PRESENTED BY:
Watson Lane/Marcus Road
Mobility Element Amendment Initiative
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Presentation Overview
1. Initiative Process
2. Overview of Measure M
3. Section 9212 Report Scope
4. Section 9212 Report Findings
Initiative Process
CITY COUNCIL MAKES DECISION ON INITIATIVE:
SEND TO VOTERS OR ADOPT
• Initiative written and submitted to City
• Initiative circulation
• During the circulation period, the initiative was
referred for a report pursuant to Section 9212
• Preparation of the Section 9212 Report
• Report presented to the City
• City Council meeting on the Section 9212 Report
Within 30 days after the elections
official certified to the City the
sufficiency of the initiative
Received April 21, 2026
Today
July 10, 2026
Overview of Measure M
Petition filed for the City to amend the adopted Mobility Element.
Amendments to the General Plan that would change
roadway connections and/or accommodate the
reclassification of the following roadway segments:
• A new connector between Watson Lane and Marcus Road;
• Reclassification of Watson Lane as a two-lane, east-west minor collector street connecting Newell Drive to State Route (SR) 29 by way of Paoli Loop Road;
• An improved at-grade public railroad crossing at Watson Lane, east of SR 29; and
• Potential removal of a planned railroad crossing east of SR 29 on Rio Del Mar and South Napa Junction Road to provide alternate connectivity.
Proposed Amended Road Cross-Section
General Plan
MOB-Figure 8
Proposed Map
Amendments to
MOB-Figure 8
Note: Reclassified and newly planned
roadways are shown in yellow.
Proposed Text Amendments
The initiative would add a policy to the Mobility Element, as follows:
MOB-1.2.9: Watson Lane/Marcus Road Improvements.
Improve Watson Lane/Marcus Road substantially pursuant to a Minor Collector (Modified) street facility classification from Paoli Loop Road to Newell Drive, including at-grade railroad crossing improvements. Design should take into consideration site constraints and adjacent property owner needs.
The initiative would also include new text added to the “SR 29 Corridor Planning” section of the Mobility Element of the 2040 General Plan on page M-19, and would modify text under the existing heading “Newell Drive and South Kelly Road Extensions.”
Proposed Text Amendments, continued
Watson Lane/Marcus Road Connector
Watson Lane is an existing east-west roadway extending east from Paoli Loop Road. When completed, Watson Lane will connect to SR 29 via Paoli Loop Road to the west and Newell Drive to the east as a 2-lane minor collector (modified) and serve as an efficient cross-town east-west roadway at the northern extents of Watson Ranch and the City. As part of improvements to this roadway segment, Watson Lane will also have an improved Union Pacific Railroad line at-grade public crossing. To further enhance roadway connectivity between the east-west portions of the City. the existing segment of Marcus Road north of Rio Del Mar will be extended northward to connect to Watson Lane. Marcus Road is a minor collector with one motor vehicle lane in each direction, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, and parking on one side. The Watson Lane/Marcus Road Connector, once constructed and improved, is recognized as providing a viable connection and secondary access to the Watson Ranch Specific Plan, in addition or as a substitute to the Rio Del Mar and South Napa Junction secondary access options. The construction and improvement of Watson Lane/Marcus Road Connector will be done in phases as necessary or desired to meet development needs.
Proposed Text Amendments, continued
Added text is shown underlined and deleted text is shown in strikethrough.
Newell Drive and South Kelly Road Extensions (Amended)
The Mobility Element roadway network includes extension of Newell Drive north from its current terminus concurrent with future development. MOB-Figure 8 shows the conceptual future alignment of Newell Drive. The precise alignment will be determined through future planning processes. As envisioned, Newell Drive would eventually connect American Canyon Road in the south with SR 29 at Green Island Road. In addition, South Kelly Road would extend south from North Kelly Road to a new connection with Newell Drive. The future roads Newell Drive, from Donaldson Way to SR 29 at Green Island Road, would be a 2-lane collector with one motor vehicle lane in each direction, bicycle lanes and sidewalks. would be a 2-lane collector with one motor vehicle lane in each direction, with a sidewalk on the west side.
Mallen Way has been completed from Donaldson Way in the south to Rio Del Mar in the north, providing a north-south connection prior to the Newell Drive extension. Mallen Way is a 2-lane minor collector (modified) with one motor vehicle lane in each direction, with the Napa Valley Vine Trail on the west side.
Section 9212 Report Scope
Pursuant to State Elections Code Section 9212, the
report includes an analysis of the proposed initiative
measure related to the following topics:
• Fiscal impact;
• Consistency with the City’s General Plan;
• Effect on housing;
• Effect on public infrastructure;
• Effect on business and employment;
• Effect on vacant land;
• Effect on agriculture, traffic, and open space; and
• Effect on safety pursuant to Section 9212(8).
Report Findings: Fiscal Impacts
Planning Costs: Ensuring the General Plan and WRSP remain consistent with the initiative could cost between $250,000 to $1,000,000.
Implementation Costs: Implementation costs include approximately $3,500 per linear foot of roadway; between $500,000 and $1,000,000 per railroad crossing; and $2,500,000 per mile of undergrounding utilities.
The cost estimates above do not include additional parcel acquisition costs. These costs are not currently included in the City FY 2026/27 Budget; thus, funds are not available to support the required efforts. The City is not required to redirect funding from other governmental activities to support these implementation efforts.
The Initiative will save approximately $2,000,000 on Marcus Road and would reduce construction costs of Newell Drive by 10% to 15% (approximately $6,000,000).
Report Findings: General Plan Consistency
The City’s General Plan includes bicycle and
pedestrian access policies that would be impacted.
Constructing the Watson Lane connection without the
Newell Drive connection in place may result in cutthrough traffic from SR 29 on local streets, such as Watson Lane, Marcus Road, and Mallen Way.
The proposed amendments and the potential conflicts
with the City’s General Plan could also result in
conflicts with the City’s other adopted mobility plans.
Watson Ranch
Specific Plan
Circulation Map
Report Findings: Specific Plan Consistency
The Initiative causes the General Plan and WRSP to depict differing and contradictory access points. As such, the City would require reconfiguration of circulation plans to
accommodate different traffic routes.
Additional conflicts:
• The potential abandonment of Rio Del Mar as a major access route. • The WRSP would conflict with the newly amended classifications for Newell Road and Mallen Way within the City’s General Plan. • Lack of support for the mobility goals and policies included in the WRSP. • Lack of connection between Vine Trail and Marcus Road. • Conflicts with ordinances and entitlements adopted as part of the WRSP.
Report Findings: Housing Impacts
The Initiative is not expected to affect the City’s ability to continue meeting the housing needs allocated by the
Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
While the intrusion onto private property caused by the widening of Watson Lane is unlikely to require or facilitate the future demolition of existing housing, two existing residences (157 Watson Lane and 320 Watson Lane) could
be impacted by future work associated with the Initiative.
Report Findings: Infrastructure Impacts
No direct impact on: schools, parks, and public facilities; and underground utilities.
Existing ROW constraints and utility conflicts along Watson Lane would likely require ROW acquisition and/or utility relocation.
Design challenges associated with the modified at-grade crossing would require coordination with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Report Findings: Business Impacts
The proposed amendments would not discourage businesses from locating in the area, result in the demolition of any existing businesses, or result in the significant loss of land for businesses. The future Marcus Road extension would likely support the growth of the surrounding commercial area.
However, the substitution of Watson Lane for Rio Del Mar and/or South Napa Junction could affect potential future transit routes and future bus stops. The success of
businesses in the area could be impacted without
commercially viable direct access to SR 29.
Report Findings: Vacant Land Impacts
The northward extension of Marcus Road would run through a privately owned, currently vacant lot. The roadway would result in the conversion of approximately 2.70 acres of vacant land to a roadway use, which has not been anticipated for a roadway by the adopted Mobility Element.
Additional minor impacts to vacant land could also occur if future roadway work expands the ROW into any vacant lots located along existing roadways designated for future
reconfiguration.
Report Findings: Agricultural and Open Space Impacts
The future construction of the Watson Lane/Marcus Road
connector road would largely be constructed through
Farmland of Local Importance.
The initiative would not impact designated open space within the City. The proposed extension of Marcus Road would not impact the parcel’s planned use. Additional impacts to
planned open space and parks would not occur as part of the proposed initiative.
Report Findings: Business Districts and Developed Areas The proposed initiative are narrowly focused on the City’s existing roadway network and would not impact any existing business districts within the City, including the American Canyon Napa Valley Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID).
HUD-designated Revitalization Areas are not located within the City of American Canyon. As such, impacts to developed areas designated for revitalization would not occur.
General Plan MOB-Figure 6
Note: Newell Drive is currently envisioned as a Four-Lane Arterial south of Rio Del Mar and a Major Collector north of Rio Del Mar.
Report Findings: Traffic Impacts
Traffic Distribution
Land Use
Operations & LOS
Railroad Crossings
ROW Constraints
Multimodal Standards
Rio Del Mar/S
Napa Junction AtGrade Crossings
Limited ROW
At-Grade
Crossing
Newell Dr
Reclassification
Paoli Loop &
Watson Ln
Report Findings: Safety Impacts
Under the proposed roadway configuration, a vehicle on the modified minor collector streets may be required to enter the opposing lane to pass a stopped vehicle.
Based on general known safety issues related to bicycle and pedestrians near at-grade crossings (as identified by the adopted General Plan), the proposed at-grade railroad crossing could lead to increased risk to cyclists and pedestrians.
Eliminating the Rio Del Mar and/or South Napa Junction
railroad crossings would divert emergency traffic north to Watson Lane or south to Donaldson Way.