,524/VMTVMT BankCity of Watsonville$161/VMT reduced$2,000,000 in grant funds awarded in 2024 to seed identified mitigation measures. Telework program expected to result in $161/VMT reducedVMT BankSan Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA)--In development. Optional participation and expected to be implemented in 2025VMT ExchangeWestern Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) RiversideCA.gov22
VMT MITIGATION BANK PILOT PROGRAM21
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VMT MITIGATION (ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS)•VMT Bank Programs:-Funds will be utilized for VMT reducing projects (bike, ped & transit)- Cannot utilize funding for vehicle improvement projects- Proposed WRCOG VMT Mitigation Exchange Program •General Plan Update:- Recommendations from VMT Mitigation Pilot Program - Programmatic EIR would allow for tiering of projects•CEQA VMT Thresholds:- 2020 VMT Adoption – 15% below baseline conditions- Amend CEQA VMT Threshold to baseline conditionsconsistent with other jurisdictions (Amend Reso. 23589) 23 24
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NEXT STEPS Transportation Board Meeting 11/6/24 (Approval recommended)Planning Commission Meeting 11/21/24Land Use Committee Meeting 12/9/24City Council Meeting 12/17/24Pilot Program Begins in early 2025! RiversideCA.gov26
Strategic Priority 6 – Infrastructure, Mobility & ConnectivityGoal 6.2 – to maintain, protect and improve assets and infrastructure within the City’s built environment to ensure and enhance reliability, resiliency, sustainability, and facilitate connectivity.Cross-Cutting Threads STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT25
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Staff recommends that the City Council:1. Adopt a of Resolution approving the Vehicle Miles Traveled(VMT) Mitigation Bank Pilot Program, recommending Option A(VMT Mitigation Bank Option) and associated bike projectsdetailed within the VMT Mitigation Program Report;2. Introduce an Ordinance, amending Title 16 of the RiversideMunicipal Code by adding Chapter 16.80 related to theVehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Impact Fee MitigationProgram;RECOMMENDATIONS RiversideCA.gov28
3. Adopt a Resolution modifying the existing CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act (CEQA) VMT transportation Impactthreshold to the current jurisdictional baseline VMT per capitafor new residential projects and the current jurisdictionalbaseline VMT per employee for new office and industrialprojects and revise the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) Guidelinesaccordingly; and4. Direct staff to conduct a workshop to educate thedevelopment community in the application of the new vehiclemiles traveled mitigation program including a training sessionon the TredLite software to address projects with transportationrelated VMT impacts.RECOMMENDATIONS27 28