CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 16, 2016
PREPARED BY: Edith Ramirez/Economic Development Director/ Community Development
APPROVED BY: City Manager
TITLE
REVIEW OF QUESTIONS AND ISSUES FOR HIGH SPEED RAIL PROJECT SCOPING LETTER
END
RECOMMENDATION(S)
RECOMMENDATION
Review and provide feedback on draft list of questions and issues for High Speed Rail Project scoping letter.
BODY
COUNCIL PRIORITIES, GOALS & STRATEGIES:
Ongoing Priorities
Protecting the environment
Maintaining fiscal responsibility
Preserving and cultivating public trust
2016 Focus Areas
Planning Our Community
Developing Our Community
Participating in Regional Issues
REPORT NARRATIVE:
The purpose of this agenda item is for the City Council to highlight issues and receive community input on items that should be studied during the environmental review process of the High Speed Rail project. Regardless of the alignment that will ultimately be decided by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), there are many questions that the City Council and community must have answered prior to any decisions.
In preparation for this meeting, the City sent an invitation to the community to solicit its input and made a draft list of questions to be considered for submission to the CHSRA regarding the project available on the City's website. Staff will provide any input received prior to the meeting as supplemental information for the Council's discussion.
Background
The California High Speed Rail (HSR) system is a State of California project that will connect the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles (eventually from Sacramento to San Diego) with a train system that will run at speeds of over 200 miles per hour. The project envisions train stations in the cities of Gilroy and San Jose. The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is currently considering the following alternatives through Morgan Hill:
1. At grade, on a berm, along Monterey Road or adjacent (o...
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