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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/13/2022 Item 4b, Brooks Delgado, Adriana From:Lea Brooks <leabrooks332@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, July To:Advisory Bodies Subject:Comments for July 13, 2020, Planning Commission meeting Attachments:July 13, 2022, agenda, Item 4b.docx This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond. Please see attached comments for the Planning Commission's July 13 agenda, item 4b. Thanks. Lea Brooks SLO 1 To: Chair Nick Quincey and Commissioners Francis, Hopkins, Kahn, Jorgensen Munoz- Morris and Wulkan From Lea Brooks, San Luis Obispo resident Re: July 13, 2022, Item 4.b.: Review of Avila Ranch Development Plan, Phase 5 Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your review of Avila Ranch, Phase 5. I am commenting as an individual although I am a member of the Active Transportation Committee and was a member of the then-Bicycle Advisory Committee when City Council approved Avila Ranch in 2017. The active transportation pathways within the boundaries of Avila Ranch, including Phase 5, are terrific and will be enjoyed by residents and visitors. My comments are intended to educate new members of the Planning Commission regarding the lack of safe connectivity for many bicyclists and pedestrians to the rest of the city and segments of Buckley and Tank Farm roads under San Luis Obispo County jurisdiction. The Planning Commission does not have purview over these concerns, but I want you to be aware of them. These concerns were raised by the then-City BAC and bicycling community at large throughout the lengthy approval process for Avila Ranch and remain unresolved. 1.The City required Avila Ranch to install Class II bike lanes on Buckley Road between South Higuera Street where Buckley is being extended to the project’s eastern boundary, leaving a gap of approximately one mile under County jurisdiction to the airport. The gap between Avila Ranch’s boundary to roughly the airport is narrow, poorly maintained and already stressful for most people riding bicycles because of high-speed, ever-increasing traffic. The lack of complete Class II bike lanes connecting South Higuera and Broad Street/Highway 227 and Los Ranchos School is a major barrier for bicyclists. The County received $350,000 as part of a settlement from a lawsuit filed by Preserve the SLO Life and Los Verdes I and II Homeowners’ Associations that alleged the City did not properly address traffic, noise, air quality and various other impacts related to Avila Ranch. The County intended to use part of the settlement for a study to determine what improvements are needed on its segment of Buckley Road that will include land acquisitions and bridge widenings. My understanding is that this study remains on hold because the County needs more funding to conduct it. 2.The segment of Tank Farm Road under County jurisdiction is a barrier to bicyclists who do not feel safe on the narrow, poorly maintained shoulder and there are no sidewalks for pedestrians. The Chevron Specific Plan includes a network of Class II bike lanes on Tank Farm and Class I pathways throughout the property, including one that will connect to Avila Ranch. My understanding is that local developers are interested in purchasing the Chevron property, but I do know the status. In the meantime, the developer of the 600 Tank Farm Road project recently approved by the City agreed to plan and conduct preliminary engineering on one of the Class I pathways between Santa Fe and South Higuera in the Chevron Specific Plan. I don’t know the status of this project, either. 3.The City recently applied for a state Active Transportation Program grant to make major bicycle and pedestrian improvements to South Higuera Street. Successful grant applications will be announced later this year. Until improvements are made, many bicyclists will remain reluctant to ride South Higuera because of numerous intersections and driveways and aggressive motorists. 4.Another opportunity to improve bicycle/pedestrian east-west connectivity is the proposed Prado Road Class I pathway linking the eastern terminus of Prado Road to Broad Street that is on hold unless an agreement is reached for right of way with the Garcia family. I don’t know the status of this effort, either. East-west connections between Broad and Higuera streets are essential for the City to reach its 20 percent trips-by-bike goal and to provide transportation choice to Avila Ranch residents. Its location is a reasonable distance to bicycle to numerous locations in San Luis Obispo, especially on electric bicycles.