PRESS RELEASE

YUBA-SUTTER TRANSIT

2100 B STREET, MARYSVILLE, CA  95901

Contact:        Keith Martin or Adam Hansen

Phone:          (530) 634-6880

FAX:               (530) 634-6888

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YUBA-SUTTER TRANSIT PURCHASES LINDA PROPERTY

FOR FUTURE ZERO-EMISSION BUS FACILITY
 

 July 23, 2021, Marysville, CA – Yuba-Sutter Transit took a major step today toward the construction of the Next Generation Transit Maintenance, Operations and Administration Facility by completing the purchase of a 19.7-acre property at 6035 Avondale Avenue in Linda. A new facility is needed as the agency’s existing undersized and functionally obsolete facility in Marysville will not allow the agency to meet state requirements to purchase zero-emission buses. After an extensive public process and exhaustive analysis by an international planning and engineering consultant, the Yuba-Sutter Transit Board of Directors selected the top-ranked site from among 16 identified sites located throughout the bi-county area. The vacant former industrial site was purchased at a cost of $899,900 using available state funding.

Two major factors are driving both the need and timing of this purchase along with the development of a new transit facility. First, California now requires that 25 percent of all new buses purchased after 2025 be zero-emission (battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell electric) and this increases to 100 percent after 2028. An analysis of Yuba-Sutter Transit’s current Marysville facility revealed that it had the space and power capacity for just 12 battery electric buses – less than a quarter of the 51-bus fleet now being operated.

Second, and even more near term, the State Route 70 Binney Junction Roadway and Complete Streets Project is expected to significantly impact Yuba-Sutter Transit’s existing facility if not render it useless by 2025. This fully funded $111 million Caltrans project will result in the widening of the highway (B Street) in front of the existing facility and the realignment and replacement of the railroad overpasses just north and south of the facility.

Addressing these factors through the siting and development of an environmentally-forward purpose-built facility will allow Yuba-Sutter Transit to continue serving the community for decades to come. As envisioned, the new facility will be designed specifically for the maintenance and operation of zero-emission vehicles of all kinds to allow for the introduction of new technologies and service delivery options to maximize the community benefit of public transportation while minimizing any environmental impact. In addition, the new facility site has the space to include the necessary power generation, storage and charging capacity to be largely self-sufficient and the development of the abandoned and long-neglected Avondale site will by itself benefit the community.

Toward that end, at their July 15th meeting, the Yuba-Sutter Transit Board of Directors took the initiative to adopt a policy statement committing to the 100 percent conversion to zero-emission buses by 2035, well in advance of the statewide goal of 2040. This policy is contingent upon the availability of sufficient funding to construct the new zero-emission transit facility by 2025, as well as to finance the incremental cost of all replacement and expansion buses that may be purchased thereafter. This focus on meeting or exceeding the state zero-emission bus purchase requirement will increase the positive environmental impact of the new facility even sooner.

Now that the site has been purchased, the next step is to begin accumulating the necessary funding to design and construct what is expected to be a $40 million facility. This process is already well underway as a funding plan was included with the site analysis and initial discretionary federal and state grant applications valued at a combined $28.5 million are now pending. Additional grant applications from several sources are expected to be submitted this fall. Design, engineering, and construction of the new facility will start when the necessary funds have been secured.
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Updates and documents related to this project including the adopted Zero-Emission Bus Fleet Conversion Policy Statement are available on the “Next Generation Transit Facility Plan” page on the agency website at www.yubasuttertransit.com. Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for email alerts via the “Stay Informed” page on that same website. For information about any transit services, routes, or programs, visit the website or call the Yuba-Sutter Transit service information line at (530) 742-2877.

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