Date: May 24, 2016 | Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Location: Rooms 9 & 10, Government Center

Agenda

1.  Approval of Minutes of the May 24, 2016, Meeting

2. FAA Changes to Flight Patterns – Noelle Dominguez (FCDOT) and Margaret McKeough (MWAA)

3. Dulles Metrorail Silver Line Phase 2 Status and Funding – Mark Canale (FCDOT) and Joe LaHait (DMB)

4. Snow Summit Follow Up and Ordinance Recommendations – James Patteson (DPWES), Tom Biesiadny and Neil Freschman (FCDOT)

5. Trail Lighting, Maintenance and Snow Removal – Tom Biesiadny (FCDOT), William Marsh and James Patteson (DPWES)

6. Parking Ordinance Update – Neil Freschman (FCDOT)

7. Analysis of the Life Cycle Costs of Small vs. Large Transit Buses – Kris Miller and Jose Pineda (FCDOT)

8. New Business 

Minutes

Members in Attendance:

Supervisor John Foust , Chair
Chairman Sharon Bulova
Supervisor John Cook
Supervisors Penny Gross
Supervisor Pat Herrity
Supervisor Catherine Hudgins
Supervisor Jeff McKay
Supervisor Kathy Smith
Supervisor Dan Storck

Members Absent: Supervisor Linda Smyth

Deputy County Executive: Robert A. Stalzer and David Rohrer

TAC Member in Attendance: Jeff Parnes, Chair.

Supervisor Foust called the meeting to order at 10:15p.m.

1. Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the February 12, 2016, meeting were accepted unanimously.

2. Safe Track Presentation by WMATA and County Efforts to Assist with Alternatives

Jack Requa (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority – “WMATA”) briefed the Board on the WMATA SafeTrack Plan. He said that SafeTrack is a comprehensive effort to address safety recommendations and rehabilitate the Metrorail system on an accelerated basis by expanding all available maintenance windows. The SafeTrack Plan is three years worth of maintenance work accelerated into approximately one year. The plan includes expansion of track-work hours on weeknights, middays, weekends, and during certain rush hours. The goal of the SafeTrack Plan is to achieve safety and a state-of-good-repair of the Metrorail system. The overall plan includes line segment shutdowns of less than one month. He said that contractors will be used to augment the existing workforce.

To address the impacts on commuters, the SafeTrack Plan proposed a mitigation plan and a surge schedule. The mitigation plan consists of having 40 Metrobuses dedicated to provide alternative service, additional 8-car trains on lines where capacity is reduced, encouraging riders to use alternative travel modes, and alter their travel patterns. The plan calls for jurisdictional input and support, additional customer support, a robust public outreach effort, requesting support for teleworking at all levels, and other efforts. The trackwork schedule begins on June 4, 2016, with estimated completion by March 19, 2017. All Metrorail stations in Fairfax County will experience reduced service, and longer wait times for trains at various stages of the scheduled work. Commuters will be advised to seek alternative travel modes.

Supervisor Foust stated that the SafeTrack Plan presentation is available to the public via live streaming. Chairman Bulova emphasized the importance of communication and sharing information to the public about the SafeTrack Plan and its mitigation plan. Supervisor McKay stated that this is not a new concept, and WMATA cannot expect to run the system all day and not have any problems. He inquired how the timeline, the decision making process, the order of repairs, and timeframe were made, and whether they were based on the physical condition of the facility, the urgency, safety, or other strategic considerations. Mr. Requa replied that WMATA is looking to have the least impact on the system. The plan does not to do any track work on holidays like Christmas, New Year, Inauguration Day, etc., while coordinating with jurisdictions and reserving enough time for the repair work. He confirmed that the dates on the schedule are firm, and if the repair work is done earlier than scheduled, they will not start the next work early. They want people to be prepared and know that WMATA is adhering to the schedule. Supervisor McKay stated that he is supportive of SafeTrack, and asked if work can be done earlier or later to avoid impact to the Springfield Mall during repair work from December 7 to 24, 2016. Mr. Requa replied that WMATA will be working with Fairfax County to mitigate the impact with buses and alternative travel modes.

Supervisor Cook stated that he hoped that the Board will endorse the project. He stated that the public may not understand the message that the system needs to have repair work done, if they keep seeing trains continue to run. He stated that the region needs to have a safe and sustainable funded Metro system. Supervisor Hudgins stated that the system needed be maintained, and the General Manager of WMATA made the right decision. Supervisor Herrity endorsed the SafeTrack Plan and inquired who will be doing the repair work. Mr. Requa replied that WMATA employees and contractors will perform the work.

Mr. Requa explained the work schedule that impacts Metrorail stations in Fairfax County. For example, starting June 4, 2016, Metrorail will run single tracking continuously between East Falls Church and Ballston. The Orange Line trains will run every 18 minutes to/from Vienna - Ballston station; the Silver Line trains will run every 18 minutes at all times. From July 5 to 11, 2016, there will be line segment shutdowns between National Airport and Braddock Road Stations. There will be reduced service at all times at many stations, primarily the Yellow and Blue Lines in Virginia. The Blue and Yellow Line trains will run every 12 minutes. More information on the Surge schedule can be found at http://wmata.com/safetrack for updates.

Mr. Requa stated that there will be more personnel available at the impacted stations to provide information, crowd control, and will not allow platforms to be overcrowded for safety concerns. Supervisor Gross inquired how tourists and people who are not familiar with the system will get the information, and whether WMATA will coordinate with police departments in the region. Mr. Requa replied that he will look into this question. Todd Wigglesworth (FCDOT) stated that the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) have regular meetings with police departments in the region, so there is coordination with the police. Supervisor Hudgins inquired if WMATA contacted the tourism industry to share the information. Mr. Requa replied that WMATA has meetings with trade organizations and chambers of commerce on this issue.

Tom Biesiadny, Dwayne Pelfrey, Nick Perfili and Todd Wigglesworth (FCDOT) presented the Fairfax Connector plan to coordinate and support the WMATA SafeTrack Plan. Ten of the 15 surges affect Fairfax County rail service and stations. On the Blue and Yellow Line Stations, the affected stations are Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street and Huntington. On the Orange and Silver Line Stations, the affected stations are Dunn Loring, Greensboro, McLean, Spring Hill, Tysons Corner, Vienna, West Falls Church and Wiehle-Reston East.

Fairfax Connector's mitigation strategies for the Orange, Silver, Blue and Yellow Lines includes promoting:
· Provide options, so transit riders do not shift to single occupant vehicles
· Alternative transit service
· Park-and-ride facilities where capacity and connecting transit service exist
· Commuter Connection program
· Flexible work schedule and telework options
· Public communications/outreach planning and coordination
· Shuttle and supplemental bus service plans
· Existing local bus routes connecting between Metrorail stations
· Existing service options for Virginia Railway Express commuter rail

Supervisor McKay asked if there is a plan to waive parking fees for VRE riders using Metro parking lots during this time period since they are parking for free at the park-and-ride facilities throughout the County. Mr. Requa responded that he will take this question back to WMATA and pointed out the technical difficulty to enable this parking option for VRE riders. Mr. Biesiadny stated the County can promote bus services connecting the park-and-ride lots to Metrorail stations. He mentioned that the parking fees at the stations are used to support paying for the bonds to construct the parking garages. In the long run, it will have a financial impact to the County. Regarding the issue of VRE accepting SmartTrip cards, Mr. Requa stated that VRE trains are pretty much at capacity and he did not want to encourage people to overcrowd the VRE service. Chairman Bulova stated that for people living close to Washington, D.C., especially for those in Alexandria, the VRE trains are not at capacity near the end of the VRE line to D.C.

Regarding public outreach, Supervisor Gross requested County staff put a link on the home page of the County website.

On the issue of limited number of buses and resources, Mr. Biesiadny stated that the County would need to hire new drivers and train them to be able to provide more bus service than is being planned. The mitigation plan will promote carpools, vanpools, teleworking and other strategies. WMATA will have an additional 40 buses planned for mitigation purposes. The Board directed staff to prepare a Board action item for the Board meeting on June 7, 2016, endorsing the SafeTrack Plan.

3. Dulles Metrorail Silver Line Phase II Status and Funding

Mark Canale (FCDOT) and Joe LaHait (DMB) briefed the Board on the status of Phase II of the Dulles Rail Project. The Old Meadow Road realignment work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2017. VDOT continues working with MWAA to resolve their remaining punch list items. The Art-In-Transit project is completed. The final budget for Phase I is $2.982 billion.

Mr. Canale reported that Phase II is 33 percent complete. The design is 98 percent complete, and construction is 19 percent complete. A tower crane has been installed at Reston Town Center Station. Utility work and cast-in-place concrete work are ongoing at Herndon Station. At Innovation Station, precast erection is underway. At Dulles Airport, work has been done on foundation and utility work. Construction and/or utility work is underway at all stations in Fairfax County. The design plans were submitted for the rail yard at Dulles Airport. Phase II budget is estimated at $2.778 billion.

Mr. Canale presented the art renderings and pictures of various activities for the Dulles Airport Station. He provided pictures of ongoing work at the Innovation Center Station.

4. Herndon and Innovation Center Parking Garage Financing

Joe LaHait (DMB), Katayoon Shaya (DPWES), Tom Biesiadny and Todd Wigglesworth (FCDOT) briefed the Board on the Herndon and Innovation Center Parking Garage Financing. In 2011, a funding plan agreement was reached between U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Commonwealth of Virginia, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, MWAA, and WMATA. Fairfax County agreed to “use best efforts” to relieve the rail project of parking garages at Herndon and Innovation Center Stations. Fairfax County received a $403.3 million Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to provide a portion of its share of the project and committed to completing construction of both parking garages by the start of passenger revenue service for Phase II of the Dulles Rail Project. With the Dulles Rail project, Fairfax County has taken on a greater role in the development and ownership of the parking facilities at the new Metrorail stations at Wiehle-Reston East, Herndon and Innovation Center. By retaining ownership of the parking facilities, the County controls future joint development on the sites and retains all revenue from these joint developments.

The Herndon Station garage will have 2,006 parking spaces with pedestrian and bicycle amenities. Construction will start in fall 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in winter 2019. Total project estimate is $56.7 million with $7.8 million funded to date, and $48.9 million in remaining balance required.

The Innovation Center Station garage will have 2,070 spaces with pedestrian and bicycle amenities. Construction is expected to start in March 2017, and completion by March 2019. Total project estimate is $56.4 million with $14.4 million funded to date, and $43.0 million in remaining balance required.

The concept of a parking surcharge was developed by Fairfax County and WMATA to fund additional Metrorail parking spaces. In fall 2014, the surcharge agreement was amended to include the Herndon and Innovation Center garages. The Wiehle Reston-East parking garage is also included in the definition of the "Fairfax County Metrorail Parking System", and the parking revenue generated by the Wiehle garage is included in "County Parking Revenue," securing the new bonds. The County will pay all debt service, operations and maintenance on those garages.

Regarding highlights of the County’s Plan of Finance, the County is expected to receive a Double-A (AA) credit rating for a level of debt service amortized over 30 years; capitalized interest during construction; receive 100 percent of parking fee revenue ($4.85/day) from the Herndon and Innovation Station garages, and surcharge revenue on existing WMATA-owned Metrorail parking facilities. The current surcharge cash balance is about $23.3 million. Surcharge and County-owned garage revenues are expected to increase 1 percent annually beginning in FY 2021. Conservative projections indicate parking garages can be self-supporting.

Supervisor Storck questioned whether the County's upfront investment is essential to the process. Mr. Biesiadny replied that the idea is to have garages ready when the Silver Line opens, and the revenue raised will be used to pay for maintenance and debt service. Mr. Wigglesworth stated the revenue can legally be used only for that purpose. On a question about the capacity projection for the three garages, Mr. Biesiadny stated that the assumption is about 70 percent systemwide that includes Metro and County-owned garages.

5. NVTA TransAction Update

Noelle Dominguez and Kristin Calkins (FCDOT) briefed the Board on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) TransAction Update. NVTA is responsible for developing a long range transportation plan for Northern Virginia (TransAction). TransAction is an unconstrained plan for Northern Virginia. The Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is responsible for the regional, fiscally Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP). TransAction 2040 was adopted in 2012. County staff has proposed various modifications and additions to the projects that may be included in the TransAction Update. County staff has proposed removing projects that have been completed or are currently under construction. County staff has proposed modifying projects based on updated studies and plans. NVTA funding is one of the sources that supports the County's Transportation Priorities Plan (TPP). The County is expected to benefit from approximately $1 billion worth of NVTA funded projects over a ten-year period. There will be a public outreach meetings scheduled in Spring and Fall 2016.

NVTA has not made a final project selection decision yet. Currently, there is an opportunity for the Board and the public to provide input on projects that should be included in the NVTA update. The Board requested staff to share the list of projects being considered to the Board.

6. Food Truck Parking Ordinance

Neil Freschman (FCDOT), Laura S. Gori (Office of the County Attorney), Cathy Belgin (Department of Planning and Zoning), Emilie Shumate (Fairfax County Park Authority) and Henri McCartney (Department of Cable and Consumer Services - "DCCS") provided an update to the Board on the issue regarding Mobile Food Vending within VDOT Right-of-Way. This topic was reviewed by the Board in February 2016. All vending was prohibited on VDOT rights-of-way, until the General Assembly adopted new legislation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a resolution in July 2015, allowing mobile food vending under certain conditions. Fairfax County already allows mobile food vending on private property where food truck operators have the required permit and permission of property owner.

In September 2015, VDOT released the application for a land use permit and requirements for mobile food vending within VDOT rights-of-way. County staff is developing an ordinance revision to allow mobile food vending within VDOT rights-of-way. VDOT requirements for mobile food vendors include a land use permit from VDOT that will be valid for one year and payment of a $100 fee. They will have to follow all other VDOT requirements like securing and maintaining liability insurance up to $1 million per occurrence and other rules. VDOT can suspend mobile food vending operations on state maintained right-of-way in response to public safety or operational concerns. Mobile food vending can only operate from a marked or signed parking space on a non-limited access highway with the speed limit of 35 mph or less.

Staff proposed a County Ordinance that requires mobile food vendors to follow all VDOT requirements, plus additional elements. Some of the elements are: compliance with all Health Department and DCCS permits, licenses and regulations, maximum four hours on any given day at any one location, vending only allowed between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 9 a.m. start time on Sundays or federal holidays. They have to keep their area clear of trash and debris and must provide a trash receptacle. They will not be allowed to operate within a residential neighborhood or within 500 feet of any residential zoned area. The Health Department would primarily be responsible for enforcement. The Police Department would enforce operating without a permit or from unauthorized locations.

Staff proposed specific "zones" for mobile food vending. These zones will have posted signage that require securing a VDOT permit. Staff proposed three possible options for approving mobile food vending zones: public hearing process, an administrative process, and a hybrid process where the Board would approve areas of the County for mobile food vending zones and then the County Executive would be authorized to add or remove specific roadway segments to each zone. Each process will require Board approval.

The DMV Food Truck Association sent comments to Chairman Bulova's office on May 17, 2016. They provided suggestions for vending locations in Tysons and requested that no food trucks park in front of or block the visibility of restaurants. Staff determined that there are only five roads in Tysons that meet VDOT’s mobile food vending zone requirements: portions of Boone Boulevard, Howard Avenue, Pinnacle Drive, Solution Drive, and Watson Street. Staff began preliminary efforts to identify potential mobile food vending zones throughout the County.

Supervisor Foust inquired if there can be exclusive zones for food trucks. Staff’s response is that there is currently no restriction on that issue. After discussion, the Board favored the "hybrid process" option, but requested the County Executive to further investigate criteria and report back to the Board.

7. Student Recommendations for 2016-2017 Student Pass Program

Nick Perfili and Kala Quintana (FCDOT) updated the Board on the Student Fare Program. This topic was reviewed by the Board in February 2016. This program provides free trips on Fairfax Connector buses to Fairfax County high school and middle school students. The five schools targeted in 2015-1016 were Chantilly High School, Edison High School, Madison High School, Mount Vernon High School and South Lakes High School. These schools were chosen based on their geographic distribution and access to Fairfax Connector service. Student participation on average at the five targeted schools in the Student Pass Program is about 24 percent.

FCDOT staff continues to coordinate with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and proposed entering into a new partnership with the City of Fairfax’s CUE bus system. The CUE system enhances service availability to additional schools: Fairfax High School, Oakton High School, Woodson High School and Paul the VI.

Students use the pass to travel to-or-from school with high evening utilization for after-school for activities and programs. The number of student trips in eight months was estimated over 100,000 trips. Staff has done surveys with students and school administration/faculty at Edison and South Lakes High Schools, and with bus operators. The results informed recommendations for the 2016-2017 school year. The student surveys show that student pass use is reducing vehicle trips in school parking lots and on nearby streets. Half of the students use their pass from three to five days a week. The majority of students receive bus information from smart phone apps, Fairfax Connector website, and printed brochures on the bus or at school. From the surveys, students and school administrators would like to see the program extend usage hours to include Saturdays and Sundays. They appreciate the program, since it reduces student tardiness or absenteeism and gives students and their parents an alternative transportation option for the students' after-school activities. Based on feedback of the student pass design, program improvements are recommended for the 2016-2017 school year.

Staff recommendations in school year 2016-2017 include increasing the usage time to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., include Saturday and Sunday, and an expanded outreach program. In the future, staff recommendations include investigating ways to expand the program to areas of Fairfax County with Metrobus service (which will have cost implications); and an FCPS universal student photo ID/pass.

Supervisor McKay inquired why the universal student photo ID is such a difficult thing to do and stated that a discussion with FCPS is needed to identify the challenges with the universal student photo ID. Supervisor Smith cautioned about the idea of a universal student photo ID and the cost associated with the ID. She stated that she was not sure if students really need the universal student photo ID to begin with. Chairman Bulova stated that the subject is a good topic for a future Board of Supervisors and School Board meeting. Supervisor Storck suggested beginning with a pilot program. Supervisor Gross suggested not to expand the program with Metrobus at this time, but to have conversions with WMATA in future.

8. Fairfax County Parkway Study and Public Meetings

Due to time constraints, this item was provided as information. Mr. Biesiadny mentioned the three upcoming public meetings: June 8 at Hayfield Secondary School, June 9 at Oak Hill Elementary School, and June 13 at Sangster Elementary School. The meeting times are from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

The meeting ended at 12:20 pm. The next BTC meeting is scheduled for July 19, 2016, at 3 pm.

Presentations

• Metrorail SafeTrack Overview and Mitigation
• Silver Line Update
• Dulles Metrorail Silver Line Phase 2: Fairfax County Parking Garages Herndon and Innovation Center Station
• Fairfax County and the NVTA TransAction Update
• Mobile Food Vending within VDOT Right-of-Way
• Student Free Fare Program Update and Recommendations
• Fairfax County Parkway and Franconia-Springfield Parkway Corridor Study