Pearland Park and Ride project on hold indefinitely

Pearland to look at Park & Ride options, after Metro puts project on hold

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has put the brakes on plans to construct a Pearland area Park & Ride, which was originally expected to be complete in mid- or late 2014 and would have taken 900 to 1,000 cars off Texas 288 daily.

So, Pearland officials plan to meet next week to discuss other options to make the Park & Ride a reality without Metro's involvement.

In November 2011, Metro bought 15 acres for Park & Ride 15 off northbound Texas 288. Hughes Ranch Road is north of the site and County Road 94, also known as Smith Ranch Road, is just to the east.

Construction cost estimates in October 2012 were approximately $14 million, according to Metro manager of environmental and capital planning Edmund Petry. Previously, he said the facility would include 1,000 parking spaces, a three-bay bus facility with a canopy and accompanying seating.

Last week, however, Metro interim president and CEO Tom Lambert said the move to put the project on hold, with no start date now in sight, is the result of the Metro board resetting its focus.

"Since January, when I came on as president and CEO, the board's focus has been on getting back to basics. We have three rail lines in the works and we are working to get those lines open as early as we can, for example," Lambert said.

He said bus service will continue to be the mainstay of Metro's service.

It's been years, Lambert said, since the Metro staff and board have taken a thorough look at its policy direction and vision. He said this work involves an overall re-imagining of routes and service based on current and projected population shifts as well as anticipated changes in employment demographics and input from area employers and the business community.

A 100-member stakeholder group of representatives of community organizations, public entities and cities in the Metro service area is working to help the Metro board "make sense of how the network will need to look going forward."

Outside Metro area

He questions how much investment is appropriate for Metro to make in areas outside its service area, from where it derives no tax revenue.

Pearland and all Brazoria County are outside the Metro service area.

To join the Metro service area, Pearland voters would have to agree to support Metro with a 1 percent sales tax. This option, however, is not even on the table.

"Pearland cannot join the Metro service area because state law caps localized sales taxes at 2 percent," said Pearland City Manager Bill Eisen. "We currently have a 1 percent city sales tax, a half percent economic development sales tax, and Brazoria County levies a half percent sales tax which is used to keep down property taxes. We are at the cap," he said.

City leaders were disappointed to hear the news, Eisen said, but it is certainly the reasonable prerogative of the Metro board to determine the policy and vision for its organization and the best use of its resources.

In October 2012, Pearland Assistant City Manager John Branson said, "We've been asking Metro for many years to put a Park & Ride in Pearland due to the growth in our area and the large number of commuters. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Pearland was the second fastest-growing area in Texas and the 15th fastest-growing area in the nation."

Branson said at the time that the city was a key partner, along with Metro and Gulf Coast Connect Transit, in securing federal funds to purchase the land for the facility. He said the city had committed to provide matching funds to facilitate day-to-day operations for the first five years. The first two years, he said, were expected to cost the city $90,000 to $100,000 each. The next three years he anticipated the cost would be about $320,000 each.

Lambert said one of the things he and his staff are looking at are overall cost projections for the project, and that upon further review, anticipated costs are higher than earlier estimates.

He couldn't provide specifics at the time, but said the additional estimated operating and construction costs had factored into the Metro board's decision to put a hold on the Pearland project.

"It is staff's job to make sure the board has accurate information upon which to base its decisions. Costs for the project are greater than originally expected," he said.

Lambert said that while he and the Metro board understand there is a need for service in the Pearland area, they want to research resources. He anticipates a clearer direction on vision and policy from the board in November.

City meeting set

Eisen said the Pearland City Council will hold an Oct. 14 workshop to discuss options to make the Park & Ride a reality without Metro.

He said his staff has continued communications with Gulf Coast Connect Transit to see about the possibility of it providing daily service.

The primary focus would be providing transit service from Pearland to the Texas Medical Center, he said, adding that many westside Pearland residents commute to work in the center.

He said Connect Transit already operates a Park & Ride facility in Galveston County and works with the Goodman Corp., a consulting company specializing in transit planning and positioning projects to gain federal funding.

One hurdle, Eisen said, is determining the disposition of the land, which is owned by Metro. It looks like a transfer of ownership is quite possible, he said. Federal funding, he said, accounted for about 80 percent of the funding and Metro provided the other 20 percent through local matching funds.

It is just a matter of working out the details of Metro's interest and recouping its investment in the property, he said.

http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/p...o-look-at-Park-Ride-options-after-4879542.php

 

This sucks for Pearland, but at the same time it doesn't make sense for METRO to invest in suburban infrastructure to begin with, and especially after last year's vote where the suburbs gave a middle finger to the city by not giving 25% back.

 

It is really unfortunate for Pearland because 288 is the one freeway without an HOV, though that is supposed to change in the next few years with the expansion, if/when it happens. Also Pearland is technically the closest suburb, so an HOV would make a huge difference.

 

Would be better if there is some kind of bus service to medical center and/or downtown area. At the minimum fannin south station so you can take the rail in from there.

 

The Pearland City Council has decided it's a good idea to investigate a partnership with the Gulf Coast Center to provide park-and-ride service.

The council held a workshop Oct. 14 at which it heard from City Manager Bill Eisen and Goodman Corp. president Barry Goodman about the feasibility and path forward to bring a park-and-ride facility to Pearland.

Goodman proposes a transit study and operational consultancy services over the course of a year at a total cost of $115,000.

On Oct. 28, council will discuss an agreement with the center to enter into a contract with Goodman. Pearland would subsequently reimburse the center half the cost or $57,500.

The workshop follows an announcement by the Metropolitan Transit Authority that it would no longer move forward with plans to construct and operate a Park & Ride facility in Pearland. The city had been in discussions with Metro and worked to help things move forward for the past several years.

In November 2011, Metro purchased for the Park & Ride 15 acres off northbound Texas 288. Hughes Ranch Road is north of the site and County Road 94, also known as Smith Ranch Road, is just to the east.

Goodman told council that one of the first tasks is figuring out how to transfer ownership of the property from Metro to the city. Metro's investment in the property is about $450,000.

Obtaining ownership, he said, is important not just for the sake of ongoing operations but because the site is large enough to also incorporate retail and other revenue-generating partnerships.

Only about 10 acres of the site would be needed for the park and ride. The remainder, he said, could be used to lease to retailers who would cater to the needs and desires of the facility's users.

Federal dollars, he said, could be used to construct the shell of a retail center and individual tenants could perform build-outs.

Likely ridership, said Eisen and Goodman, would come from Pearland residents who work in the Texas Medical Center and who may connect from there onto light rail into downtown Houston.

Goodman would analyze park-and-ride demand.

He anticipates a favorable environment for Pearland to get Federal Transit Authority funds and other federal funding.

Pearland, he explained, is part of the Houston Urbanized Area. As a result, its population is included in calculations when Metro receives federal funds, though Pearland is not in Metro's service area. It's possible to receive a "fair share" portion of those funds Metro derives from having Pearland in the urbanized area.

No firm figures about potential federal funds are available. Figuring out what Pearland might garner is part of the proposed study.

Goodman anticipates annual operating costs of $200,000 to $250,000 for the first few years. He believes between federal funding, fares and retail lease partnerships that the park-and-ride could be a profitable venture for the city. Making that determination will be one facet of the study as well as coming up with firmer figures concerning annual operating costs.

The soonest Pearland could see park-and-ride services provided is about three years, Goodman said.

That's later than what Metro officials initially said in October 2012. Metro officials had provided an approximate completion date of mid- to late 2014. Metro manager of environmental and capital planning Edmund Petry, estimated construction costs of about $14 million. The facility was expected to include 1,000 parking spaces, a three-bay bus facility and a canopy and accompanying seating.

Once complete, Petry estimated the facility would take 900 to 1,000 cars off Texas 288 daily.

But Metro interim president and CEO Tom Lambert said Metro has put the project on hold, with no current start date in sight, as the result of the Metro board resetting its focus.

"Since January, when I came on as president and CEO, the board's focus has been on getting back to basics. We have three rail lines in the works and we are working to get those lines open as early as we can, for example," Lambert said.

Another factor the board has to take a look at, Lambert said, is how much investment is appropriate for Metro to make in areas outside its service area.

Both Pearland and Brazoria County are outside Metro's service area.

In order to join the service area, Pearland voters would have to agree to support Metro with a 1 percent sales tax. This isn't an option, however.

Eisen explained that Pearland cannot join the Metro service area because state law caps local sales taxes at 2 percent and Pearland already is at that cap.

"We currently have a 1 percent city sales tax, a half percent economic development sales tax, and Brazoria County levies a half percent sales tax which is used to keep down property taxes," he said.

In Goodman's outline to council, he talked of a proposed work plan which would focus on the city achieving its transit objectives independent of Metro.

That scope of services includes conducting workshops with city staff and other stakeholders, such as Brazoria County, the Gulf Coast Center, Metro, Houston-Galveston Area Council, property owners and residents.

It also includes developing the framework for a partnership with the center and funding and program coordination.

http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/p...res-park-and-ride-project-without-4917438.php