The Capistrano Insider

Additional Rail Proposed for North Capistrano Touted as 'Safety' Improvement

From Supervisor Pat Bates ... this is, of course, referring to the second section of tracks that OCTA wants Capistrano to bless before allowing an improved crossing into the Rancho Capistrano property ... safety...I suppose. Definitely allows more capacity.

OCTA Explores Enhancing Rail Safety in San Juan Capistrano

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) staff members continue to work with officials from the City of San Juan Capistrano to explore opportunities to enhance rail safety and operational efficiencies. In response to recent concerns from residents about the City’s discussions on the potential for a side-tracking proposal, I directed OCTA staff to devote more time to educate the community about the ongoing discussions.

To clarify, any railroad side track proposal would entail side tracking for less than two miles from Trabuco Creek to the northern city limit, adjacent to the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Metrolink Station. As such, there will be no extension of the side track (which would provide a passing lane for trains) beyond the Trabuco Creek Bridge.

OCTA is in support the City Council’s position that opposes any extension beyond Trabuco Creek to ensure there will be no impact to the San Juan Capistrano historic district. The goal of this effort is to enhance efficiency and safety for improved train operations.

OCTA Unveils New Railroad Crossing Safety Features; Headed to Tracks in Capistrano

Orange County Transportation Authority

ORANGE –The first group of railroad crossing safety enhancements that will lead to quiet zones for cities along the tracks throughout Orange County are now complete. 

OCTA highlighted work that has taken place today, at an event at the Palm Avenue rail crossing in Orange, and showcased how the new railroad crossing features operate. 

 “With planned service increases to Metrolink and freight traffic, OCTA has initiated the most comprehensive rail safety program in the nation,” said Will Kempton, chief executive officer of OCTA. “This is a significant milestone and we are excited to continue working with the cities to complete the remaining crossings.”

 OCTA is partnering with eight cities to implement the $85 million program, which includes safety enhancements at 50 railroad crossings throughout Orange County.

Improvements include upgraded and updated warning devices, additional gate arms, extended and raised medians, improved signage and coordinated traffic signals.

 Once the improvements are made, cities will be able to apply for quiet zone status.

By law, engineers must sound their horns up to four times when they approach a crossing. If a quiet zone is established, horns will only sound in emergency.

 In Orange, nine railroad crossings have been enhanced and seven more are currently under construction.

 “We are thrilled to see this important program move forward,” said OCTA Director Carolyn Cavecche, also the mayor of Orange. “Now that the first group of enhancements are in place in Orange, I look forward to working with the Federal Railroad Administration on establishing a quiet zone and bringing relief to our residents from the noise of train horns.”

 Construction on all the crossings is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2011. To learn more about railroad safety improvements in your area, join the mailing list at www.octa.net/railroadcrossing.

Download Railroad Crossing Map

Little Girls as Speed Bumps?

OK, make that drawings of little girls as speed bumps. LA Observed picked up a piece that Vancouver is trying painted pictures of a girl chasing a ball in the street to slow down drivers in place of speed bumps.

Yes, there's some concern, LA Observed notes, that folks might be startled by the painting, swerve and damage a real child, but the folks behind the idea downplay that.

Here's the link with a video of the painting.

Council: Distrito La Novia Project Too Big

A proposed development of housing, commercial space and a 750-horse equestrian center is good, but probably too big as now proposed, San Juan Capistrano City Council members told the proposed developer Tuesday after more than three hours staff reports and public testimony.

 

Advanced Real Estate Services proposes 94 homes, 90 condos and 50 apartments, along with 68,200 square feet of retail and 27,500 square feet of office space and the equestrian center, on 153 acres just east of the San Diego Freeway at the Camino Capistrano exit.

 

In a public hearing Tuesday, 13 residents, nearly all who live near the project, said they opposed the proposal, while 17 speakers voiced support for the plan. Council members, however, said some elements, including the stables and a five-story parking structure, were just too large. The project comes back to council on August 3.

 

City staff deserves some process for trying to quantify the potential traffic impact of the project – while it could generate more traffic overall than the approved housing-and-hotel project (along with something on a remaining parcel), the impact at peak hours would be less. City Traffic Engineer Alan Oswald said motorists’ average drives would increase less than a minute with the new project. That drew some catcalls from the audience (the room held well over 100 people at the start of the hearing, but that number dwindled as the night wore on … and on) but it was a good attempt at validating what 8,000 car trips a day would mean on the streets around the project.

 

A rundown of the council comments (in the order they spoke, and Mayor Lon Uso was absent):

 

* Councilman Sam Allevato told residents the approval process would be long, so there’s no need to get upset – for now at least. Additionally, Allevato said, there are questions about the project, but time remains to get those answers.

“If nothing is ever done up there, maybe all those issues might go away, but that is not reality,” Allevato said. “Four hundred and forty homes would cause a lot of impacts and a lot of people would be here complaining about those impacts.”

 

* Tom Hribrar expressed some strong concerns about the project, saying he couldn’t see approving it with more than 300 to 350 horses. He also said he has serious concerns about the proposed five-story parking structure, saying that he did not believe people would want to park in structures.

 

He did say, however, that he liked the project, especially the inclusion of affordable housing, the architecture and retail components. He did say he thought it was too dense, too, and the project appears too massive. He suggested one of the condo buildings might have to be removed to make room for more surface parking.

 

* Mark Nielsen started by taking to task folks who compared this project to an earlier proposal to building housing on the golf-course driving range. Nielsen led the battle against that project, which was overturned by voters. The golf course, he said, is zoned open space, where 440 homes and a hotel are already approved on this land. Nielsen also wanted more answers on the landfill-closure process.

 

* Mayor Pro Tem Laura Freese agreed with the other council members’ concerns and said she did not like the parking structure element of the project, either.

 

 

TCA Budget: No Toll Increase

From Supervisor Pat Bates

Transportation Corridor Agencies Approve Budgets

The Boards of the San Joaquin Hills and Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agencies this week approved their Fiscal Year 2010-11 budgets with expenditure cuts that put them below last year’s budgets. The budgets total $322.1 million, ($144.1 million for the San Joaquin Hills Agency and $178 million for the Foothill/Eastern Agency). With approval of the budgets, both Boards of Directors opted not to raise any toll rates or fees in the next year.

Operations, administration and capital improvement expenditures for the San Joaquin Hills Agency have been reduced 36.9 percent as compared with the FY10 amended budget. The operations, administration and capital improvement expenditures for the Foothill/Eastern budget have been reduced 16.4 percent as compared with the FY10 amended budget. Savings are primarily related to the completion of widening projects on the 73 and 241 Toll Roads and reduced administrative costs. Six employees voluntarily resigned their positions as part of an incentive-based program and TCA’s adopted policy prevents re-staffing of these positions until Board approval.