The San Rafael Transit Center is the regional transit hub for Marin County. It connects bus service, airporter service, taxi, and rail service with transfer points to San Francisco, Contra Costa and Sonoma counties. An extension of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) station further south to Larkspur bisected the existing transit center site. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (Bridge District), with several government agency partners, is leading a project to replace the transit center in a new location in downtown San Rafael.
Through project lead Kimley Horn, a national planning and design engineering consulting firm, Civic Edge led community engagement. Several rounds of community engagement were completed on the project in 2018 to gain community input on the universe of alternatives and assist with the screening of alternatives. Then, another round of outreach was conducted in 2020 and 2021 to provide the community an update on the project and disseminate information about the project alternatives prior to the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). After carefully adopting the FEIR with the preferred project, examining various and conducting the necessary environmental analysis, the project team sought input from the community regarding the architectural design and amenities of the new Transit Center.
Engagement included opportunities to build up partnerships between the Bridge District and local community leaders like Canal Alliance, a non-profit that offers legal services, education and career programs, and social services to help Latino immigrants and their families overcome barriers to success. A text message campaign and three events held in Spanish on Facebook Live were organized in partnership with Canal Alliance. Further bilingual outreach included Spanish-English project fact sheets and posters placed at the San Rafael Transit Center, Spanish translation of the DEIR Executive Summary and related documents and using their trained staff (“promotoras”) for in-person outreach.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) wants to increase ferry service from the Larkspur terminal. To accommodate increased ferry ridership, the GGBHTD is considering parking expansion and working to improve transit connectivity and access for pedestrians and bikers in partnership with city agencies. Community members are concerned about the project's impacts on traffic congestion, marsh and marine life, and increased wake from additional ferry trips. In 2021, Civic Edge joined a team of planning, transportation, environmental, and marine experts to support with public engagement and outreach, which will inform the alternatives development and selection and environmental evaluation for the project.
To kickstart our work, Civic Edge developed a public engagement and outreach plan. We conducted over 20 interviews with elected officials, neighborhood and activist groups, and community-based organizations to better understand priorities and concerns about the project. To ensure diverse and inclusive community engagement, we hosted a series of Open Houses to provide attendees with an opportunity to learn more about the project, ask questions, and share their feedback. These outreach efforts were supplemented by continuous updates via informational materials and updates to the Bridge District’s communication channels, website, and social media. Our goal with the public outreach and engagement plan was to provide multiple entry points for community members to get information about the project and directly interact with the project team. This outreach will set the groundwork for the alternative development selection and environmental evaluation process.