CITY OF SOUTH PASADENA FREEWAY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA City Manager’s Conference Room 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030 September 23, 2019 at 6:30 PM In order to address the Freeway and Transportation Commission, please complete a Public Comment Card. Time allotted per speaker is three minutes. CALL TO ORDER: Joanne Nuckols, Chair ROLL CALL: Scott Kuhn, Vice-Chair Arcelia Arce Richard Helgeson William Sherman, M.D. COUNCIL LIAISON: Councilmember Schneider, M.D. STAFF PRESENT: Margaret Lin, Manager of Long Range Planning and Economic Development PUBLIC COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS (Time limit is three minutes per person) The Freeway and Transportation Commission (FTC) welcomes public input. Members of the public may address the FTC by completing a public comment card and giving it to the Margaret Lin, Manager of Long Range Planning and Economic Development prior to the meeting. At this time, the public may address the FTC on items that are not on the agenda. Pursuant to state law, FTC may not discuss or take action on issues not on the meeting agenda, except that members of the FTC or staff may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed by persons exercising public testimony rights (Government Code Section 54954.2). Staff may be asked to follow up on such items. Note: Public input will also be taken during all agenda items. Time allotted per speaker is three (3) minutes. City of South Pasadena Page 1 Special Meeting Agenda South Pasadena Freeway and Transportation Commission September 23, 2019 COMMUNICATIONS 1. City Council Liaison Communications 2. Commissioner Communications 3. Staff Liaison Communications ACTION/DISCUSSION 4. SR-710 Legislation and Record of Decision Recommendation It is recommended that the FTC receive and file a report regarding the current status of Assembly Bill 29 (Holden) and Senate Bill 7 (Portantino). 5. Measure R: Mobility Improvement Investment Projects Recommendation It is recommended that the FTC receive and file a report regarding the status of the Metro Measure R Mobility Improvement Investment Projects. ADJOURNMENT FUTURE FREEWAY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETINGS October 15, 2019 City Manager’s Conference 6:30 PM Room November 19, 2019 City Manager’s Conference 6:30 PM Room December 17, 2019 City Manager’s Conference 6:30 PM Room PUBLIC ACCESS TO AGENDA DOCUMENTS Prior to meetings, agenda related documents are available for public inspection at, City Hall, 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030. The complete agenda packet may also be viewed on the City’s website at: https://www.southpasadenaca.gov/government/boards-commissions City of South Pasadena Page 2 Special Meeting Agenda South Pasadena Freeway and Transportation Commission September 23, 2019 ACCOMMODATIONS The City of South Pasadena wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible to the public. Meeting facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. If special assistance is needed to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk's Division at (626) 403-7230. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities. Hearing assistive devices are available in the Council Chamber. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will assist staff in assuring that reasonable arrangements can be made to provide accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title II). I declare under penalty of perjury that I posted this notice of agenda on the bulletin board in the courtyard of City Hall at 1414 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030, and on the City’s website as required by law. 9/18/19 Date Margaret Lin Manager of Long Range Planning and Economic Development City of South Pasadena Page 3 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE FREEWAY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH PASADENA CONVENED THIS 20th DAY OF AUGUST 2019 6:41 P.M. CITY MANAGERS CONFERENCE ROOM 1414 MISSION STREET 1. ROLL CALL The regular meeting of the Freeway and Transportation Commission (FTC) was convened at 6:41 P.M. Commissioners present: Arce, Helgeson, Kuhn, and Sherman; Commissioner absent: Nuckols; Council Liaison: Councilmember Schneider; and Staff present: Manager of Long Range Planning and Economic Development (Manager) Lin. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS (ITEMS NOT Ray Quan, San Marino resident, raised concerns regarding the Metro proposed ON THE AGENDA) signal synchronization project on Huntington Drive. 3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES The July 16, 2019, regular meeting minutes were approved (4 ayes, 0 noes, 1 absent). 4. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS None. 5. COUNCIL LIAISON COMMENTS Councilmember Schneider reported that he asked the City Manager to have Doug Carstens review the SR-710 Record of Decision. Councilmember Schneider reported that he attended the first FTC and Public Works Commission (PWC) ad hoc committee meeting with the Mayor, Chair Nuckols and PWC Commissioner Larry Abelson, stated that he would like the FTC and Public Works Commissions to remain separate, or if a merger were to take place that the commission be increased to 7 members.. 6. STAFF COMMENTS None. 7. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. SR-710 1. Legislation Manager Lin reported that both Assembly Bill 29 (Holden) and Senate Bill 7 (Portantino) were being held in the opposite house’s suspense file. Commissioner Sherman questioned why either bills were being held in suspense. Councilmember Schneider stated that this may be related to the release of the stub lands and Senator Portantino does not want his bill to become a two-year bill. Commissioner Sherman stated that Caltrans District 7 Director Bulinksi’s previous assertions that the stubs are needed to implement the Transportation System Management/Transportation Demand Management alternative may be a sign that they are maintaining a placeholder for a future freeway project but that the language in SB 7 also prohibits a freeway from being built. 2. Notice of Manager Lin reported that the Record of Decision (ROD) was released but Determination/Record of had not been published on the Federal Register yet. The Statute of Limitations Decision would not run until the ROD was published. Commissioner Kuhn stated that we would know if the Governor had signed either AB 29 or SB 7 before the 150 day Statue of Limitations had run. Commissioner Helgeson stated that there may be potential lawsuits associated with the Environmental Protection Agency letter regarding effects that were not fully mitigated in Section 4(f). Councilmember Schneider stated that Director Bulinksi’s letter indicated that the City would have another chance to challenge the environment documents if a freeway alternative is ever revived. B. Measure R 1. Mobility Improvement Manager Lin reported that there were no updates by Metro regarding the Investment Projects Mobility Improvement Investment Projects. Commissioner Sherman requested a contact person from Caltrans. Councilmember Schneider suggested that PWC Commissioner John Fisher reach out to Caltrans to discuss his proposal for the SR-110 Hookramp project. Commissioner Kuhn suggested that some of the remaining funding from Measure R could be used to provide additional stop signs on Meridian Avenue or other corridors in the City. 8. ADJOURNMENT By consensus, the Commission adjourned the meeting at 7:23 P.M. Approved By: _________________________________ Joanne Nuckols Chair Freeway and Transportation Commission ITEM NO. ____ Agenda Report DATE: September 18, 2019 FROM: Margaret Lin, Manager of Long Range Planning and Economic Development SUBJECT: State Route 710 Legislation Recommendation It is recommended that the Commission receive and file the report regarding the State Route 710 (SR-710) legislation. Discussion/Analysis AB 29 would remove the portion of the SR-710 located north of SR-10 from the California freeway and expressway system (Section 253.1 of the Streets and Highways Code) and establishes that the freeway alternatives included in the SR-710 North Project are not feasible. The proposed legislation would create an additional hurdle to reviving a SR-710 North Project in the future by requiring new legislation to include the extension back into the Streets and Highway Code. SB 7 would require surplus non-residential properties to be made available to nonprofit organizations or cities at fair market value as determined by the current use of the property; deems the freeway alternatives included in the SR-710 North Project as infeasible; prohibits rent increases permanently; enables current tenants to participate in the Affordable Sales Program; removes the stubs from the highway code; and authorizes the California Transportation Commission to relinquish the north stub to the City of Pasadena. The proposed legislation could potentially lower the cost of the surplus freeway lands located in the cities of Alhambra and Pasadena and make it easier for the cities to obtain the properties for their respective development projects. Both bills have passed and are currently on Governor Newsom’s desk for signature. The Governor has until October 13th to sign or veto the bills. Background On November 26, 2018, the Caltrans released the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) available for the SR-710 North Project. The Final EIR/EIS identified the Transportation System Management/Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM) Alternative as the Preferred Alternative. On July 10, 2017, the City Council submitted a Letter of Support for Assembly Bill 533 in support of the revision to Section 253.1 of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to highways. On May 25, 2017, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board made a unanimous and historic vote to adopt the TSM/TDM as the Preferred Alternative for the SR-710 North Project. The Metro Board decision also reallocated the remaining Measure R funds to the TSM/TDM Alterative and other mobility improvement projects. Attachments: 1. AB 29 (Holden) 2. SB 7 (Portantino) AMENDED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2019 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 22, 2019 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 13, 2019 california legislature—2019–20 regular session ASSEMBLY BILL No.