BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:
Title
Policy Framework and Outreach Plan for Use of Santa Clara Valley Water District Property for Trails.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Review and provide input on the proposed trails policy framework and direct staff to proceed with the proposed public outreach plan.
Body
SUMMARY:
Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) policies provide for trails and other recreational uses of its lands that are compatible with its water supply, flood protection, and environmental stewardship mission, and do not unduly impact operations. In practice, it is often challenging for proposed trails to meet these objectives. At the same time, the Board wishes to promote trails and access to open space; in FY2017-2018, the Board Strategic Challenges Report recognized that “current Board Policy does not adequately express Board’s full support of trails.” Finally, public interest both for and against trails is high, resulting in the need for clear policy objectives. At this time, specific trails projects are not being recommended for approval nor will action be taken by the Board on any policy item.
Trails Policy Framework
New Board and/or administrative policy may be necessary to ensure compatibility between Valley Water’s objectives of promoting trails, protecting the environment, and providing for flood protection and a reliable water supply. A new Trails Policy (Board policy) would provide compatibility criteria for trails proposed on Valley Water lands. To supplement the Trails Policy, a Trails Toolkit (administrative policy) would clarify Valley Water’s interests in trail design, construction, and maintenance standards. A Trails Toolkit would provide objective guidance for trails projects to meet the compatibility criteria.
Public Outreach Plan
Broad community input is critical to create an effective trails policy. To ensure balanced yet productive input, staff are proposing a multifaceted outreach process. First, a technical advisory committee (TAC) will be formed in summer 2019 to develop conceptual policy criteria and compile a toolkit of standards, rules, and best practices for trails on Valley Water lands. The TAC will be composed of professional trails practitioners with current and local expertise in trail design, planning and construction, and who are experienced in the process of balancing public access with environmental stewardship and operational objectives.
After draft concepts for the Trails Policy and Toolkit are developed by the TAC, five community workshops will be held in the north, central, and south areas of Santa Clara County in fall 2019. Three workshops will be held in the central area to capture input from a broad range of communities. Stakeholder outreach will occur prior to the community meetings to ensure attendance by trails users and advocates, bicycle and trails committees, environmental groups, and neighbors of current proposed trail projects. To maintain the distinction between Valley Water’s policy development and individual cities’ project planning and development, specific trails projects will not be presented for feedback at the community workshops. Feedback from the community workshops will be incorporated by the TAC into a revised draft Trails Policy and Toolkit.
The draft Trails Policy and Toolkit will then be presented to Board advisory committees including the Youth Commission, the Water Commission, the Ag Commission and the Environmental and Water Resources Committee. Following input from the advisory committees, the final proposed Trails Policy and Toolkit will be presented to the Board of Directors for approval.
Prior Board or Committee Review
At its January 10, 2017 Regular Meeting, the Board received information regarding the successes and challenges of trails on Valley Water property. The Board expressed a desire to conduct outreach on trails with various stakeholder groups. On August 11, 2017, an update was provided, in which staff relayed plans to conduct stakeholder outreach. Following this, the Board hosted a Trails and Waterways Summit in June 2018 to gather stakeholder input and develop collaborations to meet common challenges related to trails. A list of Summit attendees, and “solutions/commitments” from Summit breakout sessions, is included as Attachment 2. Trail-related public comments received since the Summit is included as Attachment 3.
In December 2018, a staff task force was formed to address outstanding trails issues. At its February 25, 2019 meeting, the Board Policy and Planning Committee reviewed staff’s proposed Trails Policy framework, public outreach plan, and timeline. Subsequently, at its March 26 meeting, the Committee confirmed general membership of the TAC, clarified that the TAC would incorporate feedback from community meetings, and requested that additional public meetings be added in the central county. The Committee directed staff to present the proposed trails policy framework to the full Board for review and feedback.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have the potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: PowerPoint
Attachment 2: June 2018 Trails Summit Attendee List and Summary
Attachment 3: DRAFT Regnart comments 042019
*Handout 6.1-A, K. Irvin
*Handout 6.1-B, Opposition Correspondence
*Handout 6.1-C, Support Correspondence
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Lisa Bankosh, 408-630-2618