Commission
recommends no Bullard Lane on CE
By Joe
Naiman
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — The county's planning
commission unanimously recommended the removal of Bullard Lane, in
Alpine, from the Circulation Element map of the county's General
Plan 2020 update.
The Aug. 25 vote sends the resolution to the San Diego
County Board of Supervisors, who must approve any general plan
amendments. The removal of the future alignment from the
Circulation Element does not prevent construction of the road,
although several factors make building of the entire road
unlikely.
“This has been a big deal for the community. There is
nobody that wants it,” said James Heim, who lives on Bullard Lane.
Heim collected nearly 75 signatures from neighborhood
residents over a two-day period. The petition noted that the
terrain is extremely steep and the road would require major
cutting into the hills and possible multiple bridges. The traffic
models provided by county staff indicated that building the road
would not be economically feasible because of the low traffic
count. The petition also noted that the road would cut through
state-identified environmentally sensitive areas and would block
wildlife transit corridors. The residents also noted that the
steep grades and sharp turns would create a driving hazard.
A portion of the road exists to serve as access to
several parcels. Current traffic studies indicated an average
daily traffic volume of 720 vehicles.
The alignment would run from its northern intersection
at Dunbar Lane to its southern link at Harbison Canyon Road. The
current Circulation Element lists Bullard Lane as a two-lane light
collector.
The traffic modeling indicates that elimination of
Bullard Lane would reduce Viewside Lane's predicted average daily
volume in 2030 from 2,000 to 1,000, changing that road from Level
of Service B to Level of Service A. Although Alpine Boulevard's
volume would increase from 9,000 to 11,000 vehicles between Dunbar
Lane and Arnold Way, Level of Service A would be maintained.
Level of Service A would also be maintained on Arnold
Way between Alpine Boulevard and Harbison Canyon Road, where the
elimination of Bullard Lane would increase predicted average
volume from 7,000 to 9,000 vehicles, and on Harbison Canyon Road
between Bridle Run and Arnold Way, where traffic would increase
from 6,000 to 8,000 vehicles.
The county's Department of Planning and Land Use noted
that the proposed road would extend approximately two-and-a-half
miles over undeveloped chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats
and that the corridor is an environmentally sensitive area
designated for future preservation under the Multiple Species
Conservation Program.
The Alpine Community Planning Group unanimously
recommended removal of Bullard Lane from the Circulation Element.
The planning group once again supported removal in a vote
concerning the commission's recommendation.
Alpine Fire Protection District's fire marshal, Mary
Tedesco, sent DPLU a letter requesting that Bullard Lane remain in
the Circulation Element to provide additional access to future
development, but no representative from the fire district appeared
at the Planning Commission hearing.
Several Bullard Lane and Bridle Run Lane residents were
present at the hearing.
“It would create a pedestrian safety issue. It would be
unsafe for our children. It would create a thoroughfare to the
Sycuan Casino,” said Rick Sayre, who lives on Bridle Run Lane. “It
would be a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars, and my dog would
be very upset.”
Mary Barkley, a mother of four who lives on Bullard
Lane, noted that the Creekside Learning Center would be adversely
affected by the increased traffic. “I am concerned this being a
thoroughfare would be a safety hazard,” she said.
Standards for a light collector include a paved width
of 40 feet, a right-of-way width of 60 feet, and a design speed of
45 miles per hour.
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