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9.A. - Page 4 of 10
<br />Corresponding roles and responsibilities, including a staff group, deputy (management) group,
<br />and executive group with identified individuals. The MOU will also have a matrix specifying parties
<br />responsible for each identified activity, and whether consultation or concurrence is required.
<br />The City will lead the community engagement portion of the project, as well as planning for transportation
<br />activities outside of the public transit services, such as street, bicycle and pedestrian connections, planning
<br />for private shuttles, design and integration of the station with the downtown, and traffic operations in the
<br />project area. Caltrain and SamTrans will lead their respective technical studies to support transit
<br />expansion, including right-of-way needs, station locations, service scenarios, and high-level design for the
<br />station.
<br />While not parties to the agreement, the MOU will identify important partners such as Lowe (Sequoia
<br />Station developer), and the Cross Bay Transit Partners who are leading the Dumbarton Rail Corridor
<br />planning. Staff recommends that Council authorize the City Manager to develop this MOU. Work has
<br />begun on drafting the document which focuses on coordinating efforts and responsibilities amongst the
<br />partner transit agencies. Financial commitments will not be included in the MOU. Staff expects to have
<br />the draft MOU completed and presented to the City Council for execution by the end of March
<br />Sequoia Station - Complementing the City -led process to develop a Transit District, development
<br />representatives for Sequoia Station are requesting a General Plan Amendment Initiation (GPI) to consider
<br />redevelopment of the shopping center into a retail, housing, and office development. This initiation
<br />process allows the City to provide feedback on the developer's initial submittal, including how to shape
<br />the development plans to meet community needs and advance policy goals. This redevelopment proposal
<br />creates a unique opportunity to coordinate transit planning, as the station is currently constrained by the
<br />close proximity of the shopping center (Safeway and CVS buildings) to the railroad tracks.
<br />Future redevelopment could accommodate transit needs, as further defined by the technical studies and
<br />service decisions. It could also advance other City Council priorities such as providing housing for people
<br />of all income levels as well as support Guiding Principles adopted by the City Council including Aesthetics,
<br />Healthy Community for all Ages, Communication and Community Building, Economic Vitality, Public
<br />Safety, and Sustainability. This GPI is tentatively scheduled for City Council consideration on February 24,
<br />2020. If the GPI is approved, an extensive community outreach and study period would begin, which
<br />would be coordinated with the Transit District outreach and studies, including environmental review. The
<br />Sequoia Station developer, Lowe, would be responsible for funding staff and consultant resources to
<br />support this effort.
<br />Community Visioning - The 2011 Downtown Precise Plan was a forward -thinking plan intended to
<br />leverage private investment to meet City policy goals including to revive the downtown area, promote
<br />housing which is affordable to a variety of income groups, preserve historic resources, create a network
<br />of great public open spaces which prioritizes pedestrians and integrates transit and bicycle uses, and
<br />create a strong employment district and entertainment center with "just enough" parking.
<br />Implementation of the Plan coincided with an unanticipated and sustained economic boom in the Bay
<br />Area, and land use development and caps that were expected to last for twenty years were largely
<br />exhausted in five years. The City Council, staff, and the community were surprised by the speed at which
<br />new development occurred. Almost 2,000 housing units were built, creating a new neighborhood district
<br />of residents in the downtown, and 495,508 sq. ft. of net new office development was approved, creating
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