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SAN LEANDRO GENERAL PLAN UPDATE FINAL EIR <br />CITY OF SAN LEANDRO <br />COMMENTS AND RESPONSES <br />PLACEWORKS 5-11 <br />TABLE 5-1 COMMENTS AND RESPONSE MATRIX <br />Comment # Date Comment Response <br />If you have any questions regarding this response, please contact Timothy R. McGowan, <br />Senior Civil Engineer, Major Facilities Planning Section at (51 0) 287-1981. <br />B. Organizations and Individuals <br />B01 6/23/2016 Christine Gordon <br />B01-01 <br /> <br />I live at 902 Bridge Road and am strongly opposed to the re-zoning proposal for 1300 - <br />1380 Bancroft as well as the professional spaces on Estudillo from the Fire House to <br />Bancroft. I have several strong concerns: <br />This comment is an introductory remark and does not state a specific concern or <br />question regarding the sufficiency of the analysis contained in the Draft EIR, nor <br />does the comment raise a new environmental issue. Please note that the City <br />Council has removed the proposed Zoning map amendments in the Downtown Area <br />- East area referred to by the commenter. Please see Appendix B for a revised <br />project description for proposed Zoning Code amendments. <br />B01-02 <br /> <br />Traffic: <br />Estudillo Avenue is already at its maximum capacity, especially at “rush” hours. A denser <br />population of apartments and businesses would exacerbate an existing problem. <br /> <br />I have lived in my home on Bridge Road for 8 years and I have witnessed increasing <br />traffic not only on Estudillo, but also on Bridge. Traffic on Bridge Road is a big concern. <br />Bridge is already the short cut from MacArthur to Estudillo at Morgan; drivers seek to <br />avoid the signal on MacArthur and to beat the traffic heading West on Estudillo. On far <br />too many occasions I have witnessed vehicles travelling at a very high rate of speed and <br />running the stop sign at the intersection of Bridge & Morgan, again in order to beat <br />oncoming traffic on Estudillo. Bridge Road is a neighborhood street, with pets, children <br />and numerous walkers throughout the day. Further, Bridge Road has become a route for <br />delivery vehicles, including semi trailers delivering to RiteAid. To re-zone the professional <br />areas along Estudillo and the piece of property at 1300 Bancroft, will increase vehicle <br />traffic in this residential area, clog a main artery through San Leandro, and congest all <br />the side streets. Additionally, the topic of traffic cannot conclude without special <br />attention to the congestion that occurs along Estudillo and Bancroft 9 months out of the <br />year, as parents are getting their children to and from Bancroft Middle School. More <br />vehicles travelling Estudillo and Bancroft will make this intersection an even greater <br />hazard to our students. <br />Traffic counts along Estudillo Avenue between Bancroft Avenue and MacArthur <br />Boulevard and at the Estudillo Avenue intersections with Bancroft Avenue and <br />MacArthur Boulevard were collected in the second week of September 2014 while <br />local schools were in session. Therefore, the traffic analysis in the Draft EIR <br />considers the congestion caused by the schools along this corridor. Additionally, the <br />traffic volumes on Estudillo Avenue show a slight decrease between counts <br />collected in 1999 (15,400 vehicles per day) as part of the previous General Plan <br />update and the counts collected in 2014 (15,100 vehicles per day) for the proposed <br />San Leandro 2035 General Plan. <br /> <br />In any case, please note that at the July 25, 2016 City Council Meeting, the Council <br />decided to retain the current P zoning and elected to remove the proposed DA-2 <br />zoning in the Downtown East area that is the subject of the comment. This action <br />was taken, in part, to address neighborhood members' concerns regarding higher <br />densities and more traffic. <br />B01-03 <br /> <br />Walking: <br />Presently, Estudillo Avenue is a mostly walker-friendly street. And yes, I walk it frequently <br />– to Estudillo Produce, the Library, the bank, the post office, Peets, etc.! Because of the <br />already significant traffic on Estudillo I must be ever vigilant of cars making turns not only <br />onto cross streets, but also in and out of the existing professional businesses. To change <br />the zoning along Estudillo, thus increasing traffic will make the entire area less walker <br />friendly! And if one wishes to cross Estudillo, other than at a signal, even when using a <br />crosswalk it is quite hazardous. One of the reasons I moved to this Estudillo Estates <br />neighborhood is because of my ability to walk my errands. It would sadden me greatly so <br />see this blessing disappear. <br />While this comment does not directly address the adequacy of the analysis in the <br />Draft EIR, the traffic analysis in the Draft EIR showed the intersections of Estudillo <br />Avenue at Bancroft Avenue and at MacArthur Boulevard would each operate at LOS <br />C under Cumulative with Proposed Plan conditions. LOS C represents acceptable <br />delay; therefore, a substantive impact on walking is not anticipated as a result of <br />implementation of the proposed Plan. As noted above, however, the rezoning <br />referenced in the comment has been removed from the project.