Earlier this week, Woodland City Council appointed council members Mayra Vega and David Moreno to the addition of an ad hoc council subcommittee with the Yolo Transportation District to work on relocation options for the new Transit Center.

“Council Member Vega serves as the Council’s designed primary YoloTD Board representative and Council Member Moreno has expressed interest in serving as the other member on this ad hoc subcommittee,” the report stated.

The city council also decided that the newly proposed location for a transit center at Second and Court Street was unsuitable and voted 4-0 to have Yolo TD and the city staff work to find an alternative location. Mayor Pro Tempore Tom Stallard’s vote was abstained as he excused himself from the meeting due to having real estate within 1000 feet of the area of the proposed location discussed.

Last month, members heard from City Manager Ken Hiatt about the proposed plan to move the location of the transit center to Court and Second Street. In a presentation by Autumn Bernstein, executive director of Yolo TD, she highlighted the goals for relocating the transit center, including hoping to improve connectivity between downtown Woodland and key regional destinations and improving personal security for Yolobus passengers.

The current transit center is located at the County Fair Mall at the southern end of the town. Staff highlighted that the current center is outdated and isolated in the southwest corner of the mall parking lot, with Yolo TD frequently receiving feedback regarding safety issues there.

Another problem noted was that many passengers from West Sacramento, downtown Sacramento and Davis must travel to the County Fair Mall and then transfer onto Route 211 or 212, which only operates once an hour.

The city and Yolo TD staff worked to identify Second and Court Street as the preferred location for the new center. Additionally, the city suggested Sixth and Lincoln Street as an alternative relocation option.

Soon after the suggestion, Yolo TD sent a community and transit riders survey to get feedback on the proposed location.

According to the report, existing transit riders generally supported the new location, while non-transit riders opposed it. The survey highlighted three themes of those who were opposed, including the potential of drawing homelessness and crime into the area, increased traffic congestion on Court Street, and the effects on downtown parking.

On Jan. 28, Yolo TD, in collaboration with the city and Woodland Chamber of Commerce, hosted an open house event at the proposed Court Street location, staging four fixed-route buses to allow community members to see and visualize how the transit center could feel.

The event also allowed engineering and public safety staff the opportunity to observe the functionality of the buses.

Mayor Rich Lansburgh mentioned during a Feb. 18 council meeting that the city council had received both positive and negative comments about the suggested location. He mentions that many business owners downtown were opposed to having the transit center. Lansburgh went on to suggest that Yolo TD look for an alternative location toward the west instead of the one proposed, as well as suggesting that they look into having two transit centers instead of just one.