| [ EL CERRITO HOME ] | [ NEWS & EVENTS ] | [ COMMUNITY ] | [ BUSINESS ] | [ GOVERNMENT ] | [ DEPARTMENTS ] | [ SERVICES ] | [ SITE MAP ] |
![]() |
|
|
Upper Fairmount
The Draft Upper Fairmount Avenue Master Plan was presented to the El Cerrito City Council on Monday July 16, 2007. In the Spring of 2006 the City of El Cerrito began investigating options for improving the aesthetics and performance of Fairmount Avenue from the El Cerrito BART station east to the Colusa Intersection. The project was conceived to extend the revitalization efforts of the lower Fairmount Avenue Master Plan Project throughout upper Fairmount into the Colusa commercial corridor. This project is being funded through the Redevelopment Agency, and will support the nearby project area on Colusa Avenue south of Fairmount.
Use the index to skip to the Upper Fairmount Avenue Streetscape Concepts being considered: Index:
Upper Fairmount Avenue Streetscape ConceptsThe Plan and concepts are summarized below and were presented to the El Cerrito City Council on Monday July 16, 2007.Colusa Avenue Concept -- No RoundaboutThe initial concept for the Fairmount Avenue & Colusa Avenue Intersection has been eliminated from the Master Plan and will not be further developed. The concept for the roundabout was based on the City’s attempt to facilitate more efficient traffic flow in the five-legged intersection while creating an opportunity for a gateway feature at the entrance to Fairmount Avenue and the commercial sector. However, because of costs, design complexities in such close quarters with a variety of existing driveways and lack of strong community support, a roundabout is no longer being considered at this time. Other concepts for the Colusa Avenue intersection have been developed for the Upper Fairmount Avenue Master Plan and are reflected in the Master Plan.
Adjacent Residential StreetsConcepts for Fairmount Avenue and the intersection at Colusa Avenue raised community concerns regarding the potential impacts to the adjacent streets such as Rockway Avenue, Lynn Avenue, Carmel Avenue and Ramona Avenue. However, improvements to these residential streets are outside of the current project limits. The Upper Fairmount Avenue Master Plan project is funded through the El Cerrito Redevelopment Agency (RDA) whose funds can only be used to benefit RDA project areas. The two RDA project areas in this vicinity are the vacant land at the SE corner of Fairmount and Colusa, and the area west of the BART tracks. As Fairmount Avenue is the primary route between these two redevelopment areas, it is also eligible for RDA funding. The issues that attribute to cut-through traffic on these adjacent residential streets have been brought to the City’s attention and will be evaluated and addressed separately and through other funding sources in the future.Upper Fairmount Street Tree ProgramThe current Master Plan creates a cohesive streetscape and beautifies the corridor by using the same tree species. The Master Plan recommends new street tree locations where implementation is currently feasible given existing tree locations, existing driveways and utilities. However, due to community concerns raised at the public meeting, including requests of specific property owners to not have a tree in front of their home, City staff has agreed to revisit the final placement of street trees along Fairmount Avenue during the detailed design process. Therefore, the locations of the street trees in the Master Plan are conceptual and final location and type of species of street tree in front of residences will be coordinated with the individual homeowners as a subsequent task, following approval of the Master Plan.Improved Pedestrian SafetyThe primary goal of the Master Plan is to provide pedestrian improvements throughout the corridor that promote safe pedestrian activity. Infrastructure improvements including the use of bulbouts that highlight the pedestrian crossings have been considered along with heightened visual cues at pedestrian crossings with new thermoplastic crosswalk striping and raised and/or textured cross walk paving at key locations.Upper Fairmount Avenue Draft Master Plan Concepts
Implementation and FundingFollowing review and approval of the Master Plan by the City Council, City staff will begin the process of developing construction documents for public bid. During this process, engineer’s estimates will be further developed to verify anticipated construction costs and confirm limits of construction. During this phase, staff will contact homeowners with properties on Fairmount Avenue to confirm placement of proposed street trees. Once the construction package is complete, anticipated early in 2008, the project will be sent out for public bid and award of contract for construction, a process that usually takes 2-3 months. At present, it is anticipated that the construction improvements will begin in mid 2008. Funding for these improvements will be from the Redevelopment Agency (RDA). A preliminary budget has been set at approximately $400,000. The amount of funding available at this time is not sufficient for the entire scope detailed above. Therefore, a two phase approach is being recommended as follows:
Project BackgroundIn the Spring of 2006 the City of El Cerrito began investigating options for improving the aesthetics and performance of Fairmount Avenue from the El Cerrito BART station east to the Colusa Intersection. The project was conceived to extend the revitalization efforts of the lower Fairmount Avenue Master Plan Project throughout upper Fairmount into the Colusa commercial corridor. This project is being funded through the Redevelopment Agency, and will support the nearby project area on Colusa Avenue south of Fairmount. The City’s Public Works Department hired a consultant team, led by Design, Community & Environment (DC&E) to develop their initial design concepts. DC&E, previously a consultant on the Fairmount Avenue Master Plan west of the BART station, prepared the design plans and TJKM, traffic engineers, reviewed the designs for feasibility and performed a preliminary traffic analysis. Potential Project Improvements included:
A "Design Concept" for the Upper Fairmount Avenue Streetscape Master Plan was developed and shared at an Open House on April 12, 2006. The City heard a number of comments and concerns at that meeting.
Next, a stakeholder charrette was held on March 14, 2007. The public, in particular neighboring residents and other stakeholders including representatives from nearby schools (Harding, EC High School, St. Jerome’s) businesses, and Sunset View Cemetery were invited. At the meeting, the City summarized the project background and concepts developed to date; heard public input on streetscape concepts, traffic calming measures and areas of focus and provided an update on the next steps of the project. Click here for the report presented at the March 2007 Charrette (PDF, 2.09 MB) As a result of input from the public meetings, the Draft Upper Fairmount Avenue Master Plan was developed. ContactsFor More Information
Contact Jerry Bradshaw, Public Works Director
If you have comments on the Draft Upper Fairmount Avenue Master Plan, please plan to attend the City Council meeting on Monday July 16, 2007. For meeting details, see www.el-cerrito.org/gov |
