VTA Presenting at Special Session of WNAC – Wed Apr 20, 6:30PM – Cypress Senior Center, 403 Cypress, Ave, San Jose, CA

Unpublished Minutes from 4/20/16 Meeting (for approval at 5/18 meeting)


Winchester NAC, Winchester/Stevens Creek residents, and Engaged Community:

The Winchester NAC is hosting the VTA at a very special session coming up on Wednesday, April 20 – 6:30pm, that I hope you will consider attending.

The VTA will not only be discussing many of the questions we have been asking about (e.g., Winchester/Stevens Creek plan, 280 exit onto Winchester, BRT, strategies, etc.), but they will be giving us a first look at a new program they will soon be sharing with many community groups called the Next Network Initiative.

This is a great opportunity to learn about VTA plans, their strategies, and vision for our County.

The majority of the meeting will be dedicated to VTA’s presentations and answering your questions.

Our agenda is as follows:

1. Introductions
2. WNAC Business (5 min)
3. Freeway Caps – brief presentation about how real and exciting they are (10 min)
4. VTA (I-280 Corridor Study, I-280/Winchester Blvd/ Project, and VTA Next Network) (90 min)
5. Closing thoughts (5 min)

This is going to be a really great meeting, like our last one with Don Weden and Laura from SPUR (video of that session will be available on our website before our April 20 meeting at: www.WinchesterNAC.com)

A light dinner will be served (pizza and cannoli). Please bring your own drinks.

 

WNAC Monthly Meeting – 6:30PM on 4/20/16
Cypress Senior Center
403 Cypress Ave
San Jose, CA

 

****DETAILS ON SESSION FROM VTA:

I-280 Corridor Study and I-280/Winchester Blvd Project (30-40 mins)
– Presentation (10 mins)
– Q&A (+/-10 mins)
– Interactive feedback (10 mins) – attendees could continue to provide input on a display at the meeting through the end of the meeting

VTA Next Network (60 mins)
– Topic I (15 mins)
– Interactive Feedback/Reportback I (15 mins)
– Topic II (15 mins)
– Interactive Feedback/Reportback II (15 mins)

I-280 Corridor Study and I-280/Winchester Blvd Project
The I-280 Corridor Study has just started and the newest effort to study the I-280/Winchester Blvd area is yet to start.  As part of this request to provide updates on the projects, a question was asked about being able to provide early input at this meeting.  The plan is to provide a means for attendees at the meeting to provide input relative to the I-280 Corridor Study.  Eventually web pages for both of these efforts will be accessible through the VTA web site.  The I-680 Corridor Study was recently completed.  You can get an idea of the activities that will take place for the I-280 Corridor Study by examining the I-680 Corridor Study page: http://www.vta.org/projects-and-programs/highway/i680-corridor-study

VTA’s Next Network
Unlike the I-280/Winchester Blvd project, this will be the first time for many of the WNAC folks to hear about VTA’s Next Network Initiative. The last time Adam and I presented to the WNAC in October 2015, Adam introduced the Transit Ridership Improvement Program (TRIP) which was just kicking off in the fall. The TRIP is a two-year policy and planning effort to accomplish one of the largest redesigns of VTA’s transit service network – in preparation for the extension of BART service in 2017 to Milpitas and San Jose. The goal of TRIP is to increase transit ridership and improve farebox recovery, along with integrating VTA’s transit network with BART. The outcome of TRIP is to design the next transit network, aptly called the Next Network. VTA has hired Jarrett Walker + Associates, a world-renown transit service design specialist, to aid in this effort.

Many of the WNAC questions can be addressed by the transit analysis and policies that the Next Network initiative has considered. Also, VTA will be showing the WNAC three transit network concepts that explore a fresh look at transit corridor service, including along the Winchester Boulevard corridor. The Next Network team has considered evolving land use patterns, ridership trends, and other factors across the county, including those occurring in the Winchester/Tri-Villages area. We are interested in discussing the hard choices that are faced when redesigning a new network, and we will ask the NAC to weigh in on the three network concepts. VTA has an extensive community workshop series planned for throughout the summer to collect this needed input, which VTA will analyzed and incorporated in the plan. In fact, the NAC will the first “Book-a-Planner”-type workshop in this community engagement series!

In advance of the meeting, the WNAC may be interested in reading up on VTA’s recent blogs on the Next Network, or view Jarrett Walker & VTA staff’s presentation to the VTA Board (4/7/16):

VTA’s Next Network webpage:
http://www.vta.org/projects-and-programs/transit/next-network

Jarrett Walker & VTA staff’s presentation to the VTA Board (4/7/16). Fast forward to 1hr 41 minutes:
http://santaclaravta.iqm2.com/Citizens/SplitView.aspx?Mode=Video&MeetingID=2309&MinutesID=1822&FileFormat=doc&Format=Minutes&MediaFileFormat=wmv

The transcript for the VTA Board presentation can be found here – scroll to 7:33pm:
http://santaclaravta.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Transcript.aspx?ID=1056&CssClass=&Frame=

Other NAC Questions – VTA’s Regional Approach and Transportation Funding
The WNAC had some remaining questions related to VTA’s regional approach and transportation funding. VTA, while largely known for its transit provider role, is a multi-faceted regional transportation agency that provides countywide transportation planning, including congestion management, design and construction of specific highway, pedestrian, and bicycle improvement projects, as well as promotion of transit oriented development. VTA prepares a countywide long-range transportation plan, called the Valley Transportation Plan, for Santa Clara County. This plan is the blueprint for projects and programs that will be pursued in partnership with local agencies in the next 25 years.

With regard to transportation funding – this is timely given another one of VTA’s current major initiative, Envision Silicon Valley. VTA is currently engaging community leaders and county residents in a dynamic visioning process to discuss current and future county-wide transportation needs, identify solutions and craft funding priorities. This process will help us prepare for a potential countywide sales tax measure on the 2016 ballot to enhance transit, highways, expressways and active transportation (bicycles, pedestrians and complete streets).

VTA Envision Silicon Valley Website
http://www.vta.org/envision-silicon-valley/envision-silicon-valley

VTA Presentation on Transportation Funding (Board of Supervisors Workshop 8/25/15)
http://www.slideshare.net/SCVTA/funding-transportation-improvements-in-santa-clara-county?ref=http://www.vta.org/envision-silicon-valley/presentations

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