2018 Call for Projects Application List

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.

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.

Additional Agency Information

1. Is this project being developed and/or implemented in partnership with another agency?

Project Information

1. Project Title

Spring Branch Management District - CenterPoint Trail Regional Connector

2. Project County

Harris County

3. Facility/Street Name

CenterPoint Easement in between and parallel to Hammerly Blvd & Kempwood Dr.

4. Project limits (from, to) or location (Address)

Beltway 8 to Wirt Road

5. Describe the primary problems to be addressed by the project (Project Need).

The SBMD is seeking federal funding to implement 4.7 miles of a trail extension, totaling 5.4 miles of continuous trail through Spring Branch. The primary problems to be addressed by the Spring Branch Management District– CenterPoint Trail Regional Connector are lack of safe, comfortable, off-street places to walk and bike within Spring Branch specifically for students going to/from school, people who do not own a car (6.8% of pop.), and people utilizing transit as their primary means of transportation (3.2% of pop.). The trail has the potential to provide safe walking/biking access serving 19 area-wide schools, dozens of neighborhoods, first mile/last mile connections for people using METRO’s 46 Gessner bus route, and an off-street location for the community to be active outdoors. Spring Branch sits in a gap within the expanding Bayou Greenways network, with White Oak Bayou outside the district to the east and Buffalo Bayou to the south. The only off-street path within Spring Branch’s 44 square miles is a 0.7-mile trail, Harris County Precinct 4’s Emnora Hike & Bike Trail within a CenterPoint easement that begins at Gessner Road near Hillendahl Neighborhood Library and ends at Spring Branch ISD’s Northbrook High School. The existing trail could potentially expand west along the easement to the Addicks Reservoir and east to White Oak Bayou. Once the initial 4.7 mile extension is implemented, it is hopeful the trail will be extended beyond the limits proposed here (Attachment 1). The trail extension will serve multiple destinations, most importantly schools ranging from early childhood education facilities through high school. On map (Attachment 1) a 0.25-mile and 0.5-mile buffer around Spring Branch area schools show that there are 19 local schools that could benefit from the expanded trail. Twelve of the 19 schools are within a 0.25-mile buffer, a comfortable walking distance for most people. If implemented, the trail would provide at least eight schools direct access with clear entry points along the trail. It would also provide direct access to Stuart Park, local neighborhoods, a Fiesta grocery, a Kroger grocery, a public library, a US Postal Service, places of worship, restaurants, and retail locations. The SBMD has performed two recent plans and studies within the district that support this regional trail including the “Reimagine Spring Branch: Spring Branch Management District Comprehensive Plan” (2015), and the “Reimagine Long Point Livable Centers Study” (2018), an H-GAC Livable Centers study. This trail was identified as a priority project for the district in both efforts with extensive public support. Houston Parks Board’s “Beyond the Bayous” effort has also identified this same corridor as a regional connector project called “North Side” on their map from the Addicks Reservoir beyond White Oak Bayou. Spring Branch Management District is coordinating closely with the Houston Parks Board towards implementing this regional connection.

6. Describe the proposed improvement/activity (Description).

The proposed trail improvements will include constructing 4.7 miles of minimum ten-foot wide shared use concrete trail from Beltway 8, connecting to the existing Emnora Hike and Bike Trail at Gessner Road, and continuing east of Northbrook High school to terminate near Wirt Road near a Fiesta grocery store. The existing trail provides direct access to Northbrook high School. The proposed trail alignment will cross five City of Houston streets where signage and mid-block crossings would be provided in coordination with the City of Houston. The trail crossing at Gessner (a major thoroughfare) is the only crossing that requires redirection to the nearest signalized intersection, at Emnora Ln. with improved crosswalks and pedestrian signal priority due to its proximity to that existing intersection. The other four City of Houston roadway crossings (Attachment 1) are mid-block. Gessner, Blalock and Bingle are City of Houston major thoroughfares and Campbell and Hollister are major collectors. Safe crossing improvements are included as a part of this TIP application including crosswalk striping, signalization, accessible ramps, signage, and wayfinding features. At least nine key neighborhood access points are also included in the proposed trail improvements that provide a trailhead location for neighborhoods, schools, parks, and other points of interest within the trail corridor. This trail project effort has been and will be coordinated with the Houston Parks Board, the City of Houston, Spring Branch ISD, and Harris County Precinct 4. The Houston Parks Board, in coordination with the City of Houston, has a master lease agreement with CenterPoint to be able to construct and maintain trails within CenterPoint easement property. The Houston Parks Board has initiated this agreement to begin work on the Spring Branch potential trail segments. The SBMD with Houston Parks Board coordination will provide all necessary paperwork and legal agreements to H-GAC upon request. Additionally, the larger regional trail is being studied further through H-GAC’s Special District program with a focus on long-term connections to the Addicks Reservoir (connecting the Energy Corridor) and the White Oak Bayou trail, north/south connections to destinations, and will include extensive public engagement with area schools. The 4.7 miles of trail identified in this project application will support the much larger regional vision to connect over 10 miles of off-street shared use trails to destinations outside of the Spring Branch area.

7. Describe the primary outcomes to be achieved by the project (Project Purpose)

Project outcomes include safe regional and local pedestrian and bicycle connections to multiple schools, homes, parks, grocery stores, restaurants, and other destinations. The trail project also supports potential first mile/last mile access near transit (46 Gessner bus route). The trail will provide a tremendous amenity to support overall better quality of life for surrounding neighborhoods. The project supports emissions reductions by allowing people to get around without a car, will serve multiple environmental justice populations (Attachment 1) with safe walk/bike access, and it will provide a safe location for people to lead a healthy, active lifestyle to walk, run, or bike. The benefit to the students attending the nearby schools as well as the parents and staff will be significant as they will have a safe, protected off-street corridor to walk to and from local schools. Specifically, the 12 schools the CenterPoint trail will serve that are located within .25 miles of it include: Houston Christian High, The Guthrie Center, Terrace Elementary School, Spring Shadows Elementary, Northbrook High, Buffalo Creek Elementary, Edgewood Elementary, St Jerome Catholic School, SBISD Transition Campus, Central Christian Academy, The Lion Lane School, and Landrum Middle. Schools located within .5 mile of the trail adding to those within .25 mile include: Westwood Elementary, Spring Oaks Middle, The Tiger Trail School, Spring Woods High, Hollibrook Elementary, Cedar Brook Elementary, and Ridgecrest Elementary. Total enrollment of the schools combined is more than 14,660 students. Schwartz Park is located directly adjacent to the potential CenterPoint trail near Landrum Middle School and the Lion Lane School. The Park is a location where people can use as a trailhead to access the over 5 miles of continuous trail for transportation or recreational purposes. The EJ populations it will serve include: 71.7% minority population, 37.6% low income households, 12.6% senior population, 10% disabled population, 27% limited education attainment population, 19.6% limited English proficiency, and 6.8% zero auto households. A table showing the study area’s characteristics (ACS data) can be found in Attachment 1. METRO’s 46 Gessner route bisects the potential trail along Gessner Road with one north-bound and one south-bound stop located within walking distance (0.25 miles) from the trail. The 46 Gessner is in the top 10 METRO routes for overall ridership and top five for productivity. It serves between 6,500 and 7,000 boardings on an average weekday. The trail will provide first-mile/last-mile enhancements to those transit stops along Gessner, as well as provide access to/from the shopping center and public library within the same 0.25 mile radius. Overall, the development of the Spring Branch Management District CenterPoint Trail Regional Connector will provide great benefits to the communities within Spring Branch and the greater Houston region.

8. Have any MPOID numbers been assigned to this project?

No

9. Have any TxDOT Control-Section-Job (CSJ) numbers been assigned to this project?

No

10. What is the estimated total capital investment required for the project?

Less than $100 million

A. Investment Category & Strategy

Active Transportation

11. Please provide the federal funding amount requested.

5182000

12. Please upload the funding commitment letter or letters of support from the local government.

SBMD Attachment #1.pdf

Project Development/Readiness

1. Please select the level of engineering completed.

Not Started

2. What is the completed or anticipated level of environmental documentation required for the proposed project?

Categorical Exclusion (CE)

A. What was/is the anticipated completion date of the environmental clearance?

12/31/2020

B. Type of Categorical Exclusion (CE)? (Optional)

3. Will any of the following be required to implement the project? US Army Corps of Engineers Permits

No

US Coast Guard Permits

No

Railroad Agreements

No

None of the Above

Yes

4. Will the acquisition of Right of Way or an easement be required to implement the project?

Yes

A. What was/is the estimated completion date for Right of Way/easement mapping?

07/31/2018

B. What was/is the estimated start date for Right of Way/easement acquisition?

07/31/2019

C. What was/is the estimated completion date for Right of Way/easement acquisition?

07/31/2020

D. How many parcels must be acquired to implement the project?

No acquisitions, only easements on school properties for trail access

E. How many parcels have been acquired to date?

None

5. Has utility coordination been initiated for the project?

No

6. Will the project improve or significantly affect infrastructure owned or operated by another agency?

Yes

A. If Yes, please provide appropriate documentation showing interagency consultation (e.g, interagency agreements, coordination documentation).

Centerpoint Interlocal Agreement - COH and HPBLGC.pdf

7. Please upload project development timeline. A sample of Best-Case Scenario project development timeline can be downloaded here for your review. (Optional)

Project Development Timeline SBMD.pdf

8. Please provide any additional project development/readiness information relevant to the proposed project. (6000 characters max) (Optional)

Under the City of Houston and CenterPoint Master License Agreement, the Houston Parks Board can implement trails within CenterPoint easements within Houston. The Houston Parks Board and the Spring Branch Management District are ready to begin designing and constructing the trail extension as soon as funds are available. The momentum leading to this readiness include the CenterPoint lease agreement is in place, multiple planning efforts have provided public support for the regional trail, the Spring Branch Management District Board of Directors is ready to move this project forward, and the momentum with Houston Parks Board’s “Beyond the Bayous” is picking up, with this trail providing a much-needed connection outside the 610 loop and north of I-10. Pages from the Spring Branch Comprehensive Plan as well as from the Long Point Livable Centers Study are attached to illustrate the regional support and focus on implementing this trail.

9. Additional Project Development/Readiness Attachment (Optional)

ProjectReadiness_ExistingPlansSBMD.pdf

Map/Location

1. Please provide a clear and concise GIS coverage or PDF map for the proposed project. (MPK ESRI Map Package file preferred)

SBMDCenterPointMapPkg.zip

Project Budget

1. Please attach a completed project budget worksheet. Templates are available on the 2018 Call for projects website.

SBMD project budget worsheet.xlsx

2. Are Transportation Development Credits (TDCs) being requested?

No

Benefit/Cost Analysis

1. Safety Benefits

Safety_SBMD Centerpoint_BCA.pdf

2. Delay Benefits

1031201820309PM.pdf

3. Emissions Benefits

Emissions_SBMD Centerpoint_BCA.pdf

4. Additional BCA Documentation (Optional)

SBMD BCA Narrative.pdf

6. Please provide a brief narrative describing the methodology, input data and results. (Optional)

The BCA Narrative supporting methodology, input data, and results is attached in #4 above under "Additional BCA Documentation".

Planning Factors - Barrier Elimination (Active Transportation)

1. Does the proposed facility provide safe and convenient routes across barriers such as freeways, railroads, and waterways?

Yes

2. Does the proposed bicycle/pedestrian facility close a gap in the existing bicycle network that aligns with a regional bikeway?

Yes

Planning Factors - Emissions Reductions

1. Please provide the air quality improvements (estimated NOX tons/year) the proposed facility provides.

3.51 NOx tons/year

2. Please provide the air quality improvements (estimated VOCs tons/year) the proposed facility provides.

0.75 VOC tons/year

Planning Factors - Environmental Justice

1. Is the proposed project located in or is adjoining an environmental justice sensitive area (census block groups) identified by HGAC?

Yes

A. If Yes, Will the project incorporate measures that reduce, minimize or avoid adverse effects environmental justice sensitive areas (census block groups) identified by HGAC?

Yes

Planning Factors - Expands or Improves Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity to Employment/Schools/Medical Facilities/Transit Stops/Other Points of Interest

Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of employment?

Yes

A. If yes, please indicate number of jobs the facility directly connects to or is within a 1/4 mile.

901 - 1000

2. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of a school or university?

Yes

3. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of medical facility?

Yes

4. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of Transit Center or Transit Stop?

Yes

5. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of other points of interest?

Yes

Planning Factors - Planning Coordination

1. Is the proposed project recommended in a regional/sub regional/or locally adopted plan including regional thoroughfare plans? Or Has the sponsor conducted interagency coordination with other local or state agency affected by the proposed project?

Yes

A. If yes, please provide the title of the regional/sub regional or local plan in which the proposed project is recommended.

"Reimagine Long Point Livable Centers Study" at https://sbmd.org/longpoint/

B. If yes, please provide a link to the regional/sub regional or local plan in which the proposed project is recommended.

"Reimagine Spring Branch: Comprehensive Plan" at https://sbmd.org/the-district/comprehensive-plan/