 Good morning, I want to call the meeting of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission of March 5th 2020 at being 9 a.m. The regular monthly meeting clerk clerk, please call the roll Commissioner Rotkin Commissioner Gonzales here commission alternate Lynn Commissioner McPherson here commission alternate read here commissioner friend here commissioner Coonerty Commissioner Caput Commissioner Kaufman Gomez President commissioner Johnson Commissioner Brown Commissioner Bertrand and Commissioner low Hey, we do have a quorum We will now go to oral community Now go to oral communications Is there anyone in the audience that would like to address it on an issue that is not on the agenda? About an item. We have a three-minute limit Yes, ma'am. Come on up Come on up. Good morning. My name is Sandrine. Georges. I've been living in this county for years, and I'm French I'm from Europe. I love trains and we love trains and trains are great However as You can see in the Bay Area the smart train that is taken as an example For this corridor in our county is not working. In fact measure I who was raised hoping to raise 2.4 billion dollars over a 30-year Span for the smart train has been defeated yesterday Sadly because I love trains. It's not that I'm against a train in the county per se I think a train is not suited on this specific corridor And that's because over the years now there are too many residents really close to the corridor And as you know, everybody wants a trail, but not everybody wants a train And we can't have both most of the along the on in the corridor So I would like you to think about this Active transportation is real every bike can be a passenger bike. We have electric cargo bikes that carry kids one two three four we have Electric solar enclosed vehicles or bikes That you know carry one or two passengers so yeah, this is something that is Just the best to me and I'm not alone as you know The best alternative for this county Thank you. Thank you Michael St with campaign for sustainable transportation. I just wanted to share an article with you Love the bus and save your city was the title this is from city labs You can put that on Google and read the whole article. I kind of summarized it a little bit Basically if your transportation options are limited you need the bus maybe now more than ever But even if you're not a regular passenger passenger, you need it, too It's not hard to see how trend deep prioritization buses will harken in the age of a demand of Cars door-to-door problem with that is your streets can't handle all these cars Taking people around in circles The problem is your streets can't fit them if you care about how well your city moves how your local economy is faring And how the planets future fairs didn't you care about your city bus and you care about making the bus better If you want to see your bus as a piece of social infrastructure that your whole city can take pride in a sign of prestige Not decay More than 17% of the country's bus systems that follow me out of good repair according to the federal transportation administration In spread-out, which is basically our county Unwalkable cities you usually get there faster if you choose another more mode of transportation And that's why our buses aren't used Because it turns out that when rubber-tired fleets are treated as a mighty social good people are willing to actually take the bus To get to the first traffic lights first they get priority held to the standards of rail service They get priority they stop every half mile rather than every block all this improves bus service Following the example of Houston, which overhauled its entire bus route system They increased 15% a capacity ridership in the first few years Basically bus is quite the important thing city labs is now doing a study in Ongoing series that puts public coaches at the center of transportation future. Everybody talks about the bus dying I think it's the reverse most of all we plan to look at what's working on bus systems in the US I think we should research that with the belief that there is no inherent reason that buses cannot be great Which cities are winning the battles to praetorize road space? Where is the gold stand standard for frequent fast and reliable transit being set by buses? And how might that change local visions for future of transportation the basic model which we all know a Big moving container of people on a fixed route has never stopped working. It's time to make it work much much better. Thank you Good morning. I'm how are you everyone my name is Gina Cole and I'm with bikes Santa Cruz County I wanted to give a brief update of the fact that we've started Using utilizing the funds that RTC we granted us Watsonville's open streets will be happening in June this year We're waiting on a super solid date from the city of Watsonville, but we're we're close And I hope that you will all come out and check that out Hoping to to grow that particular event We had about 3,000 folks last year. We hope to grow that by at least another thousand this year We also have youth programs going right now There is a earn a bike program in live oak, which is at the Boys and Girls Club And we have two bike clubs also going one at Branson 40 and one at Mission Hill But clubs take kids with bikes and teach them road skills As well as off-road skills and kind of trying to to relay the message of how to be a safe cyclist How to be predictable how to use all the safety precautions when you're out and riding and how to navigate the city on a bike Let's see earn a bike we'll start in Watsonville today and Hopefully in the next two weeks we'll start our earn a bike program at the Santa Cruz County or Santa Cruz High School I also wanted to share information from our friends at Health Service Agency They are doing a a walking program in live oak It starts in April. It's on Saturday mornings at 10 and it's about pedestrian safety So working with with families to navigate safely around the county on on your feet. So I'll leave those there Additionally We are just we're really grateful for the funding to be able to Rejuvenate those programs and we look forward to giving you all another update. Thank you. Thank you. You can give those to the clerk That'd be great. That'd be great. Which one? Thank you Hi, I'm Greg buzzard a 30-year resident of the county Just a few comments on on general RTC initiatives I definitely support thoughtful long-range planning have my own ideas, but believe that believe in the process and what's happening Observation from the perspective of a long-term resident and county voter In 2012 we purchased the rail trail right away Eight years later. Not much has been done with it I do understand that the beginnings of the trail are starting in segments in Santa Cruz this year I think that that's wonderful. I understand that there's plans over five years in the subsequent five years and etc. To extend the trail Let me just implore the the Commission to really consider taking the learnings from the first trail segment and applying it out Equally across all the remaining segments as soon as possible in the so in the ensuing few years It's nice that we purchased the right away in 2012 and I'm hoping that we can develop into something That's usable by many of us in the community Before I die really but thank you very much here Good morning commissioners David date from was all the beach. I Really didn't have the luxury of coming today, and then I woke up to a text message saying that I had a letter in the Sentinel So I thought I'd share that with you It is Title they picked the transfer the guys at the Sentinel picked the title of the article You don't actually get to choose your your editorial, but he chose Transportation revolution doesn't include a train Time and again New technologies have proven to advance faster than governments can anticipate or plan for We are entering a new paradigm in transportation technologies that we should start talking about and preparing for today There is considerable investment being poured into areas of ride hailing and autonomous driving technologies In fact many automakers are equipping their vehicles with the hardware necessary for future autonomous travel Over the next couple years we will begin to see the Deployment of self-driving vehicles, which will deliver you to and from your destination at a fraction of the cost These technologies stand to resolve congestion facilitate car pulling and trans Transition us away from the use of fossil fuels The efficiencies offered by such a system will make the idea of car ownership a novelty This is a near-term 21st century transportation revolution that we should start preparing for today So we do all these long-range, you know for short-range plans But when we actually look at where technology is today and we're on the cusp of this revolution and entry Entransportation we need to start planning for that and Realistically this, you know rapid transit, you know or train plan is not Relevant in the five-year span of the development of these technologies So if we could start planning for where you know Tesla is going and Jaguar and Waymo and see what their vision is for the next five years I think we can better plan transportation in this county. Thank you I Brain people's executive director of trail now Great elections I was going to talk about it, but I already sent you a note on it I'm not going to go into details on that But I will say that trail now is batting on a percent on the elections, you know, we Initially didn't support measure D a few years back, but I think Zach helped drive The funding from the train to the trail or actually to metro and we came out and supported it And our organization our supporters actually provided the most funding to make it win We also support it measure L and so we're batting pretty good and we're feeling pretty good about that Bruce Congratulations, Zach congratulations Zach So Most of you know that my day job is an engineer and so You know we go to the meetings and I'm trying to get it so that I we Trying to open up the the collaboration a little more to operate where you're Like the workforce that we work with engineers on the other side. So one of the things that We're trying to do is you know come across as a collaborative effort and One of the things I want to focus on though is People need to show up to the meeting and I don't want to be negative and Andy this is you know I've been coming to involved in this organization for 20 years I've actually been coming here for 10 years consistently I actually Showed up when Ryan's dad was on the board But Ryan doesn't show up at these meetings and so I'm asking if you go back to him and say is this transportation not important Because we would really like to have him Continue to be involved in this and I think that's the main message. We want him to come back Because that's basically Okay, thank you. Thank you Anyone else from the audience who would like to address us Okay, we'll move on. Are there any additions or corrections deletions to the consent agenda or regular genders there is an replacement page for item 7 a handout for item 22 and a handout and replacement pages for item 23 Okay Alright, thank you Moving to the consent agenda See that the items for through 19 Is there anybody that has any questions on the consent agenda? Sorry I did ask staff for a few questions on item 7 if they could just give me a little bit of a summary we're Putting together about three and a half million dollars on that project for a consent item And I just wanted to highlight a few things that were in there Could I just ask staff to respond briefly on the questions I sent in earlier? Sure Do you need me I figure if I gave them to you maybe you could just in a nutshell So the the EIR that was previously approved is a programmatic level EIR For the full length of the corridor Item 7 is for a project specific EIR for just the state park to freedom project The I'm trying to remember all your questions. I didn't print them out beforehand. I didn't go over them with with staff beforehand The Okay, so I got the list in front of me so that would that'll be easier than me trying to go out my memory. Thank you sure Okay, so as I mentioned the previous EIR was a programmatic EIR every project that moves forward Needs to have a project level analysis. So that's what this project is going to begin is a project level analysis Second question was Yeah, I mean you don't necessarily need to go through every single one of them, but even if you can sort of summarize What's what's happening here right primarily, you know, we're spending three and a half million we're voting on that on the consent agenda item It's a 23 month project Essentially, and the the follow-up I know that you're going to be doing some follow-up in the communities But I don't really know is it just aptos because that's where it's located You know, I know that you're going to get monthly updates on this one but how will the public be involved in the process of Communicating in the communities and which communities will be receiving those kinds of updates, right? Okay, so as part of the environmental analysis We'll have a scoping meeting that will take place in approximately four to five months and that will most likely be Near the project site. So most likely up toss Rio del Mar area and then there will be a the environmental review Meeting which will happen Probably about 12 months out And that will also be close to the project area. However staff Performs outreach on all projects when we go to events in South County and North County we bring The project fact sheet with us and we have of communications folks who are able to do outreach for all projects in whatever events that we go to and so We're not we're not necessarily planning a meeting in Watsonville for this project it when Typically we try to keep the meetings close to the project site. Yeah, that's what I figured It's obviously we the need to know basis because it's going to relieve Watsonville at some point when we get it going But the necessity of the air and you know our comments for Watsonville on that So I just wanted to have an idea on that But I think I think we're good on the questions and answers you have here And I know that I've had a response so I can go back and read through them again But you know just for public purposes three and a half million dollars on a consent I just want to have a little bit of dialogue just let public know how we're spending our money Yes I have a question on item 8 on the Construction contract award for drainage culvert maintenance along the Santa Cruz branch line. Okay Mike Mike my question is it when what's the What's going to be the con it's 200,000 does that trigger the preventing wage requirement for this project? This contract will be a subject to prevailing wage. Yes. Yeah, and the threshold is much lower than that It's I think it's only like a thousand dollars So most of all work that we do is subject to prevailing wage law Okay, I just wanted to make sure that that was going to be covered on that. Thanks Any other questions from members of the Commission? Supervisor friend. I don't have a question. I just need to recruit recuse myself from Madam 8 and 9 For I have a personal financial interest as my house is within 500 feet of the rail line you Any other questions any any questions from the public on the consent agenda items? Okay. Hi, Jessica Evans from the Santa Cruz County friends of the rail and trail Good morning. Thank you for being here and for taking public comment So we just have a few Comments for consent item 6 we would like to thank you for extending the public comment deadline for the 2015 RTP project list so that we can take a little bit of time to look at that We appreciate staff's responsiveness and extending that that deadline To enable public comment For consent item 7 we we did have some questions. We just wanted to make sure that the TCAA results we're going to be taken into consideration As part of that EIR and it's clear that staff is totally on it and it's going to be paying attention to that So thank you for that for consent item 8. We want to thank you for doing the repair and maintenance along the transit corridor We're really pleased to see that going forward and we're also happy to see on Consent item 9 the progress on the FEMA funded storm damage repair projects from 2017. It's been a long time Coming and I know it's challenging to work with FEMA and everyone has been giving you guys a hard time for it Not happening sooner and now it's happening. So We appreciate that and that's all I have for the consent agenda. Thank you so much Michael St. Once again, just quick comment on item 10 on the consent agenda I think it's really good good stuff that you're doing on that. I think money going in for the buses and the bus on shoulder issue and all this kind of stuff really helps Adding 12 more trips 15-minute intervals from Watsonville on Express service is super good The only thing CFST has a complaint about what you've probably heard many times Is that you combining these? Advances in frequency and well as bus service and combining with cars in the same lane Basically our understanding through our research and studies. It's not going to reduce Any time to destination if you throw the buses in with the cars. Thank you. Good morning Mark MCD Miller Long-time resident professional engineer I don't think it was clear from Jessica Evans comments that item number seven on the consent There was a request to pull it if that wasn't clear from her comments I would like to make a request that you pull item seven I'd like to make some comments about the scope of the IR. Thank you Is there anybody else from the public who'd like to address this? Is there anyone on the commission that wants to pull item number seven for discussion? We discussed that last month Thank you for inviting me back my comments are generally focused on the scope of the IR with respect to the traffic analysis and the environmental impact report the there's some state legislation which now requires that VMT be a considered metric in an environmental analysis and while VMT is is mentioned in the analysis for the traffic study the assessment of what the existing conditions are is not clearly identified as a VMT issue and With respect to the rail crossings There's a Focus on the rail trail piece of it but the combination of the public transit component of those rail bridges whether that be Bus or train as the commission decides sometime later this year neither of those Travel modes are cons being considered in part in the scope of the work so and one a possible amendment would be To include a specific language that says you know the based on the results of the TCAA the transit quarter alternatives analysis that the scope of the IR be amended to reflect the decision to the Commission and that that decision is reflected in the environmental analysis for that project So I think it has a germane effect on traffic and it should be considered and currently the scope of the work doesn't include that So that's the scope. That's the juxtap my issues are Questions So I'll respond to the rail bridge issue the rail bridges are being designed for Existing rail loads That creates the largest environmental footprint for the project After the alternatives analysis, which is just a planning level document. It would be inappropriate to change the Purpose of the bridge Because we don't have environmental clearance and each project needs to have its own environmental clearance. It wouldn't be appropriate to include environmental clearance for What comes out of the alternatives analysis as part of this EIR because each Seek a document needs to have independent utility and logical termini and that would not be the case Until that project Was better defined and went through its own environmental analysis It's mission erotica. Can you turn on your mic? So I was just You heard my question. Yeah, so we we determined and we'd had significant discussions with our consultant team during interviews as to how to address this issue and We felt that the most prudent thing to do is this is an active railroad and we have current loads based on Freight locomotives going over that that we designed these bridges to accommodate those loads If later I'm during the design phase We environmentally clear something lighter or we want to do something less the footprint would be smaller than What we're currently designing because we're designing for a heavier foot load Freight load so This provides us with the maximum amount of flexibility to then modify the design later to utilize the bridges for a different purpose If for some reason we did decide that the alternatives analysis comes up with a lighter train or a bus or Some other purpose that didn't require such a big footprint So this provides the maximum amount of flexibility Caltrans was happy with this. They're the lead on this document So we believe this is the appropriate way moving forward We are looking at BMT the guidelines on BMT are still being developed And we've also been told that if your project starts environmental prior to June that There's going to Not be the what comes out of the guidelines as a requirement But we're actually looking into it more so than and then actually required so I believe that this The scope is appropriate for this document. Thank you Yeah respond. Yeah, well, thank you Guy person for your thoughtful consideration of the foundation requirements and environmental impact of the bridge structures themselves But the issue that's not the issue that I was specifically focused on that is the traffic impact the type of transit that's ultimately selected will impact the type of traffic loads from use it from a number of vehicles and vehicle miles traveled and the unified quarter study demonstrated that that County-wide transit use would go up significantly under a trail and Rail scenario versus a trail and bus scenario by about two million users a year And I would think that would have some impact on the traffic along highway one And so that's the impact that I think is not being considered that should be considered as part of the EIR Thank you. All right Well, if it's different from what he just addressed Okay, it's beyond the scope of this This document this document is a highway and trail project and the bridge is being replaced Only because it needs to be replaced to widen the highway. So we're replacing the bridge in kind You're asking to increase the scope of this project to include the entire rail project, which would be inappropriate From a traffic modeling perspective You don't include projects that don't have environmental clearance as an existing condition And since this project's ahead of the transit project we're proceeding with Not not in not including the benefits of the transit as part of our modeling for the highway project. So I'll be short. We're gonna be short very short. So just to level set us. You're essentially Lowering the highway you have to lower the highway to fit underneath the rails underneath the rails So we just so the scope of work is Extremely more 65 million I believe is the additional cost just because you have to lower the highway So this is an example of defining your requirements up front, which unfortunately it is what it is and they're doing what they can You have a rail. Thank you So I'm sure go ahead. I was just gonna move it Mr. Schiffer No, I just wanted to follow up on the EIR Comment because I think that it's worth taking into consideration by staff Whether it can be done within the scope or not in the end seek where requires that potential impacts be looked at and analyzed Whether that Project that would create those impacts has been approved yet if it's in the queue I think there could be a case that those are impacts that should be looked at on the sequence So I'm not sure I understood all the details of what was being talked about but it seemed like it's worth considering the Suggestion of a potential impact on what Would happen in the future even though that project hasn't been approved or isn't through the Process on the sequel that might not be a determinative. So I just ask that you look into it What I'm hearing is this really not necessary or required at this time so I It will be in the cumulative impact analysis, but it will not be in the traffic modeling Okay, well, I mean as I just think it needs to be incorporated that seems and it will in the cumulative impact would be sufficient So I feel like we are going to get to this question when we're doing the comparative study And that's the issue that's here Which is you know, what are the vehicle miles travel different between train bus and so forth and it doesn't have to be done on this project Because we're going to end up with a project that's large enough to accommodate which whatever Choice we make so I'm going to move the consent agenda second Moved it seconded to approve the consent agenda as Presented all those in favor opposed sordid unanimously We will now go to the regular agenda number item number 20 for commissioner reports oral reports Are any commissioner have a statement on any item that's in general? Okay, we'll move on to number item number 21 the appointment of commissioners to the budget administrative personnel committee This is one addition. I think mr. Jock pretend aside from the five County supervisor appointments is on that. Is that correct? That is the current makeup of the Bna committee. Yes. Okay, so that's what the proposal is. Is there any public comment on that? seen none Second moved and seconded to approve item number 21 all those in favor Opposed sordid unanimously item number 22 is a director's oral report Good morning commissioners. I am pleased to announce that the RTC has hired Krista Corwin to fill RTC's vacant administrative Assistant position Krista earned her bachelor's degree in history at Bowling Green State University in Ohio Then served two years in the AmeriCorps here in the Silicon Valley She interned at the ACLU of Northern California before attending graduate school earning a master's degree in sociology from UC Davis Krista recently retired from a nine-year career in roller derby and represented Santa Cruz Internationally with the local all-star team the boardwalk bombshells Krista is passionate about wellness and active transportation and expects to compete The in the AIDS life cycle biking 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles in June this year Krista brings grant writing experience and organizational skills to the RTC and it's excited to put For passion for public service to work in the expanding world of regional transit. Krista is here today sitting in the front row She will be active at our board meeting. So you'll get to know Krista very well Welcome nice to have you here and keep going On February 19 chair McPherson and vice chair Gonzales and I Join representatives of the Central Coast Coalition in Sacramento for a legislative day The coalition consists of the regional transportation planning agencies For the counties of Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara as well as the association of Bay Area Governments By working together we have found that our agencies can be more effective at ensuring common goals are met for the central coast The coalition met with representatives of the state transportation agency Caltrans the california transportation commission the california high speed rail authority and the governor's office of planning and research Although the discussion was focused on the coalition senate bill one project nominations for the next cycle of brand opportunities Also subjects were other subjects were also addressed Chair McPherson and vice chair Gonzales and I highlighted the highway one auxiliary lane bus and shoulder project as a Multimodal solution that is expected to reduce congestion while providing significant benefits for bicycles Bicyclists pedestrians and transit users RTC's project garnered considerable interest as being innovative and consistent with statewide goals for multimodal Sustainable solutions to transportation challenges RTC staff is working on applications for the highway one auxiliary lane bus on shoulder projects for Soquel Drive to State Park Drive for the next cycles of Solution to congested corridor program and the local partnership program Applications for competitive SECP and LPP are due in June 2020 with CTC action expected in December of 2020 And I really appreciate both vice chair Gonzales and chair McPherson's Attendance they were very active and in the discussions in fact vice chair Gonzales Highlighted the city of Watsonville's harken slew project, which is needed to improve pedestrian access to Pajaro Valley High School This project is a strong candidate for the next cycle of the act of transportation program the 2021 ATP Guidelines are under development and the harken slew project is expected to compete. Well It just missed being funded in the cycle 4 and 2019 and we expect to work closely with the city of Watsonville to make sure that it gets funded this time Chair McPherson also discussed the good work of the Monterey Bay community power Bringing carbon-free energy to the region chair McPherson discussed how Monterey Bay Community power partnered with the California energy Commission and the Center for sustainable energy to offer seven million dollars in incentives for EV chargers through the California electric vehicle infrastructure Central Coast Initiative project businesses multi-unit dwellings Non-profits and local government Properties can qualify for rebates to purchase and install eligible EV chargers and Monterey San Benito in Santa Cruz counties Caltrans district director Tim gummins Reminded the coalition that Caltrans recently installed the state's first 100% solar-powered electric vehicle charging station at Camp Roberts rest areas along highway 101 in San Luis Obispo County to direct current Fast-charging stations are connected to pivoting solar panels and battery systems Both chair McPherson and chair Gonzales also vice-chair Gonzales also Discussed the challenges of the state highways serving as main streets of many Communities throughout Santa Cruz County state officials emphasized a commitment to shift the soak focus away from traditional solutions That focused only on the automobile STA secretary David Kim discussed potential legislation to change the way speed limits are determined known as prima facie speed limits This topic has considerable interest for coalition members including RTC and we will continue to monitor Support and provide updates on legislation to allow for changes in how speed limits are set that includes my report Thank you. Many questions What I would Just want to say one thing it was a very I think productive meeting and we address although it's the highway one corridor of these five counties That is the main topic of conversation. It's very important that we be engaged in this Also, I wanted to mention that Monterey Bay community power from a meeting of yesterday is going to soon be Central Coast Community Energy because the There's agencies in Santa Barbara and San Luis Episcopal counties that are going to make up this 32 agency Agency now, so it's it's great to have expanded along and it matches the five counties that we have here that we're discussing Also discussed with the same five counties housing and Transportation issues in a meeting and past robles with a new agency So the Central Coast counties of Santa Barbara San Luis Episcopal Santa Cruz Monterey and San Benito are in a lot of these Organizations together and so it's going to be really important that we address these on a cooperative manner and an understandable manner And I think that's what's taking place. So I'm very encouraged about this and I think we can bring a lot more Interest and power to our region when we're in this together So I want to appreciate everything that everybody has done to get us to this point with climate change They might be part of Monterey Bay in the long run. Yeah Okay, any other questions Thank you. All right, we will move to the Caltrans report the Santa Cruz County project updates Thank you. Mr. Chair I'd like to start again by restating what our Our new director toks on the shotgun has set forward as his five priorities for the department Number one is safety Every day 10 people die on california's transportation system. Two of those are pedestrians or bicyclists He is not content with that. He's working towards zero deaths and he's asking us to do what we can to Uh ensure that the highway is as safe as it can be He has hired a chief safety officer as part of his campaign to Elevate the importance of safety. As you know safety has always been number one with Caltrans He's interested in bringing any even higher and giving it more attention Second priority is modality. He's interested in leveraging manage lanes transit active transportation And freight projects and making things integrate in a better way. He's he's especially interested in this knowing that our population in california is expected to increase By 25 percent over the next 30 years and that freight movement will increase by about 75 percent Innovation is the third point in this list He's considering business as usual is not an option Wants to embrace a mindset of change and transformation Getting the state ready to deal and address with things like climate change affordable housing and the homelessness crisis Fourth point is efficiency sp1 itself, which is state law requires that Caltrans find and Achieve 100 million dollars in savings annually In the first year we identified 133 million in the second year 233 million and it's not just about sp1. It's just about stewardship for the public taxpayer dollars and being able to do more and Shift our priorities into what makes the most sense with the taxpayer dollars The fifth priority is partnerships Knowing that any really to do california's business that cal trans obviously cannot work in isolation But that through our partnerships, we leverage The resources the talent and the energy of all of us together to achieve more and so he's expecting us to to work More in concert with our stakeholders And really leverage leverage those relationships to achieve more Any questions? Oh, sorry. I'm not done. You're not done Okay, let me I'll get through the other ones one more question. All right I wanted to announce that cal trans has released the vmt focused transportation impact study guide on your last item There was a discussion about the vehicle miles traveled Shift from level of service The this study guide being vmt focused is what cal trans will use to evaluate Land use projects There's a subsequent analysis a technical guide that will come out for how we evaluate transportation projects themselves But this one is for land use feedback is is requested by march 30th If you or your public works planning agencies haven't seen this we we can forward it out to you I think there was a quite wide distribution, but I'd be happy to fall up with a subsequent distribution and Sometimes it's better to be redundant and then Finally just a few follow-up items the 5310 program you had asked about information for zero emission vehicle purchases And we have a there's a letter on the dais for you Responding to that that both the altuna testing and the by america requirements are necessary To use federal funding and there's no zev option for this the the style of bus For the 5310 program that meets both those requirements right now So it's a limitation based on the federal funding at this time highway one the construction going on highway one includes importantly Work on six over crossings for pedestrian activity and I Wanted to note that we're upgrading 46 curb ramps and installing 32 accessible pedestrian Signals those are audible signals and we are making progress. You'll see things kind of start and stop But there we're making we're making progress along the way You'll start to see changes with some cones being put up and and coming down and Slow progress, but it'll all be done by the by december And then there's a second project the project that's under construction now at the at the fish hook There will be a a a subsequent project that goes Up highway 17 another three tenths of a mile. We call posse tempo two It's listed in your report here as project number three We expect that project to go into construction Uh later this spring Now Yes, mr. Bertrand so um You mentioned uh highways city, excuse me going through uh cities, you know caltrans And um I read an article um that talked about the uptick and pedestrian fatalities And so being that uh caltrans goes through the cities. Watsonville is a good example What is uh caltrans doing to try to work on safety issues related to this particular Problem that's had an uptick recently Commissioner Bertrand we have a um We have a number of of initiatives to improve pedestrian bicycle safety There is a uh a monitoring program that we have that's very active We also have several projects. Um as I mentioned some of the um Signal modifications that we're doing But also the director has asked his chief safety officer to try to get a better handle on The contributing factors uh and the uptick of the pedestrian type collisions I I don't have the data available to me right now But I certainly um think we can bring something back and because I think it's important to understand what some of the underlying trends are That are associated with that so we can attack it from that standpoint You know, I'd appreciate feedback on that. Uh distracted Driving comes up as you know everyone points to that The other one is I've received a lot of questions about the curb improvements It seems like going to december to finish them all Is extensive amount of time. Um, it definitely decreases pedestrian activity Certainly in Santa and capitol. I noticed that you can't even walk on the sidewalks across a road like the bay porter exit entrance So it seems like we're sort of defeating ourselves because the project's moving so slowly I can check into the staging. It's the the contract is tied in with all of the work on highway one So it's a multiple faceted Project with the pavement the bridge rails and the over crossings So I can I can see if we can Evaluate the timing But the the whole contract is bundled and so the contractor has all this Time until december to finish everything. I think for example at state park They're estimating that I might be done there within a month or so I can see if I can get a a little better handle on each of the other Overcrossings in terms of the timing if it's available So my point is it's defeating the the purpose of these which is to increase or promote pedestrian activity Any other questions? Yes, sir. Mr. Thank you, chair Question on item 18 For the crosswalks on pedestrian safety enhancements Um In some conversations with our my fellow city councilmen's on this matter of the The fps is being installed. Yes beacon services. You said number 18. Yeah number 18. Yes Is there is there any Um, I guess the question that asks is that there's any possibilities that instead of being a yellow flashing beacon light That it can be converted into a red flashing beacon light Because it just seems that we have yellow flashing beacon lights on on main street and on highway And it just seems that the traffic instead of Coming to a stall a stop They see it flashing and they tend to speed up because they they want to beat that person crossing that crosswalk It's just a horrible Thing, you know That for them, it's just kind of like that that's syndrome of the, you know, it's turning yellow So I better hurry up through the intersection Is there any way that instead of them being yellow flashing big lights that we can convert them into red? So they indicate them to to come to a complete stop The commissioner Gonzalez you're speaking to traffic control devices which are highly regulated and there's a lot of Thought and engineering that goes into every detail of those devices And i'm certain that the yellow is Is a requirement for that device I can um, I think that if they are looking at Other options to change the color. It would be a statewide option I can I can float the idea and see if they're looking at that I mean this might go to commissioner Bertrand's point is what's behind all these fatalities are people not Oh, you know, if they're if there's a and let me say this to the manual and uniform traffic control devices is the bible for traffic engineers for what gets put in on the roads And for good reason When you have a proliferation of signs and types of devices people tend not to see them the same So that might be why some of your constituents have asked for a sign for every, you know Lots of people like to request signs, but we don't just put them up everywhere because we don't want to Dull the senses for the driver But in this era of promoting pedestrian safety, there may be other Things that we need to do and the the rectangular flashing beacons is one of the relatively newer items on the that's being used and it's being used Quite a lot There might be a time period where they're evaluating their proficiency and being able to say how successful they are I think with any new device. It's also imperative that there's a public awareness campaign education For people for drivers to know how to behave in those circumstances Just wanted to follow up on the pedestrian improvements that are going on right now I noticed in a couple significant locations during the process. I know that with the winter weather The construction of those pedestrian improvements is stalled But there are a number of locations porter street being one 41st avenue being another where the temporary asphalt work In my opinion was creating some hazards And so just to follow up on the point that that the construction takes time We understand that but interim conditions of construction projects related to pedestrian or bike improvements should Still maintain a certain level of safety and I think we did a great job with that with respect to the the state park Configuration and all the ballards and everything to make that that passage safe But those two other locations the temporary asphalt had big cracks and big gaps and could easily be a hazard So as we continue to move forward with that I may follow up with you afterwards just to see what the status is on on making those things a little bit safer As the construction continues. Absolutely. Thank you Any other questions from Questions from the public This is just a report so Jessica Evans again, I just I do have one question In terms of it's just speaking to Um, commissioner Gonzalez question. I understand that you have very specific requirements for You know, which how a given device is used, um, I I just Wonder if sometimes You know a different device is appropriate. I mean and I don't know When you might embed flashing lights in the pavement instead of only putting up a A high Sign that drivers often just go right through I mean we see this in mission street in Santa Cruz as well there's been a number of near misses and A lot of people are not able to use those crossings where those devices are installed because they're not effective So I don't know. I I think I just want to Say like maybe that's not the right device Morning commissioners monoconic candidate for first district supervisor I wanted to call attention in the Caltrans report to the call for managed lanes This is actually something that I ended up speaking out on the campaign trail about quite a bit Because people desperately want a solution for the highway and we need a funding source So as I explained it, we're leaving the money to fix the highway out there on the road every day Probably about 260 million dollars in lost time And so if you provide if you build a fast track lane or a managed lane as Is being called for here by by Caltrans You essentially give someone the opportunity to pay three dollars to get out of traffic instead of spending six dollars of their time Stuck in traffic So this is really the best long-term solution for the highway, you know, there's plenty of cars out there We don't need to be providing more Government-owned vehicles What we do need to do is make sure that we manage the space on the road effectively Here's another simple way to think about it If you had a grocery store where all the food was free the shelves would be empty and there'd be a line Around the block. That's exactly what we have on the highway now You've got to charge for the food and that way you can dependably sell food You can dependably offer space on the highway So I highly recommend that this commission ask for a report on how some of the managed lanes are doing in the bay area We've put in quite a few over there and I think it'd be really A good step forward to understand how those lanes are working and what it would take to implement one here. Thank you Hello again Traffic safety is very important to me as everybody, but um We have lost a dear friend a dear friend a few years ago at the fish hook. She died. She was 12 She was at the back of her mother's car and a box truck Collided into them I'm also a cyclist. I've been commuting for eight years And being from Europe, I just I just want to highlight something Could you just stick with the the report and what's on here, please? All right. I thought it was um some um related because As you were saying um overwhelming if you will Motorists with all kinds of signs and everything. I was trying to get into this Maybe I can try about you. Um Basically in um As long as you give motorists The priority this is going to be a problem as you are addressing People tend to speed up when they can or if they want In europe and danmark and the netherlands where a lot of Stick with the subject matter, please here, you know the projects. Okay Um, I guess I won't go into that. Thank you Jim helmer ben loman pertaining to two comments on that report In the state of florida They are investigating The use of rapid Rectangular flashing beacons They're looking at using the red color In mid block locations not at intersections. It's not a done deal. It's under investigation Caltrans may want to follow up with f-tot and also to the Executive directors report and the comment about what is caltrans doing? I think the um ab 23 63 um conclusion with the caltrans and cal sta's report On looking at allowing caltrans to utilize prima facia 25 mile per hour speed limits On state highways is one of the biggest and best recommendations that came out of that report Guy and I have talked about this a lot I've approached you for over a year or two about prima facia 25 on main streets on Narrow highways and rural communities like ben loman los gata's watson vell another so The um committee on the task force has now formed a subcommittee And they're looking they are starting to write a proposed language for legislative change to utilize prima facia 25 on business activity centers on Rural communities, so I really encourage you to get behind and support that effort. Thank you Okay, yes, mr. Rockton I want to reinforce what mr. Helmer just said about the 25 mile an hour issue That's really a key issue on these many of these situations Also, it's not a state highway But just to get a sense of what another option might be if you look at west cliff drive in front of the dream in They've it's a crosswalk in the middle of a block And they've got a bunch of flags and so forth And it's not a flashing signal or anything like that It just wakes people up and it's made a huge difference in terms of the cars stopping for pedestrians there Which they never used to do these is drive by when people are obviously ready to cross the the street So that might have some application. I don't know but it's worth at least someone taking a look at it Any other Okay, you have a comment, please be brief and This is just directed to the report itself Exactly. I just wanted to thank Our caltrans representative following up on the 5310 grant program I've actually talked with the lightning systems and asked if caltran had called them To inquire whether there was that type of vehicle and they have had no contact with caltrans At all. So I kind of turned it over to community bridges. I sent them all the Emails and that type of stuff and they're not looking over the process of possibly looking into it themselves And one that you might consider As a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. It's a kind of an ambulatory Transit van many vans is what they were looking for so that might be something you want to look into and I think they'll be maybe following up with you on this also But thank you for all your troubles appreciate any other questions from the commissioners Okay, we will move on to item number 24 The camping enforcement challenges. It's an oral report from the highway patrol lieutenant Ian troxel and officer steve busses are here to address this and thank you very much I know I had talked to the commander And for to try to get a report on this and I appreciate your being here today Well, good morning, and thank you lieutenant Ian troxel with the california highway patrol Yeah, the homeless issue is a significant problem within the county and we're doing the very best we can to keep the homeless safe in regards to pedestrian safety Crossing the highways and whatnot The california patrol and partnership with the california department of transportation is working hard to make our freeways safe as possible Throughout the state there are certain areas where homeless encampments are set up near our freeways And these areas homeless people oftentimes use freeways shoulders and freeway lanes to gain access to the encampments Being a pedestrian on a freeway is extremely dangerous and illegal Numerous people have been injured or killed because of secondary collisions that occur as well as the collisions that happen as motorists react to avoid striking a pedestrian Sadly many of the pedestrians killed on freeways are homeless people The chp and cal trans will continue to address these safety concerns to ensure Our free our freeways are safe. Now. Let's talk a little bit about san cruz county itself, right? There's some significant challenges when you're dealing with the homeless populations in the encampments I kind of break them up to three different types of populations within these camps One are truly homeless. They're working within the communities. They cannot afford to live in a house And so they are homeless Two you have a significant mental health population within the encampments And then three you have a criminal population in there that Utilizes the camps to deal drugs Prostitution and different things like that So those are some significant issues we're dealing with In addition to Those issues, uh, there is the law of the land brown versus Ohio Which um kind of hampers our ability to immediately remove homeless You have to one give them a proper notice, which is typically about 72 hours cal trans does a fantastic job of doing that You call and can also you can't also separate them from their property So that's also a challenge One of the one of the issues that I've come across with when dealing with the encampments is We'll give someone who is homeless A notice and they're like, hey, we just went down to the shelter and there isn't any room or beds available For us to go. So that's a significant issue So there's the enforcement piece our main mission is to provide safety for cal trans after they've done all the required announcements Two is that the education piece our public information officers have been down in the camps and tried to educate the homeless On traffic safety, pedestrian safety Not utilizing the freeways to make their way to and from certain areas in the county Specifically the methadone clinic is they typically use the freeway to walk over and go to the methadone clinics That tends to be an issue And engineering, that's the last piece. We'll continue to engage with cal trans on some of our ideas To try and make it a little bit safer In these areas and maybe create spaces that aren't so comfortable to Pop up a tent those different types of things. So I will open it up to questions in regards to Any of that if you have any, thank you for being here again. I know this is a problem not only in sanikers county, but throughout the state and Our is the chp Um addressing this or the state On a shall we say a collective Address on the on the issue to try to say this is what we should I mean, does one size fit all on some of your Recommended actions to correct this situation. Unfortunately at one size does not fit all because of the different counties And what the political climate is within those counties if you have particularly the laws that are Or policies and procedures established by a certain sheriff that says you can't Do x y and z or we won't If you were to get to the point of an arrest of Failing to obey laws as a as the homeless If the county jail isn't going to take those homeless folks Then there's issues there. So different counties have different policies and procedures to help that out As far as the education campaign, that's the same statewide We're aggressively trying to educate the homeless in the dangers of living so close to Our freeways Is um, have you addressed uh, or would it be beneficial to address our sheriff or Just to see how you can cooperate your coordinate your yes, we we uh, we are continually We continually meet on a monthly basis with the sheriff There has been some positive steps There are mobile mental health teams that are going out to address some of these issues And there has been some success reported from that So I don't know where the funding sources comes from that But I would encourage that if you have oversight over that to that those programs are working And to continue to continue to look at that Additional space For the homeless. I mean, that's what it comes down to they need somewhere else to go They need a roof over their heads somewhere safe somewhere. They can go And that's just not there Okay, thank you the other questions Yes You just mentioned that mobile mental health team. Is that affiliated with our county service providers or is that something independent from the That's affiliated with county service providers. Great. Thank you Mr. Johnson, thank you chair. So if you had Your druthers and wanted to lobby the legislature, what kind of changes would you ask from the state representatives to kind of help your situation? and Maybe alleviate this conundrum I think affordable housing won not my lane, but that would be one Um, yeah, you need more beds for these for people that just cannot afford To live outside of a tent I would look at Grants for traffic safety pedestrian safety. That's that's still an issue We just recently had a fatal traffic collision involving a homeless pedestrian On highway one that continues to be an issue. So if we can look at maybe some engineering aspects Of the roadways that we can collaborate with Caltrans on those might be some positive steps In some areas I've made a Pretty simple recommendation is putting boulders in these big open spaces areas when they're not in use So it you know may not make it so easy to have an encampment Do you do you get complaints from neighbors and so forth who call you and say we have a problem here? Absolutely, uh, that that continues at least on a weekly basis Um, my most recent complaint wasn't really highway related. It was more. Hey, they're starting to camp out by the cemetery And I want to go and visit You know my deceased husband, but yet there's homeless people living in the cemetery. So There are a lot of a lot of issues Any other questions? Thank you for your efforts and your coordinated efforts and you're right. It's It's a very complicated issue the housing issue, which is a whole other subject But it that's what it's all about to try to do it We have different health and human service organizations that are trying to do this in a cooperative manner with the city and the county as well Whatever I go to csac the county state association of counties What's the biggest problem you have? Well, it's housing homeless combined and so We're not alone here in santa cruz county But I thank you for your efforts and working with our sheriff and and really with the county And it's working with the cities to try to address this problem In in a more direct and efficient manner as possible Thank you very much. Thank you. Appreciate it lieutenant. Thank you Okay, we will go to item number 25 The transit corridor or terminals or alternatives analysis Goal screening criteria performance measures and initial list of alternatives gender dyke are we'll swine me out of Derek here Start this discussion Good morning commissioners. I'm ginger die car senior transportation planner on rtc staff And i'm the project manager for the transit corridor alternatives analysis The transit corridor alternatives analysis is evaluating transit investment options That utilize the santa cruz branch rail line as a dedicated transit facility RTC and metro staff have been working together with hdr engineering consultants on this analysis I'll start off the presentation today to providing an overview of the project including the performance based planning process We are following and the stakeholder outreach to date And then i'll hand it off to pan yonkin yonkin and steve decker from hdr engineering who will talk about the evaluation framework composed of the goals screening criteria and performance measures and then the initial list of alternatives The alternatives analysis is evaluating transit investment options on the rail corridor That could run from shaffer road on the west side of santa cruz To through watsa bill to power our station The analysis will develop an integrated transit network for santa cruz county utilizing all a part of the santa cruz branch rail line As a dedicated transit facility The outcome of this analysis is to identify a locally preferred alternative for transit on the rail corridor This analysis Follows a performance based planning process where an initial list of alternatives is compiled These alternatives are then screened down qualitatively using a screening criteria To reduce down to a short list of alternatives Then the short list of alternatives will be evaluated Quantitatively using performance measures to determine a locally preferred alternative There are three key milestones of the project The project team is here today to solicit input and seek approval from the commission on milestone one Which is the evaluation framework that's composed of the goals screening criteria and performance measures And also the initial list of alternatives And once the evaluation framework and initial list of alternatives is approved the project team will be screening The alternatives qualitatively the next milestone or milestone two will be to determine the short list of alternatives That make it through the screening process And the final or third milestone is to present the performance analysis results and determine the locally preferred alternative The stakeholder engagement for milestone one Was extensive in both english and spanish through email blasts Social media print and radio ads event tabling media coverage Partner agency and rtc advisory committee meetings. There were two open houses One in watsonville and one in live oak Focus group meetings three sets of focus group meetings with local community organizations And an online survey as well as project information on the uh, santa cruz county transportation commission website At the open houses, there was a record attendance. There was approximately 250 people in the live oak open house And approximately 50 people in watsonville With that i'd like to hand off the presentation to pam yomkin from hdr engineering Let me make sure I can switch it Maybe not Ginger, how do I move it? Yeah, I did Okay. All right. Thank you. Uh, thank you commissioners. Um, my name is pam yomkin I work for hdr engineering here to talk a little bit about the evaluation framework that we intend to use for this process It is a triple bottom line framework that's based on economy environment and uh, and the social equity Which is also consistent with the unified quarter investment study The 2040 santa cruz county regional transportation plan and also state and federal guidance related to these sorts of prioritization activities the um We have uh, uh presented three different matrices actually four that include those triple bottom line measures of equity economy and social equity And then a fourth that discusses other considerations that we'll be making when we look through these project alternatives Um, if you take a look at the matrix, they're all very consistent We present the goal that we're trying to achieve In the description column, we describe the question We're trying to answer and in the evaluation metric column We point out the performance measure or the data point or information that we'll be using in order to inform our evaluation We have after a considerable public Input and also input from the ad hoc committee Decided to use an abc Evaluation format where a is most desirable b is moderately desirable and c is least desirable And that that will be used for all of the different evaluation criteria for the phase one screening And the phase one screening will be focused on information and data that we have available It'll be a little bit more high level than when we dig into the actual value engineering and more Detailed prioritization, which will be phase two of the evaluation Just to Give you a little bit of an example With the supports economy We took public input and we changed some of the measures so that they were a little bit more focused And we also added some additional detail throughout all of the different measures in order to inform the evaluation Yeah, still trying to get it So the first three are very similar. They have a similar format the last one Focuses on other goals and the other goals have to do with things like technical feasibility Are they consistent with other planning efforts? Are they consistent with regulatory requirements, etc? And then at the end we will come up with the initial screening present that to Folks and the commission and get additional public input to move to the next phase And with that I'll turn it over to my colleague steve decker. He'll talk a little bit about some of the alternatives See if I could get this right So as as we started this process In parallel with the evaluation approach that pam just went through We identified an initial list of the universe of alternatives That we would look at and assess starting with screening in this Alternatives analysis As part of that process we went through multiple meetings and then went to the public partner agencies Focus groups to really refine that list as we did with the analysis approach that pam just spoke to So we we're going to go through briefly the alternatives that we honed in on And that we are proposing to evaluate as part of this process There are core services on the right of way That we are going to focus on in screening and then connector services that will also You know different types of transit service that will connect to this core service that will also evaluate Oops, I knew I would do that I got I think I have it For some reason the title doesn't show up. I'm going backwards There it is So we started our universe of alternatives looking at different types of rubber wheel bus types of services We understand and we have documented things like You know, these could be autonomous. They could be You know driven by human driven There are different service models local commuter Different types of the inner city Different types of propulsion electric diesel different Carrying capacity of the different types of services anywhere from moving four people to maybe 100 people per car Or per vehicle So we looked at those kinds of things and we'll build those into our evaluation of the alternatives analysis when we go through screening And then here just there are some examples of the bus Types of services rubber wheel These include, you know, regular bus that metro currently operates and these will be really targeted for the right of way Bus rapid transit commuter bus express bus a variety of Bus options There's some unique options here, too That we felt we needed to look at too to really complete the universe autonomous road trains which are shown there In the middle sort of a fancy looking bus that almost looks like light rail, but it's a bus We looked at dual rail and bus vehicle types of alternatives As well as micro shuttles, which would be autonomous vehicle types of shuttles We also looked at rail alternatives different types of rail alternatives inner city rail commuter rail very traditional diesel units light rail monorail as well as trams and trolleys, so we looked at very traditional types of Alternatives there as well And then we got into some of the non-traditional types of strategies Including things like personal rapid transit Inverted purple personal rapid transit gondolas string rail hyper loops those kinds of things that will evaluate as well as part of this universe In addition as we screen through the process There will be some connector services that will evaluate too when we get into the detailed analysis So for example Personal rapid transit may be or brt or bus could be used and identified to connect to the right of way service So we want to we will evaluate those two when we get to the detailed analysis And here are some examples of what those types of strategies will look like They're very similar to what we already showed for the connector or the core services They just will be used to connect and one of the main goals here obviously is to not only connect with metro bus Whatever this service would be but also outside external rail and other opportunities outside of santa cruz So that's the universe of alternatives. We talked a little bit about the Evaluation approach in this schedule for next steps We are right in the middle there of you know completing milestone number one mid-march And we'll have about a two month period to Screen and define those screen projects that move forward into detailed evaluations. That's what we're working on right now milestone number two Probably completed by you know sometime in april may To a variety of planning processes and outreach processes And then once those are screened we'll get into evaluation or milestone three which comes later this summer That said that's That's the conclusion of the report Mr. Rackett So you didn't say this here, but I know it's the case But when you're done and you've screened it down to you know, three or four or five Whatever we think are the most feasible or the best of these projects They'll be at that point. There will be public input. This is what we've done Here's what we're left with so that that's the opportunity for people who thought one of the ones you dumped Was the best thing to have their chance to come and speak and Speak up and so we when we move forward from that point everybody will have At least they may not get their way But everybody would have had a chance to speak up about The screening that we've done and why we've left left it with a small number of options that we're really Going to get into that's correct. That is correct and and we are going to be as transparent as possible So people will understand that process and why those decisions were made to screen. Thank you Mr. Tren So I'm looking at some of the considerations your triple Evaluation criteria and one of them is supporting the economy So I was wondering if you'd address two different things that are concerned to me When I look at the Fiscal issues it seems rather high level macro. So if you could talk about how Staff is going to approach looking at things from a macro level Basically generating jobs Is it going to have an over spill over effect on improving the general economic activity in santa cruse county? Which creates tax funds creates a lot of benefit for the community The other thing I'd like you to address because I haven't seen it really Maybe it's not you Something identify, which is the micro so i'm thinking about the individual transit Customer is this going to make sense to them because ultimately no matter what kind of mode we have What kind of cost structure we have it has to make sense to The individual person the the people who are in cars coming from watsonville or going over the hill or something like that And whatever kind of a situation that is it has to be apparently a beneficial to them so one consideration I'd like in this response is We'll offer a solution and some people may not take it right away because they don't see the immediate benefit And then they wait until it gets a lot worse And then they jump in because maybe the economy the economics for their particular situation has shifted now So if you can address the macro and how this is going to be approached And if you could address the micro in terms of the individual and how they're going to be looking at this report and seeing the benefit from it Okay, I'm going to ask pam to help answer your first question on macro economics In terms of the second question in terms of micro when we do get to those detailed performance evaluations of whatever comes through screening We will have some detailed performance evaluations of fares fair structures, which I think is what you're getting at in terms of that micro What is it going to cost me As an individual writer to use this system and what benefits do I get out of it in terms of travel time? Or getting from place to place that kind of thing So we will evaluate fares and other metrics that we'll try to get at those types of answers at the micro level Will it achieve what you're asking in terms of really defining when and how The timing of when people decide to choose their mode or shift their mode. We're hoping this You know helps define that can't really tell you what the determining point is yet in terms of when people will shift Whether it's fair travel time savings a combination of factors So we're going to look at a combination of factors to identify what that mode shift would be And that will be an aggregate, but it will also be individualized if that makes sense Yes, it does and I think that's very critical because whatever solution the rtc comes up It has to make sense to the individual writers in this community, right and pam will speak to the macro economic Question Thank you So you'll notice on the matrix. There's a couple of different components The first component the upper one is very much related to cost and o&m And what will it be in terms of actually bringing it to fruition? The second one identifies opportunities for transit oriented development and also jobs generation And at the screening level we will use You know data and information that we're able to collect locally But also across the nation in terms of how these different modes impact those things And then when we do the the more detailed screening, we'll get into the weeds a little bit more There's a couple of different approaches we can use to actually estimate some of the jobs We think we might be able to generate from these different alternatives and that will be part of the second phase Was there another related question or would you like me to expand? No, I I think you generally, you know sort of address what's here If you want to get into a specific thing is Santa Cruz is let's say a unique Individual you know this area is unique were very restricted in terms of Many many resources and so if that's going to be a lens You know there's job issues There's the breadth of needing to transfer it from a to b which would rather extend You know huge extensions from one end to the county and to the other end and the county and stuff like that So if you could address that the lens that you're developing to try to understand Santa Cruz and how this report is going to address the issues from that standpoint When we get into the specific modes, we will be looking very much at the project area What will be the project area impact? So for example, tod is a real easy way to discuss this topic Some of these modes will will be likely to generate more development than other modes and that will be very Localized that'll be very much within Santa Cruz and that will be our our biggest focus if that makes to the transit oriented Sorry about that. Yes transit oriented development So development that's occurring along the alignment near the station stops that sort of development very local Will you be working with associated agencies like ambag and others that are working on similar issues? I yeah, go ahead We are working with ambag and some of their models and tools and assessments of data where people are coming from and going to To also answer your question We are purchasing cell phone data and using that and really understanding travel markets of people in Santa Cruz And then we will define, you know We have an analytical tools that can tell us the propensity the shift mode For various different reasons fair travel type savings a variety of things We'll be looking at all that as part of the detailed analysis as well So we are coordinating with not only ambag and their tools and understanding how that works integrated in the multiple counties but also with The transit agency transportation agency of Monterey. That's also looking at integrated rail And we're trying to identify ways to connect to their rail system We're going to try to connect a metro's current and potential future bus system as well So there are a variety of activities that are trying to answer your question that we'll get into in phase two One more question. Sure. As a follow-up. Um, I would appreciate Some scenarios some sort of information so I can understand the methods you're using So I could appreciate and the community could appreciate how the methods you're using Will actually get us to the answers that are appropriate to this community Oh, that is a fair point and there are some interim products that we're developing In my mind I go by task, you know, very linear linear in my thinking and how you do these things In task three, we are going to define that specific approach Including the tools and then define identify that travel market. So that'll provide some Transparency and some input as to what santa cruz is looking like based on this data. I appreciate that I just have one question before mr. Schifrin You the word diesel was mentioned. I just can't imagine this county Except in anything diesel is there any reason to have that in the discussion at all? We really want to look at the universe if the universe of alternatives and in all likelihood we have had discussions With cal trans Transit operators everybody's going to a zero emission vehicles including trains. That's where we're headed We just we're looking at the universe here in terms of these propulsion systems in and in the end there was some discussion earlier about Autonomous vehicle and technology that is certainly something we were going to explore to with all of these This whole universe. All right. Thank you. Mr. Schifrin. Did you have a question? Yes, I just wanted to clarify what we're doing here today as I understand that what's being requested is for us to essentially approve milestone one which is the Criteria that are on page 25 10 11 and 12 for the economy and the Equity etc and those are revised from what was originally Proposed based on the staff recommendation based on the public input And so I think what is useful for us if if the commission has changes that we want to see In the criteria because these are the criteria. They're going to be used to evaluate this quote universe of alternatives Whether we like them or not That will then be narrowed down to a short list of alternatives Today is the day to sort of give the direction to staff To make any changes that we'd like to see in those criteria So I think it's important that we be specific in terms of well if you don't like on page 25 10 one of the financially feasible criteria like capital cost per rider What do you want them to look at because I think As I understand it we're kind of under the gun from Caltrans to move this process along to keep it going And to get to and we'd like to get to a conclusion Within the time period that was set up in the contract. So I think it's important that we act today to approve the milestone one and make any changes that we want to Any changes that we want to make to that recommendation that's coming from staff Which is to approve these criteria to approve the work on the Alternatives that have been suggested am I understanding what's going on today correctly? That's correct commissioner shifrin and I can Read the staff recommendation. It is those two things necessary since we have it. I just wanted to Since it's possible That members of the public are not clear what exactly we're doing here today I know we got a lot of the commission got a lot of Comments from members of the public request for changes Um, I think some of them were accepted some of them may not have been accepted But what we have before us today is a revised list of criteria And um, what will be useful to us is at least to me is to hear whether There are specific changes that people think still need to be made that we can ask our staff and consultants to respond to and Be able to move this process forward. So thank you very much Go ahead. Yes. Yeah Thanks, Andy. I appreciate that context as well. The question I have is I understand at phase one we're at a high level Phase two we become more quantitative one question. I have is is built into this. I think that the criteria is is Robust but whether or not there'll be an analysis to determine or a conversation to determine If a weighting factor on any one of these Categories or any specific item in the category um, will be evaluated at the commission level so that if we decide collectively in In equity or economy that one of these items is more important than the other that during that phase two performance measure We have a conversation about how we want to weight those Is that is that part of this process or is that going to be discussed later? Obviously, there is a weighting when you bring this information together So the way the project team has talked about presenting the information at the next milestone point Aiming towards the may 7th rtc meeting was to bring all of the results of the analysis With the staff recommendation on the short list of alternatives Based on all the information that has been brought together and with that there There will be some understanding of what's kind of stands out more than others um But we weren't necessarily going to put a number on each a weighting factor on each different metric Certainly not for the next step, but i'm just thinking about Phase two and then the presentation as as shown here in kind of october november timeline When we've gotten down to that distilled smaller list And you guys are analyzing based on these metrics The perspective with which you look at those metrics and the importance of any one of those metrics may inform What that locally preferred alternative is and just ensuring that there's continuity amongst the commission That that that weighting or that evaluative criteria distills down the locally preferred Um choice i'm just wondering i would just want to make sure that that's part of the process or how that's being looked at So i would just respond that you're the decision makers If that's the direction that you want to give us that we will certainly take that direction Um in the past when we've done any kind of performance measure analysis, we've discussed this as the project teams um we and well how we've presented the information is to present it The results of each of the performance measures for the whether it's a scenario or an alternative That we're evaluating so that each individual commission member can look at that and they can weight it based on their own set of Criteria that they feel is important to them if we wanted to take the time to wait and have the uh Decision by all of the different commissioners that may make the project go a lot longer And have and get to some agreement on that One of the items in mention of let's get down to the specifics of any of the the language on the tweaking on this on page 25-11 promotes active transportation The comments in the previous section of the rtc notes on 6.4 indicated mobility devices And that will take into account not only bicycles for mobility, but maybe wheelchairs and etc So maybe language that would broaden the scope in terms of the um the ada component of mobility equipment And the cycles So if we can maybe modify that is a little bit of a tweak of the language for that item I think it'll be a little bit more broader scope of the equity situation and those that are using the public transit system Do you mind if I respond to that so we do in the um support equity table? There's a goal that Discusses the active transportation And so there is a metric there for bicycle capacity on transit Every 30 minutes during peak period right, but that's his bicycle And what i'm asking for is mobility devices because it would include not only bicycles But people that are needing those devices to be on the equipment to to move such as wheelchairs walkers Or anything else that would help them with their transit modality On any any kind of equipment that they're going to be on with wheels to move them So there is another measure Under the access evaluation metric that has mobility device capacity on transit every 30 minutes during peak period as well Be happy to revise that if you feel like that's not inclusive enough of what you're Thinking about but so there is two different metrics and in the different locations one for bicycle And one for mobility devices okay That's fine as long as it's clear that it's in there somewhere because i'm i was going back through the The elderly and disability disabled transportation advisory committee And that's where i was referencing the the language that was used from that committee To ensure that it's in this as a matrix so that they can see that language is in here for their Vote or their you know weight measure It was a topic that was brought up from various different stakeholders many times as long as we're clear that it's in there That's that works for me. Thank you Mr. Bertrand So my initial questions um macro micro Um were to support my recommendation that at the early stage right here even though it's phase one We call out the issues related to the individual concerns when they're trying to make a decision on what transportation mode they're going to take And I think it's important here on the support economy section that there'd be An option that actually starts the detailing and ensures that this process carries through from phase one to phase two Is there a certain metric that you're considering? Yeah, I'm I'm focused on basically how You know, I'm leaving this up to staff how to phrase it because that's not my job My job here is to try to bring forth a concern My concern is basically from the standpoint of an individual writer An individual person that wants to take transportation or switch from cars of transportation How is this going to become feasible for them? Are we starting at this point early on? Keeping that into account so that at the end when we're making our evaluation and it comes here, you know taking into account the option of Doing a waiting, you know, how are we going to view it? You know, maybe someone from one part of this community is going to wait highly the fact that it's an affordable mode of transportation Another person might wait not as much because they like the form of transportation So I'm not sure how to put this in but I think at an early on part of this process We have to identify the individual needs Of the of the people who would be the customers and I I think the support economy function Excuse me a portion is an appropriate place to do that If I could mention, um, there's there's definitely overlap between the various different metrics So you may look on one table that's the economy metric and you may not see what you're looking for But if you go to equity or some of the other tables, there's a lot of overlap between the metrics that they actually Support both equity and economy, etc. And under the equity table, there is a metric called, um, access Which is provides accessible and equitable transportation system that is responsive to the needs of all users And so we do have their For the phase one screening, it's a three level But on the phase two we have transit fare that's included there as well as independent accessibility for all ages and abilities Transit passenger capacity miles travel just to make sure the frequency is high enough for people to be able to utilize this And then we also have a metric that is discusses ridership On the supports environment will the project substantially increase transit ridership to commute For commute and recreational trips and for students residents and visitors But i'm not sure that's still getting at what you're looking for No, I I like to see something called out specifically You're right these um these issues are sort of covered, but they're buried And so I just want it up front specific so that it's easily seen by the public when they read this report Not reading into the details. So I think it's important to carry that main concern forth Um, a lot of it is going to depend on the public perception When the ballot box issue comes up So maybe if it's more of a attractiveness type of it's not attractiveness It's just I want the public to know that we've been thinking about Their individual concerns in terms of is this going to be affordable? Is this going to identify my needs as A family as a single mother a single father and getting my kids here and there or me getting to work or something like that It has to be upfront otherwise People are going I don't know if they're going to read into the weeds that it was mentioned It has to be up front You bring up a very good point and it's something that I've thought about a lot Um, it's really earlier in the process right now to try to be Determining the fair structure and I think that's what you're kind of getting at is is, you know What is it going to cost a rider to get on board? So when I'm looking at the support economy section of this This report We look at both the capital costs and we also look at the o and m cost and then we look at funding and there's going to be a Gap between what the overall capital cost is and what the funding Availability is and that's going to be how we determine what our fair structure is going to be how much are we going to subsidize The rider or are we going to subsidize it at all? So I think we could get to the surface of the problem by looking at the delta between those two things But to actually determine what the fair structure is and how much we want to subsidize it It would be pretty difficult to do at this level of analysis Do you feel that by having the capital cost and o and m cost and then also looking at the funding availability? That that provides some sort of clarity between what the fair structure might be when comparing alternatives As opposed to actually setting what the fair structure would be at this particular stage I I agree with you doctor that Um It's too early to set the fair structure I totally agree with you and I also agree with you that underlying Issues are capital maintenance and other things like that and what kind of support We're going to get from the county and what kind of support we're going to get from the state And maybe the federal to do these projects. I totally agree with that But I want the public to know that early on The consideration of their individual circumstance is being carried through the process So yes, you're right and I totally agree with you. We cannot define it exactly But if the public knows that early on Explicitly We're actually trying to think of these issues And it's it's transparent to them that we're thinking about it And you're absolutely right that the general back excuse me the general framework is going to be Defined now and the results of that depending on our decision is going to set the concrete basis that we're going to make those decisions But Again, I want it to become Transparenly if Apparent to the public that we're thinking about it all the way along from the beginning to the end And if we could do that here, I think that'd be great Mr. Rockin This relates to the question that uh, director Bertrand just raised but More broadly, I hope I'm belaboring the obvious but when these are screened and the rate of a b or c That's that's not the end of it. There's going to be a narrative description Why why is this an a and why is this one a c and I think it's important that Simply that the comments that were just may be taken into account So the narrative description of why something was an a was because it's going to be relatively inexpensive Or because there's a huge source of funding for this mode that there's not for the others or whatever it is That that's in effect trying to answer, you know that this question be taken seriously I don't know you need to change the text of what's in front of us now But I do think that's important because When again when it comes back to us people need to look at that and say well, I disagree I you said it's an a but now that you've told me why you picked it I think you're just completely wrongheaded about that But there's no way I think ahead of time we can guess what those are going to be or how they're going to work Yeah, I'll just mention too We were talking about this earlier in terms of presentation to you and also to the public How should we do this and the way we're envisioning it is that we would have actually a narrative cell within the matrix That is explicit about how we got there and that we also provide sources of the information We used in order to inform that that either relative scoring or uh, you know, it's just However, it is that we do it. So yes, I can assure you that will be there Sure. No, so for example, just take one example of many if if you know you're certain that there's a Stream of funding that looks like it's coming online. That's going to really make this one much more affordable or Um Support the economy better or support the choice of a person to ride it because the fare won't have to be so high That that's laid out in a way that's sort of clear to people and again people might How do why do you think it's going to be a bigger source of money? Why do you why do you think that money's coming down the pike for us to be able to Access it. So I think that's again all you can do at this stage But I think that's an important way to try to address this question I also one read one other point to andy's point earlier Um, we're not only looking at these criteria I mean I don't know what the other modes might be but we're saying in effect We're closing this off on the ones that are being presented to us here. We're not looking at helium balloons to move people I mean, so in effect, this is the last if we vote for this and i'm prepared to do it I think it's appropriate and we're ready to go that this is the universal possibilities that we think are serious And we've ruled out the others and so somebody come in to us for five months from now and telling us You never look at helium balloons. Well, no, we didn't because we looked at this and nobody in the audience got up and said You didn't look at helium balloons We've given it up and this is our best guess for the universe. So i'm happy with the universe I'm happy with the criteria. I think if there's a narration that describes How you select a B and C I think we're being good shape and i'm prepared to move this unless there are other There are a couple other comments, but i'll go to you mr. Schifrin We also haven't heard from the public. Yeah, I know um I think so far what's driven this effort and the major thing that's been made clear to the commission is This needs to be data driven We can't make a decision just sort of based on what we'd like to have happen. We really want to have the data to back it up So what what i'm hearing from commission of birchland is that okay, that may all be fine But what's the value that's behind it and what i'm hearing him say the value is how is this going to serve? Members of the public what's what what is it in the end? That's what what do we want in it for them? So what I really hear what the way I took what what he said was that what's needed in the material that goes out to the public Isn't necessarily a change in the criteria how we're approaching it because that's kind of the best we can do right now Unless we get some feedback from the public that suggests something else But that there should be some kind of an introduction That's sent out In the narrative that explains why we're doing it what our values are and that in the end the critical value is serving the public Providing a transportation system. That's going to be financially feasible environmentally desirable socially equitable And is going to provide an alternative to people that they're going to want So I think just sort of stating what our values are as a way of introducing it I hear is that that's really what you're asking for in terms of then That's the context in which we then will be looking at the data that supports that Support some outcome over another outcome and lets us achieve those best achieve those values So that's I tend to agree with Commission of rotkin that I don't see any more alternatives. I'm interested to hearing if there are any criteria I think in some ways the changes some of the changes to the criteria really are In response to the concerns that commission of Bertrand raised In terms of wanting to have what's the Passenger capacity how will there be room for bicycles? Are we looking at that cost per for rider? Those are all kinds of Criteria that I think in the end will help prevent provide a picture of An option that is serving the public best But I think it does make sense to make clear that that's what we're trying to do is to serve the public best One specific question around Under supports economy funding And maybe that we can agree that this is incorporated into the phrase how much funding will likely be available But one question that I would like to make sure that we have at the forefront are what are the risks To existing funding sources So that's specifically around some of the proposed legislation that might change the ability to charge fares to certain user groups On our existing transit systems So whether or not we want to have that explicitly stated like the risks to existing funding sources or we feel comfortable That this phrase incorporates that as well. We just want to make sure especially as we get to phase two That we're looking at You guys are doing a legislative review of what's currently in the known world Which we have a few things out there that are could be a little bit startling to fair You know loss of fair revenue and that's that's a Could inform our decision-making Very well, mr. Birch Go ahead. Go ahead very quickly Is it possible When discussing the and under the economy The fiscally feasible category under the funding subcategory is it possible to discuss When we're discussing the existing funding what that money is currently allocated for in the county Ginger Are there part of the tasks for the Consultant team is to look at the existing funding sources and the funding plan particularly to go through some of the metro funds that are Currently in existence. So I think that the questions that you're asking are part of our Tasks in the scope of work currently, but I'll go check that and make sure when I what I think your Your request for to add to the metric for the funding sources was transit funding sources the existing transit funding sources and that is something that I feel that We already have in our scope Virtually it was I'm sorry Um, one thing I've come to learn since I've been on this committee Is that every single report that the r2c has done? It's been you know very well researched, but also when the public weighs in it's been sliced and diced in every single way You know and some of the conclusions that people seem to come from That particular report seemed to deviate I think from what staff totally intended And um on foreseen so thanks andy for your comments. Um, I think you helped me focus When this report is put out and the public is responding I wanted to become Patently clear that this committee was focused on the individual And their need to figure out a transportation mode that makes sense to them Okay I think we'll Go for the public for is there any comments from the public? Good morning commission. My name is melani clark I am the ceo of oaring camp railroads and the santa cruz big trees and pacific railway As some of you know, we have been running trains in santa cruz county since 1963 In 1984 we acquired the felton branch line and much like the santa cruz branch line It had been neglected for years To um prior to ryan camp taking ownership There were multiple slides and washouts down the canyon and it took about a year and a half for us to clear the tracks But by 1986 the santa cruz big trees was taking passengers to felton and down to the santa cruz beach boardwalk Our train to the boardwalk has been in operation for 35 years now Our railroad reaches the beach via a portion of the branch line that goes from chestnut street Down to the beach boardwalk and we were able to travel on the branch line Via a trackage right agreement that was established with the southern pacific back in 1986 I think it's worth mentioning that assemblyman then sam far aided the negotiations and championed travel by rail We hope the commission knows that the santa cruz branch line is a lifeline to the main system for our railroad For example, we currently have two locomotives waiting in watsonville for delivery to our railroad And losing this connection to the system would be a severe loss for us As the commission meets today to approve the metrics for milestone one on the transit corridor alternative analysis We wish to bring to attention to the section to the analysis labeled attachment to supports the economy Under the goals heading in the column results in a well integrated transportation system supporting economic vitality It currently reads what is the impact on freight rail operators shippers and other rail businesses Roring camp would like to request of the commission that the question in the transit corridor alternative analysis be amended to Specifically name the santa cruz big trees and pacific railway And that the analysis includes the impact on our railroad After 57 years of railroad operations in santa cruz county We feel that we've earned the recognition and deserve to not be included in a generic grouping Thank you for your consideration and support Good morning. My name is rosemary sarca. I am an officer of roaring camp railroads big trees Some of you few of you know that I have spoken to the commission Probably about 12 years now on behalf of rail I have rarely spoken on behalf of our own railroad But I would like to address why we would like to specifically be considered Under the alternatives analysis roaring camp big trees Contribution to the community Is not only financial and bringing in tourists who spend a lot of money in many other ways But is also a transportation hub Of the approximately 75 000 passengers that big trees brings in from felton Approximately 20 000 of those Have a destination of the boardwalk Thus saving any number of automobile miles And the contribution is not only financial but also cultural Over the years roaring camp big trees Has been a specific Contributor to what it is to live in santa cruz Not only because it is one of our premier tourist attractions But because of its contribution to the community roaring camp Not only donates its property to nonprofits For community relations It also is involved has worked cooperatively with the regional transportation commission For many many years now We do many community outreach projects including senior night for harbor high and The holiday lights train which is specifically a local rather than tourist event So those contributions among many others need to be considered as part of your evaluation Uh and and I might conclude in in mentioning If we can get our two locomotives up from watsonville on a repaired line We are very interested in presenting a proposal to the commission to manage transportation For the wharf to wharf Which is a very specific example of getting very many cars off highway one Thank you for your attention Commissioners monoconig candidate for first district supervisor I want to thank the consultants for considering such a broad range of options. It was great to see The mini buses gondolas, etc There is one glaring hole in the vehicles considered and that is micro mobility What could better meet the goals of efficiency Than using the 80 million dollars we have to build the facility in the corridor today And what could better meet the goals of partnerships than working with entities like jump and lime scooters, which are providing vehicles for free Uh, I mean are providing vehicles For okay for a dollar Rent but the government's not buying those vehicles. Okay, and so I think I I wanted to just point out I think we have a fundamentally wrong Product here that's being this being proposed, which is that the government is going to maintain a monopoly on this space And it's going to provide every vehicle that runs on it Can you imagine trying to get the cell network we have today if the government had to buy everyone's cell phone? That's ridiculous So, you know, we yes, we provide computers for people at libraries that don't have any other kind of access And we can look at providing transit for certain people that Are low income or have mobility challenges But we need to allow people to bring their own vehicles to this space and just provide the best possible infrastructure So that includes public and private vehicles So, you know, I think so many of us are frustrated in the community because you know The last step in this process is quantitative analysis if you really want to get high capacity usage on this You can't have the government buy everybody's vehicle. You got to let people bring their own and so you've got to consider right now using the space for Shared purpose both public and private and consider micro mobility. Thank you Hi commissioners jessica evans from representing the santa christ county friends of the rail and trail First we would just like to thank the rtc staff for an outstanding job of reaching out to the community and to stakeholder groups for feedback on the draft tcaa and And for reading and incorporating a really extraordinarily large volume of public comments We didn't get every single thing that you know that we asked for but we see That the you know the public's um Wish for you know increased inclusion and especially for increased equity Metrics have been addressed and incorporated and We feel like this is a much better study than It was before the public comment period and and we're excited to see the study proceeding forward We do at at this last minute. I apologize Have an additional request regarding the safety evaluation metric Under the supports equity section Um two metrics that were used in the unified corridor study were total annual collisions and cost associated with collisions in millions per year across all modes And we would like to request that those two metrics be added to the tcaa in order to give our community a more complete picture Of the impact of the different transit modes on safety um and with that Well, thank you once again, and especially um, thank you to the staff for all of your hard work Michael saying campaign for sustainable transportation. I too would like to thank everyone involved in this. It was a very good presentation And uh included a lot of our comments from the public on the review Even my grammatical errors in my questions When we purchased this line years ago, there was basically three kind of reasons we did this It was a passenger rail service of some capacity Uh bike and pedestrian trail and the thing that's not been spoken too much about Is the freight and movement of goods was also in that mission By purchasing this and I think that if that is still our mission, that's one of my questions Are those three items still necessary for this corridor? Um You look at these modes that are being presented on the alternative if there's 18 of them for the corridor And when you look at the summary 15 of those 18 are not compatible with freight Or movement of goods So my my question is the three that are available and left inner city rail commuter rail And light rail. Is that really the the way we're going? I mean, it's nice to throw out all these other 15 But if they don't aren't compatible or the reason that we purchase this corridor Then I think it's a little bit of a waste of time. I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here And the other question I have will we share the corridor with freight as amtrack does now with its passenger service And freight being the priority basically And also are we obligated to prioritize freight movement versus passenger movement on the corridor? Thank you Good morning mark and cd miller again I just wanted to Have a couple comments. First of all under the economy section the Both the existing funding and future funding are smeared into a single metric I think it would be wise for the commission to separate existing funding from potential future funding So that those two items can be looked at separately When you're evaluating options Second of all, uh, I wanted to Give a nod here to the roaring camps request I think roaring camps specific interests in This project should be elevated and treated separately They are a beloved institution in our community And the impacts on that institution should be fully recognized and assessed as part of the transit corridor alternatives analysis I also wanted to just second Jessica evans request for the inclusion of additional safety requirements While I was waiting I I was looking up, uh, the uh, the old use unified corridor study and, uh, the brt Uh, scenario c versus the train scenario b The rail and trail According to ucs would result in 105 fewer collisions every year at a savings of 26 million dollars every year Those are not insignificant numbers. And so I think you know rail and trail Had a clear superiority over the bus and trail option in the ucs and I think we need to continue to explore that Public safety is a paramount concern to most people um Lastly, um, I was very impressed with staff and consultant, uh work on the public outreach And, um, that was a lot of information. Uh, I haven't had a chance to read every single page of it yet I will of course, um, but I was struck by the By the response from the public during the workshops I counted a total of six Positive responses to the alternatives options one through five Which are all basically your bus options Um, and I counted a total of 67 Positive responses to options eight through 13 Which are the train options not including the monorail. I thought the monorail just didn't really have much of a chance of Making it through the screening process Um, but with 11 times more people More yes votes, I guess you would call it during the public workshops Um, I think you need to you know, be be conscious of that and I just want to draw your attention to that I thank you for your service and your time today. Bye Hello again, sandrine georges um, I just want to Get back into the fact that um bicycles are more of a mass transit that people think Because again today we have electric bicycles are carrying There are multi passenger vehicles Some of them as I said earlier can be enclosed for all weather purposes They can carry one two three. I mean there are even um Mini buses that are pedal driven. Um, they have them in the Netherlands even in france. We have some and some They carry school kids. They go they pedal to go to school. It's so much fun they get a little bit of a workout and studies have shown how It improves their Time in school. They learn better Instead of being driving by car Even to walk walk is good though. Um, so I I think we really need to um Um, remember That bicycles are Vehicles and they can transport More passengers than we think so every car with one passenger can have two well bicycles can as well Three they can four they can five Six seven eight nine ten twelve I think we can safely say at least Ten twelve people um can be moved By one of those mini buses um So yeah, because I mean we all know all over the world. We are really giving bikes more more Space More everything because it's the future. We really need to Lower our gas emissions our the pollution is something we can't deal with anymore Um, you know, I mean I remember When we used to smoke everywhere and in france a lot maybe everywhere Um, we don't do it anymore. We found ways. Um, you know, it was um concerted effort, but Today this is not happening. It's for the health of everybody. It's for the common good This is the same and it's so much cheaper It's affordable for this county to have this um Corridor this pathway being um, just allowed to move everybody With a stroller a bike a multi passenger bike As you were saying 88 people they can move With their mobility scooters all of that because let's remember one last thing Rails They stop and close neighborhoods. It's very important too Thank you Ryan Sarnataro, I attended the live oak meeting and the universe Was missing a piece the universe was missing the piece of an active Transportation corridor, which was a two separated paved roads One of them for slow and one of them for moderate speed Vehicles slow being walking being strollers moderate speed being Vehicles up to 25 miles an hour mostly bicycles and and some of the other transportation modes that have been talked about here some of which are more than one person I think that It's it's just you have a study from the greenway folks that shows that there actually is potential throughput here that challenges the The idea that some of the more High high expense things like rail will actually be more effective for moving people throughout the corridor and to attend something like that and And see that well Gee what seems to be something that would make the most sense is not even on there as an option just made me feel like There's something wrong with the original assumptions that are going behind this and I and I think one of the things that Kind of the elephant in the room is that you folks are going to ask the community to raise taxes if you're going to put in any kind of a train and It may be that the amount of taxes that are required to run that train are so much that There's zero chance the community is going to approve them and why go down that Why go down that road when there are other alternatives that provide greater flexibility? You folks spent a million and a half dollars For a slightly wider lane on the bridge over the San Lorenzo river instead of spending $500,000 taking out the rails having a nice wide Path where the rails are now and leaving the pedestrian walkway that was existent in place and that level of waste and I would say irresponsible spending based on some future possibility that has an excellent chance of not actually happening is Is really not in the public interest and you know, I've I've been coming to the commission out for a couple of years on this issue I'm sad to see that it is continuing to go down those tracks Thank you. Good morning. It's morning still Gina Cole from bike Santa Cruz County Again, just wanting to reiterate the importance of the capacity numbers for bikes and other mobility devices wheelchairs on Whichever alternative we decide to go with As a cyclist and also a metro rider I have several times been the fourth bike Um, which means that I've got a either huck huck to another Metro stop to try and find a bus where I can fit my bike on Or I have to wait And the same thing goes for folks in in wheelchairs There's two spots on a bus for them So if we're going to talk about capacity and we're going to talk about how many folks that we can serve from Watsonville to Santa Cruz Or to Aptos or to wherever their jobs or apartment appointments might be We need to really make sure that the options that we choose are taking everybody's Last mile so to speak everybody's last mile into consideration There was a really great comment in the comment summaries from Nancy Faustich Who's the director at Rihanna Racion in in Watsonville? And I'd just like to read It's really exciting to see all the possibilities of transit on the rail corridor I support a clean a quiet clean rail service Please center plans on south county residents who currently spend the most time stuck in traffic Consider prioritizing easy access to Watsonville stations How about one by aloni parkway with shuttles bike rentals? Etc make sure bikes can go on trains a current problem with bus bike transit Is you never know if there'll be a spot for a bike on a bus rack And buses don't run frequently enough to make it dependable to bike to a bus stop We need to act fast to reduce emissions. Please choose an option that can be implemented quickly I'd love to be able to go to the bay area and southern california Airport southern california and airports easily by public transit from Watsonville So again, just keeping in mind that south county is indeed a big part of this and that this service will Really and truly serve folks like me that commute from Watsonville to this end of the county. Thanks so much Brian people's executive director of trail now. So first of all, I did attend the Meetings and I think you don't look at the the dots. You look at the elections You look at the results when you decide on on that I want to reiterate the that mass transit isn't necessarily public transit Mass transit is not necessarily public transit and we're trending that way in transportation more and more And for you to restrict this study to public or government funded transit Is a huge failure in your in your criteria Secondly it One of the things you're not doing is looking at the the volume of capacity used for the corridor It's not about the vehicles, but how often is that corridor used? Is it sitting vacant 98 percent of the time or is it used constantly? That's a criteria that's not well outlined in your criteria Secondly, it's not well defined about the impact on the trail users Each of the users so that should be additional And then again, how long will it take to implement the solution needs to be more detailed Now I will comment a little bit about freight. I as most of you know, I've been talking and working with progressive rail Progressive rail. There is no freight Plans north of Buena Vista road. There's no freight. It doesn't exist To comment on roaring camp. They actually are a private operator. So they don't meet any Uh FRA requirements that we have to keep them connected to Watsonville. Yeah, they they they want to get their engines there, but they're a private operator There's no federal guidelines that requires us to connect that and to add that criteria For a Essentially an amusement park ride that we keep this amusement park ride when we're in a transportation crisis You don't want to add that criteria The criteria you do want to look at is how will it impact their onboarding and offboarding in front of the boardwalk That's essentially their current Outline of their requirements are how Making sure they still have that onboarding access The connectivity to Watsonville should not be included um Finally, I think it's really really important to look at you know, what can we afford and I think you're doing that so Again, we need to use the trail now. Thank you Greg buzzard again, uh 30-year resident of the community unaffiliated with any of the uh groups get the mic Okay, greg buzzard member of the community for the past 30 years unaffiliated with any of the groups that have been speaking so far Let me just make the following observation that I think a lot of the rail Bus mass transit options that are being considered are probably with a I don't know what the planning cycle is here, but I have a hard time I imagine completion of this in 15 20-year time frame and One of the things that really does make sense to me with the at least the trail now argument is to make use of the Right of way as soon as possible for many people and uh, you know If we come up with something that's economically viable for mass transportation in this county and have justifiable ways of achieving that you know great, but From my perspective that seems like we're decades off and I'd just like to make use of the right of way now. Thank you Hi, I'm brett garrett from santa Cruz I just want to share one of the reasons that i'm a big advocate for the personal rapid transit kind of system Um, and it's I think it's a missing criteria That could be included in the criteria and be really beneficial for the county One of the advantages of a personal rapid transit system is that it can have It could serve directly cabrio college ucsc downtown santa Cruz all part of the Existing streamline system also serving the rail corridor And I think one of the criteria should be how convenient is service to places like cabrio college and dominican and The system could cover so kell avenue so kell drive all integrated in the same system providing very quick transportation From anywhere in the system to anywhere in the system I would love to see a system that extends beyond the railroad tracks And also allows the railroad tracks to be used for whatever they you know It could still allow the tracks to be used for freight and the prt system could be overhead or alongside it. Thank you very much Any other comments from the public? Okay, we'll bring it back to the commission. I just want to say that There's been several suggestions. I think when we if we Consider any of these we have to probably put it into the formula Will that how much will that delay or will it delay the implement or the Moving forward with what we have before us today. That's just a concern. We've spent a lot of time on this and uh I think the point is we want to keep people moving But uh, I don't want to delay it any more than we have to but uh, go ahead mr. Mr. Rock Look several quick quick points number one Number of people that got up and spoke or suggesting that we not have mass transit on the line We made that decision. It was a unanimous decision by this board I remember when we were talking about buying this right of way There were people in the audience that said don't waste the money on buying this We have no use for it. They came to a lot of our meetings They're often property owners that live near the track Thankfully they've given up We're going to use this quarter for something and they don't come to our meetings I don't think it's anything wrong with people getting up and sharing their views about this issue But we've moved past the decision about whether we're going to have mass public transit on this line And it's to say that well now we're not considering that you're absolutely correct It's not that you're not being heard here It's that what you're suggesting is something we've already decided And we want to keep moving forward and I go back and revisit the entire question Of whether we even want to look at a mass transit mode on the on the quarter And you know, I know you're not happy with that and you don't feel like we're listening I think people are listening. It's just at this point that decision has been made So now we're trying to figure out what's the most appropriate form to move forward with A couple of points I think we should add Consideration of the big trees railroad consideration to this I'm not saying that we will necessarily meet what they've asked for That's part of a process and a study and what it would cost And as one member from the public said, I think the issue of the ability to get to the boardwalk is absolutely critical It's not quite as important to think about how you get to Not for a course for that I guess conductor occasionally on the upper part of that ride, which is a fantastic experience But I just want to say, you know, it's like I'm not clear That if everything else doesn't balance out that we're getting two local motives up to the track is going to be our biggest consideration But it should be considered. It's one of the factors to look at and I think that's we should add that to the criteria here Secondly, that's the second point third point the The safety criteria that were suggested by someone in terms of the collision Information should also be added as one of the things that we review And that can be put under one of the existing rubrics there, but it should be added as a specific thing that we're going to look at I also thought that the comment that we Separate out the existing funding from potential future funding is two separate criteria is also worth doing Again, it's nothing we're not already doing but just as for clarity that those are not the same thing exactly And they have different uncertainties about them or different kinds of effects And my final Issue is the is the freight question. I guess I'm looking for some comment from staff. I mean in effect It freight is pretty incompatible with most of the modes that we're looking at And if in effect just by making our decision to move with these criteria We've already ruled out freight north of one of us to road Maybe we should start saying that and stop imagining that there's going to be freight's going to be compatible with these Or do we want to study to look at freight as one of the impacts? Which of these things is most compatible with freight? That's a sort of totally different kind of an issue, but I I'd like some staff comment on that In any case, so I would add those things. I said specifically to a motion or whoever's going to make it But I'm not doing it now I'm gonna have other comments from other people but those are the things I think we should take under consideration here Thank you, mr. Schifrin Yeah, I want to follow up and actually asked staff directly about those potential changes and what effect they'd have on Moving the study forward because I think the chair's concern is a very legitimate one So in terms of adding specifically on page 25-10, it does talk about freight and other rail businesses Our criteria and it Specifies other rail businesses. Would there be any problems specifically adding big trees or on camp railroad to that criteria? I assumed it would be looked at anyway, but given the request. Is there a problem with adding it specifically? I do not see a problem with adding it specifically. Okay. Thank you Then in terms of page 25-11 The question about the safety issue Would there be a problem adding criteria total annual collisions and the cost of collisions? Is that Is there any reason not that that that those couldn't be added? That would be part of the performance measure for the phase two and I do not see that as being a large ask How about Separating the existing from future existing funding from future funding is two separate criteria Is there any problem with that? I don't see any problem with that. I feel like the Future sources is going to be speculative so that's we Envision that more of a qualitative discussion about the possibilities of what's going to happen in the future It's not going to be I can't see that being quantitative We'll do what we can with the information that we're able to gather Okay, thank you and then on page 25 dash 13 Under addresses project specific concerns the integration Given some of the comments about bicycles does would it be a problem to add? Under an integration does the project integrate into existing? Multimodal transportation infrastructure just adding the word multimodal there. Would there be any problem with that? I do not see think so. Can you tell me what table that's at? Is that the economy goals page 25 dash 13? Okay Integration it's a fourth one down Could you state it again just be adding the word multimodal before transportation infrastructure? And the consultant who was shaking his head. Yes, that was okay Okay So my sense is based on the Willingness of staff to add those I'd make a motion that we approve the staff recommendation with the changes as Just agreed to by staff And that would be my motion That's in addition with with what mr. Rodkin had mentioned Well, I think I covered all the things that yeah, okay. Yeah. Yeah. I just want to make it clear I had one more quick point. Okay, and I have a point too that you know If we can predict the future funding as well as what the hex they're trying to do in sacramento to metro right now My hands off to you because If they pass three bills that have been introduced and you may have read about this and I realized metro I mean you can say goodbye to metro as I stated in that meeting. They want to free free free for everything Uh, we got to get real in this stuff. Yes Also, someone in the audience Brett raised the issue about personal rapid transit I assume when you're looking at this last mile issue the question of what What happens from the corridor? That the prt would that would be one of the considerations that looking at that mode is whether that might be Worthy serious consideration that unlike a train on a track It can get to cabrillo and so forth and so I assume that that is part of this analysis here before we screen it down to Either a train or a bus but the prt is still in that mix until we look at that question. It may be very attractive I don't know the answer what it will find Is that can I assume that that's going to happen in the analysis here? And they they then impact what the main the main on the right of way Modes are going to be Thank you The question I have and this is a conversation about the freight situation and and what clarity would I find in these the matrix here that with the freight in watsonville And an alternative other than freight the impact it's going to have on the south county if that corridor is not going to be available for another resource Because freight is the business that we have in that town Um, I I don't know how or where I'm seeing in this matrix that kind of question getting flushed out as a priority Oh, you know with the different methods of transportation here because the last thing we need is that there isn't interested in a bus And then we didn't go back and say but we have freight in watsonville We're never going to be able to get to the point of using the corridor for our our personal You know the transportation for us to get to the north end until you know aptos for example and so I just Can you explain to me where or how we're going to make sure that that kind of question Is going to get flushed out in this process Because the last thing we need is everybody's got this one ideal business model for using this corridor We have freight in watsonville and so that business model won't even exist for watsonville until we get to a certain end of the county I want to really make sure that that's part of Our discussion and an evaluation And how we can provide an answer to that if you'd like thank you So on the supports economy table there is a Evaluation metric called freight and other rail businesses What is the impact on freight rail? Operators shippers and other rail businesses It was discussed that there would be called warring camp would be called out specifically But there is that question already there On what is the impact on freight rail operators and shippers? Well, it doesn't clarify the pedestrian component to this it clarifies. Yes the business for freight Which I think that we've seen statistically That they're looking at a 75 increase over the course of you know the duration of time that we're Moving forward on this particular project the impact that I have is If the modality is different than than something that goes on the tracks and we have this freight We may not be able to see anything on the south end for our passengers until a certain point that they're still commuting to get to So I don't know how to to Formulate that in this when this this comes to the study and people are changing a to b to c on this because Again, if we're seeing bus on here Then our consumers in Watsonville may not even be able to use this corridor for the purpose of commuting to work Until they get past where the freight section would be if it's segmented where we have freight up to one point And then the modality from that freight forward is you know, not even in Watsonville anymore I just So we very much see the direction that we're looking at providing transit services is between Pajaro Watsonville and down to Santa Cruz With the consideration to all go all the way to the west side to Schaefer Road So if there's an alternative that's going to be evaluated that would Need some other type of surface besides tracks that would be compatible with freight in Watsonville Then that service still has to serve the Watsonville community as well as Pajaro to Connect with the regional rail service of Pajaro And so if it is a bus rapid transit then we would have to figure out where the route structure would be Where it would be off of the rail corridor We acquire some other right-of-way if it needed to be a dedicated facility So there's certainly the connection to what the Watsonville community is Fully understood in the analysis that we're going to be doing And that those that are you value, you know giving their surveys in on this understand that because They Watsonville segment on here if it's anything other than the rail is going to be very difficult for us to see those alternatives for This particular corridor because then we're not using the corridor for that purpose If if that were to be the case and then it's and if not that then how are we going to show it? How are we going to get that commutability? And the folks in Watsonville if there's nothing If that alternative is that the freight takes that part of it We can't widen the corridor for Watsonville. So I don't even know where to go to even look for how that would How we would factor that through this process when You know some of these questions may need a little bit more clarity for the layman that is going to be looking at this and circling abnc I maybe it's just the language part of it. I don't know, but I don't need the impact that we're not very clear that It could impact Watsonville with some of the alternatives When we screen down from this initial list of the universe of alternatives We will then we'd be doing a value engineering study to determine exactly what these different projects will look like for example If it's a bus rapid transit what the system would look like in order to connect the power of Watsonville to through to Santa Cruz and So that's very much a part of this study to evaluate all that and and to bring it to you for the information Thank you I Maybe just to help clarify It seems like on some level the question of freight and mass transit is not only included in the freight Under economy, but the notion that the transportation corridor Is continuous so the next criteria as well. So as you evaluate The universe big universe in the small universe that criteria there Will look at the spatial distribution of whatever choices we're looking at and so if we're only taking a portion Of freight for a portion of the corridor that would be a place that we're looking at that piece too So it's looked at in two different places. Is that a fair We have looking at that criteria I think you're referring to the one metric that has the freight and what is the other metric you're referring to the other metric Is transportation corridor utilization and preservation? And so it talks about what are the levels of risk at the corridor will not may remain continuous And so on some level it seems like that will be another criteria Where we evaluate whether or not the services we're providing over this entire network Are over the entire network or a portion of the services are provided over a portion of the network And you're going to be looking at that freight public transportation mass transit Conversation at that metric as well. Is that a fair correct? Yeah, so I just wanted to okay. Thank you Questions I think we have a query. I just want to say thank you. It's just it's been a long haul So to speak and I'm glad we have some it appears Some understanding of just exactly what we're going after and With the answers we're going to get in the next phase. So I appreciate All the input that everybody has had in this throughout the process. We do have a motion on the floor to accept this with the additional recommendations on the rurain camp the Criteria separate. Well, we you've heard it all so The motion's on the floor all those in favor Hi opposed so ordered unanimously all note unanimous support. Thank you very much. Good discussion Uh number item number 26 an addendum to the final environmental impact report for the north coast rail trail project Grace lakesley. Um, good morning commissioners grace blakesley of your staff Today I'm before you to request your approval of the addendum to the final environmental impact report for the north coast rail trail project As being compliant with sequa I'm also Before you to request that you authorize the executive director to amend the settlement agreement dated june 7th 2019 To incorporate revisions related to rail crossings to affect a revised request From the agreement signatories As background the north coast rail trail project includes construction of seven and a half miles of the monoray bay Sanctuary scenic trail between wilder ranch and Davenport The multi-use trail on the north coast could be located on the coast will be located on the coastal side of the existing Railroad tracks except for a short portion on the southern end where the trail connects to wilder ranch The project also includes parking Improvements and trail connections at three locations along the alignment including Davenport beach bonnie dune beach and panther yellow bank beach The rtc has previously approved two environmental impact reports that assess potential Environmental impacts to this area. The first was approval of the monoray bay sanctuary scenic trail Final environmental impact report that was adopted in 2013 and assess potential environmental impacts report to complete the entire Monoray bay sanctuary scenic trail network including 32 miles of the coastal rail trail and 15 miles of spurred trails The second was rtc's approval of the north coast rail trail final environmental impact report adopted in march 2019 This evaluated the potential environmental impact of the seven and a half mile north coast rail trail project Potentially feasible mitigation measures that would avoid minimize or reduce significant adverse environmental effects and four project alternatives The final eir concluded that the proposed project would have no environmental effects that could not be mitigated to levels that are less than significant with the exception of the cumulative traffic impact The rtc is now considering changes to its march 2019 approval of the north coast rail trail project Which occurred after certification of the associated final eir These changes are primarily being made pursuant to the june 2019 settlement agreement That the rtc entered into with parties engaged in agricultural activities along the trail corridor Other proposed changes provide clarification and address minor design details that were identified as the design has progressed to 70 percent and deemed appropriate for inclusion in the addendum The purpose of the addendum is to address the physical environmental effects associated with minor project clarifications and revisions contained in the settlement agreement The proposed changes to the project are described in attachment a exhibit a the addendum And do not trigger the need for either a subsequent eir a supplement to the existing final eir This is because the changes do not give rise to either a new significant environmental effect or substantial increase in the severity of a previously identified significant effect Although it's not required to circulate the addendum for public review. It is being provided to the public per this agenda item The addendum addresses each environmental topic from the final eir comparing the effects of the project changes to those found in the final eir The addendum establishes that the revisions to the project will not have any new significant effects Or cause a significant increase in the severity of the effects beyond those already analyzed in the previously certified final eir for the project The rtc has also been working in good faith to implement the june 2019 settlement agreement between rtc and parties engaged in farming Along the trail corridor in the project area In december 2019 rtc met with the farmers to discuss the portion of the settlement agreement related to keeping open the rail crossing Located at station 350 plus 00 and enclosing and closing another private crossing within the project area In december the certain parties engaged the party signed onto the settlement agreement requested that an alternative proposal be considered The new proposal includes a new crossing being opened approximately 400 feet north of the crossing referenced in the settlement agreement And that the crossing referenced in the settlement agreement be closed instead rtc proposed this option to the federal highway central federal lands team and they agreed to consider it The option is now included in the regional transportation commission's application to the california public utilities commission that oversees rail crossings The changes to the project description and mitigation measures language as agreed upon in the settlement settlement agreement And as it may be further amended and their proposed revisions are described on pages three to six of the addendum These include as already mentioned a new crossing between two existing crossings This change includes closure of the two existing crossings to the north and the south of the new crossing It also recludes removal of the statement that no good gates are proposed as part of the project in the project description For consistency with mitigation measure agricultural dash four and modification modification of mitigation Measure to in moda excuse me modification of this Mitigation measure to indicate that the rtc will install electric or solar gates for the life of the project Depended on consultation with the california coastal commission This also includes modification of general maintenance activities for the trail and the parking lots related to Trash and recycling containers to be emptied at least twice a week or more as needed Damage signs and fencing will be repaired within 30 days addressing homeless encampments in the project area prohibiting pets and horses And making an effort to limit trespassing onto property properties By way of trail manager enforcement authority in coordination with county sheriff state parks and other law enforcement entities Signage would also be required to meet at least minimum requirements for consistency with penal code section 6021 and 602.8a This is related to um, notifying trespassing requirements Provided um, this also provides that the signage would not Would be designed to minimize visual intrusion and that the content is also developed in collaboration with the california coastal commission and egg parties It also indicates that any signs removed or vandalized would be replaced by the rtc No more than 30 days after the rtc has received notice of removal or vandalism The addendum also addresses consideration of another type of unattrusive fencing made of non corrosive materials as long as Offensing limits trespassing onto contiguous properties and is also consistent with the project goals in the final eir It also Indicates that no benches or a press area will be placed at scurroni road And that the notice of the trail closure from sunrise to sunset or at least 12 a.m To 5 a.m would be put in place to allow for pesticide application And state that the pesticide application would not be limited in any way during the times when the trail is closed Provided the egg parties comply with the regulatory requirements relating to the application of pesticides I do want to note that today's staff is also recommending a correction to section page section 4.8 on page 10 of the addendum True mood reference to closing the trail during pesticide applications The revision to the project description described Includes language that states that pesticide application would not be limited in any way during the times when the trail is closed Provided the egg parties comply with the regulatory requirements relating to application of pesticides in the terms of existing future releases This correction to section 4.8 Which compares the effect of the project changes described above to those found in the final eir related to hazard Provides consistency with the project description and it does not change any of the findings The addendum also revises the project to indicate that farm roads to be replaced as a result of the project would accommodate vehicles of 19 feet wide And the egg parties would be permitted to use farm equipment Including those with metal tracks to cross the rail ride of way at cpc cpc california public utility commission approved crossings Provided that the equipment is used and operated in manner consistent with its manufacturing guides And our egg parties would not be held liable or responsible for normal wear and tear caused by Naglement use non-negligent use of farm equipment In addition to the changes to the project description and mitigation measures related To the addendum there's additional minor project design changes included in the addendum This includes not locating rest areas in agricultural areas Except at wilder ranch day park and an overall reduction in the rest areas It also indicates that rtc may not improve rail crossings crossings in the project area that are remaining open if it is not a new crossing It also identifies that the toilet at dabbin port would be a flush toilet and the bathroom would include a sink within rtc right of way It also includes refinement of the alignment that is nearby the wilder cultural complex to shift the alignment slightly more to the coast And on the coastal side of the utility existing utility poles, which date parks has indicated a preference for this new alignment it also changes the width of the trail to Change the unpaved shoulder width from six feet to two feet for a total width of 16 feet To provide a consistent trail with along the entire alignment And recognize that horses are not allowed north of wilder ranch on the coastal side of highway one as planned for in the Monterey base Sanctuary scenic trail master plan It also realigns the portion of the trail extending through dune habitat near bonnie dune parking lots What remains in the rail cut rather than above the rail cut on the coastal side The current alignment required mitigation measure by eight b construction of a boardwalk and coastal dune habitat It was determined that the proposed alignment and boardwalk were not desirable from an engineering standpoint And this also provides the option to potentially consolidate maintenance required due to sandriss on the trail and rail in this location It also clarifies discussion about improvements associated with the pedestrian crossing in dabbin port and indicate how information signage would direct pedestrians to the crosswalk and clarifies that the project would be Completed as early as 2021 to provide some flexibility to attain additional funding for phase two if needed If phase two funding has not been identified at that time The analysis in the addendum which is page 6 to 12 Examine whether or not the changes to the project create any new significant environmental impact compared to the analysis in the final EIR and a brief explanation of the decision not to prepare a subsequent EIR Pages 13 through 36 of the addendum provide the errata pages that reflect these changes in the addendum So today staff recommends that the rtc Approved the addendum to the final environmental impact report for the north coast rail trail project as being compliant with sequa And one correction as mentioned above and two minor edits The correction was related to deleting the text closing the trail during pesticide applications in section 4.8 as previously mentioned Also, the minor edits is to revise the last sentence in section 4.4 to reference the footprint of the realigned wilder ranch trail segment Right now it incorrectly references the bonnie dunam island, which is discussed in preceding paragraphs And then the last minor edit would be to delete to be located entirely on fill To minimize impacts on page 14 project characteristics under the trail heading trail proposed project This is clarified on the same paragraph, but this sentence should be removed for consistency rtc is also staff is also recommending That the rtc adopt changes to the mitigation monitoring and reporting program adopted in march 2019 In order to reflect the changes in the mitigation measures set forward in the adendum To approve a final file and notice of determination with the santa cruz county clerk and office of planning research within five working days of the approval of this resolution And authorize the director to amend the settlement agreement dated june 7 2019 to incorporate revisions related to trail Rail crossings to reflect a revised request request from the agreement signatories That concludes my report Thank you for that full report. Are there any grand new eyes mr. Schifrin Yes, thank you very much for the report Thank the consultants for their work on the addendum It should be clear to everybody on the commission just how complicated this project really is It's on the commission owned right away being funded by a federal agency. That's actually the lead agency for the project And is Essentially in charge of the projects and they're providing the money As a federal agency it will not need a coastal permit, but it will need a consistency determination by the coastal commission Not to mention the fact that part of the Right away goes over state parks land. So there needs to be agreements with state parks As well as approvals from the public utilities commission So the fact that this is taking quite a while Oh, I haven't even mentioned the important role that the farmers along the right of way have played In terms of their concerns about the impacts that the trail would have on them So in a sense the commission is trying to carry out its master plan in a context where we don't have final decision making authority over parts of it And we're trying to be good neighbors with our farmers recognizing that we can't promise things that we can't deliver Because we don't have the ability to so I think that the the eir that was approved by the commission Were have allowed us to go forward. There were concerns by the adjacent agricultural agriculturalists that led to a settlement agreement, which I think The commission staff and good faith has been trying to implement And led to the need for an addendum Which under sequel does not kick off a whole recirculation requirement But does allow us to a change the Change the eir as long as there aren't any new significant impacts And and I think that's what's before us today So I just wanted to give a little bit of a context before we hear from the public and other commissioners about just what Some of the complexities that That have been involved in knowing doing this project Which if if it continues to move forward could be constructed in 2021 and would be a major increase in the rail trail And carrying out the the master plan. So thank you. Thank you. I just had one question 262 it said there was a There's a four million dollar Shortfall in phase two You've applied for the funding and it wasn't awarded and then on 263 it says that won't have any fiscal impact on this at this point And I want to thank coastal conservancy and land trust of sanikers county to be involved in this as well, but For that form do we reapply for 68 funding? We just didn't Read the meet the criteria or do you just try again or what's What do we do with that? We're four million dollars short, I guess, but it's not going to have an impact on this Specifically, but what what's the future for that? Do we have a well the proposition 68 funding was one time an opera one time opportunity And they were overwhelmed with a number of competitive projects that applied So when we were not one of those that is being recommended for award We have been discussing internally other grant opportunities for to address that four million dollars shortfall Um, and we're looking at all the lpp funds as a possibility, but we haven't gotten too far along in that conversation Thank you. Could I add something here? You raise a good point the initial funding was only for phase one going from I think Wilder ranch to uh laguna creek Since the goal was to go to davinport the commission has done the environmental document to go as far as davinport We never had the money To go from laguna creek to davinport, but the feeling was That if we had the environmental document if we could get the money then we could do phase two So we've been pushing to get them to to be able to get the funding for that Either as part from the agency that's giving the funding for phase one or elsewhere And hopefully that will be successful in the not too distant future But at this point all we're really getting the permits for and approvals for and ultimately the final designs for Is fave is to implement phase one are we going to get we actually are We are actually going to have completed Preconstruction activities for both phase one and phase two and I think it's a theme you've been hearing from the director over your last Several meetings and looking at the highway one projects It's very important for us to have those activities complete to be competitive for the funding opportunities that come Forward at the state. I think we are very well positioned once we have the Preconstruction activities complete which we're working very hard towards completing this year to be competitive for other for funding sources For the construction of phase two So that was a very wise decision that the commission made to move forward In funding the preconstruction activities for both phase one and phase two You know the question any questions from the public Move the staff recommendation Second sorry for the public. I was too quick We withdraw my motion. Nice try My name is marty de mer. I'm a coast road resident Of quite nearby the proposed rail trail ride my bike on highway one a lot The addendum before you does not address the parking needs that will be generated by increased visitation to the chatoni coast dairy's national monument This trail is funded by a federal lands access program grant yet. No, where does the project provide access to federal lands? Proposed crosswalk and Davenport is badly needed, but only serves to bring visitors into Davenport There's no access to federal land through Davenport being proposed Last night we heard a presentation from the bureau of land management proposing a trailhead and parking at yellow bank The terminus of the funded trail as I understand it A pedestrian overpass has been suggested, but it is not discussed in this addendum Will the second flap grant being proposed include funds for a pedestrian overpass across highway one The feir proposes that overflow parking can be accommodated by having visitors park on the highway one's shoulder It then acknowledges the dangers to pedestrians who would have to run across the highway The addendum strikes through the hazards claiming that visitors will only park on the coast side of the highway There is no parking along yellow bank This isn't good Access planning given the greatly increased visitation that is expected With the opening of chatoni coast dairies Finally revised plans were supposed to be presented at the last bike advisory committee, but were pulled at the last minute I'm wondering if this addendum includes the changes that were made in those plans since we didn't get to see them Finally I ask that you hold off on approving this addendum until a more comprehensive regional analysis can be made about the increased visitation that is going to Be planned and expected on the north coast Thank you Hi, brian people's executive director of trail now We support this addendum we support working with the the farmers appreciate RTC staff working with the farmers grace. Um, they're a tough crew sometime Uh, so, uh, we support it billy and uh, so looking forward the the question that this raises is You know, what's the requirements from the puc on railroad crossings? So the question will be is are they going to put new railroad crossings in the middle of the farm? Um, because if you're adding a new, uh railroad crossing The requirement will be to put in new railroad cross guards. And so those type of Um costs You know are not good You know, hopefully by uh the time you move forward with implementation, you'll have decided on what are we doing with the The corridor are we keeping the tracks or are we not and so that'll help that decision can be, you know, understood but but I think this really illustrates how You're trying to build this trail and accommodate these tracks to Davenport that essentially There's no need for them. And this is what we've been pointing out the entire time is we're bending over backwards To accommodate these tracks Uh that are not used Um, so I want us to be sure to understand that and then the other thing I don't think we're addressing well is the The expiration or the cancellation of the funds that are available I don't think it's well understood. We're going to lose these funds. They they they expire Um, if you don't execute so one of the things I would we would suggest in the farmer's support is can we Begin the the trail and I know this isn't part of the equation here right Can we begin Davenport and come this way because you have a cleaner design and knowledge of that So lastly, I'll just make one more Comment about mass transit. It's we agree mass transit needs to be on the corridor That's not the debate. The debate is government operated transit And so when we talk about it when we talk about The difference between mass transit And government transit it's government operated. That's the key It's not the term mass transit mass transit is private Operated public operated all of the blend when we talk about public transit That's government operated and that's the difference. We agree. We're going to do mass transit But I do appreciate your comment. Thank you Schiffer Yes, um I'll make a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Um, let me just say the There is a national monument In the north coast That project is moving forward. Uh, it's um at the bureau of land management's pace It's a totally separate project. It's on the other side of the highway There has been as mr. Demer said a proposal to Provide an over crossing that's not part that's never been considered as part of this project It's not necessary for this project in terms of the rail trail running from Santa Cruz to Davenport So I think we uh, it's important to Move forward with this project To ultimately the puc is going to have to make the final decision on the railroad crossings and the Coastal commission is going to make the final decisions on you know, closures and signage and parking I think the commission has done the best they can to respond to the farmers to the public And to the needs to provide rail and to getting a rail trail up onto the north coast And this is just a step in that process an important one to move forward I can't resist saying that there are also private bus companies that are provide mass transit So mass transit is not necessarily public just public And I also must say that I I appreciate again, I appreciate the work that our consultants have done and getting this Before us it was a much more extensive effort than I thought was needed And as I as I read it it actually reduced environmental impacts From what was in the original what was in the original plan in the original eir So I think it's uh, it's really desirable to move forward at this time I'll second motion motion by shifrin seconded by and I appreciate having a chance to second a motion that's supported by trail now Hey mark that down put an asterisk on that way I didn't know if there was any other comments from the commission don't think so Uh, we've got a motion on the floor all those in favor. Aye. Oh, excuse me Sorry Oh Well, I was just gonna say the comment on the crossing and the danger I know that we took some action and to try to prioritize And address that crossing in Davenport. So I Yes, and I that comment was made and I just wanted to To mention that that it has been addressed and considered A safety Strong a priority safety concerns. So that is being addressed All right, thank you. Okay. We have the motion second all those in favor Aye opposed So ordered that completes our agenda for today our next meeting of the regional transportation commission Will be uh thursday april second at nine o'clock At the uh at this board of supervisors chamber 701 ocean street. This meeting is adjourned I tried didn't get