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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREDwalterb4July 20, 201 0 City Counci l VIA : Katie Lichtig, City Manage r FROM : Jay Walter, Public Works Director SUBJECT : Red File Item B-4 : Initiative Measure to Enact Revisions to the Margarita Are a Specific Plan - Council Meeting July 20, 201 0 Several members of the public have raised questions that have been addressed in a previou s correspondence from the former City Manager . Attached is a copy of a letter from sent in 2004 to Mila Vujovich-La Bane, which provides background information about this issue . This is provided for information purposes . RED FILEMETINGAGEND A DA~~I `o ITEM #Sl- council mEmonanbu m Date : TO :RECEIVE D JUL'20 201 a SL4 CITY CLER K Attachments : 1 . January 16, 2004 Letter to Mila Vujovich-La Bane COUNCI L JAOAOP CM ATTORNE Y CLERKIORI O q DEPT HEAD S7IlLie ~Er,ITES .._ CDD D1 R FEN 01 R FIRE CHIE F Z PW D1 R POLICE CH F REC DI I 0 UTIL DIR FIR b1 R yI CM city of san tuts OI3iS O 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo,CA 93401-324 9 'January 16, 2004 Mila Vujovich-La Barr e 650 Skyline Drive San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 Subject :Reply .to your January 3, 2004 Letter . Dear Mila : This Ietter responds to the correspondence you submitted to the Council on January 6 `h ,2004 during the Dalidio-Marketplace public hearing and Iater to the_Planning Commission . In you r letter, you requested a response to your suggestion that an environmental impact report (EIR) b e completed for Prado .Road and you expressed several other concerns . I hope this letter clears things up and puts a few persistent rumors to rest . The short story is : (1) The City has fully complied with the California Environmental Qualit y Act (CEQA) every step of the way with respect to both the Prado Road extension and the Prad o Road interchange ; (2) There is absolutely no "mountain blasting", "dark tunnels" or "tunneling " associated with currently adopted alignment, nor has there ever been ; (3) The site was purchase d with the need to set aside 3 .5 acres for an eventual road fully disclosed, discussed, understoo d and agreed upon by the City Council ; and (4) Mitigation measures have been adopted fo r protecting biological and cultural resources when a road is actually built . Now for the longe r story ... Starting at the beginning, an east-west connection between South Higuera and Highway 227 ha s been formal City policy since the early 1960's when it was included in the City's first Genera l Plan. In this plan, the extension met Highway 227 at Hopkins Lane (roughly halfway betwee n Tndustrial Way and the currently approved alignment). Attached is a copy of that plan . Subsequent general plans (both Land Use and Circulation Elements) have also contained a Prad o Road extension and the Prado Road Interchange at US 101, and traffic models involving th e Prado Road extension have assumed the interchange since the late 1980's . You have suggested that a comprehensive environmental study needs to be completed for th e "new" Prado Road .In fact, several environmental studies have been completed for a Prado Roa d extension and interchange, including studies done for the 1994 Land Use and Circulatio n Elements (which included the "old" Industrial Way alignment), the 2000 amendment to th e Circulation Element that adopted the current "northerly" alignment, and the EIR for the Airpor t Area and Margarita Area Specific Plans . Information from the adopted mitigated negativ e fl The City of San Luis Obispo is committed to include the disabled in all of its services, programs and activities ; Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (805) 781-7410 . 1 declaration for the Damon-Garcia Sports Fields and the MR for the San Luis Marketplace hav e also been considered in these future roadway plans, as discussed below . The Master EIR that was certified for the 1994 Land Use and Circulation Element updat e analyzed three potential alignments for the extended roadway, with the Council settling on a n Industrial Way alignment. After further considering problems associated with this alignmen t (along with a Tank Farm Road alternative), in February 2000 the City Council adopted a ne w northerly alignment. In completing the Circulation Element amendment needed to implemen t this change, an environmental study for the northerly alignment and interchange was complete d and accepted by the Planning Commission and City Council . As you know, there are several types of environmental actions allowed under CEQA, includin g EWs, mitigated negative declarations (MND's) and negative declarations, depending upon the circumstances . An EIR is required when the lead agency determines that there is sufficien t evidence in the public record that a project may have a significant impact on the environment . An MND may be used as the environmental document when the project can be modified to avoi d these impacts . In adopting the northerly alignment, based on the evidence resulting fro m environmental study, a MND was approved by the City Council . The MND contained seventeen (17) mitigation measures, including mitigation measures to protect biological and cultura l resources (e .g . the archeological site) in order to fully address anticipated impacts . CEQA requires additional environmental review if a project substantially changes or informatio n that is more detailed becomes available before construction . Thus far, the project description for the Prado Road alignment and the interchange has not changed significantly since 2000 . Studies completed with the Margarita Area Specific Plan and the San Luis Marketplace projects confir m this, and these projects (now receiving further public study and review) incorporate the data an d mitigation measures from the 2000 MND, as well as data and mitigation measures that wer e prepared with the environmental work associated with the Damon/Garcia field s Although the interchange location and capacity are not changing from previous assumptions , supplemental analysis of design impacts is underway with the Marketplace EIR . Considerin g such supplemental information for the interchange is not "segmenting" the review of the whol e because the whole has already been considered and approved . Similarly, the Prado Road extension could receive added environmental study when it reaches a detailed engineering desig n stage; however, if necessary, it would also be considered supplemental study that builds of f earlier work, and not "segmented" study . Thus far, information available for both the Prad o extension and the interchange, considered cumulatively, does not provide any new evidence o f significant impact that has not been considered during earlier environmental approvals . To summarize this issue, the interchange and Prado extension have been considered togethe r consistent with CEQA and environmental work, past and present, has not been segmented o r "piecemealed ." (Once appropriate environmental review has been completed,construction may be phased,but that is an entirely different - and fully legal - option .) With regard to various other misunderstandings, the construction of Prado Road will involv e neither "mountain blasting" nor the relocation of Acacia Creek in order to span the creek system . In addition, the construction will not involve "tunneling" or result in a "dark tunnel ." Bridges 2 that span Acacia Creek and the pedestrian pathway will create the proposed pedestria n underpasses, There will be no deck between the travel lanes on the bridge, which will therefore allow in much light for pedestrians and the wildlife corridor . Illustrations have been provide d many times which show a very open, airy underpass (e .g . like the Highway 101 underpass a t Chorro Street), and I will be happy to send you another copy upon request . In your letter you state that the entire 23 .5 acres of . the Damon Garcia sports complex "wa s purchased for recreation" and should not be used for roadway purposes . However, as we have pointed out many times, this just isn't true . I have attached the cover sheet for the June 15, 199 9 City Council agenda item for the purchase of the property . You will see that that 3 .5 acres of the property was clearly identified as needed for the road, regardless of whether it were ultimatel y aligned north or south of the fields, In fact, the cost per acre was significantly discounted for 3 .5 acres in the overall purchase because it was for roadway -and not recreation - purposes . In closing, like most public decisions, there have always been advantages and disadvantage s associated with the . alignment options for the Prado Road and it is reasonable for citizens t o advocate a different choice and to express strong feelings . It is unhelpful, however, when suc h strong feelings spawn rumors that, with repetition, can promote misinformation and create a dar k impression of actions taken openly and legally, and only after substantial public input and carefu l thought . I hope this letter at least sheds a healthier and more accurate light on some of th e concerns that you have continued to expressed . p .s . I continue to look forward to my opportunity to speak to your government class (as long a s we don't have to discuss Prado Road!). Please provide me with your preferred date and time when you get a chance . Attachment s 1.1962 General Pla n 2.Excerpt City Council Report - Field Purchas e cc : City Council, Planning Commission, staff distribution 3 Attachment No .1 1962 General Plan FROM :Paul LeSage, Parks & Recreation Director SUBJECT :Sports Fields Site Acquisitio n CAO RECOMMENDATION 1.By resolution, approve a Purchase and Sales Agreement to acquire a 23,5 acr eportion of the Damon-Garcia Ranch at a cost of $2,000,000 for the purpose o fconstructing sports fields . 2.Authorize the Mayor to sign the Purchase and Sales Agreement DISCUSSIO N Background hi May of 1998,the City Council authorized staff to begin negotiations with the Damo n and Garcia families for the purpose of acquiring a portion of their ranch property o n which to construct sports fields for community use . The parcel proposed for acquisition [Exhibit A-2 of the Purchase and Sales Agreement ] includes 16.5 acres for the'sports fields, a 3 .5 acre riparian creek corridor and 3 .5 acres for the extension of Prado Road.Because an alignment for the road as not bee n enma i was eld acquisition should include them amount of land needed for the road . Once the road alignment is approved by the City Council,the sport s field site can be designed accordingly.The Acacia Creek riparian corridor bisects th e property and has been included in the proposed acquisition. The Damon and Garcia Ranch site was previously selected by the City Council as th e best available location in the City on which to build sports fields . This site ca n accommodate four multi-use sports fields and their supporting amenities . The Draft Margarita Area Specific Plan calls for a neighborhood park and elementary school to b e built adjacent to the sports fields .This gives the area the potential for seven or eight fields, making it a true sports complex . Additionally, there is land adjacent to these field s that could be acquired and developed in the future . ti 4 .ea.cc ---- city of san tuts onisp o 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-324 9 January 5, 200 4 Mila Vujovich-LaBarr e 650 Skyline Drive San Luis Obispo, Ca 9340 5 Dear Mila: Your letter to the City. Council regarding the Prado Road extension alignment has been receive d and has been referred to staff . A response to some of the questions and issues you raise in you r le€ter will be sent to you in the next few days, and copied to council members . Because you als o provided the same letter to each member of the Planning Commission, our response will b e copied'to the Planning Commission as well . As far as the Commission's review of the alignment is concerned, at their January 1 .4 meetin g staff will further discuss scheduling related to the Commission's review of various Margarit a Area Specific Plan issues. If the Commission shares your interest in the alignment issue, we will recommend that time be set aside at specific future meeting date (probably in February). B y scheduling the issue in this fashion, you and other interested citizens can be better notified as t o when the Commission will discuss the alignment, and this somewhat complex matter can also b e given the ample time it will need . If you do not wish to attend the Commission meeting on the 1 4 th, I would suggest you contac t Community Development Department afterward to find out about the future scheduling o f alignment issue . Deputy Director Mike Draze is the best contact for this matter . He can b e reached at 781-7274 . Cc : City Council Planning Commissio n Staff distribution G:IDOCUME-1tslouser\ OCALS-.11Temp\VWOVI--1 .DOCThe City of San Luis Obispo is committed to include the disabled in all of its services,programs and activities. Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (805) 781-7410 . ADMINISTRATION TODAY'S // DATE:; 61 THE ATTACHED IS REFERRED TO :_COPIES ad c.h TO : et l ,\///Ucf'/c --.09,2m-~.iC~ RESPOND FOR SIGNATURE BY : Dept. Head Other:IqMayorCAOq Email or deliver draft to Administratio n COMME -r 4-/-,EF,/cr-66? ___.1[J .Cf~..Ti s f W 4 i G6 C r /4-i„/n-// 7s9--/9/d `---`Ott c/~ -/t !374'.2A9L/o/// z'lr :7 DUE DATE :/ /r 4 FRO ''' -' To : Mayor Romero and the San Luis Obispo City Council ' San Luis Obispo Planning Commissio n From : Mila Vujovich-La Barre Date :January 3, 200 4 Re : Prado Road and the Damon-Garcia Sports Field s As the development of Prado Road continues to be addressed in both City Council an d Planning Commission meetings, I would appreciate a response to the suggestion that a comprehensive environmental impact report (Em) be completed for the new "Prad o Road". In my studies,it is clear that this highway with its proposed six-lane overpass , four-lane state highway, elevated road, mountain blasting, tunnel and potentia l realignment of Acacia Creek warrants due consideration. From my conversations with experts in urban development, it appears to me that Prad o Road is being "piecemealed"or "illegally segmented" which is in violation of CEQA policy. The public deserves a report of the cumulative impacts that Prado Road will have upo n the entire city and population . It should demonstrate not only how the environment i s being protected but how the location, design and financing of the proposed road is in th e best interest of the city's residents . Although I am not completely against the overpass at Prado Road and Highway 101,I remain vehemently opposed to the small section of the extension of Prado Road tha t bisects our open space and the Damon-Garcia sports fields . The 23 .5 acres of sports fiel d land was purchased for recreation and . should be used as such . It is unconscionable and dangerous to sandwich children and adults between Broad Street and another four-lan e highway. Although impacting a 5,000 year old archaeological site may be acceptable t o some developers, it should not be a preference when there is a viable alternative . Attached are two highlighted maps. "Map A" is the proposed project for the Margarit a Area Specific Plan . The only major objection to this plan is shown on "Map A" in red . "Map B" is an enlarged version that illustrates the segment of Prado Road that needs t o be removed from the sports field and open space : Prado Road should not bisect the sports fields and open space. It should be taken south to a widened, .improved Tank Farm Roa d at Santa Fe Road . Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience with any concerns that yo u may have about my proposal or request . il4 vrc _la.ra.- a Vujovich-La Barr e 650 Skyline Drive San Luis Obispo, California 9340 5 Mobile: 805-441-5818 Jones & Stokes MVIAP A Land Use and Circulation : Pro p osed Protect Prado Read • Northern ;.!scjrimnn ! iG:3 :]•~2G3' Siva i-trus:b;i ty M3t/4t Wh City Dt San Luii Gd oPwaRweabw■wca,r-.n ',Jim 15.1'1‘4 Tank Farm Road Why Figure 5~-= Prado Road Proposed A11gnmera,_.. This alignment uses Damon-Garcia sports field land . Please eliminate the four-lan e ,,•f highway (Prado Road ) that divides the Damon-Garcia \• sports fields and open space ! create dangers for our children ? firm a MAP B Location of pedestrian tunnel under the proposed extension of Prado Road B6 THE TRIBUNE PA Box 'ILL 3825 S .Htguara Street Sara Obispo, CA93406 Phone 781-7052 Fax: 181-7905 Newspaper of the Central Coast - THE TRIBU N;:s. . EDITORIAL BOAR D Par Wrier Sandra Duerr Publisher Executive Editor BITE Motem Opinion Page Editor ' r,i I G R D S U N D A Y SUNDAY,AUGUST . PINION-w- . 200 3 .he .isstiesntroun theprad 6 'React 'extension t L-L fer a smillsection that goes aroun d The proposed extension ; except .... a `with =thereigatdtothe Da-south--:wr1 prod s`e tiG gnm n -&,ton-arcia . ..P °:;:.ratio dl.-;inl:Fields in *Ws Obiss Aped bisect the sport nit complex from. .:,- ,., P°ha"' '"s'" off dwarf .:the w etic=;n41 Frradd al; eh-La Barre and''13" n''sPade, but it ditainly isn ' uld ineet.Broid . and start..w ofhea; t.but.,not Met.sn,,.yehAg.ihet 'elihtotett.,e, =Ili. t We efferthe . ollowmg n `°at:Tudustri 'd, at the new tdotip. j, ThO.4ity .fealized eufd be a . d parenta, All told e_'oca , -' . ... 47 179 t h 19560114 would be,needed ..one.daY.to take , tii Bil'a d 8treet with. , elds Tlireksaidrat he = : p o more ext ension may be 'letters.' iif designs; It ceriiii0n 'It traffic *entire off Tank Farm Road men o f sense than' exten d,,.and.South Street iS.'thOf t!'.ay,rSe4 tenn9sndIrdPs.T?;ei Idi6nligsemuchthe4.6frediBrozititoHiguerastreets:';sport ct"I iVith :over to:,Tank Farm;a deeigte4hat .*irpaiSdig''thi':would make the such aBY 19.64 the city'htid decided ..some acreage,in,the.,pitht'dir,'.'intersectionroadih6nldbeInextension',planned Prado."Road extension,Although concerns about a four-mare.an iirx mediate?;light ~r ' of Prado -to'Broad Street some-about foer idred of the sports coin-lane road that "bisects the playing In the final tally-,the city hhas cor-where Iietween Industtial Pay'and .,plex'wereset aside for the road,;,fields and open space park"sounds rectly identified a need for anotherOrcuttRoad.Over the next -couple of years,worth fighting for,closer inspection east-west artery It's also correctlyThecityplanners 40-some years through public hearings,the extol-shows it is not identified a need for more recre- ago were right. The southern area sion connection at Broad Street was For example, the Damon-Garda - at :tonal sports fields . From this per-of San Luis Obispo has grown over moved north from Industrial Way to fields are already abutted by Broad spective, it appears that the city ha s the years and traffic has, indeed be-the northern m Ost tip of the playing Street for a distance of more than found a solid solution to both need s come heavier on both Tank Farrn fieidi three football fields . Yet there's with the planned extension 'of Pa - Road 'and SOuth Street . .Opposition to the realign-Meth been no concern voiced about kids do Road at the northern edge of th e By 1994, the city decided to 'ehd came most* vocally from 'Mila Vii- and traffic dangers there .Damon-Garcia Sports Complex : , SANLUISOBIS P O . COM ! .VIEWPOIN T local govern-'~:w .gmeat, democracy is ''kken tnpl.M1 'alive and well in San `t lads Obispo. That is%adtninistiatiori ;: why myriad opinions-;<officer-.; are expressed regard-' ." '."' ing most issues,acid the pro- posed alignment of the PaadoRoad extension i$ no .excep - - But let's start with somethin g that most of us can agree on :- There isn't a straightforward way of getting from one side of town to the other, if one is Ira v cling in an east west direction . Most of us, therefore, follo w our favorite circuitous pats . often cutting through the down town or someone else's neigh borhood. That is why --since the adoption of the city's very first General Plan more ,than 4 1 years ago -- it has been city policy to extend Prado Roa d from South Iiguera to High way 227 (Broad Street). Thedebate has been about :where Prado Road should meet 227. .,.. 'After two .very lengthy public - debates,_ the, Council .deeerm erg that the northerly alignment offere d the most advantages and the fewest disadvantages when .compare toy Industrial Way_ or to a In 1962, the-city called fo rthis new road to meet Highway 227 roughly between Industria lWay and the current "northerl y alignment" just south of Orcut t Road . The Circulation Element adopted in 1994 changed the ' alignment to end at IndustrialWay. When the city's long search for a suitable athletic field site ended in 1999 with the pur-chase of the Daman-Garci aproperty, it was uncertain whether the Industrial Wa y alignment was still preferre d to a new "northerly" option. However, the city was no t ready to decide that issue at -the time, and the 23 .5-acre property was purchased with sufficient area to include th ePrado Road extension , whether its ultimate alignmentturned out to be north or south of the fields, Thus, while the majority of the site wa s bought for park uses,abou t four acres was also set asid e for the extension. In February 2000 and agai n in January 2001, after two verylengthy public debates, the Council determined that thenortherly alignment offered th e most advantages and the fewes t disadvantages when compared to Industrial Way or to a third, option connecting at Tank Farm Road . After these deci- sions were made, for variou sreasons, the Industrial align- ment has been dropped in th e minds of just about everyone. However: some people con-tinue to strongly object to th e chosen alignment, and instead advocate for the Tank Far mRoadoption:Ueir objection s are based-xnosdy on child' safety Concerns and the poten-tial for added fields,if the agarmentwere.rovedto TankFatxn.With,regaard to these concearps;-llo rthe.fella -• no rg thatc dre r :l a ~nda igered vir ntuewa a g rai d emotionally stt ;` r , factual. The lfact,is that vier ally every par ,playing field.and scbopl=ifiis city is bore .derecl : lay a rosd f ,'.but or roads) -=:and in : some cases by huge -; ';roads. `ar example, Highway '1 runs0ast .Santa=Rota Park , IAVR mte:j►ast Laguna l b . 2 unior:pgh,and : ;hygay 227-ftady bordeis fire ~auioi Garcia and ,W4 0v..vPark fieldi :Stif.W .itto.say, the .roadwjIt..:be designed to .safelyseparate:field.tisersi- .and card, ':''.: OPPonente , argued .1- that a "dark,-.dangerotts tunnel"willbe built to'allow,a,,t;orusectio u between the 4614 .4ndfl-t .future Margaii'ta retideiniararea. In actuality,a very open,airy underpass is envisioned -that will include both bicycl e and pedestrian paths.A-dravi- hag of this underpass is avail- able, if readers are interested. • While the amount of land needed for the road has ,,-slightly increased since :the property was .ptird tese.iL (due -., to the need to avoid i.A'aftae-ological-site), the.-arguraent that moving the alignment will ,create seven added acres ofplaying field just Isn't..k.,,! d, tariving-AheBocaste alignment to eet at !Tank Farm Road . .,'e create less . than 2 acrestif .addedavcre- ation space of:titheOamoia-Gar-; cia site -not enough for - another athletic field . The remaining-2-plus acres would only be suitable for ope n space , . o The Santa Lucia Home-owners Association, which rep- resents thousands of residentsin the Edna-Islay neighbor- hoods, is on record as being :opposed to both the Industrial . and Tank Farin alignments. If the TankFarm alignment is :seriously censideted 'again,' there undoubtedly be .,.. many new (piestionS aid ea- cans cording from this tieigh- borhood. Thdi, there are no easy answers... -' 4 Lfwe end up in a proverbial Gordian knot, our options wil l be to either give upon our 41 - year-old goal of improving east- west travel (and reducin g cut4hrough traffic elsewhere),' or to substantially delay two other major city goals : the Mar-- garb housing expansion area eaand the airport area annexa- tion. This is because man y months of expensive traffic , environmental and financialstudies will be required before u l a new alignment decision can be made. There is alincist no way to establish-a road alignmen t 'without attracting at least some :' objections.The question for city leaders is. Which align- meta offers the greatest bene- fit to the greatest lumber of k „ people over the long haul ?Hopefully this added back - ..,,groi.nid offers improved infer-platen for citizens intereste d ii this topic. Hemp:an is a .city.. ,.., letters, see Pap ., E :the m NEp ..eit9c. BOX 112,; .o.m.,you r sen d t0 .761-7905 . (them ta:..::.tfietribuneneivS.cem; e A SAN Luis Oinseo'Courrre, C,u;tn..T H U R S . D AY, AUG.u s T 2 8,2 0 0 3 es, Mr. Hampian, democ .racy is alive and doingwell in SW.Althoughthere are greater battle-grounds to be won :... .throughout the world, the one here .:'e.,-:nee,:,, .w SW has the potential to pre-Pted iilghway,a lOOfoot•F :re extension of Prado Road rve the integrity of the Damon- `tumid, arid'a neiv stoplight.fie '. '.'"9 should .be seriously considered rcia Sports Fields .:creek and wetlands have already dow while we still have choices . In June 1999, taxpayers spent $2 endured rechannelntgand mitiga ...,One choice, Industrial Way,has million for a 23.5-acre recreational tion measures. The "Northerly" - ':.:.been`eliminated . area on Broad Street near Tank re;alignMent decision delayed the'OBefore the reclaimed water line s Farm Road . The site was selected consirudim of ourfrelds for more :};eare d and part of the archeologi-because it bordered open space,than 1s, months be cruse the Army :a':cal'site is disturbed, the alternativeCorps ofEngmeeis questioned what ' r~`ofhaving Prado Road from High -was ~.was happening on tree properly.: r : ,~4,waylOl connecting to a .widenedCorps personnel queried, Was Farm Road near an improve d-there a road or not aroad Mt the `'r :.`['Santa Fe Road•is worthy of study'.project"The Onpefinally.a ` Alsathere ai'e:no'Studies to sup-.the creek reehanneliag and the con-".11or,`E;Ken1lanipian's assertion thatstritctioavfthe'sports fieldsin 2002 . 'a ificantly more 'traffic would beItvehemeniiy,didnot_ap-pwye any „.-geo_erated.beyond Broad Stree toonstruction'ofPrado Road . Facts' 'antrinto the .Edna-Islay neighbor-do not misconstrue friths, '.'.$n nds y~~cci~li the Tank Farm RoadToday:there is still a "paper .. -cazin- 1-iti :The Tank Farm Roadroad"encroaching on the land that : abgnni mt makes a straight eas tWaspurerfor recreation. I am connection that could "serv esearching for a'comprehensive,: the,greekest 'number of people ove rfaeiualtraffic:0tudy that will sup-'the.lohg haul.".port the'fizdire need for the envi-.In addition,I am concerned.that ronnientally unfriendly, dangerous, , the entire fitture Prado Road, fro mnoisy,;four-lane, 55mph roadway - west of l iighway 101 to Broad -itwill sandwich our children Street, is being illegally segmente deen it and busy $road Street I into the Widio Project, the Mar-believe that by having Prado Road garita Plan, the Airport Plan andbisec. the playing fields and open - the Damon-Garda Sports Fields .space, a city is creating environ- During the past four years, many•mental hazards, All alternatives for conscientious community mem - had the possib tyfor six sand-'bated,well-lit fields and was clos e to family homes with young chil-dren.In February 2000,the CityCouncil amended the General Plan , and a very small portion of PradoRoad became the new adopted -"Northerly" a met t .In one vote ,a four-lane highway that bisects theplaying fields and open-space par k was created. It was a surprise t o.some citizens when they learne dthat the 'Northerly' alignment wa s not furry explained to the sportsfield site'selection committee . It should have been dearly -explainedtothe committee and to the com-munity that the city staff preferred `the "Northerly alignment",for PradoRoad, as proposed in its Margarita Specific Plan dated April 1998 . ...The new "Northerly" aligoment will impact a 5,000-year-old archaeo - logical site. It will require an ele - improving existing road condition s so .much time and money paving over that is left for recreation . hers have spoken up an drequested a full EIR for the entir elength of the Prado Road expan- sion project Negative Declaration sprepared and signed by city staf fmembers are not adequate, unbi-ased environmental assessments .So whether it is seven acres, according to le-Sage, four acres,according to McCluskey, or tw o acres, according to .Hampian, th ebottom line is that many residentsdo not want a road bisecting th e sports fields and open-space park,especially on land that was pur- chased for recreational purposes .Public works should get busy . .improving existing toad condition sand refrain from spending so muchtime and money paving over th e precious land that is left for recre-ation. Right now City officials have achance to demonstrate care and - concern . They also have an oppartt snity to promote quality phut g tha twill enhance tourism, preserve ou rheritage and provide a safe environ - ment for our children . I am keepin gthe faith that reason will prevail . Mia Vida Wald Barre is a resi-dent of San Luis Obispo.