HomeMy WebLinkAboutREOC Item 3 - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum
City of San Luis Obispo
REOC Agenda Correspondence
DATE: March 1, 2023
TO: Revenue Enhancement Oversight Commissioners
FROM: Jennifer Rice, Transportation Planner/Engineer
SUBJECT: ITEM 3: Proposed use Local Revenue Measure unassigned fund
balance for the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway Project
This correspondence is to provide additional project background and context of the scope
of the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway project and to respond to public comments
received.
Overall Scope of the Project
The North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway is a 1.7-mile route prioritizing people walking
and biking. The project is identified as a Tier 1 project in the City’s Active Transportation
Plan and implements the “Anholm Bikeway Plan,” adopted by the City Council in
September 2018. The project also overlaps with projects identified in the Bishop Peak
and Pacheco Elementary Safe Routes to School Plan, adopted by the City Council in
2017. Extensive community-based public engagement during development of this plan
included multiple public meetings, a project website and two community surveys.
The greenway route will begin at Highland Drive and Ferrini Road near California
Polytechnic State University and continue to the intersection of Chorro Street and
Monterey Street in downtown SLO. Project benefits include:
• 1.7 miles of bike and pedestrian pathways
• Two-way and one-way protected bike lanes
• 46 accessible curb ramp upgrades
• High-visibility crosswalk markings
• Safety lighting throughout neighborhoods
• 63 new street trees to advance the City’s sustainability goals and urban canopy
• Improved stormwater management capabilities
• Public art and safety lighting at the U.S. 101/Chorro Street freeway undercrossing
The project supports community safety, protects creeks from pollution, keeps public areas
clean/safe, contributes to the City’s goal to plant 10,000 new trees, and maintains streets,
all of which are appropriate uses of Local Revenue Measure funding.
Insert Report Title Page 2
Increasing Costs of the Project
In the past 5 years, since the adoption of the Anholm Bikeway Plan, the cost estimate for
the project has increased. In general, it should be noted, that planning documents give
high-level cost estimates, which often change once the project scope is refined during the
design phase. The increase in project cost and need for additional funding can be
attributed to a few factors. The first being an expanded project scope from when the
project was originally budgeted, specifically an increase in the total number of pedestrian
curb ramp upgrades, which went from 20 to 46 curb ramps in the final design. Additionally,
a section of Chorro Street between Mill and Palm Street requires reconstruction, including
sidewalk replacement in several locations, as well as replacement of the waterline and
sewer line at this location. Finally, the cost of the public art at the U.S. 101/Chorro Street
undercrossing was greater than originally anticipated. Costs of public art can vary
significantly, and it can be challenging to adequately estimate the cost of a piece based
on early concepts. As this design is now finalized, the costs of the art are known.
Additionally, as noted in the staff report, City construction projects have seen an increase
in construction costs which can be attributed to rising cost of materials and labor of
approximately 30% over the last two calendar years (January 2021- January 2023). Many
of the construction materials required for the project, such as asphalt emulsion for
roadway slurry seal, have increased exponentially due to recent spikes in oil prices. Many
of the bid prices reflected significant increases from comparative bids received for the
most recent curb ramp and paving projects. All three bids received demonstrated a
consistent increase when comparing bid items.
Project Funding Sources
The overall project is planned to be funded with the following sources:
• Local Revenue Measure
• General Fund
• SB1 Gas Tax Funding
• Transportation Impact Fees
• Developer VMT Mitigation Fees
• Sewer and Water Funds (these funds only fund line items specifically related to
the maintenance, installation or replacement of sewer and water systems)
• SLOCOG Safe Routes to School Grant
• Urban Greening Grant
Over half of the project costs will go towards pedestrian improvements, as the need for
these improvements was consistently requested by the neighborhood and is consistent
with the Active Transportation Plan to prioritize pedestrian access on neighborhood
greenways. For reference, the following table is a breakdown of project construction costs
separated out by mode of transportation (this is based on the bid price).
Insert Report Title Page 3
Mode of
Transportation
% of Total
Construction
Cost
Components
Pedestrian 56%
ADA Curb ramps, sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian
lighting, crosswalk beacon systems, portions of
public art & landscaping
Bicycle 31%
Protected bikeways, bikeway striping & pavement
markings, guide signage, bikeway landscaping,
portion of roadway improvements, landscaping and
public art.
Motor Vehicle 13% Roadway improvements, roadway signing & striping
TOTAL: 100%