MTC Opens Window for New Round of Priority Conservation Area Grants

With an eye toward boosting natural landscapes, green urban areas and regional recreation, MTC this month issued a call for projects, encouraging Bay Area cities, counties, and parks and open space districts in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to compete for a new round of Priority Conservation Area (PCA) grants ranging from $100,000 to $1 million or more. The Commission set aside $8.2 million for this second round of PCA grants in these counties.

The State Coastal Conservancy administers the PCA grant program in partnership with MTC and ABAG for projects in the Bay Area’s five most populous counties, and will contribute up to $1.8 million in state resource bond funds for new PCA grants. The collaborative evaluation team — comprised of staff from MTC, ABAG and the Coastal Conservancy — will consider awarding grants of more than $1 million for proposed projects with regional significance. Types of projects to be considered include:

• Protection or enhancement of natural resources, open space, or agricultural lands;
• Pedestrian and bicycle facilities;
• Protection or enhancement of potential or existing green spaces in urban areas;
• Planning associated with natural resource protection, public access to open space, support for  agricultural economy, or enhancement of urban parks; and
• Construction of turnouts, overlooks and viewing areas.

Agencies seeking funding through this round of PCA grants must submit letters of interest by Feb. 25. For more information, visit: https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2019_PCA_Guidelines_draft.pdf

The first round of PCA grants disbursed through the Coastal Conservancy partnership included $1 million for access improvements at Crane Cove Park in San Francisco; $100,000 for work on the Milagra‐Battery Trail in Pacifica; and $1 million for restoration and public access improvements at the Dotson Family Marsh in Contra Costa County.

Congestion management agencies in Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties administer the PCA grant program for MTC and ABAG in the North Bay, and already have selected projects to be funded with the $8.2 million allocated by MTC for the second round of grants in these counties. These include $1.4 million for a pair of Vine Trail projects in Napa County; $2.1 for bicycle improvements in Solano County’s Suisun Valley; $1.3 million for the Crocker Bridge bicycle/pedestrian passage in Sonoma County and $500,000 to the National Park Service for the Fort Baker Vista Point Trail in Marin County.