Open Letter to City Council on NE Transportation Corridor Item 7 (8:40pm, Tues 4/1)

City Council,

I may not be able to attend tonight so am making email comments here.

I appreciate your taking up the NE Transportation Corridor.  As specified, the item as written would be part of the General Plan.  From the staff report, this involves more detail than the concept suggested by the Davis Citizens Planning Group (DCPG or close to that name).  

I also came up with the almost identical idea of a transportation corridor north and east of Covell/Mace to run through the new suburbs, as a BRT or Bus Rapid Transit corridor parallel to a bike line.  As separate citizens came up with almost identical comments, perhaps the consultants should meet soon with the citizens for initial input, rather than or in addition to the consultants having citizens comment on the consultant's plans.

Here are the basic features that I believe I and DCPG agree on:

• There would be minimal stops as per BRT standards (1/4-1/2 mile spacing).
• The corridor would not be for automobiles
• There would be and adjacent and parallel bike track on the south/west of the corridor.
  
• There would be minimal intersections, with only major arteries crossing the corridor to minimize conflicts.
  
• The BRT would continue into Davis on regular roads, with some upgrades for the BRT infrastructure.
• The Route:
  
• The BRT would start at shopping center south of Hwy. 80 along Mace (Nugget) for a SE anchor.
  
• The route would cut east on the north side of the tracks to access the corridor.
• The dedicated corridor would continue in an arc north and west parallel to the curve of Mace and Covell.
• At Wildhorse, the BRT could divert south to Covell, or use the 'cut-through lot' to access Moore and run to Moore & Pole Line.
• From there the BRT could continue through Village Homes or south on Pole Line.
• The BRT would serve Oakshade Shopping Center
• The BRT would then continue Covell-->F Street-->Amtrak-->First Street-->South Campus (Library Silo)-->West Village
• Each development could proceed on its own once the basic route is confirmed through the to-be-developed areas, as long as all developers agreed to link to the future through corridor once each segment is built.
• The new route should minimize turns and instead follow a smooth arc.
• IMPORTANT:  Building density for each development should be at its maximum nearest bus stops and along the corridor, and step to medium and to lowest densities (per project) as one gets further from the corridor.

I believe the transportation corridor placement needs to be negotiated and agreed to with each landowner/developer far in advance of the General Plan Update.  This will allow the corridor to be whole and usable once all developments are in place.

Alan C. Miller