1 800 Dubuque
DRAFT Transportation
Demand Management Plan
Prepared for:
City of South San Francisco
DRAFT March 6, 2023
2 Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................... 3 Project Description......................................................................................................................................................................3 Project Setting............................................................................................................................... 6 Transit Connections.....................................................................................................................................................................6 BART..........................................................................................................................................................................................6 Caltrain.....................................................................................................................................................................................6 WETA (San Francisco Bay Ferry).....................................................................................................................................6 SamTrans.................................................................................................................................................................................8 First/Last Mile Shuttle Connections..............................................................................................................................8 Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections.....................................................................................................................................9 San Mateo County TDM Resources ......................................................................................................................................9 Proposed Transportation Demand Management Program.................................................... 11 Proposed TDM Program .........................................................................................................................................................11 Enhanced Shuttle Commitment...................................................................................................................................11 Fully Subsidized Transit Passes ....................................................................................................................................12 Transit Capital Improvements & Active Transportation Gap Closure...........................................................12 Onsite Pedestrian...............................................................................................................................................................12 Bicycle Repair Station.......................................................................................................................................................12 TDM Checklist..............................................................................................................................................................................12 Proposed Trip Cap.....................................................................................................................................................................13 Monitoring and Enforcement ................................................................................................... 15 Monitoring Methods ................................................................................................................................................................15 Survey Approach................................................................................................................................................................15 Trip Cap Monitoring.........................................................................................................................................................17 Triennial Midday Parking Occupancy Survey .........................................................................................................18 Relationship to Parking Management Plan.....................................................................................................................18 Enforcement & Fines ................................................................................................................................................................18 3 Introduction
This report presents a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan, per City of South San Francisco Zoning Code Chapter 20.400, for the proposed office/research & development building at 800 Dubuque Avenue, herein referred to as the “Project.” A description of the proposed project is included on the following pages.
The City of South San Francisco TDM Ordinance strives to accomplish the following goals:
• Reduce the amount of traffic generated by new nonresidential development. • Ensure that expected increases in traffic resulting from growth in employment opportunities in the City of South San Francisco will be adequately mitigated. • Reduce drive-alone commute trips during peak traffic periods by using a combination of services, incentives, and facilities.
• Promote the more efficient utilization of existing transportation facilities and ensure that new developments are designed in ways to maximize the potential for alternative transportation usage.
• Establish an ongoing monitoring and enforcement program to ensure that the desired alternative mode use percentages are achieved.
The City requires the Project to enact a TDM program to achieve a maximum drive alone commute mode share of 50 percent pursuant to the City’s Municipal Code Chapter 20.400. Additionally, the Project must implement annual monitoring of a site-specific trip cap. These requirements are consistent with a Tier 4 classification (large office/R&D project) under the TDM Ordinance and also meet the TDM requirements established by the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG).
This TDM Plan identifies a set of strategies, measures, and incentives to encourage future tenant employees at the project to walk, bicycle, ride transit, or carpool when commuting to and from work.
In order to accomplish this goal, this plan presents a range of proven strategies and measures used across the Bay Area.
Project Description
The Project includes 857,000 square feet of office/R&D space, an event center with capacity for up to 450 attendees, tenant-oriented dining and fitness amenities, and 1,335 parking spaces. The Project is located on Dubuque Avenue between Oyster Point Boulevard and East Grand Avenue. Site access would be provided via two driveway connections on Dubuque Avenue and sidewalk connections to Dubuque Avenue. A shuttle and passenger loading area is provided at the northern driveway entrance.
Figure 1 illustrates the Project location, while Figure 2 depicts site circulation.
San Bruno
Mtn. State and
County Park
3101
West Orange Avenue
Airport Boulevard
Huntington Avenue
Westborough Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard
Harbor Wy
Ai
rpo
rt
Boulevard
South Linden Avenue
San
Mateo
Aven
u
e
Sister Cities Boulevard
Oyster Point Boulevard
Grand Avenue
EastGrand Avenue
South Airport Boulevard
Orange Avenue
Chestnut
Avenue
Hillside Boulevard
Linden Avenue
G
ull R
o
a
d
Country Club Drive
Utah Avenue
El Camino Real
Dubuque Avenue
Hillside Boulevard
DNAWy
El Camino Real
Lawndale Boulevard
Gateway Bouleva
rd
South Spruce
Aven
ue
Avalon Drive
Forbes Boulevard
∙82
&%280
South San Francisco
Caltrain
South San
Francisco BART
South San
Francisco
Ferry
W:\San Francisco N Drive\Projects\2021_Projects\SF21-1200_Dubuque Corridor Planning\Graphics\GIS\MXD\800_Dubuque_Alt.aprx Project Location
Regional Rail
BART
Caltrain
Project Site
Cities
Water Area
Parks
Figure 1
Legend: Vehicular Circulation Pedestrian Circulation Shuttle Loading Zone Figure 2: Site and Circulation Plan 6 Project Setting
Transit Connections
The following transit services operate within South San Francisco near the Project site. Existing transit services are shown in Figure 3. Descriptions provided in this section reflect transit operations in Fall 2022.
BART
BART provides regional rail service between the East Bay, San Francisco, and San Mateo County, with connections to San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae Intermodal Station to the south, San Francisco to the north, and Oakland, Richmond, Pittsburgh/Bay Point, Dublin/Pleasanton and Fremont in the East Bay. Two BART lines serve South San Francisco Station: the Yellow Line connecting Antioch with San Francisco International Airport, and the Red Line connecting Richmond and Millbrae. Each BART line operates every 15-minutes throughout the day. The South San Francisco BART Station is located approximately three miles to the west of the Project site.
Caltrain
Caltrain provides passenger rail service on the Peninsula between San Francisco and San José, and limited service to Morgan Hill and Gilroy during weekday commute periods. The South San Francisco Caltrain Station is located less than one half mile from the Project site. The station is served by local and limited trains from around 5:30 A.M. to 12:00 A.M., with approximately 30-minute headways during peak periods and 60-minute headways during off-peak periods. In early 2022, Caltrain relocated the South San Francisco Caltrain station several hundred feet to the south near the East Grand Avenue/Airport Boulevard intersection to provide more direct pedestrian and shuttle access to the East of 101 area via a tunnel with access at East Grand Avenue and Poletti Way. By 2024, Caltrain plans to complete its electrification project to support the operation of faster and more frequent rail service on the Peninsula, and expects to modify its schedules accordingly.
WETA (San Francisco Bay Ferry)
The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) provides weekday commuter ferry service between the Oakland/Alameda ferry terminals and the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal at Oyster Point (known as the San Francisco Bay Ferry). There are three morning departures from Oakland/Alameda to South San Francisco, and three evening departures from South San Francisco to Oakland/Alameda. The South San Francisco Ferry Terminal is located approximately 1.5 miles to the east of the Project site.
San Bruno
Mtn. State and
County Park
3101
West Orange Avenue
Airport Boulevard
Huntington Avenue
Westborough Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard
Harbor Wy
Ai
rpo
rt
Boulevard
South Linden Avenue
San
Mateo
Aven
u
e
Sister Cities Boulevard
Oyster Point Boulevard
Grand Avenue
EastGrand Avenue
South Airport Boulevard
Orange Avenue
Chestnut
Avenue
Hillside Boulevard
Linden Avenue
G
ull R
o
a
d
Country Club Drive
Utah Avenue
El Camino Real
Dubuque Avenue
Hillside Boulevard
DNAWy
El Camino Real
Lawndale Boulevard
Gateway Bouleva
rd
South Spruce
Aven
ue
Avalon Drive
Forbes Boulevard
∙82
&%280
OTP
122
ECR
397
130B
122
ECR
141
292
130A
South San Francisco
Caltrain
South San
Francisco BART
South San
Francisco
Ferry
W:\San Francisco N Drive\Projects\2021_Projects\SF21-1200_Dubuque Corridor Planning\Graphics\GIS\MXD\800_Dubuque.aprx Transit Connections
BART
Caltrain
SamTrans
One Tower Place (OTP) Shuttle
Cities
Water Area
Parks
Project Site
Figure 3
Transit and Regional Rail
Note: Shuttle services that do not directly serve the
Project site are not shown, including the Oyster
Point BART, Oyster Point Caltrain, Oyster Point Ferry,
Utah Grand BART, Utah Grand Caltrain, Utah Grand
Ferry, and South City shuttles.
8 SamTrans
SamTrans provides bus service in San Mateo County. Two SamTrans routes operate near the Project site:
Route 292, which connects San Francisco and San Mateo via local stop service on Airport Boulevard, and Route 130, which connects the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal with Downtown South San Francisco and Daly City via local stop service on Gateway Boulevard. The nearest stops for each route are about a ½ mile walk via the Oyster Point Boulevard or Grand Avenue overpasses due to barriers posed by the US101 freeway and Caltrain railroad tracks.
First/Last Mile Shuttle Connections
The Project site is directly served by the One Tower Place shuttle operated by the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance (Commute.org). The One Tower Place shuttle serves both the South San Francisco BART Station and the South San Francisco Caltrain Station with four morning and four afternoon trips at hourly intervals via a single 20 passenger vehicle. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the shuttle served approximately 90 passengers per day; however, ridership declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has not yet recovered due to the increase in remote work. The shuttle is funded by a combination of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority’s Shuttle Call for Projects Grants and matching private sector contributions from participating office/R&D sites.
No direct shuttle connections are provided to the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal due to insufficient demand. However, the Oyster Point Ferry shuttle includes a stop at the eastern entrance of the South San Francisco Caltrain Station, which is less than a ten-minute walk to the Project site.
The One Tower Place Shuttle. Source: SamTrans
9 Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections
The Project site is located between U.S. 101 to the west and Caltrain tracks to the east, which heavily constrains bicycle and pedestrian connectivity with downtown South San Francisco or other locations in the East of 101 area. Dubuque Avenue has a continuous sidewalk along the east side of the street that connects to both overpasses and the South San Francisco Caltrain station. People walking or biking elsewhere may travel via three routes: the Oyster Point Boulevard overpass to the north, the East Grand Avenue overpass to the south, or walking through the Caltrain platform to the station underpass.
While the City continues to expand its bicycle and pedestrian network, the East of 101 Area has historically experienced low volumes of pedestrians and bicyclists due to commute lengths, lack of continuous low stress facilities, lack of network connectivity to residences and transit stations, and topography. To address the gap in the bicycle and pedestrian network near the Project site, The City has proposed a bicycle and pedestrian bridge in the vicinity of the Project site connecting Airport Boulevard and Poletti Way/Gateway Boulevard in its Active South City Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Figure 5 illustrates existing and planned bikeway facilities as well as sidewalk infrastructure gaps in South San Francisco.
San Mateo County TDM Resources
The project would have access to trip reduction services offered by Commute.org. Commute.org is a public agency whose mission is to reduce the number of drive-alone vehicles traveling to, from or through San Mateo County. The agency’s goal is to help residents and commuters find alternatives to driving alone that are less stressful, less costly, and better the environment. The agency provides information and commute planning assistance to employees, employer programs, and city transportation demand management partnerships. Figure 4 illustrates some current promotions and services offered by Commute.org that are open to all employees in San Mateo County.
Figure 4: Commute.org TDM Promotional Programs
San Bruno
Mtn. State and
County Park
3101
West Orange Avenue
Airport Boulevard
Huntington Avenue
Westborough Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard
Harbor Wy
Ai
rpo
rt
Boulevard
South Linden Avenue
San
Mateo
Aven
u
e
Sister Cities Boulevard
Oyster Point Boulevard
Grand Avenue
EastGrand Avenue
South Airport Boulevard
Orange Avenue
Chestnut
Avenue
Hillside Boulevard
Linden Avenue
G
ull R
o
a
d
Country Club Drive
Utah Avenue
El Camino Real
Dubuque Avenue
Hillside Boulevard
DNAWy
El Camino Real
Lawndale Boulevard
Gateway Bouleva
rd
South Spruce
Aven
ue
Avalon Drive
Forbes Boulevard
∙82
&%280
South San Francisco
Caltrain
South San
Francisco BART
South San
Francisco
Ferry
W:\San Francisco N Drive\Projects\2021_Projects\SF21-1200_Dubuque Corridor Planning\Graphics\GIS\MXD\800_Dubuque_Alt.aprx Bicycle Connections
Existing Bikeways
Class I Shared Path
Class II Bicycle Lane
Class III Bicycle Route
Class IV Separated Bikeway
Planned Bikeways
Class I Shared Path
Class II/IIB Bicycle Lane
Class III Bicycle Route
Class III Neighborhood Bikeway
Class IV Separated Bikeway
Project Site
Figure 5
11 Proposed Transportation Demand
Management Program
This section summarizes the Project’s proposed TDM program as presently envisioned in the planning process. When applying for a Certificate of Occupancy, the applicant shall submit a compliance form and appropriate attachments finalizing the TDM program and documenting how the program will be implemented before the site reaches 50% occupancy.
Proposed TDM Program
The City’s TDM Ordinance has two components: a points-based planning checklist and annual performance monitoring thresholds. As a Tier 4 project, the Project is required to submit a completed TDM checklist that achieves a minimum threshold of 50 points, consistent with achieving a 50 percent drive alone mode share target (via survey) and compliance with an onsite trip cap (via counts).
As illustrated in Table 1, the project would implement all required measures per the City’s TDM Ordinance, including the following:
▪ 50% Transit Pass Subsidies and Pre-Tax Transit Benefits ▪ Participation in Commute.org Programs
▪ Carpool/Vanpool Programs and Parking
▪ Bicycle Storage, Showers, and Lockers
▪ Designated TDM Coordinator
▪ Bicycle and Pedestrian-Oriented Site Access
▪ Encourage Telecommuting & Flexible Work Schedules
The following optional measures would also be implemented.
Enhanced Shuttle Commitment
The Project would contribute additional funding sufficient to achieve 30-minute frequencies on the One Tower Place shuttle. Increasing shuttle frequency would enable more convenient connections to BART and Caltrain, supporting a more user-friendly service conducive to higher transit ridership and mode share.
Achieving 30-minute frequencies would require a second vehicle serving the route provided via Commute.org. If a second vehicle is not available via Commute.org, then the property manager would directly contract a second vehicle to interline the service with Commute.org. The shuttle would continue to be open to the public per City Ordinance requirements, and would be eligible for grant funding via the San Mateo County Transportation Authority’s Shuttle Call for Projects program. 12 Eventually, Commute.org may also consider an extension of the Oyster Point Ferry Shuttle to serve the Project site; however, this extension should be weighed against potential effects on trip time, frequency, and reliability since the Project site would require a substantial diversion from the existing route. There is insufficient demand to warrant a dedicated ferry shuttle at this time, although such a route may be considered by the TDM Coordinator in collaboration with Commute.org and adjacent properties in the future as ferry service levels and development activity increases along the Dubuque corridor.
Fully Subsidized Transit Passes
To encourage transit use, employees at the Project site would be provided with fully subsidized transit passes. A subsidy of 100 percent of transit commute travel would be provided via employers (up to the maximum IRS benefit if applicable).
Transit Capital Improvements & Active Transportation Gap Closure The Project would contribute toward capital improvements at the northern entrance to the South San Francisco Caltrain station. As illustrated in Figure 6, the scope of work would include a sidewalk connection between the station and Dubuque Avenue, a shuttle stop and waiting area adjacent to the station platforms, a rehabilitated parking lot, and landscaping areas. Funding for these improvements would be in addition to improvements provided by the 580 Dubuque project.
Onsite Pedestrian-Oriented Amenities
The Project would incorporate onsite amenities for tenants including food and beverage service, a fitness center, and an event center. Onsite amenity spaces support internalizing trips and reduce the need for short auto trips.
Bicycle Repair Station
The Project would provide an onsite bicycle repair station for routine maintenance of bicycles.
TDM Checklist
Based on the required and optional measures described above, the Project would meet the required 50- point threshold for Tier 4 projects as illustrated in Table 1.
Table 1: Tier 4 TDM Certification Checklist
Type TDM Measure Eligible
Points
Proposed
Project
Points
Required Measures
(20 Points)
50% Transit Pass Subsidies and Pre-Tax Transit Benefits 7 7 Participation in Commute.org Programs 5 5
Carpool/Vanpool Programs and Parking 3 3
Bicycle Storage, Showers, and Lockers 2 2
Designated TDM Coordinator 1 1
13 Type TDM Measure Eligible
Points
Proposed
Project
Points
Bicycle and Pedestrian-Oriented Site Access 1 1
Encourage Telecommuting & Flexible Work Schedules 1 1
Optional Measures
Paid Parking or Parking Cash-Out 10
Enhanced Shuttle Commitment 10 10
Fully Subsidized Transit Passes 8 8
Affordable Housing 6
Active Transportation Gap Closure Up to 6 2
Transit Capital Improvements Up to 6 6
On-Site Pedestrian-Oriented Amenities 3 3
Bikeshare Program Participation 3
Shared Parking Approach 2
Cash Incentives 2
On-Site Carshare 2
Active Transportation Subsidies 1
Bicycle Repair Station 1 1
Requirements Tier 4 Projects 50 50
Proposed Trip Cap
Tier 4 projects are subject to site-specific trip caps that limit the number of peak-direction vehicle trips that a site generates during peak periods. Trip caps should reinforce mode share and parking requirements for the site while allowing some flexibility to accommodate fluctuations in employee density, daily variations in travel patterns, and anticipated levels of guest/visitor travel activity. The proposed trip cap is 1,680 peak period, peak direction vehicle trips, based on the calculations below (values rounded to the nearest 10):
• 857,000 square feet / 300 square feet per employee = 2,860 employees • Target 50% drive-alone rate for employees: 50% x 2,860 employees = 1,430 vehicle trips • Target 12% carpool rate: 12% x 2,860 employees / 3 people per vehicle = 110 vehicle trips • 10% allowance for non-employee trips: 10% x 1,430 vehicle trips = 140 vehicle trips • Peak period trip cap: 1,430 + 110 + 140 = 1,680 vehicle trips Figure 6: South San Francisco Caltrain Station Parking Lot Improvement Site Plan 15 Monitoring and Enforcement
The TDM program will be monitored based on the requirements in the South San Francisco TDM Ordinance. The Project would comply with any future changes to the City’s monitoring and enforcement practices as described in its TDM Ordinance.
Monitoring Methods
Survey monitoring for Tier 3 and Tier 4 projects would apply to commute trips only. Participants are expected to provide a good faith effort in reducing non-commute trips, but these trips would only be monitored via vehicle trip counts.
Survey Approach
Participants have two options in administering a survey:
1. Administer a statistically valid survey sufficient to achieve a margin of error of +/- 3 percent at a 90 percent confidence interval, with documentation of the survey methods and calculations by an independent consultant to support the validity of the survey.
2. Administer an online survey with a minimum response rate of 75 percent of the employee population.
The following survey language would be included in all mode share surveys based on guidance provided by the City of South San Francisco. The site’s TDM coordinator may expand upon this survey language to seek additional information as needed.
1. Which of the following best represents your employment at [location]? (check one) o Full-time Employee
o Part-time Employee
o Contract Employee
2. In what ZIP code is your home located? (enter 5-digit ZIP code; for example, 94901) ___[Fill in the blank]_______
o Prefer Not to Answer
o If prefer not to answer: Approximately how many miles is it from your home to your office in South San Francisco?
3. In the past week, what time did you usually arrive to work (check one)? ____[Drop down in increments of 30 minutes, from 6 AM – 10AM, before 6AM, or after 10AM]_____ 16 4. In the past week, what time did you usually leave work (check one)? ____[Drop down in increments of 30 minutes, from 3 PM – 7PM, before 3PM, or after 7PM]_______
5. In the past week, on which days did you use each of the following transportation modes to travel to work? If you used more than one mode, (e.g. you take Caltrain and then bicycle), identify the mode that was the longest part of your trip.
Transportation Mode Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Drove a car or motorcycle alone
Rode as a carpool passenger
Drove a carpool with one or
more other adults
Vanpooled or Carpooled with 6
or more people
Rode a bus, train, ferry, or other
public transit
Rode a Bicycle or Scooter
Walked all the way
Dropped off by a friend/family
member
Dropped off by Uber, Lyft, taxi,
etc.
Worked from home /
telecommuted / worked offsite
Did not work this day
Other (please specify)
6. [Only ask if respondent answered transit] Which of the following services did you use last week? (Check all that apply)
□ Caltrain
□ BART
□ SamTrans
□ Ferry
□ Shuttle (shorter distance service to/from regional transit such as BART, Caltrain, or ferry)
□ Express bus (longer distance service to/from my home or a park & ride) 17 7. [Only ask if respondent answered carpool] If you travel by carpool, how many total people traveled with you to work (not including yourself)? o 1 other person
o 2 other people
o 3 other people
o 4+ other people
8. [Only ask if respondent answered drive alone] What is the primary reason you choose to drive alone?
___[Fill in the blank]_______
Trip Cap Monitoring
Trip cap compliance would be monitored via annual vehicle counts at the Project’s two driveways. Counts would be conducted by an independent vendor over a period of one week during which school is in session.
Reporting
As a Tier 4 project, the Project will be required to prepare and submit to the City an annual compliance form documenting the continued implementation of TDM measures, for the lifespan of the Project. In addition to the compliance form, survey results would be provided to the City in a standardized format as specified by staff. Formatted reports would be optional but not required.
In order to calculate drive alone mode share, the TDM coordinator and City staff would sum the total number of trips completed via the following modes:
• Drove a car or motorcycle alone
• Dropped off by a friend/family member
• Dropped off by Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc.
• Non-responses if greater than 25 percent of the site’s employee population Trip counts would be included with the annual survey results and summarize total trips, AM peak period trips into the site (6:00 AM to 10:00 AM), and PM peak period trips out of the site (3:00 PM to 7:00 PM).In all instances, participants in the program must provide raw data to the City as part of their compliance package, including:
1. Respondent-level survey response data (deletion of columns containing emails or non-required fields is acceptable)
2. Count data as delivered by the contractor providing the counts for each location, with data separated into 15-minute increments or smaller.
3. Current employee population
18 Triennial Midday Parking Occupancy Survey
In addition to annual surveys and trip counts, the Project shall prepare a midday parking occupancy count every three years per City Ordinance requirements. The parking occupancy survey shall be for informational purposes and is not associated with a performance target.
Relationship to Parking Management Plan
The Project has prepared a Parking Management Plan for its event center use. The Project would provide 50 parking spaces for the event center to accommodate about 11 percent of attendees as singleoccupancy vehicles or up to 80 percent of attendees as four person carpools. The Parking Management Plan identifies several recommendations related to event planning and scheduling, trip planning assistance, valet parking, shuttle charters, and monitoring. The site’s TDM Coordinator would work with event sponsors to reduce drive alone trips consistent with the goals of the TDM Ordinance, particularly if events occur during peak periods when onsite parking supply and offsite roadway capacity is limited.
Enforcement & Fines
If the Project does not meet the required performance targets, the following penalties shall apply per the TDM Ordinance:
▪ First Violation: The City will direct the Project to modify its TDM program to achieve compliance.
Modifications are likely to include adding or modifying TDM measures to increase mode shift. ▪ Second Violation: The City will direct the participant to coordinate with Commute.org or retain an independent consultant to identify additional program modifications to achieve compliance.
Modifications are likely to include adding or modifying TDM measures to increase mode shift. ▪ Third Violation (and any subsequent violations): The City may assess a penalty per the City’s fee schedule. Penalties shall be assessed for each additional violation in subsequent years.
The Project may appeal the decision to administer a penalty if special circumstances prevented meeting the required performance targets.