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CC - CONSENT ITEM: (1) Authorization to Submit an Application to the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program for a City-Wide Mobility Hub Guideline and Implementation Plan with an 11.47% Local Match Commitment in the Amount of $46,000; and (2) Approval of a Letter in Support of the Application for the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant to be Signed by the Mayor.
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Meeting Date: January 13, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Henry Phipps/Transportation
Phone Number: (310) 253-6592
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (01/08/2025)
Department Approval: Tamar Fuhrer, Deputy Transportation Officer (12/09/2024) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) authorize the submission of a competitive grant application to the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program for a City-Wide Mobility Hub Guideline and implementation Plan with an 11.47% local match commitment in the amount of $46,000; and (2) approve a letter in support of the application for the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant to be signed by the Mayor.
BACKGROUND
The City of Culver City operates a municipal bus network that spans approximately 33 miles and serves nearly 6 million riders annually. Culver City also operates the Culver City Transit Center which acts as a crucial connection point for several bus routes in the City’s and LA Metro’s bus networks. Culver City’s Transportation Department is responsible for maintaining all bus stops that are within the City’s boundaries in addition to the Culver City Transit Center.
Station experience is a critical touchpoint for riders’ perceptions of their transit journey. Staff are looking to find new strategies to improve the rider experience but do not have a comprehensive toolkit to providing a standardized set of amenities for key stations dependent on that location’s capacities. The Culver City Transit Center is a critical connection and destination/origin location for Culver City Bus’s riders but does not currently have a wide array of amenities for existing riders.
Mobility Hubs are an increasingly prominent strategy by transit agencies to provide a level of amenities and resources by improving multimodal connectivity and the rider experience. Mobility Hubs are centralized station locations that bring together as well as provide resources and information for multiple non-single occupancy vehicle (SOV) transportation modes in a single location, which could include designated parking for cyclists, Bike Share stations, and micromobility hubs, among other amenities. The Department currently has Metro Bike Share and Microtransit implementation in its Council-adopted Work Plan, and developing guidelines for siting these amenities in key transit-focused areas could be mutually beneficial for multiple travel modes. The goal of developing a typology and set of guidelines would enable a consistent approach to conditioning amenities into existing and future transit stops to improve the passenger experience for first/last mile travel in the Culver CityBus system.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) released the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program, which provides resources for eligible applicants to advance multimodal transportation projects with goals in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while contributing to public health, social equity, environmental justice, and related benefits. Projects must demonstrate a commitment to improving the region’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and reduce the State’s GHG emissions.
DISCUSSION
City staff are proposing to apply for the Sustainable Communities Competitive Grant, one of the grant types within the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program. If awarded, the grant would enable staff to develop an implementation playbook of standardized design and amenity approaches for existing and new stations. These guidelines will allow the City to better gauge, plan for, and provide critical amenities for mobility hubs across the system. The grant would be applied to develop three key deliverables:
• Design and amenity typology implementation strategy for current and future stops in the Culver CityBus network;
• Implementation plan to deploy mobility hubs at strategic locations along the Culver City mobility network;
• Conceptual designs (up to 30%) for mobility hubs at the Culver City Transit Center and other key locations.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Staff estimates the total cost to complete the guidelines and conceptual designs to be $400,000, including consultant fees, design, and staff costs. Of the total Project cost, 11.5%, or $46,000, would be provided by the Transportation Department using local transportation funds in compliance with the Grant’s 11.47% minimum local match requirement. The Sustainable Communities grant, if awarded, would provide $354,000. There is sufficient funding in 20370100.619800 (Transportation Administration - Other Contractual Services) in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget to support the local match which can be found under the Transportation Department on page 457 of the budget book. No General Fund monies would be used.
If the grant application is successful, staff will return to Council to appropriate the funds and amend the budget.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Authorize the submission of a competitive grant application to the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program for a City-Wide Mobility Hub Guideline and implementation Plan with an 11.47% local match commitment in the amount of $46,000;
2. Approve a letter in support of the application for the Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program, to be signed by the Mayor; and
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.