TO: ADAM PIRRIE, CITY MANAGER
FROM: BRAD JOHNSON, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE: JULY 28, 2026
Reviewed by:
City Manager: AP
SUBJECT:
Title
AUTHORIZATION TO AMEND A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA) BETWEEN THE CITY OF CLAREMONT AND THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SGVCOG) FOR THE EAST SAN GABRIEL VALLEY SUSTAINABLE MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT - ARROW HIGHWAY & CAMBRIDGE AVENUE (FUNDING SOURCES: MEASURE M FUND, PROPOSITION A FUND, PROPOSITION C FUND, AND STATE GAS TAX FUND)
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SUMMARY
On November 28, 2023, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City of Claremont and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) for the Arrow Highway and Cambridge Avenue First/Last Mile Improvements project (Project).
On December 18, 2023, the MOA was executed between the City of Claremont and the SGVCOG. Since that time, the City has learned of a similar project located in the City of Pomona that will connect to the City of Claremont at the cities’ border intersection of Arrow Highway at Cambridge Avenue. The City of Pomona project has enabled staff to expand Claremont’s scope of work to incorporate requests for improvements from Claremont residents in this area, as additions to the Project. The requests for improvements address the north side of Arrow Highway from Cambridge Avenue to the westerly City boundary just east of Towne Center Drive. This additional effort requires a change order and MOA amendment in the amount of $427,993.
The initially proposed bicycle and pedestrian improvements include Class IV bike lanes, Class II bike lanes where appropriate, roadway surface paving, necessary accessibility improvements, and striping and signage. This grant funding also accounts for a new traffic signal at the intersection of Arrow Highway and Bucknell Avenue.
For the past few months, staff have been working with the SGVCOG to add improvements to the project design for the north side of Arrow Highway (within City limits) to address requested improvements from residents of the adjacent neighborhoods of Princeton, Piedmont, and Marywood Avenues. These improvements include widening the existing sidewalk south of the curb, relocating the existing streetlights, modifying the existing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps, and associated asphalt restoration. A list of the additional design elements is listed in Exhibit A of the Attachment.
The original MOA between the City of Claremont and the SGVCOG sets forth the requirements for expending the funding associated with the Project. An amendment is required to address the additional design elements and add the additional grant funds obtained by the SGVCOG to the MOA.
Staff recommends the City Council authorize the execution of the proposed MOA amendment allowing the SGVCOG to continue to facilitate the administration of the Multi-Year Subregional Program (MSP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) grant funds to complete the preparation of plans and specifications for the Arrow Highway and Cambridge Avenue First/Last Mile Improvements; part of the East San Gabriel Valley Sustainable Multimodal Improvements Project (ESGVSMIP).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council:
A. Authorize the City Manager to execute an amendment to the MOA with the SGVCOG authorizing payment in the amount of $427,993;
B. Appropriate $427,993 from the State Gas Tax Fund; and
C. Find this item is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
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ALTERNATIVE TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there is the following alternative:
• Request additional information from staff.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The SGVCOG has been successful in obtaining additional grant funds to accommodate design elements and projected increases in construction costs since 2021, when the project was first submitted for funding. The additional grant funds obtained include $4,354,981 of Cycle 3 Multi-Year Subregional Program funds and $1,000,000 in Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program funds. These additional funds bring the total grant fund balance to $8,437,955, and the total project budget to $10,765,948. Below is a breakdown of the project funding.
|
Funding Source |
Phase |
Responsible Funding Party |
Amount |
Funding Programming |
|
State Gas Tax |
PS&E |
Claremont |
$427,993 |
2026-27 |
|
Prop A |
Construction |
Claremont |
$100,000 |
2027-28 |
|
Prop C |
Construction |
Claremont |
$600,000 |
2027-28 |
|
State Gas Tax |
Construction |
Claremont |
$1,200,000 |
2027-28 |
|
MSP Cycle 2 |
PS&E |
SGVCOG |
$870,297 |
2022-23 to 2026/27 |
|
MSP Cycle 2 |
Construction |
SGVCOG |
$2,212,677 |
2027-28 |
|
MSP Cycle 3 |
Construction |
SGVCOG |
$4,354,981 |
2027/28 & 2028/29 |
|
CMAQ |
Construction |
SGVCOG |
$1,000,000 |
2027/28 |
|
Total Secured Funding |
$10,765,948 |
|
|
Summary of City Contribution |
|
Original MOA |
$1,900,000 |
|
MOA Amendment (Current Request) |
$427,993 |
|
Total City Contribution |
$2,327,993 |
The staff cost to prepare this report is estimated at $1,250 and is included in the operating budget of the Community Development Department.
ANALYSIS
The City of Claremont worked with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), their team of consultants (including ALTA Planning+Design), local bicycle and pedestrian advocates, and community stakeholders to prepare and adopt the Gold Line Foothill Extension 2B First/Last Mile (FLM) Plan in 2019. The FLM plan included recommendations for pedestrian crossing improvements at Arrow Highway and Bucknell Avenue to provide an alternative crossing for Indian Hill Boulevard. Following the completion of this FLM document, the City also worked with the SGVCOG and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to develop the Arrow Highway Multimodal Regional Corridor Plan (MMRCP) in 2020 and 2021, with ALTA Planning+Design as the lead consultant. The completion of this subsequent plan was more focused on regional corridor improvements along Arrow Highway and included a proposed traffic signal installation at the intersection of Arrow Highway at Bucknell Avenue, in addition to Class IV bike lanes between Cambridge Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard.
Although the Arrow Highway MMRCP did include the proposed installation of a traffic signal at Arrow Highway and Bucknell Avenue, the MMRCP is still a planning document and required that a traffic engineering study be completed to determine whether a traffic signal was warranted at this location. This traffic signal warrant study was necessary to justify the installation of a traffic signal as required per the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD). Gibson Transportation Consulting Inc. conducted the warrant analysis, and it was determined that this location met the Eight-Hour Vehicular Volume Warrant provided for in the CA MUTCD.
On January 20, 2022, the SGVCOG approved a recommendation to program $15,000,000 in MSP funds for Active Transportation, Bus System Improvements, and First/Last Mile Improvements to the East San Gabriel Valley Sustainable Multimodal Improvement Project for 2022-2025. The City of Claremont will receive up to $3,082,974 in funding for its portion of this regional project. On November 28, 2023, City Council authorized the City Manager to execute an MOA between the City of Claremont and the SGVCOG for the Project.
On December 18, 2023, the MOA was executed between the City of Claremont and the SGVCOG. Since this time, the City learned of a similar project in the City of Pomona that will connect to the City of Claremont border at the intersection of Arrow Highway and Cambridge Avenue. The City of Pomona project (creating a regional connection from the Pomona Fairgrounds to Claremont) has made it possible for staff to incorporate requests for improvements from adjacent City of Claremont residents as an addition to the Project. The requests for improvements are located on the north side of Arrow Highway from Cambridge Avenue to the Westerly city boundary just east of Towne Center Drive. This additional effort requires a change order and MOA amendment in the amount of $427,993.
The SGVCOG has also been successful in obtaining additional grant funds to accommodate design elements and projected increases in construction costs since 2021, when the project was first submitted for funding. The additional grant funds obtained include $4,354,981 of Cycle 3 MSP funds and $1,000,000 in Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funds. These additional funds bring the total grant fund balance to $8,437,955, and total project budget to $10,765,948.
The proposed bicycle and pedestrian improvements include Class IV bike lanes, Class II bike lanes where appropriate, roadway surface paving, necessary accessibility improvements, and striping and signage. This grant funding also accounts for a new traffic signal at the intersection of Arrow Highway at Bucknell Avenue.
Staff has worked with the SGVCOG to add improvements to the original project design for the north side of Arrow Highway (within City limits) to address requested improvements from residents of the adjacent neighborhoods of Princeton, Piedmont, and Marywood Avenues. These improvements include widening the existing sidewalk south of the existing curb, moving the existing streetlights, modifying the existing ADA ramps, and associated asphalt restoration. A list of the additional design elements is listed in Exhibit A of the Attachment.
The original MOA between the City of Claremont and the SGVCOG sets forth the requirements for expending these monies. An amendment is required to address the additional design elements and add the additional grant funds obtained by the SGVCOG to the MOA.
Next Steps
With City Council approval of the MOA amendment, staff will move forward to execute the MOA amendment to complete plans, specifications, and the engineer’s estimate for the East San Gabriel Valley Sustainable Multimodal Improvements Project. Consistent with current practice, staff will update the Traffic and Transportation Commission (TTC) during the design phase and will bring this item back for City Council consideration once the design is complete and bids for construction have been evaluated for award.
RELATIONSHIP TO CITY PLANNING DOCUMENTS
Staff has evaluated the agenda item in relationship to the City’s strategic and visioning documents and finds that it applies to the following City Planning Documents: Council Priorities and the General Plan.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and section 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a “project” as defined in Section 15378). CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(2), (4), and (5) excludes “[c]ontinuing ... maintenance activities,” “government fiscal activities which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment,” and “[o]rganizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment” from its definition of “project.”
The underlying street improvement projects are also exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA guidelines. This Class 1 exemption allows for the maintenance and repair of topographical features with negligible or no expansion. The work being performed is within existing right-of-way areas and will not expand the capacity of the roadway infrastructure.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact the City Clerk’s Office.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Brad Johnson Vincent Ramos
Community Development Director Associate Engineer
Reviewed by:
Maria B. Tipping, P.E.
City Engineer
Attachment:
Claremont MOA Amendment No.1