Public Decision Making for the CalTrain Downtown San Francisco Extension Project

The public input process used to refine alternatives being considered for extending commuter rail service to a new station in downtown San Francisco is described. At the study’s outset there were two major build alternatives with numerous design options. Through the “design options screening” process, the number of build alternatives was reduced to one and the number of design options was reduced significantly. Reducing the scope of the study enabled resources to be focused on addressing the remaining critical questions in development of the draft environmental impact statement. The design options screening process consists of breaking the options into a series of questions, providing detailed information about each of the questions, and encouraging the public to weigh in on the questions. The process was very successful at focusing public involvement and in allowing the policy board to make decisions.