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C.147
To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date: September  10, 2019
The Seal of Contra Costa County, CA
Contra
Costa
County
Subject: MTC Priority Development Areas and Priority Production Areas

APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On:   09/10/2019
APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor
ABSENT:
John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Contact: Colin Piethe (925) 674-7755
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED:     September  10, 2019
David Twa,
 
BY: , Deputy

 

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director to submit the following to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC):  
  

1. Letter of Interest to expand the “Downtown El Sobrante” Priority Development Area (PDA);  

2. Letter of Confirmation to document plans for reducing vehicles miles traveled in the “Downtown El Sobrante” PDA;  





RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)
3. Letter of Interest to expand the Pittsburg/Bay Point PDA;  
4. Letter of Interest to establish three Priority Production Areas (PPA) through the PPA Pilot Program; Pacheco, Bay Point Waterfront, and Byron Airport, supporting the Northern Waterfront Initiative.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Failing to update, expand, or establish Priority Area designations may prevent the County from receiving MTC or other grant funding for transportation, housing, and economic development projects in existing and potential Priority Areas throughout the county.

BACKGROUND:

On June 17, 2019, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) released an open call for letters of interest and letters of confirmation for Priority Areas based on new criteria developed by MTC. The basis for MTC's Priority Area policies is established in climate change legislation, AB32 (2006) the Global Warming Solutions and SB 375 (2008) Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act.  
  
Priority Areas include PDAs, Priority Production Areas PPAs, a new pilot program, and Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs). MTC assigned policy criteria to these locally designated planning areas to coordinate transportation, housing, and job growth, as well as manufacturing, distribution, or similar types of industries. PDAs and PCAs are part of MTC’s Plan Bay Area 2050's Regional Growth Framework. These areas inform MTC’s investments, and are often used as grant eligibility criteria by other agencies or organizations.  
  
This call allows local jurisdictions to revise existing Priority Area boundaries and nominate new Priority Areas, but also requires jurisdictions with existing or new “Connected Community” Priority Development Areas to adopt policies to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). The County must submit formal requests in order to comply with MTC’s updated criteria, and to revise or apply for new Priority Areas. The following sections list these criteria and explain the rationale behind staff recommendations.  
  
As stated above, one critical reason for refining and establishing the PDAs and PPAs is to ensure eligibility for funding. That funding has typically come in the form of competitive grants. Once new grant cycles are announced, staff will develop a proposed response, coordinate with the District offices, and seek Board of Supervisors approval for grant applications. Given the multijurisdictional nature of the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative, staff will investigate opportunities with neighboring agencies for a collaborative approach in order to increase our chances of success.  
  
1. Priority Development Areas  
MTC’s PDA Planning Program, defines PDAs as geographic areas that are:  
  
-Within an urbanized area;  
-Planned for significant housing growth, including affordable housing; and  
-Served by an existing or planned rail station, ferry terminal, or bus stop served by a route, or routes, with peak bus frequencies of 20 minutes or less.  
  
This map shows current PDA designations which are defined below:  
  
“Transit-rich” PDA’s follow the above criteria but the majority of their land area must be within a half mile of an existing or planned rail station, ferry terminal, or intersection of 2 or more bus routes with peak frequencies of 15 minutes or less (meets state definition for Transit Priority Area).  
  
“Connected Community” PDA’s must have the majority (50% or more) of their land area within a half mile of an existing or planned bus route with frequencies of no more than 30 minutes in peak periods. They must also have one of the following criteria: 1. Located in a High Resource Area (HRA), as defined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD); or 2. Have adopted, or shown commitment to adopt two or more policies shown to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT).  

Revised PDAs -Downtown El Sobrante  
Staff recommends the County expand the Downtown El Sobrante “Connected Community” PDA North along Appian Way until Dalessi Drive, where the “Appian Way Corridor PDA” begins in Pinole (see Figure 1) and east along San Pablo Dam Road to just east of May Road to include multifamily and commercial land uses. The County is currently updating its General Plan, and at a visioning meeting on May 30th 2019, residents expressed a desire for more mixed-use development along Appian Way, and to make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly.

  • The County wishes to stimulate economic development in El Sobrante to work towards a better spatial balance of jobs and housing.
  • Per General Plan policies 5-J, 5-L, and 5-24, investing in infrastructure for transit and active modes will reduce reliance on driving.
  • Expanding this PDA will help the County be more competitive for grant opportunities, which will help achieve goals set by both residents and the County.  
      
    Figure 1. Proposed Revision to Downtown El Sobrante PDA  
      
      
      

  
Letter of Confirmation - Downtown El Sobrante  
MTC requires jurisdictions to maintain “Connected Community” PDA status by submitting a “Letter of Confirmation” to confirm the jurisdiction’s intent to adopt a VMT-reduction policy in one of three ways: 1. Parking and Transportation Demand Management Ordinance or Citywide Impact Fee, 2. Vision Zero/Safety Plan or Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Plan, or 3. Another policy or plan documented by research to achieve significant VMT reduction.  
  
DCD staff is currently developing a Vision Zero Plan in collaboration with the Public Works Department. CalTrans recently awarded the County a Sustainable Communities Grant to create a bicycle and pedestrian action plan for unincorporated County areas. These plans will be finished before 2025, and fulfill policy option 2 in the Letter of Confirmation.  
  
Revised PDAs - Pittsburg/Bay Point  
The existing Pittsburg/Bay Point PDA is proposed to be expanded to a half-mile radius around the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station because those are Transit-Rich PDA-eligible areas (see Figure 2). Because portions of the existing PDA falls outside of the “transit-rich” eligible areas, CCTA will submit a letter of confirmation to designate those areas as a Connected Community PDA. CCTA is currently discussing the feasibility of increasing transit service through these areas with TriDelta Transit and MTC to achieve that Connected Community designation. According to MTC staff, confirming these designations will be conditional upon CCTA and TriDelta Transit’s funding capacity and plans for bus frequencies in these PDA areas.  
  
At the April 18, 2019 General Plan Update visioning meeting for Bay Point and Clyde, residents expressed a desire for better connectivity, including better access to parks.  
  
An expanded PDA boundary will increase the areas in which the County can coordinate transportation improvements with focused growth around the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station.  
  
The County's PDA needs to contract in one small area south of Highway 4 because it was annexed to the City of Pittsburg subsequent to the County originally proposing to include it in the PDA.  

  
  
Figure 2. Proposed Revision to Pittsburg/Bay Point PDA  
  

Remaining PDAs  
DCD staff has reviewed the status of all the PDAs in, and impacting unincorporated Contra Costa County. The County’s PDA at Contra Costa Centre is in compliance with no further action required at this time. The County’s PDA in North Richmond will require a Letter of Confirmation from CCTA regarding transit service status.  
  
The San Pablo Avenue PDA is a multijurisdictional effort among the West County cities and the County, and will require a Letter of Confirmation from CCTA and/or WCCTAC regarding the status of transit service. DCD Transportation staff is in discussions with those agencies regarding the provision of necessary documentation by the September 16 deadline.  
  
New PDAs  
While consideration was given to nominating Saranap, Crockett, and Pacheco as new PDAs, these communities fall outside of PDA-eligible areas indicated on MTC’s “2019 Priority Development Area Letter of Interest Guide Map”. MTC requires that PDA nominations for such areas submit plans for transit serving the area to reach 30 minute frequencies. There is currently no funding mechanism available to reach that level of transit service. According to estimates from County Connection staff it would cost nearly $500,000 annually to reach 30 minute frequencies on Route 1 on Boulevard Avenue, in Saranap. Crockett and Pacheco have similar limitations with no funding mechanism to meet the headway requirement. Staff has and will continue to explore options for identifying additional transit funding. At the present time, given these constraints, staff does not recommend nominating any new PDAs.  

  
2. Priority Production Areas  
  
This is a new program that MTC is piloting as part of the Plan Bay Area 2050 regional planning effort. The County has been advocating that MTC develop a jobs-oriented incentive program for several years.  
  
The intention of the pilot program is to protect and support the Bay Area’s industrial and manufacturing sector through the provision of resources and implementation of streamlining actions. Thus, these PPAs should be whole districts that are consistent with current land use designations, have the capacity to add jobs, spur economic growth and result in other desirable land use outcomes. However, at this point in the pilot program, there is no associated grant funding.

MTC is seeking PPA Letters of Interest from jurisdictions, using the following selection criteria:

  • Has industrial/manufacturing uses and zoned for industrial uses;
  • Does not include land within one-half mile of a regional rail station;
  • No overlap with a PDA;
  • Within an urbanized area; and
  • Located in a jurisdiction that has a certified Housing Element.

There are a number of ways in which the County might benefit from identifying potential PPAs. The designated areas will be officially recognized in the region’s long-range plan, Plan Bay Area 2050, which will promote and position them for future investment. Similar to grant programs associated with PDAs, the assumption is that the PPA program will eventually include a grant program through ABAG and MTC. Other investment may come from businesses that are looking to take advantage of the PPA designation.  
  
Staff reviewed areas throughout unincorporated Contra Costa, with a special focus on the Northern Waterfront Initiative area, for compatibility with the PPA criteria and goals with a special focus on the Northern Waterfront. Ultimately, staff recommends submitting Letters of Interest for three potential PPAs: Pacheco/North Concord (includes Northern Waterfront), Bay Point (includes Northern Waterfront), and Byron Airport. These areas each contain large, contiguous portions of land that are already zoned for industrial-type uses. The Pacheco/North Concord and Bay Point areas are within the Northern Waterfront, and Byron Airport is considered complementary to the Northern Waterfront. Moreover, the proposed PPAs do not overlap with PDA-eligible land, allowing for the option of future expansion of the PDAs down the road. The Pacheco and Bay Point PPAs are well situated near affordable housing and transit, while the Byron Airport and Pacheco PPAs have the unique asset of regional airports which could drive aviation and innovation companies to locate there.  

Pacheco PPA  
The proposed Pacheco PPA (Figure 3) is a collection of parcels zoned for manufacturing, light industrial, and heavy industrial and commercial use in the Pacheco-unincorporated North Concord-Buchanan Field area. It is bordered by the Urban Limit Line to the north, City of Martinez to the west, City of Concord to the south, and by natural barriers to the east. The zone also includes Buchanan Airport and is only a couple of miles from shipping channel docks. Highway 680 and Highway 4, both major arterials, also border this zone, while rail tracks run along its northern section. There is a large cluster of industrial activities currently in this area, considered to be within the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative area, with the biggest being the Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery. Advanced manufacturing is a key industry for its middle-wage jobs.  
  
Figure 3. Proposed Pacheco PPA  
  
  
  

  
Bay Point Waterfront PPA  
The proposed Bay Point Waterfront PPA (Figure 4) is centrally located in Bay Point and primarily zoned for heavy industry within the existing P-1 overlay. It is bordered by marshland to the north, residential neighborhoods east and west, and both Willow Pass Road and an existing PDA to the south. Suisun Bay access is just to the north, while the Willow Pass Road and Highway 4, both major arterials, are just south of the proposed PDA. The Henkel Corporation and Criterion Catalyst are existing large employers within the proposed PPA , and are also some of the largest employers in the unincorporated County. As this area is also within the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative area and has large developable parcels, advanced manufacturing is a target industry to retain and attract.  
  
  
Figure 4. Proposed Bay Point Waterfront PPA  
  
  
  

  
Byron Airport PPA  
The Byron Airport PPA (Figure 5) is the area within the ULL, but not designated Open Space, surrounding the Byron Airport. It is primarily zoned P-1, with some agricultural designations. It is bordered by protected open space and habitat lands, on all sides except the east, where agricultural lands are found. Vasco Road is a major arterial to the west. Currently, there is minimal industry at this proposed PPA and it may not meet MTC’s “urbanized” standard. However, the County has worked to promote private investment and development at the airport for many years, and there is anticipated growth in the in the innovation and aviation industry.  
  
  
Figure 5. Proposed Byron Airport PPA  
  
  
  
In addition to the three PPAs within the unincorporated County, the staff recommendation includes a letter of support for the PPA proposal for the Wilbur Avenue corridor (within the Northern Waterfront) that will be submitted by the City of Antioch. A small section of Wilbur is unincorporated, but the preponderance is incorporated, so Antioch will be the administrative lead for the submittal. The County and City are already cooperating in this area on the short-line rail feasibility study underway by the County.  
  
3. Priority Conservation Areas  
The County has previously coordinated with MTC to establish and maintain Priority Conservation Areas throughout the County and staff has not identified the need for additional designations. A map of existing PCAs can be found here. No action is necessary regarding Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs); no changes to the program are currently being proposed by MTC.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Failing to update Priority Area designations may prevent the County from receiving MTC or other grant funding for transportation, housing, and economic development projects in Priority Areas throughout the county.

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