MEETING DATE:
July 23, 2024
SUBJECT:
Title
RESOLUTION NOS. 2024-9335 & 2024-9336 ADOPTING THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND APPROVING A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT GPA24-0001 TO AMEND THE MOBILITY ELEMENT, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION BY A 6 - 0 VOTE
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Recommendation
Recommendation
ADOPT OR APPROVE, as applicable, the following in the order set forth below:
1. ADOPT Categorical Exemption EX 24-009
2. APPROVE resolution adopting the Active Transportation Plan
3. APPROVE resolution (General Plan Amendment GPA24-0001) for Modifications to the Mobility Element to incorporate the Active Transportation Plan, update performance measures, and modify truck route management
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Board or Commission Action
On June 17, 2024, the Planning Commission voted 6-0 to approve Resolution PC 24-5112 recommending that City Council approve CEQA Exemption (EX24-009) and General Plan Amendment GPA24-0001 to modify the General Plan Mobility Element. The Planning Commission noted and filed the proposed Active Transportation Plan.
Relevant Council Strategic Theme
Good Governance
Planning for the Future
Relevant Department Goal
Not Applicable
Executive Summary
The Active Transportation Plan (Attachment 1) is a new planning document to cohesively encourage non-motorized forms of transportation, primarily walking and cycling. It aims to improve citywide pedestrian and bicycle connectivity in a cohesive way. The plan will be used to prioritize active transportation projects for the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and for construction as required by the City for private development projects. Additionally, it will offer educational programs and policies to support the mode shift.
General Plan Amendment GPA24-0001 is proposed to revise the Mobility Element of the General Plan to remove outdated traffic performance measures and to achieve better truck route management. In addition, the amendment would align the Mobility Element with the proposed Active Transportation Plan (ATP), which presents a blueprint for pedestrian and bicycling facilities in San Marcos. The proposed changes will modernize the City’s approach to mobility and ensure that the General Plan reflects the latest industry standards and practices.
Discussion
ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
Background
Since the adoption of the Mobility Element in 2012, the face of active transportation has changed in California. State legislation, regional plans, and the City’s Climate Action Plan incorporate and encourage active transportation strategies and policies. The Active Transportation Plan will build upon the General Plan Mobility Element and align it with these local, regional, and state planning efforts.
The ATP is the result of a comprehensive approach that considered existing bicycle, pedestrian, and transit conditions, a Safe Routes to School evaluation, interim and ultimate improvement opportunities, and extensive community outreach.
Existing Conditions Analysis
The existing conditions analysis inventoried citywide bicycle, pedestrian, and transit conditions. The analysis found that SR-78 creates a barrier for walking and biking. Additionally, though the Inland Rail Trail provides a vital east-west connection, there is no similar protected north-south facility crossing the city. Further, access to the Inland Rail Trail is limited and requires users to traverse arterial roadways and/or rail lines to reach it. The analysis also found that the City’s pedestrian network lacks infrastructure connectivity. Connectivity to important community destinations such as schools, shopping centers, and transit hubs should be augmented, and closure of gaps in the pedestrian network should be prioritized.
Safe Routes to School
The Safe Routes to School component evaluated active transportation within a quarter-mile radius of all 18 schools in the San Marcos Unified School District. This data formed the basis of ATP recommendations aimed at providing students with comfortable facilities in the vicinity of all SMUSD schools. The outreach to arrive at the Safe Routes to School element of the ATP is discussed in the Public Engagement section below.
Interim and Ultimate Improvements
The strategy for implementation of the Bicycle Network is to create an interim network incorporating near-term facilities within existing right-of-way, coupled with an ultimate network to allow for the future construction of bike facilities that require more right-of-way such as Class IV protected bikeways and Class I pedestrian-cyclist shared-use paths.
Similar to the bicycle network, the recommended pedestrian network is composed of interim and ultimate projects. The pedestrian networks identify a variety of infrastructure improvements including adding sidewalks, providing mid-block crossings, closing sidewalk gaps, enhancing the pedestrian environment (widening sidewalks, installing landscape buffers, and implementing placemaking), installing fenced medians, and constructing Class I multi-use paths. The ATP also identifies target locations for local mobility nodes, areas offering amenities to enhance active transportation trips and to make the shift from one mode to another more convenient.
Public Engagement
Staff collaborated extensively with stakeholders and the public during the development of the ATP.
First, the City launched an English/Spanish ATP website with an interactive map for location-specific feedback. Next, the ATP development team engaged in a series of outreach events and public workshops, including the Harvest Fest on October 9, 2022; a workshop on November 15, 2022; the Spring Fling on April 2, 2023; and a final workshop on May 3, 0223. The draft ATP was circulated a final time for public feedback in November and December of 2023. In general, the feedback received during the public engagement efforts indicated that San Marcos residents primarily travel in cars for short trips of fewer than five miles, and that high-speed roads make walking and biking to key destinations challenging. Residents would like to see a variety of pedestrian and bicycle improvements, including wider sidewalks, traffic calming, improved connectivity to schools, and more protected bike facilities (Class IV and Class I’s) with secure bike parking near key activity centers.
The ATP development team also coordinated with adjacent jurisdictions to ensure the general continuity of active transportation facilities near City limits, where they cross into other jurisdictions.
Finally, for the development of the Safe Route to School element, the development team reached out directly to the principal, assistant principal, or other school official at each of the 18 elementary, middle, and high schools within the SMUSD. Parents were notified of their opportunity to participate via PeachJar. Hand raise surveys were conducted on the school sites to gather data about existing modes of travel, and walk audits with school officials and the public were conducted on the public roads within a quarter-mile radius of each school.
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
Background
The City Council adopted the current General Plan in 2012. The Mobility Element of the Plan establishes a framework for sustainable transportation in alignment with the General Plan Land Use Plan. Proposed revisions to the Mobility Element include aligning traffic performance metrics with Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) assessments as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), updating language to provide for future ATP implementation, and simplifying truck route designations. Additionally, the proposed policy changes address the modernization of the General Plan Mobility Element to current mobility planning standards and support implementation of the proposed ATP.
Performance Metrics
The General Plan Amendment will incorporate a Vehicle Miles Traveled metric consistent with SB 743 and CEQA requirements for assessing traffic impacts along with other performance measures used to evaluate development project mobility performance. The proposed modifications will remove the Multi-Modal Level of Service (MMLOS) performance measure and instead implement VMT as a CEQA metric. Additionally, the amendment will ensure that elements such as vehicular Level of Service and proactive design approaches remain consistent with existing practices.
Truck Routes
The proposed Amendment will ensure alignment with the Municipal Code and the California Vehicle Code, which mandates that truck routes be adopted by ordinance. To ensure truck routes are continuously updated, staff suggests revising General Plan policies to mandate ongoing management of truck routes by staff. Staff also recommends the removal of the truck route map within the Mobility Element to minimize confusion.
Active Transportation Planning
New industry standards relating to bike facility planning have been widely accepted since 2012, when the General Plan was adopted. Bike facility planning now focuses on providing facilities to access key destinations, creating greater comfort for less-practiced riders, and enhancing educational efforts and enforcement strategies. Other active transportation strategies address enhancing the pedestrian environment and encouraging walking trips. The proposed Amendment will address these changes, including the removal of the bicycle network map from the Mobility Element, which will be superseded by maps within the ATP.
Policy Changes
Proposed policy changes to the Mobility Element are summarized below:
• Policy M-1.3: Update to include reference to the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) ordinance.
• Policy M-1.4: Remove Multimodal Level of Service consistent with current performance metrics.
• Policy M-3.3: Modify to focus on the connectivity of bike facilities between major destinations.
• Policy M-3.4: Replace the prior policy on bike sharing with one requiring the development and maintenance of an Active Transportation Plan.
• Policy M-3.9: Refine pedestrian environment policy to align with the ATP.
• Policy M-5.2: Delete the reference to the truck routes exhibit.
The Resolution in Attachment 2 would approve the General Plan Amendment. A redline of the General Plan Amendment is also provided in Attachment 2.
Environmental Review
The proposed resolutions have been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It is recommended that the Council determine that the proposed resolutions do not constitute a project as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines because there is no potential for the resolutions to result in a physical change in the environment, either directly or indirectly. Even if one of the proposed resolutions were to be considered a project subject to CEQA, it would be exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed resolutions would have a significant effect on the environment. Any future implementation activities would be subject to review for applicability of CEQA
Fiscal Impact
No direct fiscal impact occurs as a result of the adoption of these resolutions. Though the ATP does not allocate or identify funding, the plan may offer an avenue to grant funding opportunities from various local, state, and federal sources.
Attachment(s)
Attachment 1: Resolution for the Active Transportation Plan
Attachment 2: Resolution for General Plan Amendment GPA24-0001
Attachment 3: June 17, 2024 Draft Planning Commission Minutes
Prepared by: Stephanie Kellar, Deputy City Engineer
Reviewed by: Joe Farace, Planning Division Director
Approved by: Michelle Bender, City Manager