DATE: August 14, 2018
SUBJECT:
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PRESENTATION AND DIRECTION TO STAFF ON THE STATUS UPDATE FOR THE NORTH HARBOR DRIVE MOBILITY AND ACCESS STUDY
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The District’s North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study (District’s Study or Study) is a collaborative, multi-agency effort being led by the District that takes a comprehensive and holistic look at transportation facilities, operations and access along North Harbor Drive between Shelter Island Drive in Point Loma and Park Boulevard near the Convention Center in the South Embarcadero. The District’s Study considers potential transportation-related operations associated with the long-term growth contemplated by the District’s Port Master Plan Update, the San Diego International Airport (SDIA), and the City of San Diego to a 2050 horizon year, and seeks to identify mobility-related improvements along the corridor that can help accommodate the projected growth.
The purpose of this item is to provide an update on the progress of the District’s Study to the Board, including background on why the District is conducting the Study, the agencies and stakeholders participating in the effort, an overview of potential roadway and transit improvements, and the next steps required to complete the District’s Study. Staff welcomes any feedback and direction the Board has to provide regarding additional improvement concepts to incorporate for consideration and analysis in the District’s Study.
It should be noted, this Study is limited in scope and does not address all of the District’s mobility challenges and opportunities. However, it is intended to serve as a building block that uses data and leverages regional collaboration to better inform decision makers when aligning mobility strategies, plans and projects in and around North Harbor Drive, a critical transportation corridor in the near-, mid- and long-term. Given the potential for this study to inform future decisions, staff will continue to refine concepts and analysis based on the best available information through the completion of the Study.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive staff’s presentation and provide direction on the Status Update for the North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
Funds for work associated with the North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study are budgeted in the Planning Department’s FY 2019 budget within the Professional Services expense account (#620100). If funds are required for future fiscal years, they will be budgeted for in the appropriate fiscal year and cost account subject to Board approval upon adoption of each fiscal year’s budget.
Compass Strategic Goals:
This agenda item supports the following Strategic Goal(s).
• A Port that the public understands and trusts.
• A thriving and modern maritime seaport.
• A vibrant waterfront destination where residents and visitors converge.
• A Port with a healthy and sustainable bay and its environment.
• A Port with a comprehensive vision for Port land and water uses integrated to regional plans.
• A Port that is a safe place to visit, work and play.
• A financially sustainable Port that drives job creation and regional economic vitality.
DISCUSSION:
Background
Airport Authority’s Airport Development Plan
The Airport Development Plan (ADP) is the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s (Airport Authority) planning effort to implement improvements at the San Diego International Airport (SDIA). The ADP planning process began with various plan options that were revised based on Airport Authority Board direction to a plan that is the subject of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), currently being circulated for public review.
According to the DEIR, the ADP includes the following components:
• Replacement of Terminal 1 and development of up to 30 new gates;
• Modifications to Terminal 2 (resulting in a net increase from 51 gates to 61 gates for the two terminals combined);
• Development of circulation improvements within the boundaries of the airport, including a new access roadway for inbound traffic traveling west toward the airport at the intersection of North Harbor Drive and Laurel Street;
• Improvements to the airfield taxiway and development of a new remain overnight aircraft parking area;
• Development of a potential commercial opportunity;
• Construction of a five-story, 7,500 parking structure adjacent to the new Terminal 1; and
• Development of a new administration building and other infrastructure improvements.
In relation to the proposed airport access roadway, in September 2015, Airport Authority staff presented three alternatives to the Airport Authority Board that could remove all airport traffic from North Harbor Drive, but would require improvements to roadways outside the airport boundary. Airport Authority staff listed several concerns associated with these alternatives, including an assertion that the Airport Authority could not use airport revenues for offsite airport improvements. Based on these concerns, Airport Authority staff recommended the ADP include a limited version of an airport access road that is contained within the airport’s boundaries. In addition, Airport Authority staff recommended establishing a process for evaluating the efficiency of accessibility to SDIA, acknowledging that over 70% of the total vehicle traffic on North Harbor Drive is airport-related and that the roadways surrounding SDIA experience congestion and levels of service “F”1 on some street segments and intersections as a result; further stating that since they do not have jurisdiction over these roadways and have federal restrictions on use of airport funds for off-airport improvements, a collaborative process should be established to propose and implement solutions.
Following these recommendations, the Airport Authority Board adopted two resolutions in association with advancing the ADP in March 2017. The first directed Airport Authority staff to continue with ADP planning and environmental review for the preferred ADP concept, with the addition of a revised airport access roadway that would not extend beyond airport property. The second resolution directed Airport Authority staff to implement a multi-agency policy level group to address off-airport roadway access. The Airport Authority’s staff report and Board meeting minutes for these March 2, 2017 actions are included as Attachment A.
District Participation in Airport Authority’s Harbor Drive Mobility Committee
Based on the Airport Authority Board’s direction, the Airport Authority’s Harbor Drive Mobility Committee (Airport Committee) was initiated in June 2017 with the purpose of studying and identifying strategies to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion around the SDIA, as well as identify potential road and transit improvements that would improve mobility in the North Harbor Drive corridor.
Entities directly impacted by traffic around SDIA, including those that have a regional responsibility for transit, were invited to participate in the Airport Committee. The Airport Committee’s organization includes: a Policy Group to evaluate the technical analysis and provide policy-level recommendations for implementation and execution among all of the impacted entities; and a Working Group to generate ideas and alternatives based on research and technical analysis. A timeline of the Airport Committee meetings held to date, along with the District’s Technical Working Group meetings described below, are depicted in the on Attachment B. Although the Airport Committee Working Group meetings concluded with the completion of the Airport Authority’s Draft Harbor Drive Mobility Study, the Airport Committee Policy Group has not been officially disbanded.
The Airport Committee Policy Group participants include:
• Airport Authority, Board Chair
• City of San Diego, representative from the Office of the Mayor
• District, Board Chair or appointed representative(s)
• SANDAG, Board Chair
• SANDAG, Transportation Committee Chair
The Airport Committee Working Group participants include representatives of:
• Airport Authority
• Caltrans - District 11, Planning Division
• City of San Diego / Civic San Diego
• District
• San Diego Metropolitan Transit Service
• SANDAG
• Solar Turbines
• U.S. Coast Guard
The first Airport Committee Policy Group meeting was held in June 2017 and, to date, a total of five Airport Committee Policy Group meetings and four Airport Committee Working Group meetings have taken place - all of which the District has participated. Initially Commissioners Castellanos and Bonelli represented the District on the Policy Group, but during his chairmanship Commissioner Castellanos appointed Commissioner Merrifield to take his seat. District staff Jason Giffen, Lesley Nishihira, Larry Hofreiter and Stephen Shafer served as representatives on the Working Group.
The Airport Committee Policy Group meetings focused on exchanging information from participating agencies for plans or activities in the study area and on providing oversight to the Airport Committee Working Group.
In addition to the detailed inputs from each of the agencies for their respective projects within the Airport Authority’s study area, which was defined by the Airport Authority (see Attachment C, Airport Authority’s Study Area), the Airport Committee Working Group meetings focused on obtaining feedback from the participants on a limited range of proposed improvements, including the on-airport roadway, and other bike and pedestrian, and transit improvements along the airport’s south frontage of Harbor Drive. During these meetings, participants identified the need for the scope of the Airport Authority’s study to be expanded and requested additional data regarding traffic volumes on Harbor Drive for the entire corridor in order to address connections to Interstate 5 and intersections in the City’s and District’s jurisdictions. These comments and suggestions were noted by the Airport Authority, but not addressed in the Airport Committee Working Group meeting or in the Airport Authority’s study. Consistently, Airport Authority representatives stated that off-airport improvements were not included in the scope of the Airport Authority’s study effort, nor would be included in the ADP DEIR. The stated reason was because the Airport Authority is limited by federal restrictions on the use of airport funds for off-airport improvements.
The Airport Committee Working Group effort concluded with the Airport Authority’s circulation of their Draft Harbor Drive Mobility Study (Airport Authority’s Study), which is included as Attachment D. The Airport Authority’s Study, prepared by Kimley-Horn and Associates for the Airport Authority, included an overview of the process conducted and summaries of the meetings, a list of cumulative projects in the study area, and concept-level descriptions of the on-airport roadway, pedestrian, and bicycle improvements along the SDIA south frontage of North Harbor Drive between the U.S. Coast Guard station and the entrance to Terminal 2, which are now components of the proposed ADP.
The Airport Authority’s Study was circulated to the Airport Committee Working Group for review in December 2017 and the District submitted a comment letter requesting several revisions. As stated in the District’s letter, there was consensus among Airport Committee Working Group members that more detailed data and analysis for traffic, pedestrians and bicycles would be necessary before being able to support recommendations for the on-airport roadway or the ADP. No revisions were made to the Airport Authority’s Study, which was included as an appendix to the ADP DEIR. The District’s January 2018 comment letter on the Airport Authority’s Study is included as Attachment E.
Initiation of the District’s North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study
Through its voluntary participation in the Airport Committee, the District recognized the need to take a leadership role in completing a comprehensive mobility and access study for the North Harbor Drive corridor in alignment with the expanded study scope suggested by the representatives of the regional agencies participating in the Airport Committee Working Group. This was necessary in order to: 1) expand the boundaries of the area being examined to appropriately include all portions of the North Harbor Drive corridor that may potentially be impacted by SDIA’s anticipated growth and improvements; 2) ensure all the agencies involved with planning in the area are working from a consistent set of data and assumptions, including reasonably foreseeable projects and increased traffic and traffic patterns from those proposed projects; and, 3) collaboratively work with agencies within the region to identify potential improvements to all modes of travel (e.g., vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian and transit) to address impacts from the cumulative growth in the area. With the collaboration of all the participating agencies, the District’s Study could serve as a foundation for identifying projects for additional feasibility analysis, potential cost sharing arrangements, and/or pursuing future funding opportunities.
In addition, the intent of the District’s Study, as was communicated on numerous occasions, was to ensure consistency with the information and data included in the environmental documents being prepared concurrently by the Airport Authority for its ADP DEIR and the District for its PMPU environmental analysis. As such, it was the District’s expectation that, once completed, the District’s Study would be considered in the ADP DEIR analysis, as well as attached as an appendix to the Airport Authority’s ADP EIR. The Airport Authority issued its DEIR for public review on July 9, 2018; however, the District’s Study is still ongoing.
Scope of the District’s North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study
Continuing to utilize the process established by the Airport Committee Policy Group, in October 2017, the District presented a draft of the scope of work for the District’s Study to obtain feedback and support, as well as to ensure the collaboration and cooperation of the participating agencies, before proceeding. An important component of the District’s Study effort was to make certain data and assumptions were consistent with the numerous planning and engineering studies currently being conducted within the North Harbor Drive corridor study area, so the District formed a Technical Working Group (TWG) to voluntarily participate in the study’s preparation. The TWG builds on the Airport Committee Working Group membership established by the Airport Committee and is intended to utilize the group’s subject matter expertise to peer review and provide focused feedback for the improvement concepts being considered. Below is a list of the agency staff representatives and stakeholders participating in the District’s TWG:
• Airport Authority
• California Coastal Commission - San Diego Area
• Caltrans - District 11, Planning Division
• City of San Diego / Civic San Diego
• County of San Diego
• San Diego Metropolitan Transit Service
• SANDAG
• Solar Turbines
• U.S. Coast Guard
• U.S. Navy
The following objectives for the District’s Study were established by District staff with concurrence from the TWG:
• Identify mobility and access issues;
• Develop a set of cohesive mobility and access improvements under long-term and near-term conditions;
• Provide a “road map” for future development and improvements;
• Help to inform future mobility and access decisions;
• Reduce congestion while identifying opportunities that maximize multi-modal options (e.g., pedestrian, bicycle, transit); and,
• Identify potential cost-sharing arrangements between agencies, as well as potential funding sources to construct projects and make improvements.
District’s Study Area
The District’s Study takes a comprehensive look at the transportation facilities, operations and access along North Harbor Drive between Shelter Island Drive in Point Loma (Planning District 1), traversing easterly along Harbor Island (Planning District 2), and then southerly along the Embarcadero (Planning District 3) before ending at Park Boulevard by the San Diego Convention Center. The District’s Study area also includes key segments and intersections along Rosecrans Street and the major east / west connectors from North Harbor Drive to Interstate 5, such as Laurel Street, Hawthorne Street and Grape Street. The segment of Pacific Highway extended south from Washington Street to the entrance of Seaport Village is also included. The District’s Study Area is shown on Attachment F and includes an expanded boundary beyond the area included in the Airport Authority’s Study Area.
District’s Study Assumptions
The District’s Study includes the projected growth assumptions from Shelter Island, Harbor Island and Embarcadero planning districts (as potentially contemplated in the PMPU), SDIA growth per the ADP, as well as for the Downtown, Midway-Pacific Highway, Peninsula, and Barrio Logan community plan areas.
In order to ensure all agencies are working from the same set of data and assumptions, the District took the lead in coordinating with SANDAG to complete modeling of traffic forecasts for the area using the Series 13 San Diego Regional Travel Forecast Model. The resulting transportation forecast sub-area models for years 2030 and 2050 were used in both the District’s and the Airport Authority’s studies; however, as discussed above, the District’s Study area is much broader than what was studied by the Airport Authority. These models assumed the projected growth scenarios potentially contemplated in the PMPU and the surrounding adopted community plans, along with special generators, such as SDIA, cruise ship terminals, and the San Diego Convention Center.
The preliminary traffic modeling results indicate at year 2050 build-out the corridor’s most congested roadway segments will be the portions of Pacific Highway, Laurel Street, and North Harbor Drive immediately surrounding SDIA (see Attachment G, Projected Increased Roadway Traffic - Year 2050). These results were presented to the Airport Committee Policy Group in March 2018, along with the potential improvement options and evaluation criteria that had been discussed with the TWG.
Potential Improvement Options - In Progress
The District’s Study approaches the corridor in a holistic manner, understanding that it must function seamlessly as a network regardless of jurisdiction or ownership. To help organize potential roadway, pedestrian, bicycle or transit improvement options, the District’s Study area was divided into four geographic sections based on the function or major uses served by that portion of the corridor. The boundaries of the four corridor sections presented in the District’s Study are shown on Attachment H. The preliminary improvement options below are described at a very high-level and are still being refined based on the detailed analysis being conducted. During this presentation, staff will walk the Board through the potential improvement options to provide additional details on how they would function and help to improve roadway and/or intersection conditions. Once the technical analysis for the District’s Study is complete, the improvement options will be further refined based on feedback received from the TWG, key stakeholders, and the Board.
• Corridor Section #1 - Shelter Island
The preliminary improvement options that are being evaluated in this corridor section involve converting Scott Street from a four-lane collector road to a two-lane collector with a left-turn lane, and constructing a 14-foot multi-use pathway and 6-foot sidewalk that could facilitate greater bicycle and pedestrian connectivity from Shelter Island Drive to Spanish Landing Park in Harbor Island.
• Corridor Section #2 - Harbor Island and Pacific Highway
As noted above, preliminary traffic modeling shows the roadway segments of Pacific Highway, Laurel Street, and North Harbor Drive immediately adjacent to SDIA are those with the worst traffic congestion under the year 2030 and 2050 build-out scenarios. To address this, the District’s Study identified potential improvement options that expand upon the ADP’s proposed on-airport roadway. The first option considers realigning the North Harbor Drive / Laurel Street intersection to allow traffic travelling north on Harbor Drive to have direct access to the proposed on-airport roadway, which would create more efficient movements for eastbound traffic. Additionally, traffic traveling south on Harbor Drive would by-pass the intersection all together be using a free-right turn movement.
Both the second and third options contemplate directing all airport traffic directly onto Laurel Street and ultimately the proposed on-airport roadway before reaching Harbor Drive. This enables Laurel Street to function as SDIA’s primary access road and pushes airport commuter traffic onto Pacific Highway, which allows Harbor Drive to better support the recreational and visitor serving commercial uses along the waterfront - creating a roadway more fitting of the pedestrian character of the Embarcadero. The distinction between the second and third options is that the second assumes the two-way on-airport roadway can be accommodated entirely within airport boundaries. The third option was developed as a contingency plan in the event the second option is not feasible and portions of the District’s property or Harbor Drive right-of-way are needed to accommodate the eastbound portion of the on-airport roadway, in which case portions of the right-of-way planned for strengthened transit, pedestrian and bicycle connections on the south side of Harbor Drive could not be accomplished.
Within this corridor section, careful consideration is being given to find opportunities to improve the operational safety for truck access to the Solar Turbines facility which take access off of Laurel Street. A potential option for this situation involves placement of a new eastbound only signal on Laurel Street that can be triggered by an approaching truck using intelligent transportation systems, such as a radio-frequency identification tag. In addition, all other potential roadway options are being discussed and coordinated directly with representatives of Solar Turbines to ensure operational needs are not negatively impacted and, if possible, to gain positive benefits to employee parking or pedestrian safety.
• Corridor Section #3 - North Embarcadero
Within the North Embarcadero sub-district, the existing Harbor Drive corridor includes several vehicle lanes along with poorly configured on-street parking areas. Potential improvement options within this corridor section involve reconfiguring the right-of-way for more efficient and slower traffic movements that could involve fewer lanes, improved pedestrian and bicycle connections, and enhancements to public spaces. Carried forward from the Integrated Planning Vision, there is an opportunity to create the “next great waterfront street” that is more suitable to the recreational and visitor serving character of the Embarcadero. Mobility improvement options along the Embarcadero must address parking and provide for transit opportunities, as well as be considered holistically with the configuration of public space for this area. At the PMPU workshop planned for later this year on the Embarcadero Planning District, staff will provide the Board with additional preliminary improvement options that reflect both considerations.
• Corridor Section #4 - Convention Center
The primary improvement option for this corridor section involves closing the Market Street / Harbor Drive intersection. There is currently a rail crossing at this intersection that substantially impedes traffic flows when the gates are down. Trolley and freight-train activity is expected to increase by 2050, which would increase congestion and add further delays along this roadway segment. Additionally, the COASTER line is also anticipated to be extended to the San Diego Convention Center, which will also add additional gate down times. Initial traffic modeling shows that Harbor Drive will be able to better accommodate vehicular flows by eliminating vehicular traffic from the eastern leg of the Harbor Drive / Market Street interstation, thus eliminating the at-grade rail crossing. In addition, this option will likely open up additional right-of-way along Harbor Drive allowing for pedestrian and bicycle improvements, thereby strengthening non-vehicular access from Seaport Village to the Gaslamp Quarter. Variations of the Market Street / Harbor Drive Intersection closure option involve placing a pedestrian-scramble at the Kettner Boulevard or Market Street intersections and/or adding a round-about at the Pacific Highway / Harbor Drive and Kettner Boulevard / Harbor Drive intersections.
• Preliminary Transit Options
Since the beginning of the District’s Study effort, participants have emphasized the need to identify both near-term and long-term transit improvements options along the corridor. The need to address transit solutions was also the focus of the most recent Airport Committee Policy Group discussion in June 2018. Based on input to address transit options in the District’s Study, the District team prepared several transit options and presented them for feedback and discussion at the last TWG meeting on July 31, 2018. The preliminary transit options described below cross multiple corridor sections, so they have been organized by two types of user groups - regional transit users to SDIA and more tourist-based users going from SDIA to downtown or the Convention Center:
Regional Transit Riders (SDIA to Trolley): These preliminary improvement options involve utilizing an Automated People Mover (APM) to take airport passengers from either the Washington Street or Middletown Street MTS trolley stations directly to the airport passenger terminals, as well as connect to the consolidated Rental Car Center. The APM would remain almost entirely within the SDIA boundary by using the on-airport roadway alignment after crossing Pacific Highway from either trolley station. Additional connections to a consolidated transportation network company (TNC) center, as well as potential opportunities for serving Coaster and Amtrak passengers, may be provided with the APM connection to the Washington Street station.
Note that potential short-term transit improvement options, specifically trolley-to-airport shuttle routes that would facilitate a more direct connection for airport employees and air passengers, are presently being explored by SANDAG staff, as directed by their Transportation Committee. In July 2018, SANDAG staff updated the Transportation Committee on the status of these short-term efforts, one of which involves a potential shuttle turn-around location on District property at the northeast corner of Pacific Highway and Palm Street to allow the airport shuttle to pick up/drop off riders near the Middletown Trolley Station. This short-term option would require the District’s participation to in a lease arrangement with the Airport Authority for the use of the site, which is presently occupied by Budget Rent a Car under a Tideland Use and Occupancy Permit. The District has been working collaboratively with SANDAG and Airport Authority staff as SANDAG evaluates the short-term trolley-to-airport shuttle options.
Local / Tourist Riders (SDIA to Convention Center): This preliminary improvement option considers adding dedicated transit-only lanes (one in each direction) within the center of the North Harbor Drive right-of-way to bring airport passengers to and from the SDIA to Broadway Pier near Sante Fe Depot. The width needed to accommodate the transit-only lanes could be accomplished with the roadway reconfiguration options generally described under corridor section #3 above; however, the necessary width cannot be achieved on Harbor Drive south of Broadway at which point the bus would integrate into regular travel lanes to complete the connection to the Convention Center. As an alternative, a rider may disembark at Broadway Pier to connect to the cruise terminal, Santa Fe Depot or other areas in downtown. This option has the potential to begin as a rubber-wheel, bus rapid transit system, that in future phases could be upgraded to a streetcar if ridership levels are warranted.
Agency and Stakeholder Involvement
In line with the collaborative objective of the District’s Study, the team has met one-on-one with agencies, as well as key stakeholders, to discuss the scope of the study in detail and share any concerns, technical feedback, or new options to be considered and discussed. In addition to the formal TWG meetings, District staff has facilitated more than 20 meetings with the various stakeholders, tenants and organizations since the beginning of the year. This approach is in alignment with the award-winning public engagement approach taken with the Integrated Planning process. The District has demonstrated through multiple successful master planning and redevelopment efforts that positive outcomes can be best achieved by working proactively and collaboratively with agencies, key stakeholders and the public upfront - rather than after a plan has been firmly set in place.
Next Steps
The final traffic modeling and analysis of potential improvement options for the District’s Study are anticipated to be completed later this month. Refined improvement options, along with all supporting data and information, will then be compiled into a draft report. District staff plans to circulate the completed draft of the District’s Study to the TWG in September for review and a subsequent TWG meeting will be scheduled to utilize the group’s subject matter expertise to peer review and provide focused feedback. Staff also anticipates presenting the draft District Study to the Airport Committee Policy Group sometime in October, pending any additional Board direction to staff as part of this presentation and agenda item. Based on these opportunities for preliminary feedback, the draft of the District’s Study will be updated and presented to the Board later in the year as part of the PMPU workshop focusing on the Embarcadero Planning District.
As the potential improvement options are refined, District staff will continue to coordinate with Airport Authority staff, the City of San Diego, SANDAG and other regional agencies and stakeholders on mobility-related issues affecting the North Harbor Drive corridor.
As mentioned earlier, multiple government agencies will have to work together to implement the improvements identified in the District’s Study. Assuming the District’s Study has support from the Board and other regional stakeholders when it is finalized, one avenue to acquire funding is to incorporate the study’s recommended improvements into SANDAG’s Regional Plan. The Regional Plan is the region’s blueprint for how the San Diego region will grow, and how SANDAG will invest in transportation infrastructure over mid- and long-term time horizons (2035 and 2050). Incorporating the District’s Study improvement options into SANDAGs Regional Plan, could open up potential funding opportunities through local sources (e.g., Transnet), as well as funding from various state and federal programs.
SANDAG’s existing Regional Plan identifies SDIA’s Intermodal Transit Center (ITC) and the Interstate-5 Direct Connector Ramps project as part of the 2035 Revenue Constrained Scenario. District staff has requested that this project remain on SANDAG’s 2019 Regional Plan update, in part, because additional transit to/from the airport will help address the future traffic congestion identified in the District’s Study. Furthermore, an APM that takes airport passengers over Pacific Highway to the on-airport roadway could be an important first-step that establishes the initial ridership that would be necessary to warrant a more extensive ITC in the future.
General Counsel’s Comments:
The General Counsel’s Office has reviewed the agenda sheet and attachments as presented to it and approves them as to form and legality.
Environmental Review:
This item provides a presentation on the District’s Study and includes a status update based on the work completed to date. This presentation to the Board does not constitute an “approval” or a “project” under the definitions set forth in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15352 and 15378 because no direct or indirect changes to the physical environment would occur. CEQA requires that the District adequately assess the environmental impacts of its projects. Further, while the Board may request certain project components be included or alternatives studied, such direction to staff will not bind the District to a definite course of action prior to CEQA review. Full CEQA analysis will be completed prior to the approval of any entitlements, concept approval, or agreements necessary for the project. Moreover, the Board reserves its discretion to adopt any and all feasible mitigation measures, alternatives to the project, including a no project alternative, a statement of overriding consideration, if applicable, and approve or disapprove the project and any permits or entitlements necessary for the same. Those decisions may be exercised in the sole and absolute discretion of the Board. Based on the totality of the circumstances and the entire record, the Board’s direction does not commit the District to a definite course of action prior to CEQA review being conducted. Therefore, no further CEQA review is required.
In addition, this presentation allows for the District to implement its obligations under the Port Act and/or other laws. The Port Act was enacted by the California Legislature and is consistent with the Public Trust Doctrine. Consequently, this presentation is consistent with the Public Trust Doctrine.
Finally, this presentation does not allow for “development,” as defined in Section 30106 of the California Coastal Act, or “new development,” pursuant to Section 1.a. of the District’s Coastal Development Permit (CDP) Regulations because it will not result in, without limitation, a physical change, change in use or increase the intensity of uses. Therefore, issuance of a Coastal Development Permit or exclusion is not required. However, the District’s projects require processing under the District’s CDP Regulations. If a project is formulated as a result of the work plan, the Board will consider approval of the project and any improvements associated after the appropriate documentation under District’s CDP Regulations has been completed and authorized by the Board, if necessary. The Board’s direction in no way limits the exercise of the District’s discretion under the District’s CDP Regulations.
Equal Opportunity Program:
Not applicable.
PREPARED BY:
Lesley Nishihira
Director, Planning
Larry Hofreiter
Program Manager, Planning
Attachment(s):
Attachment A: Airport Authority Staff Report and Meeting Minutes for March 2, 2017
Attachment B: North Harbor Drive Mobility Meetings and Stakeholder Engagement Timeline
Attachment C: Airport Authority’s Study Area
Attachment D: Airport Authority’s Harbor Drive Mobility Study
Attachment E: District staff memo to Board of Port Commissioners transmitting comment letter on Airport Authority’s Study, dated January 25, 2018
Attachment F: Study Area for District’s North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study
Attachment G: Projected Increased Roadway Traffic at Year 2050
Attachment H: Corridor Sections for District’s North Harbor Drive Mobility and Access Study