THE CASE AGAINST BUILDING A SIDEWALK ALONG EVERGREEN AVE.

THE CASE AGAINST BUILDING A SIDEWALK ALONG EVERGREEN AVE.

Prior to Marin Horizon School (MHs) moving into the Existing Homestead Valley Elementary School traffic volume and pedestrian safety on Evergreen Ave was not an issue.
Homestead Valley residents and the Board of Supervisors were informed on 16 August 2005 by MHS’ Environmental Impact Study that MHS’ planned expansion would not have a negative impact on our community.
Homestead Valley Concerned Citizens informed the Board of Supervisors of the massive errors and omissions included in MHS’ negative environmental findings that concealed the facts that MHS’ traffic on our streets does and will have a negative impact on Evergreen Ave.’s safe traffic volume carrying capacity and pedestrian safety.
MHS’ traffic has caused the pedestrian safety issue which MHS now asks to be resolved by the County building a sidewalk along Evergreen Ave. at taxpayer expense. MHS pays no County property taxes.
How many MHS students actually walk on Evergreen Ave. to and from MHS ?
More or less MHS 15 students walk on Evergreen Ave. going to and from school. Busing these students would be less expensive to the County taxpayers and not require the destruction of Evergreen Ave.’ semi-rural character.
During MHS day and evening special events hoards of MHS adults and students walk on Evergreen Ave. because MHS is in violation of its Use Permit and recently approved Traffic Plan.
Board of Supervisor resolution 2005-105 requires MHS to provide 50 temporary parking spaces on MHS’ “black top” playground.
MHS has illicitly covered nearly 50 % of these “black top” playground temporary parking spaces with Astro turf.
Supervisor Kinsey, Community Development Agency Director Crawford and Principal Planner Tigerian were advised of MHS’ reduction to its temporary “black top” special events parking in 2009. Evidently they have taken no action to require MHS to comply with its Use Permit requirements.
Busing these special event attendees would be less expensive to the County taxpayers and not require the destruction of Evergreen Ave.’ semi-rural character.
Busing these attendees during MHS’ special day and evening events is

It is well documented by Marin Horizon School’s (MHS) 2003 -2004 Consultant Traffic Studies that Marin Horizon School generates the majority of traffic on Evergreen Ave. Elimination of this traffic by the use of MHS busing would eliminate any need for sidewalks on Evergreen Ave,
Pedestrian safety was not an issue before MHS moved into the existing Homestead Valley Elementary School and increased its use from a 1-6 school of walkers to a K-8 school of vehicle commuters.
MHS presence in our community has nearly doubled the traffic on our streets and now endangers pedestrian use of our streets.
It is inexplicable why the Dowling and Associates Inc. (DAI0 and the Department of Public Works’ (DPW) Land Use, Water Resources omitted to cite the significant negative traffic impact of MHS’ commuting 300 on our Homestead Valley streets.
MHS school day time traffic accounts for approximately:
a) 37 % of the traffic volume on Montford Ave.;
b) 55 of the traffic volume on Melrose Ave. and;
c) 53 % of the traffic volume on Evergreen Ave.
Source: MHS Traffic Studies and MHS E.I.S

It is inexplicable that MHS’ traffic consultant “Dowling Associates Inc. (DAI) was only retained to provide a peer review of various traffic studies conducted by (MHS’) Robert L. Harrison Transportation Planning for the Marin Horizon School (MHS) at 305 Montford Avenue, Mill Valley, California. And not to evaluate the negative impact of MHS traffic on traffic, existing street widths and pedestrian safety. Why were these potential negative impacts not included in MHS’ E.I. S ?
DAI was not retained to provide a MHS traffic environmental impact study in accordance with CEQA requirements and check lists. Why not ?
It is inexplicable that DAI was not retained to provide a traffic, parking and pedestrian safety environmental impact assessment of MHS expansion program and plan on the capacity of:
a) Montford, Melrose and Evergreen Ave.’ existing street width to absorb MHS’ projected daily traffic;
b) The impact of MHS’ vehicles usurping on-street parking space intended for residential use:
c) The impact of MHS non-conforming accessible on-street passenger drop-off and loading area’s reduction of Melrose Ave.’s right of way width from 50 feet to 35.5 feet which is less than the required width (36 feet) by DPW’s residential street classification and eliminates approximately 10 on-street parking spaces.
d) The impact of MHS traffic on pedestrian safety.
In the fall of 2003 a Madrone Park Circle petition was sent to the Community Development Agency, with a copy to Steve Kinsey, Area 4 Supervisor, asking that the negative impact of Marin Horizon Schools traffic be mitigated by requiring MHS to bus all of its students living outside of Homestead Valley.

We still recommend that MHS bus all of its students living outside of Homestead Valley including all attendees at MHS day or night special events to eliminate MHS traffic on our street and to enhance pedestrian safety without the need for a new sidewalk. In this way the semi-rural character of Evergreen Ave. will be preserved.

This simple MHS action will eliminate any perceived need to provide a sidewalk on Evergreen Ave. and significantly reduce traffic on Evergreen Ave. by eliminating use of it by MHS vehicles.

Regards,

Charles D. Sands
Sandsconsult Architect
12 Madrone Park Circle
Mill Valley, CA 94941