MPO considers re-hiring consultant for further RTA studies

By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

At their meeting on June 24, 2009, the MPO Policy Board considered whether to spend additional funds on hiring a consultant to help with the formation of a Regional Transit Authority (RTA), viewed the results of two surveys conducted on the Charlottesville Transit Service and endorsed a letter asking for earlier service for an additional passenger train that will commence in October.

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This chart from the VHB report on the RTA shows potential transit corridors for either an expanded CTS or the proposed authority. Click to enlarge. (Source: VHB)

The basic framework for the proposed RTA has been put in place through work conducted by the firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, and specifically, transportation expert Frank Spielberg. The City and County both contributed $50,000 to match a $90,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration to pay for their services. 

Their 45-page report outlines several different scenarios by which such an authority might be formed, and details different governing structures under which it might operate. Even more intricate details about how the community could proceed are featured in the 12 appendices that accompany the report.

In August 2008, the City Council and the Board of Supervisors affirmed their willingness to create the RTA during a joint work session. They set up a working group of two Councilors and two Supervisors to help guide the process. Throughout the fall of 2008, this group spent most of their time at several meetings to determine what sort of legislation should be pursued. They decided to ask the General Assembly to pass two pieces of legislation. The first would create the RTA (HB2158), and the second (HB2161) was for permission to ask citizens in a referendum if they would support a sales tax increase of up to 1 cent to fund the RTA’s operations. The General Assembly approved the first bill, but did not approve the second.

On May 14, 2009, the working group met once more to discuss whether it was worthwhile to continue pursuing the RTA’s creation without the favored method of funding. At that meeting, consensus was reached to have Barlow and her staff prepare recommendations on RTA governance issues and to draft a budget to retain a consultant to guide the RTA’s formation and system design. That consensus was ratified by the MPO later that month. Barlow contacted Spielberg to find out how much his services would cost to address some of the remaining issues, and gave four points of his action on which his firm should base a cost estimate:

• Determine what issues must be addressed before the RTA can be formed
• Develop alternative approaches to how to resolve those issues
• Understanding different cost scenarios for each potential resolution
• Develop a comparative analysis of how similar authorities in Virginia have dealt with the issues

A representative from VHB wrote back and said that the first bullet would likely consist of resolving the issues defined in the initial report’s Appendix J. While that section of the report contains an implementation schedule that largely assumed approval of a funding mechanism, many of the questions asked have yet to be answered or fully addressed, such as:

• Do the jurisdictions want to establish the principles, or the detailed methodology, for cost sharing prior to establishment of an Authority?
• What process should be used to develop a Memorandum of Understanding before proceeding to an Authority?
• Does the County accept the cost of providing service as computed by CTS staff? If not, what would the County need to accept the cost computations?
• Should the Authority strive to establish a fully independent organization or should it obtain some services from the City and County?
• How are costs of providing service allocated to the member jurisdictions?
• How are costs of capital equipment and facilities allocated to member jurisdictions?
• Can jurisdictions provide in-kind services to fulfill their funding obligations?
• How are revenues received from state and federal programs allocated?
• How are revenues received from UVa or other sources allocated?
• How are revenues accruing to the Authority allocated?
• Do the jurisdictions need to resolve all issues prior to forming the Authority?
• Is the City willing to cede this power to the Authority?
• Is the City willing to continue to allocate a portion of these funds to County services, prior to formation of an Authority?

The letter from VHB says that the above questions, along with others in Appendix J, would be a starting point for a first meeting with Frank Spielberg. It then proposes his attendance at an additional five meetings. VHB’s initial cost estimate assumes using 14 days of Spielberg’s time for meetings as well as an additional six days for research. Spielberg bills at the rate of $215 an hour, suggesting a budget of $40,000.

VHB's report contains multiple references to potential funding sources. This chart refers to revenues available to localities under HB3202 , a transportation funding bill passed in 2007. Click to enlarge. (Source: VHB)

During the MPO’s meeting, Barlow said she wanted to get input on whether this proposed estimate matched the MPO member’s expectations of what Spielberg’s future involvement should be. She also said her contact at the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) said there are least two grant-funding opportunities to help pay for VHB’s additional work. One would be a “technical assistance” grant where VDRPT would pay half of the costs with the rest coming from local sources. The second would be a federal planning grant  in which 80% of funding would come from the federal government, 10% from VDRPT and a required 10% match from localities.

Councilor Satyendra Huja said he was more interested in getting additional information about how to fund the RTA, given that the state denied the sales tax referendum. Barlow referred him to Appendix H of VHB’s RTA plan, which lists several other potential funding mechanisms. She said some of these were discussed at the May 14 meeting of the RTA Working Group.

“Before moving in any direction on how to fund the RTA, the question arose as to exactly what is it going to cost us to develop this in terms of what bridges we need to cost, what we do with employees, what we do with assets,” Barlow said. Huja is also a member of the RTA working group.

Councilor Julian Taliaferro, who is not a member of the RTA working group, asked if Albemarle County would “put up any money” to purchase some of the assets currently owned by City of Charlottesville.

Routes 5 and 7 serve Albemarle County and run twice an hour from 6:00 AM to midnight, Monday through Saturday. Route 7 is one of only two routes that run at all on Sunday. Albemarle County currently pays for the enhanced service

“I guess the question is, are we going to do a study if we don’t know what [Albemarle County’s] commitment is,” Taliaferro asked. “It perplexes me a little bit that we’re going to do a study and we really don’t know if anyone is going to join in.”

Neither Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio) nor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) was present to respond. The County’s Chief Planner, David Bennish, was the County’s lone representative at this meeting and he said the purpose of the additional study by VHB would be to determine if there’s a way for the City and County to work together to plan for future transit.

CTS Director Bill Watterson said that the study is a “work in progress” to determine how hard it would be to resolve some of the remaining questions. He said the further study’s scope of work could be expanded or reduced.

Barlow suggested that the discussion should be postponed until the MPO’s July meeting. Huja concurred.

MPO VIEWS TWO PRESENTATIONS ON IMPROVING CTS

At the May 2009 meeting of the MPO Policy Board, Chair David Slutzky had mentioned that a class at Monticello High School had conducted a survey of CTS passengers. Their basic recommendations focused on adding more buses at night, adding more stops at night, and to expand bus service further in Albemarle County.

Download Anna MacIntosh's presentation

Source: Southeastern Institute for Research

Some of these findings were echoed in a more complex survey conducted by the Southeastern Institute of Research. Anna MacIntosh, Program Director for the firm, related the results of her group’s marketing study, which was conducted under the brand “Transportation Tomorrow.” The project was paid for in part by a grant received by the MPO to assess interest in forming a Regional Transit Authority. MacIntosh said the project was designed to increase public awareness of transportation planning. Outreach efforts included a telephone survey, an on-board passenger survey, a widely-promoted online survey as well as a paper survey handed out at places such as Charlottesville’s Senior Center.  As a result, MacIntosh claimed 4,385 citizens participated in the process.

Some of the findings from the random phone survey of 300 citizens:

• 13% of respondents said they are involved in local transportation planning
• 56% said they have never been involved with local transportation planning
• 9% said they ride a bus, including the free trolley, once a week
• 74% said they never ride a bus
• 61% said they do not have a bus stop within a mile of their house
• 11% said they would be likely or very likely to increase their usage in the next year
• 70% said they are unlikely to increase their usage in the next year
• 38% said they would use transit more often if they were closer to stops
• 39% of Albemarle County residents surveyed would be interested in a long distance commuter bus
• 46% said they would ride the bus more often if there were more frequent headways
• 67% are either in favor or very much in favor of establishing a Regional Transit Authority
• 88% said they are in support of a public vote on public funding for the RTA

MPO ADOPTS RESOLUTION CALLING FOR EARLIER AMTRAK TRAIN

Earlier this year, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved three years of funding to launch new daily Amtrak passenger service from Lynchburg to Washington. At the time, it was believed that the service’s schedule would allow for citizens to conduct a full day’s business in the nation’s capitol.

However, when the schedule was released, it depicted the train leaving Lynchburg at 7:43 a.m., with the train not arriving at Union Station until 11:20 a.m. This is because a railroad line owned by the CSX Corporation cannot accommodate the earlier schedule, which is considered a “peak-hour” slot.

At the May 2009 meeting, the MPO Policy Board directed staff to write a resolution asking the VDRPT to “closely monitor the ridership performance during the first year… to determine if it is meeting expectations.” A fear held by some in the community is that the three-year experiment will not be extended if it is not useful for business travelers. The resolution also asks for state transportation officials, including Governor Tim Kaine, “to do everything within the state of Virginia’s legal power and authority to negotiate an additional peak hour slot” for the service.
Service is expected to begin this October.

FEDERAL & STATE OFFICIALS CONFIRM UNJAM 2035 IS ‘FISCALLY CONSTRAINED’

As area planners and elected officials formulate and adopt plans for the community’s future infrastructure, one issue they face concerns how to best represent cost estimates for large capital projects. Critics of the adopted community water supply plan have repeatedly said that plan is unsound because some elements lack definite cost estimates. In June, the Free Enterprise Forum released a critique of the Albemarle County Planning Commission for using current year dollars for road improvement projects called for in Places29 rather than figures adjusted for inflation.

At the MPO’s May 2009 meeting, former City Council candidate Peter Kleeman questioned how the UNJAM 2035 long range transportation plan factors in the costs related to maintenance and upgrade associated with Interstate 64. He said that because that funding can only be used for that purpose, it artificially misleads the public into thinking that the community has more money to spend on transportation projects then it really does.

“There was something on the order of $100 million of funding in the long-range plan that are Interstate dollars that have been distributed for non-Interstate projects,” Kleeman said at the June 2009 meeting. He claimed that as a result, the UNJAM 2035 plan cannot be implemented or approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). 

Acting MPO Director Melissa Barlow said she reviewed federal regulations after receiving Kleeman’s comments, and said her interpretation was that the federal requirement for “fiscal constraint” takes all sources of funding into consideration: federal, state and local.

“There is no direction that I could find that you needed to financially constrain yourself to a particular system,” Barlow said. She then checked with VDOT and FHWA officials who agreed with her assessment. Unwanna Dabney, the FHWA representative on the MPO Policy Board, said the MPO met her agency’s basic requirements for showing fiscal constraint.

“That is the demonstration that a cumulative amount of funds are reasonably expected to be available over the 20 year timeframe [of the long range plan],” Dabney said. She said that some MPOs across the nation do break down the funding sources in their long-range plans, but that the goal of such documents is to serve as a planning document. Dabney also pointed out that much of the federal funding that comes to local communities comes through the SAFETEA-LU Act, which expires this year.

“It’s asking a bit much to constrain everything by program when we really have no idea what the next federal legislation [for transportation] is going to look like,” Dabney said.

OTHER NEWS:

This was the last meeting for Melissa Barlow, who will leave the MPO and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission for a job with the Federal Transit Administration. The TJPDC’s new Executive Director, Steven Williams, has been officially certified as the Director of the MPO

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 – Meeting called to order by Vice Chair Satyendra Huja
• 01:20 – Public comment from Peter Kleeman regarding long range plan
• 04:46 – Public comment from John Pfaltz asking that the MPO tell the County that the Woodbrook be connected to the rest of the County’s transportation network so regional transit can work
• 06:54 – Adoption of minutes from May 2009 meeting
• 07:26 – Acting MPO Director Melissa Barlow notes that David Benish is Supervisor David Slutzky’s alternate for the purposes of a quorum
• 08:00 – MPO begins “fiscal constraint discussion”
• 16:30 – Presentation of Monticello High School CTS Survey
• 26:00 – Presentation of Southeastern Institute for Research’s RTA Toolkit
• 1:15:15 – Discussion of letter to support earlier schedule for AMTRAK Passenger Service
• 1:18:40 – Discussion of funding of further study of RTA by Frank Spielberg of VHB
• 1:28:45 – CHART Member Mac Lafferty reports on Bike Virginia

MPO discusses new branding for Charlottesville Transit; I-64 Interchanges at 5th Street and Shadwell to get improved ramps

By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Friday, May 29, 2009

At their meeting on May 27, 2009, the Policy Board of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was presented details on a possible new marketing strategy for the Charlottesville Transit Service (CTS), heard more information about how federal stimulus money is being spent on transit systems in Virginia, and adopted the UNJAM 2035 long-range transportation plan.

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A new identity for the Charlottesville Transit Service?

Since January, Selena Barlow with the firm Transit Marketing has been working with CTS to help improve the agency’s communications and branding strategy. Part of that work has involved a week-long survey of over 3,000 bus riders conducted this spring. Here are some of the findings:

• 96% of riders said they would recommend CTS to their friends and co-workers
• 81% of riders said they are either “very in favor” or “somewhat in favor” of a Regional Transit Authority
• 49% of riders have some affiliation with the University of Virginia
• 56% of riders are under the age of 30
• 31% of riders have access to a car and hold a driver’s license
• 43% only ride 1 to 3 times a week and are considered “occasional” users

Download Selena Barlow's presentation to the MPO

Barlow said all of the above information indicates that Charlottesville is a community supportive of transit, but she said that the numbers could improve if people knew more about how to use the system.

“There’s a high level of awareness for CTS but not a lot of knowledge,” Barlow said. “People know the bus system and know a little about it, but when I started to dig a little deeper into what people knew about there were a lot of misperceptions.” In particular, she said people are not aware that transfers between routes are free.  She said many people requested GPS-locator systems in the survey. CTS began using such systems in 2008, and added a Google Transit feature in December 2008.

The existring CTS logo

Barlow said much of that information could be better relayed to the public if CTS incorporated a branding strategy that included a more navigable website. She said the existing brand may be dated and somewhat ineffective.

“It doesn’t really communicate transit unless you’re seeing it on the side of a bus,” Barlow said. This would be an ideal time to consider a new brand, according to Barlow. “One of the reasons this came up early on was the possibility of transitioning to a Regional Transit Authority and introducing a new name that would be appropriate for use when that transition happens.”

One potential idea that came up in a branding workshop was to rename the service as CAT, which could represent Charlottesville Area Transit or Charlottesville Albemarle Transit. That would allow the use of a slogan such as “catch the cat.”  She suggested such a slogan could lead people to a website that was much more accessible than the CTS’ existing site, which is currently nested inside the City’s website.

“It’s not a bad website, it has a lot of information, but it’s not really that easy for a novice user to use,” Barlow said. A website dedicated to the transit service would be more user-friendly and could lead to more riders.

MPO welcomes new TJPDC Executive Director

Steve Williams, the new Executive Director of the TJPDC

This MPO meeting was the first attended by Steve Williams, the new Executive Director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. Williams said he has worked for various MPO’s across the country over the past 25 years. His last job was in Nashua, New Hampshire, a community he said was of similar size to the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.

Williams said he did not want to be labeled as being an expert in any one area of transportation. He told the MPO Policy Board that all modes of transportation must work in order for a metropolitan area to function.

“I think we are moving into a period in time where we at the MPO level will be challenged in ways that we have not been challenged before,” Williams said. Those challenges include finding local methods of funding transportation projects as well as connecting land use with transportation planning.

MPO holds two public hearings to adjust Transportation Improvement Program

Federal planning for improvements to transportation includes a lot of layers of paperwork in order to track the status of the hundreds of projects planned for any one given MPO area. If any new sources of money become available, the changes must be reflected in an MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Any change to the TIP must be accompanied by a public hearings.

Download Melissa Barlow's staff report for the I-64 TIP adjustment

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has so far resulted in more money for transportation maintenance projects in the Charlottesville MPO’s jurisdiction. That required the MPO to hold two public hearing at the May 2009 meeting.

First, the MPO officially placed $1.3 million in stimulus money from  ARRA on the TIP to indicate that the Charlottesville Transit Service will receive the funds to pay for two new buses, four new shelters, as well as spare parts and other various pieces of equipment. None of the money, which was funneled through the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) requires a local match. DRPT will open up a second round of funding from ARRA later this year.

Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) asked the DRPT’s Joe Swartz if it were possible to use stimulus money to pay for pedestrian crosswalks to improve access to bus stops. Swartz said there was no precedent, but that the community could at least apply. Bill Watterson of CTS said it was unlikely that would be the best use of stimulus funds.

CTS Director Bill Watterson said his agency has decided to apply for funding to plan for a new transit station at Barracks Road Shopping Center. The idea would be to make it easier for riders to transfer between Route 5 (serves Albemarle County via Commonwealth Avenue) and Route 7 (Fashion Square Mall to Downtown). Watterson said CTS will also seek stimulus funding to replace 6 existing buses with hybrid fuel vehicles. 

For the second public hearing, the MPO agreed to suspend its public participation requirements in order to hold an unadvertised public hearing to accept money into the TIP for interstate highway improvements. The westbound exit at the interchange of I-64 and 5th Street will be widened at a cost of $1.15 million, and an additional left-hand turn lane will be constructed at the Shadwell exit. No local match is required for these projects.  Barlow said these would not be major overhauls, but would improve the flow of traffic at the exits.

MPO Adopts UNJAM 2035

The MPO adopted the UNJAM 2035 long-range transportation plan, which has been in the works over the last year. The adoption came despite a request from City resident John Pfaltz to restore the Southern Parkway to UNJAM’s fiscally constrained long range plan. Pfaltz claimed the road would help improve response times for the fire department, and would provide an important transit connection between the Southwood mobile home park, Piedmont Virginia Community College and the stores at Mill Creek. He also said the Southern Parkway should be a higher priority and was more important to the region than developing an urban cross-section for Proffit Road. Supervisor Dennis Rooker said the Bent Creek Parkway, which will be built by the developer of the Fifth and Avon Center, provides the same connection and thus the County would be unlikely to allocate its diminishing secondary road funds to the Southern Parkway project.

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 – Meeting begins with a public comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 04:10 – Slutzky asks MPO if they will waive public participation requirements to hold unadvertised public hearing on additional stimulus money for interstate highway improvements
• 06:30 – Melissa Barlow, Transportation Program Manager for TJPDC, introduces public hearing for TIP amendment for CTS
• 08:00 – Public hearing comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 10:40 – MPO adopts TIP amendment for CTS
• 11:00 – Second public hearing is held for TIP amendment for additional interstate highway funds
• 13:30 – Public hearing comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 14:30 – Public hearing comment from City resident John Pfaltz
• 16:00 – Public hearing for UNJAM 2035 adoption
• 17:45 – Public hearing comment from City resident Peter Kleeman
• 20:20 – Public hearing comment from City resident John Pfaltz requesting addition of Southern Parkway to UNJAM’s CLRP
• 23:20 – Barlow and MPO responds to Kleeman’s comment
• 28:40 – MPO discusses Pfaltz’ request to place Southern Parkway back on CLRP
• 32:00 – Steve Williams, the new executive director of the TJPDC, is introduced and makes remarks
• 37:00 – Approval of minutes from April meeting
• 39:15 – Slutzky and Barlow introduce discussion of how ARRA will help localities in Virginia pay for additional transit projects
• 40:00 – Presentation from Joe Swartz of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
• 46:30 – Supervisor Dennis Rooker asks Swartz if it would be possible to use stimulus money for crosswalks near bus stops
• 50:00 – CTS Director Bill Watterson says his agency will apply for stimulus funds to pay for a new bus station at Barracks Road Shopping Center.
• 53:00 – Watterson introduces next item – CTS marketing study discussion
• 54:00 – Selena Barlow of Transit Marketing begins her presentation of the survey results
• 1:08:00 – Selena Barlow switches gears to discuss the marketing plan and suggests a rebranding strategy
• 1:28:00 – Regional Transit Authority update
• 1:32:00 – Update on the Regional Transit Authority toolkit
• 1:35:00 – Consideration of resolution to recognize work of Ann Whitham
• 1:36:10 – Slutzky reports on the work of a Monticello High School class that did a project on transit in the community
• 1:39:00 – Discussion of a grant application requested by Charlottesville Citizens for Better Rail Alternatives that Steve Williams helped fill out
• 1:49:30 – Public comment from Jerry Diely regarding Bike Virginia 2009

MPO considers Hydraulic Road grade-separation and Leonard Sandridge Road extension during UNJAM 2035 discussion

By Sean Tubbs
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Friday, April 24, 2009

At their meeting on April 22, 2009, the MPO Policy Board debated last-minute changes to the UNJAM 2035 plan, received updates from area transit agencies, and heard a report from the head of VDOT’s Culpeper District on what projects could receive funding from various stimulus initiatives being implemented by the federal government.

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COUNCILOR TALIAFERRO REQUESTS PRIORITIZING SOUTHERN PARKWAY

The MPO Policy Board is required by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to adopt a long-range transportation plan by May. The document is actually a five-year review of the United Jefferson Area Mobility Plan (UNJAM) and the update has been overseen by Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) staff since last year. Projects in the plan have been vetted by the MPO’s two subcommittees as well as the MPO itself. However, various stakeholders in the community continue to request the reordering of some items on the fiscally constrained long-term plan (CLRP). 

Source: VDOT

The CLRP represents projects that have some hope of receiving funds between now and 2035. A vision list specifies projects that are desired by the community, but funding possibilities are more remote.
Charlottesville City Councilor Julian Taliaferro began the MPO’s April 2009 discussion by saying he would like the Southern Parkway near Albemarle’s Mill Creek neighborhood to be restored as an active project on UNJAM 2035’s fiscally constrained long-range plan.

The project was moved to UNJAM’s vision list in part because the developers of the nearby Fifth and Avon Center are responsible for building a new road, to be known as the Bent Creek Parkway, to connect Fifth Street Extended and Avon Street. Taliaferro said he wanted the project made active because it would increase fire and rescue response times. He also expressed concern that construction of the Southern Parkway was constantly being pushed back.

“It’s in the graveyard for all practical purposes as far as I’m concerned,” Taliaferro said.
In order for any project to be added or moved to the CLRP, another project must be moved to the vision list. Mac Lafferty of the CHART Committee suggested moving a project to enhance Proffit Road  from the CLRP to the vision list because the two have similar cost estimates. Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) said the improvements to Proffit would serve the northern development area as part of the Places29 Master Plan, and would help to make the area more walkable.

Rooker said the Southern Parkway has been a dormant project because funding has never been available. He predicted that the Bent Creek Parkway would come online with five years, and that the County’s development area south of the City would see a new connector road once Biscuit Run is developed. Rooker also said that it was his understanding that the City placed a higher priority on the Fontaine Avenue-Sunset Connector.

“There’s a huge amount of public that wants [the Fontaine-Sunset] connector built, and it’s in the City,” Rooker said. “Citizens from the City want to see that connection built to alleviate the traffic that is going through that part of the City to get to the University.” Conversely, he said that he can’t remember a citizen coming forward to advocate for the Southern Parkway. Rooker also said there are potentially future rezonings along the Fontaine-Sunset alignment, which could mean that developers might proffer some of the cost of building the road, which has a current cost estimate of $16 million.

Melissa Barlow, Transportation Director for the TJPDC, warned against changing the priorities in UNJAM so close to the federally-mandated May deadline for adoption. Unwanna Dabney with the FHWA said the MPO can choose to amend the CLRP at any point, but should go ahead and adopt the plan as currently written.  Taliaferro said he did not want to hold the process up.

MPO ADDRESSES PRIORITIZING OF GRADE-SEPARATED INTERCHANGES

Another project that continues to be debated is the grade-separated interchange long planned for the intersection of Hydraulic Road and US 29. Last year, the MPO Policy Board moved the $25 million project to the vision list for several reasons. In part, they needed to cut some projects to balance the CLRP. The two City Councilors on the MPO also requested the planned grade-separated interchange at Rio Road go first. 

However, the City Planning Commission recently recommended that Council move the Hydraulic Road grade-separated interchange from the vision plan back to the CLRP. Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center said he supported the City Planning Commission’s request and encouraged the MPO Policy Board to follow suit. He said that the grade-separated interchange at Hydraulic was necessary to prevent failing levels of service on US29. 

“This project is too important to this region’s transportation network to preclude the possibility of receiving federal funds for it,” Butler said.

Rooker said he agreed with Butler, but that the political reality was that the City has not been interested in having the Hydraulic Road be in the CLRP. He said only one quarter of the intersection is in Albemarle County. Rooker suggested that the City Council take a public position on the Planning Commission’s vote at its next meeting. MPO Chairman and Albemarle County Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio) suggested that the MPO staff should prepare for the possibility that City Council agrees with their Planning Commission’s recommendation.

LEONARD SANDRIDGE ROAD EXTENSION

This rendering of how the proposed Western Bypass would intersect with US29 was produced by the Southern Environmental Law Center. Dennis Rooker questioned whether the community should invest money in studying potential ways to extend Leonard Sandridge Road, formerly known as the North Grounds Connector

Dennis Rooker suggested that one $672,000 study could be eliminated. The draft UNJAM 2035 currently includes a feasibility study to extend Leonard Sandridge Road to Hydraulic, Georgetown or Barracks Road.  Rooker said the project would be unnecessary and would create a parallel road to US29 where one is not needed.  

 “We have a parallel road on the west side of 29 network that goes from Georgetown Road to Hydraulic Road to Berkmar Road,” Rooker said. “This is being done, I think, as a way of trying to salvage some value out of the right of way for the [western] bypass knowing that the state is unlikely to ever have $300 million that they’re going to want to put into the project,” Rooker said. He said the extension would require a very expensive interchange and would have to go over Stillhouse Mountain. Rooker suggested that the community should plan on selling the right-of-way for the bypass and putting the money into other appropriate projects.

The MPO discussed Rooker’s idea for some time, and evaluated different ways of how Leonard Sandridge Road is used by commuters looking to get to the University. Rooker prevailed, and the study was taken out of the draft CLRP.

Other news from the meeting:

• Melissa Barlow said that the MPO is no longer expecting a 10% cut in funds from either the VDOT or the Federal Highway Administration.
• The MPO amended the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) after an impromptu public hearing. The TIP was amended to allow for the possibility of receiving stimulus funds for maintenance projects
• The Charlottesville Transit Service is reporting a 15% increase in ridership over last year in part because of night service on Routes 5 and 7. CTS will also have a free fare day on May 1, 2009
• The University of Virginia is still searching for a partner to work with on a car-sharing program. Negotiations with Zipcar fell through last year
• Construction will begin in August on a realignment of the intersection of West Main Street and Jefferson Park Avenue
• Ann Whitham is leaving the TJPDC to take a position with the MPO in Missoula, Montana

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 - MPO Chairman David Slutzky explains agenda changes for the meeting
• 02:30 - Public hearing on Public Participation Plan (PPP) Review*
• 04:00 – Public hearing on Draft FY10 United Planning and Work Program (UPWP)*
• 07:40 – Public hearing on Draft United Jefferson Area Mobility Plan (UnJAM) 2035*
• 08:00 – Councilor Julian Taliaferro launches discussion about restoring Southern Parkway to UNJAM 2035’s CLRP
• 19:30 – Barlow warns against making too many last minute changes to UNJAM given it needs to be adopted by the MPO by May
• 24:00 – Ann Whitham reviews changes requested made by the Charlottesville and Albemarle Planning Commissions
• 25:30 – Unwanna Dabney of the FHWA lists her comments with the plan
• 28:30 – Rooker questions whether UNJAM should encourage link rural communities via transit given the limitations on funding for transit
• 35:30 – Rooker raises a concern over a potential study to extend Leonard Sandridge Road to Hydraulic Road
• 44:15 – Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center makes comments about UNJAM 2035, prompting discussion about Hydraulic Road versus Rio Road for grade-separated interchange
• 51:45 – Albemarle County Chief Planner David Benish reminds MPO that there’s a feasible design for a grade-separated interchange at Hydraulic Road
• 54:45 – Public hearing comment from Jerry Diely officially endorsing grade-separated interchanges at both Rio and Hydraulic Roads
• 56:00 – Rooker makes a correction to the entry for a pedestrian-bike path to be built along Earlysville Road
• 57:00 – Slutzky introduces idea for having a public hearing for the Transportation Improvement Program for a new project
• 1:05:50 – VDOT’s Jim Utterback discusses what projects will receive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  followed by a discussion by the MPO Policy Board
• 1:30:00 – CTS update from Nancy Arens
• 1:33:00 – UTS and UVA update from Julia Monteith
• 1:45:00 – JAUNT update from Donna Shaunessy
• 1:51:00 – Reappointment of CHART members Bobby Burke and Mark Evans
• 1:52:00 – Barlow introduces Steve Williams, new Executive Director of TJPDC

MPO asks transit working group to recommend next steps on RTA

At their meeting on March 25, 2009, the MPO Policy Board learned more about a proposed phone survey to determine the public’s attitudes towards transit and decided to reconvene the Regional Transit Authority working group to recommend next steps in the pursuit of a joint transit authority for Charlottesville-Albemarle.

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In their recently completed session, the General Assembly passed legislation to allow Charlottesville and Albemarle County to form a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to consolidate the governance of the existing Charlottesville Transit System (CTS). However, a second bill to allow City and County residents to vote in a referendum on a sales tax increase to pay for the RTA failed to make it out of the House Finance Committee.

That leaves a big question to be answered. Without new sources of funding, is it worth it for the two communities to form the RTA at this time? Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio) had requested the MPO discuss the issue at the March meeting. He suggested reconvening the RTA working group that was created following the joint Board-Council meeting in August 2008 when both bodies decided to pursue the RTA. Before that happens, though, both the Board of Supervisors and the Councilors need to decide for sure if they want to take that step.

Albemarle County Supervisor and MPO Chairman David Slutzky

“The first thing that group needs to really address is the practicality of creating the [RTA] without a dedicated funding source that is better than what we currently have,” said Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett). He asked that CTS Director be present for those meetings so he could discuss the logistics of transferring CTS assets and employees to the RTA’s control. Rooker also asked for a timeline that showed all of the steps that would need to be taken to form the RTA. Slutzky said that he wanted to use the meeting to discuss the potential of seeking other funding options for the RTA.

The MPO also heard details of a telephone survey that will be conducted in April to gauge how citizens feel about transit and the possibility of increasing service through the RTA. This follows on the heels of an on-board rider survey conducted by the Charlottesville Transit Service in March. Over 3,000 passengers filled out paper questionnaires, and the data will be combined with the results of the telephone survey.

The Richmond-based Southeastern Institute of Research will be coordinating the project. Other initiatives to get public opinion include an effort to reach out to seniors,hourly U.Va employees, and the general public through an online survey. Recommendations collected from the responses will be presented at a public workshop to be held on May 2.

Sean Tubbs

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 - MPO Meeting convenes, beginning with public comment from Jerry Deily on light rail
• 02:45 - Public comment from Neil Williamson about the reliability of telephone surveys on transit
• 05:30 - Public hearing on MPO’s Public Participation Plan
• 14:00 – Public hearing on Draft FY10 United Planning and Work Program (UPWP)
• 17:30 – Public hearing comment from Jerry Diely suggesting better way to organize studies to better achieve stimulus funding
• 21:30 – Approval of minutes from February 2009 meeting
• 22:30 – Discussion of Regional Transit Authority assessment toolkit
• 32:30 – Councilor Julian Taliaferro said the survey was fairly long
• 36:00 – Supervisor David Slutzky wonders if the phone survey will include a disclaimer that it is being funded by the MPO
• 39:30 – JAUNT Representative wonders if cycling should be added as a mode of transportation
• 41:00 – Comments from Southeastern Institute for Research representative Anna McIntosh
• 44:30 – Discussion of next steps for the Regional Transit Authority
• 54:30 – Councilor Julian Taliaferro asks MPO to include Jefferson School on its list for possible of getting Transportation Enhancement Act (TEA) funds to pay for historic preservation
• 59:00 –MPO Program Coordinator Ann Whitham updates MPO on UNJAM 2035
• 1:00:00 – Public comment from Jerry Deily about how to merge CTS personnel into RTA if it is formed
• 1:01:00 – Public comment from Jeanne Chase of the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association regarding any plans to assist her community with traffic problems

MPO discusses stimulus spending, CTS and Greene County land use

The MPO listens attentively to three federal officials who joined the meeting via telephone

At their meeting on February 25, 2009, the MPO Policy Board was briefed on the many rules by which the economic stimulus money will be handed out, got status updates from area transit companies, and learned more about a project to link land use and transportation decisions in Greene County. 

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CTS UPDATE

Nancy Arens, Grants Coordinator for the Charlottesville Transit Service reported that the agency is on target for another year of ridership increases.

“We’ve recently surpassed 1.1 million passenger boardings for the year, which is an increase of 14% year to date,” Ahrens said. “And over the past five years, we’ve had a 40% increase.” She attributes the increases to the addition of night service on Route 5, as well as expanded service on Route 7 to Fashion Square. Supervisors Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) and David Slutzky (Rio) asked for hard numbers to be reported at the next MPO number so they could report back to the rest of the Board of Supervisors.
Ahrens also reported that CTS will conduct an on-board passenger survey in mid-March.

RTA UPDATE

Chairman David Slutzky was not present at the January meeting of the MPO because he was in Richmond to lobby for the Regional Transportation Authority. While a bill to create the RTA passed, a House subcommittee killed a second bill that would have allowed Charlottesville and Albemarle County to hold a referendum on a sales tax increase to fund transit and transportation projects.  Slutzky asked the rest of the MPO Policy Board if they would be open to a discussion of what next steps can be taken.  Rooker asked for the MPO Tech Committee to weigh in first.

“I think a lot of what goes into the decision about how we move from here is based upon the components of what have to be done to create an RTA in terms of moving assets,” Rooker said. “And the decision is going to need to be made based upon the workload of the costs created by doing that.”
Slutzky said either way, he wanted the MPO Policy Board to discuss the topic next  month.

GREENE COUNTY MULTIMODAL STUDY

Though Greene County is outside the MPO Policy Board’s jurisdiction, they were still briefed about a project that the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) was asked to work on. The MPO Policy Board is administered by the TJPDC, and applied for a grant from the federal and state governments to conduct a multimodal study of US 29 and US 33 through Greene County. 

The population of Greene County is expected to increased from a current estimate of 17,000 to upwards of 28,000 by 2030, according to Bill Wuensch of the Renaissance Planning Group. That Charlottesville firm won the contract from TJPDC to conduct the study. He said the goals are to improve the existing transportation system by better coordinating land use and transportation decisions.  Supervisor Slutzky suggested that Wuensch consider a park-and-ride north of US 33 to accommodate commuters whose ultimate destination are jobs in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Sean Tubbs

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST

• 01:00 - Albemarle County Supervisor David Slutzky calls the MPO to order with Matters from the Public
• 01:30 - Public hearing comment from Jerry Diely regarding Greene County Multimodal Study
• 03:40 - Approval of the minutes from January 2009 meeting
• 04:10 - Update from CTS by Nancy Arens
• 07:30 - Update from JAUNT by Donna Shaunessy
• 14:00 - Slutzky provides an update on the RTA discussion
• 16:30 - Presentation of the Greene County Multimodal Transportation Corridor Study
• 21:30 - Supervisor Dennis Rooker asks about how population is clustered in Greene County
• 36:30 - Slutzky comments about how the study might include a park and ride north of US
• 44:50 - Conference call to discuss economic stimulus money is introduced
• 48:00 - Conference call begins with presentation from Unwanna Dabney of the Federal Highways Administration
• 1:03:30 - Comments from Tony Cho of the Federal Transit Administration
• 1:12:45 - Slutzky makes pitch for $1 million for the Regional Transit Authority
• 1:33:30 - Other business, including decision to have Huja appoint a designated replacement for the March and April meetings as he will be absent
• 1:34:30 - Public hearing comment from Peter Kleeman

MPO adjusts project costs in long-range transportation plan

At their meeting on January 28, 2009, the MPO Policy Board continued discussion of the UNJAM 2035 long-range transportation forecast, revised a document that governs the MPO’s relationship to VDOT and discussed the possibility of a list of regional transportation projects for inclusion in President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package.

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Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) served as the Acting Chair for the meeting.
Regular Chair, Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio), was in Richmond testifying before the House of Delegates committee considering a bill to grant Charlottesville and Albemarle County permission to hold a referendum on an up to 1 cent sales tax increase to fund transit and transportation projects. The bill (HB2161) was voted down 6-2 in a House Finance subcommittee, according to the Daily Progress.

“I think everybody recognized that this bill was unlikely to get out of committee,” Rooker said.  “I think it’s important that we submitted it because it continues to elevate the importance of the state dealing with transportation funding. All of us would prefer that the state meets its obligations but it’s not doing that.”

A bill to create the regional transportation authority (HB2158) is still proceeding through the General Assembly.

UNJAM 2035

In December, the MPO adopted a constrained long-range transportation plan as part of the UNJAM 2035 long-range plan. That meant that members adjusted the list of transportation projects to include only those that could be paid for using projected funding over the next 26 years. However, new rules from the Federal Highway Administration require the MPO to adjust the list once more to take inflation into account.  The constrained long-range plan (CLRP) must now calculate the amount a project will cost in the year the funding is to be expended.

Ann Whitham with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission told the Policy Board that when those calculations were made, the CLRP was $87 million over budget. Cuts were made after discussing the over-run with City and County transportation engineers as well as the CHART and MPO Tech Committees. After the cuts were made, Whitham said there was still a balance of around $164,000 that needed to be cut.

The MPO was also asked to weigh in on the choices that were made to balance the CLRP. CHART, staff and the MPO Tech Committee did not reach consensus on whether a $16 million project to add safety improvements to Proffit Road should be moved to the CLRP’s vision list.  Supervisor Rooker asked if doing so would hurt the County’s ability to collect on proffer money from the North Pointe development.  Albemarle County’s Chief of Planning, David Benish, explained the proffers would only apply to the sections from US 29 to Pritchett Lane.  The project was left in the CLRP.

Jim Utterback, Administrator of VDOT’s Culpeper Residency, warned that the MPO may need to rebalance the CLRP one more time after the Commonwealth Transportation Board votes to adopt new secondary road allocations in February.

Supervisor Dennis Rooker

Rooker suggested balancing the CLRP by reducing the cost estimate for the Berkmar Drive Extension and accompanying bridge over the South Fork of the Rivanna River.  The project currently has an estimate of $22 million, and Rooker suggested it could be lowered because the project will only get built if the County can get a developer to pay for it.

“The whole road would probably be built by developers,” Rooker said. “We won’t build the bridge unless we get a significant proffer on the bridge.  

Benish suggested rounding the estimate to $20 million to create a cushion if other adjustments need to be made.  The MPO did not make that adjustment, but gave direction to staff to make further adjustments by reducing the cost estimate for the Berkmar project.

HYDRAULIC VS RIO INTERCHANGES REVISITED

In December 2008, the MPO voted to move the Hydraulic Road grade-separated interchange to UNJAM 2035’s vision list, and to move the Rio Road grade-separated interchange to the  constrained long-range plan. The move was made at the request of City representatives, and supported by the County representatives who felt that improvements at Rio would be more pressing once the Meadowcreek Parkway opens in 2012.

However, Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center said that his organization would like to see both interchanges included in the long-range plan.

“We feel both are critical to untangling local and regional traffic on the 29 corridor, “ Butler said, though he added that the SELC understands that the region can only afford one of the projects.  The Rio project has a price-tag of over $50 million and is projected as a mid-term project, meaning it would not be built for 10 to 20 years from now.

Butler went on to say that the Hydraulic interchange was called for in two significant transportation studies. First, the US 29 North Corridor Transportation Study adopted by the MPO late November calls for Hydraulic Road to be upgraded in order to alleviate traffic congestion between the interchange south to the interchange with the US29/250 bypass.  Second, the 29H250  study released in 2004 found that a grade-separated interchange was essential to alleviating traffic conditions.

However, City Councilor Satyendra Huja repeated his preference to see the Rio Road interchange built first. VDOT Engineer Chuck Proctor warned that any changes to the Hydraulic interchange would affect the 29/250 interchange further south, because the Hydraulic Road intersection with US 29 currently acts as a gate to stop traffic from overloading the interchange.   Benish reminded the MPO that the prior developer of Albemarle Place, Frank Cox, commissioned a plan for the interchange demonstrating how a grade-separated interchange could be successfully built at that location.  

Sean Tubbs

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:00 - Meeting called to order with Supervisor Dennis Rooker serving as acting chair
• 01:30 - Public hearing comments from former City Council candidate Peter Kleeman regarding draft memorandum of understanding
• 04:45 - Public hearing comment from Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center calling for Hydraulic Road interchange to be prioritized over Rio Road interchange
• 07:40 - Public hearing comment from City resident and CHART member John Pfaltz calling for new connection
• 08:50 - Responses from MPO members
• 10:50 - Melissa Barlow (TJPDC) responds to Kleeman's idea of expanding MPO to accommodate areas that will be urbanized during the horizon of the UNJAM 2035 plan
• 12:08 - MPO takes up discussion of draft memorandum of understanding
• 20:30 - MPO adopts draft memorandum of understanding
• 20:45 - MPO adopts minutes from December 22, 2008 meeting
• 22:00 - MPO takes up UNJAM 2035 Fiscally Constrained Long Range Plan
• 24:00 - Ann Whitham (TJPDC) describes how the $87 million was saved
• 26:30 - Huja asks question about County portion of Old Lynchburg improvement
• 27:30 - Huja asks why I-35 (bike and pedestrian projects) were cut by $824,000
• 28:10 - Huja asks question about N-12 (Rivanna River pedestrian bridge)
• 29:10 - Whitham reads requests from David Slutzky, who was absent
• 30:06 - Rooker asks question about I-22, a $22 million bridge replacement project that carries Route 250 over a railroad
• 32:30 - Rooker asks question about elimination of Proffit Road from CLRP
• 39:00 - Jim Utterback of VDOT points out that CLRP may need to be recalculated again once CTB issues secondary road allocations
• 41:00 - Rooker asks question about why I-43, a $3.3 million replacement for bridge that carries Avon Street over I-64, is being moved to vision list
• 47:00 - Julia Monteith of the University of Virginia asks Barlow if the CLRP is balanced; Barlow says it is not, MPO needs to address consensus issues to finish job
• 50:00 - Rooker suggests balancing CLRP by reducing cost estimate for Berkmar Drive Extended
• 53:00 - Rooker addresses Butler's comments regarding the priority of grade-separated interchanges
• 59:45 - Benish says he's concerned about raiding estimate Berkmar by too much
• 1:02:00 - CHART Member Mac Lafferty makes case for balancing CLRP by removing Proffit Road project
• 1:04:15 - Rooker says Proffit Road is the County's next highest priority after Jarmans Gap and Georgetown Road
• 1:05:50 - Melissa Barlow says MPO must finish meeting quickly because CitySpace was double booked
• 1:06:30 - Barlow announces that funding options bill was killed in House Finance subcommittee
• 1:07:30 - Barlow discusses the possibility of the MPO presenting a regional transportation project list
• 1:12:00 - Barlow updates MPO on the USDOT's definition of shovel-ready
• 1:15:30 - Whitham says MPO will need to revise its meeting times for February meeting

Supervisor Slutzky will not challenge Delegate Bell; Focusing on local agenda in 2009

On January 26, 2009, Albemarle County Supervisor David Slutzky (D-Rio) appeared on WINA’s Charlottesville Right Now radio program and announced he had decided not to challenge Delegate Rob Bell (R-58) for his seat in the Virginia General Assembly.  Slutzky told host Coy Barefoot that he intended in 2009 to remain focused on the priorities in his work before local government. 

Slutzky did not announce whether he would seek re-election for a second term on the Board of Supervisors.  In an open seat election, Slutzky defeated Gary Grant (R-Rio) in November 2005 after the retirement of David Bowerman from the Rio District seat.  Earlier this month, Slutzky was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Board during 2009. His current four-year term on the Board ends on December 31, 2009.  The seats held by Supervisors Sally Thomas (I-Samuel Miller) and Dennis Rooker (I-Jack Jouett) are also up for re-election in November 2009.

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“My role on the Board of Supervisors has gotten interesting,” said Slutzky.  “I’ve got a lot of things that we are dealing with that are very important to the community…and [I am] very interested in and engaged in some of these topics, and to take on a major campaign at a time like this…would be very distracting.”

Coy Barefoot asked Slutzky to name the top issues on his local government agenda.  “Right now, front and center is the issue of transportation.  We have serious transportation challenges in Albemarle County and Charlottesville right now,” said Slutzky.  As a Supervisor, Slutzky also serves as Chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and has represented Albemarle on a task force related to the formation of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority.  

Slutzky described two bills (HB2158 and HB2161) introduced by Delegate David Toscano (D-57) that would allow the community to form the joint transit entity and, separately, to hold a voter referendum on a local sales tax increase to fund both transit and transportation needs.  Slutzky said that if the local sales tax was raised by a penny the City and County would raise close to $25 million a year which could be applied to the community’s approved list of priority transportation projects.

Supervisor Slutzky identified two other priorities that will get his attention in 2009.  First, efforts to address climate change and reduce the community’s ‘carbon footprint,’ and a proposal to allow for the transfer of development rights in Albemarle County.

Brian Wheeler

MPO considers US 29 study; prioritizes Rio interchange over Hydraulic interchange

An image taken from the presentation given to the MPO Policy Board

At their meeting on December 22, 2008, the MPO Policy Board heard the details of a comprehensive study being conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation on the entire US 29 corridor in Virginia, from the North Carolina border to Gainesville in Prince William County.  The MPO also made further adjustments to the UNJAM 2035 transportation plan, endorsed a grant application for the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center, and heard updates from area transit agencies.

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VDOT Program Manager Charlie Rasnick is coordinating the US29 study, which he said will be one of the largest studies his agency has ever conducted.  He said US 29 is a national highway classified just below the level of an interstate.

Charlie Rasnick

“[US 29’s] primary purpose is to carry long-distance travel,” Rasnick said. “But it also serves large volumes of local traffic.” However, reconciling those two purposes has been the primary focus of several previous studies as well as the ongoing Places29 Master Plan in Albemarle County. Rasnick said none of those studies looked at the entire 219 miles of the corridor, and that this corridor study will incorporate the access management elements called for under Places29. That master plan has still not been adopted by the County.

“What we’re trying to do is give an overarching blueprint for the corridor,” Rasnick said. In particular, the study will address ways to make the route more efficient for both long-distance travelers and local traffic.  The study will examine different jurisdiction’s policies regarding land use and transportation, and will recommend specific access management plans. 

 “There may need to be legislation to protect the corridor, and that is to ensure that in the future there is a connection to [land use decisions] through local streets rather than direct access onto Route 29,” Rasnick said. In other words, some stretches of the corridor that are now posted at 60 miles per hour may soon become unsafe because of continued development.

The study will be overseen by Parsons Transportation Group of Virginia, a Richmond-based firm. The Charlottesville office of the Renaissance Planning Group has been subcontracted to assist on land use policy. Project Manager Joe Springer of Parsons, who has experience working on previous studies of US 29, said the study will not involve the collection of new data.

 “The focus of this study, as per the direction of [VDOT Commissioner David Ekern], is to facilitate informed conversation,” Springer said.  However, he also acknowledged the potential challenges. “This is not a one-size-fit-all solution. We are certainly not naïve enough to come into this thinking we’ll have some monolithic 219-mile cross-section that’s going to work for everybody.”

Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio) asked what traffic data would be used, pointing out that some officials in Danville and Lynchburg question data that shows that only 12 percent of traffic on US 29 in Charlottesville is through-traffic.  Springer responded that data from previous studies would be used, as well as VDOT’s transportation modeling software. However, he said that he wanted to avoid getting “stuck in the mud” on the issue.

“I think there is a fairly good idea that there is some through-traffic  through Charlottesville and Albemarle County, but it’s not a huge number,” Springer said.  “Probably any improvement we look at whether it’s coming out of Places 29 is going to address both local and through-traffic.”  Later on in the meeting, Slutzky said that he did not expect the proposed western bypass to be part of the discussion.

“It has been sufficiently debunked as a viable solution to anybody’s transportation needs,” Slutzky said.

Eight public meetings will be held in February, including one event to be held in the Charlottesville area.  That will be followed by more detailed regional planning forums. Initial recommendations will be developed in the summer, to be followed by additional planning forums.  A report will be made to the Commonwealth Transportation Board in November 2009.

CTS TRANSIT UPDATE

Ridership on the Charlottesville Transit Service continues to “do very well” according to CTS Director Bill Watterson. CTS provided over 819,000 rides in the fiscal year through November 30, a 12 percent increase on the previous year.  Part of the increase is due to expanded service. Night service is now available on Route 5, which runs in a loop around Albemarle County’s northern urban ring. However, CTS’s funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will be cut by $82,000 in this fiscal year. 

“At this point in time we are not planning any kind of adjustment,” Watterson said. He added that the CTS is currently enjoying the benefit of lower fuels costs and he hoped the reduction would take care of itself. The real challenge, he said, would involve preparing the budget for FY2010.  Next year’s capital budget will include a request to fund the replacement of two replica trolleys. 

MPO MEMBERS CONTINUE TO DEBATE NEW PROJECTS FOR UNJAM 2035

The MPO Policy Board concluded their preliminary review of the Fiscally Constrained Long Range Transportation Plan (CLRP) which is part of the UNJAM 2035 process.

For the first time, the MPO has prioritized the order in which grade separated interchanges will be built along US 29. Supervisor Dennis Rooker pointed out that the CLRP’s “Route 29 Corridor Improvements” was vague, and that it would be wise to spell out the community’s priorities.  Grade separated interchanges along US 29 are the key elements in the transportation component of Places29.  In November, the Rio Road interchange was moved to the CLRP’s vision list, which means that it is being taken out of active consideration due to a lack of funding.

Supervisor Rooker said traffic data shows the Hydraulic Road intersection would be the most effective in reducing congestion. However, the intersection also sits on the border of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. In January 1995, City Council voted down plans to build the interchange, and Rooker sought Council’s opinion on whether they would consent to it being the higher priority.

However, Supervisor David Slutzky made the case that the Rio Road intersection will be impacted by the opening of the Meadowcreek Parkway, meriting a higher priority.  After some discussion, the MPO opted to move the Rio Road interchange to the CLRP and to move the Hydraulic Road interchange to the vision list.

In other news:

• Albemarle County Chief Planner David Benish was designated as an official alternate in the case that the County’s elected officials are not present.  Juandiego Wade, the County’s transportation engineer, was designated as a second alternate
• MPO endorsed the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center’s Transportation Enhancement Act (TEA) grant  to make the facility handicap-accessible. Center President Alexandra Searls said the money would also be used to improve access to the Rivanna River
• MPO endorsed the Regional Transit Authority Draft Final Report written by VHB. The study is the intellectual underpinning of the proposed RTA being formed by the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County 
• JAUNT has begun a second route from Buckingham County into Albemarle County. The additional service has been added in part because of demand from employees of the National Ground Intelligence Center, a major employer in northern Albemarle County
• A citizen has made an official request for the Meadowcreek Parkway to be renamed after outgoing Senator John Warner (R-VA).  The request is making its way through City and County governments, but the MPO was given a heads-up at this meeting

Sean Tubbs

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 1:00 - Supervisor David Slutzky opens the meeting
• 1:30 - David Benish designated as the County's alternative, Juandiego Wade designated as second alternative
• 2:30 - Public hearing for Lewis and Clark Center's request for MPO to endorse $150,000 TEA Grant
• 3:00 - Alexandria Searls and Fran Lawrence of the Lewis and Clark
• 7:36 - Supervisor Dennis Rooker asks how much of the project will involve handicapped access at the Center
• 10:30 - Public hearing comment from Ann Hemingway, current president of the Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center
• 12:30 - Public hearing item introduced for adoption of Regional Transit Authority study draft final report
• 14:00 - Public hearing suspended while MPO waits until scheduled 4:30 time - adopts minutes
• 18:00 -  VDOT officials begin their presentation
• 30:40 - Slutzky asks if the study will require Albemarle County to limit access to 29
• 32:30 - Slutzky asks if the study will take a look at Places29 Master Plan 
• 34:00 - Supervisor Rooker says he anticipates the study will be more about future planning rather than fixing items in the short-term
• 36:15 - Joe Springer of Parsons Transportation Group
• 45:20 - City Councilor Satyendra Huja asks how pedestrian access fits into the study
• 46:00 - Slutzky asks what traffic data is going to be used
• 50:00 - Rooker says that for the study to be worthwhile, everyone will have to work from the same set of facts
• 53:00 - CTS Director Bill Watterson gives an update
• 57:30 - Huja asks how the on-time messaging system is working for CTS
• 58:10 - Councilor Taliaferro asks about CTS' bus replacement/extension process
• 1:01:00 - Slutzky asks how many miles a typical CTS bus travels in a day
• 1:02:30 - Slutzky recommends selling buses to UVA students doing research into electric buses
• 1:04:00 - JAUNT Update from Donna Shaunesey
• 1:07:40 - Discussion begins of UNJAM
• 1:08:30 - MPO's Ann Whitham details a new metric that can be used to model future population growth
• 1:15:30 - Whitham updates Slutzky and Taliaferro on decisions made at November 2008 meeting
• 1:16:30 - MPO discusses project to add bike lanes and sidewalks to commercial section of Old Ivy Road
• 1:20:00 - Slutzky requests eliminating Rio Mills Road from UNJAM 2035 list because it is not a County priority
• 1:25:00 - Rooker asks for Project I-15 (US 29 widening) to specifically refer to an additional north-south lane from South Fork Rivanna River to Airport Road
• 1:26:30 - Rooker asks why full amount for Hillsdale Road Extended ($29 million) is listed; points out much of the cost is from right of way, and that planners anticipate some will be donated
• 1:29:00 - Rooker suggests specifically listing a grade-separated interchange project, prompting discussion
• 1:33:45 - Slutzky asks MPO if they want to prioritize
• 1:38:30 - MPO considers Draft UNJAM 2035 Document Review
• 1:52:45 - MPO reconsiders CLRP after Ann Whitham recalculates amount of potential funding
• 1:57:30 - Huja says he wants non-highway projects prioritized over road projects
• 1:58:30 - Slutzky asks David Benish for information about Hillsdale Drive safety improvement projects
• 1:59:30 - Discussion of other elements on the MPO's Transportation Project Tracking List
• 2:03:00 - Rooker asks if City and County Intelligent Transportation Systems are now in synch
• 2:05:00 - Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum comments on US 29 Corridor Study
• 2:07:00 - Rooker responds to Williamson's remark
• 2:09:45 - Discussion of potential renaming of Meadowcreek Parkway to John Warner

MPO continues review of future transportation projects; Supports road widening and overpasses on US 29

Three members of the MPO Policy Board were present at the group’s meeting on November 24, 2008. The Board continued its discussion of the UNJAM 2035 regional transportation plan, endorsed the transportation component of the Places29 Master Plan, and discussed ways to boost public participation in the discussion of transportation projects. City Councilor Julian Taliaferro and County Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio) were not present.

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This fall, the MPO has moved their meetings to the CitySpace meeting room in the Market Street Parking garage in order to boost public participation. The strategy appears to be working, as the November meeting featured more comments from the public than normal. 

Several citizens spoke to encourage the MPO Policy Board to include the proposed pedestrian bridge over the Rivanna River south of Free Bridge in the UNJAM 2035 plan as a transportation project, not a recreation project. The MPO Policy Board and its various subcommittees are currently evaluating what new projects to include on the plan’s Constrained Long Range Project list. The CLRP is an exercise in which the MPO must list projects that can actually be funded over the next few decades, based on current projections of funding. 

City resident Stephen Bach suggested prioritizing the Rivanna bridge above a project to build bike lanes and sidewalks on Old Ivy Road in Albemarle County. Bach said the footbridge over the Rivanna would serve more people. 

Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) disputed Bach’s contention, and reminded him that there are many University of Virginia students live in apartment complexes on Old Ivy Road. The project would allow them safer passage through the railroad underpass. 

City Councilor and MPO Vice Chair Satyendra Huja said he would not be opposed to including the bridge on the constrained plan, but he said he thought the project was still at the conceptual phase. The project was recommended for inclusion on the constrained plan by both the CHART and MPO Tech committees, but was moved to the ‘vision list’ by the MPO Policy Board at their October meeting. 
Since the MPO last discussed the CLRP in October, the description for the Old Ivy Road has been changed to specifically address the underpass issue. Currently, pedestrians and cyclists do not have a safe path under the railroad tracks. 

The group did not make final recommendations on the constrained project list because of the absence of Slutzky and Taliaferro.  The CLRP will come back before the MPO at its next meeting in December.

MPO ENDORSES US 29 NORTH CORRIDOR TRANSPORTATION STUDY

The US 29 North Corridor Transportation Study is a list of potential transportation projects to improve mobility along US 29. It is also the transportation component of the Places29 Master Plan. The MPO held its first public hearing on the study in June 2008.

During the public hearing, Albemarle County resident Greg Quinn said that US 29 is “Main Street” for the community. He recommended reducing the speed limit to 40 miles per hour for the entire span from the Greene County line to the City of Charlottesville. Quinn also recommended the creation of a parkway along the Dickerson Road corridor as well as a bypass of US 29 that would use the same corridor as the railroad track from Barboursville to Charlottesville. In reference to the study’s call for a bus rapid transit system, Quinn said public transit is only used by 2% of the population, and that society has been developed around the automobile.

Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center urged the MPO to endorse the plan in order to fix congestion on US 29. He said the grade-separated interchanges called for in the plan would improve traffic flow for both local and through traffic.  However, he said the Rio interchange needed to be a mid-term project rather than a long-term one because he said it is needed soon.

Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum expressed his concern that the study might be approved without accurate cost estimates, and passed out a sheet that estimated the cost of improvements at $292 million, not including the cost of acquiring the right-of-way.

City resident Gerard Diely, who serves on the MPO’s Community Mobility Committee, said that he did not think the study did enough to promote or encourage transit ridership. Diely read from a poem he wrote that described how light rail would improve the corridor.

The MPO voted to endorse the study, with an amendment to raise the priority for the widening of US 29 from Polo Grounds Road to Hollymead Town Center. The study had recommended it as a mid-term project rather than a near-term one. Rooker suggested the project could likely qualify for primary road funding.

Sean Tubbs

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 1:00 - Meeting called to order by City Councilor Satyendra Huja, MPO's Vice Chair
• 1:30 - Public comment from former City Council candidate Peter Kleeman
• 5:11 - Public comment from City resident Chad Freckman in support of Rivanna River footbridge
• 7:00 - Public comment from Jeff Werner of the Piedmont Environmental Council regarding drive times on US 29
• 11:00 - Public comment from Caroline Heins of the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation in support of Rivanna River footbridge
• 12:30 - Public comment from City resident Stephen Bach in support of Rivanna River footbridge
• 14:50 - Public comment from Randy Salzman, the proponent of the Rivanna River footbridge
• 19:00 - Supervisor Dennis Rooker responds to public comments
• 27:30 - Public hearing on Draft Final US 29 North Corridor Transportation Study
• 27:45 - Public hearing comment from Albemarle County resident Greg Quinn
• 29:50 - Public hearing comment from Morgan Butler of the Southern Environmental Law Center
• 32:50 - Public hearing comment from Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum
• 34:30 - Public hearing comment and poem from Gerard Diely
• 38:30 - Public hearing comment from Randy Salzman
• 40:00 - Public hearing comment from Stephen Bach
• 40:15 - Second public comment from Greg Quinn
• 42:40 - Public hearing comment from City resident Alec Goss
• 43:40 - MPO Policy Board discuss the study
• 47:25 - Albemarle County Chief of Planning David Benish addresses the role widening of US 29 plays in the study
• 50:00 - MPO endorses study
• 50:30 - Adoption of minutes from October meeting
• 52:00 - Discussion of Regional Transit Toolkit Presentation
• 54:00 - Presentation by John Martin, CEO of Southeastern Institute of Research
• 1:03:12 - Discussion of UNJAM 2035's Fiscally Constrained Long Ranger Project List review begins
• 1:10:00 - MPO discusses possibility of adding new bike and pedestrian projects to the CLRP
• 1:19:00 - Ann Whitham walks through the suggested new projects to be added to the CLRP
• 1:24:20 - Benish discusses the County's position on the Ashwood Boulevard to Polo Grounds Road Connection
• 1:27:00 - Discussion of improvements to Interstate interchanges
• 1:37:00 - Discussion of upcoming CTB meeting
• 1:38:30 - Discussion of reduction of federal funds for MPOs
• 1:40:20 - Discussion of webinar that former MPO Director Harrison Rue is participating in
• 1:41:00 - Public comment from Jerry Diely in support of transit
• 1:41:45 - Public comment from Alec Goss in support of Fontaine-Sunset Connector
• 1:42:00 - Public comment from Greg Quinn in support of fixing I-64's Exit 118

Area legislators offer feedback on proposals for transit authority and local tax increases for transportation

The road got rough last week for local leaders trying to orchestrate the formation of a Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Transit Authority (RTA).  On October 23, 2008, the task force of two City Councilors and two members of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors met with three area legislators to get their feedback to this regional approach to the state’s transportation funding crisis.  Before the 2009 session of the Virginia General Assembly, local leaders intend to endorse a legislative framework which, if approved in Richmond, would allow the creation of the RTA and for new taxing powers to raise funds for transportation.  

“We have a serious problem of inadequate funding to tackle our transportation challenges,” said Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio).  “Our community is being proactive… by coming up with a request for the enabling legislation to collaboratively manage our transit system.”

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Delegate David Toscano (D-57), Delegate Rob Bell (R-58), and Senator Emmett Hanger (R-24) listened to a description of the RTA project and then weighed in with their assessment of the political landscape in Richmond, and their home districts.  The legislators all offered their support to help Charlottesville and Albemarle seek authority to jointly operate a transit system.  However, funding it with new taxes ran into a mix of skepticism, alternative ideas, and outright opposition.  The legislators did agree that if there was to be any local tax increase, it would require a voter referendum.

Hanger and Toscano both expressed a preference for statewide solutions to fund transportation needs.  Hanger specifically suggested an income tax as a way to tap into the community’s wealth.  Hanger indicated a gas tax or a sales tax should only be adjusted at the state level.  Toscano said he didn’t want to “balkanize” the state’s approach to funding by giving Charlottesville-Albemarle a different set of taxing tools.

Rob Bell sat next to Supervisor David Slutzky and the two sparred over whether Albemarle residents should have the opportunity in a referendum to vote for a tax increase, solely to support transportation projects.  Slutzky said the voters should be able to decide whether they want to tax themselves.  Bell responded that the state and local government’s budgets had continued to grow in recent years and it was a question of how to allocate existing tax dollars.  Given the current national economic crisis, Bell said it wasn’t an appropriate time to raise anyone’s taxes.

“This is extraordinarily bad time to be looking at a tax increase,” said Delegate Bell.  Bell said he felt better that there was interest ina voter referendum, but that it was still an extraordinary request to seek a tax increase at a time when the economy is so fragile.

“That is a very substantial tax increase, and I am very concerned about it, said Bell.  “Nothing you have told me so far that would allow me to say, ‘Yes, I would support that.’”

Delegate David Toscano (D-57)

Delegate David Toscano said that since the General Assembly is unlikely to pass a statewide tax increase, local governments need to be granted the authority to do so by a voter referendum.  Toscano recommended the creation of a very concrete list of transportation projects that would receive support.  

“Specificity… is [the] key,” said Toscano.  “Unless you are specific, people are going to pick this thing to death and you won’t have a chance of getting it passed.”

As their almost two-hour conversation wrapped up, Dennis Rooker told the legislators that the community was not wed to a once cent sales tax increase and that even a half cent would be a significant help.  He warned, however, that the RTA was unlikely to move forward without new funding.

“I don’t know that the City really wants to cede control of transit in the absence of some commitment by the County [to expand funding],” said Rooker.  “Without additional revenues, it’s going to be difficult to do that.”

Councilor Huja agreed.  “I think the solution for the [Regional Transit] Authority alone without money is really a non-starter in my mind.”

Key points by local officials:

• The state is not adequately funding transportation and allocations to this area have declined to the point no new major transportation project can be undertaken
• Local government is being forced to fund transportation infrastructure
• The City and County want to work together and provide increased support to public transit
• In the absence of state funding, local government desires the power to levy a local tax that would generate revenues exclusively for transportation (including transit operations)
• Authority to create the RTA and authority to raise a tax for transportation needs are two separate legislative matters
• Funding transportation by increasing the local real estate property taxes should be avoided.  A sales tax increase is one likely option.
• Taxing authority would remain in the hands of the elected officials (Council and Board of Supervisors).  The RTA would have no taxing powers.
• A voter referendum on the tax increase could be required if that was deemed necessary to gain support in the General Assembly

Key points by General Assembly members:

• A regional approach to public transit sounds like a good idea.
• There should be specificity on the transportation projects to be supported by a tax increase.
• There was no consensus as to which type of local tax should be increased, if any.
• A voter referendum should be required for any local tax increase.

The next day, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors held their annual retreat.  Reflecting on the feedback from the legislators, Slutzky and Rooker gave their colleagues an assessment of the RTA’s legislative challenges.

“With the funding ideas that we put on the table, I certainly didn’t come away from that meeting feeling that they had much chance of getting passed this year,” said Rooker.  “We didn’t get real far with them on even accepting the idea of legislation that would enable us to have a referendum locally to determine if [our citizens] want to tax themselves to improve transportation in the area.”

Both Rooker and Slutzky recommended that enabling legislation still be pursued for the creation of the RTA, even if it could not be utilized in the near future.  Slutzky went further to say that, despite the cool reception from the legislators, he felt the community should also still move forward with the request for legislation allowing for a referendum on a local tax increase to support transportation.

The RTA work group meets again at the end of this week to select a legislative approach they can bring back to Charlottesville City Council and the Board of Supervisors for final approval.

Brian Wheeler

TIMELINE FOR PODCAST:

• 01:26 – Call to order by Supervisor David Slutzky (Rio), chair of the work group.  Slutzky shares the work group’s purpose, transportation funding challenges, and desire for a Regional Transit Authority (RTA).
• 09:00 -- Supervisor Dennis Rooker (Jack Jouett) provides background on the 2005 recommendations of the Transportation Funding Options Working Group (TFOG).
• 16:57 – Rooker reports that a majority of citizens responding to a recent citizen survey, conducted for Albemarle County, indicated they would support increased taxes for transportation.
• 21:11 -- Rooker comments on the difficulty of computing and collecting a local gas tax.
• 32:07 – Senator Emmett Hanger (R-24) shares his support for an RTA and mass transit.  He says there will be significant debate on the funding questions.  Hanger says there needs to be comprehensive tax reform in Virginia.  Hanger prefers sales taxes be adjusted uniformly across the state.
• 34:40 – Senator Hanger describes challenges with sales tax and fuels tax.  Hanger prefers both be addressed statewide and said it would be reasonable to look at a gas tax as a transportation user fee.
• 43:00 -- Senator Hanger says he would support a local income tax increase to take the burden off the property tax and to “capture the wealth of Charlottesville.”
• 44:14 – Delegate Rob Bell (R-58) begins asking a series of detailed questions about the RTA proposal and funding options.
• 48:20 -- Delegate Bell asks how much money would be raised on an annual basis with a 1 cent sales tax.  Rooker responds that 1 cent sales tax would raise about $25 million in Charlottesville and Albemarle County combined.
• 48:30 – Delegate Bell asks what Albemarle County transportation projects would receive support.
• 48:54 – Rooker outlines the current approval process by the County and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  He argues that the process for selecting projects would be no different if the state provided the funding vs. local governments raising the funds.
• 1:09:09 – Slutzky asks Delegate Bell which taxing option he thinks might have more appeal.  Delegate Bell shares his view that a voter referendum on any tax increase would have to be a required for him to get even close to supporting this effort.
• 1:10:22 – Delegate Bell says that state and local budgets continue to increase.  He says other priorities, besides transportation, have received support.  His first reaction is that a sales tax increase is not the answer to the funding problem.
• 1:12:47 – Delegate Bell tells David Slutzky that he does not recall him bringing up a tax increase of this magnitude in his 2005 election for Supervisor.  Slutzky says at the time he supported a gas tax increase.  Rooker observes that a lot has changed with the funding picture since that election.
• 1:20:57 -- Delegate Bell asks whether the proposed Western Bypass to Route 29 north of Charlottesville would be on the project list and eligible for support.  Slutzky responds that it is not a project on the list because in his view it fails any cost-benefit analysis.
• 1:22:10 – Rooker says the Western 29 Bypass cost is estimated to be $300 million.  He shares VDOT’s opinion that even with the bypass Route 29 would have an “F-level of service” without additional improvements.
• 1:28:10 -- Councilor Satyendra Huja asks Delegate Bell if he would support a tax increase, like a sales tax, if it had a voter referendum.  Bell answers that he could not support a tax increase unless it was approved by the majority of the voters first.  Huja points out that the group is seeking permission to ask that question of the voters.
• 1:29:05 – Delegate Bell expresses concerns about the absence of a specific list of defined projects and costs.  Indicates the 1 cent sales tax increase seems to him an arbitrary way to arrive at a funding pool of $25 million.  Bell says this is an extraordinarily bad time to ask for a tax increase.
• 1:32:50 – Delegate David Toscano says he is concerned about the balkanization of transportation funding around the state, but that since the General Assembly is unlikely to pass a statewide tax increase, local governments need to be granted the authority to do so.  Toscano recommends creation of a very concrete list of transportation projects that would receive support.  Toscano questions the size of the tax increase needed.
• 1:39:45 -- Senator Hanger offers his closing remarks and says he prefers the local income tax option.
• 1:43:40 – Delegate Bell offers his closing remarks and shares that nothing he has heard would lead him to support a local tax increase for transportation.
• 1:46:45 – Rooker says even a half cent sales tax increase would help a lot.  He points out that the 1 cent number came from a consultant’s report that analyzed the transportation funding authority offered to Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.  Rooker says that a Regional Transit Authority is unlikely to go forward without additional funding.