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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Consideration of a Request from Streets for All for the City to Apply as Lead Agency for a California State Reconnecting Communities: Highway 2 Boulevard Grant in the Amount of Approximately $2,000,000 (Grant) to fund a Feasibility Study to Evaluate a Project to Transform State Route 90 (Project), and, if Desired, Authorization to the City Manager or Designee to Submit the Grant Application and Enter into Agreements Pertaining to the Grant; and (2) Consideration of a Request from Streets for All for a Letter in Support of its Application for U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program Grant Funds for the Project and, if Desired, Authorization of such Letter of Support.
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Meeting Date: September 11, 2023
Contact Person/Dept.: Yanni Demitri/Public Works-Administration
Phone Number: (310) 253-5630
Fiscal Impact: Yes [_] No [X] General Fund: Yes [_] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [_]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/06/2023)
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (08/29/2023)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) consider a request from Streets for All for the City to apply as lead agency for a California State Reconnecting Communities: Highway 2 Boulevard grant in the amount of approximately $2,000,000 (Grant) to fund a feasibility study to evaluate a project to transform State Route 90 (Project), and, if desired, authorize the City Manager or designee to submit the Grant application and enter into agreements pertaining to the grant; (2) consider a request from Streets for All for a letter in support of its application for U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program grant funds for the Project and, if desired, authorize such letter of support.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
City Staff have been approached by the non-profit organization “Streets For All” with two requests: (1) that the City serve as the lead agency for a California State Reconnecting Communities: Highway 2 Boulevard grant application for the Project; and (2) that the City issue a letter in support of Streets for All’s application for U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program grant funds for the Project.
State Grant Application
The State grant application will request approximately $2,000,000 to fund a Feasibility Study to evaluate the Project. The deadline to apply for the Reconnecting Communities grant is September 20, 2023 and the application review process could take up to a year. Caltrans and Streets For All would both be co-applicants with the City, with the City being the lead agency, as required by the granting agency (Caltrans). Caltrans requires a municipal agency to take the lead in the Grant application process
The Mayor of Los Angeles, Ms. Karen Bass, as well as the Director of Caltrans District 7 Gloria Roberts have both expressed their support for conducting this Feasibility Study.
The main goal of the Reconnecting Communities: Highway 2 Boulevard grant program is to reconnect communities that have been divided by the construction of highways and other major projects in decades past.
State Route 90 (90 Freeway) is located entirely within Los Angeles County and connects Slauson Avenue in Culver City, near the Westfield Shopping Mall, to the Marina Del Rey/Playa Del Rey area, terminating at Lincoln Boulevard (also known at that location as Pacific Coast Highway 1 or PCH) in the City of Los Angeles. State Route 90 is approximately 3.1 miles long, 0.8 miles of which is located within Culver City, and occupies 128 acres of land.
Serving under-served communities is one key outcome of the Reconnecting Communities grant award criterion. This Project would qualify as approximately 60% of the area directly adjacent to the 90 Freeway is designated as under-served according to the latest census data.
Conducting extensive community engagement and outreach is a key requirement of the grant program and the Streets For All organization is planning to complete this task in the coming months.
The Project Feasibility Study will evaluate removing the freeway and replacing it with a new Marina Central Park. The Project also proposes residential units, new retail, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, new plazas, and trails. The Project as currently proposed has the potential to add up to 3,840 new dwelling units, based on the current zoning requirements in this area. It is anticipated that the entire stock of new units would be affordable housing. In addition to assisting to relieve the area’s critical housing shortage, the Project would allow many current commuters to live closer to where they work, thus reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and emissions.
Federal Grant Support Letter
Streets for All is also applying for federal grant funds through the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program. Streets for All is seeking a letter from the City in support of its federal grant application.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact at this time. If the City is awarded the grant, the entire amount of the grant will fully fund the Project Feasibility Study to be performed by Streets For All and their selected engineering consulting firm. Staff time to administer the grant and assist with the Feasibility Study will be charged to respective personnel accounts within the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2023-09-11-ATT-Map-Current_State_Route_90-Slauson_Ave_to_Lincoln_Blvd(PCH)
2. 2023-09-11-ATT-Map-Proposed_Marina_Central_Park
3. 2023-09-11-ATT-Map-Proposed_Impact_Area
4. 2023-09-11-ATT-CC-SR90MarinaParkProject-CASenatorSmallwoodCuevas-2023-08-16LetterSupport
5. 2023-09-11-ATT-CC-SR90MarinaParkProject-DelReyNeighborhoodCouncil-2023-08-14LetterSupport
6. 2023-09-11-ATT-CC-SR90MarinaParkProject-LAMayorKarenBass-2023-08-23LetterSupport
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Discuss Streets for All’s request and, if desired, authorize the City, as lead agency, to apply for a California State Reconnecting Communities: Highway 2 Boulevard grant in the amount of approximately $2,000,000 (Grant) to fund a Feasibility Study to evaluate a Project to transform State Route 90 (Project);
2. Discuss Streets for All’s request and, if desired, authorize a letter in support of Streets for All’s application for the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program grant funds for the Project;
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare any necessary documents; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.