>From: sealnbear@aol.com
>To: sealnbear@aol.com
>Subject: FoGL Update: Meeting tomorrow night to develop a Redondo Beach transit hub
>Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:45:20 -0400

Hello, everyone! Thanks to FoGL member Tony Czuleger for alerting us to this Redondo Beach city Council meeting, which will discuss the possibility of a South Bay Galleria Transit Hub expansion with federal funds (see Daily Breeze article below). The agenda is long, but if those wishing to attend early want to speak on this issue wish to do so, then please contact Redondo Beach Councilman Diels at SDiels@aamcom.com for your input, or arrive early, let him know you want to speak, and hopefully you can be accommodated first in ordering the agenda:

REDONDO BEACH CITY COUNCIL

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2007 – 6:30 P.M.

REDONDO BEACH CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
415 DIAMOND STREET



Here is my own comments, since I cannot attend:

To the Redondo Beach City Council:

I appreciate all your past and ongoing work on trying to give South Bay commuters a link to a growing countywide mass transit network (despite all the hurdles and aggravation, it's getting bigger). South Bay taxpayers and commuters deserve their fair share of federal, state and county tax dollars, and this undertaking is a good investment in the economic future and quality of life for South Bay residents.

I personally would love to see the South Bay Galleria Mall transit hub linked with an extended Green Line and a Harbor Subdivision Right of Way Metrolink service that connects the South Bay to the rest of the county. It would probably also enhance the economic viability of the region.

Clearly, we're years away from a true rail/bus hub at the Galleria Mall to serve the South Bay...but local efforts to prepare for such a vital hub will enhance grassroots and political efforts to create one in the future.

If Santa Monica can purchase land and develop it in line for the future Expo Line, then I am hoping that Redondo Beach can do the same with respect to future rail/bus lines.

Ken Alpern
Co-Chair, Friends of the Green Line
www.fogl.us





Today is Monday, August 06, 2007
Originally published Monday, August 06, 2007
Updated Monday, August 06, 2007




Daily Breeze





Redondo Beach council faces transit center deadline





City leaders must rule soon on the use of federal money for a bus and train hub near the South Bay Galleria. A decision is expected Tuesday.
By Kristin S. Agostoni
Staff Writer


Redondo Beach leaders this week could decide to hold off on a plan to spend federal transportation money on a transit hub near the South Bay Galleria.

The City Council is pressed to make a decision Tuesday night because time is running out on the first of three sizable grants Redondo initially sought as part of a waterfront redevelopment project.



When that effort fizzled, staff members shifted focus to a 5.3-acre city-owned site at 1521 Kingsdale Ave. - property close to the mall's existing bus depot and adjacent to a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way.

Renderings show the Kingsdale land - purchased in 2004 for a public works yard - could hold a kiss-and-ride lot, more parking spaces and 14 bus bays to alleviate congestion from the nearby Galleria terminal.



And mass transit advocates are hopeful its location near an existing freight line could someday mean servicing a new passenger train. An initial study by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency indicated that mass transit service on the BNSF line is feasible, although it would require further analysis, funding and a spot in the agency's long-range plan, said Alan Patashnick, director of the MTA's South Bay Area Team.



But Redondo Beach staff members are reluctant to suggest the council push forward with a new Galleria-area transit center - in part because of the financial unknowns but also because the land could provide flexibility for future mall expansion plans.
The Galleria provides Redondo Beach with a healthy revenue stream, bringing in about 35 percent of its annual sales taxes.
Futhermore, staff members question whether the city would be able to recover the $4.7 million it shelled out for the land.

Last month, staff members suggested the council return some $2.2 million in transit center earmarks, explaining it wasn't the time for the city to commit to the site.

But that idea didn't sit well with most of the councilmen.
In the latest proposal, Assistant City Manager David Biggs suggests the city pursue talks with federal representatives in hopes of getting at least some of the grant money reappropriated for other transit projects.
Biggs declined to say what other ideas are on the table, but he said the compromise could still leave a good bit of money for a transit center if the city decides to build one.

"That buys us some time," he said.
But the federal budget calendar ends Sept. 30, which also leaves the city with a tight time frame to request that the money be reappropriated.

The funding in question came in three chunks, with the earliest piece tied to a Sept. 30 deadline. By that point, Redondo would have to have moved the project into the design phase.
The so-called earmarks can only be used for specific projects. The city got one in 2002 for nearly $492,000, followed by grants in 2003 for roughly $777,000 and 2004 for $972,000.

Mayor Mike Gin seemed inclined to find other ways to spend at least the first grant that expires this fall but said he didn't want to abandon the idea altogether.

"I think right now designating it for a transit center could be premature," Gin said, "but I think the option needs to remain on the table."

Councilman Chris Cagle argued that the council never fully vetted the depot issue after the city dropped plans to build it near the waterfront.

"I think step one is to get the council to say that's where we want it," Cagle said. "Nobody even really understands what the impacts will be for it there."

But Councilman Steve Diels, whose district includes the Galleria, said Redondo Beach would only benefit by pressing forward with design plans.

He said he'd prefer the city pursue an extension to use the grant money for a transit hub, rather than talk about putting it to other projects.

When the existing depot gets busy, buses idle behind the mall and spill onto surrounding streets, Diels said.

"I have no doubt that the potential for a center in that area could have extremely high returns to the city," he said. "That's what doing a design and economic study would prove."

Although it remains to be seen how the council will vote, Diels lost two outspoken mass-transit allies when John Parsons retired after two terms and Don Szerlip lost his District 3 seat to Councilman Pat Aust.

Both turned out last month and urged the council to push forward with a new transit center.
Parsons maintains the city would show leadership by building a new hub near the busy Galleria and the existing train tracks. He hopes the rail line that lost the bulk of its traffic to the 5-year-old Alameda Corridor could one day serve South Bay passenger trains.

"I think one of the unique opportunities that this line provides is it crosses many jurisdictional boundaries," Parsons said.

"We shouldn't give up this opportunity."
kristin.agostoni@dailybreeze.com


To the Redondo Beach City Council:

I appreciate all your past and ongoing work on trying to give South Bay commuters a link to a growing countywide mass transit network (despite all the hurdles and aggravation, it's getting bigger). South Bay taxpayers and commuters deserve their fair share of federal, state and county tax dollars, and this undertaking is a good investment in the economic future and quality of life for South Bay residents.
I personally would love to see the South Bay Galleria Mall transit hub linked with an extended Green Line and a Harbor Subdivision Right of Way Metrolink service that connects the South Bay to the rest of the county. It would probably also enhance the economic viability of the region.

REDONDO BEACH CITY COUNCIL

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2007 – 6:30 P.M.

REDONDO BEACH CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
415 DIAMOND STREET

Here is my own comments, since I cannot attend:

To the Redondo Beach City Council:

I appreciate all your past and ongoing work on trying to give South Bay commuters a link to a growing countywide mass transit network (despite all the hurdles and aggravation, it's getting bigger). South Bay taxpayers and commuters deserve their fair share of federal, state and county tax dollars, and this undertaking is a good investment in the economic future and quality of life for South Bay residents.

I personally would love to see the South Bay Galleria Mall transit hub linked with an extended Green Line and a Harbor Subdivision Right of Way Metrolink service that connects the South Bay to the rest of the county. It would probably also enhance the economic viability of the region.

Clearly, we're years away from a true rail/bus hub at the Galleria Mall to serve the South Bay...but local efforts to prepare for such a vital hub will enhance grassroots and political efforts to create one in the future.

If Santa Monica can purchase land and develop it in line for the future Expo Line, then I am hoping that Redondo Beach can do the same with respect to future rail/bus lines.

Ken Alpern
Co-Chair, Friends of the Green Line
www.fogl.us


Today is Monday, August 06, 2007
Originally published Monday, August 06, 2007
Updated Monday, August 06, 2007

Daily Breeze

Redondo Beach council faces transit center deadline


City leaders must rule soon on the use of federal money for a bus and train hub near the South Bay Galleria. A decision is expected Tuesday.
By Kristin S. Agostoni
Staff Writer

Redondo Beach leaders this week could decide to hold off on a plan to spend federal transportation money on a transit hub near the South Bay Galleria.

The City Council is pressed to make a decision Tuesday night because time is running out on the first of three sizable grants Redondo initially sought as part of a waterfront redevelopment project.



When that effort fizzled, staff members shifted focus to a 5.3-acre city-owned site at 1521 Kingsdale Ave. - property close to the mall's existing bus depot and adjacent to a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way.

Renderings show the Kingsdale land - purchased in 2004 for a public works yard - could hold a kiss-and-ride lot, more parking spaces and 14 bus bays to alleviate congestion from the nearby Galleria terminal.



And mass transit advocates are hopeful its location near an existing freight line could someday mean servicing a new passenger train. An initial study by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency indicated that mass transit service on the BNSF line is feasible, although it would require further analysis, funding and a spot in the agency's long-range plan, said Alan Patashnick, director of the MTA's South Bay Area Team.



But Redondo Beach staff members are reluctant to suggest the council push forward with a new Galleria-area transit center - in part because of the financial unknowns but also because the land could provide flexibility for future mall expansion plans.



The Galleria provides Redondo Beach with a healthy revenue stream, bringing in about 35 percent of its annual sales taxes.

Futhermore, staff members question whether the city would be able to recover the $4.7 million it shelled out for the land.

Last month, staff members suggested the council return some $2.2 million in transit center earmarks, explaining it wasn't the time for the city to commit to the site.

But that idea didn't sit well with most of the councilmen.



In the latest proposal, Assistant City Manager David Biggs suggests the city pursue talks with federal representatives in hopes of getting at least some of the grant money reappropriated for other transit projects.


Biggs declined to say what other ideas are on the table, but he said the compromise could still leave a good bit of money for a transit center if the city decides to build one.

"That buys us some time," he said.

But the federal budget calendar ends Sept. 30, which also leaves the city with a tight time frame to request that the money be reappropriated.

The funding in question came in three chunks, with the earliest piece tied to a Sept. 30 deadline. By that point, Redondo would have to have moved the project into the design phase.


The so-called earmarks can only be used for specific projects. The city got one in 2002 for nearly $492,000, followed by grants in 2003 for roughly $777,000 and 2004 for $972,000.

Mayor Mike Gin seemed inclined to find other ways to spend at least the first grant that expires this fall but said he didn't want to abandon the idea altogether.

"I think right now designating it for a transit center could be premature," Gin said, "but I think the option needs to remain on the table."

Councilman Chris Cagle argued that the council never fully vetted the depot issue after the city dropped plans to build it near the waterfront.

"I think step one is to get the council to say that's where we want it," Cagle said. "Nobody even really understands what the impacts will be for it there."

But Councilman Steve Diels, whose district includes the Galleria, said Redondo Beach would only benefit by pressing forward with design plans.

He said he'd prefer the city pursue an extension to use the grant money for a transit hub, rather than talk about putting it to other projects.


When the existing depot gets busy, buses idle behind the mall and spill onto surrounding streets, Diels said.

"I have no doubt that the potential for a center in that area could have extremely high returns to the city," he said. "That's what doing a design and economic study would prove."

Although it remains to be seen how the council will vote, Diels lost two outspoken mass-transit allies when John Parsons retired after two terms and Don Szerlip lost his District 3 seat to Councilman Pat Aust.

Both turned out last month and urged the council to push forward with a new transit center.

Parsons maintains the city would show leadership by building a new hub near the busy Galleria and the existing train tracks. He hopes the rail line that lost the bulk of its traffic to the 5-year-old Alameda Corridor could one day serve South Bay passenger trains.

"I think one of the unique opportunities that this line provides is it crosses many jurisdictional boundaries," Parsons said.

"We shouldn't give up this opportunity."