Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable (RTP Roundtable) MEETING AGENDA

Transcription

1 210 N. Church Street, Suite B. Visalia, California (559) FAX (559) Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable (RTP Roundtable) MEETING AGENDA January 16, 2013 Tulare County Administration Building 2800 W. Burrel Avenue, Visalia, CA Conference Rooms A & B 2:00 4:00 PM In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the California Ralph M. Brown Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, including auxiliary aids, translation requests, or other accommodations, or to be able to access this agenda and documents in the agenda packet, please contact the TCAG office at at least 3 days prior to the meeting. The full agenda including staff reports and supporting materials is available at the TCAG office. A. Welcome & Introductions B. Public Comments This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the TCAG RTP Roundtable on items within its purview but not on this agenda. Unscheduled comments are limited to 3 minutes. Note: Prior to action by the Roundtable on any item on this agenda, the public may comment on that item. C. Information: Review of RTP Roundtable Guidelines D. Action: Election of Chairperson and Vice Chair E. Information: Background on the 2014 RTP Update and SB Review of the 2011 RTP Ben Giuliani, TCAG, Senior Regional Planner 2. The RTP Update Process and New Requirements for 2014 Elizabeth Wright, TCAG, Senior Regional Planner 3. CEQA Review for the 2014 RTP Update Cynthia Echavarria, TCAG, Associate Regional Planner 4. SB 375 and the Sustainable Communities Strategy Roberto Brady, TCAG, Associate Regional Planner 5. Related Programs and Projects Elizabeth Wright, TCAG, Senior Regional Planner F. Other RTP Roundtable Business Items introduced by RTP Roundtable members G. Action: Next Meeting: The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in the Tulare County Administration Building, 2800 W. Burrel Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291, Conference Rooms A & B (subject to discussion and approval) H. Adjourn Dinuba Exeter Farmersville Lindsay Porterville Tulare Visalia Woodlake County of Tulare

2 210 North Church St. Suite B. Visalia, California Phone (559) Fax (559) TCAG RTP Roundtable Membership as of January 9, 2013 The TCAG Governing Board approved thirteen appointments at its December 2012 meeting and provided for the consideration of additional applications at future meetings, as a consent matter, until all the designated positions are filled or the mission of the RTP Roundtable is substantially accomplished. The approved appointments and pending additional appointments for consideration (as of January 9, 2013) are listed in the table below. The pending appointments for consideration are show in italics. Positions County of Tulare Dinuba Exeter Farmersville Lindsay Porterville Tulare Visalia Woodlake LAFCo Public Transportation Agriculture Environmental Advocate Bicycle/Pedestrian advocate Health Advocate Goods Movement Disabled Access/ADA SJV Air District Caltrans, District 6 Tribal Governments Building/Development Environmental Justice Community Banking, finance or real estate Affordable Housing Advocate Broad-based business or economic development organizations At-Large 1 At-Large 2 Hector Guerra Dan Meinert Ted Macaulay Bill Zigler Brad Dunlap Mike Whitlock Josh McDonnell Julie Allen Richard Tree Josh Miller Chris Moi Enoch Sears Ron Faulkner Adam Johnson Tom Jordan Lorena Mendibles Vernon Vera Name Primary TCAG Staff supporting the RTP Roundtable: Roberto Brady, Associate Regional Planner (SCS Coordinator), rbrady@tularecog.org, (559) (Primary Contact) Elizabeth Wright, Senior Regional Planner (RTP Coordinator) ewright@tularecog.org, (559) Carrie Perez, Secretary I clperez@tularecog.org, (559) TCAG Executive Director: Ted Smalley, tsmalley@tularecog.org, (559) Dinuba Exeter Farmersville Lindsay Porterville Tulare Visalia Woodlake County of Tulare

3 Application for appointment to the Regional Transportation Plan/ Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable (RTP Roundtable) Submit applications to Elizabeth Wright, Or fax to (559) Purpose and Membership (Tulare County Residents) The purpose of the RTP Roundtable is to support TCAG staff and TCAG standing committees in their development and preparation of the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. It is vital to the success of the process that the RTP Roundtable helps to generate consensus about the RTP that is based upon the input of an informed and active local constituency. While the RTP Roundtable will provide comments and input on issues related to development of the 2014 RTP/SCS, the final decisions on the RTP will be the responsibility of the TCAG Board of Governors. For additional information please call (559) or visit NAME: DATE: ADDRESS: Street City Zip Code PHONE: INTEREST CATEGORIES: Please check only one. 0 TCAG s Member Agencies (9) 0 SJV Air District 0 LAFCo 0 Caltrans, District 6 0 Public Transportation 0 Tribal Governments 0 Agriculture 0 Building/Development 0 Environmental Advocate 0 Environmental Justice Community 0 Bicycle/Pedestrian advocate 0 Banking, finance or real estate 0 Health Advocate 0 Affordable Housing Advocate 0 Goods Movement 0 Broad-based business or economic development organizations 0 Disabled Access/ADA 0 At Large (2)

4 RTP Roundtable Application page 2 Please answer the following questions: 1. What specific organization or sector do you represent, if any? 2. What is the stated mission of that organization or sector? If applying for an at-large position, what perspective might you bring to issues affecting the entire region? 3. Have you been officially designated by that organization or sector to represent them on the RTP Roundtable? (Please attach letter of recommendation.) 4. What are some of your group s land use and transportation concerns regarding the future of Tulare County? If applying for an at-large position, what are your greatest concerns? 5. What do you think are some of the challenges that may be created in addressing these issues? 6. Who do you think should be involved in addressing these issues? Applicant s Signature / Date

5 210 N. Church Street, Suite B Visalia, California Phone (559) Fax (559) Guidelines for the TCAG 2014 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable (RTP Roundtable) Purpose and Responsibilities Purpose The purpose of the RTP Roundtable is to support TCAG in development and preparation of the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. It is vital to the success of the process that the RTP Roundtable help to generate consensus about the RTP that is based on the input of an informed and active local constituency. While the RTP Roundtable will provide comments and input on issues related to development of the 2014 RTP/SCS, the final decisions on the RTP will be the responsibility of the TCAG Board of Governors. Membership The RTP Roundtable will build upon the 2010 Regional Blueprint Stakeholders and SCS Planner s Committee and recruit members from sectors identified in TCAG s Public Participation Plan (as to be amended for this RTP update). In order to ensure accountability of the committee process to the TCAG Board, and ultimately to the citizens of Tulare County, the chair of the RTP Roundtable will be a representative of one of TCAG s member agencies. Applications for membership to the RTP roundtable will be available in October 2012 and approved by the Board in December. The RTP Roundtable will include the following members*: TCAG s Member Agencies (nine) SJV Air District LAFCo Caltrans, District 6 Public Transportation Tribal Governments Agriculture Building/Development Environmental Advocate Environmental Justice Community Bicycle/Pedestrian advocate Banking, finance or real estate Health Advocate Affordable Housing Advocate Goods Movement Broad-based business or economic development organizations Disabled Access/ADA At Large (two) * There will be one member per category unless otherwise noted. If more than one representative from a given agency is present, only one such representative shall take part in the Roundtable s consensus related discussions. Responsibilities RTP Roundtable members are responsible for representing the interests and concerns of the organizations, institutions, or constituencies that have nominated them (excluding at-large members). Therefore, RTP Roundtable Dinuba Exeter Farmersville Lindsay Porterville Tulare Visalia Woodlake County of Tulare

6 Guidelines for the TCAG 2014 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable 2 Meetings members will be expected to consult with these entities and constituencies on a regular basis concerning the discussions and recommendations of the RTP roundtable. RTP Roundtable members are expected to remain on the committee for the duration of the project. If a member leaves the RTP Roundtable for any reason, s/he will be replaced with another member from the same stakeholder category. RTP Roundtable members are expected to listen to presentations and/or review materials and provide comments on project goals and principles, stakeholder involvement/public outreach, and draft elements for the Regional Transportation Plan. They are expected to arrive at meetings having familiarized themselves with agenda materials and be prepared when action on an agenda item staff recommendation is requested by the Chair. Ad Hoc Technical Work Groups: During the development of the RTP, staff may determine that it is necessary to create an ad hoc technical work group to address certain issues (e.g. Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), Environmental Justice, Modeling, etc.). These work groups will present their findings to the RTP Roundtable for review and comment. Agendas TCAG staff will distribute meeting agendas and background materials one week before the scheduled meeting date. The final agenda will be issued a minimum of 72 hours ahead of the meeting date. Agendas will be developed by the Project Manager in consultation with the RTP Roundtable Chair. The agenda will typically include the following: Attendance Start time and meeting location Introductions Review and approval of draft meeting notes from the last meeting. Public comments Agenda Items Confirm date and time of next meeting (If a regular meeting time is not set.) There will be several RTP Roundtable meetings over the course of the TCAG RTP planning process. A tentative meeting schedule will be set at the first meeting. The final meeting dates will be scheduled on a meeting-by-meeting basis, depending on what works best for the Roundtable members and staff as well as the RTP development schedule. RTP Roundtable members must make a good faith effort to attend all meetings. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, they should notify the RTP Project Manager a minimum of 24 hours before the meeting is scheduled to convene. Members that must miss a meeting may submit written comments, but may not send a representative to vote in their place. All meetings of the RTP Roundtable will be open to the public. However, only Roundtable members may participate in decision making related to input provided by the Roundtable. Observers must identify themselves when they speak. Meeting Notes Draft meeting notes will be prepared and distributed with agendas before the upcoming meeting. Approval of meeting notes shall occur at the next meeting with the support of the majority of the members present. Dinuba Exeter Farmersville Lindsay Porterville Tulare Visalia Woodlake County of Tulare

7 Guidelines for the TCAG 2014 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy Roundtable 3 Ground Rules Ground rules provide a common understanding so that Roundtable discussions proceed effectively. The rules help efficiently use participants' time and resources in achieving consensus. These ground rules serve as the group's "agreement" for collaboration and consensus building. Effective communication is important to understand various viewpoints. Accordingly, the RTP Roundtable members are encouraged to listen to other Roundtable members, staff, guests, and the public when they speak. Following is a set of ground rules that should be observed: Treat each other with respect and courtesy at all times. Stay focused, on topic and be succinct. Keep open minds; think outside the box. Keep the focus on solving the problem. Focus will be on issues, not individuals. Come prepared to meetings (reading advance materials, etc.). Meetings will start and end on time, unless extended by action or the Roundtable. Focus will be on areas of high priority (defined by the RTP Roundtable), as time is limited. Cell phones will be turned off at the beginning of meetings The Chair will take control of the meeting to ensure ground rules are followed. RTP Roundtable members are asked to refrain from making statements to members of the news media about the project. The Project Manager or TCAG Executive Director will be the only persons representing the views of the Roundtable to the media in a careful and balanced manner. When presentations are being made to the Roundtable, they should proceed without interruption. Questions and comments should be made following the completion of the presentation. The chair will exercise rules of order to ensure that the meeting is conducted consistent with the approved agenda, that participants are treated with courtesy and are provided sufficient time to express their views and that voting is clear and understandable. Unless otherwise directed by a majority of committee members present, committee recommendations will be decided by voice vote or roll call. A nominal quorum shall be 14 members present. If it is necessary to take an action with less than a quorum present, such action shall be so noted. Public Comment The public may provide comment at specified times throughout the course of RTP Roundtable meetings, which include: During the course of a discussion on an agenda item. During the Public Comment agenda item. The Chair may limit to three minutes the length of time a member of the public speaks on a particular agenda item. Generally, guests who have been invited to contribute to the discussion of an agenda item may speak for a time specified by the Chair. The RTP Roundtable should consider all public comments but is not obligated to respond to public comments. Dinuba Exeter Farmersville Lindsay Porterville Tulare Visalia Woodlake County of Tulare

8

9 The Institute for Local Government s mission is to promote good government at the local level with practical, impartial and easy-to-use resources for California communities. Check out the Institute s website ( for resources in the following areas: Intergovernmental Conflict Public Service Ethics Resolution Sustainable Communities: Local Government 101 Climate Change Public Engagement and Healthy Neighborhoods Collaborative Governance Land Use and Environment The Institute is the 501(c)(3) research affiliate of the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities. Acknowledgments Special thanks to the following individuals for their peer review of this publication: DeAnn Baker, Legislative Representative, California State Association of Counties Miriam Chion, Principal Planner, Association of Bay Area Governments Cathy Creswell, Acting Department Director, California Dep t. of Housing and Community Development Bill Higgins, Executive Director, California Association of Councils of Government, former Legislative Representative, League of California Cities Doug Ito, Branch Chief, Air Quality & Transportation Planning, California Air Resources Board Julia Lave Johnston, Co-Director, Land Use & Natural Resources, UC Davis Extension, former Deputy Director of Public Policy, Governor s Office of Planning and Research Marilee Mortenson, Senior Planner, California Department of Transportation Devon Muto, Chief of Advance Planning, Land Use, San Diego County Pete Peterson, Planning Director, Sonoma County Joan Sollenberger, former Deputy Director, Urban Land Use and Transportation Center, University of California, Davis The Institute thanks the law firm of Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann, & Girard for its generous financial support in preparing Understanding SB375: Regional Planning for Transportation, Housing and the Environment. A Law Corporation All decisions about the final content of this publication are made by the Institute for Local Government. Copyright 2011 by the Institute for Local Government

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20 Figure 2 Key Regional Transportation Planning Resources and Documents Caltrans Office of Regional and Interagency Planning html Key planning documents produced by the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and regional transportation planning agencies (RTPAs): 1. Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Provides a 20 plus-year framework for future transportation investments within the region. 2. Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) A prioritized list of transportation projects proposed for federal and state funding over the following four years. MPOs adopt and update the TIP every two years. The TIP must be consistent with the RTP and is a prerequisite for federal funding. 3. Overall Work Program (OWP) MPOs and RTPAs adopt an overall work program annually to identify the region s transportation funding priorities and planning activities for that fiscal year. The OWP is also referred to as a unified planning work program. For more about these and other documents included in the regional transportation planning process, see the California Transportation Commission s 2010 Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines (especially section 2.4) at ca.gov/programs/rtp.htm. Figure 3 More about Transportation Planning and Air Quality Conformity The federal Clean Air Act requires air quality in a region to meet a national standard called the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (sometimes referred to by the acronym NAAQS) set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). If the region fails to meet the standard, it must prepare a plan for attaining that goal. The air quality plan must include actions related to both stationary sources of air pollution (such as factories and power plants) and mobile sources of air pollution (from transportation). Areas that have not met, or attained, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, must implement a transportation conformity process. The conformity process requires a metropolitan planning organization to determine that its regional transportation plan is in conformity with the area s plan for reaching attainment of the air quality standard. (See 23 C.F.R (l); 40 C.F.R ) Following that initial determination, the US Department of Transportation s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) must approve the metropolitan planning organization s conformity determination before the regional transportation plan is valid. The Environmental Protection Agency determines what pollutants are included in the NAAQS and sets the criteria for defining the standard. In 2009, the EPA began the process of including greenhouse gases on the list of regulated pollutants for which it will set air quality standards. Understanding SB 375: Regional Planning for Transportation, Housing and the Environment 9

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29 Endnotes 1 State of California, Department of Finance, Population Projections for California and Its Counties , by Age, Gender and Race/Ethnicity, Sacramento, California, July See California Health and Safety Code, et. seq. 3 SB 375 (Steinberg, Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008). 4 According to the California Department of Transportation, regional blueprints are collaborative planning processes that engage residents of a region in articulating a vision for the long term future of their region..the process leads to the development of alternative growth scenarios for the region, and through a public process a preferred growth scenario is selected that can then guide regional and local land use and transportation decisions for a future that is sustainable, while meeting residents needs and providing a high quality of life for all. See calblueprint.dot.ca.gov/. 5 See California Government Code, See California Government Code, 29532, et. seq. 7 See California Government Code, See California Government Code, (b). 9 See California Government Code, (b) and (c) USC 134(d) USC 134(e). 12 California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Addressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector via Regional Transportation Plans (October 21, 2008), p. 5 (available at 13 CSAC, p See California Government Code, (a). 15 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(B). 16 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(J). 17 See Cal. Public Resources Code 21155, , , and CSAC. 19 CSAC. 20 See Cal. Health and Safety Code For additional information about California s Clean Cars Program, see also 21 See Governor s Executive Order S For additional information about California s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, see also 22 See Cal. Health and Safety Code For additional information about the AB 32 Scoping Plan and its development, see also 23 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(A). 24 See 23 CFR (c) and (e) 25 For a detailed discussion of the goals of the regional transportation planning process, please see California Transportation Commission (CTC), 2010 California Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines (Adopted April 7, 2010), 1 (available at dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/orip/rtp/index.html). 26 See 23 USC 134(c)(3). 27 For a detailed discussion of the goals of the regional transportation planning process, please see California Transportation Commission (CTC), 2010 California Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines (Adopted April 7, 2010), 1 (available at dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/orip/rtp/index.html). 28 See Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, and (40 CFR 93). For additional discussion of consultation requirements, please see California Transportation Commission (CTC), 2010 California Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines (Adopted April 7, 2010), 5.7, page 90, and 2 more generally. (available at index.html). 29 See California Transportation Commission (CTC), 2010 California Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines (Adopted April 7, 2010), 5. (available at index.html). 30 See Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, 93 (40 CFR 93). 31 See Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, (40 CFR 93) and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations (l). For additional discussion of roles and responsibilities related to the conformity process, please see U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Transportation Conformity: A Basic Guide for State and Local Officials (available at fhwa.dot.gov/environment/air_quality/conformity/guide/ guide06.cfm) 18 Institute for Local Government

30 32 See California Transportation Commission website at catc.ca.gov/. 55 See Federation of Hillside and Canyon Associations v. City of Los Angeles, 126 Cal. App. 4th 1180, 24 Cal. Rptr. 3d 543 (2004). 33 See Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, (23 CFR 450), Cal. Government Code Section 65080(b)(4). For additional discussion please see California Transportation Commission (CTC), 2010 California Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines (Adopted April 7, 2010), 6.3 (available at offices/orip/rtp/index.html). 34 See Cal. Government Code Section 65080(b)(2)(B). 35 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(B)(i). 36 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(B)(vii). 37 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(B). 38 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(B)(iii). 39 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(H) and 65050(b)(2)(I). 40 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(I). 41 See California Government Code, 65080(b)(2)(J)(ii). 42 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(j)(iii). 43 See Cal. Government Code Section 65584(d). 44 Cal. Gov t Code et seq. 45 See Cal. Gov t Code 65584(b). 46 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2). 47 See Cal. Gov t Code (i)(1). 48 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(J)(ii). 49 See Cal. Pub. Res. Code 21155, , , and A sustainable communities strategy and alternative planning strategy does not regulate the use of land. See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(J). 51 See Understanding SB 375: A Local Official s Guide, Institute for Local Government, November 2010, p See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2). 53 See Cal. Pub. Res. Code 21155(a). 54 See Cal. Gov t Code 65080(b)(2)(B) and 40 C.F.R Understanding SB 375: Regional Planning for Transportation, Housing and the Environment 19

31