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Planning Commission LOFT/UNAPPROVED 4uary 24, 2000 Minute No. 2000-04 (Excerpt) Page 14 of 16 Chair Chin asked why the intersection of Alvarado and Marina wasn't part of the traffic study. Secretary Hom said that the Traffic Administrator and traffic consultant expected the majority of the traffic would come to and from the freeway so the traffic intersections affected would be those closest to I-880. He said that the four intersections closest to the freeway were included in the study. He said the Traffic Administrator did not feel that the Marina Boulevard and Alvarado intersection would be significantly impacted by the project and so chose not to include it in the required scope of the study. Chair Chin said that it seemed to her Marina Boulevard was heavily-traveled and that, as the City continued approving new projects that bring an influx of new customers, Marina Boulevard traffic would continue to grow. She asked who ends up getting stuck with responsibility for the problems. Redevelopment Director Potter noted that there had been traffic studies performed for each new dealership in the area so that a broader study was emerging on a cumulative basis. She said that the reason Merced and Marina Boulevard were included was because westbound motorists on Marina wishing to reach the southbound onramp to I-880 had to make a U-turn at that intersection. Secretary Hom noted that the study states that the Merced and Marina Boulevard intersection would continue to operate at level of service C with the proposed project. Commissioner Mahoney said he felt an in-depth study of the entire area was appropriate. He said the current study was flawed, if not biased. He said everybody was focused on the I-880 corridor, but residents who commute tried to avoid I-880 and crossed town through densely-populated areas to reach I-580. He said this cross-town pattern was ignored by the study. He said that anybody who actually traveled on Teagarden, Alvarado, Merced and Marina Boulevard would tell you that traffic is heavily impacted in those areas. He said that residents forced to cross through the area were more heavily impacted by traffic problems than customers of businesses on located on Marina Boulevard. He said the commissioners had generated enough questions for the Traffic Administrator, and that the Planning Commission needed to have his input. Vice-Chair Reed noted that it was not correct that use of the Merced and Marina Boulevard intersection was necessary in order for westbound motorists on Marina Boulevard to gain access to southbound I-880. He said that motorists going west reached a left-hand turn directly onto the freeway onramp well before the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Merced. He said he also felt that about fifty percent of the current business of Chovanes Ford came from San Leandro residents, and that at least half of that came from west of the freeway. He said he agreed with everything that had been pointed out with references to flaws in the traffic report. He suggested that the Planning G:\MINUTES.PC/2000/2-24-2000 2/29/2000 41 '0