Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 1
Po
plar Avenue Sidewalk Study
Technical Memorandum
Apr
il 14, 2023
Poplar Aven
ue at Peterson Middle School
Attachment 2
Poplar
Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
Bellecc
i & Associates, Inc. Page 2
TE
CHNICAL MEMORANDUM
Date:
April 14, 2023
To: Arely Trujillo, EIT, City of Sunnyvale
Marlon Quiambao, P.E., City of Sunnyvale
From: Anoop Reddy Admal, P.E., Bellecci & Associates, Inc.
Emma Schoenthal, Bellecci & Associates, Inc.
Anthony Nguyen, EIT, Bellecci & Associates, Inc.
Project: Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study, City of Sunnyvale, CA This technical memorandum is prepared by Bellecci & Associates, Inc. as part of the design engineering services for City of Sunnyvale Public Works Department to provide an analysis of alternatives for the sidewalk and parking along the east side of Poplar Avenue between Rosalia Avenue and El Camino Real (State Route 82).
I BACKGROUND
Pop
lar Avenue between Peterson Middle School and El Camino Real is a two-lane local road and located within the Raynor Park neighborhood, which was previously annexed from the County of Santa Clara. At the time of annexation in the 1970s, the residents of Raynor Park expressed a desire to retain the rural character of the neighborhood. There is currently no sidewalk on either side of the road for the majority of the segment, except for locations where redevelopment occurred, and sidewalk was installed as part of the redevelopment. This segment of Poplar Avenue is currently an existing Class IIIB Bicycle Boulevard with bicycle sharrow markings on the roadway.
Peterson Middle School is a neighborhood-serving public school with approximately 900 students from Grade 6 to 8. Based on the 2018 Safe Routes to School Education Program Hand Tally survey performed at the school, approximately 22% of the students walk to school, and 16% of students bike to school. There is a secured bicycle parking corral on the east side of Poplar Avenue at Rosalia Avenue.
In May 2019, as part of the development of the Active Transportation Plan (ATP), the City’s project team conducted a School Walk Audit at Peterson Middle School during school dismissal with the school vice principal, school staff, parents, and City staff. The objective of the School Walk Audit was to understand the areas of concern for students walking and bicycling to school, and for the project team to identify priority infrastructure improvements in the school vicinity to produce a safer walking and bicycling environment for students.
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 3
R
osalia Avenue along the school frontage provides one-way vehicular access to the primary drop- off/pick-up area. Therefore, all vehicles exiting the drop-off/pick-up area travel northbound along Poplar Avenue. It was observed during the 2019 School Walk Audit that students would walk in the vehicular lanes of Poplar Avenue as there is no existing sidewalk.
In the ATP, the proposed improvements on Poplar Avenue include installing sharrows to allow a Class IIIB Bicycle Boulevard, and conducting a study to review the width of existing public right- of-way to determine if the removal of on-street parking is needed to close the sidewalk gap, which could consist of a pedestrian/bicycle path with delineators or implementation of a permanent sidewalk installation.
In February 2021, staff worked with Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD), school administration, Peterson Middle School Administration, Parent-Teacher Association, and Poplar residents/property owners to consider federally-funded, quick-build improvements. The improvements would provide an interim walk/bike area for students during school hours until a long-term solution could be studied. The quick-build improvements would include the installation of a new double yellow centerline, shoulder stripes on both sides of Poplar Avenue, and a yellow, high-visibility crosswalk crossing on the east side of Bryant Way. Staff received neighborhood and property owner support to temporarily prohibit on-street parking along the east side of Poplar Avenue on school days from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in order to provide a walking/biking area for students traveling to and departing from school. The City obtained grant-funding for quick-build bicycle and pedestrian improvements in June 2021, and will begin construction of interim Poplar Avenue improvements in Summer/Fall 2023.
In June 2021, City Council approved funding for the Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study (Study) to perform a topographical land survey to identify the existing right-of-way and utilities along this corridor, and to assess any potential drainage issues that may result from the improvements considered. The Study would present conceptual design options for a permanent sidewalk along the east side of Poplar Avenue from El Camino Real to Peterson Middle School and include preliminary cost estimates for design and construction.
II PROJECT GOALS
Th
e goals of the Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study include the following:
a. Sidewalk Gap Closure: The goal is to close the existing sidewalk gap along the east side of Poplar Avenue between Rosalia Avenue and El Camino Real (State Route 82).
Installing new sidewalk and bulbouts, features that are outlined in the City of Sunnyvale's Active Transportation Plan, will improve pedestrian safety between Peterson Middle School and El Camino Real (State Route 82). A permanent sidewalk will allow pedestrians to comfortably walk along a path separate from the travel lane. b. Minimize impacts to existing landscaping and property frontages: Poplar Avenue is a neighborhood corridor with residential properties lining both sides of the roadway. Some of the landscaping, vegetation, fences, trees, and mailboxes along the property frontages are within the City of Sunnyvale's right-of-way. The project's goal is to install a City- standard sidewalk with minimal impact to the existing property frontage features and with engagement of the property owners regarding impacts to their frontage. c. Minimize overall construction and maintenance costs : The study evaluated conceptual layout alternatives and identified potential cost saving options, including minimizing impacts to landscaping and trees, avoiding right-of-way acquisition, and minimizing impacts to existing utilities including water mains, sewers mains, storm drains, Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 4
j
oint poles, overhead electrical lines, underground electrical facilities, overhead telecommunication lines, and underground telecommunication facilities.
III DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
Th
e design team conducted field topographic survey along the east side of Poplar Avenue from El Camino Real to Peterson Middle School. The design team surveyed the street monuments, completed a desktop study of the existing right-of-way using available parcel subdivision maps, and prepared right-of-way mapping. Poplar Avenue right-of-way is 60-feet wide. The southern limit of Poplar Avenue right-of-way is along the southern parcel line of 1350 Poplar Avenue.
Poplar Avenue has an existing 5.5-foot wide sidewalk on the east side from El Camino Real (State Route 82) to 1308 Poplar Avenue, where it widens to a 10-foot wide sidewalk that includes 4-foot wide tree planters along 1314 Poplar Avenue. Beginning south of 1314 Poplar Avenue, a 6-foot wide sidewalk with 4-foot wide park-strip is proposed including an 8-foot wide parking lane and 11-foot wide travel lane, until the Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue intersection. All existing utility facilities are to be adjusted to meet the finished grade of the proposed sidewalk. 1332 Poplar Avenue and 1336 Poplar Avenue have pavers, a decorative wall, and vegetative landscaping encroaching into the public right-of-way that will be impacted by the proposed 10- foot wide improvements. Existing driveways will need to be partially rebuilt. An existing PG&E power pole between 1332 and 1336 Poplar Avenue will need to be relocated within public right- of-way. The existing power pole’s guy wire is located within a public utility easement and will need to be reset. An application to PG&E will need to be submitted to relocate the pole towards the back of walk to retain sidewalk clearances. PG&E will relocate the pole outside of the sidewalk path of travel and within public right-of-way as part of the existing franchise agreement with PG&E.
At the intersection of Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue, bulbouts are proposed to narrow the lanes on Bryant Way and improve pedestrian safety per the City's Active Transportation Plan and principles identified in the Vision Zero Plan. Accessible curb ramps are proposed at the Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue intersection on the east side to meet ADA Requirements.
The design improvements proposed at 1332 Poplar Avenue and 1336 Poplar Avenue conform to Poplar Concept A as described below. The project considers two concepts for the proposed sidewalk fronting 1340 Poplar Avenue and 1350 Poplar Avenue, between Bryant Way and Rosalia Avenue, which are depicted in the exhibits and described below:
Poplar Concept A: A 6-foot wide sidewalk and 4-foot wide park strip with curb and gutter is proposed with a 6-inch buffer from back of walk to the existing property line. Removal of two trees, vegetation, and landscaping within the public right-of-way are required, impacting the frontages of the two properties. Concept A maximizes the current and future public space along Poplar Avenue. This layout configuration meets the City Standards (Standard Detail 9C-1) for new construction.
Poplar Concept B : An attached 8-foot wide sidewalk with curb and gutter (per City Standard Detail 9C) is proposed. The back of walk will have a 3-foot wide buffer from the right-of-way to minimize the removal of large trees and some vegetation along the two property frontages and conform to existing driveways within public right-of-way. Concept B reduces the amount of space for public use within the public right-of-way compared to Concept A.
City staff and Design team coordinated with the SCUSD to review the preliminary concepts.
During the meeting, SCUSD staff indicated that students also walk along Bryant Way and requested that this adjacent sidewalk gap be considered in the study. The extension of sidewalks on Bryant Way would also align the design concepts to support SCUSD’s Laurelwood Master Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 5
P
lan, which includes potential developments at Peterson Middle School. Bryant Way was not in the scope of this study. However, City staff directed the design team to evaluate a rough order of magnitude for the sidewalk gap closure improvements along Bryant Way east of Poplar Avenue.
IV EVALUATION OF CONCEPTS
Addre
ss
Block #
C
oncept A
Concept B
13 08 Existing 5.5-foot wide sidewalk and curb and gutter with parking along the east side of Poplar Avenue. No new improvements proposed.
13 14 Existing 10-foot wide sidewalk and curb and gutter with parking along east side of Poplar Avenue. No new improvements proposed.
13 32
1336
Proposed 6-foot wide sidewalk and 4-foot wide park strip improvements, curb and gutter, 8-foot wide parking lane, and 11-foot wide travel lane. Existing rosebushes at 1332 Poplar Avenue and existing decorative CMU wall at 1336 Poplar Avenue that straddle public right-of-way will be impacted. Cedar tree in front of 1336 Poplar A
venue was recommended to be removed by the City’s Arborist. 13 36
1340
Proposed bulbouts to narrow the crossing at Bryant Way and improve safety for pedestrians. Case A Curb Ramps with detectable domes shall meet ADA requirements. Existing water sampling station will need to be relocated. Existing storm drainage catch basin on the southeast corner of Bryant Way and Poplar A
venue w
ill be converted to a manhole and new storm drain inlet to be installed. 13 40
Planting and bioretention area at
bulbout. Shamel ash tree closest to
the private driveway is
recommended by the City Arborist
for removal. Existing water valve
within the gutter pan may need to be
relocated into the asphalt paved
surface.
Proposed 8-foot wide attached sidewalk
with 3-foot buffer from right-of-way to reduce
impact to landscaping and protect existing
trees within the public right-of-way. Parking
area replaced with bulbout for sight
distance.
13 40
1350
Proposed 6-foot wide sidewalk and
4-foot wide landscape (self-retaining
area with mulch) improvements, curb
and gutter, 8-foot wide parking lane,
and 11-foot wide travel lane.
Driveway improvements beyond the
right-of-way will be limited to meet
the existing driveway grades for
conform. Date Palm trees at 1350
Poplar Avenue will need to be
relo
cated.
P
roposed 8-foot wide attached sidewalk
with 3-foot buffer from right-of-way to reduce
impact to landscaping and protect in place
existing trees within the public right-of-way.
Includes 8-foot wide parking lane and 11-
foot wide travel lane.
Attachment 2
Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
Bellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 6
V ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND MUNICIPAL REGIONAL PERMIT
REQUIREMENTS – C.3 REQUIREMENTS
The project proposes to remove an Incense Cedar at 1336 Poplar Avenue, a group of small trees along Bryant Way at 1340 Poplar Avenue, and a Shamel Ash at 1340 Poplar Avenue. Additionally, the project plans to relocate small date palms at 1350 Poplar Avenue onto private property. All other trees within the project footprint will remain in place. Removal of trees were reviewed and allowed by the Arborist. The installation of new street trees along the proposed park strip will be considered during the design of sidewalk improvements. The feasibility of installing street trees may depend on conflicts with existing underground utilities and the availability of nearby landscape irrigation facilities.
Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, Order No. R2-2022-0018, NPDES Permit No.
CAS612008, Provision C.3 (MRP 3.0) is applicable for this project. C.3 (b). ii of new MRP C3.0 identified Regulated projects - Other Redevelopment Projects including Public Works projects are excluded from this C.3, unless they create and/or replace 5,000 contiguous (project area interrupted by cross streets or intersection are considered contiguous) square feet or more of impervious surface including sidewalk gap closures, sidewalk section replacements, and ADA curb ramps. Since this project is creating or replacing more than 5,000 square feet of disturbed soil area, this project will be subject to C.3 requirements per the new MRP.
C.3 Requirements include bioretention areas sized to treat runoff from the impervious area. In general, the street flows to the north toward El Camino Real and east on Bryant Way. The project intends to capture an equivalent area of impervious surface on Poplar Avenue south of Bryant Way. The study identified a new bioretention planter on the southeast corner of Bryant and Poplar.
The bioretention planter will require a new irrigation system with a new irrigation meter, backflow, and controller. The irrigation controller will require a new PG&E service from the nearby poles.
Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) set minimum bioretention sizing criteria for projects that must provide treatment of 80 percent of annual runoff and the following equations are used to size the bioretention planter per BASMAA green infrastructure manuals with a 6-inch reservoir storage.
The MAP for this project location is 15.3 inches.
0.00060 15.3 0.0086
0.01778
The total impervious area for this project is 5,984 square feet. Therefore, the minimum bioretention area is computed as follows:
5984 0.1778
107
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 7
V
I EXISTING UTILITIES ALONG THE CORRIDOR
Th
e existing utilities described below are based on research of existing record drawings combined with the information gathered through field surveying of surface-evident utility covers. a. AT&T: AT&T has existing underground conduits along the east side of Poplar Avenue from El Camino Real before turning east onto Bryant Way. There are two boxes on Poplar Avenue identified as SB 1308 and SB 1747. On the west side of Poplar Avenue are overhead AT&T wires between Bryant Way and Rosalia Avenue. Adjustment of AT&T facilities may be required at no cost to the City under the existing franchise agreement.
Project will need to coordinate with AT&T representatives to include a revocable bid item for adjustment of AT&T facilities.
b. Comcast: Comcast has overhead wires from Rosalia Avenue to Bryant Way. The overhead wires are on the west side between Bryant and Rosalia and cross over to the east side between Bryant Way and El Camino Real. There is a joint pole at the northern intersection of Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue where the overhead wires terminate, and the conduits are undergrounded heading north to El Camino Real. The underground conduits travel northward towards El Camino Real, with a few boxes in the sidewalk area servicing the properties along the east side of Poplar Avenue. No comcast facilities are impacted with this project.
c. Sanitary Sewer Mains: City of Sunnyvale has existing 8" VCP and 10" VCP sanitary sewer mains flowing from south to north along Poplar Avenue located near the street centerline. At the southern Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue intersection, there is a sewer main that flows east. At the northern Bryant Way and Poplar intersection, an 8” sewer main from the west flows into the 10” sewer main on Poplar Avenue. No sewer facilities are impacted with this project.
d. Storm Drainage: City of Sunnyvale has an existing 24" RCP storm drainage pipe flowing from the intersection of Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue heading north towards El Camino Real. There are catch basins located at the southeast and southwest corners of Bryant Way and Poplar Avenue that connect into the 24" RCP Storm Drain Main with 12" RCP laterals. Drainage from the proposed bioretention area will be connected to the existing drainage structure at the southeast corner of Poplar Avenue and Bryant Way. Curb openings with energy dissipators will be installed at the bioretention area to capture the street and sidewalk stormwater runoff.
e. Water: City of Sunnyvale has an existing 8" water main and fire hydrants along the east side of Poplar Avenue. There are 6 water valves and 4 water meter boxes that service the properties along Poplar Avenue and Bryant Way. Water meters boxes and valve boxes will be adjusted to new grade with the proposed improvements and the water sampling station will need to be relocated. A new irrigation service with new irrigation meter and backflow will be installed for the new bioretention area. f. PG&E Electric: There are existing overhead PG&E electric facilities located on PG&E power poles. The proposed improvements require a relocation of a PG&E pole and guy wires at no cost to the City under the existing franchise agreement. The project will also require a PG&E application for new service for irrigation. The pole on the north side of Bryant Way will also need to be relocated if permanent sidewalk improvements on Bryant Way are also considered.
g. PG&E Gas: PG&E Gas distribution main along Poplar Avenue travels along the west side of the roadway. The size of the main is 2 inches and the laterals servicing the properties along Poplar Avenue are 3/4 inches. No PG&E gas facilities are impacted with this project.
Attachment 2
Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
VII COST ANALYSIS
Preliminary construction costs were developed based on the two Poplar Concept Alternatives and the addition of Bryant sidewalks on the north and south sides. Estimated total project construction costs were then determined for each alternative by factoring in additional anticipated project costs including Design Fee/Contingency, Construction Support, Construction Base Bid/Contingency, and Bid Contingency. The Table below indicates the total estimated Design and Construction costs for each option:
Design Cost Construction
Cost
Total Project
Cost
Poplar Concept A $125,000 $675,000 $800,000
Poplar Concept B $117,000 $627,000 $744,000
+ Bryant (North & South) +$35,000 +$220,000 +$255,000
+ Bryant (South) +$18,000 +$108,000 +$126,000
VIII RECOMMENDATION
After analyzing the two different permanent sidewalk layout concepts on the east side of Poplar Avenue, we recommend Poplar Concept A. Poplar Concept A maximizes the public use space in a location that will have increasing pedestrian use due to the proximity of Peterson Middle School.
The Poplar Concept A configuration meets the City Standard for new construction of permanent sidewalk and park-strip.
Improvements identified in Poplar Concept A include many features outlined in the City of Sunnyvale's Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Plan: new permanent concrete sidewalk, advanced stop bars, yellow school crosswalk markings, and bulbouts. The total project costs for the Poplar Concept A improvements is $800,000.
Trees located along property frontages may be preserved in the proposed park-strip or behind the proposed sidewalk and no right-of-way acquisitions are needed. The concept design also includes storm water treatment per the MRP requirements.
New sidewalk improvements along Bryant Way were not part originally part of the scope of this study. After review of the area and based on discussion and input from SCUSD staff, cost estimates for new sidewalk along Bryant Way to fill sidewalk gaps adjacent to the study area were prepared and included as an option to further improve access to both students and residents.
Bellecci & Associates, Inc. Page 8
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale At
tachment A
Concept Plans and Typical Sections
Attachment 2
EL CAMINO REAL
(SR-82)
BRYANT WAY
POPLAR AVENUE
BRYANT WAY
ROSALIA AVENUE
POPLAR AVENUE
D
D
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D
YLOPLAST
ONOTPO
LLU
T E
U C T I L E I RO N
R
A I NS T O W A
T
E R
WA
YS
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D
YLOPLAST
O
NOTPOL
LU
T E
U C T I L E I RO N
RA
I N S T O W A
T E RW
AY
S
PETERSON
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SIDEWALKBIORETENTION AREAPARK STRIP AREADRIVEWAYCURB RAMPTREE TO BE REMOVED LEGEND
POPLAR AVENUE SIDEWALK STUDY
220071
TR-22-02
REGISTEREDPROFESSIONALENGINEER
STATE
OF
CALIFORNIA
CIVIL
No. 76008
ANOOP REDDY ADMAL
PRELIMINARY
NOT FOR
CONSTRUCTION
925 • 685 • 4569 bellecci.com
PLAN
POPLAR CONCEPT A
VICINITY MAPSITE MAP
PROJECT
BOUNDARY PROJECT
LOCATION
Attachment 2
POPLAR AVENUE SIDEWALK STUDY
220071
TR-22-02
REGISTEREDPROFESSIONALENGINEER
STATE
OF
CALIFORNIA
CIVIL
No. 76008
ANOOP REDDY ADMAL
PRELIMINARY
NOT FOR
CONSTRUCTION 925 • 685 • 4569 bellecci.com
TYPICAL SECTION - POPLAR CONCEPT A
TYPICAL SECTION - POPLAR CONCEPT A
Attachment 2
POPLAR AVENUE
STATE ROUTE 82
BRYANT WAY
POPLAR AVENUE
BRYANT WAY
ROSALIA AVENUE
D
D
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YLOPLAST
O
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L UT E
U CT I L E I R O N
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I N
S T
O W A
T E RW A YS
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YLOPLAST
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NOTPOL
LU
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U C T I L E I RO N
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I N S T O W A
T E RW
AY
S
PETERSON
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SIDEWALKBIORETENTION AREAPARK STRIP AREADRIVEWAYCURB RAMPTREE TO BE REMOVED LEGEND
POPLAR AVENUE SIDEWALK STUDY
220071
TR-22-02
REGISTEREDPROFESSIONALENGINEER
STATE
OF
CALIFORNIA
CIVIL
No. 76008
ANOOP REDDY ADMAL
PRELIMINARY
NOT FOR
CONSTRUCTION 925 • 685 • 4569 bellecci.com
POPLAR CONCEPT B
VICINITY MAPSITE MAP
PROJECT
BOUNDARY PROJECT
LOCATION
PLAN
Attachment 2
POPLAR AVENUE SIDEWALK STUDY
220071
TR-22-02
REGISTEREDPROFESSIONALENGINEER
STATE
OF
CALIFORNIA
CIVIL
No. 76008
ANOOP REDDY ADMAL
PRELIMINARY
NOT FOR
CONSTRUCTION 925 • 685 • 4569 bellecci.com
TYPICAL SECTION- POPLAR CONCEPT B - NORTH OF BRYANT WAY
TYPICAL SECTION- POPLAR CONCEPT B - SOUTH OF BRYANT WAY
TYPICAL SECTION - POPLAR CONCEPT B
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale At
tachment B
Site Photographs
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Attachment-B
13 14 Poplar Avenue, North
1314 Poplar Avenue, South
13 32 Poplar Avenue, North
13 32 Poplar Avenue, South
13 36 Poplar Avenue, North
1336 Poplar Avenue, South
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Attachment-B
B
ryant Way Intersection, South
Bryant Way Intersection, North
13 40 Poplar Avenue, North
1340 Poplar Avenue, South
13 50 Poplar Avenue, North
1350 Poplar Avenue, South
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Attachment-B
At
tachment C
Community Feedback
and Responses
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Attachment-C
Out
reach to Residents along Poplar Avenue
Desi
gn team responses are in blue.
1332 Poplar – Contacted via letter and site visit on 12/1/2022 at 10-10:25 am. Revisited site on 12/15/2022 at 3:50 to 4:15 pm.
City staff informed resident that new sidewalk may affect their landscaping. Supported the initiative to add a sidewalk along the east side of Poplar Ave. Shared her email address to receive updates on reporting the project to Council.
Acknowledged.
1336 Poplar - left contact 12/1/2022, met on 12:00-1:00 pm, 12/6/2022 Asked about keeping the third driveway on Poplar along their northern property line. (City to share the municode 18.12.070, and provide a CDD contact to discuss further questions).
Current plans show removal of the third driveway per the municipal code. Asked why City isn’t considering sidewalk on West side of Poplar since students also walk on that side; parents often park just north of the west leg of Bryant and walk their child to school from there.
Current project scope includes sidewalk gap closure on the east side only. Noted corner utility on Poplar and Bryant is a sampling station.
Acknowledged.
Shared concerns about drainage once the sidewalk is built.
We do not anticipate any significant changes to drainage, these will be included in final design and coordinated with the property owner.
OK with the removal of the wall on Poplar. Shared concerns about the rough surface left if the existing wall is removed to install the sidewalk.
Scope includes minor conforms at back of sidewalk.
OK with the removal of the existing street tree
Acknowledged.
Shared concern of the project’s impact on the newly installed fence along the southeast corner. Will the project impact the tree and fence? No.
Will the City relocate the mailbox?
Yes.
Would like City to give a heads up when the Study is presented to Council.
Yes, City to notify the impacted residents.
1340 Poplar met residents outside their residence between 10:45-11:05 am, 12/1/2022 Would like to know exact location of the public r/w so they can prepare accordingly for how the changes will affect their property (e.g. replant bordering landscape to maintain a visual buffer from back of walk to property.
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Attachment-C
Wo
uld prefer to minimize changes along Bryant; vegetation between roadway and their fence gives them a sense of privacy from the multi-story apartments along El Camino.
Acknowledged, these considerations will be included in final design. OK removing southern street tree and keeping northern street tree on Poplar Avenue.
Acknowledged.
Would like City to give a heads up when construction starts.
Yes, City to notify the impacted residents.
1350 Poplar - met residents outside the residence between 10:25-10:40 am, 12/1/2022 Worried that parents in cars won’t respect kids on bikes.
Additional signing and striping to be considered in final design. Drivers do not respect stop sign at Bryant & Poplar or posted speed limits Bikers along southbound Poplar cross over Rosalia and often interfere with cars driving northbound; curious if City has plans to make the crossing safer for bikers.
The school’s recommended path for bicyclists is to go southbound on Poplar Avenue, turn left onto Bryant Way, and then turn right into the parking lot.
Additional signing and striping to be considered in final design. Would like City to give a heads up when construction starts.
Yes, City to notify the impacted residents
1003 Bryant – contact attempted via letter and site visit on 12/1/2022 at 10:00-10:25 am.
Revisited site on 12/15/2022 at 3:00-3:50 pm
Supported the initiative to add a sidewalk along the east side of Poplar Ave. Shared her email address to receive updates on reporting the project to Council.
Acknowledged.
1334 Poplar – contact attempted via letter and site visit on 12/1/2022 at 10-10:25 am. No contact made as of 12/9/2022. Staff to consider other options for engagement.
Attachment 2
Pop
lar Avenue Sidewalk Study City of Sunnyvale
B
ellecci & Associates, Inc. Attachment-C
O
utreach to Santa Clara Unified School District
M
inutes for Meeting held on Tuesday, October 18, 2022
T
alking Points
The City presented Alternatives 1 & 2 to Michal Healy (Director of Facility Development and Planning), Chandra Henry (Peterson Middle School Principal), and Linda Pfeifer (Peterson Middle School Secretary), the school and school district representatives. The City also gave background on how this study was initiated.
District/School representatives confirmed that students access bike lockers through Poplar and not through Bryant via the parking lot. District/School representatives confirmed that the Alternatives compliment the school district’s masterplan.
District/School representatives confirmed that they want the sidewalk study to include closing the sidewalk gap on Bryant, particularly the south side of Bryant. District/School representatives’ only concern regarding the bulbouts installation to reduce crossing distance on Bryant is if cafeteria trucks can make the turns; City & Consultant assured school reps that consultant performed turning templates, showing that fire trucks can make the turn. If fire trucks can make the turns, so can cafeteria trucks.
Alternative 1: Drainage area in front of 1340 will be above ground, landscape will be low-water use.
Things to keep in mind
The Alternatives presented are not final. Consultant will be updating the plans over these next couple of weeks. The City will share final designs with school representatives as soon as we have them.
After finalizing the alternatives, City will review and prepare to present to City Council. The goal is to present to Council in January or February of 2023. Before presenting to Council, the City will also do public outreach, both targeted and general outreach, to inform residents of how they will be impacted by the project. District/School representatives mentioned they would be willing to provide a letter in time for presenting the alternatives to City Council to show support for the project.
Attachment 2
Office of the
Superintendent
February 28, 2023
City of Sunnyvale City Council
456 W. Olive Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Re: Letter of Support for the Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study and Implementation Dear City of Sunnyvale City Council Members,
Santa Clara Unified School District highly supports the Poplar Avenue Sidewalk Study and its implementation. The City of Sunnyvale Safe Routes to Schools, Public Works and Traffic Departments have always been great partners in helping to solve complicated access issues and helping to ensure our students and community are able to safely access SCUSD campuses. Many improvements have already been implemented by the City and St. Anton around Peterson.
Recently, the St. Anton project, called Murphy Station Apartments, constructed sidewalks on the east side of Poplar Avenue for the length of their project and installed sharrows on the street reminding drivers to share the road with bicycles. This was a major improvement, however the remaining portion of Poplar Avenue, which has residential homes, does not have sidewalks. In order to access Peterson Middle School, students must walk in the street trying to avoid parked and moving cars as they walk, bike or roll to the Peterson Middle School entrance. Adding sidewalks, curbs and crosswalks would vastly improve the safety of everyone walking on Poplar Avenue, especially the students.
The safety of our students and community is of the utmost importance and Santa Clara Unified School District encourages the City of Sunnyvale City Council to move forward with one of the options to install sidewalks on Poplar Avenue. We look forward to working together to find the best solution for everyone.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gary Waddell Mark Schiel
Superintendent Chief Business Of ficial
Michal Healy Chandra Henry
Facility Development and Planning Director Peterson Middle School Principal 1889 Lawrence Road ● Santa Clara, CA 95051 ● (408) 423-2000 ● www.santaclarausd.org Superintendent Gary Waddell, Ed.D. ● Board of Trustees Jim Canova, Vickie Fairchild, Albert Gonzalez, Bonnie Lieberman, Jodi Muirhead, Andrew Ratermann, Michele Ryan, Ph.D.
Graduates of Santa Clara Unifi ed School District are resilient, future-ready, lifelong learners who think critically, solve problems collaboratively, and are prepared to thrive in a global society.
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