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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-2017 Item 1, AshbaughCOUNCIL MEETING: I- 3 - f _ REC_EIVFD ITEM NO.: _yL_ JAN 0 3 2017 f Sl_0 CITY CLERK From: Date: Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 3:40 PM -0800 Subject: Bishop Peak Access issues To: "E-mail Council Website" <emailcouncilaslocity.org> has shared a OneDrive for Business file with you. To view it, click the link below. JLt Revised Letter to Council re Bishop Peak Highland Drive.docx Please forward the attached letter to the Mayor, Council, and staff including Administration, Fire, Police, Public Works, Community Development, and Parks and Recreation (as well as others as warranted). Thanks! John Ashbaugh In case the file does not load correctly, the content of the letter is also provided below: December 30, 2016 To: Members of the City Council and Staff From: John B. Ashbaugh Re: Proposed Closure of Parking on Highland Drive I've resided in the Foothills neighborhood since 1988. 1 use Highland Drive to access Bishop Peak on a regular basis. The trail system is only a few blocks away. As a Councilmember for the past eight years, however, conflict of interest rules prevented me from participating in any discussions of the access issues that have emerged with increased vehicle traffic, parking, and pedestrians on upper Highland Drive. I hope to participate more fully in these discussions now as a member of the public. The staff report recommending closure of parking presents several concerns arising from its singular focus on the issue of emergency access on Highland Drive. I have the highest respect for our Fire Chief and his staff; however, I oppose this proposal to permanently close off 95 parking spaces that now serve as the primary entry point for our most popular open space reserve. Since Bishop Peak Natural Reserve and Trail was officially opened to the public over 20 years ago, the enormous popularity of this trail has led to a snarl of traffic and parked cars on upper Highland. When my family and I hiked the trail on Wednesday, December 28, a line of cars waited to discharge passengers in the cul-de-sac at the top; all curb spaces on upper Highland Drive were filled before noon. Under today's subdivision standards, the City would never permit development of upper Highland Drive and Oakridge with its thoroughly inadequate emergency access. Our highest priority should be to provide an emergency outlet for upper Highland Drive. Eliminating 95 curb parking spaces on upper Highland and Oakridge would improve access to this area for emergency vehicles, but it would not solve the problem of inadequate emergency access from this neighborhood. Eliminating this parking would also create significant off-site safety hazards elsewhere in my neighborhood - impacts that received scant consideration in this staff report. Most Bishop Peak trail users prefer Highland Drive over either of the two alternatives, Patricia Drive or Foothill Boulevard, for obvious reasons: The Patricia Drive access requires a considerably longer and steeper ascent, adding at least 20 minutes each way and considerable effort to the hike. Even at Patricia Drive, curb parking can only conveniently accommodate about 50 cars before it creates problems for the Ferrini Heights neighborhood. The proposed raised crosswalk does nothing to resolve the fact that parking in this area will exceed its capacity if we terminate the curb parking on upper Highland and Oakridge. The Foothill Boulevard option should not even be considered as a viable option for access to the Bishop Peak Reserve. The existing trail is an unauthorized access that involves trespass across private property. Even if it were legal, the trail is hazardous for hikers: It's a very steep ascent, clambering over boulders and chutes of mud or loose dirt. There are two other severe problems with the Foothill Boulevard trail: Excessive use and the complete absence of management has severely eroded a highly -exposed section of the trail. An ugly scar mars the beauty of Bishop Peak, easily seen from Foothill Boulevard and from our neighborhood. Most worrisome, however, is the fact that maneuvers in and out of the "volunteer" parking lot just beyond the City limits present a severe hazard to high-speed traffic on Foothill Boulevard — a hazard that thousands of drivers encounter on their daily commute. I urge the Council to reject the staff proposal and instead engage with the neighbors, with representative trail users, and with your Advisory Committees to seek realistic and comprehensive solutions. It is imperative that such solutions provide the neighborhood with adequate emergency access, assure trail users reasonable access to the peak, and protect natural resources. A variety of solutions were proposed by neighbors and trail users that would not necessitate removal of these 95 parking spaces. The staff report fails to consider these proposals, focusing only on removing parking as the exclusive solution to this complex problem. I implore you to hold at least one more neighborhood workshop, then proceed to review by the Parks and Recreation Commission and by the Planning Commission before returning to the Council. There are significant general plan consistency issues that can only be resolved by the Planning Commission. The City must be ready to think "big picture" in constructing this comprehensive solution. It is likely that any real solution will require a greater investment by the City, and possibly by the County as well. Here are just a few ideas that should be addressed in this wider dialogue: ■ Establish a new, all-weather emergency access route to connect upper Highland Drive with the Felsman Loop by grading, widening, and surfacing the first part of the trail. ■ Consider establishing small, off-street parking lots at upper Highland and at Patricia to accommodate reasonable trail access, before eliminating curb parking. We could manage an off-street parking lots and even some of the curb parking spaces with meters and a remote monitoring system that alerts approaching motorists when the lot is full. ■ Ask the San Luis Coastal Unified School District to permit trailhead parking at Bishop Peak School during non - school hours. Signs should direct cars to this parking lot during periods of peak use, which generally coincide with weekends and school holidays. ■ If we do manage the curb parking on upper Highland with meters, residents of this neighborhood should establish a parking district to permit free long-term parking in any metered curb spaces for visitors to their homes. ■ Finally, let's deal with the hazards presented by the illegal trailhead at Foothill Boulevard; enlist the County and affected property owners in this endeavor. We need more dialogue to design smart solutions to the vexing problems of Bishop Peak access. Many of my neighbors and I are dissatisfied with the single-minded focus on eliminating parking on upper Highland and Oakridge. Please reject this proposal, and direct staff to engage the neighborhood and trail users before returning with a more comprehensive solution. Sincerely, s/John B. Ashbaugh has shared a OneDrive for Business file with you. To view it, click the link below. IV Revised Letter to Council re Bishop Peak Highland Drive.docx