The Sun Corridor MPO requested and was awarded FTA Section 5304 planning funds to conduct a transit development study and prepare a transit development plan for the City of Casa Grande. A previous transit planning study was completed in 2008 and will be used as the foundation for the proposed Casa Grande Transit Development Plan. The precedent study shall be expanded upon to study the potential for and viability of a transit system that can meet the transit demands of the current development of the City of Casa Grande and provide for future regional connectivity. The transit plan study efforts will also include an innovative public outreach and involvement program that includes the general public, businesses, interest groups, and involved government agencies.
The Sun Corridor MPO, in conjunction with the City of Casa Grande, the Consultant team and the Transit Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) have identified nine tasks that will be accomplished in order to complete the Casa Grande Transit Development Plan.
Task 1 – Project Management and Coordination – will continue throughout the life of the Transit Development Plan and consists of all project management duties (scoping, scheduling, budgeting) as well as coordination with key stakeholders, the TTAC, staff and other identified groups identified during the project.
Task 2 – Public Outreach and Involvement – will also continue throughout the life of the Transit Development Plan and will consist of two rounds of a minimum of three public meetings (to be scheduled) as well as online data collection tools and meetings with local businesses, industrial managers, service employers and other key groups. The goal of this Task to to gauge public interest in Transit options in the City and to identify key transit corridors.
Task 3 – Current Transit Conditions and Systems Evaluation – Task 3 will evaluate all of the current transit providers, not only within Casa Grande, but also in the Region and how those Transit providers interact with the City.
Task 4 – Future Conditions and Multimodal Assessment – The objective of Task 4 is to identify how the face of Casa Grande may change over the next 10 years in order to plan for the Transit needs of the City in the long term as well as the short. Certain populations historically, and recently are more prone to the use of Transit services, by identifying how these populations may be change over the next decade, the City of Casa Grande can be prepared in advance to have appropriate Transit systems in place to meet needs.
Task 5 – Short Term Transit Plan Preparation – includes demand estimations, identification of key trip destinations, key stop prioritization, park and ride lots and facilities, route development, fare structure development, ADA accommodations, operator procurement plan, a rolling stock assessment, safety performance standards and FTA compliance and an identification of transit stops.
Task 6 – Financial Analysis – Based on the feedback of the public input, the TTAC and key stakeholders, Task 6 of the Casa Grande Transit Development Plan will be to do a Financial Analysis of the proposed transit options for the City. Depending on the findings of the Study, the Financial Analysis will be a key determining factor in the Transit options considered.
Task 7 – Long Range Vision – Once a reasonable alternative (or alternatives) is identified by the TTAC, it will be important to identify how this alternative can be expanded over time as the population and needs of the City grows. Task 7 will identify a long range vision of the transit needs for the city of Casa Grande.
Task 8 – Performance Measures – As with any project, it is important to check back often to ensure that things are going well. Task 8 of the Casa Grande Transit Development Plan will be the creation of Performance Measures for the City to use as an evaluation of any implemented Transit Plan.
Task 9 – Final Implementation Plan – Task 9 will be the sum of all of the previous tasks combined into one document. In addition to the other Tasks, the final document will also include all necessary steps to plan, design, equip, construct needed infrastructure, initiate transit services, execute the plan, continually evaluate and provide for future extension of transit services within the city of Casa Grande.
City of Casa Grande Transit Development Plan – Approved by Executive Board January 8, 2019