Transportation and Environment Committee Meeting – June 2, 2025

The Transportation and Environment Committee of the City of San José met on June 2, 2025, to discuss four major agenda items: the Community Forest Management Plan and Urban Forestry Annual Report, the Move San José Plan Annual Report, the At-Grade Station Alternative and Diridon Program, and the Environmental and Utility Services and Transportation and Aviation Services City Service Areas Performance Modernization Status Report. All four reports were accepted unanimously by the committee, with a 3-0 vote on each. The meeting also featured public comments on transportation equity, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and the Diridon Station project.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ian Ferris, representing the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, expressed support for the Move San José Plan and urged the city to fund Vision Zero, the annual bikeways program, Better Bike Plan 2025, transit-first policies, and programs that maintain bikeways and pedestrian safety accommodations. They stated these programs are critical to achieving Move San José's aggressive climate goals and enabling safe walking, wheelchair use, and biking for all ages and abilities.
• Jordan Moldow (District 3, speaking for themselves) expressed disappointment that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is increasing and called for more aggressive prioritization of transportation projects and funding to reduce VMT. He suggested the city should review roadway classifications during the four-year general plan update to designate more transit-priority and bicycle-priority streets, implement more bus-only lanes, and address monetary incentives that favor driving over transit and bike share.
• Anne Ferris (again, representing the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee) supported the Diridon Station plan, requesting that key elements such as bike lanes, a shared-use path, and bicycle parking facilities remain in the project. They also asked that the Reimagined Santa Clara Street Initiative be coordinated with VTA and that the station be built for people, not cars, to support mode shift and climate goals.
• A speaker (self-identified as a user of the Diridon Station) expressed concern about the seamlessness of transfers between different modes of transportation, stating the current layout scatters modes. They argued that an elevated alternative existed between the high-speed rail viaduct and the at-grade option but was not properly considered. They indicated they would raise the issue at the Caltrain Board meeting.
• Another speaker expressed excitement for the Diridon Station project, preferring the at-grade design for its lower cost, shorter construction timeline, and better view of the historic station. They asked about the transition period when light rail tracks might not be available at Diridon and requested improvements for pedestrian crossings between westbound buses and the station.
• Jordan Moldow (District 3, speaking for himself during Open Forum) encouraged attendance at Viva Calle on Sunday, June 8, and urged the committee to continue receiving Move San José and climate reports frequently—at least annually, and ideally every six to eight months. He suggested combining these reports into a single presentation.
• A speaker (name not stated) raised concerns about trash accumulation, particularly in East Side San José (Districts 4 and 5), and advocated for an "adopt-a-street" program, more investment in environmental cleanup agencies, and restrictions on leaf blowers that spread trash.

Discussion Items

Community Forest Management Plan and Urban Forestry Annual Report

• Staff presented updates on the Community Forest Management Plan (CFMP), adopted in February 2022. Key progress includes planting 2,500 trees in the last fiscal year (goal of 2,000 per year) and pruning about 3,000 public trees. A 12-year pruning cycle has been established.
• A $5.6 million federal grant from the Inflation Reduction Act (via the U.S. Forest Service) to prune 5,000 trees and plant 2,800 trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods has been frozen. Parks and Recreation received a $1 million grant for projects in Alum Rock and Overfelt, but that grant was canceled. AmeriCorps funds were also canceled, potentially reducing the labor force for forestry work.
• An invasive pest complex—invasive shot hole borer and fusarium dieback—was detected in 2023. It could affect about 15% of all street trees, potentially costing residents roughly $20 million in total for tree care. The city has surveyed 50,000 street trees, mapped about 1,400 low-infestation trees (requiring monitoring), 53 moderate-infestation trees (requiring trunk injection treatment every three years), and six high-infestation trees (scheduled for removal). The city is offering free permits for removal but property owners bear removal costs, with financial hardship assistance available.
• Majority of infestations are in Council District 3 along Coyote Creek. The city has conducted outreach through 22 events, reaching over 550 residents, and mailed postcards to 24,000 residents in affected areas.
• City staff are exploring new partnerships and creative funding sources, including working with CalFire, American Forests, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and the Arbor Day Foundation, and using special environmental project funds.
• Discussion included the relationship between ADA ramp construction and tree preservation, tree planting in underserved areas (particularly East San José), and the challenge of spending down developer mitigation fees due to limited city-owned planting locations. The free tree program is being explored to address this.

Move San José Plan Annual Report

• Staff presented the Move San José Plan annual report, adopted August 2022. The plan uses a Decision Support System 2.0 to prioritize over 400 projects based on big data on travel behaviors, traffic trends, and geographic disparities.
• Key performance indicators include: pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and severe injuries (stable but requiring more work), pedestrian stress (higher in equity priority communities in Districts 6 and 9), electric vehicle adoption rate (currently 6%, need 80-90% to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030), vehicle miles traveled per capita (increased over recent years), and transit accessibility (only one-third of jobs reachable by 30-minute transit trip compared to driving; low-income residents spend 14% of income on transportation vs. 10% citywide average).
• Projects rising to the top include the Story-Willow-Keys corridor (transforming a car-centric corridor into a multimodal route), neighborhood safety projects (Mount Pleasant and San Antonio), and bike-share expansion in District 3.
• Public comment highlighted the need to fund programs like Vision Zero and bikeway maintenance, and to address incentives that favor driving over transit and bike share.
• Discussion included how the city communicates progress to residents, the importance of integrating transportation and land use in the upcoming general plan update, and the potential to reduce stigma around transit use.

At-Grade Station Alternative and Diridon Program

• Staff presented the recommendation from the Diridon Station Steering Committee (May 21, 2025) to accept the At-Grade Station Alternative and a program of projects for environmental review. The at-grade alternative preserves tracks at grade and builds the station underneath; it was chosen over an elevated alternative due to the elevated option's inability to access the Caltrain maintenance facility (CMOF), which would add years and potentially billions in cost.
• The at-grade alternative is estimated to take less time and cost less, reduces encroachment on PG&E land and neighborhoods, and preserves the historic station by building a level underneath it.
• The program of projects includes: West Virginia Street closure at the rail crossing with a new pedestrian and bike undercrossing, Auzerais Avenue grade separation, San Carlos Street bridge replacement, Park Avenue reconfiguration, Stockton Avenue/Alameda reconfiguration, and noise/sound barriers at select crossings.
• Next steps: environmental consultant selection and award, community engagement, construction impact strategies and phasing, and project delivery method determination (design-bid-build or alternative). The report will be cross-referenced to the June 10, 2025 City Council meeting.
• Public comment emphasized ensuring bike lanes, shared-use paths, bicycle parking, and seamless multimodal transfers. One speaker criticized the at-grade design for scattering modes and suggested an alternative half-elevated approach. Another expressed excitement and asked about the transition plan for light rail during construction.

Environmental and Utility Services and Transportation and Aviation Services City Service Areas Performance Modernization Status Report

• Staff presented updates to the performance measures for the two CSAs under the committee's purview. The initiative aims to align the city's performance-based budget (required by City Council Policy 1-1-8) with meaningful outcome and performance measures.
• For Environmental and Utility Services CSA (serving ~340,000 residences, customers save over $40 million vs. PG&E), new community indicators include tapwater resident perception, average cooling/heating degree days, greenhouse gas emissions, and electric vehicle adoption. Performance measures include customer energy savings, landfill waste diversion, and sanitary sewer overflows.
• For Transportation and Aviation Services CSA (over 160,000 airplane takeoffs/landings, over 3,400 pothole repairs), new community indicators include vehicle miles traveled, additional time for transit vs. private vehicle, and traffic fatalities and injuries. Performance measures include bike network completion rate, pavement condition index, and passenger perception of airport satisfaction.
• The updated structures will be incorporated into the proposed operating budget. Staff indicated that focus area scorecards will be brought to committees on a quarterly or biannual basis.

Key Outcomes

• Community Forest Management Plan and Urban Forestry Annual Report: Accepted (3-0). Staff will continue to implement the CFMP, address the invasive pest complex, seek alternative funding sources, and explore a free tree program.
• Move San José Plan Annual Report: Accepted (3-0). Staff will continue to refine the Decision Support System 2.0, prioritize projects based on metrics, and develop a public-facing version of the tool. The report will inform the general plan four-year review.
• At-Grade Station Alternative and Diridon Program: Accepted (3-0) and referred to the June 10, 2025 City Council meeting. Staff will proceed with environmental review, community engagement, and consultant procurement.
• Environmental and Utility Services and Transportation and Aviation Services CSAs Performance Modernization Status Report: Accepted (3-0). The updated measures will be included in the operating budget, and focus area scorecards will be presented to committees regularly.