CC 2024-10-22_11a Active Transportation Plan Progress ReportItem 11.a.
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council
FROM: Brian Pedrotti, Director of Community Development
BY: Andrew Perez, Planning Manager
SUBJECT: Active Transportation Plan Progress Report
DATE: October 22, 2024
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive an update on the status of the Active Transportation Plan (ATP).
IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES:
The City’s contract with KTUA for preparation of the ATP is $249,744. The City received
a Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant (STPG) in the amount of $221,325 and the
remaining $28,675 comes from the Measure O-2006 Local Sales Tax Fund. The ATP
was included in both the FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24 Capital Improvement Program
(CIP) budget.
BACKGROUND:
The State of California established its Active Transportation Program by Senate Bill 99
(Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013) and Assembly Bill 101 (Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013)
to encourage the increased use of active modes of transporta tion, such as walking and
biking. The State Active Transportation Program consolidates existing federal and state
transportation programs, including the Transportation Alternatives Program, Bicycle
Transportation Account, and State Safe Routes to School, into a single program with a
focus on making California a national leader in active transportation.
The California Active Transportation Program provides the largest source of grant funding
for bicycling and walking projects for California cities. Cities that have an Active
Transportation Plan increase their chances for success in securing these highly
competitive grant funds. On April 4, 2022, the City received a conditional letter of award
for the STPG funding in the amount of $221,325. On June 28, 20221, the City Council
authorized the Community Development Director to execute the necessary agreements
for the STPG to allow City staff to complete the necessary cond itions of grant approval
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Item 11.a.
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and move forward retaining a consultant to prepare the ATP. On June 13, 20232, the City
Council approved a consultant services agreement with KTUA to assist staff with
preparation of the ATP.
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
The ATP is being developed to provide the City with a guidebook for making the
community a safe and comfortable place to walk, roll, and ride. The ATP includes an
inventory of existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, identifies key gaps and safety
needs, and proposes recommendations for improvement. The recommendations to be
included in the ATP are both physical and programmatic and are meant to improve active
transportation infrastructure, promote walking, rolling, and bicycling in Arroyo Grande.
The recommendations are also meant to create viable travel options to support the
existing and future population. The ATP will address these issues through the following
activities:
1. Identify gaps and barriers, both perceived and actual, in the existing active
transportation network.
2. Engage with the community to gather local knowledge on existing challenges and
opportunities.
3. Analyze the existing infrastructure around activity cent ers such as parks, schools,
employment, and commercial centers to determine appropriate solutions.
4. Develop a list of prioritized projects that improve the active transportation facilities
along key corridors.
5. Create programmatic recommendations that promot e walking, rolling, and
bicycling as viable transportation modes.
6. Provide the City with a clear framework for implementation that can be used to
pursue future grant and funding opportunities.
Community Engagement
City staff and the consultant team prioritize community input and participation throughout
the project. Two community workshops, three pop-up events, five stakeholder working
group meetings, and an online survey were included in the project’s scope of work. All
but the fifth and final working group meeting have taken place, which is anticipated for
mid to late November. The community was engaged to solicit input on the existing
conditions and needs assessment, opportunity areas for active transportation
infrastructure, and initial recommendations.
Draft Recommendations
An analysis of the proposed active transportation projects identified the corridors in the
City that should be prioritized when considering future infrastructure improvements for
active transportation. The prioritization analysis was based on several criteria related to
proximity to key destinations such as schools and transit, community input, collision data,
demographic data, and many others. The weight assigned to each criterion was
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Item 11.a.
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developed by the consultant and staff and refined by the stakeholder working group. The
ATP will include conceptual designs for three corridors identified by the prioritization
analysis: E. Grand Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, and Elm Street. Having these corridors
identified in the ATP will benefit the City in the pursuit of future grant funding opportunities.
Each of these corridors is unique and offers ample opportunities for improvement with the
addition of infrastructure for active transportation. E. Grand Avenue is the City’s major
commercial corridor and has several transit stops and a high number of collisions. During
community engagement there was a substantial community desire to improve this
corridor. Both Fair Oaks Avenue and Elm Street serve as arterials through the City and
provide connections to schools and parks, which would greatly benefit from improvements
to aid active transportation.
Next Steps
Staff and the consultant will continue to progress with the draft ATP ahead of a
recommendation hearing with Planning Commission in December prior to City Council
adoption in January.
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for the Council’s consideration:
1. Receive an update on the status of the ATP; or
2. Provide other direction to staff.
ADVANTAGES:
Receiving a project update on the status of the project is beneficial for the City Council
and the public because it will increase familiarity with the project ahead of the proposed
adoption in early 2025.
DISADVANTAGES:
None identified.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
This Council update is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act
(“CEQA”) because the update itself has no potential to result in either a direct, or
reasonably foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment. (State CEQA
Guidelines, §§ 15060, subd. (c)(2)-(3), 15378). However, the City and consultant will
evaluate potential impacts of the Active Transportation Plan in compliance with the
California Environmental Quality Act, and prepare any appropriate environmental
document at that time, if required.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The Agenda was posted at City Hall and on the City’s website in accordance with
Government Code Section 54954.2.
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