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Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable

Date:
Time:
Place:

Wednesday, January 27, 2021
1:00 PM

Fresno COG Via Zoom



Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodations
The Fresno COG offices and restrooms are ADA accessible. Representatives or individuals with disabilities should contact Fresno COG at (559) 233-4148, at least 3 days in advance, to request auxiliary aids and/or translation services necessary to participate in the public meeting / public hearing. If Fresno COG is unable to accommodate an auxiliary aid or translation request for a public hearing, after receiving proper notice, the hearing will be continued on a specified date when accommodations are available.

OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION REGARDING THE COVID-19 VIRUS THE JANUARY 27, 2021, RTP ROUNDTABLE MEETING AT 1:00 P.M. WILL BE HELD VIA ZOOM.

 

Join Zoom Meeting:

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Meeting ID: 958 8269 7605

Passcode: 924153

 

 If you wish to address Roundtable during the public comment portion of the agenda, click on the icon labeled “Participants” at the bottom center of your PC or Mac screen. At the bottom of the window on the right side of the screen, click the icon labeled “RaiseHand”. Your digital hand will now be raised.

 

Join by Phone:

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Meeting ID: 958 8269 7605

 Passcode: 924153

 
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Those addressing the Roundtable must state their first and last name and agency for the record.

 

To facilitate electronic access, no person shall speak until recognized by the Chair.

RTP/SCS Roundtable Meeting Agenda and Annotated Agenda in PDF

I.WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS (Rob Terry)

A.
ROLL CALL (Jeaneen Cervantes)

II.NEW INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS

A.
RTP/SCS Roundtable Meeting Minutes of November 18, 2020 [APPROVE]
B.
Draft Policy Element Outline (Meg Prince) [APPROVE]

Summary:  The Policy Element is a required component of the RTP. It serves as a foundation for short and long-term regional planning and identifies areas of regional consensus.

Fresno COG convened a Policy Element Subcommittee, which included approximately 20 representatives from local governments, transit agencies, public health, community-based organizations, active transportation, the building industry, Measure C, and the RTP Roundtable. The Policy Element Subcommittee met three times in November and December to assist with the development of the Draft Policy Element Outline.

The Draft Policy Element Outline has been consolidated and updated based on the Policy Element in the 2018 RTP/SCS, and is included as an attachment to this agenda item. Staff is requesting approval for the vision, overarching goals, and supporting policies in the Draft Policy Element Outline to be included in the draft RTP/SCS, which will be circulated for public review and comment in the spring of 2022.

Meg Prince can be contacted for questions or more information at mprince@fresnocog.org.

Action: Staff requests that the RTP Roundtable approve the Draft Policy Element Outline.

C.
Consultant Selection for the 2022 RTP/SCS Environmental Impact Report (Meg Prince) [APPROVE]

Summary:  Fresno COG released a request for proposals on November 30, 2020 for qualified consultants to prepare the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the 2022 RTP/SCS. Proposals were due on December 9, 2020, and Fresno COG received two proposals.

A consultant selection committee comprised of representatives from the County, Clovis, Reedley, Coalinga, the RTP Roundtable, and Fresno COG reviewed the proposal and selected VRPA Technologies as the preferred consultant.

The contract amount is not to exceed $173,491.42 and is expected to kick off in March with the Policy Board’s approval on February 25.

Action: Staff requests that the RTP Roundtable approve the selection of VRPA Technologies to develop the 2022 RTP/SCS Environmental Impact Report for an amount not to exceed $173,491.42.

D.
SCS Scenario Concepts (Seth Scott) [APPROVE]

Summary: Scenario development is at the core of the SCS, which requires MPOs to test implementation of various strategies in order to meet GHG reduction goals and maximize co-benefits for sustainability in the region.  As such, the scenarios that are selected for inclusion and analysis within the SCS form the backbone of the plan's demonstration of how GHG reduction targets are met.

In the context of the SCS, a scenario is a snapshot in time that represents a future result of certain land-use and transportation strategies.  Different strategies, as well as different priorities among strategies, will result in diverging visions of the future; and the purpose of the SCS is to choose the preferred scenario that 1) demonstrates the region's ability to meet GHG reduction targets, and 2) represents a sustainable vision of the Fresno County region that is both ambitious and achievable.

The SCS Technical Subcommittee has developed several scenario concepts for the Roundtable’s consideration.  These draft concepts are built around the SCS strategies that were previously discussed, where each concept is defined by the amount of prioritization given to each of the 20 SCS strategies relative to each other.

Fresno COG staff is planning an outreach effort that will present up to five scenario concepts to the public and garnering their input on them.  The scenario concepts submitted by the SCS technical subcommittee represent a starting point for discussion about what these scenarios may look like.  Staff plans to report back to the Roundtable in April or May with the results, at which time staff will be asking for 3 scenarios to include in the SCS for analysis.

Action: Staff requests the Roundtable to select up to 5 scenario concepts (to be considered by TTC, PAC and the Policy Board) for presentation to the public for input.

E.
Telecommute Survey Results (Trai Her-Cole) [INFORMATION]

Summary: In November 2020, Fresno COG released a telecommute survey for both employees and employers to assess the rate of telecommuting in Fresno County as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results gathered will help provide some basis for the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction quantification of a telecommute strategy, which will be applied in Fresno COG’s 2022 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). Increased telecommuting long-term may lead to reduced VMT and GHG emissions, relieve congestion, and help the region meet air quality goals. 

There were 597 employee responses and 47 employer responses. Staff will provide a brief presentation of the survey results.

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

F.
Action Element (Jennifer Soliz) [INFORMATION]

Summary: California Government Code Section 65080 requires each RTP to include an action element that describes the programs and actions necessary to implement the RTP and assigns implementation responsibilities.  It will consist of short and long-term activities that address regional transportation issues and needs and will address all transportation modes. The action element will also consider congestion management activities within the region.

The action element is critical to providing clear direction about the roles and responsibilities of the MPO and other agencies to follow through on the RTP’s policies and projects. The action element will be developed to support the approved policies and strategies developed through the policy element subcommittee. The action element will also be consistent with the financial element to identify investment strategies, alternatives and project priorities.

It is anticipated that the draft action element outline will be out for review and comment prior to bringing the draft action element outline to the RTP roundtable for approval in May 2021.

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

G.
RTP Project Submittal (Suzanne Martinez) [INFORMATION]

Fresno COG initiated the 2022 RTP Call for projects on November, 2, 2020, and all projects were due by December 16, 2020.  Staff performed a preliminary analysis of the projects received. Below is a breakdown of that analysis:

 

Total Dollars

Number of Projects

Project Type

Dollar Amount

Percentage

Number

Percentage

Bike/Ped

$616,804,000

6.8%

459 (+226)

18.12% (+8.98%)

S&R Capacity Increasing

$2,228,967,000

14.58%

357

14.13%

S&R Operations & Maintenance

$3,066,233,000

31.70%

1568

61.97%

Transit

$3,036,287,000

33.37%

143

5.66%

TOTAL

$8,948,291,000

100%

2527

100%

As previously reported, the 2022 RTP Call-for-Projects allowed for the ability to choose multiple modes for a single project in order to allow flexibility in how projects are scored and funded. As such, in the analysis above, the number in parenthesis within the Bike and Ped mode depicts the number of projects from other modes that also include a Bike and Ped component.

The next steps include mapping the 2022 RTP projects received and ranking the projects with the Project Evaluation Criteria established in the fall of 2020. 

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

III.OTHER ITEMS

A.
Items from Staff

B.
Items from Members

IV.PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the Roundtable on items within its jurisdiction but not on this agenda.

Note:  Prior to action by the Roundtable on any item on this agenda, the public may comment on that item. Unscheduled comments may be limited to 3 minutes.

Upcoming meeting dates:

February 24, 2021 from 1-3 p.m.

March 24, 2021 from 1-3 p.m.

April 28, 2021 from 1-3 p.m.