Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MARCH 21, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: RAIL STATION NAMES FOR GOLD LINE FOOTHILL EXTENSION PHASE 2B
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
ADOPT the following Official and Operational station names for five stations that make up the Metro Gold Line Foothill Phase 2B Extension:
Official Stations Name: Operational Station Name:
1. Glendora Glendora
2. San Dimas San Dimas
3. La Verne/Fairplex La Verne/Fairplex
4. Pomona North Pomona North
5. Claremont Claremont
Issue
ISSUE
Since its inception, stations on the Gold Line Foothill Extension Phase 2B have been identified by placeholder names based on city location. Including station names early in the design process is critical for maintaining continuity. Beginning with the original design through Claremont and Montclair, station names appear on many dozens of the design sheets which are used for signage, integration with the Regional Operations Center (ROC), and design of software packages for communications. Station name changes later in the design will cause revision of multiple plan sheets, including revisions in signage, displays at the ROC, and may require reprogramming of audio and changeable message signs. In addition, station names placed in the design become part of the contract documents and bid package. Once contractors have submitted their bids, revisions will generate a change order that could be expensive and impact schedule. With construction progressing, permanent names need to be adopted by the Board to facilitate station signage design and fabrication for the stations in the Cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona and Claremont. The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) will adopt an official and operational name for the station located within the City of Montclair in San Bernardino County.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Property Naming Policy
The recently updated and Metro Board-approved Property Naming (Attachment A) states that rail stations will be named in a simple and straightforward manner to assist customers in navigating the system and the region. The policy indicates that names must be brief enough for quick recognition and retention, and must be based primarily on geographic location, referring to a city name, nearby street or freeway, a well-known destination or landmark, or a community or district name. The policy also states that single names for stations are preferable, and that if multiple names are used, they are to be separated by a slash.
The policy further indicates that properties may have a Board-adopted official name and a shorter operational name; the official name is used in Board documents and legal notices, while the operational name is used more commonly on station signage, maps and customer materials. The policy recommends keeping the length of the operational name to a maximum of 24 characters to ensure readability and compliance with ADA type size requirements.
Community Input
Per the policy, Metro staff implemented a public engagement campaign for the station naming efforts that began in September 2018 and continued through January 2019. The engagement efforts were included as part of the outreach for Metro’s Gold Line Foothill Extension Phase 2B First/Last Mile Pathway Network planning. The Metro team facilitated dialogue with the local community, business and civic leaders as well as residential stakeholders through a series of walk audits, community meetings, focus groups, key stakeholder interviews, and community events reaching nearly 1200 individuals. Through this process, city staff within the Cities of Glendora and San Dimas preferred a slightly different name as noted below. Please see Attachment B for a listing of community engagement activities.
A map of these stations showing the proposed Operational names is included as Attachment C. Table 1 below lists current placeholder names, recommended official/operational names for each station and alternative names for each station (if different).
|
Placeholder Name - Original |
Official/Operational Name - Proposed |
Alternative Name - As Suggested by City Staff |
|
Glendora |
Glendora |
Glendora Village |
|
San Dimas |
San Dimas |
Downtown San Dimas |
|
La Verne |
La Verne/Fairplex |
|
|
Pomona |
Pomona North |
|
|
Claremont |
Claremont |
|
Glendora
This future station is located within the City of Glendora. Through initial consultation with City of Glendora staff, a suggestion was made that Metro consider an alternate official/operational name of “Glendora Village.” In the suggesting the alternate name, city staff wanted to highlight and promote the nearby Village district that is within walking distance from the future station location.
Community feedback, however, indicates that adding Village to the Glendora station name will be confusing to users because “The Village” is a more well-known district within the Claremont station area. Other comments recommended to “keep the name simple.”
The City of Glendora sent Metro a letter in support of the “Glendora” station name. See Attachment D for all letters of support received.
San Dimas
This future station is located within the City of San Dimas. Through meetings and dialogue with city staff, they would like Metro to consider an alternative official/ operational name of “Downtown San Dimas.” In suggesting the name, staff shared that other “San Dimas Stations” already exist within the City: a shopping center, a fire station and police station.
Community feedback, however, indicates that naming the station “San Dimas” for the single station within the city will not cause confusion for Metro users or the general public. Therefore, in keeping with the Station Naming Policy that states that “city name be used - if only one Metro property is located within a city,” Metro staff recommends the shorter name of “San Dimas” to be the official/operational station name.
The City of San Dimas sent Metro a letter in support of naming the station “Downtown San Dimas.”
La Verne/Fairplex
This future station is located within the City of La Verne. However, given that the station will be immediately adjacent to the Fairplex, Metro staff recommends this key destination also be noted in the station name. Additionally, community comments shared that adding “Fairplex” to this station makes sense as many people recognize the Fairplex an important destination within Los Angeles County. Additionally, other comments noted that given the Fairplex property is within the City of Pomona, transit users/general public might board at the Pomona station, rather than at the La Verne station, if the Fairplex is their destination.
The City of La Verne and the Fairplex both sent Metro letters in support of the “La Verne/Fairplex” station name.
Pomona North
This future station is located within the City of Pomona. The official/operational name of “Pomona North” is representative of the current Metrolink Station that will be co-located with the Gold Line Station. Naming the station “Pomona North” will avoid any confusion between the Metrolink and Gold Line services at the joint location.
Further, in October 2018, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), in partnership with Metro and SBCTA, completed a study titled “Los Angeles and San Bernardino Inter-County Transit and Rail Connectivity Study” that identifies two (2) Gold Line Light Rail Transit alternatives (that scored best out of eight alternatives studied) to potentially extend the line to Ontario International Airport. While the Final Report notes the financial constraints of these projects and concedes that neither Metro nor SBCTA can afford the capital costs of these transit projects at this time or in the near-future, it does identify the potential for a future station within the City of Pomona (around the Indian Hill/Holt area). Long-term, should the agencies pursue this feasibility study further, naming the station in Pomona as “Pomona North” allows for other future station names within the City. Please see Attachment E for a map of the proposed LRT Arterial Option.
The City of Pomona sent Metro a letter in support of the “Pomona North” Station name.
Claremont
This future station is located within the City of Claremont. The official/operational name also matches the current Metrolink Station name within the City. No alternate names have been suggested for this station. Therefore, Metro staff recommends “Claremont” as the official/operational name within the City.
The City of Claremont has mailed in a letter in support of the station name.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Adoption of these names does not affect the incidence of injuries or healthful conditions for patrons or employees. Therefore, approval will have no impact on safety.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will result in no financial impact to Metro.
Impact to Budget
Approval of this item will have no impact to Metro’s budget.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The proposed names were developed as the result of community input and are consistent both with Metro’s naming policy and the names of other stations in the system. The Board may elect to substitute one or more of the alternate station names, as shown in Table 1, both of which are also consistent with Metro’s naming policy.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will work with the Gold Line Foothill Construction Authority to ensure that the Board-adopted station names are implemented.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Property Naming Policy
Attachment B - Station Naming Community Outreach Activities
Attachment C - Foothill Gold Line Extension - Glendora to Montclair
Attachment D - Letters of Support
Attachment E - Map of Gold Line LRT Arterial Option
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Glen Becerra, Executive Officer, Marketing, (213) 922-5661
Lilian De Loza-Gutierrez, Local Government Community Relations Officer, (213) 922-7479
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Yvette ZR Rapose, Interim Chief Communications Officer, (213) 418-3154
