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| Submitted comments will appear below after staff approval. | |
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| Dianne Holmes | 6/24/2012 10:00:39 AM |
| The public hearing for this road design was requested because several design features need to be addressed; it is unfortunate that the hearing is set so close to the July 4th holiday when so many people will not be able to tetify. This hearing was asked for--in part because DOT refuses to allow CRW Engineering to fulfill their legislative grant which states that the road AND the intersection at Rabbit Cr and Goldenview should be completed. 1). P/Z is requested to make a statement in support for designing the intersection--which has already been done to a certain % and which has had at least one open house where people submitted comments on their preference. 2) P/Z is requested to state that they are aware that the intersection is nearing a LOS F and that improvements need to come soon and not wait for DOT's study regarding hillside intersections. This intersection should be prioritized due to its severe safety issues. 3) P/Z is requested to honor the Hillside District Plan (HDP) which had much public input regarding issues such as lighting. The HDP states that variances to usual MOA standards for such things as lighting, width of trais, can be modified for this part of down. Please honor this adopted plan which is part of the Comprehensive Plan--a legal document that holds the weight of law behind it. 4) P/Z is requested to support the RC Council's approval for one trail on the west side of Goldenview due to terrain and severe drainage issues. 5) P/Z is requested to support RC Council's letter which spells their issues on this road design. | |
| Joan Diamond | 5/6/2012 9:38:11 AM |
| As a 30 year resident of Rabbit Creek, I conditionally support the draft Design Study Report for the Goldenview Road upgrade project from Rabbit Creek Rd to Romania Drive. The contractor for this road design, CRW Engineering, has made commendable efforts to address the difficult site conditions, which include steep slopes, a number of streams, peat soils, and drainage problems. The Community Council is submitting additional concerns which need to be incorporated into the Design Study Report before it moves forward. RC Community Council requests that the design process continue to involve the council and the general public inorder to avoid a repeat of the numerous previous mistakes made by subdivision developers along Golden View Drive ( The MOA has a long list of private property damage that resulted from mismanagement of development along Golden View Drive). The following comments are taken from the Hillside District Plan, Policy 9B, Attachment A, #2009-047 “Align and design roads with regard to natural setting and neighborhood character by . . . controlling traffic speeds and modifying lighting.” Speed: I requests that intended speed remain at 35 mph for public safety, and not be increased as the current Design Study Report proposes. . There are compelling safety reasons for a 35-mph design speed: • Goldenview is a 2-mile dead-end residential road with many driveways along Goldenview emptying onto the road. CRW has noted that many driveways are so steep that the full collector ROW width cannot be used. These driveways create a hazard at higher traffic speeds. • Golden view Drive passes through a school zone, Goldenview Middle School. There will need to be at-grade crossings for students and neighbors who walk or ride to the school for recreation and activities: and moderate vehicle speed will be critical to safe pedestrian crossing. It is a dangerous and false assumption to assume that kids will be cautious: We must learn from the tragedy of the Hanshew student who was struck and killed crossing Lake Otis before a speed zone was instituted. Like Elmore Rd from DeArmoun to Huffman, the speed limit is 35 mph and carries more traffic than Goldenview. • The CRW design proposes to have a separated pathway on only one side because of wetlands: this means that pedestrians will be actively using the wide shoulders as well as crossing “mid-block” to get from residences to the pathway. Again, a 35 mph speed is key to safe integration of pedestrians, bikes and vehicles. • Rabbit Creek Council supports non-motorized transportation, walking and biking. This promotes opportunities for residents to walk and bike for health, and with slower speeds people feel safer. In addition, With increased people biking and walking, the neighborhood is also safer from crime and vandalism. When people are seen in their neighborhood, they are more likely to watch each other’s property and increase safety of their children Lighting: I appreciate the night sky as part of the rural setting; The Rabbit Creek Community Council has registered objection to urban lighting levels in previous development projects such as the Rabbit Creek turn lanes . At the April Community Council meeting, residents stated their preference for less lighting and are willing to keep the traffic speed lower. I encourage minimal lighting in the upgrade of Goldenview to avoid light pollution. Urban setting: I request removal of the language in the DSR that says Goldenview is an urban roadway. The zoning is all for low intensity residential, and the natural setting is a strong factor in any development: because the surrounding area of Rabbit Creek has a shallow water table, steep slopes, abundance of streams and poor soil drainage. The character of the area is not conducive to an urban development. The Hillside District Plan prominently notes that “Road standards appropriate for the rest of Anchorage are not always considered appropriate for roads on the Hillside HDP p 4-2. HDP Policy 9-B calls for “amending municipal road standards as appropriate to accommodate challenging site conditions and rural character”. School Pedestrian crossings: In promoting a walkable neighborhood and increased activity for young people, a pedestrian crossing to serve Goldenview Middle School is needed. The Concept Study Report that preceded the Design Study Report had Summary/Project Goals to reduce the congestion created by Golden View Middle School. One important way to do this is to increase the safety for students to walk, instead of being driven. Elementary and middle schools generally have designated crossings where cars must yield and or 20 mph speed zones. Human crossing guards are not the answer: a safe, well-designed pedestrian crossing is needed for the community as well as students. The middle school is intended to serve as a community use park & recreation area, serving residents within a 2-mile radius Map 3, Anchorage Bowl Park, Natural Resource adn Recreation Facility Plan, 2006). This recommendation is consistent with Hillside District Plan Goal 10, which reads in part: to design the trail system so that it links neighborhoods and connects to schools, parks, area destinations… to increase mobility for residents and increase safe neighborhoods. IN conclusion, I support the CRW Design Study Report for upgrades to Rabbit Creek Road, with incorporation of changes to keep the current speed for purposes of design; provide safe pedestrian crossings especially to the Middle School; minimize the lighting; and remove references to an urban roadway. The Community Council appreciates the high-quality of the public involvement in this project by CRW and requests that this public outreach and response continue as the design moves forward... | |
| Julie Makela | 4/27/2012 3:48:24 PM |
| I'm highly in favor of the proposed cross-section which includes an 8-foot pathway on the west side of the road, curb and gutter, and drainage ditch on the east side of the road. The proposed cross-section, while more urban because of the curb and gutter, allows for maximum benefit of the existing right-of-way and minimizes impacts to my private property. The current proposed cross-section will require a slope easement and have some minor, but likely manageable impacts to my property. Having pedestrian facilities on both sides of the roadway (given the proximity to Goldenview Middle School) and not having curb and gutter (to keep the rural characteristic) would be ideal if the right-of-way existed. But the additional right-of-way required to construct 2 pedestrian facilities and wider rural shoulders would have significant negative impacts to my property. Increasing the footprint of the roadway improvements would likely require extension of public sewer to make up for the loss of my primary and reserve on-site septic system. There would also be significant impacts to my driveway, landscaping, vehicle turn around, screening from the roadway, etc. Many of my neighbors would also have similar significant impacts. A wider roadway footprint would also require additional utility relocation, wetlands fill, stream diversion, drainage improvements, etc. and significantly increase the project cost. The project team did excellent job learning about the existing site conditions, identifying the design challenges, evaluating the potential design solutions, and proposing a cross-section that balances the much needed roadway improvements with the least impact to property owners. | |