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Home My WebLink AboutPW-CD Transit Center Relocation Draft Environmental Impact Report Update PPTSRTC Replacement Project Final EIR –City Comments San Rafael City CouncilOctober 17, 2022 1 Agenda •Project History and Public Engagement Process •EIR Comments and Subsequent City Coordination •Resolutions to City Comments •Transportation, Safety, and Project Description •Document Completeness •Request for Recirculation •Next Steps 2 Project History •2010-2012: City’s Downtown Station Area Plan •Identified preferred site around SMART station •2015-2017: City-led Relocation Study •Determined facility requirements •2018 –current: Environmental process •Upon community request, started with a clean slate on projects •Prior to release of DEIR, project included 9 technical meetings with City staff 3 Over 7,000 total in-person and virtual interactions Seven community meetings, including collaboration with Canal Alliance Two (2) online/in-person surveys with over 1,200 responses 10 presentations to seven community groups Since 2018: Comments from Community and Agencies •Virtual Public Meetings held on September 14 and 15, 2021 •One meeting in English and one meeting in Spanish •Comments provided at the public meeting were recorded and responded to in the Final EIR •Comments received on the Draft EIR: •Five (5) letters from state, regional, and local agencies •Nine (9) letters from local environmental groups or community organizations •14 letters from members of the general public •Common themes in public comments included: •Prioritize public, pedestrian, and bicycle safety •Cultural resources (e.g., Whistlestop building) •Request to continue to engage community, particularly transit center users •Excitement for a new transit center facility •General support for SRTC project and Preferred Alternative 4 Comments from Community and Agencies “A new facility will likely be in service for many years to come, and it is imperative that it provide sufficient capacity and design features to support efficient transit use and operations in the long-term. The Whistlestop Alternatives seem to go farthest toward meeting those goals.” Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) “Overall, the League concurs with the analysis and is supportive of either the Move Whistlestop Alternative or the Adapt Whistlestop Alternative.” League of Women Voters “I support the Move Whistlestop Alternative for the San Rafael Transit Center.” Jamie Mackie, Member of the Public 5 City Coordination After DEIR to Close the Gap 6 •Collaboration resulted in an improved document •Six (6) meetings were held with Community Development and Public Works staff to discuss City comments, responses, and revisions •Meeting topics included: •Safety, traffic, and circulation •General Plan consistency •Reference data and project assumptions •Extension of FEIR public review period to 30 days to facilitate City review August 2021 Draft EIR Released November 2021 Comment Period Closed Winter through Summer 2022 City Engagement DEIR comment period extended to allow additional time for comments Responses to City Comments Index Transportation, Safety, and Project Description •Traffic data (pre-vs. post-Covid statistics) •Pedestrian safety analysis •Pick-up and drop-off locations •Right turn at 3rd Street and Hetherton Street •Parking •Queuing Document Completeness •General Plan 2040 •Cultural Resources (updated potential historical district boundary) •Sea Level Rise design considerations •Project objectives and City goals •Geotechnical investigation •3D Simulations •Memorandum of Understanding City Request for Recirculation 7 8 Transportation, Safety, and Project Description COVID -19 Effects on Transit Ridership Forecast Summary of Topic: City was concerned that the transportation data in the analysis is outdated due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was based on data from early 2020. 9 Response: •Number of weekday bus trips through the transit center actually increased during the pandemic •As of May 2022, Marin Transit has 81% of its pre-COVID ridership •SMART service is being restored •No reduction in transit service is planned •The pandemic has not changed the size requirements for the transit center •Consistent with approach taken by the City’s General Plan 2040 EIR Change in Marin Transit Systemwide Ridership 2021 to 2022 (May) 2021 2022 Source: Marin Transit Monthly Monitoring Report Ridership Recovery 10 Source: Marin County Transit District Board of Directors Meeting August 1, 2022 LOS and Pedestrian Safety Analysis Summary of Topic: City was concerned there was not an adequate analysis of pedestrian safety and circulation. Response and Revision: •Based on further discussion with the City, project team performed additional safety analysis. Additional safety analysis is attached to the FEIR 11 Legend 1 Collision 2-10 Collisions 10 10 6 2 3 2 Pedestrian and Bicycle-Involved Collisions Data Source: City of San Rafael January 2015 –September 2021 LOS and Pedestrian Safety Analysis (cont.) •Move Whistlestop Alternative is the best performing alternative, including relative to existing conditions (No- Build Alternative), for pedestrian safety: •Project includes additional safety elements •Reduces the number of vehicle-pedestrian conflicts on 4th Street, making it safer for pedestrians •Addresses the existing safety challenges at 3rd/Hetherton •Improved safety for accessing downtown •Lowest number of vehicle-pedestrian conflicts (No-Build is highest) 12 Pick-Up/Drop-Off Location Summary of Topic: Community members were concerned that the Move Whistlestop Alternative would create conflicts between the proposed pick-up/drop-off area and a planned future north-south bike facility on Tamalpais Avenue. Response and Revisions: •Relocated pick-up/drop-off area from north of 4th Street to south of 4th Street via an already-proposed new drive aisle •Avoids bicycle-auto conflicts as this would be separate from the two-way cycle track along Tamalpais Avenue •Does not increase number of parcels affected by project •Provides improved connection between pick-up/drop-off and transit services 13 Pick-Up/Drop-Off Location (continued) 14 Draft EIR Site Plan Final EIR Site Plan Drop off / Pick up Maintenance Vehicle Parking Right Turn at 3rd Street & Hetherton Street Summary of Topic: City was concerned that the introduction of a second southbound right turn (shared through/right-lane) from Hetherton onto 3rd Street could compromise pedestrian safety. Existing condition has a yield configuration where vehicles are supposed to yield to pedestrians. History of vehicle-pedestrian collisions at this location. 15 •Controls conflict between pedestrians and the southbound right-turn movement via a signal •Separates vehicle and pedestrian movements to improve pedestrian safety •Additional lane expands vehicle storage capacity and throughput. Right Turn at 3rd Street & Hetherton Street 16 Hetherton Street Draft EIR Site Plan Final EIR Site Plan Hetherton Street Parking 17 •Modification to Move Whistlestop Alternative: 16 new parking stalls added on Tamalpais Avenue between 2nd Street and 3rd Street •No changes to impact determinations occurred as a result of this update to the project description (loss of parking is not a CEQA impact) Preferred Alternative (Move Whistlestop) New Parking Queuing Near Railroad Tracks Summary of Topic: City was concerned about the effects of the project on queuing on streets near the SMART railroad tracks. Response: •Analysis showed an improvement in overall traffic operations by reducing the amount of bus out-of-direction travel that occurs on City streets today •Queuing from project would not generate any safety impacts •Would not significantly affect the overall levels of queuing in the area •While reviewed, queuing is not assessed under CEQA 18 19 Document Completeness City of San Rafael General Plan 2040 20 Summary of Topic: City was concerned that the Draft EIR should have been updated to reflect adoption of the new General Plan 2040. Response and Revisions: •Draft EIR included Draft General Plan 2040 policies in the Environmental Setting sections •Worked with City staff to identify any differences between draft and adopted General Plan policies •Final EIR updated to reflect adopted General Plan 2040 and remove references to General Plan 2020 •Conclusions of EIR were not affected by these updates. Final EIR is consistent with the General Plan 2040. Cultural Resources—Historic District 21 Summary of Topic: The City published a revised Downtown San Rafael Precise Plan Historic Resources Survey report in May 2021 expanded the boundary of the East Downtown Core Historic District. The City noted that the updates were not reflected in Draft EIR. Response and Revisions: •Final EIR updated to include potentially eligible historic district boundary: •Impacts were assessed against the significant qualities (concentration, linkage, or continuity) that define the district, per State Guidelines •FEIR determined alternatives would not impair significant qualities •Historic features are already discontinuous in this area and thus the district character would not be affected Sea Level Rise Design Considerations 22 Summary of Topic: The City requested the team to include additional information about sea level rise and project design in the EIR. Response and Revisions: •CEQA requires analysis of effect of the project on sea level rise, not the effect of sea level rise on the project •Final EIR updated to better organize the information and include reference to GP 2040 •Project would serve as a tool to address climate change by enhancing the desirability and efficiency of transit Project Objectives and City Goals 23 Summary of Topic: City was concerned that the Draft EIR’s Project Objectives do not incorporate, reference, or consider the City’s key design goals outlined in the San Rafael Transit Center Guidance Report. Response and Revisions: •San Rafael Transit Center Guidance Report was referenced in EIR alternatives development, alternatives screening, and in public engagement materials •Final EIR updated to include reference to the City’s San Rafael Transit Center Guidance Report Geotechnical Investigation Summary of Topic: City commented that, per the San Rafael General Plan 2020 and 2040, a Geotechnical Investigation Report (including borings and soil testing) is required to be prepared at the time of development and environmental review. Response: •City policies require that the project complete a site-specific Geotechnical Investigation Report (GIR) prior to completion of design review •The GIR will be prepared during the design process once a preferred alternative has been adopted •A preliminary design investigation was prepared by a geotechnical engineer, using nearby as-builts and studies •The project does not include any significant structures, and no significant geotechnical concerns are anticipated 24 3D Simulations for Move Whistlestop 25 •Per city request, new visual simulations are included in Final EIR •No architectural design has yet been completed •District will convene a Community Design Advisory Group, including representation from transit riders and other interested groups, during the project design phase. Memorandum of Understanding Summary of Topic: City requested that the EIR mention the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the District and the City of San Rafael (October 2017). Response and Revisions: The Final EIR has been revised to include reference to the 2017 MOU City Request for Recirculation 27 Summary of Topic: City believed that the EIR needed to be recirculated due to significant flaws and inadequacies with certain identified comments Response and Revisions: •Comments provided by City go beyond CEQA requirements and/or were addressed with minor revisions to FEIR and would not warrant recirculation •Recirculation is required by CEQA if increase in severity of impact or Draft EIR is fundamentally inadequate •No new significant impacts were identified •FEIR review period extended to 30 days to allow more time for City review The District believes that it has addressed all the issues and concerns raised by the City, therefore recirculation of the draft document is not appropriate Next Steps 28 •Bridge District releases Final EIR for public review after Council Meeting, leading to: •City staff reviews Final EIR •Bridge District Board considers and certifies Final EIR •As a Responsible Agency and under terms of MOU, City Council will consider approval of selected alternative •After certification, Bridge District commences design, including formation of a Community Design Advisory Group and additional stakeholder and community engagement