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CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL A TION
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From: Patrick J. Morris Subject: Resolution of the Mayor and Common
Council of the City of San Bernardino Supporting a
Dept: Mayor's Office California High Speed Rail Alignment Along the I-
215 Corridor with Station Locations at the San
Bernardino Intermodal Transit Center and Near March
Date: February 9, 2011 Air Reserve Base.
Meeting date: February 22, 2011
Synopsis of Previous Council Action:
N/A
Recommended motion:
Adopt resolution.
Signature
Contact person: Casey Dailey Phone: 384-5133
Supporting data attached: Staff Report, Resolution Ward: All Wards
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: none
Source: (Acct.No.)
(Acct.Description)
Finance:
Council Notes: SU
Agenda Item No.
CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO- REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
STAFF REPORT
Subiect:
Resolution of the Mayor and Common Council of the City of San Bernardino Supporting a
California High Speed Rail Alignment Along the I-215 Corridor with Station Locations at the
San Bernardino Intermodal Transit Center and Near March Air Reserve Base.
Background:
On November 4, 2008, the voters of California passed Proposition IA, the Safe, Reliable High-
Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century. Proposition I authorized the issuance of
up to $9 billion in state funds to help finance the construction of a statewide high speed rail
(HSR) project connecting San Francisco to San Diego. The statewide corridor is comprised of
10 sections connecting major metropolitan and population centers throughout the State.
The southern section of the line connecting Los Angeles to San Diego via the Inland Empire is
the only section that travels into the Inland Empire. The California High Speed Rail Authority
E (CHSRA) Board is currently analyzing two alternative alignments for this section; one stopping
at Ontario Airport then traveling south on the I-15 with a station in Corona. The second
alternative also stops at Ontario Airport, but continues east into San Bernardino with a station
location at the planned downtown Intermodal Transit Center and then south along the I-215 with
a station in the area around the March Air Reserve Base.
In the fall of 2010, Mayor Ron Loveridge from the City of Riverside contacted Mayor Morris
about organizing a group of cities, businesses and other related organizations to form a coalition
to support the I-215 alignment with station locations in both downtown San Bernardino and in
the area of March Air Reserve Base. Station locations in these two areas are preferable for the
overall economic success of HSR, providing service and transit connectivity to the four million
residents of the Inland Empire and providing for the opportunity for interstate connections to
Phoenix and beyond.
In the final statewide programmatic environmental document, the CHSRA adopted several
specific objectives that the project is meant to achieve, four of which are listed below:
• Increase intercity travel capacity to supplement critically over-utilized interstate
highways and commercial airports;
• Maximize intermodal transportation opportunities by locating stations to connect
with local transit, airports, and highways;
• Provide a sustainable reduction in travel time between major urban centers;
• Develop a practical and economically viable transportation system that will
generate revenues in excess of operations and maintenance costs;
An alignment through the Inland Empire along the I-215 corridor with station locations near
March Air Reserve Base in Riverside and the San Bernardino Intermodal Transit Center best
optimizes the adopted objectives of the HSR project because of its capacity to serve the over four
million residents of the Inland Empire, the second largest metropolitan area in Southern
California.
Additionally, the I-215 corridor provides the strongest intermodal connectivity for the HSR
project, with direct connections to five separate Metrolink lines (the San Bernardino, Riverside,
91, Inland Empire-Orange County, and the Perris Valley lines), direct connection with Amtrak
and proposed light rail service in San Bernardino, and direct connections with Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT), regional bus service in San Bernardino and future BRT service planned in Riverside. In
comparison, the alternative I-15 alignment has no ability for connectivity with Metrolink,
Amtrak, BRT, or any other form of mass transit.
Staff recognizes there is some economic and budgetary uncertainty as whether or not the HSR
project will actually be built; as such, the proposed resolution is not an endorsement of the
overall HSR project, rather an endorsement of the specific alignment along the I-215. For the
above referenced reasons, staff is recommending the adoption of the resolution to be presented to
the CHSRA Board at their March 3 meeting.
Fiscal Impact:
No fiscal impact.
Recommendation:
Adopt resolution.
RESOLUTION NO.
C (Opy
1 A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA SUPPORTING A HIGH SPEED
2 RAIL ALIGNMENT ALONG THE I-215 CORRIDOR WITH STATIONS
NEAR MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE AND THE DOWNTOWN SAN
3 BERNARDINO TRANSIT CENTER
4 WHEREAS, the California state government is proposing to build a high-speed rail (HSR)
5 line stretching from San Francisco to San Diego;
6 WHEREAS, on November 4, 2008, the voters of the State of California endorsed
7 California's HSR initiative by approving Proposition IA that authorizes the issuance of up to $9
8 billion in state bonds to help finance the construction of HSR in California;
9 WHEREAS, California's HSR project has attracted interest from around the world — and
10 won our state a larger share of federal funding than any similar project in the country -- $2.25
11 billion;
12 WHEREAS,the southern section of the HSR project will link San Diego to Los Angeles,via
13 the Inland Empire;
14 WHEREAS, the Final Statewide Program EIR/EIS for the HSR project identified specific
15 objectives the HSR project must satisfy, including the following:
16 • Increase intercity travel capacity to supplement critically over-utilized interstate
17 highways and commercial airports;
18 • Maximize intermodal transportation opportunities by locating stations to connect with
19 local transit, airports, and highways;
20 • Provide a sustainable reduction in travel time between major urban centers;
21 • Develop a practical and economically viable transportation system that will generate
22 revenues in excess of operations and maintenance costs;
23 WHEREAS, the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is charged with
24 determining the rail alignment and location of rail stations that will optimize the multiple adopted
25 objectives for the HSR project; and
26 WHEREAS,the CHSRA is currently evaluating two HSR alignment alternatives through the
27 Inland Empire: an I-15 alignment with one station in southern Corona at Temescal Canyon and an I-
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A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA SUPPORTING A HIGH SPEED RAIL
ALIGNMENT ALONG THE I-215 CORRIDOR WITH STATIONS NEAR
I MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE AND THE DOWNTOWN SAN BERNARDINO
TRANSIT CENTER
Z
215 alignment with a station at the downtown San Bernardino Transit Center and a station in
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Riverside near March Air Reserve Base;
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of San
5 Bernardino, California, that the City of San Bernardino hereby supports a HSR alignment through
6 the Inland Empire along the I-215 corridor with station locations near March Air Reserve Base in
7 Riverside and the Downtown San Bernardino Transit Center("I-215 Alignment"), because the I-215
8 Alignment best optimizes the adopted objectives of the HSR project for the following reasons:
9 SECTION 1. The I-215 Alignment clearly has the greatest capacity to serve the over four
10 million residents of the Inland Empire, the second largest metropolitan area in Southern California
1 I that experienced a 25.4% growth in population over the last decade.
12 SECTION 2. The 1-215 Alignment clearly has the greatest capacity to serve and generate
13 ridership from 2.2 million residents located in the urban areas of the Inland Empire which are
14 located along the 1-215 corridor, and to additionally serve and draw ridership from the adjacent
15 Coachella Valley.
16 SECTION 3.The I-215 Alignment clearly provides the strongest intermodal connectivity for
17 the HSR project, with direct connection to five separate Metrolink lines (the San Bernardino,
18 Riverside, 91, Inland Empire-Orange County, and the Perris Valley lines), direct connection with
19 Amtrak and proposed light rail service in San Bernardino, and direct connections with Bus Rapid
20 Transit (BRT) and regional bus service in San Bernardino and future BRT service planned in
21 Riverside. In comparison, the alternative I-15 alignment has no ability for connectivity with
22 Metrolink,Amtrak, BRT, or any other form of mass transit.
23 SECTION 4. The I-215 Alignment clearly provides the strongest and only option for HSR
24 interconnectivity with all key commercial airports in the Inland Empire. The I-215 Alignment will
25 place the HSR project adjacent to both San Bernardino International Airport and March Air Reserve
26 Base, both of which play important roles in meeting commercial air service for Southern California
27 according to regional aviation demand forecasts in the 2008 Regional Transportation Plan prepared
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28 by the Southern California Associated Governments (SCAG). The 1-15 alignment eliminates any
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A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA SUPPORTING A HIGH SPEED RAIL
ALIGNMENT ALONG THE I-215 CORRIDOR WITH STATIONS NEAR
1 MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE AND THE DOWNTOWN SAN BERNARDINO
TRANSIT CENTER
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connectivity with these important airports that, according to SLAG, are needed to relieve congestion
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at other Southern California airports that a r e operating at or clo se to their desi gn limits or legal al
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restrictions, including Los Angeles International Airport, San Diego-Lindbergh Field Airport,
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Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport, John Wayne Airport, and Long Beach Airport.
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A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA SUPPORTING A HIGH SPEED RAIL
ALIGNMENT ALONG THE I-215 CORRIDOR WITH STATIONS NEAR
1 MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE AND THE DOWNTOWN SAN BERNARDINO
TRANSIT CENTER
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I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the Mayor and
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Common Council of the City of San Bernardino at a meeting thereof, held on the
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5 day of , 2011 by the following vote,to wit:
6 Council Members: AYES NAYS ABSTAIN ABSENT
7 MARQUEZ
8 VACANT
9 BRINKER
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SHORETT
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KELLEY
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13 JOHNSON
14 MCCAMMACK
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17 Rachel G. Clark, City Clerk
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19 The foregoing resolution is hereby approved this day of , 2011.
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22 Patrick J. Morris, Mayor
23 City of San Bernardino
24 Approved as to
25 FORM:
26 By:
27 J E F. PENMAN
28 City Attorney
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