TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Steve Powers, City Manager
FROM: Peter Fernandez, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
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Memorandum of Understanding with Salem Area Mass Transit District.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Safe, Reliable, and Efficient Infrastructure; Welcoming and Livable Community.
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ISSUE:
Shall the City Council authorize the City Manager to sign the attached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Salem Area Mass Transit District?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to sign the attached Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Salem Area Mass Transit District.
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SUMMARY:
The recommended MOU (Attachment 1) outlines the expectations of the Salem Area Mass Transit District (SAMTD) and the City concerning coordination of land use, transportation, and transit planning. The MOU addresses implementation, SAMTD Service Guidelines and Service Proposals, and the Transit Core Network (Attachment 2). Specific updates to the MOU include expectations for SAMTD notifying neighborhood property owners when parking is proposed to be removed and adds clarification on the timing of transit input to be considered in making discretionary land use decisions.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
1. The MOU will be considered by the SAMTD Board of Directors on July 23, 2020.
2. The Salem Area Comprehensive Plan establishes a goal to provide a balanced, multimodal transportation system for the Salem Urban Area that supports the safe and efficient movement of goods and people.
3. The Salem Transportation System Plan, Transit System Element, establishes the goal to have a public mass transit system that provides convenient and accessible transit services to the citizens of the Salem Urban Area.
4. The 2019 Salem Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory concluded that 53 percent of Salem’s greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to mobile sources. Increasing the percentage of trips that use public transportation is one means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Transit services rely on the City network of streets and sidewalks, including the ability to access the curb for loading and unloading passengers.
6. The location of transit stops impacts the use of the curb zone and on-street parking.
7. City land use policies and development standards impact the effectiveness of transit operations by influencing the location and density of jobs and housing and accessibility to transit.
BACKGROUND:
The City and SAMTD entered into an MOU in 2009. City Council in December 2018, at the recommendation of the City Council Public Transit Committee, directed staff to work with SAMTD to update the 2009 MOU to develop a common understanding of how the City and SAMTD can continue to improve working relationships.
Staff from the City and SAMTD have initiated discussions to update a separate agreement that covers coordination in the event of emergencies.
The Salem Area Mass Transit District (SAMTD) operates mass transit service, referred to as Cherriots, within the Salem-Keizer Urban Growth Boundary. The City of Salem supports transit service through land use policies, development regulations, and the operation and maintenance of the street and sidewalk network.
Robert D. Chandler, PhD, PE
Assistant Public Works Director
Attachments:
1. Memorandum of Understanding 2020
2. Transit Core Network