DATE: September 3, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Public Works Department
TITLE: RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ACCEPTANCE OF CALTRANS SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING GRANT AND APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR CITY MATCH
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City to accept and appropriate a CALTRANS Sustainable Transportation Planning grant, in the amount of $595,000, to prepare the Oceanside Active Transportation Plan; authorize the appropriation of $82,000 from the Committed General Plan Assigned account for the required City-match; and authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary grant documents.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
California Senate Bill (SB) 1 provided $34.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025-26 to promote reliable and efficient mobility for people, goods, and services, while meeting the State's Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction goals.
The City does not currently have an Active Transportation Plan. The preparation of the Oceanside Active Transportation Plan would integrate and expand upon the City's 2009 Pedestrian Master Plan and 2017 Bicycle Plan into a single plan that would include and address bikes, pedestrian and micro-mobility users.
On January 8, 2025, the City Council approved a resolution authorizing the City to apply for two grants in the amount of $650,000 each to prepare an Active Transportation Plan. The CALTRANS Sustainable Transportation Planning grant required a city match of 11.47% of the grant amount requested. The SANDAG grant did not require a match, but points were given to an application providing a match ranging from five points for a 20% match and 0 points for no match.
In order to develop a competitive grant application, the City's CALTRANS grant application included a 12.11% City match, equivalent to $82,000, for an estimated total cost of $677,000. On July 1, 2025, the City was notified of the CALTRANS award in the amount of $595,000 with a City match of 12.11%.
The Active Transportation Plan, when prepared, will become part of the City's new and updated mobility element. Preparation of "deliverables" following City Council adoption of the General Plan Update includes the Active Transportation Plan, Trails Master Plan, and comprehensive Zoning Amendment. The total grant award and City match amount are higher than anticipated when City Council authorized the City to apply for this grant on January 8, 2025. To enhance the competitiveness of the application, the City elected to submit an application with a match that exceeded the minimum required local contribution of 11.47%. This strategic approach contributed to the successful award of grant funds. Sufficient funds have been identified and are available within the project budget to cover the increased local match.
In the event that the City's CALTRANS Sustainable Transportation Planning grant was unsuccessful, an application was also submitted to the SANDAG Smart Growth Incentive Program on April 11, 2025. The application to SANDAG was withdrawn on July 1, 2025, upon the notice of award from CALTRANS.
Pending City Council's approval of the resolution to accept the CALTRANS Sustainable Transportation Planning grant, and once all general conditions have been met as required by CALTRANS, the City will be issued a Notice to Proceed. Once the Notice to Proceed is issued, the City will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) inviting qualified consultants to submit proposals for the development of the City's Active Transportation Plan. The City is targeting early October for issuance of the RFP, which will better enable staff and the consultant to start work on the Active Transportation Plan concurrently with preparation of the other General Plan Update deliverables.
FISCAL IMPACT
The SB1 grant award through CALTRANS is in the amount of $595,000 and requires 12.11% in matching funds. The grant in the amount of $595,000 will be deposited and appropriated to accounts listed in the table below. Staff is requesting to use committed fund balance in the amount of $82,000 and appropriate to the Active Transportation Planning Grant City Match account 912202825581.5305. The funding source is the Community Facilities fund Committed-General Plan account 581.3015.0006, which has an available balance of $775,268; therefore, sufficient funds are available.
Description
Appropriate
Account
Funding Source
SB1 CALTRANS Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant
$595,000
836202625272.4376
836202625272.5305
SB1 CALTRANS Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant
Active Transportation Planning City-Match
$82,000
912202625581.5305
Active Transportation Planning City-Match
581.3015.0006
Committed General Plan Assigned account
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY'S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Kristopher Martinez, Active Transportation Coordinator
Reviewed by: Hamid Bahadori, Public Works Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Resolution
3. CALTRANS award letter