FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed GPA is County-initiated and will be financed 50% from Measure J Return to Source Funds and 50% from Local Road Funds.
BACKGROUND:
Camino Tassajara
Camino Tassajara is a principal arterial in Contra Costa County from the Town of Danville to the Contra Costa/Alameda County line, where the roadway name changes to Tassajara Road in the City of Dublin. Both the Contra Costa County and City of Dublin General Plans identify an ultimate, six-lane road configuration in the
vicinity of the County line. Since 2010, the County Public Works Department has been coordinating with the City of Dublin to realign the roadway between Windemere Parkway and Fallon Road as part of the Camino Tassajara/Tassajara Road Realignment Project.
In 2014, the County was approached by the City of Dublin regarding policies for Camino Tassajara in the vicinity of the County line. Specifically, Dublin asked if the County would participate in a study to determine if future volumes warranted a six-lane Camino Tassajara/Tassajara Road. The County and Dublin then initiated the Tassajara Road/Camino Tassajara Capacity Analysis ("Analysis"). Roadway improvements in this area are subject to certain requirements in the Dougherty Valley Settlement Agreement (DVSA), one of which is consultation with the Town of Danville and City of San Ramon. Both jurisdictions were consulted on the Analysis and engaged in the process. The Analysis determined that widening Camino Tassajara/Tassajara Road to four lanes (two in each direction) would result in minimal traffic diversion to other roads, similar levels-of-service at area intersections, and minimal increase in travel times compared to a six-lane configuration.
Because of the DVSA requirements, on December 7, 2015, staff reported the above findings to the Dougherty Valley Oversight Committee, which adopted a motion to approve the reconfiguration of Camino Tassajara/Tassajara Road to four lanes instead of six. Staff is now seeking the Board’s authorization to proceed with amending the General Plan to reflect the change.
TriLink and Vasco Road - Byron Highway Connector
The proposed Vasco Road - Byron Highway Connector would provide an east-west vehicular connection between Vasco Road and Byron Highway, thereby improving regional traffic flow in the southeastern portion of the County and access to Byron Airport. The Connector was considered part of the larger TriLink (aka State Route 239) project and is now identified as a stand-alone project in the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s (CCTA) new 30-year Transportation Expenditure Plan, which will appear as Measure X on the November 2016 ballot. CCTA has suggested that the County's General Plan make reference to the TriLink and Connector projects.
While the County's Roadway Network Plan indicates a proposed expressway in the area envisioned for TriLink and the Connector, final alignments have not been determined for these projects. The final alignments will be determined based on several factors including physical constraints, cost, impacts to existing residents and land uses, and impacts to biological and cultural resources. Given the uncertainty regarding the alignments, staff seeks Board authorization to amend the Roadway Network Plan to designate the area encompassing the possible alignments as a “Special Planning Area” where potential conflicts with the alignments should be considered in land use decisions (see Attachment A - Roadway Network Plan Proposed Revisions). Staff also proposes adding a policy to the Land Use Element indicating the same.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Board does not authorize the GPA study, then the General Plan will: 1) continue to call for a six-lane configuration for the portion of Camino Tassajara between Windemere Parkway and the County line where it has been established that only four lanes are necessary; and 2) remain ambiguous regarding future alignments for the Vasco Road - Byron Highway Connector and TriLink, potentially compromising the ability of the County to make progress on these projects.