The Roadway Committee continues to monitor, inform Point San Pedro Road Peninsula residents, and comment on developments associated with the planned relocation of the San Rafael Bettini Transit Center.
History
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District) owns, operates and maintains Golden Gate Transit service. The District’s major transportation hub in Marin County is in Downtown San Rafael. Opened in the 1992, the C. Paul Bettini San Rafael Transportation Center (SRTC) is located at 850 Tamalpais Avenue, occupying the full block between 3rd and 2nd Streets and between Tamalpais Ave. and Hetherton. The SRTC currently serves local and regional transit buses including Golden Gate Transit, Marin Transit, Sonoma County Transit, Marin Airporter, Sonoma County Airport Express, Greyhound, and local taxis.
The SRTC provides essential transit services to over 9,000 customers per day facilitating travel and transfers throughout Marin County to San Francisco, Sonoma and Contra Costa Counties. The 1.5-acre, SRTC site contains bus parking bay and transit platforms (Platforms A-D), as well as other service and commercial structures. The former Northwestern Pacific railroad right-of-way (now owned by the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, or SMART) bisects the SRTC site through transit Platform C and contains the remnants of abandoned railroad appurtenances. The initial operating segment of the SMART service commenced in 2017, providing service from Santa Rosa to Downtown San Rafael.
The Downtown San Rafael SMART station is in the street block immediately north of the SRTC, with the active rail line terminating at 3rd Street. SMART has received funding and is actively constructing the second phase of service to Larkspur Landing (SMART Phase 2). SMART Phase 2 will reuse the existing rail line and right-of-way that bisects the San Rafael SRTC, which will significantly impact the center property and its use.
In preparation for the potential second phase of SMART, the City of San Rafael initiated a study (San Rafael SRTC Relocation Study 2014) to assess interim and permanent solutions for a full or partial relocation of the SRTC. The assessment was a collaborated effort involving the City, the Golden Gate District, SMART, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). Interim solutions were identified as well as nine (9) permanent relocation solutions. Following the City study and cross-agency collaboration, the District issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to select an engineering/planning consultant to prepare a more in-depth relocation analysis, along with developing a preliminary design and required documents for environmental clearance.
In 2017, the District selected and hired Kimley-Horn and Associates, transportation engineering consultants. In coordination with a team of consultants, Kimley-Horn and Associates has been working to develop preliminary designs and prepare supportive studies. The consultant team has assisted the District in several community meetings. In response to these community meetings, the District set aside the original relocation solutions and developed five (5) new site options.
Transit Center Relocation Objectives
The District, in coordination with the City of San Rafael, Marin Transit, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM), and SMART, plans to fully relocate the SRTC. A new SRTC site is needed primarily to preserve and enhance the functionality and effectiveness of the center following the implementation of the SMART Phase 2 line to Larkspur and the resulting loss of some of the transit center facilities.
Specifically, the District has prepared the following “Project Objectives,” summarizing the purpose of the project:
- Provide improved transit connectivity and ease of use in and around Downtown San Rafael.
- Enhance local and regional transit use by bringing together multiple modes of the transportation network—including the SMART-bus connection—into a hub that affords transit users the safest, most efficient means of using bus and rail services.
- Efficiently accommodate transit users and services and optimize operating costs and improve transit desirability.
- Design a functional, attractive, cost-effective facility that can meet long-term projected service levels and be implemented in an expeditious manner, to minimize the period of use of any interim facility.
- Provide a transit facility that is readily accessible to individuals with disabilities, transit users, and transit-dependent populations, including those with low incomes.
- Provide a secure, safe, and inviting space for transit patrons.
- Create a more accessible transit facility for all users by reducing vehicular, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian conflicts and improving safety.
- Provide convenient, pedestrian connections to surrounding land uses.
Site Location Options
At this time, the District has not identified or defined a “project” that is specific to one site for relocation. Rather, the District has identified five (5) preliminary project alternatives (site options), which are contained within a defined geographic “study area.” The general boundaries of the study area are Tamalpais Avenue/Lincoln Avenue to the west, 2nd Street to the south, 5th Avenue to the north and Irwin Street to the east.
The five site options are:
- Two-Story Concept: Bounded by 4th Street to the north, Hetherton Street to the east, 2nd Street to the south, and Tamalpais Avenue to the west (Figure 2). This concept includes the parcel to the east of the SMART station as the ground-level of a proposed two-story transit center. This alternative includes 6 bus bays on the ground level and 12 bus bays on the upper level. This alternative has the smallest footprint, only requiring the acquisition of one parcel, but also would cost more due to the two-story construction.
- Across-the-Freeway Concept: Bounded by 5th Avenue to the north, Irwin and Hetherton Streets to the east, 3rd Street to the south, and Tamalpais Avenue to the west. This alternative has two options: the first would include a three-bay transit island on Hetherton Street between 3rd and 4th streets, and the second would shift Hetherton Street to the west to allow for on-street bays on the east side of Hetherton Street between 3rd and 4th Streets. This concept incorporates the area underneath US-101, which would eliminate some existing California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Park and Ride lot parking stalls and require covering Erwin Creek (a tributary of San Rafael Creek), across a portion of the block.
- 4th Street Gateway Concept: Bounded by 5th Avenue to the north, Hetherton Street to the east, 3rd Street to the south, and the SMART tracks to the west. In order to accommodate three curbside bus bays, southbound right-turn movements from Hetherton Street to 4th Street would be precluded.
- Whistlestop Block Concept: Bounded by 4th Street to the north, Hetherton Street to the east, 3rd Street to the south, and Lincoln and Tamalpais Avenues to the west. This concept co-locates the proposed transit center on the same block as the existing SMART station. The Whistlestop building would either be relocated, reconfigured, or restored and used for customer service functions with the proposed transit center.
- North of 4th Street Concept: Bounded by 5th Avenue to the north, Irwin Street to the east, 4th Street to the South, and Hetherton Street to the west. It is generally located beneath US-101 and would eliminate some existing parking stalls in the Caltrans Park and Ride lot and require covering Irwin Creek (a tributary of San Rafael Creek), across the full length of the block. While this concept would accommodate 17 bus bays within this block, it would require customer service, restrooms, and pick-up/drop-off functions to be located off site.
Features common to all five alternatives include the provision of at least 17 bus bays, pickup/drop-off areas for passenger vehicles or taxis, bicycle parking, customer service and security space, bus operator restrooms, and parking for operations staff.
The Golden Gate Bridge Transit District’s website includes a Transit Center Project webpage, which provides more detailed information on the project and the public outreach conducted to date.
Required Environmental Review
Per the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the SRTC relocation project is subject to environmental review and the development of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Further, the District has indicated that the project may require federal funding and has the potential to trigger federal agency permits and clearances. Therefore, the project may be subject to review under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
City of San Rafael’s Participation
The Golden Gate Transit District is the project proponent and the Lead Agency for permitting, financing, and environmental review and clearance of this planned SRTC relocation project. The San Rafael City’s role in the SRTC Relocation Project is primarily as a highly interested party. They produced a document titled San Rafael Transit Center Relocation Guidance Report to provide the Golden Gate Transit District input as to the City’s preferences. The City also provided the District information as a major stakeholder in the “North of 4th Street Concept”, which would occupy the entire block bounded by 5th Avenue to the north, Irwin Street to the east, 4th Street to the South, and Hetherton Street to the west.
The Coalition’s Participation
To date, the Point San Pedro Road Coalition representatives have attended the three Community meetings sponsored by Golden Gate Bridge Transit District (GGTD) and the Coalition’s Board has written two letters to GGTD commenting as aspects of the Transit Center Relocation Project:
- July 15, 2018 Letter – Commenting on the Four Relocation Transit Center Concepts that were presented at that time
- November 18, 2018 Letter – The GGTD held a community meeting on October 30, 2018 to present information related to the development of the required Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and requested community input. This letter provided that input on EIR scoping issues, comments on the recently added fifth Relocation Transit Center Concept (“North of 4th Street Concept”) and restated all of the comments presented in the previous July 15 Letter.
The Roadway Committee will continue to monitor progress of the project and report information regarding project updates, upcoming community meeting and other opportunities for residents to provide their input.