MTC/ABAG Award $8.5 Million for Environmental Projects

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission just awarded a total of $8.5 million to 13 Bay Area organizations for Priority Conservation Area (PCA) Grants that support the goals of Plan Bay Area 2050, the adopted long-range regional plan for housing, the economy, transportation and the environment.

The PCA Grant Program is one of MTC and the Association of Bay Area Government’s (ABAG’s) primary tools for supporting Plan Bay Area strategies to protect and enhance the region's natural and agricultural lands; improve outdoor access and urban greening; as well as build regional climate resiliency across Bay Area communities. Awarded projects are briefly described below. 

1. Tidewater Expansion at Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline: The East Bay Regional Park District was awarded $1,000,000 to develop an 8-acre park with diverse amenities in a historically underserved area.
2. Phinney Fee Acquisition: Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District was awarded $1,000,000 to complete acquisition of a 523-acre ranch, connecting 9,000 acres of protected land in a key wildlife corridor and includes a segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
3. Richmond Ranch Acquisition Project: The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency was awarded $1,000,000 to protect 3,654 acres of biodiversity-rich land in the critical wildlife corridor of Coyote Valley.
4. Southeast Greenway: The City of Santa Rosa was awarded $750,000 to advance a comprehensive Master Plan for a new greenway park with multiple environmental and community benefits for the Southeast Greenway - an approximately 58-acre area of undeveloped land recently transferred from Caltrans to the City of Santa Rosa.
5. Napa Valley Vine Trail - Vista Carneros Segment: The Napa County Department of Public Works was awarded $750,000 to complete design and environmental reviews for a 3-mile Class I trail segment.
6. Farm to Market Phase 4: The Solano County Department of Resource Management was awarded $750,000 to improve access to Suisun Valley farmlands through biking, pedestrian and multimodal facilities, enhancing connectivity for Solano County residents and tourists to support the Suisun Valley agricultural economy. 
7. Visitacion Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Improvement Project: The City and County of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department was awarded $750,000 to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety along Visitacion Avenue to better connect the Visitacion Valley and Sunnydale neighborhoods to McLaren Park's program areas and trail network.
8. Evolving Shorelines Project at Bothin Marsh: The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy was awarded $670,000 to advance restoration of tidal wetlands and realignment of the Bay Trail for public access using nature-based strategies.
9. Sonoma Schellville Trail Design: Sonoma County Regional Parks was awarded $550,000 to design and permit a 2.8-mile bike trail along a former railroad corridor, ultimately connecting the City of Sonoma to the San Francisco Bay Trail.
10. Upper Stevens Creek Trail Project: The County of Santa Clara Parks and Recreation was awarded $500,000 to plan a 5.7-mile multi-use trail connecting the Bay Trail to the Ridge Trail.
11. Rangeland Enhancement through Livestock Pond Restoration: The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District was awarded $280,000 to restore and enhance livestock ponds supporting endangered species habitat and agriculture.
12. Coyote Valley Wildlife Connectivity Planning Project: The Peninsula Open Space Trust was awarded $250,000 to evaluate the feasibility of various wildlife crossing enhancements, developing conceptual plans, and advancing designs that will help protect wildlife moving through Coyote Valley between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range.
13. Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve Regional Bay Area Ridge Trail Expansion: The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority received $250,000 to support planning and construction of 5 miles of trails to close a gap in the planned Bay Area Ridge Trail and open an additional 1,800-acres in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains to public access.

The PCA Grant Program – funded through the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) program – was initiated by MTC in collaboration with the State Coastal Conservancy and administered by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. Since 2013, the PCA Grant Program has provided over $30 million in funding to cities, counties, park districts, utility districts and other agencies and non-profits to acquire, enhance, or improve projects in designated PCAs. MTC anticipates releasing another PCA Grant Program Call for Projects for $8 million in 2025.