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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAvila Ranch DEIR Public Comment received 1-17-17 (W. Peterson)From: "Wayne Peterson" < Date: Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 9:36 PM -0800 Subject: Avila Ranch Development To: "Davidson, Doug" <ddavidson c slocity,org>, "E-mail Council Website" <emailcouncil(&slocity.org> Please consider the attached letter. Wayne Peterson, 695 Evans Road, San Luis Obispo, CA. RECEIVED CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO JAN 18 2017 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Planning Commission, City of San Luis Obispo January 17, 2017 Subject: Avila Ranch Development I have read portions of the EIR document and request that the project designers be required to modify the project to address the following issues: The project will cause a significant increase in traffic on Buckley Road. The project has only three access points, one to Suburban Road, one to Vachel and one to Buckley. With over 700 residential units it has the potential of adding 7000 trips to the adjacent streets plus those trips generated by the commercial parts of the project. A significant number of these trips will be directed to Broad Street via Buckley Road. Buckley Road is already impacted by development that has and is continuing to increase around the airport. Construction traffic alone will destroy the surfaces of the streets. The project must include mitigation for this increase in traffic. I have lived south of Buckley Road off Davenport Creek road for almost 40 years. The traffic increase the past two years has been high. This project and all the other projects in and outside the city in the area south of Tank Farm Road are having a cumulative impact on what has been a quiet rural setting. Traffic levels on both South Higuera and South Broad have grown to a point where we regularly see traffic either standing still or backed up from the Country Club to Orcutt on Broad Street. There are times when I go into SLO at 5 pm and find it takes two or three changes of the lights at Orcutt Road to cross that street. This project and the other projects need to participate in solving these traffic problems. If they do not the City will be stuck with the bill. Our access to Buckley at Davenport Creek Road is becoming more and more difficult. The ques of cars on Buckley during peak times leave few safe breaks for us to access the road. Site distance from the intersection of Buckley with Davenport Creek in the westerly direction is limited and vehicles approaching are barely visible when we must make a decision to or not to enter the intersection. Existing utility poles, boxes and the growing weeds along the road limit our view The traffic speed limit is 55, not 40 as mentioned in your document. Many cars are traveling in excess of 55. We rarely see any traffic enforcement in this area. I ride a bike on Buckley several times a week. The road is narrow and the edges not maintained. Many other people bike on the road also. At one time Buckley Road was a favorite ride for the bikers in the community. Now many avoid it as they also avoid Tank Farm Road. The intersection of Vachel and Buckley floods frequently. For this project to proceed it needs to include in the initial phase projects that will address these issues so that as the project grows the problems will be minimal. 1. Channel work downstream of the intersection of Vachel and Buckley needs to happen or the roads need to be raised with adequate capacity structures built to convey the waters. The detention proposed is not likely to mitigate the flooding that now occurs. It will only mitigate the increase in runoff caused by the development. 2. Bike lanes must be a part of Buckley Road from Broad to Vachel and eventually to South Higuera. The proposal to direct bikes off Buckley to ride through a park is ridiculous. Bike riders are transporting themselves from one place to another. They need a safe place to do that and on the street in class 2 lanes is the safest. Bikes generally ride at speeds of 10 — 20 mph. If directed through a park there will be conflicts between the bike riders and the walkers and others that are using that area. 3. A safe way for driving from Buckley to South Higuera needs to part of the first phase. I have heard that access to LOVR may not be allowed via Vachel. Until Buckley Road is extended to Higuera Street, traffic from Buckey must be allowed to turn left onto Higuera Street. There are large trucks that regularly use this intersection and it would be most inappropriate to direct them throught the new development to Suburban Road. Large volumes of vehicles will also not be welcome to new residents. 4. All of the intersections on Buckley Road should be improved to allow safe access. Buckley Road is the only access for the properties south of Buckley. Alternative improvements may be all way stops or properly built round a bouts. The intersections that have the most traffic are Hoover, Davenport and Thread Lane. These improvements should be a part of the initial phase. The construction traffic alone will severely impact this area. 5. Buckley and Vachel are not well built roads. The project should be required to make improvements to the grade, allignment and road surfaces before the project is completed. The construction traffic will destroy the surface. The existing grades parallel the topography and do not provide good drainage or visibility. I ask the city to tell the applicant to address these concerns. Wayne Peterson, 695 Evans Road, San Luis Obispo