Initial Study MND - Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and ...

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Taylor MountainINITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATIONe. Would the project result in inadequate emergency access?LESS THAN SIGNIFICANT. The study intersections and roadway segment are expected toexperience imperceptible increases in average delay, and the project access points will bedesigned to meet applicable standards, so the project can reasonably be expected to have aless-than-significant impact on emergency access. Kawana Terrace currently provides access toTaylor Mountain for emergency vehicles, and emergency responders have card access at theinterim staging area. The new access driveways would meet the Sonoma County Fire SafeStandards related to driveway width, slope and access gate. On the property, ranch roadsprovide emergency vehicle access to many parts of Taylor Mountain. In addition, the MasterPlan calls for development and maintenance of emergency access routes across the property.Therefore any impacts related to emergency access would be minor, imperceptible changes indelay and less than significant.f. Would the project conflict with adopted policies, plans, or programs supportingalternative transportation (e.g., bus turnouts, bicycle racks)?NO IMPACT. The proposed project would not conflict with adopted policies, plans, or programssupporting alternative transportation. The Taylor Mountain Preserve is close to populationcenters, making it feasible to use alternative modes of transportation. The Master Plan designincludes pedestrian and bicycle access gates in several locations. Kawana Terrace would also beavailable for multi-use following vacation of the roadway.Transit FacilitiesBoth the City of Santa Rosa CityBus and Sonoma County Transit provide fixed route bus servicein Santa Rosa and outlying areas. Existing transit routes are expected to be adequate toaccommodate project-generated transit trips; however, stops are generally located at leastthree-quarters of a mile from proposed Preserve entrances. The nearest CityBus stops arelocated at the intersection of Petaluma Hill Road/Kawana Springs Road and on Yolanda Avenuewest of Petaluma Hill Road. The Farmers Lane Extension design includes bus pull-outs forpotential future bus service along the Preserve’s frontage, although at this time, there are nolong term plans for service on this route.Sonoma County Transit Route 46 provides weekday service between Santa Rosa and Petalumatraveling along the project frontage on Petaluma Hill Road. The nearest bus stop for this routeis located at Petaluma Hill Road/Kawana Springs Road. Two bicycles can be carried on mostCityBus and Sonoma County Transit buses. Bike rack space is on a first come, first served basis.Dial-a-ride, also known as paratransit, or door-to-door service, is available for those who areunable to independently use the transit system due to a physical or mental disability. BothSanta Rosa CityBus and Sonoma County Transit provide this service within the City of SantaRosa and unincorporated Sonoma County, respectively.Bicycle FacilitiesThe Highway Design Manual, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), 2006,classifies bikeways into three categories:Final B-118 September 2012
Taylor MountainINITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATIONClass I Multi-Use Path: a completely separated right-of-way for the exclusive use of bicyclesand pedestrians with cross flows of motorized traffic minimized.Class II Bike Lane: a striped and signed lane for one-way bike travel on a street or highway.Class III Bike Route: signing only for shared use with motor vehicles within the same travellane on a street or highway.In the project area, Class II bike lanes exist on Kawana Springs Road west of Brookwood Avenueand on Petaluma Hill Road within the study area in the City of Santa Rosa. The Colgan CreekTrail, a Class I multi-use path, terminates just west of the project site; however, there are plansto continue the trail along Colgan Creek along the northern edge of the Preserve. Bicyclists ridein the roadway and/or on sidewalks along all other streets within the project study area.The Sonoma County Transportation Authority’s (SCTA) Countywide Bicycle and PedestrianMaster Plan (May 2008) calls for on-street Class II bicycle lanes on Farmers Lane north ofKawana Springs Road when the Farmers Lane Extension is developed. South of Kawana SpringsRoad, Farmers Lane would be designated as a Class III bicycle route. Existing bicycle facilities,including bike lanes on streets, together with shared use of minor streets, provide adequateaccess for bicyclists. Bicycle parking would be provided at the site by bike racks which will belocated at all of the staging areas.Pedestrian FacilitiesThe only pedestrian facilities near the project site are sidewalks provided in the residentialneighborhoods to the northwest of the park and along the southern side of Kawana SpringsRoad. Sidewalks do not exist along any of the project frontage roads, which is consistent withthe rural nature of the surrounding land uses. When the Farmers Lane Extension is developed,design plans indicate that sidewalks would be provided along the west side of Farmers Lanealong the Preserve, and on both sides of the street north of the intersection of Kawana SpringsRoad/Farmers Lane, where crosswalks and pedestrian signal phasing would be provided. Thiswould provide a connection to the proposed Preserve access at the eastern terminus of KawanaSprings Road. All other access points would be located in rural settings where sidewalks do notexist and would normally not be provided.Within the site, pedestrian hiking paths are proposed to connect to neighborhoods wheresidewalks or other pedestrian amenities are provided. However, it appears that there may beseveral gaps in offsite pedestrian and bicycle facilities connecting to some of the Preserve’saccess points. Although there is no impact in terms of consistency with adopted plans, and thefacilities are considered adequate to meet basic needs, the following Master Plan guidelineswould improve pedestrian and bicycle circulation:G184 - The City of Santa Rosa should be consulted to determine the need for pedestrian andbicycle paths in conjunction with development of the Farmers Lane Extension.G171 - When access is developed off of Kawana Springs Road, pedestrian and bicycle pathsshould be included between the end of Kawana Springs Road and the Preserve to providesafe connections with the surrounding neighborhoods. Paths do not need to be paved.September 2012 B-119 Final
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