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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 264-05" TO: FROM: DATE: City of Palo Alto City Manager's Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL 1 CITY MANAGER MAY 24, 2005 DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT CMR: 264:05 SUBJECT: REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF JUSTIFICATION FOR TRAFFIC SIGNALS AT ARASTRADEROIDEER CREEK AND ARASTRADEROIFREMONT ·HILL VIEW BACKGROUND Among the issues discussed at the May 2 Council meeting, before the Council certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Stanford Development Agreement were two mitigation measures requiring Stanford to pay its "fair share" of the costs of new traffic signals at two intersections of Arastradero adjacent to Los Altos Hills. In exchange for Stanford's commitment to build housing in the Research Park, the Development Agreement allows Stanford to consolidate its commercial space in the Research Park by relocating 300,000 square feet of office space from housing sites. The City has received a preliminarily proposal to locate 100,000 square feet of this space at 3401 Hillview. A preliminary application was reviewed by the Architectural Review Board for the redevelopment of the 3401 Hillview !Roche site. The proposed agreement would allow an additional 100,000 square feet on the site in addition to the existing 330,000 located at 3401 Hillview. The addition of 100,000 square feet will generate new trips, but it is not the sole reason that a signal is necessary. This is why the mitigation measure requires that Stanford pay a share, but not all, of the signal costs when the signals are installed. The FEIR points out that even without the project, regional growth from either new construction or reoccupation of underused existing buildings would create a need for the two signals. CMR: 264:05 Page 1 of3 Palo Alto Staff has met with Los Altos Hills staff to clarify various aspects of the agreement. . Staff prepared the attached letter to Los Altos Hills addressing several common questions identified by Los Altos Hills. Staff will present the letter to the Los Altos Hills City Council, Thursday, May 19,2005. DISCUSSION The ArastraderolDeer Creek and ArastraderolHillview-Fremont intersections are currently controlled by stop signs on all approaches. They are not part of the countywide Congestion Management Program (for intersection monitoring), nor are they among the other intersections that the City monitors as part of its own Comprehensive Plan monitoring program. It is City policy and practice, when possible, to keep intersections operating at Level of Service (LOS) D or better. In the draft EIR (DEIR), which was completed in 2004, Deer Creek is projected to operate at LOS E or F in 2005 and 2010, even without the Hillview site expansion. Hillview-Fremont is projected' to operate at LOS D (morning) and E (evening) in 2005, and at LOS E (morning) and D (evening) in 2010, again, with or without the Hillview project. (See Stanford Development Agreement DEIR, December 2004, pp.3-7.38 and 3.7-52.) Additional traffic growth and congestion at those intersections, without the Development Agreement, will come from new developments outside of the city and from re-occupation of existing under-used buildings. Palo Alto controls neither of these sources. As the Draft EIR was prepared, staff looked at ways other than signals to improve traffic flow at these two intersections. There were no other improvements identified for Hillview-Fremont, while two possible options were identified for Deer Creek. One of these two options involved the removal of stop signs on Arastradero at Deer Creek, which was rejected as undesirable because of poor sight lines. The other alternative involved adding a "through-lane", which was rejected both because there is insufficient right-of-way and a City policy disfavoring road widening. While the City was also aggressive in requiring, transportation demand management to reduce traffic impacts, staff does not believe that TDM alone can be counted on to reduce traffic impacts at these two intersections to a level of insignificance. Similarly, modifications to driveways and local circulation patterns at 3401 Hillview are insufficient to eliminate the traffic impacts. This is why traffic signals were the adopted mitigation measure. Traffic signals are also thought to be a somewhat "greener" approach because they reduce the amount of exhaust fumes coming from cars idling at the intersection. Forecasting is not an exact science, particularly as timelines are' extended and regional growth must be taken into consideration. Therefore, before the City installs new signals, it will monitor traffic levels. It will be especially important in this case, because both CMR: 264:05 Page 2 of3 \. ,,', intersections currently operate safely and there is evidence that current traffic volumes are lower than were predicted by the DEIR. More detailed design work is also required, which will provide an opportunity to work with Los Altos Hills, Stanford, and the neighborhood to identify the best alternative that mitigates the traffic impact to a level of insignificance while addressing local concerns. With or without the Development Agreement, regional and local growth coming both from existing and new buildings will increase traffic on Arastradero to such a point that these intersections will operate at LOS E and F, well below the level the City has considered acceptable. Palo Alto can and will work with Los Altos Hills, Stanford, residents, Research Park tenants, and other interested persons in designing and implementing traffic control devices to mitigate the delay to a less than significant level, insignificance. The City will monitor the situation and will not install signals until actual counts show that they are needed. DEPARTMENTHEAD:~~~~~~~~======~ ______ ___ Director of Planning and Community Environment CITYMANAGERAPPROVAL~'~ tW EM Y HARRISON Assistant City Manager Attachments: Letter from Frank Benest, City Manager, City of Palo Alto, to Maureen Cassingham, City Manager, Town of Los Altos Hills, dated May 18,2005. CMR: 264:05 Page 3 of3 May 19, 2005 Maureen Cas singham, City Manager Town of Los Altos Hills 26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills, CA 94022-2624 Dear Ms. Cassingham: C~ty of Palo Alto Office of the City Manager Thank you for the 0ppOliunity to clarify actions the City of Palo Alto Council has taken in approving the Mayfield Development Agreement with Stanford University. We'also appreciate the time your staff has taken to meet with Palo Alto staff and its efforts to clarify the facts pertaining to development agreement. The City of Palo Alto is committed to working with Los Altos Hills and all our neighbors in implementing the Mayfield Agreement. The following clarifies the agreement and responds to questions posed by Los Altos Hills staff: FACT SHEET QUESTIONS/ANSWERS FOR LOS ALTOS HILLS: QUESTION: What development controls exist in the Stanford Research Park and does the Development Agreement change the development potential within the Park? RESPONSE: The Development Agreement (DA) does not result in more development or square footage than currently permitted within the StanfOrd Research Parle. It provides the mechanism to relocate 300,000 sq'uare feet of currently developed space to different sites within the Park. It allows individual sites to accommodate the relocated square footage by increasing the allowable floor area in a site by up to 25%. The DA will affect approximately 10% of the square footage allowed in the Research Park and will not result in more development than would otherwise be allowed in the overall Park. The Research Park consists of 700 acres and has approximately 10 million square feet of development within its boundaries. Under the current Stanford Research Park Zoning, the potential remains for another 870,000 square feet of development. That development will occur gradually over the next ten to twenty years, as allowed by the City of Palo Alto's Comprehensive Plan. Printed with soy-based inks on 100% recycled paper processed without chlorine EO. Box 10250 Palo Alto, CA 94303 650.329.2563 650.325.5025 fax QUESTION: Are there any plans now or in the future to widen Arastradero Road from 2 to 4 lanes between Foothill Expressway and Hwy 2807 RESPONSE: No. Palo Alto has no plans to change the design o(this two-lane roadway now or in the future. In fact, the installation of the two tniffic signals at ArastraderolHillview-Fremont and ArastraderolDeer Creek was recommended to eliminate the need for any roadway widening. Future traffic increase due to local and regional gro-wth (associated with new developments and higher occupancy rates of existing developments) cannot be avoided. However, the traffic analysis completed as part of the Mayfield Project EIR concludes that the intersections signalization would mitigate the overall traffic growth including the full buildout of the development agreement, thu.~ eliminating the need for additional traffic lanes or roadway widening in the jilture. QUESTION: When will the traffic signals be installed at the intersections of Arastradero/Deer Creek and Arastradero/Fremont-Hillview? RESPONSE: Palo Alto staffwill monitor these tvvo intersections yearly in conjunction with the City's annual intersection monitoring program. The traffic signals would not be installed until the actual traffic conditions as measured in the field reach the thresholds that would justifY their installation. It is anticipated that the traffic signals will be needed within the next 3 to 5 years. QUESTION: Is the City of Palo Alto willing to meet with Los Altos Hills residents now to explain the need for traffic signals on Arastradero Road and then again in the future before the traffic signals are designed and implemented? RESPONSE: Yes. City of Palo Alto staff would be happy to meet with LAH residents within the next three to four weeks to discuss this issue and would be happy to meet with LAH residents again before any signals on Arastradero Road are designed and put in place. QUESTION: What would the proposed traffic signals at Hillview-Fremont/ Arastradero and Deer Creek! Arastradero look like? RESPONSE: The City will be able to exercise discretion and considerable flexibility in the design, appearance and operation of the new traffic signals. Palo Alto would work with Los Altos Hills during the design phase to develop the most appropriate design for each location . . The signals could be designed to a rural standard (signals mounted on overhead wires) rather than the normal suburban standard (fixed poles, mast arms, etc.). QUESTION: Will the recommended instal1ation of the traffic signals on Arastradero Road increase the potential for cut-through traffic on Los Altos Hills streets? RESPONSE: No. In view of the layout of the roadway netvvork, location of the two intersections within the network and the served land uses, Palo Alto staff concludes that the traffic signals will not encourage cut-through tr(~ffic, within the Town of Los Altos Hills. The signals will improve the operation of the two intersections and will reduce queuing and delay at \ 'i '. the intersections during morning and evening peak periods, thereby reducing the need for drivers to seek alternative and less direct routes within Los Altos Hills. QUESTION: Will drivers on Hillview-Fremont experience more delays as a result of signal installation? RESPONSE: No. Signal phasing and timing vvill be designed to properly accommodate vehicular traffic movements on all approaches. It should also be noted that the signal installation will enhance safety conditions for pedestrian and cyclist crossings. QUESTION: What other measures to reduce traffic impacts are included in the Development Agreement? RESPONSE: The Development Agreement includes provisions for Stanford University to implement a phased Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program to reduce commute trips into the Research Park. The TDM program initially includes a ~ time coordinator (which will transition to into a full time position as further development occurs) to lvork with all employers and employees in the Research Park to encourage alternative commute modes including transit, carpooling, walking and bicycling as well as flexible work hours and telecommute programs. In addition, Stanford University will expand service on the existing Caltrain Deer Creek Shuttle and Hanover Shuttle. The City's developrnent review process also encourages on-site employee amenities (such as employee cafeterias, ATM machines, dry cleaners, on-site training, exercise facilities, etc.) to reduce the need for midday trips. The traffic signal installation and the TDM measures will also have air quality benefits. The new traffic signals will reduce vehicle stopping and associated engine idling while the TDM measures will eliminate trips through telecommuting, as well as shift automobile trips to more environmentally friendly modes. ~~ FRANK BENEST City Manager City of Palo Alto