Politics & Government

The Issues: A Transit Center in Hercules Future?

Candidates running in the June 7 Hercules City Council election answer questions posed by Hercules Patch with input from readers: Bayfront-Transit Center

Should the city move forward with the Bayfront-Intermodal Transit Center? Why or why not?

Dan Romero
Has not responded to questionnaire as of May 6.


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Council approved the $471,000 at the meeting of April 26, 2011 to complete the CEQA process for the Intermodal Transit Center (ITC).  Without the CEQA and NEPA clearance, our funding partners would have known that Hercules was not serious about the project and approximately $21millon dollars worth of grant funds would have been in jeopardy of being lost. 

Funding is the key to our part of the project and we should proceed when funding is secured.  The project has been segmented into phases and with completion of each phase we move closer to a finished project.  with a total of $32 million dollars in funds programmed or in process now and an additional $35 million available, we can complete this project. 

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We need to review our plans and downsize components of the project, to fit our budget.  The Intermodal Transportation Center will combine  bus, train and possibly ferry service.  All of these will provide a public transportation connection within the region to the entire Bay Area. With train service and eventually a ferry service, the ITC will reduce congestion in one of the worst commute corridors in the Bay Area. Other parts of the proposed project include approximately fifteen (15) acres of park and other open space  and additional connections to the Bay Trail.

The private side of the Bayfront development must proceed if Hercules is to recover from our financial deficit.  The proposed development will produce millions of dollars for the city in development impact fees, building permit fees, etc.

The commercial component will produce sales tax revenue, and the entire development will create property taxes,  construction and permanent jobs.  The Bayfront development is important to our financial recovery.


The ITC, as a public project, already received grant money able to finance the phase 1 and part of phase 2. I believe the ITC could be largely financed by additional grants. If for any reason, we can’t go through the whole ITC as designed, then I’d like us to have a plan B made of at least the phase 1 to make sure Bayfront can start.

Hercules Point: I’d like to find out if East Bay Regional Park could take care of the Hercules point. We won’t have the money to clean it, make it attractive for the Public and maintain it. The Point as a park on the bay with a train station and a potential ferry terminal should grab their attention.

Bayfront is a private project made up of a mix of businesses and residential products, which will bring our city a tremendous volume of additional property, sales and construction taxes, and …thousands of jobs for the next 10 years and 1,000 permanent jobs. Bayfront represents the one and only way to generate the incremental revenues our City needs. All together, the Waterfront will give our city a chance to be completed and a destination on the map.

Kuehne and Ward were against, then reluctant and then in favor of the Waterfront. Are they campaigning?

https://sites.google.com/site/gerardboulanger4hercules/cvcxvxcvxc

https://sites.google.com/site/gerardboulanger4hercules/-aaaaa

Joanne Ward

I do not believe that this is the right time to move forward with the Bayfront/Intermodal Transit Center.  The city of Hercules, at this time, should not be spending money on any capital projects until the city's financial situation is stabilized.  Since we have issued so much debt in recent years, we now need to concentrate on reducing that burden of debt instead of incurring more debt.  The city's staff has also been reduced by laying-off 25 employees in the month of April 2011, which means that less work can get done at Hercules City Hall.  Therefore, the Bayfront/Intermodal Transit Center project should be suspended until such time as the city's and Redevelopment Agency's finances heve been fully stabilized, and qualified staff members can be identified to be assigned to the Bayfront/Intermodal Transit Center project.

Don Kuehne

The city should move forward on the ITC/Bayfront project because it has been designated a “catalyst project” which has regional importance in providing sustainable, transit–oriented development. Approximately $30 million of committed outside funding will be lost if the project is stopped. However, the city must proceed cautiously and control expenses because redevelopment funds have been depleted.

Virgil de la Vega

The city should move forward because Bayfront is the only remaining viable project that will leapfrog Hercules to new revenue heights.  However, we need to proceed with guarded optimism. We have to look at the funding plans for each major phase of the project to determine if we have the resources to complete the project. We should look at Bayfront’s business plans to determine if it will really provide the income which will be needed to maintain the ITC and pay for the debt obligations that it will create.

Sherry McCoy

The city should definitely move forward with the Bayfront/ITC Project. This is not only a major project for the city but will provide the opportunity to give the city firm financial footing and a regional presence. Given the current financial situation of the city, the unknowns about the future of RDA and the market in general, this project will need to proceed carefully, using what will undoubtedly be a phased approached, with milestones and commitments on each side. In spite of the unknowns and evolving aspects of this project, a preliminary business plan would be useful at this stage.

The initial need is to continue the negotiations that Mr. Long has initiated with Mr Anderson, finalize the EIRs and other documents, as well as complete the third party review, and achieve a means for both the city and Mr. Anderson to move forward. The city needs the land and right of ways to be able to move forward with the ITC project; Mr. Anderson needs commitments and agreement from the city. Both need to build on the foundation of trust that has begun recently.  


Yes. We should move forward with the project, but given recent city development transactions, we must proceed cautiously.  The completion of the Bayfront/ITC is vital to our city.  The promise of this project has made Hercules an extremely desired home destination and has the potential of making Hercules, a major Bay Area visitor’s destination, increasing local business activity and sales revenue for the city.   When this project is complete, there is no doubt that Hercules will recognize a return on investment, and in turn open up our shores and beautiful city to the greater Bay Area.


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