Agenda Item #13.3
For Council Meeting of: June 17, 2025
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ROBERT SPRINKLE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT - TRAFFIC ENGINEERING SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION FOR SUBMITTAL OF A SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL FEDERAL GRANT FOR THE SEBASTOPOL ROAD MULTIMODAL SAFETY CORRIDOR PROJECT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Transportation and Public Works Department that the Council, by resolution: 1) authorize the submittal of an application for the Fiscal Year 2025 Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant for the Sebastopol Road Multimodal Safety Corridor Project and the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Demonstration Project on West Avenue and Dutton Avenue from Sebastopol Road to Hearn Avenue; and if the grant application is successful; 2) authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute a grant award and all required documents; and 3) authorize the Chief Financial Officer to appropriate funds in the amount of the grant award.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant, administered by the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT), was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the Biden Administration. SS4A appropriated $5 billion in grant funding over five years, from 2022 to 2026. The grant funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Almost $2 billion is still available for future funding rounds. The most recent funding round was opened in March 2025 with an application deadline of June 26, 2025.
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Rosa has been awarded partial SS4A funding in a past cycle. The City was awarded $1.75 million through a joint application with the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) for a safety demonstration project to test traffic safety improvements at intersections on the High Injury Network. City staff is currently working on narrowing the list of locations to be tested since the grant was only partially awarded. Work is anticipated to begin in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/2026. The fund award has not yet been executed by US DOT and SCTA.
For this cycle, Transportation and Public Works staff is requesting authorization to apply for a new project with two components. The application would include:
A request for Planning Funding to complete the Sebastopol Road Multimodal Safety Corridor Project, which would include corridor planning on Sebastopol Road from South Wright Road to Olive Street. The study would examine existing conditions to determine where transportation safety could be improved to benefit all road users, specifically those most vulnerable to death or serious injury. Sebastopol Road is on the City’s High Injury Network and safety improvements have been loosely defined in the 2018 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, the 2022 Local Road Safety Plan, the 2016 Roseland Specific Plan, and the 2035 General Plan. Safety improvements are also identified in the upcoming Active Transportation Plan and the 2050 General Plan Update. The intent of the Project is to conduct a corridor-specific study to determine the conceptual plan for a project and to collect feedback from the community.
A request for Demonstration Funding to conduct traffic calming demonstration projects on West Avenue and Dutton Avenue, both from Sebastopol Road to Hearn Avenue. This project would include working closely with the community to test various temporary traffic calming techniques to make the corridors safer for all modes of transportation, specifically those most vulnerable to death or serious injury. The project will have benefits for families and for students attending various schools in the Roseland area. The demonstration project would include before and after project monitoring on West Avenue and Dutton Avenue, as well as monitoring on nearby roadways to track any unintended consequences and how they could be remedied for successful long-term implementation.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
Prior Council review includes the adoption of various City long range plans, including the 2018 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, the 2022 Local Road Safety Plan, the 2016 Roseland Specific Plan, and the 2035 General Plan. The project is also consistent with the 2022 Vision Zero Action Plan and subsequent Implementation Plan. Safety improvements are also identified in the upcoming Active Transportation Plan and the 2050 General Plan Update, both of which have been presented at Council meetings throughout their planning process.
ANALYSIS
This cycle of SS4A funding has two components for funding consideration: Implementation Grants which fund construction of capital projects and Planning and Demonstration Grants which fund the planning of projects, or the testing of temporary project improvements that support a larger project. The funding for Planning and Demonstration Grants has been less competitive in the first three funding cycles, meaning the funds are easier to secure.
The two projects chosen for the SS4A Planning and Demonstration grant proposal were done so based on data gathered through the Active Transportation Plan development process, weighed against the current priorities set forth by the United States Department of Transportation. These priorities include, but are not limited to, projects which would improve the economic conditions of local cities and towns; projects which would result in a safety benefit; and projects located in a federally designated “Area of Persistent Poverty.” The proposed Sebastopol Road Multimodal Safety Corridor Project and the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Demonstration Project meet all the listed US DOT priorities above. The projects are located partially in an Area of Persistent Poverty, and are also located in areas with considerable residential and commercial development. The projects include an arterial roadway that supports regionally significant businesses and that is located on or adjacent to the City’s High Injury Network.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City would be required to grant match 20% of the project cost. The 20% grant match would come from the Bicycle Facilities fund in FY 2026/2027 which uses gas tax and Capital Facilities Fee funds set aside for implementation of projects in the Active Transportation Plan. Staff will request approximately $1,000,000 of SS4A funding for a total project cost of approximately $1,250,000.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378, the proposed action is not a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. In the alternative, the proposed action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
PRESENTER
Torina Wilson, Transportation Planner
REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION FOR SUBMITTAL OF A SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL FEDERAL GRANT FOR THE SEBASTOPOL ROAD MULTIMODAL SAFETY CORRIDOR PROJECT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT PAGE 3 OF 3