On February 23, 2016, the City Council authorized the City Manager to submit a letter supporting a joint application with the City of Westminster for the Little Saigon Circulator Project. The initial 4.1-mile route proposal requested $1.1M annually, for up to seven years, for the implementation of a new transit route with four free shuttles, two in each direction, circulating daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Bolsa Avenue, Magnolia Street, Westminster Avenue, and Brookhurst Street.

OCTA’s Project V guidelines require ridership estimates for all new transit route applications.  Their minimum ridership criteria for reimbursement is six (6) passengers per operating vehicle hour for the first twelve (12) months and ten (10) passengers per operating vehicle hour for every year thereafter, for a maximum of seven program years. Since the City of Garden Grove did not have ridership estimates to accurately forecast program expenditures, both Cities have agreed for the City of Westminster to submit a stand-alone application for a transit circulator within their jurisdiction, while the City of Garden Grove submits a separate grant application requesting $50,000 for an initial circulator study. This Study would address ridership demand, demographics, existing roadway networks, existing OCTA transit networks, alternative routes and a financial plan. 

There is no impact to the General Fund. Measure M2 Fair Share will be used to provide matching funds in the amount of $6,000.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Adopt a resolution authorizing the submittal of a grant application for the City of Garden Grove’s Project V Circulator Study. 

By: Dan Candelaria, P.E., T.E., City Engineer