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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Authorization to Accept Grant Funds in the Amount of $565,707 from the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program to Develop Complete Streets Implementation Procedures and Update the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan; (2) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a Related Budget Amendment to Allocate the $565,707 in Grant Funds and Appropriate Local Matching Funds Totaling $73,293 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) to CIP Project PS039.
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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Authorization to Accept Grant Funds in the Amount of $565,707 from the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program to Develop Complete Streets Implementation Procedures and Update the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan; (2) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a Related Budget Amendment to Allocate the $565,707 in Grant Funds and Appropriate Local Matching Funds Totaling $73,293 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) to CIP Project PS039.
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Meeting Date: September 8, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Thomas Check/Public Works Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5627
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [ ] No [X]
Public Notification: E-Mail: Meetings and Agendas - City Council (09/04/2025)
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Public Works Director/City Engineer (08/25/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) authorize the acceptance of grant funds in the amount of $565,707 from the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program to develop Complete Streets Implementation Procedures and update the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan; and (2) approve a related budget amendment to allocate the $565,707 in grant funds and appropriate local matching funds totaling $73,293 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) to CIP Project PS039 (four-fifths vote requirement).
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program is an annual grant program intended to support and implement Regional Transportation Plan Sustainable Communities Strategies and to ultimately achieve the State's greenhouse gas reduction targets of 40% and 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2050, respectively.
On June 23, 2025, the City Council adopted the first edition of the Complete Streets Design Standards ("Standards"). The Standards unify the City's various mobility plans and policies into a consolidated set of public right-of-way design requirements, ensuring that the planning, design, and construction of streets enable safe access for all users, regardless of age or ability. Development of the Standards was funded through a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant that the City Council accepted in August 2021.
The Standards include a brief implementation chapter (Chapter 4), consistent with the scope of work and budget of the 2021 grant. However, during development, it became clear that to effectively implement Complete Streets, the City must holistically reevaluate how it approaches public right-of-way improvement projects across all departments. In addition, when the existing right-of-way or curb-to-curb width is insufficient, the Standards do not prescribe a clear reconciliation process-such as requiring a public right-of-way dedication-making trade-off decisions complicated and implementation inconsistent.
To ensure the Standards can be implemented in a prescriptive, objective, and consistent manner citywide, the Public Works Department's Mobility & Traffic Engineering Division submitted a grant application to develop Complete Streets Implementation Procedures ("Procedures") that will:
* Analyze the current approach to implementing road and mobility improvement projects.
* Recommend a new approach that makes Complete Streets implementation the guiding principle of every project that affects the roadway-ensuring that virtually every improvement contributes to making the street more "complete."
* Identify curb-to-curb and right-of-way widths for all street segments citywide to determine where constraints to Complete Streets implementation may exist.
* Create a Prioritized Project List based on cost, right-of-way availability, and the network connectivity achieved, identifying projects feasible within the next five years using anticipated resources. Projects with lower feasibility but high community value could become the focus of future grant applications or funding strategies.
* With significant public and stakeholder input, and guidance from the City Council and staff, develop public right-of-way dedication requirements. These requirements will provide staff and developers with clear expectations regarding when dedication will be required, allowing developers to plan accordingly and reducing surprises during the entitlement process.
In tandem with the Procedures, this project will also update the City's Bicycle & Pedestrian Action Plan (BPAP) to:
* Account for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure completed since the BPAP's 2020 adoption.
* Update crash, vehicle volume, and speed data to ensure recommendations are data-driven and align with current best practices for bikeway selection.
* Ensure other recommendations (e.g., protected intersection designs) remain aligned with best practices and standards.
* Provide the Council and public with an opportunity to reassess bicycle and pedestrian needs and priorities.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Staff requests that the City Council accept the $565,707 in grant funds and approve a related budget amendment to allocate the grant funds to CIP Project No. PS039 and appropriate local matching funds totaling $73,293 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) to the same CIP Project No. PS039 (four-fifths vote required). As of September 8, 2025, there is projected to be a balance of approximately $1 million in Fund 437 based on Council direction on August 11, 2025 to transfer CIP projects from Fund 420 to Fund 437. There is sufficient fund balance to support this appropriation.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Authorize acceptance of grant funds from the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program in the amount of $565,707 to Develop Complete Streets Implementation Procedures and update the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan; and
2. Authorize a budget amendment to allocate the $565,707 in grant funds and appropriate local matching funds totaling $73,293 from the Mobility Improvement Fund (Fund 437) to CIP Project PS039 (four-fifths vote required).