Title
Community Development Agency recommending the Board authorize the Acting Community Development Agency Director to sign a letter of support to the City of Folsom offering written endorsement for a grant application to fund the design and construction to widen Green Valley Road from two lanes to four lanes between East Natoma Street and Sophia Parkway.
Body
Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost
There is no fiscal impact or change to net County cost associated with this agenda item.
Background
The City of Folsom intends to submit a Green Valley Road proposal as a Regional/Local funding program application to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), and has asked for El Dorado County's support (Attachment A). SACOG manages a discretionary grant program and issues Calls for Projects on a biennial basis. The grant program consists of three distinct funding areas: Bicycle/Pedestrian, Community Design, and Regional/Local.
Green Valley Road is currently a two-lane, rural highway that links the community of El Dorado Hills to the City of Folsom. It also forms a segment in a road network that links southern Placer County, Folsom and western El Dorado County around Folsom Lake. The remaining roads in this Folsom Lake network, Folsom-Auburn Road, Folsom Lake Crossing, and East Natoma Street, have all been improved to four-lane capacity with Class II bicycle lanes and a median area. Green Valley Road was widened to four lanes from Sophia Parkway to Francisco Drive; therefore the segment from Sophia Parkway to East Natoma Street is the only chokepoint in the Folsom Lake network.
The City of Folsom believes that by removing this bottleneck, the proposed project can significantly improve traffic flow between the residential areas in south Placer and Folsom to the employment and retail centers in and around El Dorado Hills and Latrobe. The project will also benefit El Dorado County residents who use Green Valley Road to commute for employment in Sacramento or Placer County. A small portion of the project will actually be constructed in El Dorado County between the County line and Sophia Parkway. However, the project would not require financial support from El Dorado County.
Reason for Recommendation
Pursuant to the Board of Supervisor's Policy # A-5, the Community Development Agency is requesting Board approval for a letter of support to the City of Folsom for its project to widen Green Valley Road from two lanes to four lanes between Natoma Street and Sophia Parkway (Attachment B).
Action(s) to be taken following Board approval
The Community Development Agency will send letter of support to the City of Folsom.
Contact
Kim Kerr, Acting Director
Community Development Agency