AC TRANSIT DISTRICT GM Memo No. 09-243 Board of Directors Executive Summary Meeting Date: November 18, 2009
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AC TRANSIT DISTRICT GM Memo No. 09-243 Board of Directors Executive Summary Meeting Date: November 18, 2009 Committees: Planning Committee Finance and Audit Committee External Affairs Committee Operations Committee Rider Complaint Committee Paratransit Committee Board of Directors Financing Corporation SUBJECT: Report on Current Uses and Future Development Potential of the Marina Bay Area in Richmond, California RECOMMENDED ACTION: Information Only Briefing Item Recommended Motion Consider receiving report on Marina Village development. Fiscal Impact: None. Background/Discussion: At the request of Directors Wallace and Peeples, staff has prepared a memorandum to brief the Board on recent developments in the Marina Bay area in the City of Richmond. Several new projects, including housing for sale and for rent, office, light industrial and manufacturing have been planned and built. Many structures have been revitalized and converted from previous industrial uses to offices. Additionally, several projects are pending, in the design phase or in the fund search phase. Ford Point Orton Development completed the majority of construction last year on the revitalization of the Ford Point building. The building features 475,000 square feet of leasable office and retail space, and is home to tenants including SunPower, Vertazzo, Mountain Hardware, and the Boilerhouse restaurant. The featured space of the development is a 40,000 square foot event space (dubbed the Craneway) with two-story glass windows on three sides, and waterfront views. The portion of this development project that is not yet complete is the refurbishment of the ‘Oil Room,’ which is a space reserved for Park Services. The intended use of the Oil Room is the relocation of the Rosie the Riveter Museum. Currently, the developer offers a fare-free shuttle from the Richmond BART station to Ford Point each weekday during peak commute hours. Staff has requested a report of this ridership activity to assess demand for service in the area. Additionally, Orton Development built a bus turn-around and layover space for AC Transit use. Service to Ford Point is provided via AC Transit Line 74, which operates on a 30 minute frequency. Rev. 6/09 GM Memo No. 09-243 Meeting Date: November 18, 2009 Page 2 of 4 County and City Services Contra Costa County offices are located in the Marina Bay area at the intersection of Marina Way South and Hall Street. The Human Resources Department, as well as social services including the Employment Development Department, are housed in this area. Richmond City Hall was also located in Marina Bay temporarily. However, earlier this year, construction on the permanent City Hall in downtown Richmond was completed, and the City Hall was relocated to 450 Civic Center Drive, one block from Macdonald Avenue. The space formerly occupied is now being considered for office use leasing. Finally, the Richmond Police Department is located at 1701 Regatta Street in the eastern portion of Marina Bay. It is currently not served by AC Transit. Port of Richmond The Port of Richmond, located across from the Ford Point building on the water’s edge of Harbor Way South, is also an employment center in the area. The Port is used for receiving Honda automobiles. Employees working at the Port either drive and park or use transit to get to the foot of Harbor Way South at the waterfront. Port employees are not allowed to ride the Ford Point free employee shuttle. Other Employers Chevron, PG&E and the State Health Department Laboratory also have office space in the Marina Bay area. The Health Department is the largest employer, with 800 plus employees. A private shuttle service operated by MV Transportation provides transportation for employees between Del Norte BART and the laboratory facility. The Richmond Field Station, a division of the University of California, Berkeley, is located near the Marina Bay area. The University provides shuttle service from Downtown Berkeley, UC Village and Del Norte BART to the Field Station. Housing Several housing developments have been built in the Marina Bay area over the past decade. Some are condominiums, some town homes, but most are planned developments and many have restricted access. One such developer, Signature Properties, has recently completed construction on 80% of the planned 136 units on Marina Way South. Additionally, the development will include 50,000 square feet of commercial space facing the Richmond waterfront. The commercial space abuts the locally preferred location for the East Bay Ferry Terminal to be operated by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). Vocational School On Marina Way South (directly across the street from County services) is a chapter of the nation-wide Arc Centers. The center provides vocational training to developmentally disabled young adults, and promotes independence through life training skills. The Center also provides support services for families and individuals. Some individuals use public transit to access the facility, and Arc encourages their clients to take transit. Pending Projects GM Memo No. 09-243 Meeting Date: November 18, 2009 Page 3 of 4 Several projects are pending either funding or design and engineering. These include: • A grade separation project for the train tracks that run on the border of the Marina Bay area is pending design and engineering. The project is fully funded through Measure J and Trade Corridor Improvement Fund (TFIC) funds and will improve the movement of buses (and all vehicles) in and out of the Marina Bay area. Further, the project will create a more reliable connection by reducing wait times for vehicles crossing the tracks. The environmental work is underway. • A 128 unit hotel on Meeker Street, just west of Marina Bay South is in the proposal phase. • A redevelopment from industrial space to office use, similar to the Ford Point conversion, is planned for Harbor Way South at the Cannery location. Though the Cannery was an active canning facility for fruit and vegetables from the 1920s through the 1950s, the building has been minimally used since. The redevelopment will be implemented in stages, based on tenant needs. • The ferry terminal is also pending. Though the project location for the East Bay has not been decided, the Marina Bay area is the locally preferred alternative if Richmond is selected to be home to the new terminal. At the point of selection, transit services and the “last mile” issue should be discussed with the City and WETA. Attachment A is the September 2009 report from the City of Richmond Community and Economic Development Agency. This report provides information on projects currently under development for the entire city. Attachment B provides a map of the area, highlighting important locations and landmarks. Existing Transit Services in the Area The following constitutes the transit services currently available in the area: Allow Weekday Weekday Weekend Weekend Public Provider Hours Frequency Hours Frequency Cost Riders? AC Transit 6am-9pm 30 minutes 8am- 30 minutes Fare Yes 5:30pm Department of 6am-7pm 20 minutes None None None No Health Services Ford Point Commute 15 minutes None None None No Peaks Only Ridership figures are not available for the private shuttles. As stated above, the District operates the Line 74 to the Marina Bay area, and carries approximately 110 riders daily.1 Prior Relevant Board Actions/Policies: None 1 Automatic Passenger Counter Data, December 2008. GM Memo No. 09-243 Meeting Date: November 18, 2009 Page 4 of 4 Attachments: Attachment A: Richmond CED Monthly Report – September 2009 Attachment B. Marina Bay Area Map Approved by: Mary V. King, Interim General Manager Nancy Skowbo, DGM Service Development Prepared by: Puja Sarna, Transportation Planner Cory LaVigne, Service and Operations Planning Manager Date Prepared: November 4, 2009 GM Memo 09-243 Attachment A COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY PAGE 1 MONTHLY STATUS REPORT – SEPTEMBER, 2009 Division: Economic Development Project / Program: Economic Development Commission Project / Program Description: The Office of Economic Development provides staff support to the Economic Development Commission (EDC), which meets monthly. The EDC develops and recommends long-term economic development goals to the City Council and works on specific economic development issues from time to time. Status: At the EDC meeting in September, Vintage Foster of AMF Media, spoke to the Commissioners re: a proposed media marketing strategy focused more intentionally and exclusively on Richmond’s positives. Redevelopment staff also described the newly-launched Richmond Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds. EDC members received updates from members and staff regarding the following action committees: (1) The roll-out of the East Bay Green Corridor Partnership Project; (2) The resurgence of the Macdonald Avenue Corridor; and (3) Efforts to enhance the city’s permitting process. Staff also provided the Commissioners economic and business news on the status of the EZ, which finally received the official designation letter, and the Hilltop Pylon Sign, which is moving forward with assistance of engineering, planning, parks and recreation and legal staff. Next Steps: EDC will confer with staff on ways to promote the positive attributes of doing business along the Macdonald Avenue Corridor. The EDC will help the City play a prominent role in the evolving East Bay Green Corridor Partnership. The EDC will come up with suggestions for how to further enhance the city’s