Summary: Fresno COG will implement futures planning in its 2022 RTP/SCS scenario analysis, which envisions extreme future conditions against which the scenario strategies can be tested.  In July, the RTP Roundtable recommended the development of three Futures for use in scenario analysis: Extreme Climate, High-Tech Innovation, and Regulatory Challenges.  Since then, the SCS Technical Committee has, over the course of three meetings, developed language for each of these Futures, including narrative descriptions and categorized lists of impacts.  The draft language developed by the SCS Technical Subcommittee is attached for consideration.

Action: COG staff requests a recommendation of approval for the three Futures (ExtremeClimate, High-Tech Innovation, and Regulatory Challenges) as described in the narrative descriptions and lists of impacts.

Summary:  Fresno COG's 2020 Transportation Needs Survey is providing an opportunity for Fresno County’s residents to submit transportation project needs/suggestions via an online portal. Those projects could, in turn, become part of the next Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) currently undergoing an update.

The survey was launched on September 9th and will close on October 15. It is most easily accessed through Fresno COG’s RTP website www.planfresno.com on the RTP Survey page.

Outreach is being conducted in English, Spanish and Punjabi, with translation and interpretation services provided by our RTP mini-grant groups. All of the transportation suggestions received will be translated (where needed) and relayed to local agencies for review and consideration. The effort will conclude prior to the RTP call for projects release on November 1, 2020.

The Transportation Needs Survey will be advertised throughout the survey period through various means by mini-grant organizations and Fresno COG. Invitations and requests for project suggestions have been posted to our websites,  emailed to our enews database and shared through social media posts and advertising. Some virtual meetings are being scheduled, and phone banking will be used as a replacement for in-person workshops and door to door canvassing through the mini-grant agencies.  

The online survey asks that participants drop a marker on a map of Fresno County to show where their suggested project is or would be located. Then participants are asked to describe the transportation need/suggestion, attach a photo of the area if available, and answer relevant demographic questions.

Fresno COG is asking for additional outreach opportunities through committees, member agency and community partners. We are looking for opportunities to either obtain a contact list or have emails and social posts forwarded and shared. We also welcome opportunities to speak at established community or community meetings.

All inquiries or outreach referrals should be communicated to Brenda Veenendaal at brendav@fresnocog.org. Staff will provide a brief presentation on the survey and planned outreach.

Action: Information only. The Committee may provide additional direction at its discretion.

Summary: Fresno COG relies on various models to perform analysis in the RTP/SCS, most notably the Fresno Activity-Based Model (ABM).  While the ABM is necessarily complex, the concepts it employs are intuitive and represent a significant improvement in both functionality and quality over the previous 4-step traffic model (VMIP2).  Staff felt a primer on the concepts, functionality, and scope of the Fresno ABM would be helpful to aid this body in understanding the technical work related to the development of the RTP/SCS.

As such, COG staff is happy to give a brief presentation explaining how the Fresno ABM works, what it does, how it differs from previous models, and how it will be used in the 2022 RTP/SCS.

Action: Information only. Direction may be provided at the discretion of the committee.

Summary: This is an update regarding the legal services contract that was brought to the RTP Roundtable in August.

Fresno COG released a request for proposals on August 10 for legal assistance with three planning efforts over the next couple of years – the 2022 RTP/SCS, the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the RTP/SCS, and the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Plan.

Proposals were due on August 31, and Fresno COG received one proposal from Best Best & Krieger (BB&K). A consultant selection committee comprised of representatives from the County, Fresno, Reedley, Mendota, FCRTA, and the RTP Roundtable reviewed the proposal and all concurred that BB&K is well qualified for the scope of legal counsel. A few of the selection committee members have had personal experience working with BB&K, which was all positive. Additionally, BB&K provided legal counsel for development of the 2018 RTP/SCS and corresponding Program EIR and was very knowledgeable and responsive.

The contract amount is not to exceed $75,000 and is expected to kick off in October, with the Policy Board’s approval on September 24.

Action: Information only. Direction may be provided at the discretion of the committee.

Summary: California Government Code Section 65080 requires each RTP to include a Policy Element that describes the transportation issues in the region, regional needs, and is consistent with the Financial Element. The Policy Element is one of the first components of the RTP to be developed, and its purpose is to identify legislative, planning, financial and institutional issues and requirements, as well as any areas of regional consensus.

As with the 2018 RTP, Fresno COG is convening a Policy Element Subcommittee to assist with the development of the Policy Element. In past RTP cycles, the Policy Element has been added to or revised based on the previous version. The 2022 Policy Element will be redeveloped based on the updated guidance from the RTP Guidelines in 2017 and SCS Evaluation Criteria in 2019.

It’s anticipated that the Policy Element Subcommittee will meet via Zoom conference meeting several times between November 2020 and February 2021 to develop the draft Policy Element prior to bringing the draft Policy Element outline to the RTP Roundtable for review and comment in March 2021.

If you are interested in participating in the Policy Element Subcommittee or would like to be added to the email distribution list, please contact Meg Prince at mprince@fresnocog.org.

Action: Information only. Direction may be provided at the discretion of the committee.

1.

Request for Proposals for the 2022 RTP/SCS Environmental Impact Report (Meg Prince) [INFORMATION]