The Transportation Commission recommends that the City Council:

1. Adopt a resolution to Certify the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), approve the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, and approve the Mitigation Monitoring Plan; and
2. Approve the Dry Creek Greenway Trail Project including Alignment Option 1B for the Hillcrest area and Alignment Option 5A for the Sunrise Avenue area.

The Dry Creek Greenway East Trail Project is a proposed paved multi-use trail along Dry, Cirby, and Linda Creeks from Darling Way/Riverside Avenue to the City limits at S. Cirby Way/Old Auburn Road. The project is identified as a proposed Class I bikeway in the City of Roseville General Plan. The project is also identified as a priority project in the Bicycle Master Plan (adopted in 1994 and most recently updated in 2008) because: 1) it would provide a safe, comfortable, convenient and highly connected bike route in an area of the City that is otherwise underserved by bicycle facilities; 2) it would connect schools and businesses to residential neighborhoods, and; 3) it provides regional connections as part of a planned loop trail around the greater South Placer/ Sacramento area.

Planning Study and Public Participation: Planning and feasibility analysis for the project began in 2008 and concluded in 2013. The planning and feasibility analysis included a robust public participation program with multiple neighborhood, stakeholder and community meetings. Preparation of the environmental and engineering technical reports began in 2014, and writing of the EIR began in 2017 and concluded in early 2018. During this time, there were continued public outreach efforts, including neighborhood meetings and a scoping meeting. A detailed description of the public outreach efforts is described in the May 21, 2018 Transportation Commission report (Attachment 1).

Draft EIR: The Draft EIR including appendices (Exhibit A) was released for a 45-day public review period from April 13-May 29, 2018. Notice of the availability of the Draft EIR and the opportunity to comment at the May 21, 2018 Transportation Commission meeting was provided to the public in the following ways:

• Direct mailing to the approximately 1,900 property owners within 300 feet of the trail
• Legal notification in the Roseville Press-Tribune
• Email notification to the project list of interested persons
• City of Roseville Trail Alerts Email List
• City of Roseville Website
• City of Roseville Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, NextDoor)
• Copies of the Draft EIR were made available at the Permit Center, the Maidu Library and the Downtown Library

During the 45-day public review period for the Draft EIR, we received 22 written and 6 verbal comments.

Final EIR: Pursuant to CEQA, a Final EIR (Exhibit B) was prepared to document and respond to all comments received during the public comment period. The 28 commenters provided comments on a range of topics. The topics included parking and traffic, flooding and erosion, biological resources (including oak trees), visual quality, and noise. The Final EIR responses clarify, amplify, and/or correct information presented in the Draft EIR, as appropriate. These responses are summarized in the December 18, 2018 Transportation Commission staff report (Attachment 2). The comments and responses to comments did not alter any of the environmental impact or significance conclusions of the Draft EIR.

Summary of Project Impacts: A full summary of project environmental impacts and recommended mitigation measures is contained in Table 4-1 of the Final EIR (Exhibit B).  With one exception, all potential project impacts can be mitigated to a less than significant level. The EIR includes a mitigation measure to reduce short-term construction noise impacts to the extent feasible, but even with that mitigation measure the EIR concludes that the project would result in a significant and unavoidable short-term construction noise impact. The EIR also notes that Option 5A may also expose residents of nearby homes on Meadow Gate Drive to significant ground vibration associated with the construction of bridge #14, whereas other alignment options would not expose residents to levels of significant ground vibration.

Transportation Commission Recommendation: The Final EIR was presented to the Transportation Commission December 18, 2018. At that meeting, the Transportation Commission was tasked with making a recommendation to the City Council on the EIR. The Transportation Commission was also tasked with making a recommendation on the project, including alignment alternatives for the Segment 1 (Riverside/Hillcrest) and Segment 5 (Sunrise) areas.

As noted in the staff report to the Transportation Commission (Attachment 2), in 2010 the City Council selected a preferred trail alignment for most of the 4-mile Dry Creek Greenway East trail project. However, the City Council did not select a preferred alignment for the Hillcrest (Riverside Avenue) and Sunrise Avenue areas at that time. As a result, the EIR included project-level CEQA analysis for multiple alignment options in those areas as follows:

• Segment 1 (Hillcrest) area alignment options:              1A, 1B, and 1C.
• Segment 5 (Sunrise) area alignment options:               5A and 5B.

The Transportation Commission staff report (Attachment 2) included a detailed analysis of the pros and cons for each alignment option, and a staff recommendation for selection of Alignment Option 1B for the Hillcrest area and Alignment Option 5A for the Sunrise Avenue area. The key factors in this analysis are provided below:

Analysis of Segment 1 Alignment Options (Hillcrest/Riverside Area) - The following key considerations inform the staff recommendation for the Segment 1 Hillcrest Area:

• Limited space, existing property line fences, steep banks along the creek, and the location of sewer main and manholes present significant challenges to Option 1C.
• Options 1A & 1B require two bridge crossings (Bridge #2 across Dry Creek and Bridge #4 across Cirby Creek), while Option 1C requires one bridge crossing (Bridge #3 across Dry Creek).
• Option 1C requires challenging construction including the installation of a large retaining walls along the south side of Dry and Cirby Creeks(walls 35, 36 and 37 as shown on Exhibit 3-13 of the Draft EIR), resulting in overall greater cost.
• Option 1A reduces access options for the Hillcrest neighborhood since access to Hernandez/Machado is not provided.  However this connection can be provided under the proposed trail alignment and Option 1C. 

Analysis of Segment 5 Alignment Options (Sunrise Avenue Area) - The following key considerations inform the staff recommendation for the Segment 5 Sunrise Area:

• Option 5A and 5B both result in significant and unavoidable short-term temporary construction noise impacts. However, Option 5A may also expose residents of nearby homes on Meadow Gate Drive to significant ground vibration associated with the construction of bridge #14.
• Option 5A provides direct and convenient access to the west and east sides of Sunrise Avenue.
• Option 5A requires less right-of-way acquisition, but requires additional structural features including Bridge #14 that results in a cost differential of $1,100,000 (compared to Option 5B).
• Option 5B does not provide access to the east side of Sunrise Avenue, and access to the west side of Sunrise Avenue is not convenient as it begins over 500’ from Sunrise Avenue. The limited access to Sunrise Avenue is a concern because there are no safe and convenient options for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross Sunrise Avenue.
• Bridge 13 of Option 5B is proposed as a low-flow bridge across Linda Creek (similar to the bridges on Miners Ravine) because the regulatory floodway is very wide at the confluence of Cirby and Linda Creeks. This is expected to result in permitting challenges with the Central Valley Flood Protection Board since a variance would be required.

Public comment: At the December 18, 2018 Transportation Commission meeting nine (9) members of the public provided verbal comments related to the following:

• Effect on floodplain
• Safety and homeless issues
• Desire for further public review during final design
• Tree removal and effect on creek water temperature
• Effect on private property
• Support for project

At the request of the Transportation Commission, City staff, including a Police Department representative, spoke to the above comments. After discussion, the Transportation Commission recommended that the City Council certify the EIR and approve the project with Alignment Option 1B for the Hillcrest area and Alignment Option 5A for the Sunrise Avenue area.

The Transportation Commission staff report (Attachment 2) includes a detailed breakdown of the costs for design and construction of the project in 3 phases. The cost for design, permitting and right-of-way are estimates based upon our experience with similar projects. The construction cost estimates are based upon recent bid openings for other similar projects. Recent projects have been expensive due to the current high demand for contractors and high materials costs, and this is factored into the cost estimates. We anticipate that the project costs will be paid for using a variety of federal and state grants, and local transportation funds. In fact, staff has already identified $5,000,000 in federal Active Transportation grant funding for Phase 1 construction. General Fund resources, including the recently-approved Measure B funds, will not be used for this project.

Phase 1: Riverside/Darling to Rocky Ridge – Phase 1 is approximately 2 miles long and includes the following improvements:

• Connection to existing Saugstad Park Trail at Darling Way
• Widening and undercrossing of Darling Way
• One bridge crossing of Dry Creek and potentially 1 bridge crossing of Cirby Creek (depending on selected alignment option)
• Undercrossing of I-80
• Connection to Eastwood Park
• Undercrossing of and connection to Sunrise Avenue
• 1 bridge crossing of Linda Creek (location dependent on selected alignment option)
• At-grade crossing of Oakridge Drive to connection with existing Sierra Gardens Trail
• At-grade connection to west side of Rocky Ridge Drive

The estimated cost for Phase 1 is $15,900,000. As noted above, staff has already identified $5,000,000 in federal grant funding for Phase 1 construction. In order to take advantage of this funding, construction of Phase 1 would need to begin in 2021. If the EIR is certified and the project is approved, staff will seek additional grant funding opportunities for the balance of the construction costs.

Phase 2: Rocky Ridge to Old Auburn Way- Phase 2 is approximately 1.5 miles long and includes the following improvements:

• Undercrossing of and connection to existing path along Rocky Ridge Drive
• 1 Bridge crossing of Linda Creek
• Replacement or retrofit of the existing bridge over Strap Ravine
• Undercrossing of Old Auburn Road
• Trail connection to the west and east sides of Old Auburn Road

The estimated cost for Phase 2 is $5,000,000. Staff has not yet identified funding for Phase 2, but expects that it would compete well for state and federal air quality and active transportation grants.

Phase 3: Old Auburn Way to City Limits - This phase is approximately 0.5 miles long and includes the following improvements:

• Trail improvements along north side of Linda Creek adjacent to the Spahn Ranch subdivision
• Up to 2 bridge crossings of Linda Creek

The estimated cost for Phase 3 is $2,000,000. Staff has not yet identified funding for Phase 3, but also expects this phase to be eligible for grant funding. As noted in the Transportation Commission staff report, staff recommends that design and construction of Phase 3 not proceed until Placer County further develops its plans for the trail alignment east of Old Auburn Road, including the segments leading from the Spahn Ranch area.

Maintenance Costs: Staff anticipates that the maintenance costs for the 4-mile trail will be approximately $55,000 per year. This estimate includes day-to-day maintenance efforts such as vegetation control, sweeping, sign repair, and trash removal. This estimate also includes an annualized cost for periodic trail resurfacing and stream bank stabilization efforts. The trail will be designed to minimize the potential erosive effects of nearby streams per the City’s design and construction standards. This includes the use of concrete paving (instead of asphalt) and erosion control materials in higher risk areas as described in the EIR. Even so, we still expect periodic erosion to occur and that is why we are including in the above estimate an annualized cost of $15,000 per year for stream bank stabilization. Staff proposes the use of the Local Transportation Fund’s Transportation Development Act (TDA) resources to pay for maintenance. General Fund resources would not be used for project construction or maintenance. 

Certification of the EIR and approval of the project does not create any jobs. However, if the project is approved, jobs would be created when future contracts for design and construction are awarded.

The proposed action would certify the EIR for the project pursuant to the CEQA Guidelines.

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Dominick Casey, City Manager