REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
February 9, 2017
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, HDFP, Director
Development and Resource Management Department
BY: RANDY BELL, PE, Capital Program Manager
Public Works Department, Capital Management Division
JILL GORMLEY, TE, City Traffic Engineer
Public Works Department, Traffic Engineering Division
SOPHIA PAGOULATOS, Planning Manager
Development and Resource Management Department
AMBER PIONA, Planner I
Development and Resource Management Department
SUBJECT
Title
CONTINUED HEARING to consider Plan Amendment Application No. A-16-015, and related environmental finding filed by the Development and Resource Management Department Director pertaining to the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) as follows:
1. ADOPT Environmental Assessment No. A-16-015 a Mitigated Negative Declaration dated November 17, 2016
2. RESOLUTION - Adopting the ATP and Approving Plan Amendment Application No. A-16-015, to amend the Fresno General Plan Map (Figure MT-2: Paths and Trails) and related text, as described in Exhibit B
3. ADOPT Prioritization Tool for use with projects which improve Active Transportation Infrastructure
Body
RECOMMENDATION
CONTINUED HEARING to consider Plan Amendment Application No. A-16-015, and related environmental finding filed by the Development and Resource Management Department Director pertaining to the ATP as follows:
1. ADOPT Environmental Assessment No. A-16-015 a Mitigated Negative Declaration dated November 17, 2016
2. RESOLUTION - Adopting the ATP and Approving Plan Amendment Application No. A-16-015, to amend the Fresno General Plan Map (Figure MT-2: Paths and Trails) and related text, as described in Exhibit B
3. ADOPT Prioritization Tool for use with projects which improve Active Transportation Infrastructure
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Active Transportation Plan (ATP) is intended to serve as a guidance document for active transportation in the City of Fresno, with the goals of equitably improving the safety and perceived safety of walking and bicycling in Fresno, increasing walking and bicycling trips in Fresno by creating user-friendly facilities, improving the geographic equity of access of walking and bicycling facilities in Fresno, and to fill key gaps in Fresno’s walking and bicycling networks. The ATP would apply to the area within the Fresno Sphere of Influence. Adoption of this document would require amendments to the City of Fresno General Plan Paths and Trails Map (Figure MT-2) and amendments to the text of the Fresno 2035 General Plan. Staff has also developed an ATP Project Prioritization Tool with community stakeholder input, which will aid in objective evaluations of potential active transportation projects throughout the community.
BACKGROUND
In 2010 the City adopted the Bicycle, Pedestrian, & Trails Master Plan (BMP). On September 26, 2013, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 99, Chapter 359 and Assembly Bill 101, Chapter 354, creating the ATP, which consolidated existing federal and state transportation plans into one program with the aim of making California a national leader in active, or human-powered, transportation. The Fresno General Plan includes, within the Mobility and Transportation Element, Policy MT-4-a Bicycle, Pedestrian, & Trails Master Plan, which calls for the periodic update of the plan to meet state standards and requirements.
Additionally, a requirement of the use of Measure "C" funding is that the City adopt a bicycle, pedestrian and trails master plan and update it every 5 years. This ATP will update the 2010 Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan in accordance with this requirement.
Following discussions with project stakeholders who asked for a more transparent method of selecting bicycle and pedestrian projects, staff developed a tool to help prioritize which projects we would apply for funding. This tool considers such factors as Access and Equity; Connectivity; Traffic Control, Mode Shift and User Comfort; and Feasibility and Engineering Considerations. This tool was developed using factors typically used by staff and standardized the scoring criteria for projects.
On December 17, 2015, the City Council approved a consultant contract with Fehr & Peers to develop the ATP to replace the 2010 Bicycle, Pedestrian, & Trails Master Plan.
ANALYSIS
To develop the ATP, the 2010 BMP and existing bicycle and pedestrian networks throughout the City were reviewed. While the 2010 BMP focused primarily on bicycling, the ATP includes goals and plans for all forms of active transportation.
In accordance with State Guidelines, there are 17 key elements for active transportation plans that must be considered. Among these are analysis of existing and estimated bicycle and pedestrian trips, the number and locations of collisions, existing and proposed land use patterns, and locations of key destinations.
The build-out pedestrian network includes planned sidewalks in most neighborhoods where they are missing, in particular in the older parts of Fresno, which are predominantly in the southern portion of the city. Planned sidewalks are also shown for missing sidewalks in neighborhoods identified by the public during the community engagement process, as well as areas that generate more pedestrian activity based on their socioeconomic data and proximity to schools, transportation corridors, and key destinations.
The build-out bicycle network improves upon the network developed in the 2010 BMP. This network includes bike paths, bike lanes, bike routes, and cycle tracks which are identified as Class I, Class II, Class III, and Class IV facilities. Class I Bike Paths are also known as multi-purpose trails where both pedestrians and bicyclists utilize them.
The ATP goes beyond the development of the build-out networks to include priority pedestrian and bicycle networks. The priority pedestrian network focuses on areas with the greatest need for infrastructure as determined by underserved neighborhoods with large numbers of sidewalk gaps, high levels of pedestrian activity, and a high frequency of pedestrian collisions. The priority area analysis included a review of City planning efforts and existing sidewalk gaps along with feedback from the community workshops and stakeholder meetings. The priority bicycle network was developed to build on existing infrastructure and to fill gaps to allow bicyclists to get to their destinations. Where possible, this network has been placed on routes with lower traffic volumes to make travel more comfortable to bicyclists.
Outreach
The City formed a Stakeholder Advisory Committee with representatives from key community constituencies and public agencies to provide direction for the plan and feedback throughout the planning process. The Committee included representatives from local community groups, cycling groups, school and higher educational institutions, environmental organizations and other local, regional and state government organizations (see Exhibit E). There were three Stakeholder Advisory Committee meetings that were held on April 19, July 19, and October 6, 2016.
The Stakeholder Advisory Committee was responsible for developing the goals that shaped the ATP. They developed the following goals:
• Equitably improve the safety and perceived safety of walking and bicycling in Fresno
• Increase walking and bicycling trips in Fresno by creating user-friendly facilities
• Improve the geographic equity of access to walking and bicycling facilities in Fresno
• Fill key gaps in Fresno's walking and bicycling networks
The City also held a series of public workshops on the ATP. These workshops were held May 18 and 19, August 11, 16, and 18, and November 3, 2016, with over 150 people attending. The tasks at the workshops were to identify public biking and walking needs and priorities. Materials at these meetings were provided in English and Spanish.
An online crowd sourced interactive map was made available to the public from April to August of 2016 prior to the development of the draft bicycle and pedestrian networks, 399 comments were received and reviewed during the development of the ATP. A summary of these comments is available in Exhibit D.
Public Notice
In addition to all of the outreach noted above, a Public Draft of the ATP (Exhibit A) was made available for a 21-day public comment period beginning October 20, 2016.
Notice was provided by the following methods pursuant to Fresno Municipal Code (FMC) Sections 15-5007-C and D:
1. A legal notice was published in the Fresno Bee on November 17, 2016.
2. The legal notice was posted with the City Clerk on November 17, 2016.
3. The Public Draft of the ATP was posted on the City's website on the Public Works page at: www.fresno.gov/ATP <http://www.fresno.gov/ATP> and made available at public libraries throughout Fresno.
A copy of the public notice is available in Exhibit C.
Citizen Committees
Below is a status of the Council District Project Review Committee recommendations, along with those of the Fulton-Lowell, Tower District Design Review Committees and the Airport Land Use Commission.
District 1: Met on November 22, 2016, and reviewed the ATP. Due to lack of a quorum, the Committee did not make a recommendation, however members present informally supported the item. In addition, those present requested better connectivity to Inspiration Park, provide Class I bike paths from Downtown Fresno into Southwest Fresno, and provide more Class 2 bike paths in District I.
District 2: Scheduled for December 5, 2016.
District 3: Met on November 21, 2016, and reviewed the ATP but did not make a recommendation.
District 4: Met on November 28, 2016, and recommended to approve the ATP.
District 5: Scheduled for December 5, 2016.
District 6: Scheduled for December 5, 2016.
Fulton/Lowell Design Review Committee: Met on November 21, 2016, and recommended to approve ATP.
Tower District Design Review Committee: Scheduled for December 2, 2016.
Airport Land Use Commission: Scheduled for December 5, 2016.
Planning Commission
The Planning Commission held a public hearing at its regularly scheduled meeting on December 7, 2016, to consider the ATP and plan amendment along with relevant environmental findings. The Planning Commission resolution (Exhibit G) is attached for more information.
Relationship to Other Plans
Fresno General Plan: General Plan Policy MT-4-a Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan, calls for the periodic update of the Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails plan to meet state standards and requirements. The proposed ATP meets the 2014 California Active Transportation Program Guidelines. Plan Amendment Application No. A-16-015 proposes amendments to the Paths and Trails Map in the General Plan (MT-2) and text amendments to the General Plan to incorporate recommendations of the ATP. See Exhibit B for more details.
Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan: The ATP would replace the existing 2010 Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan.
Parks Master Plan: The Parks Master Plan planning process is currently underway. This plan and the ATP are being coordinated to further integrate active transportation with parks, open space and schools.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
An environmental assessment initial study was prepared for this project in accordance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (Exhibit F). This process included the distribution of requests for comment from other responsible or affected agencies and interested organizations.
Preparation of the environmental assessment necessitated a thorough review of the proposed project and relevant environmental issues and considered previously prepared environmental and technical studies pertinent to the Planning Area, including the Fresno General Plan Master Environmental Impact Report (MEIR SCH No. 2012111015). These environmental and technical studies have examined the potential impact of bicycle and pedestrian improvements on hazardous materials sites, existing drainage patterns and water quality standards, noise standards, recreation facilities, and traffic patterns.
The proposed plan amendment has been determined to not be fully within the scope of the recently updated MEIR SCH No. 2012111015 as provided by the CEQA, as codified in the Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 21157.1(d) and the CEQA Guidelines Section 15177(c). It has been further determined that all applicable mitigation measures of MEIR SCH No. 2012111015 have been applied to the project, together with project specific mitigation measures necessary to assure that the project will not cause significant adverse cumulative impacts, growth inducing impacts and irreversible significant effects beyond those identified by SCH No. 2012111015 as provided by CEQA Section 15178(a). In addition, pursuant to Public Resources Code, Section 21157.6(b)(1), staff has determined that no substantial changes have occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the MEIR was certified and that no new information, which was not known and could not have been known at the time that the MEIR was certified as complete, has become available. Therefore, it has been determined based upon the evidence in the record that the project will not have a significant impact on the environment and that the filing of a mitigated negative declaration is appropriate in accordance with the provisions of CEQA Section 21157.5(a)(2) and CEQA Guidelines Section 15178(b)(1) and (2).
Based upon the attached environmental assessment and the list of identified mitigation measures, staff has determined that there is no evidence in the record that the project may have a significant effect on the environment and has prepared a mitigated negative declaration for this project. A public notice of the attached mitigated negative declaration finding for Environmental Assessment Application No. A-16-015 was published on November 17, 2016, with no comments or appeals specifically related to the environmental document received to date.
Project specific mitigation measures include:
• Incorporation of hazards and hazardous materials mitigation measures;
• Compliance with Fresno Irrigation District requirements;
LOCAL PREFERENCE
N/A - No purchasing
FISCAL IMPACT
N/A - No expenditures
Exhibits:
Exhibit A: Active Transportation Plan
Exhibit B: Plan Amendment Application No. A-16-015
Exhibit C: Public Notice
Exhibit D: Interactive Map Comments
Exhibit E: Stakeholder Advisory Committee
Exhibit F: Environmental Assessment No. A-16-015
Exhibit G: Planning Commission Resolution
Exhibit H: City Council Resolution
Exhibit I: PowerPoint Presentation
Exhibit J: Project Prioritization Tool