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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 02282006 - SD.3 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS �. ` . Contra s Costa FROM: TRANSPORTATION, WATER County AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE A (UUv DATE: FEBRUARY 14, 2006 SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION ON SELECTION OF THE BYRON-NORTH SITE AS eBART STATION LOCATION FOR BYRON / DISCOVERY BAY AREA SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1) SELECT the Byron-North site as the eBART station location to serve the Byron/Discovery Bay area (see Exhibit "A"); and, CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): SupddrkWorA(ary Nejedly Piepho Su rvisor Federal D.Glover,Chair ACTION OF BOARD ON Q2 g 20o 1,j APPROVED AS RECOMM14NDED OTHER I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND VOTE OF SUPERVISORS ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF _UNANIMOUS ABSENT ) SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN AYES:1 0✓ NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: Contact: P. Roche,CDD-AP(925)335-1242 ATTESTED nX00 cc: CAO JOHN SWEETEN,'/CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Clerk of the Board SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR County Counsel Public Works Department Chair, Byron MAC EPUTY Chair, Discovery Bay CSD President, SFBARTD Board of Directors E. Smith, SFBARTD S. Miller,CCTA EPPAC February 14,2006 TWI Committee Report recommending the Byron-North Site for eBART Station in the Byron/Discovery Bay area Page 3 BACKGROUND / REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION - continued • Byron Municipal Advisory Council—identified a preference for a station in the Town of Byron at the former train depot site; • Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District— identified a preference for a station in the Marsh Creek Road area; • East County Regional Planning Commission - identified a preference for a station in the Town of Byron; and, • Contra Costa County Agricultural Commissioner—letter in opposition to a station in the Marsh Creek Road area due to impact on farming operations in the Agricultural Core. Additionally, on January 21, 2006 Supervisor Piepho sponsored a Town Hall meeting for residents of Byron and Discovery Bay to get their input on the eBART station sites that would serve this area of East County. As a result of these workshops and public outreach, the TWI Committee recommends to the Board of Supervisors the selection of the Byron-North site as the preferred eBART station location to serve the Byron / Discovery Bay area (see recommended eBART station location under Exhibit "A"). The Committee's recommendation is based in part on the information prepared by BART for the public workshops in which several station sites were evaluated against five factors: Physical Conditions, Accessibility, Land Use Compatibility, Ridership Potential, and System Cost. The Committee's recommendation also reflects the preponderance of public comment received to date which supports an eBART station site in the community of Byron. In recommending the selection of the Byron-North site, the Committee further recommends that the Board forward this determination to BART emphasizing the need to address the following station location issues in the eBART EIS/EIR: • the ability of the Byron-North site to meet demand for parking; • the localized traffic impacts created by commuters traveling to and from the Byron-North site; and, • the potential delays to peak hour traffic at rail track-street crossings near the Byron- North site (e.g. Holway Drive), and in general other railroad crossings in Far East County, including Marsh Creek Road and Camino Diablo. Attachment(1 item) Exhibit"A": Recommended eBART Station Location, Byron/Discovery Bay area, Byron-North Site WA&m Pla ,%.dv-plw.9ART Cmriaor PlmmnglTW ICOL'B06reporVxammerM.finy ¢ Exhibit "A": Recommended eBART Station Location, Byron/Discovery Bay area, Byron-North Site February 14,2006 TWI Committee Report recommending the Byron-North Site for eBART Station in the Byron/Discovery Bay area Page 2 RECOMMENDATIONS - continued 2) FORWARD this determination to the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District requesting that the following station location issues be thoroughly evaluated in the eBART Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report: • the ability of the Byron-North site to meet demand for parking; • the localized traffic impacts created by commuters traveling to and from the Byron-North site; and, • the potential delays to peak hour traffic at rail track-street crossings near the Byron- North site (e.g. Holway Drive), and in general, the potential for peak hour traffic delays at other railroad crossings in Far East County, including Marsh Creek Road and Camino Diablo. FISCAL IMPACT None. BART is providing funds to the County for planning in the vicinity of this station site. BACKGROUND / REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION The eBART Project is a proposal to extend rapid transit service from the existing terminus of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System at the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station to a new terminus in the Byron area. The service extension would run in an alignment in the median of State Route 4 from the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station to Loveridge Road and then to Byron via Union Pacific Mococo rail line right-of-way. BART is acting as the lead agency in the planning, design, and environmental review for this new rapid transit service. BART has initiated the environmental review process, a combined Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report(EIS/EIR), and will be evaluating several alternatives in the EIS/EIR for the eBART Project, including a new rail transit service operating on the Mococo line which employs light-weight, self-propelled rail cars known as Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs)that could provide a cross- platform (seamless) connection to the BART system at the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station. The cities and the County agreed to select station locations and to prepare associated Ridership Development Plans (RDP) by the summer of 2006, pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was approved by the affected parties last summer. The purpose of the RDPs is to make the area surrounding each eBART station compatible with its operation and to support its use. BART is providing funds to the County for preparing an RPD for the Byron/Discovery Bay station. BART's goal is to bring eBART service to East and Far East County by Year 2010. During the months of October and November 2005, the Transportation Water& Infrastructure (TWI) Committee conducted two workshops with community representatives (Byron Municipal Advisory Council and Town of Discovery Bay Community Service District), members of the public, County staff, and BART staff and their consultants on the selection of a station site to serve the Byron/Discovery Bay area. BART and their consultant team initially sited station locations in the vicinity of Marsh Creek Road, inside the Town of Byron, and near the Byron Airport. Also, during this period, the following interested parties reviewed and commented on the potential eBART station sites for the Byron/Discovery Bay area: 1 • i • • 1 , i • 1 / 1 • 1 • t • i 1 , • i 1 • � t • t a 1 • i i • t • to • a �' It - �;,•--^�� • T ,ti„ SAL t- .�- ,��.y� _ -.,.. ;r `f• � f � ',ei' 'v' '�- ,;� Y �. t C •' ^ 4 G t � r S•. � � S' r � 'U � 1f'� n llh F/ o .� `;, j'� / `"N� .t t � —LI 00 ol c t `F `• -_ �/l% ,„.�,:� i., f J h ..-.� ---- ' .. ; � {tet, rb t a �