Active Transportation Infrastructure Committee Meeting - November 16, 2022
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Active Transportation Infrastructure Committee Meeting - November 16, 2022
The Active Transportation Infrastructure Committee (ATI) held a special meeting on November 16, 2022, at 1 p.m. via teleconference. The committee considered several significant items including updates to infrastructure prioritization policies, a street preservation ordinance, stormwater funding, and sidewalk maintenance. The meeting featured extensive public testimony and robust debate among committee members.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of October 12, 2022: Approved unanimously.
- Consent Agenda: Included ratification of 17 emergency sole source contracts and a time extension contract for the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge project. Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 3 (CIP Policy Updates): Karina Contreras (Climate Action Campaign) expressed strong support for the proposed equity-focused changes, praising the term "structurally excluded community." David Modi (Kensington Talmadge Planning Group) raised concerns about double-counting of criteria across factors. Sally Small (Troyas Valley Community Planning Group) requested more detail on scoring and better inclusion of community recreation groups.
- Item 4 (Street Preservation Ordinance): Multiple telecommunications industry representatives (Patrick Batten, Christine Moore, Adrian Salas, Brittany Appelstein, Felipe Minroig, Kelvin Barrios, Ingo Henschel) requested a 30-day delay to review the proposal, warning it could freeze broadband investment. Summer Bale (Downtown San Diego Partnership) and Angelica Kalanog (San Diego Regional Chamber) also urged continued collaboration. Dominique Conostoko (Verizon) stated the ordinance would cause Verizon to pull back 2023 deployment plans. SDG&E asked that their existing administrative MOU be excluded.
- Item 5 (CIP Budget): No public testimony.
- Items 6 & 7 (Stormwater WIFIA and HDR Contract): Victor Avina (Falcon Strategies, representing Biomed Realty) spoke in strong support, highlighting the importance of the Los Peñasquitos project for protecting biotech investments.
- Item 8 (Sidewalk Update): Ann Feggy commented on the need to preserve trees during sidewalk repairs and recommended arborist oversight.
Discussion Items
- Item 3: Updates to Council Policies 800-14 and 000-32: Staff presented proposed changes to prioritize equity, climate goals, and public safety in capital project scoring. Key changes included adoption of the term "structurally excluded community," combining asset condition and level of service factors, and increasing points for sustainability and equity. Council Policy 000-32 would shift community input to the Planning Department with targeted engagement every two years. The IBA praised the work but suggested more examples of shifting priorities. Councilmember Lakava proposed amendments to increase the sustainability factor from 15 to 25 points and to rename transportation assets to "mobility assets" with a focus on complete streets. After debate, the committee voted 3-1 to approve staff recommendation for 800-14 with direction to continue working on the amendments. For 000-32, the committee approved unanimously with an amendment to clarify the October 1st deadline for public input to be considered for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Item 4: Street Preservation Ordinance Amendments: The Transportation Department proposed modifications to increase fees to full cost recovery (currently at 50% of 2012 costs), require overlay of impacted travel lanes for major excavations, and establish restoration timelines. The fee has not been increased since 2013. City staff noted that San Diego's fees are the lowest among comparable cities. The committee discussed the need for accountability and noted that the city has not been tracking warranty failures. Councilmember Campbell highlighted the poor condition of city streets. After extensive debate, the committee voted 4-0 to move the item to full council no earlier than January 30, 2023, with specific requests: an updated IBA report, documentation of safety hazards from trench failures, litigation history, and staff responses to industry concerns.
- Item 5: FY2023 CIP Mid-Year Budget Monitoring Report: The Department of Finance presented a request for $150.3 million in appropriations, reallocations, and transfers. Staff highlighted progress in spending down transnet funds held at SANDAG, from $55 million in 2016 to an estimated $29.2 million by end of FY2023. The IBA noted that debt-financed projects continue to spend slowly. The committee approved the item unanimously.
- Items 6 & 7: WIFIA Loan and HDR Contract for Stormwater: The Stormwater Department presented a $128 million appropriation from the EPA WIFIA program (at 3.11% interest over 35 years) plus $32.5 million in commercial paper for a 400% increase in CIP delivery. The accompanying HDR contract ($75 million over 5 years) will provide program management and design services. The IBA noted the need for a dedicated funding source to repay the debt, which is expected to reach $30 million annually by 2028. Both items were approved unanimously.
- Item 8: Sidewalk Maintenance Update: The Transportation Department reported an estimated $185 million in sidewalk replacement needs (37,000 locations). Current funding allows for about 800 replacements per year, meaning 20 years to clear the backlog. Options discussed included proactive slicing, reducing permit fees (currently $2,200), and leveraging property owner responsibility. The IBA noted the liability risk from trip-and-fall claims. No action was taken as this was an informational item.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar and Minutes: Approved unanimously.
- Council Policy 800-14 (CIP Prioritization): Approved 3-1, with direction to staff to work with all committee members on amendments before full council.
- Council Policy 000-32 (Neighborhood Input): Approved unanimously with an amendment to clarify the October 1st deadline for public input to be considered for the upcoming fiscal year.
- Street Preservation Ordinance: Referred to full council no earlier than January 30, 2023, with specific staff assignments to update the IBA report, document safety hazards, provide litigation history, and respond to industry concerns.
- FY2023 CIP Mid-Year Budget Report: Approved unanimously.
- WIFIA Loan Appropriation (Item 6): Approved unanimously.
- HDR Engineering Contract (Item 7): Approved unanimously.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for January 25, 2023, at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon and welcome to the special active transportation infrastructure committee meeting of November 16th, 2022 at 1 p.m. Until further notice, our committee meetings will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of California Government Code Section 54953E, added by Assembly Bill 361, which allows the city to use teleconferencing and to provide the public an opportunity to address the city council via a call-in option or an internet-based service option during a proclaimed state of emergency. While the public is allowed to attend the meetings in person, we encourage you to maintain six feet of social distance as well as follow California mask guidelines, where masks are strongly recommended. In addition to being able to attend in person, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the committee liaison will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Additionally, members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or an internet-based service option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. Council President Pro Tem Montgomery Step. Here. And Council Member Campbell. Here. Wonderful, and I am also here. We are in new tenants also attending our meeting today. Um, usually IBA Representative Aaron Noel, but today we have Jordan Moore, who very excited to sub in our city attorney represent, and we wish Aaron feels better soon because we love her. If you are in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the speaker's lecture at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or snark smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, please dial 1669-254-5252. When prompted, input webinar ID 160-556-7518 pound sign. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Tyler, please proceed with any public comment on the committee actions. If you are watching on CTV or the live stream online and would like to call into the meme, please call 1669-254-5252 and when prompted input webinar ID 160556-7518 pound. You may unmute yourself by either selecting the unmute button or by inputting star six. Uh we do not have any speakers in chambers who have submitted uh that they want to speak on this item, but we do have two speakers in the virtual queue who have raised uh their hand for this item. So we will move over to the virtual queue again. This is for uh comments on the minutes of October 12th, 2022. Uh, we will begin with Michael Schmidt. Uh, please unmute yourself is this the um the report of uh about it. Um can I report about area for on the street? Uh that that will be during non-agenda public comment, which will come next, Michael. Oh, the next one? Um, not a problem. Thank you. Uh we will move on to Corona Contreras. Uh you may unmute yourself and begin your comments. Yes, thank you. My name's Karina Contreras. I'm calling in from uh climate action campaign as their transportation policy advocate. Uh I just want to um say that I know that there was a unanimous decision uh to expand SR 56, and I hope that we get more information on this expansion uh in that we uh uh are able to maybe move the goalposts towards really reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing BMT, and uh helping people have more mobility options. Uh if there is to be an HOV lane, there's plenty of lanes, general purpose lanes that can be utilized uh for uh transportation ERT. Um I myself have been in that area and it's extremely difficult. It's basically a transit desert. So if we could have a real focus on giving people uh different mobility options, uh that would be preferred. Thank you. Thank you, Corina. Uh Chair, that will conclude public testimony on the minutes. Thank you very much for everyone calling in about the minutes. Um, we will now vote on the approval of the committee actions of October 12th, 2022. May I have a motion, please? Uh Gable.
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