Reso 2016-117 - Laserfiche WebLink

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COMMENT LETTER # B01 From: Christine Gordon Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2016 12:27 PM To: _Council; Battenberg, Cynthia; Liao, Thomas; Barros, Sally; Cutter, Pauline Subject: Re -Zoning of Estudillo Avenue (from Firehouse to Bancroft) and property recently sold at 1300- 1380 Bancroft from Professional to Downtown Area 2 Ladies and Gentlemen: I live at 902 Bridge Road and am strongly opposed to the re -zoning proposal for 1300 -1380 Bancroft as well as the professional spaces on Estudillo from the Fire House to Bancroft. I have several strong concerns: Traffic: Estudillo Avenue is already at its maximum capacity, especially at "rush" hours. A denser population of apartments and businesses would exacerbate an existing problem. I have lived in my home on Bridge Road for 8 years and I have witnessed increasing traffic not, only on Estudillo, but also on Bridge. Traffic on Bridge Road is a big concern. Bridge is already the short cut from MacArthur to Estudillo at Morgan; drivers seek to avoid the signal on MacArthur and to beat the traffic heading West on Estudillo. On far too many occasions I have witnessed vehicles travelling at a very high rate of speed and running the stop sign at the intersection of Bridge & Morgan, again in order to beat oncoming traffic on Estudillo. Bridge Road is a neighborhood street, with pets, children and numerous walkers throughout the day. Further, Bridge Road has become a route for delivery vehicles, including semi trailers delivering to RiteAid. To re -zone the professional areas along Estudillo and the piece of property at 1300 Bancroft, will increase vehicle traffic in this residential area, clog a main artery through San Leandro, and congest all the side streets. Additionally, the topic of traffic cannot conclude without special attention to the congestion that occurs along Estudillo and Bancroft 9 months out of the year, as parents are getting their children to and from Bancroft Middle School. More vehicles travelling Estudillo and Bancroft will make this intersection an even greater hazard to our students. Walking: Presently, Estudillo Avenue is a mostly walker -friendly street. And yes, I walk it frequently — to Estudillo Produce, the Library, the bank, the post office, Peets, etc.! Because of the already significant traffic on Estudillo I must be ever vigilant of cars making turns not only onto cross streets, but also in and out of the existing professional businesses. To change the zoning along Estudillo, thus increasing traffic will make the entire area less walker friendly! And if one wishes to cross Estudillo, other than at a signal, even when using a crosswalk it is quite hazardous. One of the reasons I moved to this Estudillo Estates neighborhood is because of my ability to walk my errands. It would sadden me greatly so see this blessing disappear. Parking: With denser population comes a greater demand for vehicle parking. To imagine that folks who move into new rental properties will have 1.5 cars per unit is absurd. That planning approach will B01-01 1301-02 B01-03 B01-04