Union City's Mayor Explains East-West Connector Project

UNION CITY, CA — Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci has submitted this Opinion Letter to Patch for publication —

As the Mayor of Union City, I have been honored to serve my community as a public servant for 30 years. As a prior Redevelopment Advisory Committee member and Planning Commissioner, I was at the forefront of developing and advocating for transportation policies that benefit Union City and this region. It has always been my goal to improve access to transit, pursue additional transit options that connect to Union City BART and overall, ensure the successful build-out of the Station District, a transit-oriented community that connects jobs, housing and transit. Additionally, since becoming mayor in 2012, I have fought to keep Dumbarton Rail a priority project for the region.

An article published on February 26, 2018 titled “Union City looks to divert $75 million in public transit funds for new $320 million road” in the San Jose Mercury News neglected to inform the public on basic facts about the East-West Connector project. There are three key points that were not conveyed; yet, are critical in people’s comprehensive understanding of this project.

First, the Station District was envisioned twenty years ago in partnership with BART, Dumbarton Rail, ACE, Capitol Corridor and transportation planning agencies from three counties. We are proud to have transformed more than 90 acres of vacant, underutilized, and environmentally contaminated land with a negative land value into a thriving pedestrian and transit-oriented community that generates significant property tax to fund schools and county services.

Union City secured $160 million in funding to construct the BART improvements, infrastructure for the Station District, and the construction of affordable housing. This work has included a new BART east entrance to provide direct access to the new housing, extensive remodeling with new elevators, escalators, a widened passenger platform, solar collectors over bus facilities that power the BART Station, and other passenger amenities.

The Station District, winner of numerous awards, has 1,700 new housing units built or entitled and 1.2 million square feet of planned office space – all at Union City BART. There are an additional 80 acres of underutilized land awaiting development.

Second, a road to Union City BART has been approved twice by Alameda County voters. It is an integral component of Union City’s Station District and has been a part of city and regional planning for 30 years.

Third, construction of the East-West Connector will provide a crucial second access point to the Station District for fire trucks to protect the high density housing and offices, direct commuter bus access to BART, and improved bicycle access for the community with easy access to regional parks and trails. Building the East-West Connector does not mean that we stop working to bring ACE, Capital Corridor, and Dumbarton Rail to Union City. Union City took the lead to certify the EIR on rail track improvements needed to connect Union City BART.

I am strongly committed to continuing my work with my colleagues at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Alameda County Transportation Commission, SamTrans, and business partners on the peninsula to secure the funding to construct Dumbarton Rail and to connect directly with Union City BART.

Several myths have recently been published in newspapers and organizational newsletters, on various news sites and on social media concerning the East-West Connector. I highly encourage readers to go to this online link to learn about the truths behind this important project.

— Image via Patch