TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer, Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Graham Wadsworth, P. E., Engineering Supervisor
SUBJECT: Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program Grant for the Napa Valley Vine Trail - Yountville through St. Helena Project, RDS 23-19.
RECOMMENDATION
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Authorize submission of an application for an Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) Grant; approve a Budget Amendment of $178,170; and approve and authorize Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 240200B with Kimley-Horn to provide consultant services to prepare an environmental impact report for the Napa Valley Vine Trail (NVVT) segment from Yountville through St. Helena. (Fiscal Impact: $178,170 Expense; Accumulated Capital Outlay (ACO); Not Budgeted; Discretionary).
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
The proposed project (Project) is to construct the NVVT adjacent to Highway 29 between Madison Street at the north end of Yountville and Pratt Avenue at the north end of St. Helena. The Project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance accessibility and connectivity by promoting the use of transit, biking, and walking. The Project would also provide safe routes to schools, jobs, services, and recreation.
Approximately eight of the ten miles of the proposed NVVT are in the unincorporated County, with the remaining sections within the City of St. Helena and Town of Yountville. There is an alternative to continue the NVVT on the west side of Highway 29 between Madison Street and California Drive.
On November 7, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved agreement 240200B with Kimley- Horn to complete the Project Initiation Document (PID) and Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) Phases of the Project (Tasks 1 through 7). On January 9, the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. 240200B with Kimley-Horn to create right of way plat maps showing necessary easements for the Project (part of Task 9). On April 9, 2024, the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to support preparing a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant application, collect bicycle and pedestrian counts for grant applications, value engineer the cost estimate, perform additional utility mapping, and prepare alternatives exhibits for use in discussions with property owners along the Vine Trail.
Based on the 35% design estimate, the total project cost could be $60 million. Kimley-Horn’s value engineering subconsultant reviewed the 35% design, made a site visit, and identified approximately $10 million in potential cost reductions. County and Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition (NVVTC) staff are reviewing the recommendations and will present the results of the cost review, as well as an overview of the various route options, at a future Board of Supervisors Meeting.
On September 12, 2023, the Board approved applying for the Active Transportation Program (ATP) Grant and committed $5 million for the construction of the Project. The NVVTC committed $5 million and the City of St. Helena verbally committed $900,000. With the federal grants, Napa County, the NVVTC, and the City of St. Helena are required to provide a “local match” of at least 20% of the Project budget.
The U. S. Department of Transportation has ATIIP Grant funding to connect communities, and the County is eligible to apply for funding to implement the Project. To help fund the Project, the NVVTC and County staff recommend applying for the maximum $12 million per project in ATIIP Grant funding. The 20% local share would be $3 million. The ATIIP Grant application is due June 17, and Kimley-Horn, NVVTC, and County staff have been working to complete as much of the environmental, design, and right-of-way acquisition work as possible to have a more competitive ATIIP Grant application.
In February and March, the Napa NVVTC, Kimley-Horn, and County staff met with people who own property along Highway 29 between Madison Street and Oakville Cross Road regarding the alignment of the path in the Napa Valley Wine Train right-of-way. Because there are numerous parcels and property owners involved with the Project, NVVTC and County staff recommend that an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) be prepared to ensure all public input is obtained, and that all reasonable project alignments are fully studied, and any potential impacts disclosed. County staff recommends authorization of the contract amendment such that Kimley-Horn can prepare the EIR. Preparing an EIR is not included in the current scope of services with Kimley-Horn; therefore, staff requested an amendment proposal from Kimley-Horn that is attached to Amendment 3.
One of the first steps of preparing an EIR is developing a project description, which will describe the various possible routes, and the distribution of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) to the public, in order to obtain initial feedback on the project and confirm the areas of potential impact to be studied by the EIR. The NOP process allows for written input, and also includes a County run public meeting to obtain this community input.
Recommended Action:
1. Authorize submission of an application for a ATIIP Grant;
2. Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Amendment 3 to Agreement 240200B; and
3. Approve a budget amendment for the following (4/5 vote required)
a. Increase Transfer Out appropriations by $178,170 in the Accumulated Capital Outlay (ACO) budget (Fund 3000, Sub-Division 3000000, Account 56100) offset by use of its available fund balance to be transferred to Project 24012
b. Increase Consulting Services appropriations by $178,170 in Project 24012 (Fund 2040, Sub-Division 2040500, Account 52310) budget offset by transfer in revenue from the ACO budget.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Authorizing staff to apply for ATIIP grant funding could provide more funding to construct the Project in 2026. Approving the amendment would authorize Kimley-Horn staff to prepare an environmental impact report. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
The services provided with Amendment 3 will continue in fiscal year 2024-25. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The County will not apply for the ATIIP grant and Kimley-Horn would not prepare an environmental impact report. |
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Additional Information |
In 2022, Congressman Thompson included $4 million of Community Project Funding (CPF) in the federal fiscal year 2023- 2024 Budget to complete the planning, engineering, and environmental work for the Project. On November 7, 2023, the Board approved a budget amendment to transfer $2.5 million from the Accumulated Capital Outlay (ACO) budget (Fund 3000, Sub-Division 3000000) to Project 24012 (Fund 2040, Sub-Division 2040500, Account 52310). The ACO will be reimbursed in full as CPF funding is received. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable. The proposed action merely approves applying for funding and approved entering into agreement to conduct environmental review for a potential future trail, which will only be constructed if funding is available, full CEQA review is conducted, and the trail is approved by all required public agencies. The County has not committed to approving this section of the Vine Trail or any potential Vine Trail alignment, or any other specific project that may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment.
The County would be responsible for preparing and adopting a CEQA document for the construction, such as a mitigated negative declaration or an environmental impact report, for this segment of the Napa Valley Vine Trail Project.