In this edition
  • STA Board selects 2020 Chair and Vice-Chair
  • New MTC/ABAG Executive Director Presents Plan Bay Area 2050 to STA Board
  • STA Board Discuss Federal Transportation Priorities
  • STA Mission Statement Amended
  • STA Board Authorizes New Office
  • Cities Update Plans for Future Jobs, Housing and Open Space
  • Caltrans Districts 3 and 4 Initiate I-80 Multi-Modal Corridor Study
  • Solano Housing Investment Partnership (SolHIP) Gets Underway
  • Soltrans, STA, and Solano Community College Unveil the New SolanoExpress Bus Wrap
STATUS Newsletter

The STATUS Newsletter is published every month after the STA Board meeting to inform the public and our stakeholders of what’s happening with transportation in Solano County. 

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  • STA Board Meeting in Suisun 2/12 at 6:00pm
STA Board selects 2020 Chair and
Vice-Chair

The STA Board selected the new STA Chair and STA Vice-Chair for 2020 during their January 8 th STA Board Meeting. Vacaville Mayor Ron Rowlett was selected as the new STA Board Chair and Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan was selected as the Vice-Chair. Both Mayor Rowlett and Mayor Sampayan will assume their new positions at the Board Meeting of February 12, 2020.
New MTC/ABAG Executive Director Presents Plan Bay Area 2050 to STA Board

Therese McMillan, the recently appointed Executive Director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), attended the STA Board meeting and provided an update on the regional Plan Bay Area 2050 effort. Several of her regional transportation objectives include a focus on transit integration/coordination and equity. In her new parallel role as the staff leader of ABAG, she has also identified a regional focus on resiliency, housing, economic development, and land use, in addition to transportation.
STA Board Discuss Federal Transportation Priorities

STA’s federal advocate, Susan Lent of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, visited the STA Board and provided a preview of the 2020 federal legislative year, shared new federal funding sources, and discussed the opportunities to communicate STA’s priorities to various federal agencies and Solano County’s two Congressional representatives.
STA Amends Mission Statement to be
More Inclusive

Based on the recommendation of the Equity Task Force, t he STA Board has amended the STA Mission Statement, adding “...for all” to be more inclusive .

“To improve the quality of life in Solano County by delivering transportation projects to ensure mobility, travel safety, and economic vitality for all.”

The draft Equity Chapter was reviewed and authorized to be distributed for public review and is available for public comment until February 8. To view the draft Equity Chapter, please click here .
STA Board Authorizes New Office

At the January Board Meeting, the STA Board unanimously approved the agency to utilize a Design Build construction procurement approach for the design and construction of a new STA office building located on Main Street in Suisun City. This site is centrally located in the center of Solano County with convenient access to the Suisun-Fairfield Train Station, express and local bus service, and within walking distance of three local government agency centers. The project construction will result in over 82,000 local construction job hours and will provide better access to the public and various Citizen Advisory Committees that partner with STA. Construction is scheduled to begin in May/June 2020 and to be completed during the Fall of 2021.
Cities update plans for future jobs, housing and open space

In recent months, all seven cities and the County responded to the request from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to update the boundaries for Priority Development Areas (PDA) and Priority Conservation Areas (PCA), and for the first time, requested designations for Priority Production Areas (PPA). One of the primary areas of focus by the STA and the County’s five transit operators, is enhancing access between PDAs and Regional Transit Services. STA is anticipating additional PCA and PDA funding to be available as part of the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) federal funding cycle in FY 2022-23, which the new and previously designated PCAs and PDAs would be eligible for.
PCA Summary
Current Total # of PCAs in Solano County:  5
New PCA designations requested:                5
Requested amendment to existing PCAs:    1

PDA Summary
Current Total # of PDAs in Solano County:  13
New PDA designations requested:                6
Requested amendment to existing PDAs:    4

PPA Summary
New PPA designations requested:                11
Caltrans Districts 3 and 4 Initiate
I-80 Multi-Modal Corridor Study

In December 2019, STA staff participated in the kick-off meeting hosted by Caltrans District 3 (Sacramento region) and Caltrans District 4 (Bay Area region) to develop an I-80 Multi-Modal Corridor Study. In addition to STA and the two Caltrans Districts, participants included MTC, Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), Yolo County Transit District (YCTD), and the various cities and three counties located along the I-80 Corridor between the Carquinez Bridge and the City of Sacramento. The timing for this study is good as STA’s prepares to submit the Solano I-80 Managed Lanes Project in partnership with Caltrans District 4 and MTC for the statewide competitive SB 1 funded grant for construction funding in 2020.
Solano Housing Investment Partnership (SolHIP) Gets Underway

In 2019, the STA Board authorized STA to form the Solano Housing Investment Partnership (SolHIP) with the seven cities and County of Solano. The SolHIP’s objective is to identify and provide local and countywide planning resources to plan for, pursue funding for, and to expedite the production of housing - particularly affordable housing - located in Priority Development Areas (PDAs) adjacent to regional transit services.

The seven cities and Solano County agencies have submitted applications to the Housing and Community Development Agency for their SB-2 (Senate Bill 2: Building Homes and Jobs Act) planning funds. STA obtained a $4 million pilot program grant from MTC/ABAG (Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments) to assist cities in financing the infrastructure needed to support up to two initial affordable housing projects located in PDAs. Solano local agencies are collectively making good progress in producing moderate and market rate housing, and some progress in low income housing. Very low income housing, however, remains a challenge countywide.
SolTrans, STA and Solano Community College unveil new bus wrap

Solano County Transit (SolTrans) and STA’s Solano Mobility Program staff were at the Solano Community College (SCC) Fairfield Campus on the first day of the new semester, January 14th, to unveil the new bus wrap, highlighting photos of SCC students to promote enrollment and the "Ride Free With Your Student I.D." program. With a current, valid student I.D., students can ride for free on SolTrans, Fairfield and Suisun Transit (FAST), Vacaville City Coach, local routes, and SolanoExpress routes within Solano County.
2020 STA Board Members

  • Ron Rowlett, Chair, Mayor of Vacaville
  • Bob Sampayan, Vice-Chair, Mayor of Vallejo
  • Harry Price, Mayor of Fairfield
  • Thom Bogue, Mayor of Dixon
  • Elizabeth Patterson, Mayor of Benicia
  • Ronald Kott, Mayor of Rio Vista
  • Jim Spering, Solano County Supervisor
  • Lori Wilson, Mayor of Suisun City
     
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