The Transportation Agency for Monterey County staff reviews plans and environmental documents prepared by the county’s jurisdictions to identify new traffic impacts on the regional transportation system caused by new development, and recommend strategies or solutions for addressing those impacts.

To effectively plan for the county’s future transportation needs, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County staff is engaged in efforts to coordinate land use and transportation planning activities across the county. The goal of this coordination is to connect regional transportation infrastructure development with ongoing land use decision-making, thereby reducing the long-term need for costly regional infrastructure improvements. As more coordination between land uses and transportation occur, such as building retail stores within walking distance of residential neighborhoods, less money will be needed to construct new roads and parking, allowing funds to be used for highway safety improvements and other regional projects.

The Transportation Agency’s primary mechanism for coordinating transportation and land use planning is through the environmental document review process as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act. Specifically, staff reviews plans and development proposals that are under consideration by the county’s jurisdictions pursuant to CEQA to identify new regional transportation impacts and recommend mitigation strategies. All comments are limited to those project activities that are within the agency’s area of expertise, or which are required to be carried out or approved by the agency [Section 21104(c) and Section 21153(c) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)].

Pursuant to direction from the Board, staff prepares comment letters on the environmental documents submitted to our agency from other public agencies and includes copies of these letters in the Transportation Agency Board agendas. Staff is also responsible for preparing an annual report summarizing these activities.

Aaron Hernandez is the Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Environmental Review Coordinator.  If you have questions, he can be reached at (831) 775-4412, or via email at: aaron@tamcmonterey.org.