713-627-3200
On This Page
Who is Completing the Application?
Please provide contact information for the person who will complete the online application for this project. The email address and password entered here will be used to complete and submit both Pre-Applications and Applications.
Mariana Raschke
Associate at the Goodman Corporation
713-951-7951
Primary Agency Information
Please provide contact information for the agency official who is representing the project sponsor. This individual will be considered the official applicant and must be authorized by their agency to submit this request for funding and make necessary assertations and representations on the agency’s behalf.
Greater East End Management District
Patrick Ezzell
Managing Director of Economic Development and Infrastructure
713-928-9916
3211 Harrisburg Boulevard
Houston
TX
77003
Additional Agency Information
City of Houston
Sharon Moses-Burnside
Division Manager, Transportation Planning
832-393-6564
611 Walker Street
Houston
TX
77002
Project Information
Eastwood Intermodal Terminal Project
Harris County
Eastwood St. and Harrisburg Boulevard
4500 Block of Harrisburg Boulevard
A defining characteristic of the East End District (District) is the light-rail service (Green Line) that runs east-west from downtown Houston eastward along the Harrisburg corridor. Since the line opened on May 23, 2015, it has served as an active and reliable transportation option for residents and area commuters. With the recent completion of the Hughes Street Overpass over the Union Pacific Railway, the Green Line now extends to Cesar Chavez/67th Street Station and to the Magnolia Transit Center. The direct connectivity to various METRO transit routes in this area, provides an opportunity to stimulate further economic development in the district, through the creation of reasonably priced parking for commuters, which is otherwise, non-existent in the area. This opportunity, realized by the District, is also identified in Houston METRO’s 2016 East End Corridor Transit Oriented Development Study. This study identifies the need to “incorporate shared parking within potential redevelopment on the parcel adjacent to the CVS Pharmacy.” In response to this opportunity, the District has identified the development of a transit/parking facility on this parcel, and is taking the next step to work with H-GAC to “align project evaluation and funding levels for the TIP to support TOD projects” which is also a recommendation of the plan. A 2017 demand analysis commissioned by the District identifies that there is a total daily transit demand for an additional 450 to 517 transit-oriented parking spaces at the intersection of Harrisburg and Eastwood. This demand is being generated by the following activity centers: The Downtown Houston Central Business District, Texas Medical Center, Rice University, Museum District, and the University of Houston/Texas South University. This demand is validated by parking rates and limited availability within the activity centers serviced by Metro’s light rail line. A 2017 survey of Downtown Houston parking rates indicates an average daily rate of $24. The City of Houston Department of Parking Management indicates that approximately 30% of vehicles in Downtown Houston are circulating, searching for parking. The 2013 Texas Medical Center (TMC) Mobility Study targeted remote parking facilities as a means to reduce traffic congestion, and the need to address parking deficiencies as priorities within the TMC. Finally, significant parking deficiencies have been noted at University of Houston, Rice University, and throughout the Museum District.
Through coordination with private sector partners, the District was able to reach the following agreement: • The developer is donating 1.75 acres of property, valued at $2.67M, for the parking facility. This is conveyed via a 40-yr ground lease (attached). An appraisal report is included with this grant application. The value of this property will satisfy the local match required for this funding request. The remaining value will serve as an over match (approximately $1.4M). • The developer has agreed to construct a 450 space parking facility, of which 200 spaces will be utilized by an adjacent Baker-Ripley (non-profit) facility and by other adjacent commercial development. 250 spaces are being set aside for public transportation utilization. 250 spaces are the maximum number of spaces agreed to by METRO and the District for a park-n-ride concept. • The garage is being constructed currently. The construction contract was procured by the District to Federal Transit Administration specifications related to capital leasing. • The garage is being designed with METRO Q-card compatibility in mind. • The cost to build a stand-alone 250 space garage, as estimated by the construction contractor, is $4.9M. This is used as the estimated value of a 40-yr capital lease for the 250 spaces for public transit purposes. This value discounts the land value entirely. Typically a 40-yr lease exceeds the initial capital cost (otherwise leasing would be a better financial option than a purchase). This amount is commensurate with the funding request. • If the District receives approval for the $4.9M in funding, that funding will be used to secure a long-term capital lease of 250 parking spaces and associated incidental space. The District will complete a competitive RFP process to identify if other providers are willing to construct or lease 250 spaces for a 40-yr period. This will ensure the best use of government funding and will comply with FTA procurement regulations. • Prior to executing a capital lease for the spaces, the District will enter into an Operating and Management agreement with the owner of the facility. This will set up a framework for the management of the parking. The District will allow the garage owner to operate and manage the garage. The District will require quarterly meetings with the owner/manager of the garage to review financial results from operations and parking. Rates will be adjusted dependent upon occupancy and net revenues. The OMA will define net revenue but it is anticipated that net revenue will be minimal or non-existent due to O&M costs. See attached fee analysis. • The intent of the District is to establish initial daily parking fees between $4-$6. This will be adjusted based on parking utilization/ridership. However, the District’s intent is to provide rates which are more competitive than those of Downtown, TMC, and other activity centers. This will ensure the long-term viability of the Park and Ride concept.
The primary outcomes of this project include: • Working toward accomplishing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) objectives set by Houston METRO and the District. • The provision of a subsidized park and ride option for at-risk and environmental justice populations within the vicinity of the project. Environmental Justice populations being served by this project above the H-GAC regional averages include: o Minorities o Households below the poverty line o Limited educational attainment o Female head of households o Limited English proficiency o Senior population • This project would serve to increase annual transit ridership by approximately 223,000 unlinked passenger trips and reduce vehicle miles travelled (VMT) by approximately 870,000 annually. Over a 20-year planning horizon, this equates to 17.4M VMT reduced. • The increase in METRO farebox revenues generated by increased ridership is estimated to be approximately $14M over the useful life of the project (50 years x $279,540). • The project, through decreased VMT, will lower the incidence of preventable traffic crashes due to reduced driving over the projects’ evaluation period. There is anticipated to be an annual reduction in approximately 2.5 crashes and 18.5 injuries within the local transportation network due to this project. This carries a benefit of approximately $6.8M over a 20-year period. • The project will result in a reduction of approximately 340 tons of air pollutants per year, which carries a value of approximately $470k over a 20-year period.
Yes
16312
No
Less than $100 million
(Expand) Transit Passenger Facilities
4991706
Project Development/Readiness
100% PS&E
Categorical Exclusion (CE)
05/03/2018
C-List Categorical Exclusion Type C-9
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
The project will work synergistically with existing and adjacent transit service, but it will not significantly impact METRO owned infrastructure. Letters of support from COH and METRO are attached. Several alternatives have been contemplated during the planning and development of this project: 1. The District constructs its’ own garage. This alternative will be more costly as the District will have to purchase the land and construct the garage. This would also involve legal fees related to ROW acquisition and time delays related to acquisition, design, and construction. Additionally the District would have to procure and pay for the design of this facility. In this case, this burden is being shifted to the private sector. The cost of this alternative is estimated to be at least $3M more than the 40-year capital lease being sought. 2. Identify an alternative site to complete a capital lease along the METRO Green Line. This alternative is still viable. When the District secures the funding for this project, a competitive request for proposals (RFP) will be initiated. This will seek interested parties in constructing or otherwise providing a 250-space parking garage for a transit purpose. This will afford public and private developers the opportunity to bid on creation of a similar facility. Coordination and Project Status: FTA is aware of the project and has reviewed the project report that outlines the project components and the environmental assessment for the project. A categorical exclusion (CE) has been granted by FTA for this project. The CE protects the construction and the capital lease of a parking facility for a transit purpose at the project location. If through a RFP, the project is implemented elsewhere along the Green Line, the CE would be updated for the new location. Public Involvement: The letter of intent outlining this project has been discussed at several District Board meetings dating back to 2016. The Board meetings are open to the public on the fourth Thursday of every month. The METRO TOD study, which originally identified this project, included coordination and outreach with the general public and with project partners to include COH PWE, COH Economic Development, several TIRZ and Management Districts, and private sector interests. Materials regarding this study are available on the METRO website and the District website for review. https://www.ridemetro.org/Pages/TransitOrientedDevelopment.aspx http://www.greatereastend.com/metro-releases-transit-oriented-development-study/ This project was amended into the H-GAC Transportation Improvement Program in October 2017. This involved four public meetings at H-GAC. A TAC preview, a TPC preview, a TAC action, and a TPC action. The MPO ID is 16312. This project is shovel ready and funding can be expended upon the award of funds, the transfer of funds to FTA, and the execution of a capital lease. All procurement and agreement actions can take place during this administrative time. The attached project development timeline demonstrates the execution the capital lease in CY2020, only because it is anticipated to take that long for the required TIP/STIP and FTA transfer actions to occur. If those actions can occur more expeditiously, this lease and this project can be completed in CY19.
Map/Location
Benefit/Cost Analysis
GEE Transit Facility_Transit-Active-Transportation-Safety-Benefit.xlsx
Planning Factors - Environmental Justice
Yes
Yes
Planning Factors - Includes Facility Maintenance Plan/Strategies
Yes
Planning Factors - Planning Coordination
Yes
This Transit Passenger Terminal is identified in Houston METRO’s 2016 East End Corridor Transit Oriented Development Study. The project and other associated sidewalk infrastructure is also identified in the 2017 report entitled Eastwood Intermodal Terminal and Associated Pedestrian-Transit Corridor Improvements. The project was also adopted in the H-GAC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) in October 2017 and subsequently approved in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program in February 2018. The TIP process involved four public meetings at H-GAC. A TAC preview, a TPC preview, a TAC action, and a TPC action. The MPO ID is 16312.
Houston METRO’s 2016 East End Corridor Transit Oriented Development Study: https://www.ridemetro.org/MetroPDFs/AboutMETRO/CurrentProjects/TransitOrientedDevelopment/METRO_TOD_Report_East_End_Corridor_Final_022216.pdf East End District’s 2017 Eastwood Intermodal Terminal and Associated Pedestrian-Transit Corridor Improvements Advance Plan: https://www.dropbox.com/s/m0w0gnvfyh8m734/Eastwood%20Intermodal%20Terminal%20and%20Associated%20Pedestrian%20Transit%20Corridor%20Improvements%20Advance%20Plan.pdf?dl=0 H-GAC Transportation Improvement Program (MPO ID 16312): https://www.h-gac.com/taq/transportation-committees/TAC/2017/09-sep/documents/ITEM-04C-Amendment-Detail-Pages-090617.pdf
Planning Factors - Project is Part of a Transit Oriented Development
Yes
Planning Factors - Provides Safe Ped/Bike Accommodations
Yes
Supported or Served by Multiple Transit Providers (Max 20 Points)
Yes
Yes – via connectivity provided by the METRO LRT service, this facility can be accessed, used, and integrated with multiple transit service providers. Those other providers and related connection points include: • Fort Bend County Transit, which services the Texas Medical Center, which can be accessed directly via the LRT network. • Conroe Connection, which will soon be servicing the Texas Medical Center and Downtown Houston, both of which can be accessed directly via the LRT network. • The Woodlands Express Service, which currently services the Texas Medical Center and Downtown Houston, both of which can be accessed directly via the LRT network. This service offers reverse-commute options as well, further growing transportation choices for transit users. • When the Uptown BRT project is completed, riders will be able to access the Galleria via a transfer at the Downtown Transit Center. Additionally, future connectivity to the Texas Central Rail Partners High Speed Rail has been contemplated from the Uptown “Gold Line” service. • METRONext is contemplating expanded connectivity to the future Texas Central Partners Bullet Train as well as George Bush/ Hobby Airports. Existing and expanded connectivity will provide access to numerous jurisdictions and activity centers.