AGENDA ITEM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TITLE*
title
Property Acquisition for the North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT)
presenter
RESPONSIBLE STAFF, TITLE, DEPARTMENT*
Katy Fontaine, Transit Development Manager, Transit Department
STAFF RECOMMENDATION*
Staff recommends approving the resolution authorizing property acquisition for the purposes of constructing the North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT).
body
ACTION/DECISION POINTS*
Council must approve a resolution authorizing NSBRT'S property acquisition in order to receive FTA funding.
LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT*
NSBRT's construction requires acquiring 220 easements and/or rights-of-way on approximately 120 parcels along the project corridor (based on 60% design). The ability to acquire the property and property rights needed to construct NSBRT is a baseline requirement of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program. Town Council must authorize staff's negotiation and acquisition of property by donation, fee simple, and/or by exercising the Town's eminent domain powers.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT*
Chapel Hill Transit is seeking a $150 million Small Starts Grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to construct the North-South Bus Rapid Transit (NSBRT) project, a transformational investment in the Town's mobility network. NSBRT formally entered FTA Project Development in 2016, making the project eligible for an FTA Small Starts Capital Investment Grant. Since then, staff have advanced the project through major milestones including:
* 30% design and selection of a "Locally Preferred Alterative" for NSBRT's transit mode and corridor alignment in 2021.
* Completing the project's federally required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review and receiving a Documented Categorical Exclusion (DCE) in 2023.
* Receiving an FTA Project Rating and a funding recommendation in 2024.
* Allocation of approximately $35 million in federal funding.
* Completing 60% design.
NSBRT's construction req...
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