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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPW GGBHTD MOU 2017MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL This Memorandum of Understanding is entered into as of this a?7 day,of OG 2017, by and between the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, a special district of the State of California, duly created and acting under California Streets and Highways Code Section 27000 et seq ("District') and the City of San Rafael, a California charter city ("City"), (collectively referred to as the ("Parties"). RECITALS A. The Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District ("SMART") was created pursuant to AB 2224 (California Public Utilities Code § 105000 et seq.) for the purpose of providing a passenger rail service and multi -use pathway within the Counties of Sonoma and Marin. B. The SMART rail corridor, historically known as the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, runs north to south in Sonoma and Marin Counties, generally parallel to U.S. Highway 101, including a segment running through Downtown San Rafael between Hetherton Street and Tamalpais Avenue. C. SMART has commenced passenger rail operations between the City of Santa Rosa and the Downtown San Rafael SMART Station, located in the block encompassed by Third Street, Hetherton Street, Fourth Street, and Tamalpais Avenue. D. Adjacent to the Downtown San Rafael SMART Station to the south, District owns and operates the C. Paul Bettini Transportation Center, also commonly known as the San Rafael Transit Center ("Transit Center"), situated in the block encompassed by Second Street, Hetherton Street, Third Street, and Tamalpais Avenue. The SMART rail corridor runs north to south directly through the the Transit Center, and crosses Second and Third Streets. E. The Transit Center is the main passenger transit terminal for Marin County, providing essential transit services to over 9,000 customers daily and facilitating travel and transfers throughout Marin County, to San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties. The Transit Center accommodates transportation services provided by the District, Marin Transit, Sonoma County Transit, Greyhound Bus Lines, the Marin Airporter and the Sonoma Airporter. The continued and efficient operation of the Transit 111-2 x 145 V Center is a crucial concern of District and the other transportation service providers operating there, and of their customers. F. The streets surrounding the Downtown San Rafael SMART Station and the Transit Center are among the busiest streets in the City of San Rafael. Second Street and Third Street are the City's main east -west traffic corridors south of Puerto Suello Hill, providing a primary access between Highway 101 and West Marin, Fairfax, and San Anselmo as well as to Downtown San Rafael. The offramp from Highway 101 South into Downtown San Rafael feeds directly into Hetherton Street, which, four blocks farther south, feeds directly into the onramp to Highway 101 South from Downtown San Rafael. The smooth and efficient flow of traffic in this area is a vital concern to the City of San Rafael and its residents, businesses, and visitors, as well as to the transit operators whose buses use the City's streets, and transit passengers. G. SMART is also proceeding with the design and construction of the improvements needed to extend its passenger rail service system the 2.2 miles from the Downtown San Rafael SMART Station to a location near the District's Larkspur Ferry Terminal in Larkspur (the "SMART Larkspur Extension Project"). H. Because the SMART rail corridor in San Rafael runs through the Transit Center, the SMART Larkspur Extension Project will require replacement of the Transit Center and its transit operations to an existing and/or new site in downtown San Rafael. The City and the District have cooperated to develop several options for the replacement Transit Center, more specifically identified in the March 2017 San Rafael Transit Center Relocation Study Final Report, all of which are within close proximity of the current Transit Center and the Downtown San Rafael SMART Station; and the District, as lead agency, will soon be undertaking the environmental analysis and design for the permanent replacement facility. I. The District has worked with the City, SMART, and other transit agencies to design an "Interim Transit Center" for transit operations. The Interim Transit Center will be designed and constructed by SMART in association with its construction of the SMART Larkspur Extension Project. It will serve as the main passenger transit terminal in Marin County until such time as the permanent replacement of the Transit Center is constructed and occupied. J. The City and District desire to memorialize herein their intention and agreements for cooperating on the environmental review, planning and approval of the Transit Center Replacement Project (hereafter, the "Project"). NOW, THEREFORE, the City and the District agree as follows: AGREEMENT 1. The District shall be the lead agency for purposes of environmental review of the Project under the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"). 2. The City shall be a responsible agency for purposes of environmental review of the Project under CEQA. 3. The District and the City shall cooperate to develop and consider, to the extent feasible, an additional alternative for the replacement Transit Center, besides those identified in the March 2017 Report. 4. In planning and developing specific Project features, the District shall meet and confer with the City's Community Development Department staff concerning consistency of the proposed Project with the City's General Plan, Station Area Plan, and Zoning Ordinance. 5. The parties agree that the selected alternative must be approved by the City Council. 6. In consideration of the obligations undertaken by District herein, City shall waive standard application and hearing fees for City review of the Project, and shall streamline any District applications, as applicable, to the City for work required in or affecting the public right-of-way or other public property. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the day, month and year first above written. GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT By: Denis J. Mulligan, Gen al Manager APPROVED S FO M: f By. u Distri Counsel CITY OF SAN RAFAEL By: _ N4.L� J m S hutz, City M ger ATTEST: Esther Beirne, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: By:� Robert F. Epstein, Cit Attorn