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:

• Colusa Avenue Concept
• Adjacent Residential Streets
• Upper Fairmount Street Tree Program
• Improved Pedestrian Safety
• Upper Fairmount Avenue Draft Master Plan Concepts
• Implementation and Funding
• Project Background
• Contact Information

Upper Fairmount Avenue Streetscape Concepts

The Plan and concepts are summarized below and were presented to the El Cerrito City Council on Monday July 16, 2007.

• Click here for a PDF version of this report (867 KB)

Colusa Avenue Concept -- No Roundabout

The 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 Streets

Concepts 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 Program

The 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 Safety

The 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

• Colusa Avenue Intersection. Improvements for the Colusa Intersection focus on pedestrian improvements in the existing right-of-way.

• Colusa Crosswalk & Pedestrian Refuge Island. On the southeast leg of Colusa Avenue implementation of a new crosswalk and pedestrian refuge island help to physically reduce the expansive intersection in size while creating a distinct entry feature to the commercial sector of Fairmount Avenue.

• Colusa Property Easements. A property easement at the corner of Colusa Avenue and Carmel Avenue affords a more comfortable pedestrian experience while waiting to cross. Additionally, a small easement southeast of the intersection on Colusa Avenue creates room for a standard bus shelter for the south-east AC Transit line.

• Colusa West-bound Right Turn Lane. Current conditions on Colusa Avenue allow for de-facto right turn lane onto west-bound Fairmount Avenue. Re-striping of the lanes will reduce congestion by creating a dedicated right turn pocket.

• Fairmount Bulbout. A bulbout at the corner of Fairmount Avenue and Carmel Avenue defines the entry of the commercial sector and reduces pedestrian crossing distances at the busy intersection.

• Upper Fairmount Commercial Zone. One of the primary focus areas for improvements through the Master Plan is the commercial zone that lies between Colusa Avenue and Ramona Avenue on Fairmount Avenue. The handful of local shops and restaurants in this sector serve as a popular destination area for the Upper Fairmount neighborhood, and have been identified by the City for improvements.
  

• Ramona Crosswalks & Bulbouts. Existing parking within the commercial node has been carefully evaluated and considered in the development of this concept to delineate the commercial node east of Ramona Avenue while also reducing the crossing distance for pedestrians and heightening the visibility of the pedestrian in the crosswalk. A raised crosswalk with textured paving further emphasizes the presence of pedestrians while slowing traffic movement through the corridor.

• Sidewalk Repaving. The commercial area has been designated for sidewalk improvements. Paving materials will be of a similar palette as the streetscape improvements to the west of the BART tracks using a combination of colored concrete and interlocking concrete pavers.

• Existing Street Trees. At the request of local shop merchants and community members the existing street trees in the commercial corridor have been preserved. A new irrigation system for the entire street corridor will help maintain the health and vigor of the trees. Additional street trees, where feasible, will be added to the streetscape.

• Pedestrian Scaled Lighting. New light fixtures are envisioned for the commercial zone. Pedestrian scaled lights similar to the fixture used in the streetscape improvements to the west of the BART tracks will be used only in the commercial corridor east of Ramona Avenue.

• Street Furniture. Furniture and accessories have been envisioned as part of the Master Plan within the commercial corridor. Trash cans, newspaper racks, planters, street banners attached to the pedestrian light fixtures, and new benches will add to the pedestrian-oriented commercial street.

  

• Ashbury Avenue Intersection. The intersection of Ashbury Avenue and Fairmount Avenue at Harding Elementary School has been identified as an awkward and confusing intersection for drivers. The traffic analysis of the intersection shows collision data for the past 5 years revealing 22 crashes at this intersection. The proposed re-alignment of the intersection will help to address the majority of the issues identified in the collision patterns at this school intersection
  

• Southeast Bulbout Plaza. The existing condition of the intersection has a dedicated right turn lane separated by a "pork chop" traffic island. This current configuration creates an expansive crossing for school children and daily pedestrians in the area. Creating a landscaped plaza area in lieu of the separated right turn lane helps to reduce crossing distances east to west on Fairmount Avenue for pedestrians as well as to align on-coming traffic for vehicles.

• Additional N-S Crosswalk at Ashbury Avenue. The current configuration of the intersection precludes the use of a fourth crosswalk at the east side of the intersection. Reconfiguring the intersection with the bulbout plaza facilitates an additional crosswalk for pedestrians.

• Harding Elementary Plaza. New construction to the school facility at the corner of Ashbury Avenue and Fairmount Avenue improve access to the school auditorium at the corner. Right-of-way improvements adjacent to this entry include expanding the sidewalk with a bulbout and creating paved plaza space at the location of the school flag, further strengthening the connection between the school and the community. This corner is also the location of an east-bound AC transit bus-stop.

• Clayton Avenue and Albemarle Street Crosswalks.

  Currently there is only one school crosswalk west of Harding Elementary on Fairmount Avenue at Albemarle Street. The existing crosswalk is located at an east-bound AC transit bus-stop. Highlighting the crosswalk with a raised textured paving and installing a bulbout on the north side of the street will provide for a safer pedestrian crossing.
  

  One block to the east of Albemarle Street at Clayton Avenue the Master Plan envisions a second school crosswalk. Raised textured crosswalk paving and bulbouts on the north and south side of the street will help to reduce traffic speeds and heighten awareness of pedestrians crossing the street.

Implementation and Funding

Following 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:

• Phase 1 - Implement improvements at Colusa, the commercial area, crosswalk at Ramona and tree planting and irrigation along the entire corridor as proposed. In addition, Phase 1 will implement new striped crosswalks at Ashbury (the fourth leg), Clayton and Albermarle as well as changing the northbound right turn signal at Ashbury to a "Stop" sign and widening the median access paths.

• Phase 2 - Implement the Ashbury intersection realignment with pedestrian plazas and curb bulb-outs, and the two crosswalk treatments at Clayton and Albermarle including curb bulb-outs and raised, decorative crosswalks. Additional funding will need to be identified by the City Council for subsequent design studies, including studying adjacent side street traffic and future construction.

Contacts

Contact Jerry Bradshaw, Public Works Director
(510) 215-4339
email jbradshaw@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us

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