3A Public Hearing 2010 0517 - Laserfiche WebLink

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LPA for AC Transit BRT 7 May 17, 2010 While significant impacts to the intersection of East 14th Street and 150th Avenue, as well as East 14th Street and Hesperian, are identified as significant in the DEIS/EIR, no mitigation was originally proposed. In the revised plan, however, AC Transit attempted to mitigate these impacts by eliminating the dedicated lanes at these locations, which appears to be a plausible solution; however, further study during the review of the FEIS/R is required. Impacts to Street Improvement Projects. AC Transit's preferred alternatives called for dedicated bus lanes that would be in conflict with two on-going major street improvement projects along East 14th Street, as follows: • East 14`h North Area Improvement Project: Based on the East 14`h Street North Area Study, in May 2006, the City Council approved a modified street improvement plan that calls for two northbound lanes and one southbound lane on East 14th Street between Davis Street and Georgia Way, coupled with small median islands in several crosswalks to ensure safe pedestrian crossing. As discussed earlier, AC Transit somewhat mitigated this issue by limiting the length of the dedicated. bus lanes and providing additional crosswalks between signalized intersection locations. • East 14`h South Area Median Project: The original AC Transit plan conflicted with the implementation of the Council-adopted South Area Development Strategy; an on-going street median project on East 14th Street between 136th Avenue and 145th Avenue that is underway. AC Transit attempted to mitigate this issue in its revised plans by modifying the median location to more closely match those proposed in the South Area Median Project. Impacts to Pedestrians. While more pedestrian safety features were shown with the original dedicated bus lane alternatives, the City noted that there will be longer walking distances at several locations where crosswalks would be closed, and that fewer gaps in traffic would be available for pedestrians to cross a busy single mixed-flow travel lane. Thus, continued pedestrian enjoyment and safety would become more challenging, especially to those who have mobility limitations. AC Transit provided additional crosswalks in its latest revision that at least mitigate the longer distance issue, however the reduction of gaps in traffic will still be problematic and most noticeable in the south area. Parking Impacts Originally, the City was concerned about the potential parking impacts within San Leandro; with parking losses of approximately 175 spaces. AC Transit's revised plans reduced this impact to approximately 108 spaces. Although in some locations these reductions may be bearable, there are still locations where parking losses may be difficult for local businesses. Land Use Impacts The City is concerned about land use impacts within the study corridor through San Leandro. Major infrastructural improvements that were implemented as a result of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)-funded and award-winning South Area Development