Traffic Mitigation & Safety Plans Approved for Downtown
By Brittney Sherman
The January 19, 2022, City Council decision approves the Monterey Road Downtown Lane Reduction implementation. After months of community meetings and gathering feedback, City staff brought forward recommendations for the Downtown Lane Reduction Design, a Traffic Mitigation Plan, and a Project Implementation Schedule. A synopsis of the meeting actions and next steps can be found below. To read the complete staff report and project overview, please visit the project's website page.
What happened?
On May 19, 2021, the City Council voted on and approved moving forward with the Monterey Road Downtown Lane Reduction. Therefore, the decisions made during the January 19, 2022, City Council meeting were related to project implementation, design, and timeline. After much discussion, deliberation, and community input, the City Council voted 3 – 2, accepting all seven recommendations outlined in the staff report:
· Approved the proposed Traffic Mitigation Plan Implementation Schedule to support the Monterey Road Lane Reduction Program;
· Approved the re-design of traffic lanes for Monterey Road from Dunne Avenue to Main Avenue to be implemented as approved in the Implementation Schedule;
· Directed staff to install pedestrian safety bollards at pedestrian crossings on Monterey Road and First, Second, and Fourth Streets;
· Directed staff to bring forward a review of the Parklet Program and develop a Parklet Fee Financing Assistance Program;
· Directed staff to explore the creation of a community parklet that incorporates an interactive art installation;
· Directed staff to bring forward a consulting contract to implement a Property-Based Improvement District (PBID); and
· Adopted a resolution to amend the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22 Budget and appropriate $210,530 from the General Fund.
What's next?
Beginning in February, staff will begin collecting current traffic counts on Butterfield Blvd and Downtown Monterey Rd. Traffic mitigation plans, which include the installation of 13 new signal controllers to synchronize the flow of traffic on Butterfield Blvd and three electronic signs to communicate the new traffic pattern, will be implemented in early Spring 2022. Updated traffic counts will be collected again three months after implementing the Traffic Mitigation Plan. City Council will review the data and choose one of the following actions:
· Implement the Downtown Lane Reduction without further delay, or
· Delay the Downtown Lane Reduction until the Hale Avenue Extension is completed (estimated late 2023)
What about the initiative petition?
In June 2021, an initiative petition titled "Citizens’ Initiative amending the General Plan to require voter approval of any future Monterey Road Lane Reduction" was submitted to the City. Following the signature-gathering process, the completed Initiative signature packet was submitted to the City Clerk on December 21, 2021. On Thursday, January 20, 2022, the Registrar of Voters Office notified the City Clerk that the results of the random sampling signature verification process fell between 95 – 110% requiring a full count of the signatures submitted until the minimum number of signatures needed is verified. The Registrar of Voters has an additional 30 business days to verify the initiative packet and signatures. If the initiative packet and signatures are verified, then the Initiative will be brought before City Council for certification and one of the following actions:
Order a report pursuant to Section 9212 at the regular meeting at which the certification of the initiative is presented. When the report is presented to the legislative body, the legislative body shall either adopt the ordinance within 10 days or order an election pursuant to subdivision (b).
· Adopt the Initiative as written, reversing the prior decision to support the Downtown Lane Reduction
· Place the Initiative on the November 2022 ballot (estimated City cost $50K-$80K)
Note: If placed on the ballot and approved by voters, the Initiative would prohibit any future Downtown Lane Reduction actions without a voter majority. If approved, the Initiative would not be applied retroactively to any lane reduction actions that had already taken place prior to voter approval.
Have questions? Contact City of Morgan Hill Economic Development Director Matt Mahood at Matt.Mahood@morganhill.ca.gov
