MEETING NOTICE AND AGENDA
WEST CONTRA COSTA
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2005
NOTE TIME: 7:30 AM TO 9:30 AM
LOCATION: City of San Pablo, Council Chambers
13831 San Pablo Avenue (at Church Lane) - San Pablo, California
NOTES:
1. Call to Order and Self-Introductions – Chair Mindell Penn
2. Public Comment – Please fill out a speaker card and hand it to the Chair/Staff
At this time, the public is welcome to address the WCCTAC on any item which does not otherwise appear on the agenda. With a full agenda, comments may be limited to three minutes per speaker.
***** CONSENT CALENDAR *****
3. Minutes, Sign-In Sheet, and Meeting Summary from the March 25, 2005 Meeting – ATTACHMENTS
The minutes, sign-in sheet, and meeting summary from the March 2005 meeting are attached.
Staff Recommendation: Approve the March 2005 minutes.
4. Staff Reports – ATTACHMENTS
Employee Staff Reports from the Managing Director, the Management Assistant, and the Transportation Project Specialist for April are attached.
Staff Recommendation: Accept the reports.
5. CCTA Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) Representatives - ATTACHMENT
Each Regional Transportation
Planning Committee (RTPC) appoints three TCC members for two-year terms. The
WCCTAC-TAC recommendations for the two-year term from April 1, 2005 through
March 31, 2007 are: Adele Ho (City of San Pablo); Lisa Hammon (WCCTAC); Jerry
Bradshaw (El Cerrito); ___________________; and alternate:
Rich Davidson (Richmond). _____________________.
TAC Recommendation: Support the TAC’s TCC recommendations and notify CCTA.
6. TAC Recommendation Regarding the West County Internship Program
At the April 14, 2005 meeting, the TAC discussed the Internship Program, which was supported by the WCCTAC Board at the January 2005 meeting. Due to limited funding this year, the TAC supported staff’s recommendation to fund one internship (in an amount not to exceed $400) for the following: Develop a “West County Walks” website and develop the WCCTAC website (which is currently maintained externally, but will be brought in-house). The “West County Walks” website supports several of the internship ideas that were brought forth from the TAC members (namely, a “walkability survey” for San Pablo and/or all of West County and further developing the “Street Smarts” program which contains a pedestrian component).
TAC Recommendation: Support the TAC recommendation to fund one intern as outlined above in an amount not to exceed $400.
7. “Mitigating Traffic Congestion: The Role of Demand-Side Strategies,” Contra Costa SchoolPool Program – ATTACHMENT
The Central County office of the 511 Contra Costa program (formerly Contra Costa Commute Alternative Network – CCCAN) administers the SchoolPool program for the central, east, and west regions of the county. The SchoolPool program has been recognized as a “best practice” in demand-side strategies based upon information presented to the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The enclosed information is an excerpt from the publication “Mitigating Traffic Congestion: The Role of Demand-Side Strategies” that was prepared by the Association for Commuter Transportation, several consulting firms, and the Federal Highway Administration and summarizes the SchoolPool Program.
Staff Recommendation: No recommendation; for information only.
8. Future Agenda Items
ü Form-Based Codes Workshop
***** END OF CONSENT ITEMS *****
ACTION ITEMS:
The order for discussion of Action Items is as follows: (1) Staff Report; (2) Public
Comment; (3) Board Discussion and Questions; (4) Action/Vote.
9. Proposed Casinos in West County – Regional Transportation Impacts – Staff – ATTACHMENTS and VERBAL REPORT – 15 minutes
ACTION ITEM
The focus of the review of traffic, transportation, and transit impacts of casinos in West County has shifted to a comprehensive look at the impacts of adding one, two, or three casinos – the Lytton Casino in San Pablo (with the addition of 1,000 Class II machines and ultimately 2,500 Class III machines); the Scotts Valley Casino in North Richmond; and/or the Guidiville Point Molate Casino in Richmond.
On April 7, 2005, County Supervisors Gioia and Uilkema held a second meeting regarding “Mitigation of Off-Reservation Impacts of Tribal Casinos.” The agenda for the meeting is attached, as well as a summary of impacts provided by jurisdictions and agencies and a summary of “Deadlines and Timelines” – both compiled by County staff.
Regarding the traffic, transportation, and transit impacts of the three proposed casinos, the major outcome of the April 7th meeting was the following: County staff and WCCTAC staff will prepare a scope, cost estimates, schedule, and timeline for a traffic study (or studies) that will look at the incremental impacts of adding casinos in West County. On April 8th, a focused meeting regarding traffic impacts was held at CCTA (agenda attached). Working with WCCTAC and County staff, CCTA staff will assist with the preparation of the required information/data.
The WCCTAC member agencies indicated a willingness to work together on the impacts of the proposed Casino San Pablo expansion (a draft Resolution was discussed at the March TAC and WCCTAC meetings, and circulated to the member agencies). Staff is seeking the Board’s direction on: (1) the member agencies’ participation in a larger, cooperative study that may review up to three casino sites in West County; and (2) working with the tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (the lead agency on the North Richmond and Point Molate casinos) on potential traffic impacts. An email correspondence from Sharon Brown regarding the potential traffic studies is attached.
Staff Recommendation: No recommendation; Board action/direction as appropriate.
10. West County’s Strategic Plan Projects – Strategy for Upcoming Discussions at CCTA – Staff – ATTACHMENT/POSSIBLE HANDOUT – 15 minutes
ACTION ITEM
At the March meeting, the WCCTAC Board approved the attached letter to CCTA regarding the West County Strategic Plan projects. The WCCTAC Board will discuss a strategy for moving the West County projects forward. The Board will also review and suggest elected officials/staff to invite to attend the May 5th CCTA Administration and Projects Committee and May 18th CCTA Board meeting to support the West County proposal and answer questions, should they arise.
Staff Recommendation: No recommendation; Board action/direction as appropriate.
INFORMATION ITEMS:
11. Richmond Parkway Transit Center Report – AC Transit Staff – ATTACHMENT (excerpt – first five pages of the 200-page document) – 20 minutes
Jon Twichell, AC Transit’s Capital Projects Implementation Manager, will present highlights of the recently-completed Richmond Parkway Transit Center Planning and Conceptual Design Study. WCCTAC staff – in cooperation with many other agencies – has been working on this project for the past several years. There will be a fifteen-minute presentation followed by five minutes for questions.
Staff Recommendation: No recommendation; for information only.
12. West County Safe Communities/Street Smarts Program Update – Nancy Baer, Contra Costa County Health Service – HANDOUT – 15 minutes
Nancy Baer will present an update on the Same Communities/Street Smarts program that has been in existence for over three years.
Staff Recommendation: No recommendation; for information only.
13. Correspondence/Other Information:
Incoming:
TRANSPAC meeting summary – March 14, 2005
AC Transit letter to John Gioia re: AC Transit Line 74 – March 28, 2005
SWAT meeting summary – April 4, 2005
Outgoing:
Letter to Martin Engelmann re: T-Plus Planning Grants for West County -03.28.05
Letter to Rick Fernandez re: AC Transit Route 74 – 3.25.05
Letter to Margie Mejia re: Casino San Pablo – 04.08.05
Letter to Barry Cromartie re: Mailing list for project environmental notices – 04.07.05
Letter to Lisa Worrall re: Proposed Scotts Valley Band Casino Project in North Richmond, CA – 04.07.05
Newspaper/Internet Articles (all articles from West County Times unless stated otherwise):
“Richmond Bay Trail Report First Quarter 2005”, TRAC, 04.05
“San Pablo Avenue –Roadway Rehabilitation Project” Caltrans, 04.05.05
“Mayor touts development momentum”, 03.25.05
“Bingo machines poised for end run in Bay Area”, 03.26.05
“Free parking has a price, book claims”, 03.28.05
“Bay Bridge has a partner in soaring construction costs”, 04.01.05
“Supervisors may raise casino odds”, 04.01.05
“Orinda’s opposition to casino going official”, 04.03.05
“Fed funding for BART to SJ unlikely”, 04.03.05
“Community Briefs: West County”, 04.04.05
“Bill would shift control over bridge project”, 04.04.05
“San Pablo Avenue to gain ADA upgrades”, 04.05.05
“Shedding some light on a bad deal” Editorial, 04.05.05
“Indian gambling debate comes to Capitol Hill” SF Chronicle, 04.05.05
“McCain blasts tribe over bill allowing San Pablo casino” SF Chronicle, 04.06.05
“Housing proposal cuts local influence” Times Sacramento, 04.06.05
“Democrats seek transport funding” Times Sacramento, 04.06.05
“Cities back growth; voters will choose” 04.06.05
“New plan to pay for Bay Bridge” SF Chronicle, 04.06.05
“Contra Costa supervisors oppose urban gambling” SF Chronicle, 04.06.05
“Supervisors weigh in on casinos,” 04.06.05
“Senators reconsider tribal dues”, 04.06.05
“San Pablo bolsters its police force”, 04.06.05
“Bill linking transit, housing moves on”, 04.07.05
“Costly casino study in the cards”, 04.08.05
“Public invited to outreach effort to stop casino”, 04.08.05
“Proportional expansion of urban limit line sought”, 04.11.05
“The pothole tax” Los Angeles Times, 04.07.05
“All pain, no gain” Sacramento Bee, 04.11.05
“CTF 2005 Tranny Awards” California Transportation Foundation, 04.05
14. Board Member Comments/Reports
15. Other Business
ADJOURN TO NEXT MEETING:
May 27, 2005