STRATEGIC PLANNING AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE

Monday, March 16, 2020, 10:00 AMHART Administrative Office, 1201 East 7th Avenue, Tampa FL 33605

Information not viewable is available upon request through the Clerk of the Board phone: 813-384-6552or e-mail: petitl@goHART.org

AGENDA

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPMayor Jane CastorAdam Harden - Vice ChairCommissioner Pat Kemp - ChairRichard McClainDavid MechanikCommissioner Kimberly OvermanKathleen Shanahan

Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee Roles and ResponsibilitiesRoles and Responsibilities

1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIENCE

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

February 17, 2020 Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee MeetingMeeting MinutesSign-in - Public CommentsSign-in Media, Staff and General Public

3. PUBLIC COMMENT (3 MINUTES PER SPEAKER)

4. PRESENTATIONS

a. Plant City Transit Master Plan Study ~ Nicole McCleary, Senior Project Planner

Overview:Ms. McCleary will present an overview of this short-term planning study. The purpose of thisstudy is to conduct a transit service master plan study for Plant City.Presentation Cover PagePresentation

1

Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee - Monday, March 16, 2020

b. Current Studies Update ~ Christopher Cochran, Director of Service Development

*Requested by Director Schisler*

OVERVIEW:This presentation will provide an overview of the studies in the community that HART isconducting, participating in, or bring affected by. Presentation Cover PagePresentationAttachment

c. Route 1 – Florida Ave Stop Consolidation ~ Justin Willits, Senior Planner

OVERVIEW:Staff will present the in-depth explanation for the consolidation of Route 1, Florida Ave, includingbackground, data review, outreach, etc. Presentation Cover PagePresentation

5. INFORMATION ITEM

Automatic Passenger Counter Validation for NTD ReportingReport

6. ADJOURNMENT

2

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE

The Strategic Planning & External Relations Committee advises on developing specific objectives, strategies, and tactics to implement the Agency’s operations and service development strategic plan, along with measurements that ensure the success of the plan. This Committee reviews the plans pertaining to expansion of HART services and facilities. The Strategic Planning & External Relations Committee develops HART's Legislative Policies and Government Relations Priorities; advises the Board of Directors of the official positions of the local, state, and federal entities concerning legislative matters pertaining to the operations, development, and funding of the Authority. The Strategic Planning & External Relations Committee reviews HART’s goals for external brand image as well as the marketing and community engagement strategies. Subject Areas:

a. Recommend annual state and federal legislative agendas for the Board’s approval.

b. Make recommendations regarding the selection of a lobbyist, interact with the lobbyist, and advise the HART Board of Directors of the official position of the local, state, and federal entities concerning legislative matters pertaining to the operations, development, and funding of the Authority, including long-range capital and operating projects.

c. Review and recommend to the full Board of Directors the Transit Development Plan (TDP), the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Plan, as well as other system and corridor level plans with transit elements.

d. Review requests for proposals for planning, engineering, architectural, design and other project-related consultant services.

e. Review and recommend project studies, plans, and designs; comprehensive operations analyses, Capital Improvement Plan, system reviews, and service delivery strategies; acquisition, use, lease, sale or disposal of real property belonging to HART.

f. Review and recommend interlocal agreements and amendments to such agreements that are necessary to implement projects.

g. Review and make recommendations to the Board of Directors on land use related to the Agency and property acquisition and disposal.

h. Oversees Transit Oriented Development strategies.

Meeting Frequency:

The Strategic Planning & External Relations Committee shall meet on a monthly basis. Membership:

The SP&ER Committee shall be comprised of five members.  

3

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Committee Members Present (6) Staff PresentAdam Harden Danielle ArthurCommissioner Pat Kemp Sylvia BerrienRich McClain Ruthie Reyes BurckardDavid Mechanik Chris CochranKimberly Overman Lynda CrescentiniKathleen Shanahan John Edmondson

Jacquie HalldowCommittee Members Absent (1) Lorena HardwickMayor Jane Castor Ted Harris

Crystal HundleyJuston LaflorIvan MaldonadoNicole McClearyLena PetitCarolyn House StewartCyndy StiglichJustin Willits

Others PresentDavid Smith, Gray RobinsonBeth Alden, MPOErick Anderson, ATUVik Bhide, City of TampaJay Collins, Planning CommissionClarence Eng, Kimley-HornLaura Lawson, Hillsborough BOCCVishaka Shiva Raman, MPOSteve Schrukraft, HDREd Turanchik

Sign-in sheets are attached.

CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The meeting was called to order at 10:04 a.m. Pledge of Allegiance followed.

ELECTION OF COMMITTEE OFFICERS

Ms. Mandell stated that the committee will need to elect a new Chair and Vice Chair for the committee.

Committee member Harden nominated Committee member Kemp for the office of Committee Chair. All Committee members present voted aye. Committee member Kemp was unanimously elected to the position of the Operations and Safety Committee Chair.

Committee member Mechanik nominated Committee member Harden for the office of Vice Chair. All Committee members present voted aye. Committee member Harden was unanimously elected to the position of the Operations and Safety Committee Chair.

4

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Committee member McClain moved and Committee member Harden seconded approval of the minutes from the January 27, 2020 Legislative and Strategic Planning Committee meeting. All Committee members present voted aye. No committee members voted nay. The motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Vik Bhide, Director of Transportation and Stormwater services at the City of Tampa, stated the City of Tampa’s priority in connecting the airport to downtown and exploring routes to support the same and facilitating some sort of circulation in the downtown core. He stated that he is available to work with HART to see that through and get some kind of service down.

Committee member McClain asked for an expanded definition of the downtown corridor.

Mr. Bhide stated that the downtown grid does require internal circulation. He noted that there are some current options available that are being considered and that HART will present on some options as well. Mr. Bhide reiterated his support for service.

Committee Vice Chair Harden thanked Mr. Bhide for coming and expressing his comments

REQUESTS OF BOARD MEMBERS

Chris Cochran, Director of Service Development, stated that there were some requests from the committee members to have an update and presentation on the downtown circulation which includes the Cypress corridor and the active studies in the community.

Committee Vice Chair Harden stated that he was interested in these presentations as he requested them.

Committee Chair Kemp stated that she feels that these items are important, but may present a limitation on time.

Mr. Cochran stated that Councilmember Schisler is the one who requested the presentation of active studies and staff will be providing him with the information distributed to the Committee that morning.

Downtowner Circulation/Cypress Corridor 2020 Update

Justin Willits, Senior Planner, presented options for a downtown circulation service and frequent service on the Cypress Street corridor as requested. A full copy of the presentation is available upon request from the Clerk of the Board at petitl@gohart.org.

Committee member Mechanik inquired if any of the options qualify for an FTA grant.

Mr. Willits stated that if the service is allowed to deviate for a requested trip through an app then it would qualify. He noted that operating a service like that with HART vehicles would be very unlikely because of the technology that would be necessary and the safety issues associated with that. Mr. Willits said that to utilize the grant, staff would have to use a vendor that could provide that on-demand service type

5

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

of flexibility. He restated that these are circulator options that can be performed with the current HART fleet.

Committee member Mechanik asked if staff is still looking at options that would qualify for the FTA grant.

Committee member Harden inquired what the cost estimates are based on.

Mr. Willits responded that the cost estimates are based on if HART operates the service. He stated that staff uses about $108 per HART service hour which is a fully allocated cost. Mr. Willits noted that private vendor rates that have been seen over the last few years range $58-$80 per service hour so there could be savings using a private vendor, but there is often more capital upfront cost associated with the vehicles needed to operate the service.

Committee member Shanahan restated a previous concern about duplication of services and asked if the Downtown Partnership is involved in these conversations since they were the ones requested the serviceand if they are supportive of the options.

Mr. Willits noted that staff is still coordinating with the Downtown Partnership on these concepts, and that they are supportive of the downtown circulators. He explained that these options are a replacement for the point-to-point service that they are operating, instead they are more of a true circulator per the direction given to staff.

Committee member Shanahan inquired if this circulation service would be duplicative of other efforts downtown.

Mr. Willits explained that the streetcar extension would overlap some of the fixed routes, but staff is proposing these as free circulators. He continued that there is a route connecting Ybor to Davis Island, and currently there is no single trip on any of our routes that can get patrons there without a transfer, so it is filling a good void in the current service. Mr. Willits stated that the concept utilizing Twiggs Street, Channelside Drive, Cumberland Avenue, and Ashley Avenue is more of a specific need via a private stakeholder to facilitate connections to parking garages and more efficiently utilize downtown parking; but it also provides good network connectivity from a transit delivery perspective.

Committee Chair Kemp stated that she would like to see how the routes overlay in terms of the three routes and service. She commented that the extension of the streetcar will be duplicative of service already performed by HART and stressed that HART should continue operating the Route 1 and upgrade to a 15-minute frequency.

Mr. Willits stated that this would be a free trip opposed to a $2 fare for every boarding. He recommended a free circulator to enhance mobility downtown, but it is depending on how the service would be funded. Mr. Willits explained that on the map, the service would look duplicative, but making it free would shift those shorter trips from the fixed service and benefit the route by speeding up travel through downtown.

Committee Chair Kemp commented that people should probably opt to walk for the shorter trips. She stated that she would still like to see the overlay of the three route options to better understand that. 6

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Committee Chair Kemp asked for confirmation that any private vendor would perform fixed route service.

Mr. Willits responded that staff is proposing that the service be fixed route, but staff is also going to move forward in selecting a new vendor that could operate some of these services because the frequency at which that the private party is interested in operating is probably beyond something that HART would be able to do with the fleet restrictions at this point. He added that HART does not have enough vehicles to operate at the frequencies they need so conversations have led towards looking for a third-party vendor.

Committee Chair Kemp commented that she is very uninterested in taking the service out of HART

Committee Vice Chair Harden asked if it would be accurate that the uptown circulator previously proposed would have been operated at about $58 per service hour.

Mr. Willits answered affirmatively.

Committee Vice Chair Harden commented that this service might be better with a third-party vendor since HART internal costs are $108 per service hour.

Committee member Overman said that she likes seeing alternatives and numbers, but what she has not seen is the financial impact of the option in the current budget. She asked if any of the options can be done without additional funding from the surtax.

Mr. Willits responded that staff is only entertaining these options with other funding partners because HART does not currently have the funding for this additional service. He added that staff is conversations and working with stakeholders to find the funding.

Committee member Overman inquired about the timeline needed to move forward.

Mr. Willits answered that the exercise would be finding funding partners and that possibly having this ready for implementation for the fall service change. He explained that HART has three vehicles that could operate on a combination of the options, but the funding picture needs to be clear without going into reserves.

Committee Vice Chair Harden thanked staff for bringing the information forward and noted his concern for the $600,000 grant for the on-demand downtown solution. He commented that the Agency could not just continue a service because of grant funding when the Agency does not have matching funds in the budget. Committee Vice Chair Harden suggested sending staff to FDOT to request that the funding be repurposed and asking the City to assist with the matching funds from the CRAs.

Committee Vice Chair Harden moved and Committee member Mechanik seconded a motion to ask staff to have discussions with FDOT, Downtown Partnership, and the City of Tampa transportation staff and report back at the next Board meeting with regards to whether the $600,000 grant can be repurposed, and if there are any funds of a similar nature that would be available for this type of service. 7

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Cyndy Stiglich, Interim Chief Financial Officer, clarified that at the end of March when the agreement expires with the Downtown Partnership, there will be a residual balance of $96,000 in the grant until the new wave of funding is available in July which HART has not yet applied for. She explained that the new grant would be $1.3 million requiring a 50% match as well.

Committee member Shanahan stated that she does not believe that there is a motion required and suggested directing staff to bring the information to the full Board for discussion and questions.

Committee Vice Chair Harden commented that he wanted the discussion to happen in a public forum to make it aware that the Board would like those conversations to take place between all of the parties.

All Committee members present voted aye. No committee members voted nay. The motion carried unanimously.

Mr. Willits presented the frequent service option for Cypress Street.

Committee member Shanahan asked if the Cypress Street service was going to be funded by new funding.

Mr. Willits responded that this was a request for concept.

Committee member Overman inquired about the hours of operation for the service.

Mr. Willits stated that the service hours are 5:00 am to 1:00 am

Committee Vice Chair Harden noted the desire in bring this forward is because this service could be partnered with the Westshore Alliance, the City and FDOT to identify funding sources. He asked for this to come back in a more robust form with an overlap of the existing routes that could be modified to be a portion of this route. Committee Vice Chair Harden mentioned that the Board would like to know how FDOT would be willing to participate since the route would be parallel with their newly decided intermodal center location. He commented that it is time to speak about this item more robustly. Committee Vice Chair Harden asked for staff to pursue those discussions and come back with swift potential funding sources and clearly communicate what portions of these costs are already in the HART budget with the route that runs on Cypress Street.

Committee Chair Kemp commented that she thinks this is extremely important and she has been advocating for this. She thanked Committee Vice Chair Harden for bringing this forward. Committee Chair Kemp noted that she thought the discontinuation of the Cypress Street route was a big mistake and it should be brought back as it is a perfect way to get from downtown to Westshore to the airport. She asked staff to really focus on this route and move it along as it is a core strategic route to have.

Current Studies Update

Mr. Cochran presented the current studies that HART is participating in as well as the studies actively being performed with other partners in the community that impact HART whether HART funds are expended or not. A full copy of the presentation is available upon request from the Clerk of the Board at petitl@gohart.org. 8

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Committee Chair Kemp asked that staff move forward with committee action item a.

Committee member Shanahan clarified that the Board members did ask for this information and noted that it is very helpful and consolidated. She asked if the total HART funding dedicated to contracts is in the proposed budget.

Mr. Cochran answered affirmatively with the exception of the $105,000 of service that was made optional on the network evaluation contract. He pointed out that in over $5 million dollars of studies going on, only 4% of that total amount is HART funding.

Committee Chair Kemp stated that she did request this at the last Board meeting, but she was not expecting this at the current meeting and she is concerned about running out of time. She asked that this presentation be brought to another committee meeting or the Board meeting.

COMMITTEE ACTION ITEMS

b. Authorize the Interim Chief Executive Officer to Award a Contract to Perform the FTA TransitOriented Development Pilot Study to HDR Engineering, in a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $879,109

Mr. Cochran presented the action item noting that this study will examine and evaluate the performance of existing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policies for the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County in relation to two transit projects – the City of Tampa’s Streetcar Extension Project and HART’s local BRT Project for the Nebraska Ave/Florida Ave/Fowler Ave. The action items was supported by a presentation that is available upon request from the Clerk of the Board at petitl@gohart.org.

Committee member Mechanik moved and Committee member McClain seconded a motion to forwardthe action item to authorize the Interim Chief Executive Officer to award a contract to perform the FTA Transit Oriented Development Pilot study to HDR Engineering, in a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $879,109to the full HART Board of Directors at the February 3, 2020, regular Board meeting.

Committee Vice Chair Harden asked what actionable information is expected to be received for a million dollars that can be forwarded with recommendations to the City, the County and the Planning Commission to make concrete changes to their codes to implement and fund TOD of viable transit districts. He added that he would like to understand what the deliverables are going to include in termsof identifying what the ad valorem would be from the investment asked using public money in these corridors. Committee Vice Chair Harden commented that he feels that these topics have been studied over and over again and he would like to understand what concrete and specific outcomes will be received that can become actionable for the City Council to review and adopt or that the Planning Commission can use to change future plans.

Jay Collins, Planning Commission, explained that one thing that is lacking in unincorporated Hillsborough County or in the City of Tampa is a way to implement TOD. He continued that there are community plans in the County and some have implementable code language. Mr. Collins further explained that the City of Tampa has neighborhood plans which have implementable language such as the form-based code in Seminole Heights. He stressed that what is missing from the County and the City is actual TOD; although some TOD has happened haphazardly over time. Mr. Collins noted that the Channel District is an example of this. He commented that the area around Palm Avenue is a Euclidean zoning district meaning that it is a normal zoning district that can be used for any purpose.

9

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Mr. Collins stated that there is no specific plan for when TOD such as the extension of the streetcar becomes available. He explained that HDR has been tasked with looking at the existing policies as they relate to Tampa’s Comprehensive Plan and asking if the policies are relevant in today’s world and if there is something that is ready to go forward and begin the process of TOD. Mr. Collins referenced his previous example of the Palm Avenue area that could anything from a neighborhood to a community to an urban area, but that idea of what it is has to be vetted in policy conversations with the people that live there and the property owners. He stated that the conversations will also discuss the value capture of the taxpayer dollars going into building the infrastructure to ensure that the Agency is good stewards of public funds. Mr. Collins explained that the implementation of these conversation is what is missing from the County and City as well as how these zoning changes and plans will be implemented.

Committee Chair Kemp stated her appreciation for the explanation because that was the first question that she was going to ask. She noted that in Pasco County, there are TOD impact discounts which could be very relevant to this plan.

Committee member Overman stated that it is self-explanatory to describe the downtown and urban core, but HART has made a commitment to other parts of the County such as the University of South Florida (USF) area, Brandon, and South County. She noted that having the ability to know what those tools look like so that it can work with the affordable housing strategy is critically important to the budgets for all parties. Committee member Overman explained that without the incentives or tools, what needs to be done cannot be done. She said that impact fee strategies, transit strategies, or density bonuses, etc are tools that are needed, but are missing from the comprehensive plan and that is critical to future success. Committee member Overman expressed that she is glad that this is moving forward because the City and County have been unable to do this without the input of HART. She noted that TOD strategies cannot exist without the transit so knowing the HART plan is integral to obtaining the bonuses and incentives that are needed to help the citizens get around to work, housing, school, etc. Committee member Overman commented that having a clear understanding of the recommendations of strategies that each of the partners, the County and cities, can do to implement a smart effective utilization of policies and tax dollars is why this committee is so important and why she is happy to see this moving forward.

Committee Vice Chair Harden noted that he is a land developer so he understands and has experience with issues at both the suburban and urban levels. He noted that there has to be property ready to be developed and a developer in place to take advantage of the incentives or they do not accomplish anything. Committee Vice Chair Harden continued that one of the holes is that there are some incentives in the City but they are not put together in a way that would encourage anyone to actually develop properties. He spoke about the detail needed in the RFP to ensure that the study results are not too broad as they have been in the past. Committee Vice Chair Harden explained that there is a prevalent 35 acre land plot that is along some of the principle corridor that the Board has agreed to spend money on for study differing transit aspects, but that density is not a transit density meaning that density typically seen around a transit station is higher. He continued that there are a lot of areas that have the land use but the underlying zoning is low which would cause a potential developer for a two acre site to come in and go through an arduous process to rezone it meaning that the parcels are passed over because nobody is going to do that. Committee Vice Chair Harden further explained that there are areas where the appropriate commercial land use along some corridors only goes halfway through the block instead of the whole way which leaves a parcel that does not have the proper dimensions to be developed for the commercial purpose. He stressed that these are issues that the study needs to come back with specific

10

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

recommendations about these potential corridors and changes can be made. Committee Vice Chair Harden stated that he feels that with the limited knowledge that he has on the comprehensive plans for Hillsborough County and Tampa, the last iteration was well put together and discusses a lot of goals and policies for implementation of TOD tax districts in the zoning codes and the ability of those codes to implement planning policies in a way that makes sense. He noted that this is an unparalleled opportunity for HART since FDOT funded a million dollars for HART to direct a proper study to bring information forward for elected officials to create ways to implement policies. Committee Vice Chair Harden asked to see a copy of the final deliverable because it will be important that it is very concrete. He expressed again the importance of anticipated value captures that could serve as actionable intelligence for a city council to decide to fund TOD in corridors.

Committee member Overman thanked Committee Vice Chair Harden for clarifying the value of the entire contribution to land use planning. She inquired about the timeline for the project and how it coincides with the County who is currently going through a full analysis of the comprehensive plan over the next year.

Mr. Cochran responded that the study is to be completed no later than December 2021, but according to the draft schedule, it would come in well before that timeline.

Mr. Collins noted that there is always the possibility to sync actions up for collaboration.

All Committee members present voted aye. No committee members voted nay. The motion carried unanimously.

PRESENTATIONS

a. CSX Corridor Evaluation History

Beth Alden, Executive Director of Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), provided an overview of past and present studies related to the CSX corridors and how the most recent Long-RangeTransportation Plan has accounted for new opportunities in consideration of the All for Transportation funding. A full copy of the presentation is available upon request from the Clerk of the Board at petitl@gohart.org.

Committee member Overman inquired if there is an east/west line that runs parallel along Cypress Street.

Ms. Alden stated that there is not a line along Cypress Street, but there is a line that run into South Tampa diagonally across from the Selmon Expressway.

Committee member Overman referred to the previous conversations about creating a circulator service from downtown to Westshore that would create a bridge to connect to the overall network.

Ms. Alden commented that it is important to understand that CSX right-of ways might fit into addressing this community’s needs with transit, but there will still be gaps such as the connection between downtown and Westshore.

Committee Chair Kemp asked for confirmation that Austin, TX; Denton, TX; and San Diego, CA; are all examples for the utilization of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) or hybrid rail.

11

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Ms. Alden answered affirmatively.

Committee Chair Kemp asked if these were different types of vehicles than that of Tri Rail and Sun Rail.

Ms. Alden responded that Tri Rail and Sun Rail are using much larger vehicles. She explained that the different types of vehicles speak to the trade-offs because heavy rail cannot make turns through the neighborhoods and make a lot of noise starting and stopping. Ms. Alden further explained that DMUs are closer to light rail but are still heavy duty and crash worthy.

Committee member Overman asked if this type of technology allows for the CSX line to be utilized during the day without having to create a secondary line or a divider wall making the usage of the line more efficient.

Ms. Alden stated that was correct and added that these vehicles can handle steeper inclines, turn on a tighter radius and make less noise when starting and stopping.

Committee member Overman commented that these vehicles do not require above ground infrastructure that could be destroyed by natural disasters.

Committee Chair Kemp referred to the cost centers on slide 27. She noted that the for the line that connects downtown to USF, there is a light rail cost of $862 million as opposed to the hybrid rail that would cost about $157-$393 million.

Ms. Alden stated that the cost estimates are from 2012 and that the purpose of the slide is to show the comparison between the light rail costs and hybrid rail costs.

Committee Chair Kemp inquired how long the line is that connects downtown to USF.

Ms. Alden answered that the line is about 10 miles.

Committee Chair Kemp asked if the cost estimate included all collateral costs that would be needed to make the service operational.

Ms. Alden responded that the cost estimate included everything. She commented that she is unsure if the legally mandated positive train control requirement was in effect at that time but that would be about $1 million per mile to implement.

Committee member Overman commented that the hybrid rail is about half of the light rail choice which is significantly less and sounds like a much more flexible solution for what is currently in place. She inquired if the track refurbishment was included.

Ms. Alden stated that there was not a lot of refurbishing costs included and the track would have to be examined.

Committee Chair Kemp announced that the catalyst recommendation included in the 2018 Regional Transit Feasibility Plan did not include the existing train tracks from Fowler Avenue to USF which

12

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

missed 40,000 students and 25,000 jobs. She commented that the 2018 Regional Transit Feasibility Plan also projected that a new constructed Expressway would be complete in five years and it would take ten years to construct commuter rail on the CSX tracks. Committee Chair Kemp stated that Sun Rail utilizing CSX track was completed in five years.

Committee member Shanahan asked if this is being presenting as an alternative option to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service that TBARTA is currently working on or if it is an additional service.

Ms. Alden stated that, in the MPO Long Range Transportation Plan, both projects are included in the ridership forecast and noted that the services would complement each other. She explained that the BRT could better and more efficiently serve the more long distance, cross county trips; whereas the core of the Tampa metropolitan area merits having a transit investment that stops frequently. Ms. Alden commented that a comprehensive transit system would ideally have both services that connect.

Committee member Shanahan asked for validation on the comments raised by Committee Chair Kemp because it is unfair to adjust the record of a project without back-up data. She stated that she would like to know if that data exists and if it does, she would like to see it.

Ms. Alden confirmed that when the TBARTA staff spoke to the MPO Board in January, they said that the BRT and I-275 would not be able to be in operation before the completion of the express lanes on I-275 which has a timeframe of around 2029.

Committee member Overman thanked Ms. Alden for the presentation and commented that this presentation demonstrates that there has been a lot of discussion about this topic. She asked for confirmation that to move this project forward, HART would have to know the outcome of the validity of the surtax. Committee member Overman stated that while Sun Rail received assistance from the state, they still had to put forth a local match and have to maintain the funds to operate.

Ms. Alden noted that the state helped the Agency with the acquisition of the rail lines itself. She explained that the construction costs were split between state, local level investments, and three counties in the city of Orlando. Ms. Alden stressed that the bigger challenge is the ongoing operating costs, but Sun Rail’s first seven years of operations are being subsidized by the state.

Committee member Overman inquired if there is a way to move the project forward without dedicated funding from HART.

Ms. Alden responded that any state grant would require a match and approximately $10-12 million a year to operate. She commented that any kind of fixed guideway should be the spine of a system that has feeder bus routes that tie into it. Ms. Alden mentioned that this service was going to do so much more for this community and the benefits would be so much more amplified if there is good frequent bus service tying into each of those stations.

Committee Vice Chair Harden referred to slide 47 and commented that the proposed land would not be possible with the existing land use policies and needs to be addressed by the TOD study previous presented.

Committee member Shanahan left at 11:30am.13

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

b. Plant City Transit Master Plan Study

This presentation was deferred to the March 16, 2020 Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee meeting due to lack of time.

c. Cross Bay Ferry

Ed Turanchik, Ackerman LLP, and Kevin Fisher, HMS Ferries; provided the committee with the procedural history of the project, background, substantive overview of the business plan, and two general alternative paths for moving forward. A full copy of the presentation is available upon request from the Clerk of the Board at petitl@gohart.org.

Committee member Mechanik inquired how much the FDOT grant is anticipated to be.

Mr. Turanchik stated that he does not have that information, but the standard percentage of non-federal share for transit projects in the state of Florida is usually 50%.

Committee Chair Kemp confirmed that the seasonal cross bay ferry has a current ridership of 40,000 with a few months to go, and the total ridership for the previous year was 51,000.

Mr. Turanchik confirmed the numbers and commented that the remaining months usually produce the best ridership. He continued that Mr. Fischer is expecting the ridership to exceed 60,000 trips which would be the largest increase of ridership in a transit option in the United States in the last three years.

Committee member Overman stated that she acts as the liaison to MacDill Air Force Base and given that MacDill is one of the largest employers in Hillsborough County, this is an important project. She referred to the slide that discussed the zip codes associated with where ridership could initiate and noted that it appears as though most of the east county communities implied that there would be a great deal of interest. Committee member Overman commented that the prospect of having 6400 cars carrying patrons of the ferry trying to get to the service requires planning for how south county is to be developed and asked how financials support that planning.

Mr. Turanchik responded that there will be plans designed for cars, vanpools, and buses that are submitted to the Army Corp of engineers which will take a year to process. He noted that the project has not moved forward and is currently at a hold. Mr. Turanchik explained that, in terms of connectivity, clearly there will need to be a large park-n-ride lot initially, but the planning of the bus routes has to feed into the HART transit plans. He commented that the military is the largest user of van pools which is a very cost effective, easily implemented option to take people from vans in their community directly to the terminal. Mr. Turanchik stressed that the public would like to minimize the number of people driving a car to the terminal. He stated that the project has to move forward into the next phase to design that plan.

Committee Chair Kemp spoke as a TBART Board member and explained that there are more than 100 vans that require 4 to 15 people that commute from South County to MacDill in Hillsborough County. She noted that there is also very robust express service, but it is very inefficient.

14

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

February 17, 2020

Committee Vice Chair Harden commented that the expensive express services could be repurposed to shorter bus service to the terminal.

Committee member Mechanik moved and Committee member Overman seconded a motion that the committee recommended to the Board of Director that the Agency continue to work towards this very worth-while project by continuing to work with the county to determine the best vehicle to move this project forward and to use HART facilities to the greatest extent possible given the limitation of financial resources.

Committee Vice Chair Harden asked if this presentation will be given at the full Board.

Mr. Turanchik stated that he will work with staff.

Committee member Overman stated that she understood at the county level that it takes a transit agency to move this forward in terms of the FTA and FDOT. She asked if the motion is recommending that HART move with exploring options that the ferry will be a fixed guideway project.

Committee member Mechanik stated that is correct, but the Agency will have to work within the confines of the available financial resources.

Mr. Turanchik noted that the streetcar expansion is example of how HART works with other entities on major projects. He explained that Hillsborough County staff working with his consulting firm will get the project done in an efficient amount of time because the County has the resources. Mr. Turanchikexpressed that HART will have a role in understanding the transit connectivity and at some point, the operations oversight. He noted that the project was stalled because the County sent the project to HART.

All Committee members present voted aye. No committee members voted nay. The motion carried unanimously.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:09 a.m.

15

PUBLIC COMMENT

WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, please state your name and

NAME CONTACT INFORMATION GENERAL COMMENT

COMMENT ON AGENDA

ITEM

Strategic Relations and External Relations Committee MeetingFEBRUARY 17, 2020

Vik Bhide vik.bhide@tampagov.net

16

PUBLIC COMMENT

NAME CONTACT INFORMATION GENERAL COMMENT

COMMENT ON AGENDA

ITEM

Strategic Relations and External Relations Committee MeetingFEBRUARY 17, 2020

17

STAFF, VISITORS AND MEDIA

NAME ADDRESS*If Hart Employee – please write “Employee”

PHONE NUMBER

Lynda Crescentini HARTCrystal Hundley HARTScott Drainvillw HARTJuston Lafler HART

Lorena Hardwick HARTRuthie Reyes Burckard HART

Ted Harris HARTJohn Edmondson HARTSylvia Berrien HARTIvan Maldonado HARTjustin willits HARTcyndy stiglich hartSteve Schukraft

Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

17, 2020FEBRUARY

18

NAME ADDRESS*If Hart Employee – please write “Employee”

PHONE NUMBER

Clarence Eng Kimley-HornEd Turanchik

Nicole McClearly HART

19

NAME ADDRESS*If Hart Employee – please write “Employee”

PHONE NUMBER

20

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

March 16, 2020______________________________________________________________________________

PRESENTATION

Plant City Transit Master Plan Study

This is an MPO project that is being co-managed by HART and Plant City. The purpose of this study is to conduct a transit service master plan study for Plant City. This study will evaluate the feasibility of providing commuter service from Plant City to Downtown Tampa and Lakeland. It will also focus on understanding the feasibility and travel market conditions for re-initiating transit service within Plant City.

Prepared by: Nicole McCleary, Senior Project Planner

Approved by: Carolyn House Stewart, Interim Chief Executive Officer

21

PLANT CITY TRANSIT MASTER

PLAN STUDY

Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

March 16, 2020

22

Project Background

One of the fastest growing areas in the county

Serves Tampa and Lakeland, Polk County

Approx. 29 sq. miles; 40,000 residents

Plant City supports Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and increased densities

Consistent with Hillsborough MPO Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)

Planning study by Hillsborough MPO, requested by Plant City and HART

23

Purpose of the Study

Developing a Transit Master Plan for Plant City Feasibility study to identify

Potential transit service from Plant City to downtown Tampa and Circulator within downtown Plant City

Extending service to Polk County in the futureProviding cost estimates for operations for HARTTie into the HART Comprehensive Operations Analysis

(COA) and Transit Development Plan (TDP) update

24

Previous Transit ServicesPlant City - Strawberry Connector routes –

4 Transit routes operated by HART from 2005 -2008; Taken over by the City and operated till late

2000s

HART Route 28X (East County Express) – Provided two trips a day operated between

2012 and 2017

Currently only the Sunshine Line provides on demand service

HART Express and Limited Express Route Map from 2015

25

Study area Knights Griffin Road to the North SR60 on the South Branch Forbes Road to the West and County Line Road to the East end

26

Project Management

and Stakeholders

Team

Project Management Team -Hillsborough MPO and HART staffPotential StakeholdersPlant City – Planning and Zoning

DepartmentPlant City – City ManagerPlant City Community Services

DepartmentPolk County Hillsborough Community College Improvement League of Plant CityCity of Plant City - Parks and Recreation Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Plant City Family YMCA Sunshine LineAny other groups that might be identified

27

Public Engagement

Stakeholder Meeting 1 – February 19, 2020• Identify and develop a list of stakeholders• Existing conditions analysis, travel market analysis• Review past studies and service• Identify major corridors and areas to serve

Stakeholder Meeting 2 - TBD• Present initial alternatives to the stakeholder team

Public Open House - TBD • Present the existing conditions and alternatives identified • Collect public feedback to help narrow down to feasible

alternatives

28

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY

Data Collection

Travel Demand/Market Characteristics

Stakeholder Meetings

Alternatives Identification

Planning-Level Cost Estimates and Potential Funding SourcesPublic Open House

Summary of Alternatives Evaluation

Board/City Commission Presentations

Transit Study Report

Plant City Transit Master PlanTentative Project Schedule

Project Deliverable

Community Engagement

29

Next Steps

Developing alternatives

Estimating costs of the different alternatives

Presenting the final results at the completion of the project

30

Any additional goals or groups to be considered?

31

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

March 16, 2020______________________________________________________________________________

PRESENTATION

Current Studies Update

This presentation will provide an overview of current HART Planning studies, vendors awarded, and how these studies have been funded.

Prepared by: Chris Cochran, Director of Service Development

Approved by: Carolyn House Stewart, Interim Chief Executive Officer

Attachment: List of Current Studies

32

1

Current Studies Update

Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee

March 16, 2020

33

2

HART Studies

Tampa Arterial BRT Study ($2,500,000)• Awarded to Tindale Oliver

• Phase I to be completed Summer 2020

• Phase II to start Summer 2020

Network Evaluation and Short-Term Operations Plan ($405,155)• Awarded to Connetics Transportation Group

• Study began in February 2020

• Funded tasks scheduled to be completed in late Summer 2020

• Extended unfunded tasks to be completed late Fall 2020 (contingent upon Surtax funding)

Public Outreach Contract ($300,000)• Awarded to Valerin Group

• Schedule runs in parallel to the Network Evaluation and Short-Term Operations Plan

FTA Transit Oriented Development Pilot Program Study ($1,000,000) • Awarded to HDR, Inc

• Board approved award to HDR at March 2, 2020 Board of Director’s meeting

• Scheduled to be completed by December 2021

Automated Vehicle Shuttle Pilot Program ($915,000)• RFP currently in the evaluation process

34

3

HART Studies Funding Summary

HART currently has a total of $5,120,155 in contracts

HART match for all current studies

• $185,000

• 4% of total contract funding

35

HART Studies

4

Any Questions or Comments

36

SPONSOR STUDY TASK CONTRACT AMOUNT VENDOR PERCENTAGE COMPLETED

Tampa Arterial BRT Study

planning and design services for transportation infrastructure and improvements to improve local, street- level bus service along Florida, Nebraska and/or Fowler Avenues and adjacent corridors as well as corridors that intersect with these three corridors between the USF Tampa Campus and downtown Tampa. $2.5 Million (100% FDOT funded) Tindale Oliver

Phase 1 is 75% complete (Phase 2 approval to be voted on by Board in April or May)

Network Evaluation and Short-Term Operations Plan (Includes On Board Origin/Destination Survey)

This project is to develop a short-term (years 2020-2022) bus operations plan to feed into a Major 30-year Transit Development Plan solicited in the future.

$405,155 ($300,000 FTA / $105,155 HART Funded) Connetics Group 0% (Kickoff meeting 2/18)

Outreach Contract

To complete and facilitate the outreach and engagement necessary to complete a Network Evaluation and Short-term Service Plan, and a 10-year Transit Development Plan (TDP) Major Update and 30-year Vision Plan. $300,000 (100% FTA funded) Valerin Group 0% (Kickoff meeting week of 2/16/2020)

FTA Transit Oriented Development Pilot Program Study

Evaluated existing land use policies in the Tampa Arterial BRT and InVision Streetcar Extension project corridors, and recommend changes that would facilitate better TOD opportunities. Deliverable includes a framework to implement these changes and do so in a scalable way

$1,000,000 ($800,000 FTA / $80,000 HART / City and Planning Commission funding remaining by in-kind) HDR Engineering

0% (Awaiting Board approval March Board meeting)

Automated Vehicle Pilot

To implement a automated vehicle shuttle pilot along the Marion Transit way for a period of 1 year with 2 one-year options. This opportunity involves a significant data gathering and study effort. $915,000 (100% FDOT funded) RFP responses due 2/14/2020 0%

City of Tampa InVision Streetcar Study

Feasibility and Alternatives Analysis for the modernization and expansion of existing TECO Streetcar system

Original contract $1,677,390 / $401,540 in supplemental funding in November 2019 HDR Engineering 85%

Heights Mobility Study

The Heights Mobility Study is an effort to improve safety and mobility in the Greater Seminole Heights/Tampa Heights area, especially, along the Florida Avenue and Tampa Street/Highland Avenue corridor between downtown Tampa and the Hillsborough River. Additionally, the Study Team will work with the community to develop a long term vision for transportation improvements in the area $800,000 to date Kittleson and Associates 80%

Fowler Avenue StudyIdentify short-term and long-range improvements for the Fowler corridor to accommodate for future transportation growth. $200,000 (FDOT funded) Kimley Horn 80%

Intermodal CentersEvaluated and Identify regional intermodal center locations $2 million for 5 study areas Kimley Horn, Tindale Oliver, WSP range from 50% to 75%

MPO Plant CityTo identify viable transit options within the City of Plant City $54,939.32 (100% MPO Funded) Kittleson and Associates <5% (kicked off January 2020)

TBARTA Regional Rapid Transit Study

Proposed 41 Mile route connecting Wesley Chapel and downtown St. Petersburg via downtown Tampa. Funding number to be provided soon WSP

Total HART Project Contracts $5,120,155

Total HART funding dedicated to Contracts $185,000 (4%)

Total funding covered by Grants and partner funding

$4,935,155 (94%)

HART

FDOT

ATTACHMENT

37

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

March 16, 2020______________________________________________________________________________

PRESENTATION

Route 1 – Florida Avenue Stop Consolidation

Staff has prepared a bus stop consolidation plan for Route 1 – Florida Avenue. This recommendation is based on a variety of factors including board discussion and direction at previous meetings, industry best practices and conforming to our own bus stop standards. Staff has analyzed Route 1 and taken steps to implement the recommendations of removing 20 stops. These recommendations help address safety concerns, on-time performance, and running time which can potentially reduce the maintenance burden associated with bus stops. Staff will briefly describe this effort and take questions/comments. We will be analyzing more routes in the HART network along other key corridors to move forward with for the next service change.

Prepared by: Justin Willits, Senior Planner

Approved by: Carolyn House Stewart, Interim Chief Executive Officer

38

1

Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee

March 16, 2020

Route 1 – Florida AveStop Consolidation

39

2

• Background• Data Review• Outreach• Tweaks• Recommendation• Questions?

40

3

Background

Reasons for stop consolidation:• Policy

• Adhere to existing policies of 750’-1,250’• Board comments about stop spacing

o Best practices and industry standards• Directive of ICEO and 1 on 1 with Board members

• Operational• Increase predictability for operators• Reduce passengers left at underutilized stops• Increase travel speed, reduce travel time

(particularly during heavy periods and peaks)• Reduce maintenance of stops• Reduce capital improvements for ADA

41

4

Background

42

5

Data Review

43

6

Data Review (Preliminary)ID Name

Boardings per day

Distance from next

stopNB 8001 FLORIDA AVE WATERS AVE 47 400'

NB 4457FLORIDA AVE MOORE CLINICAL 3 319'

NB 557 FLORIDA AVE PLYMOUTH ST 10 500'SB 4007 TAMPA ST ADALEE ST 5 750'SB 639 FLORIDA AVE WOOD ST 4 650'SB 4472 FLORIDA AVE ELDER FORD 7 489'SB 4470 FLORIDA AVE 127TH AVE 0 600'NB 573 FLORIDA AVE HENRY AVE 2 620'NB 577 FLORIDA AVE LAMBRIGHT ST 1 440'NB 579 FLORIDA AVE HIAWATHA ST 1 400'NB 582 FLORIDA AVE HAMILTON AVE 3 650'NB 581 FLORIDA AVE FLORA ST 3 590'SB 645 FLORIDA AVE FLORA ST 5 590’SB 646 FLORIDA AVE HAMILTON AVE 2 650'SB 648 FLORIDA AVE HIAWATHA ST 3 400'SB 650 FLORIDA AVE NORTH ST 2 440'SB 651 FLORIDA Av e Fern 2 500’NB 576 Florida Ave Fern 1 500’NB 570 Florida Ave at Frierson 1 650’

44

7

Outreach Summary

HART Staff was in the field January 28 and 29 • Relay changes and impacts at highest ridership stop• Most respondents ride daily and don’t have vehicle access• Most (90%) think there are enough or too many stops• Most (60%) would be ok with removing stops to speed up service• Most are able to easily walk to next stop (53%)• Crosschecked mobility device boarding report 2/14/2020

45

NB 4453 Florida Ave at Hollywood 5 663’NB 642 Florida Ave at Hollywood 8 663’NB 602 Florida Ave at 130th 2 443’

8

Data Review (Finalized)

ID NameBoardings

per day

Distance from next

stopNB 8001 FLORIDA AVE WATERS AVE 47 400'

NB 4457FLORIDA AVE MOORE CLINICAL 3 319'

NB 557 FLORIDA AVE PLYMOUTH ST 10 500'SB 4007 TAMPA ST ADALEE ST 5 750'SB 639 FLORIDA AVE WOOD ST 4 650'SB 4472 FLORIDA AVE ELDER FORD 7 489'SB 4470 FLORIDA AVE 127TH AVE 0 600'NB 573 FLORIDA AVE HENRY AVE 2 620'NB 579 FLORIDA AVE HIAWATHA ST 1 400'SB 648 FLORIDA AVE HIAWATHA ST 3 400'NB 581 FLORIDA AVE FLORA ST 3 590'SB 645 FLORIDA AVE FLORA ST 5 590’NB 577 FLORIDA AVE LAMBRIGHT ST 1 440'SB 650 FLORIDA AVE NORTH ST 2 440'SB 651 FLORIDA Av e Fern 2 500’NB 576 Florida Ave Fern 1 500’NB 570 Florida Ave at Frierson 1 650’

46

HART Studies

9

Any Questions or Comments

47

Hillsborough Transit AuthorityStrategic Planning and External Relations Committee Meeting

March 16, 2020______________________________________________________________________________

INFORMATION ITEM

Automatic Passenger Counter Validation for NTD Reporting

On January 30, 2020, HART applied to FTA for approval to use Bus Automatic Passenger Counters (APC) for its annual National Transit Database (NTD) reporting. On February 28, 2020, FTA approved HART’s application to report APC data to NTD for Motorbus/Direct Operations mode as of 2019. HART will report collecting Unlinked Passenger Trips and Passenger Miles Traveled data using APCs and all available APC data, scaled up using a statistically valid method on the D-10 Annual NTD reporting form. Benchmarking is required to be repeated every three years. HART’s next benchmarking year will be 2022.

Prepared by: Chris Cochran, Director of Service Development

Approved by: Carolyn House Stewart, Interim Chief Executive Officer

48