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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013/04/30-Minutes-Joint Meeting CC w/ FWTA CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 Present: Fort Worth City Council Mayor Betsy Price Council Member Salvador Espino, District 2 Mayor Pro tern W.B. "Zim" Zimmerman, District 3 Council Member Daniel Scarth, District 4 Council Member Frank Moss, District 5 Council Member Jungus Jordan, District 6 Council Member Dennis Shingleton, District 7 Council Member Kelly Allen Gray, District 8 Council Member Joel Bums, District 9 Staff Present: Tom Higgins, City Manager Sarah Fullenwider, City Attorney Fort Worth Transportation Authority Board of Directors Neftali Ortiz Scott Mahaffey Ken Newell Dennis Dunkins Jeff King Carter Burdette Andre McEwing Jeff Davis Absent: Sylvia Cervantes Fort Worth Staff Transportation Authority Board of Directors Staff Present: Richard Ruddell, President/Executive Director Sylvia Hartless, General Counsel CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 PAGE 2 of 7 1. Welcome With a quorum of both bodies present, Mayor Price and Transportation Authority Board Chair Scott Mahaffey called the joint meeting of the Fort Worth City Council and Fort Worth Transportation Authority Board of Directors to order at 2:08 p.m., on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at the Fort Worth Convention Center, Room 200, 1201 Houston Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Mayor Price welcomed everyone to the meeting. She thanked the T Board members for their hard work and commitment in the last 8 weeks. She reiterated that all modes of transportation are important and vital to the City but that the priority was TEX Rail. She expressed optimism regarding funding and the about the ability of the City and the T to deliver the TEX Rail project. T Board Chairman Scott Mahaffey thanked the board and the Council for the hard work and support. He reiterated that the T was a full service transit agency and all aspects of transportation are important. He discussed the massive nature of the TEX Rail project. The T is currently looking for a Rail Executive and will be going through the recruitment process over the next few months. The T still feels that 2016 is a viable date for TEX Rail. The DART-T-Cotton Belt agreement has been approved by the T Board and by DART through the committee of the whole and will go to the full DART Board on May 14`h. The Amtrak and Fort Worth and Western agreements are moving along well. The T expects to have all agreements in place by mid-summer. 2. Presentation and Action on Passenger Rail Priority Plan Councilmember Jungus Jordan presented the "Western Region Passenger Rail Priority Plan". The plan is coming to this meeting as a recommendation of the Passenger Rail Working Group and was prepared by Tom Shelton and Chad Edwards with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). The plan depicts the funded rail improvements priority plan in Mobility 2035 as well as other opportunities for future evaluation. The plan depicts the 10 rail corridors that impact Tarrant County and the ridership numbers. Councilmember Jordan noted that No. 10 on the Fort Worth Passenger Rail Working Group Route Priorities is noted with an asterisk indicating that that route will be developed based on growth in the area. The document also delineated proposed Passenger Rail Working Group Route priorities based on ridership and ownership. In addition Mr. Jordan reiterated the need for a seamless transportation system, utilizing all modes of transportation. CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 PAGE 3 of 7 City of Fort Worth Resolution Adopting the Passenger Rail Priority Plan Motion was made by Councilmember Jordan and second by Councilmember Shingleton to approve City of Fort Worth Resolution 4199-04-2013 adopting the Passenger Rail Priority Plan. There was discussion that the map of the Passenger Rail Working Group Route Priorities did not show a line from downtown, through southeast Fort Worth and on east to Dallas, other than the Mansfield line. Michael Morris, Director of Transportation, NCTCOG, spoke to this item. He confirmed that the Lancaster route under discussion does have the highest ridership and is using Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). In the future there may be a combination of both rail and BRT in this corridor. Mr. Morris suggested that the Mansfield line title be changed to include the Lancaster Corridor. Councilmember Jordan amended his motion with a second by Councilmember Shingleton to approve City of Fort Worth Resolution 4199-04-2013 adopting the Passenger Rail Priority Plan with Item 4 on the Passenger Rail Working Group Route Priorities changed to "Lancaster Corridor/Mansfield Line to be developed". Motion passed 9-0. FW Transportation Authority Resolution Adopting the Passenger Rail Priority Plan - Motion was made by Board member Jeff Davis and second by Board Secretary Andre' McEwing to approve the Fort Worth Transportation Authority Resolution Adopting the Passenger Rail Priority Plan as amended with Item 4 on the Passenger Rail Working Group Route Priorities changed to "Lancaster Corridor/Mansfield Line to be developed". Motion passed 8-0. (Sylvia Cervantes absent) 3. Update on TEX Rail Project Rob Harmon, TEX Rail Officer in Charge,The T presented an update on the TEX Rail Project. He reviewed the 2012 — 2035 Financial Plan including Capital Costs and Revenues for Fiscal 2012 —2035 for TEX Rail and the T's existing systems. He discussed the TEX Rail capital expenditures and the TEX Rail revenue, He noted that TEX Rail revenue includes both Federal and the Non-federal dollars that are committed to TEX Rail as of September 2012. He also outlined the existing systems expenses and revenues. He also reviewed the operating revenues and expenses for TEX Rail and the existing systems. Mr. Harmon noted that the Financial Plan was under review and would be updated by mid-summer. Mr. Hannon then discussed the 9 Working Elements that are leading to TEX Rail Final Design: • Preliminary Engineering Finished with the preliminary engineering. Now in a support role. CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 PAGE 4 of 7 • Environmental process Completed environmental assessment. The first draft of the final environmental impact statement has been submitted to the FTA. FAA and the Texas Historical Commission also review the environmental work. • Design-build Procurement Currently on the street. Technical proposal reviewed in April and are currently reviewing the pricing proposals. The design build contract will go to the T Board in June. • New Starts process Ongoing. Conducted a Value Engineering Workshop in March and are evaluating the recommendations. Held a Risk Assessment workshop and continue to analyze the risks. Working on the financial plan. • Corridor Access agreements Agreements are moving through the process. • Real estate acquisition Significant element of the process. More than 100 parcels to be acquired. Prioritize the parcels that need to be acquired early in the process. • System Safety and Security Second draft submitted to FTA and FRA. Comments have been returned and are being addressed. • DMU Vehicle Procurement RFP on the street in early summer. • Positive Train Control Ongoing project Mr. Han-non reviewed the TEX Rail Project Rating. The project is rated annually. In September 2011 the Overall Project was Medium High. In September 2012 the Overall Project rating was Medium. The T is continuing to monitor the criteria used to rate the TEX Rail project. Next Steps: Approve Design Build Contract (June 2013) Complete the final Environmental Impact Statement (Summer 2013) Vehicle RFP issued (Summer 2013) Finalize Railroad Agreements (Summer 2013) Update the Financial Plan 4. Briefing on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Opportunities Dana Burghdoff, Deputy Director Planning Division, City of Fort Worth, presented an overview of transit oriented development (TOD) in Fort Worth. TOD leverages the public investment in the transportation system. TOD supports ridership on the transit system. It also helps to accommodate growth. Finally it is an easy walk to the transit station. She discussed plans that CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 PAGE 5 of 7 were created in conjunction with The T where they looked at maximizing investment in these areas. She discussed future land plan and how it supports TOD. The implementation comes though zoning. Other ways that TOD could be supported are: recruiting developers that are experienced in TOD; participating in capital improvements that support TOD; land acquisition around stations to support development; Economic Development agreements to support public private partnerships. Ms. Burghdoff discussed the various TOD and zoning around various stations along the TEX Rail line. She then provided specifics about the TCU/Berry Station and surrounding area and the Granbury/1-20 station. 5. Briefing on Potential TOD-Related Tax Revenue Jay Chapa, Director, Housing and Economic Development Department defined what tax increment financing(TIF) is. It is an economic development tool to finance public improvements, enhanced infrastructure within a defined geographic area. Encourages new growth, redevelopment of targeted areas; attracts business and industry to expand to stabilize the tax base. At a minimum the taxing entities that participate still receive tax revenues from the base value. The City currently has 11 TIFs. Currently there are there existing TIFs that have TEX Rail Stations or are adjacent to TEX Rail Stations, Downtown, Lancaster and Southside. Mr. Chapa used the Lancaster TIF as an example of how a TIF works and used assumptions based on the existing Lancaster TIF to extrapolate potential TIF funds that would be generated in the potential TCU/Berry Street TIF and the potential Granbury & 1-20 TIF. Mr. Chapa also discussed how existing TIFs could provide a finding option to help get funding sooner to support debt financing. However, the existing TIFs would need to be modified. Potential Next Steps Review the potential of developing new TIF District's at various station locations to support development Proposals could be expanded to include development of station and rail line as eligible projects Granbury/1-20 and TCU /Berry TIT Districts could be created by the end of the years if directed Additional TIF districts at other station locations could be considered. 6. Briefing on Transit Service from Central City to Alliance Employment Centers Curvie Hawkins, Assistant Vice President of Planning, The T presented the Far North Fort Worth Transit Service Plan. He reviewed 2013 T network with 40 bus routes and THE service. With the opening of TEX Rail 16 new bus routes will be implemented. CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 PAGE 6 of 7 Mr. Hawkins provided detail on the 2013 system in north of Fort Worth, currently there is one bus route that goes north of 820. In 2016 there will be 4 bus routes that go north of 820. Before TEX Rail comes on line a North Park-and-Ride will come on line. It will be located on the southbound service road of 1-35 at Heritage Trace. Construction will start this summer and be operational in Mid-2014. The service plan calls for non-stop service between the Park-and Ride and Downtown Fort Worth. Future bus service between this site and the Alliance area will be developed, as well as, using it as a connecting point for service between Fort Worth and Denton by coordinating with DCTA. Mr. Hawkins discussed the Alliance Service Option. The challenge to service in Alliance is the low density style development makes a fixed-route bus system impractical. The T is proposing a flexible subscription based service using small shuttle buses. A rider will ride the express bus form the ITC to the North Park-and-Ride, there they will board a shuttle bus that they scheduled, to their work site. The return trip would work the same way. Next Steps North Park-and —Ride Begin construction - Summer 2013 Open for set-vice - mid 2014 Alliance Subscription-based bus set-vice Finalize service plan and costing details Identify partnerships& marketing service Implement service, initially from North Park-and Ride Alliance Rail Service Work with the City of Fort Worth on station location identification Identify funding Coordinate with BNSF for future operation. There were two requests for future presentations: The city wide bus network and where any gaps might be The future plans for Bus Rapid Transit CITY OF FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL AND FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOINT MEETING APRIL 30, 2013 PAGE 7 of 7 Adjourn There being no further business, Mayor Price and Chair Mahaffey adjourned the joint meeting at 3:58 p.m. These minutes approved by the Fort Worth City Council on the 14th day of May, 2013. Attest: Approved Mary J. Kays etsy Price City Secretary Mayor