Item 1-N

 

Council Meeting: July 22, 2003                                                Santa Monica, California

 

 

TO:                  Mayor and City Council

 

FROM:            City staff

 

SUBJECT:     Hold a Public Hearing on the Annual Local Implementation Report on the City's Congestion Management Goals and Resolution of the City Council Finding the City to be in Compliance with the 2002 Congestion Management Program (CMP)

 

   

              

INTRODUCTION

 

This staff report recommends that the City Council hold a public hearing to adopt the annual Local Implementation Report on the City's congestion management goals and adopt the attached resolution stating that the City is in compliance with the 2002 Los Angeles County Congestion Management Program (CMP).  The state created the CMP to link land use, air quality and transportation decisions.  The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) administers the program for all cities in Los Angeles County.  Conformance with the CMP is required in order for the City to be eligible for state gas tax monies from Proposition 111, passed by the voters of California in June 1990.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The City of Santa Monica is required to conform to the CMP by taking the following actions:

·        Continue implementation of the Transportation Management Plan (TMP) ordinance.

 

·        Conduct biennial traffic counts and calculate levels of service for selected arterial intersections, consistent with CMP specifications.


 

·        As part of the environmental review process, analyze the impacts of new development on the CMP system.

 

·        Adopt a Local Implementation Report which tracks the City's progress in meeting the congestion management goals for new development.

 

·        Hold a noticed public hearing and adopt a resolution certifying compliance with the CMP.

 

·        Annually adopt a resolution to self-certify conformance with the CMP requirements.

 

 

The City has complied with the requirements described above by implementing the City's TMP Ordinance and analyzing impacts to the CMP network as part of the environmental review process.  The required traffic counts were completed and submitted to MTA.

 

The Local Implementation Report gauges compliance based on a numerical formula established by the LACMTA.  The report attached to the resolution in Attachment A summarizes the City's efforts in meeting congestion mitigation goals set out by the LACMTA.  First, the report calculates the number of debit points that must be mitigated based upon new development activity.  Second, the report includes a list of eligible transportation and land use measures that mitigate the impact of the new development and provide credit points.  Unused credit points from previous local implementation reports are carried over to the following years.  The report then summarizes the balance of debits to credits.

 

The City's total credit balance that will be reported to the MTA is 148, 741.  This year the City has accrued 5,129 credits points from improvements to the City’s street network, including capacity improvement to the 4th Street east-bound I-10 Freeway on-ramp (dual left-turn signal and lane striping improvements); the added capacity of Olympic Drive (partial credit prior to completion): signal synchronization improvements along 26th Street (between Wilshire Blvd and Colorado Avenue), Lincoln Boulevard (between the I-10 Freeway and Ocean Park Blvd) and Cloverfield (between Colorado Avenue and the

I-10 Freeway): and construction of median islands on Broadway and Wilshire Blvd (partial credit prior to completion.)  The continued implementation of a Transportation Demand Management Ordinance also generates credits for the City.   The issuance of new development building permits this year resulted in a net accumulation of 2,961 CMP debit points. The final balance is derived by subtracting this year’s accumulated debits from the accrued credits (net gain of 2,168 credits) and adding 146,573 carryover credits accrued in prior years.  These credits can be used in the future to claim Proposition 111 gas tax funds if the City’s debits from development permits surpass that year’s Congestion Management credits.  To date the surplus credits have not been needed, since the City has annually generated more credits than debits.

 

Upon Council adoption, the Local Implementation Report and resolution will be forwarded to the LACMTA.  LACMTA staff will review the report for Santa Monica and all other Los Angeles County cities and present  the information to the LACMTA Board later this year.  Conformance with the CMP is important in order to maintain the flow of state gas tax monies to the City for transportation projects.


 

BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACTS

The recommendation presented in this report does not have a budget or fiscal impact.

 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution and attached Local Implementation Report finding that the City is in compliance with the 2002 Congestion Management Program (CMP). 

 

 

Prepared by:              Suzanne Frick, Director

Ellen Gelbard, Assistant Director

Planning and Community Development Department

 

 

 

Attachment:    A.        Resolution for Adoption Finding the City to be in Compliance with the 2002 Congestion Management Program (CMP).