Title
Authorize the Chair to sign the letter of support for TAMC's Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant proposal for the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway Project.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors authorize the Chair to sign the letter of support for TAMC's Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant proposal for the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway Project.
SUMMARY:
Fort Ord Recreational Trail and Greenway (FORTAG) concept is proposed as a 30-mile-long, multi-jurisdictional, regional network of paved recreational trails and greenways connecting communities to open space to facilitate active transportation, with the intent of expanding the region's opportunities for traveling between home, work, and commercial areas by foot, bike, or wheelchair. The Measure X sales tax provides for an estimated $20 million in sales tax funding for FORTAG.
With the passage of Measure X in November 2016, the Transportation Agency of Monterey County (TAMC) and the FORTAG proponents are pursuing the next steps of planning, design, and environmental analysis for the project. TAMC, in coordination with FORTAG proponents, is sponsoring a grant application for federal funding under the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) to plan and design the project and conduct environmental review of an approximately 4.35-mile portion of the FORTAG proposed trail connecting the Fort Ord Dunes State Park to the Fort Ord National Monument ("sanctuary-to-monument corridor"). Subject to the environmental review and future approvals, the grant would also cover permitting, acquisition of right-of-way, and construction of this segment.
TAMC is proposing to be the lead agency for the environmental analysis under CEQA for the entire length of the FORTAG, and will be presenting a draft Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) regarding lead agency status for consideration by the jurisdictions in the near future. Monterey County would be a responsible agency unde...
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