Joint Resolution of the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance and the Four Seasons Civic League, May 7, 2009

Whereas:

• The Capital Southeast Connector is currently planned only to provide a regional arterial route through El Dorado Hills on White Rock Road and US 50.
   
• The need for the Connector, as cited in the SACOG Environmental Phase 1 Studies Final Technical Report, includes these citations:
  --  "There are insufficient transportation options for personal and goods/freight movement to, from, and within the corridor."
  --  "Local streets are increasingly subject to congestion and use by non-local traffic."
  --  "Increasing vehicle traffic will degrade the safety of existing facilities..."
   
• The Project Purpose statement, as cited in the SACOG Environmental Phase 1 Studies Final Technical Report, includes these citations:
  --  "To aid economic vitality by improving accessibility to job centers and commercial areas, ..."
  --  To provide efficient transportation options within the corridor that balance transportation needs
       between local access and shorter trips and regional needs for longer trips..."
   
• El Dorado Hills has only one arterial, Green Valley Road, carrying traffic through our city to serve as a regional connector between the northern portion of Sacramento County and the West Slope of El Dorado County.
   
• The traffic count forecast for White Rock Road in El Dorado County in the year 2045 was cited at the April 24, 2009 meeting as 20,000 average daily trips, relative to 8,000 in current conditions; actual current conditions are a count of 10,000 for White Rock Road at the Latrobe Road intersection.
   
• Traffic counts for Green Valley Road on the El Dorado Hills side of the county line already are in excess of the 2045 forecast for White Rock Road, with Green Valley Road not serving extensive commercial and business areas.
   
• The EIR for El Dorado County General Plan Amendment A06-0002 (Floor Area Ratios) projected no traffic impact before 2025 but a buildout potential to double Employment and Daily Vehicle Trips in years after 2025, relative to the ultimate buildout conditions reported in the original General Plan EIR..
   
• White Rock Road serves the El Dorado Hills Town Center commercial area and the 885-acre El Dorado Hills Business Park.
   
• The El Dorado Hills Business Park is currently reported to be one third built out, with different sources reporting employment levels ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 employees.
   
• The El Dorado Hills Business Park has an employee population cap of 10,045 for purposes of limiting induced traffic, but this limit sunsets in year 2025.
   
• El Dorado Hills Town Center is a major resource for commerce in El Dorado Hills, creating high demand for traffic on existing streets and roads.
   
• The Valley View Specific Plan dedicates a land area to residential housing south of US 50 which is second in size only to the Serrano Planned Unit Development, the largest PUD in El Dorado Hills, and will produce correspondingly large population growth in future years..
   
• Development of Serrano produced gridlock conditions on El Dorado Hills Boulevard and on Serrano Parkway, with traffic delays typically in the range of 30 to 40 minutes to travel about 1 to 2 miles, until a second collector was opened to Serrano by connecting Serrano Parkway with Bass Lake Road.
   
• Latrobe Road is the only north-south arterial in El Dorado Hills south of US 50.
   
• In 2008 Latrobe Road traffic counts showed more than 18,000 average daily trips in the section between US 50 and White Rock Road.
   
• Level of service at the intersection of White Rock Road and Latrobe Road depends on traffic volume on each of these arterials.
   
• Both Latrobe Road and White Rock Road have experienced frequent LOS F conditions at this intersection since 2005, and possibly earlier.
   
• Very substantial population growth is planned in Sacramento County in the cities to be served by the Capital Southeast Connector. 
   
• A similar example of impacts due to routing regional through traffic across city streets occurred in the City of Folsom as a consequence of closure of Folsom Dam Road, and the impacts were very substantial. The diverted traffic was reported as 18,000 average daily trips, approximately equal to the White Rock Road forecast for 2045 and to the actual traffic counts for Green Valley Road near the county line and Latrobe Road between US 50 and White Rock Road.
   
• Because of all of the foregoing facts the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance questions the adequacy of the 2045 traffic forecast for White Rock Road as part of the Capital Southeast Connector.
   
• Because of all of the foregoing facts the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance is concerned that choice of route for the connector will establish an unalterable regional high-volume through route traversing our city at its busiest and most traffic-sensitive area, with very significant adverse impacts to our traffic and our economic development throughout all latter decades of the twenty-first century.
   
• Because of all of the foregoing facts the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance finds that the planned Connector route increases the level of needs in El Dorado Hills, rather than decreasing it, and in our area this alignment is incompatible with the statement of Project Purpose in the SACOG Environmental Phase 1 Studies Final Technical Report.
   
• El Dorado Hills citizens and the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance have expressed concerns such as these repeatedly to SACOG and to the Southeast Connector JPA for at least the four years from 2005 to the date of this resolution.
   
• SACOG had indicated that planning was in an extremely early phase, that the concerns are legitimate, and that they would be addressed.
   
• Those concerns have not yet been addressed by the Capital Southeast Connector JPA. 

Therefore the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance and the Four Seasons Civic League resolve as follows:

• The Capital Southeast Connector must not be permitted to enter El Dorado Hills on White Rock Road.
   
• The Connector JPA should study other routes and adopt a different alternative, which can make the Connector a valuable and much needed element in our road network.
   
• We support use of White Rock Road for only local area traffic, and for that traffic level to be limited in part by planning an alternative Connector route to provides a high level of service, especially for  the purpose of drawing regional through traffic away from El Dorado Hills central streets..
   
• The Capital Southeast Connector should be planned to use a route which achieves benefits for El Dorado Hills similar to those for the other cities along its planned route.
   
• Consideration of alternative Connector routes should include new roadway choices which would carry regional traffic between Sacramento County and El Dorado County to the south of El Dorado Hills, bypassing commercial, business, and high density housing areas currently existing or planned in El Dorado Hills.
   
• Need for a different route is extremely important to El Dorado Hills economic development, limitation of traffic congestion and delays, and consequent limitation of requirements for diversion by the County of El Doradoof funds needed for other road system improvements.

Adopted  April 29, 2009 by the El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance and May 4, 2009 by the Four Seasons Civic League.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of both organizations,

Paul Raveling, President, El Dorado Hills Citizens Alliance		John Raslear, Chairman, Four Seasons Civic League