TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer - Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Syed Ahsan Kazmi, Senior Traffic Engineer
SUBJECT: Resolution Establishing No Parking - Tow Away Restrictions on Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Public Works requests adoption of a Resolution establishing No Parking -Tow Away zones on both sides of Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Public Works (DPW) has received complaints from Property Owners/Residents, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Napa County Fire Department (NCFD) Offices, and Adventist Health St. Helena concerning vehicles parking on both sides of Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road. This is causing potentially hazardous road conditions by limiting access for emergency vehicles. Sunnyside Road is a narrow, winding local residential roadway with very limited shoulders available.
The County Traffic Engineer conducted traffic-engineering assessments of the concerned area and has identified that the subject area is appropriate for designation of No Parking -Tow Away restrictions. The No Parking Zones designation of the area will improve public safety, improve fire and paramedic response time and improve the efficiency of traffic operations.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Public Works/Roads Division |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
Prohibition of parking on Sunnyside Road will improve traffic flow and visibility of passing motorists, and will reduce trespassing issues that have been an ongoing problem for some time. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
None |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The timely response of Fire Department and Paramedics may be impacted. Existing conditions of roadway blockage for emergency response vehicles will continue. |
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County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: |
Healthy, Safe, and Welcoming Place to Live, Work, and Visit |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Consideration and possible adoption of a Categorical Exemption Class 1: It has been determined that this type of project does not have a significant effect on the environment and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. [See Class 1 (“Existing Facilities”) which may be found in the guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act at 14 CCR §15301; see also Napa County’s Local Procedures for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act, Appendix B.]
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
DPW in consultation with CHP and NCFD are proposing to establish permanent “No Parking - Tow Away” Zones on both sides of Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road.
DPW including the County’s Roads Division received many requests from local residents, St. Helena Hospital, CHP and NCFD that employees from the St. Helena Hospital were parking vehicles on both sides of Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road for an extended period of time and causing blockages of Sunnyside Road for emergency response vehicles such as fire engines and ambulances and in some cases CHP and local traffic were effected due to road blockages. The number of requests to establish No-Parking zones increased after the Glass Fire in 2020, which destroyed many properties along Sunnyside Road.
To resolve issues of blocked access on Sunnyside Road, DPW sent out over 130 community notification letters on November 29, 2021 through the US Postal Services to the surrounding area residents, hospitals, businesses and place of Worship located along Sunnyside Road, Woodland Road, Glass Mountain Road, Deer Park Road, Hillcrest Road, Sanitarium Road, Upland Road, Cristal spring Road, Rose Lane, Lilac Lane, Champion Lane etc. to seek input on the Proposed No Parking-Tow Away Zones on both sides of Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road (copy of community notification letter is attached in Exhibit B for further details).
In addition, County Traffic Engineer along with the Public Works Superintendent visited the site on January 13, 2022 and validated the issue that many vehicles were parked on both sides of Sunnyside Road creating a very difficult situation for fire trucks and ambulances to pass through without any struggle and losing precious response time. Please see attached photographs in attached Exhibit D sent by the Code Enforcement Fire Department Officer. For details on survey responses, please see the attached Community Survey Summary Report in Exhibit C.
The County Traffic Engineer along with the Public Works Superintendent, CHP and NCFD have determined that traffic operations would benefit and safety conditions would improve by eliminating parking on both sides of Sunnyside Road between Sanitarium Road and Hillcrest Road (as depicted on attached Exhibit A).