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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02251992 - TC.1 7-C. TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Transportation Committee '�` Costa i DATE: February 10, 1992 County C�,,r SUBJECT: Proposed Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition: Advancing Regional Rail Planning SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1) Invite interested members of the Board of Supervisors for Alameda and Solano counties, representatives of,the Congestion Management Agencies for Contra Costa, Solano and Alameda Counties and the Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, to meet in early April, 1992 on a proposal to form a "Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition. " 2) Designate a two member delegation from the Board of- Supervisors to represent Contra Costa County, and select a member from this delegation to Chair the initial meeting of the Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition. 3) Authorize the Director of Community Development, in cooperation with staff from Alameda and Solano counties, to prepare and issue a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) from rail transit consulting firms to provide technical assistance under the direction of the Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition. The RFQ will provide a list of qualified consultants capable of providing technical assistance to the Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition. FISCAL IMPACT None. Funding for technical assistance by consultants will be required in a separate Board Order. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE O-7-HER Imo'( 107�-59 SIGNATURE(S) : rt Schroder Tom Torlakson ACTION OF BOARD ON February 25, 1992 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED x OTHER. x DESIGNATED Supervisor Schroder and Supervisor Powers as the County's representatives with either of the designees authorized to Chair the initial meeting of the Coalition. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A x UNANIMOUS (ABSENT TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Orig: Community Development Department ATTESTED February 25, 1992 cc: GMEDA Public Works Department PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF Alameda County CMA (via CDD) THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR Solano Transportation Authority (via CDD) AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OCTA (via CDD) Smith & Ackler William R. Gray & Company BY , DEPUTY BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS On August 6, 1991, the Board of Supervisors accepted the findings of the Contra Costa Rail Opportunities Study and directed staff to prepare recommendations for the next steps for advancing rail transit development in the County. On February 10, staff presented their recommendations to the Transportation Committee where they were approved and are now forwarded for the Board's consideration. The basis for these recommendations are described in this report. The Contra Costa County Rail Opportunities Study identified two viable corridors in Contra Costa County for development of rail transit facilities - I-680 and I-80. Both link residential areas in Solano County with job centers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. In addition, Alameda and Contra Costa counties and the Port of Oakland have been cooperating in a Rail Corridor Consolidation Study that to date has found sufficient reserve rail capacity on the Southern Pacific line which parallels the I-80 corridor for both goods and passenger movement. As a follow-up to these two studies, County staff has been meeting with representatives of Alameda and Solano counties to identify areas of mutual interest and coordinate an approach to rail planning for both the I-80 and I-680 corridors. Through a series of joint meetings, staff from the three counties have identified a- common .set of interests that supports the need for the counties to join together to form a "Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition" (GEBROC) which would identify, evaluate and prioritize rail corridors in the East Bay, including but not limited to the I- 80 and I-680 corridors. Exhibits A through B explain in more detail the staff proposal to form the GEBROC. It should be noted that the proposal does not conflict with the planning now underway as part of the BART extension program. It addresses opportunities in rail corridors that can complement the current BART extension program. The staffs of the three counties suggest consideration of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which the GEBROC would operate. The agreement would provide the GEBROC with a mandate to identify opportunities, evaluate potential projects and prioritize the development of new rail projects in the three counties. Under this framework, Corridor Committees, appointed by and reporting to GEBROC, would be established for each potential rail corridor to address issues regarding alignment and station location. Each Corridor Committee, based on an agreed deadline, would then submit a recommendation to GEBROC on a specific alignment and location for stations for their corridor. The Transportation , Committee is asking that the Board of Supervisors formally invite interested members of the Board of Supervisors from Alameda and Solano counties, representatives from the Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Congestion Management Agencies, and the Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to meet . in early April on the staff proposal to form GEBROC, to advance rail development in the three East Bay counties. The possible participation by other counties, such as San Joaquin - County, would also be discussed at the April meeting. The Transportation Committee also asks that the Board appoint a two member delegation from the Board of Supervisors be appointed to represent Contra Costa County and, further, that a member of this delegation be appointed as Chair for the initial April meeting. Provided that Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano agree to initiate a coordinated regional rail planning effort at the April meeting, some level of technical assistance will by consultants will be required. It is proposed that a major portion of consultant work be provided through the $750, 000 in Petroleum Violation Escrow Account funds granted to the County last year. In order to expedite hiring of consultant(s) , it is recommended that the Board authorize the Director of Community Development to issue a Request For . Qualifications (RFQ) to provide a short list of qualified consultants to assist the Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition. EXHIBIT A EAST BAY RAIL PLANNING: CURRENT SITUATION 1. Planning for rail projects in the Bay Area requires additional coordination. MTC's Resolution 1876, the New Rail Starts Program, is project specific (BART, MUNI, CALTRAIN, and Santa Clara projects) . No comprehensive plan to guide the development of rail facilities in the Bay Area beyond Resolution 1876 exists. 2 . The "Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991" establishes new programs and provides increased flexibility for the development of new or expanded mass transportation facilities and may provide opportunities for development of new rail facilities in the East Bay. 3 . Solano County has raised questions/concerns regarding rail transit development in both the I-80 and I-680 corridors in terms of funding . prioritization and appropriate technology. 4. Caltrans is proposing to construct a second Benicia-Martinez bridge crossing as well as a replacement for the existing Carquinez bridge. The new bridges should include provisions for future rail transit crossings in the design to avoid the need to construct separate (and very expensive) transit crossings in the future, 5. New Air Quality Regulations (Federal and State) require improvements in air quality. New or expanded mass transit facilities will help in the attainment of these goals. 6. Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties are preparing long range Countywide Transportation Plans and a coordinated mass transit components is needed. 7. Without long range plans in place, costs for development of mass transit facilities in the future could escalate beyond reasonable levels. 8. Implementation of ACR 132 has resulted new train service between.San Jose and Sacramento (known as the Capitol service) and now provides options for additional inter-regional rail to the East Bay. 9 . The Alameda-Contra Costa Rail Corridor Consolidation Study has identified reserve rail capacity for both passenger and freight movement in the Southern Pacific right-of-way paralleling I-80. 10. Reconstruction of the Cypress freeway (on a new alignment) requires reconstruction of the mainline tracks and rail yards in West Oakland. The newly aligned mainline will significantly improve the capacity of the system to handle passenger rail traffic. 11. The Caltrans Rail Task Force (San Joaquin Line) is looking for ways of improving rail access to the Bay Area (through the Altamont area and/or through Martinez) . 12 . San Joaquin County has initiated a study of opportunities for development of rail through the Altamont Pass area to connect the rapidly developing residential areas along the I-5 corridor in San Joaquin County with the job centers in the Tri-Valley (and to BART) . 13 . Many areas of the State (and_ Country) ari� n n--i t i on.i.ng-themselves--f-or--new rail transit projects through development of cooperative ventures (Southern California, the Peninsula Counties, Marin/Sonoma, etc. ) . The continued economic health and vitality of the East Bay is contingent upon the public sector's ability to provide transportation improvements, such as rail transit. 14 . The protection of rail corridors in rapidly developing areas of the three counties is critical. The East County Corridor Study, a joint planning exercise between Alameda and Contra Costa counties, for example identified the need to preserve a rail transit corridor through eastern portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. 15. Energy conservation is an important consideration in the region's long range transportation planning. Mass transit is a logical approach to addressing this issue. EXHIBIT B GREATER EAST BAY RAIL OPPORTUNITIES COALITION PROPOSED MISSION STATEMENT The Greater East Bay Rail Opportunities Coalition includes representatives from Solano, Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The mission of this coalition is to: • Identify, evaluate and prioritize opportunities for rail and/or mass transit facilities for the Greater East Bay counties. r • Develop a comprehensive plan for new and/or expanded rail transit facilities in the Greater East Bay region. Decisions about alignments and station locations should be determined at the local level. • Advocate the interests of the Greater East Bay counties on matters related to the development of rail and/or mass transit facilities in the East Bay. • Develop funding strategies for the development of new or expanded rail and/or mass transit facilities in. the Greater East Bay.