Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
JULY 18, 2018
Subject
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF REVISED METRO SUBREGIONAL
PLANNING AREA BOUNDARIES FOR THE
LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE the use of the Subregional Boundaries from the Measure M Ordinance as the Metro Subregional Planning Area Boundaries for the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Update to include the following exceptions:
A. Changes to Metro Subregional Planning Area Boundaries for the LRTP Update will not affect previous or future Measure R funding allocations; and
B. Regional facilities will continue to be separate for funding purposes, but will be displayed within the Metro Subregional Planning Area Boundaries for LRTP Update data purposes, including travel demand modeling and census-based population data.
Issue
ISSUE
There have been two significant changes to the subregional planning area boundaries since the 2009 LRTP adoption (original boundaries included in Attachment A). During the Measure M development process, cities were asked to identify the subregion in which they wanted to participate for Multi-year Subregional Program (MSP) funding purposes. As a result, two cities, formerly of the San Gabriel Valley subregion, shifted to Arroyo Verdugo subregion. Additionally, regional facilities, such as airports and ports were removed from subregions to isolate the funding needs of these facilities that have regional significance. Staff recommends formalizing the use of the Measure M subregional boundaries for the LRTP Update (as depicted in Attachment B), as this change had not been formally adopted for LRTP purposes.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
In previous LRTPs, subregional planning areas have been established for plan analysis purposes. These subregions are not intended or required to coincide with any specific subregional agency boundaries. As such, they have always varied from the subregional boundaries used by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) because of differences in how SCAG and Metro conduct transportation planning analyses.
In January 2015, the Board approved an item that assigned major airports and seaports (including LAX, Long Beach Airport, Burbank Bob Hope Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach), and Los Angeles Union Station into a Regional Facilities Planning Area. This was because airport and port facilities projects are “regional” in nature and are not the responsibility of any specific subregion; improvements to these regional facilities benefit the entire county.
During the Measure M development process, cities were able to select which subregions they wanted to participate in as part of the MSP funding. As a result, two cities (Pasadena and South Pasadena) formerly of the San Gabriel Valley subregion opted to participate in the Arroyo Verdugo subregion (as depicted in Attachment C). Because Measure M MSP funds are programmed to the Measure M subregions, aligning those boundaries and LRTP subregional boundaries together allows administrative consistency between the MSP funding framework and the LRTP analytical framework, which facilitates understanding and comparison. While the Measure R Ordinance also programmed funds to Arroyo Verdugo subregion, this action will not change the cities eligible to share in any Measure R subregional funds.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
This Board action will have no adverse impact on safety standards for Metro because it is an administrative change.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact based on this action, as the boundary changes will not result in additional project cost increases. There is also no impact to the FY 19 budget.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
Metro could retain the existing subregions for the LRTP Update, although this could result in a potentially confusing inconsistency by having two sets of subregional boundaries.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will proceed in developing the LRTP Update utilizing the new subregional boundaries.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Subregional Boundaries from 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan
Attachment B - Proposed updated LRTP Subregional Boundaries
Attachment C - Locations of Subregional Boundary Changes
Prepared_by
Prepared by: David Lor, Sr. Planner, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 922-2883
Mark Yamarone, DEO, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 418-3452
Kalieh Honish, EO, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 922-7109
Manjeet Ranu, SEO, Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 418-3157
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Therese W. McMillan, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 922-7077
