sr-051209-1oc7_
~;,YO, City Council Report
Santa Monica"
City. Council Meeting: May 12, 2009
Agenda Item:~Q
To:
From
Mayor and City Council
Stephanie Negriff, Director of Transit Services
Subject: Request to Authorize
Transportation Projects
Accountable, Flexible,
Users (SAFETEA-LU)
Support
Recommended Action
the City Manager to Submit an Application for
Under the Upcoming Reauthorization of the Safe,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
and to Direct Staff to Prepare Mayoral Letter of
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to submit an
application for Small Starts Authorization for the Downtown Santa Monica Streetcar
Project .and prepare a Mayoral letter of support for the project pursuant to the
reauthorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users.
Executive Summary
Congress is in the process of reauthorizing federal highway and transit funding
legislation and there is an opportunity to submit projects for consideration. City staff is
proposing to submit an application for Small Starts authorization for project
development of a downtown streetcar project. This application requests authorization to
move forward with development of the streetcar project once an Alternatives Analysis is
completed, and does.not request funding at this time. This project is in addition to the
three applications approved by the City Council at its April 28,.2009 meeting which
included a request to complete an alternatives analysis on the streetcar project.
Background
SAFETEA-LU was adopted in 2005 and sets priorities for the allocation of highway and
transit funding for a five year period. Congress is currently in the process of enacting a
new bill as the current Act expires on September 30, 2009. It is anticipated that this
reauthorization will cover a 4 to 6 year period.
Small Starts is a federal capital investment program category for projects requesting
Section 5309 funding of less than $75,000,000 with a total project cost of less than
$250,000,000. The program was created to have a simplified process for smaller capital
projects including bus rapid transit, streetcar, commuter rail, and other fixed guideway
projects.
Discussion
Staff seeks authorization for another SAFETEA-LU application in addition to the three
applications which were approved at the April 28, 2009 City Council meeting. One of the
applications approved was a request to ask for $400,000 in Federal Funding to prepare
the Downtown Santa Monica Streetcar Alternatives Analysis. This additional request
asks for Small Starts authorization for project development of the streetcar project.`The
application only asks for project authorization at this time and does not include a
request for funding.
If Small Starts Authorization is not granted now during SAFETEA-LU reauthorization,
then it will not be available again until the next reauthorization period in four to six years.
If the Alternatives Analysis is completed in 2013 and Small Starts authorization is not
awarded now, the project will have to wait until the next SAFETEA-LU reauthorization to
receive approval to move forward.
Project development would not be started until an Alternatives Analysis of the project is
completed. Project development allows all preliminary engineering and final design work
to be combined into one phase. The Small Starts process allows for these phases to be
completed together. Small Starts Authorization will also permit the City to ask for
funding to pay for projecf development costs if the Council wishes to proceed with the
project following the initial feasibility study.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The recommendation in this staff report has no budgetary impact as it only asks for
project authorization. If the Council decides to move forward into project development
on the streetcar project after the alternatives analysis is completed, a budget action
would be required to authorize the committal of local funds as part of the Small Starts
matching requirements. County or state funds could be sought to fulfill this request.
Prepared by: David Feinberg, Deputy Director of Transit Services
Approved:
St p anie Negriff
Di e for of Transit Services
Forwarded to Council:
f/ /lam
P. r ont Ewell
City Manager
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