LAFAYETTE — Lafayette’s big apartment project returned as the subject of a study session Tuesday night — and so did the concerns of possible traffic problems and safety hazards at an already congested intersection near Acalanes High School.
The city’s Planning Commission and Circulation Commission held the first of five public hearings on the resubmitted Terraces of Lafayette proposal to build 315 apartments on Deer Hill Road across the street from the school. Officials mainly discussed the project’s potential traffic impacts and transit-related issues at the joint meeting. Other issues such as safety and fire hazards will be discussed at later meetings.
No action was taken at the meeting, which was attended by almost 60 people. Another Planning Commission meeting on the Terraces is scheduled for March 16.
During the presentation, traffic studies, maps and artist’s renditions were shown. According to the city staff report, “the re-activated Terraces Project would not result in any new, or substantially more severe, significant transportation and circulation impacts.” The area is around Reliez Valley, Deer Hill and Pleasant Valley roads and the adjoining streets.
That conclusion hit a nerve with several of the 15 public speakers, who disagreed. And the city officials, including planning commissioners Farschad Farzan and Gary Huisingh and Public Works Director Mike Moran, agreed the intersection already is suffering from heavy traffic congestion.
“The idea of having 315 apartments in that very, very congested and very busy intersection is just unbelievable,” said Laura Naman, who said she commutes to Berkeley and downtown Lafayette during peak hours.
Kristen Altbaum, who showed photos of traffic along Reliez Valley Road near Acalanes High, said that traffic has worsened since 2013.
“I think it’s unfathomable for anybody in this room to approve, condone or commit to this project being built without personally experiencing, witnessing and understanding how many traffic complexities originate at this intersection,” she stated.
Myles McGinn, a homeowner for 34 years, spoke about the potential, life-threatening fire hazards that a huge apartment project would pose. He described evacuating his parents during the Oakland hills firestorm in 1991, said the commute to the Burton Valley neighborhood was already “a parking lot” and was concerned about wildfires and getting out.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” he said.
Matt Regan, senior vice president of public policy for the Bay Area Council, said the traffic congestion is rooted in the estimated 200,000 people who commute on weekdays from the Central Valley cities such as Stockton, Tracy and Manteca, “where we have outsourced housing.”
He supported the Terraces project because it would provide local housing and “urge you to take a long, hard look at this project and perhaps approve it as quickly as possible.” He urged the city commissioners to “look at the big picture” of housing.
Dave Baker, project manager for the Terraces of Lafayette, said developer O’Brien Homes would create a sidewalk on Deer Hill Road near Acalanes High — the area is currently unpaved — and also would construct a 10-foot-wide area for vehicles dropping off students on Pleasant Hill Road. The developer would also add a new southbound lane to Pleasant Hill Road.
Bryan Wenter, attorney for O’Brien Homes, said the street improvements “will alleviate existing conditions on Deer Hill Road.”
Since it was first proposed in March 2011, the Terraces plan has been marked by controversy. It has been the subject of 20 public hearings, a lawsuit, a state court ruling and a failed referendum called Measure L that sought voter approval of a compromise plan of 44 houses instead of apartments. The property covers 22 acres off Deer Hill and Pleasant Valley roads near Highway 24.
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Lafayette’s big housing plan returns — and so do residents’ concerns - East Bay Times
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