M E M O R A N D U M
To: Honorable Mayor and Town Council
From: Rafael G. Casals, Town Manager
Date: October 15, 2014
Re: Adoption of the Updated 2014 Town of Cutler Bay Transportation Master Plan
REQUESTTitle
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF CUTLER BAY, FLORIDA, RELATING TO THE ADOPTION OF THE UPDATED 2014 TOWN OF CUTLER BAY TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Town of Cutler Bay was a recipient of $35,000 from the Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MPO) - 2014 Municipal Grant Program. The Town's Application package was ranked highest in the MPO and received 100% of the requested funding, in large part due to the Town's past performance with the MPO. In 2008, the Town completed its first Transportation Master Plan (TMP), which was funded by the MPO's Municipal Grant Program. Since that time, the Town has placed great effort into assuring that these funds have not simply gone to produce studies, but have been used to create Capital projects that have since been completed. Primary recommendations of the original TMP were the creation of Municipal Transit Circulator and the development of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Town staff has completed and continues to implement, items identified in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan which, was also funded through an MPO Grant.
The 2008 TMP planning process included working with residents, staff, elected officials and local agencies to develop consensus on a vision to guide transportation projects and policy. Over sixty (60) projects were identified of which, seventy-five (75%) percent of the project have already been initiated and/or completed by Town staff.
The 2014 "updated" Transportation Master Plan, strives to review the existing 2008 TMP and incorporate both residents and business community concerns reported over the past five (5) years, as it relates to growing transportation needs. In the process, existing conditions were documented by the collection of new traffic data. The 2014 "updated" TMP has resulted in the recommendation(s) of an entirely new project bank which prioritized all of the 2008 TMP pending projects and removed completed projects.
In the initial planning phase, of the 2014 "update" TMP, the development of a multimodal transportation Capital Improvement Plan. A scope of services with six (6) tasks was developed:
Task I Public Involvement
Task II Data Collection and Analysis
Task III Needs Assessment
Task IV Development of Potential Projects
Task V Implementation Strategy
Task VI Final Report
The culmination and completion of the above Tasks, is an updated project bank, which will become the guide by which the Town invests in its transportation infrastructure. This process has resulted in sixty-three (63) multimodal projects at a potential value of approximately $21 million.
There is an art and science to Transportation Planning. To gain consensus and implement projects the community must agree to, and want, what is being planned. The 2014 "update" to the TMP project, places great effort into both the art (finding out what is wanted), and the science (finding out what is needed). What is wanted stems from a significant engagement of the public (residents and business community) to build consensus. This is done the old fashioned way, by earning it. The Town focused on Public Involvement throughout this project, hosting several meetings and workshop, in order to gain a better understanding of the community's needs and wants.
Multiple efforts were undertaken to engage the public, explain the projects scope of services, existing conditions, data collection, and system utilization, in order to determine the desires of the public and keep the project moving forward. A steering committee was formed and met with to ensure the project was progressing. Stakeholders were met with to gain insight into specific ideas or concerns that individuals may have had. Community organizations were met with in small groups, and overall public workshops and hearings were provided to gain consensus for the study's results and recommendations.
The purpose of the public involvement task was to discuss and receive public input on key local planning issues related to the 2008 TMP. The process began with coordination in a kickoff meeting with the project management team, after which a Steering Committee was created, comprised of the following Agencies: MPO, Miami-Dade Transit, Town Public Works/ Planning Department. The Committee then focused on a discussion and review of the various draft sections of the report for presentation in a public hearing. Finally, the committee met to review recommendations and issue the final report. The Steering Committee was met with on three (3) occasions during the effort: Once at the outset, once at the study's mid-point, and again nearing this study's conclusion.
Stakeholder Meetings:
Community leaders, including citizens, staff and elected officials were met with in one-on-one settings and in small groups to discuss their concerns. Over a dozen meetings were held, from April thru September 2014.
Public Involvement Meetings/Workshops:
Multiple workshops were held to engage stakeholders between April and September 2014. Additionally, all the Steering Committee meetings were open to the Public.
Public outreach efforts for these meetings included meeting time and place postings on/in:
• The Town's Website.
• The Town Hall's Bulletin Board.
• Public notice in the Miami Herald on May 22, 2014.
• Email notification to persons who have opted into the Town's email list.
• Two (2) large Electronic Message Boards strategically placed throughout the Town, announcing Public meetings/workshops.
During these workshops, information was presented on background findings and analyses to date, with a discussion and solicitation of feedback from the public on areas of concern for further investigation as well as well as potential projects for implementation. Meetings with people in small groups were also undertaken. Specific groups included the Concerned Citizens of Cutler Bay and the Cutler Bay Business Association. Two (2) broad public involvement workshops were held later in the process in order to present a complete picture of the analysis and recommendations, including one at Town Hall on June 30, 2014 and another at Cutler Ridge Park on July 9, 2014. An initial public workshop was conducted on September 17, 2014 to present findings to the Mayor and Town Council.
The following dates, summarizes the Town's Public Involvement efforts that, was comprised of a series of open forum style meetings with both the business community and residents:
• April 10, 2014
• May 8, 2014
• June 3, 2014
• June 30, 2014
• July 9, 2014
• September 17, 2014
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Mayor and Town Council adopt the updated 2014 Transportation Master Plan.