TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute an agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) in the amount of $260,800, all other documents necessary to accept, expend and administer the funds, and any necessary amendments thereto; and
Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund (CP) in the Public Works Department (PW) by $260,800. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In March 2014, at the request of City Council, City staff pursued funding for Open Streets events through the 2014 Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Open Streets Program. In June 2014, Metro awarded funding for the City's North Long Beach Beach Streets event proposal.
Open Streets events, also known as "ciclovias" (Spanish for "bicycle paths"), are events that close local or arterial public streets to vehicle traffic to allow residents to participate in walking, bicycling, skating, and shopping along the route free of traffic. These events originated in Bogota, Colombia, and have since spread to other cities around the world. One of the best known local events is the CicLAvia, sponsored by the City of Los Angeles, that has hosted two to three open streets events per year since 2010 with wide success. Each event draws over 100,000 participants who are eager to explore and enjoy the streets car-free.
In 2009, the City announced its goal of becoming the most Bicycle Friendly City in America. Since then, bicycling and walking in the City have increased in popularity, with the number of people riding bikes nearly doubling over that period. Beach Streets will further encourage active transportation options by providing a safe and protected environment for adults, families and children who may not otherwise consider walking or bicycling. In addition, Open Streets programs promote first and last mile connections since many people arrive at these events using public transit service, such as Long Beach Transit and Metro Blue Line.
It is anticipated that businesses will benefit from the increased bike and pedestrian traffic. According to a recent UCLA study, businesses surveyed along the route of the June 2013 Los Angeles CicLAvia route experienced an average 10 percent increase in sales on the day of the event. Furthermore, businesses that actively participated in the event by hosting street fairs on their sidewalks or playing music as people passed by, saw their sales increase by 57 percent, which translates to an average of $1,356 per establishment.
In Long Beach, local business improvement districts have demonstrated considerable interest in establishing Open Streets events and a number of local nonprofits are interested in collaborating with the City to implement the program. These groups will be invaluable resources in making Beach Streets a successful and widely attended signature event for Long Beach.
City staff will continue to work with Council Districts, business groups and nonprofit partners to determine programming, outreach, and marketing needs. While subsequent events will vary in location, the first event, made possible by Metro funding, will take place in North Long Beach on Saturday June 6, 2015. The planned route will be on Atlantic Avenue from Wardlow Road to Harding Street.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy Webber on March 24, 2015, and by Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on March 20, 2015.
SUSTAINABILITY
"Beach Streets" includes a focus on sustainability, efficiency and alternative transportation modalities, which are intended to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions while also prioritizing and promoting active transportation options, in accordance with Metro's goals for their Open Streets Program.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on April 7, 2015 in order to finalize the Metro grant agreement in order to begin invoicing for program outlays since November 7, 2014, the effective date of the Metro grant agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total estimated cost of the Beach Streets event is $326,000. An appropriation increase in the amount of $260,800 is equal to the amount being provided by Metro as a pass-through from Caltrans under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) of the Federal Highway Administration. The remaining amount of $65,200 represents the City's minimum required 25 percent cost match to Metro's contributions via the Open Street Program. This $65,200 match amount is in-kind, in the form of City staff time using existing appropriations in those departments directly supporting the event. Approval of this recommendation is anticipated to have a positive impact on the local economy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
ARA MALOYAN, P.E.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER