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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-03-15_cityofsanrafael_3e029b21c05c10c82574b0cb3d91467d CITY OF Community Development Department – Planning Division P. O. Box 151560, San Rafael, CA 94915-1560 PHONE: (415) 485-3085/FAX: (415) 485-3184 Meeting Date: March 15, 2011 Agenda Item: 3 Case Number: P10-002 Project Planner: Linda M. Jackson – (415) 485- 3067 REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION SUBJECT: Update about the Station Area Plans project for the Downtown and Civic Center SMART stations. File No.: (P10-002) RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Planning Commission receive an update on the Station Area Plans project for the Downtown and Civic Center SMART stations, and provide feedback for the 2035 Vision of the Station Area BACKGROUND Since funding was approved by the voters in 2008, the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) agency has been working to bring commuter rail service to the North Bay. The rail line will be 70 miles from Larkspur to Cloverdale, with 14 stations; the two San Rafael stations will be in Downtown San Rafael and near the Marin County Civic Center. Because of funding constraints caused by the recession, the first phase of service, the “Initial Operating Segment” or IOS, will run between Downtown San Rafael and Downtown Santa Rosa. The San Rafael General Plan 2020 supports rail service in San Rafael, as described in the following: C-20. Intermodal Transit Hubs. Support efforts to develop intermodal transit hubs in Downtown and at the Civic Center to provide convenient and safe connections and support for bus, rail, shuttle, bicycle, and pedestrian users, as well as automobile drivers using transit services. Hubs should include secure bicycle parking and efficient drop-off and pick-up areas without adversely affecting surrounding traffic flow. NH-88. Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) Station. If rail service is initiated, support construction of a Civic Center SMART station. Encourage a plan that provides high density housing, bus transit connections, a parking lot, and incorporates pedestrian facilities and bicycle access (including bike storage facilities) consistent with the San Rafael Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. NH-148. Residential Use at the End of Merrydale Road. Evaluate amending the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance to promote residential uses at the end of Merrydale Road. NH-88b. Safe Walkways and Bikeways. Encourage the provision of lighting and sidewalks to ensure safe and attractive walkways and bikeways from the transit center, on both sides of Civic Center Drive, to the Northgate area. In anticipation of the new train stations, the City of San Rafael applied for, and received in spring 2010, grant funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to prepare Station Area Plans for the areas around the two new SMART stations. The station area planning projects are distinct from SMART’s work on station design in that the area plans will identify improvements and planning changes needed to facilitate desired transit oriented development and circulation improvements in the vicinity of REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION - Case No: P10-002 Page 2 the new SMART stations. Specific topics of interest include pedestrian and bicycle safety and improvements, connectivity to surrounding destinations, parking, design, housing, and economic vitality. The Downtown Station Area Plan is being prepared with the assistance of the Redevelopment Agency’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and consultant firm Community Design + Architecture. The Civic Center Station Area Plan is being prepared with the assistance of the Civic Center Station Area Plan Advisory Committee and consultant firm Fehr & Peers. In the Downtown Station Area Plan project, the CAC discussed at it meetings in December, January and March topics following up from its November visioning workshop. In March, the CAC reviewed four draft alternatives for traffic modeling; the committee is expected to host its second and final community workshop in June for feedback on draft plan concepts. The Civic Center Station Area Plan Advisory Committee has held monthly meetings since September 2010. In north San Rafael, since the fall, the Advisory Committee has concentrated on preparing for its first community workshop about the station area. For several months, committee members followed the development of a potential new site for the Civic Center station and platform, on the east side of Civic Center Drive (rather than under highway 101 as identified in the EIR). SMART staff concluded that the costs of wetlands mitigation were too high to proceed, and in February 2011, the SMART Real Estate Committee decided unanimously that the Civic Center station would be located underneath the freeway to the west of Civic Center Drive. Together with advisory committee members, over the past two months, City staff conducted several loop- outs with various groups including Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative, Marin Conservation League, Embassy Suites Management Staff, League of Women Voters, Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Housing and Economic Development Task Force, and City planning staff. One of the first steps in writing a plan is to develop a vision that describes the preferred future of the area. The Civic Center advisory Committee’s visioning workshop was held on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at Guide Dogs for the Blind. Over 64 people attended a visioning workshop, participating in six small groups to share their ideas of possible improvements in the area. At the Planning Commission’s March 15th meeting, staff will provide an overview of the Station Area plan project as well as describe the initial findings about the Civic Center planning area identified by the consultants and Advisory Committee members as part of their work on the Background Report. In addition, staff will conduct a mini-visioning session so commissioners can share their ideas about the future of the environs around SMART’s pending Civic Center rail station.