City of Encinitas Rail Corridor Vision Study Part of the Coastal Mobility & Livability Study Approved by Resolution 2018-18 February 14, 2018 Encinitas Rail Corridor Vision Study Executive Summary The Rail Corridor Vision Study (RCVS) is the Public Visioning Activities: Early in the centerpiece of the Coastal Mobility and Livability study, the public was invited to discuss issues Study (CMLS), a broad effort to examine mobility and opportunities in the corridor via five in- issues and opportunities in the Encinitas coastal person workshops, nine “pop-up” workshops rail corridor. This unique corridor is centered at community events, outreach to City around the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis commissions, and an eight-week online Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor and parallel roads comment period through the PlaceSpeak Coast Highway 101 and Vulcan Avenue/San Elijo website. Avenue. Public Open House Reviews: Later in the The RCVS has a broad focus, coordinating study, two “open house” public forums multiple infrastructure elements to create a unified presented and collected public feedback on vision for the rail corridor with both near-term and proposed improvements and priorities. long-term objectives. Community members Guiding Policies and stakeholders drove At the study’s kickoff, the project team developed the following policies to guide the study and the study’s process and inform its technical and engagement activities: conclusions. Increase east-west connections Improve pedestrian & bicycle facilities Technical Support Group: A committee of representatives from agencies with interest in Provide adequate parking the coastal corridor advised the project team Balance mobility improvements with desired and helped define the study’s parameters and community character constraints. Promote health and safety City Council & Commissions Check-Ins: The project team briefed the City Council on Stakeholder & Public the study’s progress at key milestones— including an interactive workshop to review Engagement proposed improvements—and presented to a wide range of City commissions. The RCVS relied heavily on input from community stakeholders and members of the public, including: Key Takeaways from Coastal Mobility & Livability Working Public Engagement Group (CMLWG): The core stakeholder team representing broad community interests The public engagement activities significantly presided over all elements of the RCVS and informed the RCVS process and CMLS, meeting frequently to review technical recommendations, yielding the following key work and provide guidance. takeaways: ES 1 February 14, 2018 Encinitas Rail Corridor Vision Study Develop a long-term vision that fully resolves Near-Term Vision: Crossings, the community’s concerns regarding the rail corridor, but also focuses on short-term Quiet Zone & Active improvements that can provide more Transportation immediate benefits. The RCVS included a variety of solutions to Implement a citywide quiet zone for trains at improve mobility and quality of life in the near all vehicular at-grade crossings. term: Construct new pedestrian/bicycle crossings of the rail corridor to improve east-west Rail Corridor Crossing Policy: A connectivity. prerequisite to implementing new rail corridor crossings is developing a policy to guide their Enhance the safety and desirability of selection and design. The crossing policy pedestrian and bicycle facilities through sound ultimately envisions quarter-mile spacing design ideas that provide a high-quality user between crossings, with initial priorities experience and is sensitive to the surrounding focused on creating crossings every half mile; environment. serving the highest-activity areas; and equitably distributing new crossings among Proposed communities. Rail Corridor Crossing Locations: The Improvements study recommends a total of 21 crossings spanning the six-mile corridor: Several categories of access improvements are envisioned, aimed at improving both east-west ▪ Eight existing crossings, most of which connectivity across the corridor as well as north- include recommendations for additional south connectivity along the corridor. While pedestrian/bicycle improvements. establishing a long-term vision was a key part of ▪ Three new undercrossings already in the study, the project team and stakeholders also progress, at El Portal Street, Verdi developed a set of improvements to deliver Avenue, and the San Elijo Gateway community benefits in the near term. location near the Solana Beach city limit. ▪ Ten new crossings, with the specific Long-Term Vision: Trenching or location and type of crossing (at-grade or Moving the Rail Corridor grade-separated) to be determined during the context-sensitive design process at The CMLWG and other stakeholders largely each location: agreed on two potential long-term solutions for the ▪ Bishop's Gate Road rail corridor. These are considered long-term ▪ Grandview Street/Hillcrest Drive solutions because the cost of these improvements makes them potentially infeasible, or at least not ▪ Sanford Street/Jupiter Street implementable in the foreseeable future. ▪ Phoebe Street/Glaucus Street Trench: Lower the grade of the railroad tracks ▪ Daphne Street/Basil Street in Leucadia and Cardiff-by-the-Sea to create a ▪ Marcheta Street/Orpheus Avenue covered, or partially covered, trench. ▪ A Street/Sunset Drive Move to Interstate 5 (I-5) Corridor: Move the ▪ H Street/I Street entire rail corridor into the I-5 right-of-way. ▪ Birmingham Drive ▪ Norfolk Drive/Dublin Drive ES 2 February 14, 2018 Encinitas Rail Corridor Vision Study Citywide Quiet Zone: The study identified the context-sensitive design process for the initial steps to implement a citywide Quiet next highest-priority rail crossings at Sanford Zone to reduce train noise and preserve Street/Jupiter Street and Birmingham Drive. community character. The project team held Traffic Calming & Active Transportation diagnostic meetings with key regulatory Projects: Complete the citywide ATP agencies —including the Federal Railroad including identification of early-action projects. Administration (FRA), California Public Begin planning and design of highest-priority Utilities Commission (CPUC), and North ATP projects in close coordination with quiet County Transit District (NCTD)—and, as of zone and rail corridor crossing projects. January 2018, is currently developing concept designs for the required supplemental safety measures at three of the four vehicular at- Taken together, the RCVS proposed grade crossings. The safety measures for the improvements comprise an integrated, balanced fourth crossing at Chesterfield Drive are vision that was developed through an extensive, currently in construction and expected to be community-based process. The suite of complete by 2020. recommended projects will improve mobility and Traffic Calming: The study identified quality of life in the Encinitas coastal rail corridor opportunities for traffic calming that preserve in the near term and for decades to come. community character by reducing traffic speeds and promote pedestrian and bicycle usage, especially near crossing locations and along Vulcan Avenue and San Elijo Avenue. Coastal Rail Trail & Multi-Use Paths: The RCVS and ATP work efforts collaboratively developed a system of north-south paths in the corridor—including the regional Coastal Rail Trail—that increase separation from automobiles and integrate with citywide ATP networks. Next Steps The City Council’s adoption of this RCVS report will complete the study, and the next phases of project development and implementation are recommended as follows: Citywide Quiet Zone: Schedule follow-up meetings with regulatory agencies to finalize the scope of safety improvements. Identify funding for design, permitting, and construction of improvements. Rail Corridor Crossings: Continue the designs of the El Portal Street and Verdi Avenue pedestrian/bicycle undercrossings and allocate funding for the Verdi Avenue construction phase. Identify funding to begin ES 3 February 14, 2018 Encinitas Rail Corridor Vision Study Contents Purpose & Guiding Policies ......................................................................................... 1 A Larger Effort for Coastal Mobility & Livability ....................................................................... 2 Guiding Policies ...................................................................................................................... 2 Process & Engagement ................................................................................................ 3 Coastal Mobility & Livability Working Group ............................................................................ 4 Public Engagement ................................................................................................................. 5 City & Agency Guidance ......................................................................................................... 6 Existing Conditions ....................................................................................................... 7 Corridor Description ................................................................................................................ 7 Ongoing & Planned Projects ..................................................................................................10 Proposed Improvements ............................................................................................ 12 Long-Term & Near-Term