Title
Authorizing the Department of Planning and Economic Development to submit the Streetcar Feasibility Study Grant application.
Body
WHEREAS, the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation (TCSP) Program is a Federal Highway Administration Program being jointly developed with the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Rail Administration, the US Department of Transportation, and the US Environmental Protection Agency; and
WHEREAS, the TCSP program provides funding for a comprehensive initiative including planning grants, implementation grants, and research to investigate and address the relationships among transportation, community, and system preservation plans and practices and identify private sector-based initiatives to improve those relationship; and
WHEREAS, the local governments are eligible for TCSP Program discretionary grants to plan strategies which improve the efficiency of the transportation system, reduce environmental impacts of transportation, reduce the need for costly future public infrastructure investments, ensure efficient access to jobs, services and centers of trade, and identify strategies to encourage private sector development patterns which achieve these goals; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan recommends that the City study and implement possible corridors for new bus rapid transit, LRT, streetcars, or commuter rail lines serving Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan specifically recommends the City study the feasibility and possible location of new streetcar lines, as well as explore the use of neighborhood circulators to serve gaps in neighborhood connectivity; and
WHEREAS, the $200,000 federal grant would fund planning to explore the feasibility of a modern streetcar network, and will develop a set of prioritized streetcar investments that are physically feasible and offer the greatest potential for improving local circulation, supporting economic development, and complementing existing and planned regional transportation systems; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Saint Paul Streetcar Feasibility Plan is eligible and competitive for the grant program; and
WHEREAS, the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative has committed to provide $16,500 of local funds should the plan be funded through a TCSP grant;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council has reviewed the planning grant application, and approves its submission to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration for review under the TCSP program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Saint Paul is committed to provide $17,000 of local match for the project should the plan be funded through a TCSP grant, and will continue to work with local partners to secure the remainder of the required match; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that City of Saint Paul designates the Director of the Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED) to enter into agreement with MnDOT and/or the Federal government for the above-referenced grants, and certifies compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in all contract agreements.