Many consumers take it for granted that there will be paint on the shelves when they visit Kelly-Moore Paints, phones at the T-Mobile store, nail polish at Sally Beauty Supply, and luxury automobiles at Mercedes-Benz of Pleasanton. It is possible to take the supply of goods for granted at Hacienda retailers and elsewhere only because of the robust local infrastructure that supports an efficient movement of goods from manufacturers and suppliers to retailers and distributors.

Hacienda businesses have always benefited from immediate access to two major Interstate freeways, I-580 and I-680, and many other transportation options as well as all of the Bay Area's commercial centers, customers, suppliers, housing options, universities, three national labs, and more. Because of Hacienda's location in Alameda County, at the center of the Bay Area, they also have access to one of the most strategic trade locations in the world, according to the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC).

The county's connections to national and international markets make it a natural hub for goods movement throughout the Bay Area and the surrounding Northern California mega region. Alameda County provides most of the critical goods movement infrastructure that the rest of the region relies upon, according to the Alameda CTC. That infrastructure includes the Port of Oakland and the Oakland International Airport, an extensive network of interstate freeways and arterial roads, and two major Class I railroads.

Alameda County has the largest number of transportation-related jobs of any county in the Bay Area. The area's variety of land-use opportunities for industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, and related uses also makes it attractive to manufacturing and supply companies that require a strong goods movement system. The City of Pleasanton, for example, has become something of a hub for biomedical manufacturing and research companies such as Gritstone Oncology, which built a state-of-the-art biomanufacturing facility at Hacienda in 2017.

Goods Movement Critical to Economy

Goods movement is critical to Alameda County's economy, notes the Alameda CTC, which reports that about one-third of its employment stems from goods movement-dependent industries such as manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, construction, and retail and wholesale trade. Jobs in the transportation, warehousing, and logistics industries provide critical middle-wage jobs with low educational barriers to entry and career advancement potential. Goods movement in Alameda County includes diverse elements of the supply chain, everything from local trucks delivering groceries to area residents, to electronics components that serve as inputs to local manufacturers, to California-produced wine, nuts, and cheeses that utilize the Port of Oakland as an agricultural export gateway.

A whopping 32% of all goods movement by weight (36% by value) in the nine-county Bay Area region has an origin or destination in Alameda County. Not only is goods movement a significant part of the Alameda County and Bay Area economy, but also it is an integral component of everyday life. In addition to goods movement involving port containers and large-scale freight transport, residents and businesses make daily orders online to be delivered at their homes and local business sites; shop at small- and medium-sized stores supplied by mid-sized delivery trucks; live in communities affected by freight and related industries; and encounter truck and rail traffic as pedestrians, cyclists, or car drivers.

Public officials understand the importance of this sector to the area and are working together at county, regional, and state levels to help ensure Alameda County will continue to serve as an effective gateway to the world for goods from and to the Bay Area, Northern California, and far beyond.

"As a Commissioner on the Alameda County Transportation Commission, I've had the opportunity to work alongside commissioners and staff on the development of a robust, countywide Goods Movement Plan," says Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who represents the Tri-Valley area on the County Board of Supervisors. "The Plan outlines a long-range strategy for how to efficiently, reliably, and sustainably move goods to, within, and from Alameda County whether it be by road, rail, air, or water. Through the development of creative solutions to address challenges faced, and taking advantage of opportunities an effective goods movement system can provide, Alameda County can position itself to play a vital role in the future of goods movement at a local, regional, and national level."

The County of Alameda's first-ever Goods Movement Plan was designed to take advantage of the economic opportunities provided by goods movement for both the county and all of Northern California while continuing to make progress in achieving quality of life goals. In order to pursue its goods movement vision, Alameda CTC has developed a strategic plan focused on three main opportunity themes. The first opportunity is Sustainable Global Competitiveness. The second is Smart Deliveries and Operations. The third is Modernizing Infrastructure.

The Alameda CTC also leads the Bay Area Goods Movement Collaborative, which brings together partners such as the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission, community members, and stakeholders from across the County of Alameda and the Bay Area region to focus on understanding goods movement needs. The collaborative is working to identify, prioritize, and advocate for short- and long-term strategies to address these needs in Alameda County and the Bay Area.

Working Toward Sustainable Goods Movement

"Despite tremendous benefits to residents and businesses, goods movement activities also have environmental and community impacts that must be considered and mitigated," according to the Alameda CTC.

With that in mind, goals for the goods movement system include reducing and mitigating impacts to create a healthy and clean environment, and support improved quality of life for the people most impacted by goods movement. The agency also wants to provide safe, reliable, efficient, resilient, and well-maintained goods movement facilities and corridors. Promoting innovative technology and policy strategies to improve the efficiency of the goods movement system is also important, along with increasing jobs and economic opportunities that support residents and businesses.

Recent air quality improvements have been the result of the Port of Oakland, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the California Air Resources Board working together to improve the environment. The Port of Oakland is on track to exceed an 85% reduction target of diesel particulate matter by 2020 thanks to efforts that include the construction of shore power infrastructure, "no idling" signage along port roadways, new cleaner technology-based trucks and locomotives, and the use of reduced sulfur fuel.

"Cities cannot survive without an effective urban goods movement system," according to the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations Initiative on Urban Freight. "The health of the city's economy is dependent on its ability to accommodate the movement and delivery of goods. Furthermore, the livability that most cities are striving for is directly affected by the congestion and environmental impacts of trucks, the backbone of urban freight system. To this end, cities can no longer afford to ignore freight and how it interacts with the built environment."

Unlike some cities and some regions, the County of Alameda has not ignored the issues created by urban freight nor the demands of a robust goods movement system. Both public officials and business leaders understand that a robust goods movement has been critical to the area's strong economy and a high quality of life, particularly in the Tri-Valley region and the City of Pleasanton.

For more information about the Alameda County Transportation Commission and its work on goods movement, please visit www.alamedactc.org/planning/goodsmovement.

To download the Alameda County Goods Movement Plan, please visit www.alamedactc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/AlamedaCTC_GoodsMovementPlan_FINAL.pdf.

For more information about Hacienda, please visit www.hacienda.org/project-overview/project-overview.