May 24, 2024
Thomas Wiles
City of Salinas
65 West Alisal Street
Salinas, CA 93901
RE: Central Area Specific Plan Tentative
Map 2021-001 (TM 2021-001)
Dear Mr. Wiles:
Monterey-Salinas Transit District (MST) provides public transportation throughout Monterey County and operates an extensive network and transit center in the City of Salinas. MST has reviewed Tentative Map 2021-001 (TM 2021-001) and would like to make the following comments for your consideration:
MST has undergone several planning initiatives and recently reevaluated and redesigned its bus network through a Comprehensive Operational Analysis. The COA does not plan or propose any new service through the proposed Central Area Specific Plan (CASP) area, without any dedicated funding. However, during the previous public comment period (2021), MST received a tentative map that proposes several new bus stops in the proposed Specific Plan area. MST staff provided comments pertaining to the proposed stops. Please refer to MST comment letter dated October 2021 and MST’s Designing for Transit Guidelines (2020) to ensure that all streetscape designs are compatible with transit. Travel lanes shown as bus routes must be a minimum width of 12-feet for transit to operate without encroaching on other lanes.
In addition, sidewalks must be a minimum of 6-feet in width to ensure adequate access pertinent to the standards of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
As part of a recent regional planning effort, MST led a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Study. The study identifies land use policies and first-/last mile transportation strategies in five study areas to support TOD opportunities, increase transit ridership potential, and reduce vehicle-miles traveled and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The study has basic TOD principles that can be applied throughout the City of Salinas and CASP area. The Plan’s Tentative Map (Tentative Map CASP Density Conformance) plans for village centers and neighborhoods with a mix of multifamily and mixed-use housing, which offer TOD opportunity sites. MST recommends these village centers and neighborhoods have access to transit and active transportation infrastructure to support the Plan’s sustainability goals and lower GHG emissions. Please visit MST’s website to access MST’s TOD planning study:
https://mst.org/about-mst/planning-development/
As the CASP develops further, we ask that the City of Salinas continue to collaborate with MST to ensure that the specific plan area has adequate transit access. If you have any questions about the above comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or 831-264-9288.
Sincerely,
Emma Patel
Planning Manager