The San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) was awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation Transportation Investment Economic Generating Recovery (TIGER) II Planning Grant in the amount of $1,097,240 to fund the Grand Boulevard Initiative: Removing Barriers to Sustainable Communities project. Under this grant, concrete strategies were developed for removing barriers to implementation of the Grand Boulevard Initiative Vision. The TIGER II grant funded three distinct, but interrelated, projects that effectively address key challenges facing the corridor.
- Designing El Camino Real as a Complete Street (TIGER II Complete Streets Project) –
California State Route 82, El Camino Real/Mission Street, is seen by local communities as a barrier to livability and walkbility, rather than a community asset. The TIGER II Complete Streets Project seeks to overcome this situation by facilitating the re-design of the roadway to integrate sustainable development and encourage pedestrians, transit, and investment in the El Camino Real Corridor. The concept of transforming a State Highway into a complete, sustainable street is relatively new, and the TIGER II Complete Streets Project breaks ground for future street design improvements on urban highway corridors. The TIGER II Complete Streets Project focused on preliminary designs for four innovative case study segments on the El Camino Real Corridor in Daly City, South San Francisco, San Bruno, and San Carlos. These segments are intended to serve as models for future Corridor improvements and for other urban transportation corridors across the nation. The Project goals are to: 1) test the complete streets and sustainable streets design process on an urban State Highway, 2) explore issues and challenges relevant to multimodal and sustainable design, and 3) identify lessons learned as to how the design process can be improved for future project in other jurisdictions. Click here to learn more about the TIGER II Complete Streets Project.
- Economic & Housing Opportunities Assessment (ECHO) Phase II –
The purpose of the Economic & Housing Opportunities Assessment (ECHO) is to examine the potential to transform El Camino Real into a vibrant, multimodal corridor through better integration of land use and transportation. ECHO Phase I, completed in December 2010, examined market trends and demonstrated the Corridor’s capacity to accommodate job/housing increases and estimated the economic benefits of infill development. ECHO Phase II addresses development scenarios and potential barriers, assesses urban design strategies to achieve revitalization and redevelopment, and analyzes multimodal access and circulation. ECHO Phase II encompasses four case studies to create a common understanding of the effects of development patterns and streetscape enhancements within the El Camino Real Corridor. Incorporating the findings from the case studies, ECHO Phase II describes the challenges to implementing the Grand Boulevard Initiative Vision and synthesizes the implementation strategies into a toolkit aimed at helping all Grand Boulevard Initiative cities move forward with infill development in the Corridor. Click here to learn more about ECHO Phase II.
- Infrastructure Needs Assessment and Financing Strategy -
The Infrastructure Needs Assessment and Financing Strategy evaluates the level of readiness of infrastructure in the El Camino Real Corridor to accommodate future transit-supportive development that is consistent with anticipated growth projections, local plans, policies, and the Grand Boulevard Initiative Guiding Principles. The study also identifies funding and financing sources to make the infrastructure improvements necessary to ultimately accommodate the desired density and intensification in the Corridor and implement the Grand Boulevard Initiative Vision. The study examines a range of utilities - water, sanitary sewer, electricity, and natural gas - as well as roadways, to gauge the level to which municipalities and other public agencies might need to invest in the Corridor's infrastructure. The study is innovative as it is Corridor-based, covering 43 miles in 20 distinct communities. Consequently, the analysis was developed at a conceptual level. The best use of the study is to consider the magnitude of infrastructure strategies that Grand Boulevard Initiative members can pursue, eitehr individually or collectively, to prepare for and accommodate growth in their community along the Corridor. Click here to learn more about Infrastructure & Financing.
The Grand Boulevard Initiative: Remvoing Barriers to Sustainable Communities Project was funded by the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II Planning Grant and funding support from the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County, the San Mateo County Transit District, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority on behalf of the members of the Grand Boulevard Initiative. This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Transit Administration under Cooperative Agreement No. CA-79-1000. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view the view of the Federal Transit Administration.