City of Salinas is working on a number of projects that will enhance the bicycle and pedestrian network within City Limits. During the meeting, City staff will receive comments and respond to questions from Committee members and the public about the Boronda Road Congestion Relief Project and the West Area and Central Area Specific Plans.
Below are summaries provided by City of Salinas staff about the projects:
Boronda Road Congestion Relief Project
The Boronda Road Congestion Relief project includes the widening of Boronda Road into a four-lane roadway (two lanes at each direction), and the construction of roundabouts at the following intersections: McKinnon Street, El Dorado Drive, Natividad Road, and Independence Boulevard.
Salinas City Council approved the roundabout concept at the intersections identified above along with Hemingway Drive. The City intends to continue the roundabout corridor along Boronda Road with roundabouts at Constitution Boulevard, Sanborn Road, and Williams Road in future phases.
The proposed project includes the following changes to East Boronda Road from approximately 140 feet east of Dartmouth Way to approximately 1,100 feet east of Independence Boulevard:
1. Widen East Boronda Road from just east of Dartmouth Way to east of Independence Boulevard from two lanes to four lanes;
2. Construct multi-lane roundabouts at McKinnon Street, El Dorado Drive, Natividad Road, and Independence Boulevard;
3. Relocate existing agricultural ditches along the north side of East Boronda Road to the north;
4. Relocate existing agricultural ditch along the east side of Natividad Road to the east;
5. Construct storm water treatment facilities and bioretention facilities in the roadway medians, islands, and adjacent to sidewalks;
6. Construct buffered bike lanes;
7. Construct shared-use paths around the perimeter of the roundabouts;
8. Install a flashing beacon system or other approved pedestrian activated beacon at the pedestrian crossings;
9. Widen the East Boronda Road Bridge over Gabilan Creek to accommodate the road widening and roundabout (see details below);
10. Construct bus pullouts, street lighting, sidewalks, ADA compliant pedestrian access ramps at all crosswalks; and install storm drain lines, sanitary sewer mainline and extensions, and pavement delineation and updated signs; and
11. Install landscaping.
Salinas Specific Plan Updates:
The Salinas City Council has approved the West Area Specific Plan Project (December 17, 2019) and the Central Area Specific Plan Project (November 17, 2020). Both projects are located in the North of Boronda Future Growth Area, as identified by the 2002 Salinas General Plan and implement New Urbanism design principles. The greenway streets are key features of the North of Boronda Future Growth Area, providing a multimodal connection across all specific plan areas, generally parallel to Boronda Road. The separate bike and pedestrian paths would be improved with enhanced landscaping, decorative lighting and street furnishings. See attachment for visualizations.
The West Area is comprised of approximately 797 acres and would allow up to 4,340 dwelling units provided in a mix of low, medium and high densities, 571,500 square feet of mixed use commercial space, and other community supporting uses including but not limited to parks, open space, schools and utilities.
The Central Area is comprised of approximately 760 acres and would allow up to 3,911 dwelling units provided in a mix of low, medium and high densities, 489,700 square feet of mixed use commercial space and other community supporting uses including but limited to parks, open space, schools and utilities.
Some other notable features provided in both plan areas include:
- A central community core providing public facilities and services and a walkable village center with a main street, town square and mix of commercial and higher density residential uses;
- Residential neighborhoods planned around parks providing community gathering space easily accessed by bikes and pedestrians;
- A circulation system that fosters safe and efficient distributions of trips and implementing a variety of traffic calming devices to enhance bike and ped safety and designed to include public transit access.