Council defunds Bollinger Road study and pauses Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking; debate continues over Stevens Creek bikeway and grant risks

City staff presented six CIP items the council had asked to review for possible defunding, focusing discussion on safety projects, grant dependencies and lifecycle savings.

Susan Michael, the city's capital improvement program manager, and Chad Mosley, director of public works, outlined the six projects flagged for council review: Stevens Creek Boulevard Class 4 bikeway Phase 2a (design and construction) and Phase 2b (construction) including the Banley Drive signal upgrade; the Bollinger Road corridor study; a citywide photovoltaic (PV) systems design and installation project; and a Silicon Valley Hopper electric-vehicle (EV) parking and charging project to serve the Hopper fleet (formerly the Via shuttle).

Highlights from staff presentations: - Stevens Creek Class 4 Bikeway Phase 2a: Projected total cost about $2.2 million with roughly $1.5 million of external funding already secured. If the city continued Phase 2a, staff estimated $1.6 million could still be available at project end for other uses; defunding now would risk losing roughly $807,000 in OBAG grant funding. Staff explained Phase 2a includes intersection signal modifications at Wolf Road and De Anza Boulevard to provide separate bicycle phasing. - Phase 2b and Banley intersection: Phase 2b design was 95% complete; construction is unfunded and staff said the city would seek outside funds before bidding. The Banley signal upgrade is separately funded in-lieu by a developer; defunding construction of the combined package would reallocate roughly $116,550 in city funds and trigger a follow-up legal/contract action for in-lieu funds. - Bollinger Road corridor study: The proposal would perform micro-simulation traffic modeling, reach out to stakeholders through workshops and surveys, and fund a one-year traffic-enforcement pilot (two deputy traffic enforcement agents) as part of a Safe System approach. Staff said defunding would reallocate about $106,400 in city funds but would likely result in lost grant funding; the grant agreement with the granting agency (MTC) had not been finalized, and staff said they were withholding major work until the grant agreement is executed. - Photovoltaic systems project: Contracts for design-build and construction management were approved; staff said the PV installations are projected to save approximately $13.4 million in utility costs over 30 years (9-year payback with current federal rebates; 13 years without). Defunding would free about $6.2 million back to the capital reserve but would reduce long-term savings and change NEEM II/III lifecycle comparisons cited by staff. - Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking: The project budget covers design and construction of EV charging stations dedicated to the Hopper fleet; staff said the fleet currently charges overnight at De Anza College under an agreement that allows the college to terminate with 30 days notice. Defunding would free about $320,000 into the General Fund; staff said they were pursuing a potential agreement with the City of Santa Clara and would otherwise need to build a permanent city facility (which could require costly electrical upgrades).

Public testimony split sharply. Several speakers representing the bicycle and pedestrian community urged the council to preserve Stevens Creek bikeway funding and the Bollinger Road study in the interest of Vision Zero and pedestrian/bicycle safety (Herve9 Marsy, Bicycle & Pedestrian Commission member; Betsy Meggis of VTA advisory committee; Evan Lajewski, resident and daily bicycle commuter). Other public commenters urged fiscal caution and recommended defunding the PV/EV projects and reprioritizing staff and projects (a resident identifying himself as San; Sima Linscog raised concerns about legal and lobbying fees and staff morale). Planning and parks commissioners who spoke urged the council not to reopen already-decided items repeatedly.

Council deliberations covered grant risk, safety tradeoffs, traffic-data needs and fiscal exposure. Staff cautioned that the Bollinger grant agreement was not yet executed and that starting work without an executed agreement could expose the city to unreimbursed costs. Several councilmembers said they wanted a broader, citywide traffic-data update rather than piecemeal corridor projects.

Recusal: One councilmember stated a financial conflict of interest in Bollinger Road property and recused from the Bollinger discussion. Staff and council then debated whether the previously completed conceptual study provided sufficient basis or whether further micro-simulation and outreach were needed to identify mitigation options.

Votes and outcomes - Bollinger Road corridor study: Council voted to defund the study. The motion carried (motion recorded as carried with a recusal and one recorded no vote). Staff said defunding would reallocate roughly $106,400 in city funds but would forfeit the grant if it is later awarded, and that the grant agreement had not been executed. - Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking (Item 6): Council voted to remove this project from the CIP and directed staff to search for alternative charging locations; the motion passed unanimously on roll call. Staff noted De Anza College has been hosting overnight charging under a temporary agreement and said the city would seek a long-term solution (including discussions with Santa Clara), but the council asked staff to pursue in-city alternatives first. - Stevens Creek bikeway (Phase 2a/2b and Banley): Council members debated whether to defund the projects or to proceed; a motion to defund the bikeway portions did not obtain a second and therefore did not advance. Staff cautioned that defunding the active contract scope would likely cause loss of OBAG grant funding and complicate contractor agreements already underway.

Council also discussed broader policy issues: whether to prioritize miles of lower-cost buffered lanes elsewhere, how to preserve grant funding eligibility, and whether to request a comprehensive traffic study covering average daily traffic, speeds and patterns on major corridors (Stevens Creek, De Anza, Lawrence, Homestead, Bollinger) before approving major corridor changes. Several councilmembers asked staff to produce directional traffic counts and speed data and to propose a plan for a targeted or citywide traffic-data update.

What the council decided to fund or remove will be finalized as part of budget adoption and related CIP approvals. Staff said they will return with more detailed cost breakdowns, the status of the MTC grant agreement, and options for alternative Hopper charging locations.

Votes at a glance (formal actions recorded in the meeting transcript): - Motion: Defund the Bollinger Road corridor study. Outcome: approved (motion carries; one councilmember recused for Bollinger due to a stated financial interest; one councilmember recorded a no vote). Tally (as recorded in the transcript): motion carried with recusal and a single no recorded. - Motion: Remove (defund) the Silicon Valley Hopper EV parking project, subject to staff identifying alternative locations. Outcome: approved unanimously on roll call (Councilmember Fruin Aye; Councilmember Mohan Yes; Councilmember Wong Aye; Vice Mayor Moore Aye; Mayor Chow Aye). - Motion: Defund Stevens Creek Boulevard Class 4 Bikeway Phase 2a/2b (and Banley intersection upgrades). Outcome: no motion carried to defund (a motion was proposed but did not receive a second and thus no formal vote to defund occurred).

(Reporting note: cost figures, grant names and timelines are taken from staff presentations and council discussion on May 15; direct quotes in this article are attributed to the speakers listed below.)