PC 040902 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mr. Homolka commented on the school boundaries, noting that a substantial number of students r must cross West Las Positas and Hopyard Road, and this became a very important issue to the Committee and is addressed as a major part of the recommendation. Discussion ensued regarding Table 10 which provides a comparison of AM and PM peak hour internal screen line volumes. Mr. Homolka presented the recommendations of the Advisory Committee. He clarified that there is no supporting information in the report for the mitigation improvements at the Hopyard Road and Owens Drive intersection. Discussion ensued regarding the process and timeframe for the preparation of the enviromnental documents. There was also discussion regarding the construction cost estimates and the costs for mitigations and enviromnental studies. Mr. Homolka described the process followed for the preparation of the Advisory Committee's report and how the recommendations were developed. He noted that this is a consensus report. r- Tom Gill, Amber Lane, advised that he is a West Las Positas Advisory Committee alternate for neighborhood #1 (Highland Oaks). He commented on recent articles in the newspapers, noting that there has been some inaccurate information related to construction costs in those articles. He noted that the West Las Positas Interchange option (Option A) will need to have the West Las Positas Interchange, plus the braided ramps constructed. He noted that the issues are very complicated and the newspaper reporters have not had the opportunity to read the entire report. He advised that the whole report needs to be read. Mr. Gill stated that when the Committee looked at the graph showing the difference in traffic impacts on Stoneridge and West Las Positas, the amount of cars taken off of Stoneridge would be less than the amount of cars added on West Las Positas with PLAN A. He noted that there are an additionalSOO to 1,000 cars that would go through PIeasanton with PLAN A. He suggested that these additional vehicles could be cut-through traffic that would result if the West Las Positas Interchange is constructed. Carl Pretzel distributed a copy of the Minority Opinion Report which included comments from Committee member Gloria Davis. Mr. Pretzel noted that his son is one of approximately 1400 students that would have to cross West Las Positas and that safety was the primary concern from the beginning of the study. He advised that a preliminary study report was done which is the first step in approving the West Las Positas Interchange, and the next step in this approval is the preparation of the Caltrans report. Mr. Pretzel reported that there has been no documentation of the Advisory Committee meetings for the last four years. He advised that the funding numbers in the majority report are extremely misleading and it should be noted that these amounts are exclusive of mitigation for safety and environmental issues. He stated that there will need to be substantial safety mitigation measures taken for the 1400 students that will be crossing West Las Positas, in addition to the students that attend Foothill High School. He further stated that safety and neighbor character needs to be considered, not just traffic. Mr. Pretzel stated that the Committee began to develop the advantages and disadvantages of the two plans, but this effort was not concluded and the pro's and con's are not included in the report or documentation. He noted that representatives of the Springdale/Stoneridge neighborhood should probably have been included in the Committee, because of the concerns of those residents resulting due to the omission of the West Las Positas Interchange. He noted that representatives of this area came to some of the meetings and he feels some of the important facts were not given to them. He ~ PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES April 9, 2002 Page 4