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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDune Palms Community Impact MemoDune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 1 M e m o r a n d u m To: Sean Yeung, Acting Office Chief Date: February 13, 2018 Planning and Local Assistance 464 West 4th Street, 6th floor, MS 760 San Bernardino, CA 92401-1400 File: 08-Riv-Local Assistance Dune Palms Road Crossing Replacement Project FPN: BLRKS-5433 (014) From: Edward J. Wimmer, P.E. City of La Quinta Subject: Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project – Preliminary Community Impact Memorandum focused on the Impacts at the Dune Palms Mobile Estates (46400 Dune Palms Road) The Proposed Project: This memorandum specifically addresses the impacts to the Dune Palms Mobile Estates located at 4600 Dune Palms Road (APN 6000030010) caused by the Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project. The City of La Quinta is proposing to replace the existing low-water crossing spanning the Coachella Valley Storm Water Channel (CVSWC) at Dune Palms Road with an all weather access bridge (Figure 1). Dune Palms Road serves a vital north/south link for emergency services, as well as access to La Quinta High School, John Glen Middle School and Amelia Earhart Elementary School. It also provides connectivity to the Highway 111 commercial corridor for residential development north of the channel. The CVSWC conveys storm water runoff from the surrounding mountains as well as developed areas within the Coachella Valley. The elevation of the existing Dune Palms Road low-water crossing causes it to flood during minor rain events (2-year frequency) and results in full street closure and detour of both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. In the interest of public health and safety, and in response to community concerns regarding frequent closures of the low-water crossing, the City of La Quinta has determined that replacement of the low-water crossing with a new bridge is needed to ensure that all-weather access is maintained. The proposed project would replace the existing roadway with a 480-foot long by 86-foot wide three- span bridge. The bridge typical-section would consist of six-foot sidewalk on both sides of the bridge, two eight-foot outside shoulders (also serving as bike/golf cart lanes), a 10 foot raised median, two 11- foot travel lanes, and two 12-foot travel lanes. The proposed bridge would have an increased roadway width as compared to the existing roadway in order to accommodate the raised median; however, the proposed configuration would be compatible with the existing four-lane roadway section to the south, and the City’s current roadway improvement project to the north. In order to meet the Coachella Valley Water District hydraulic requirements, the bridge would have a significant vertical grade raise. The existing roadway approaches would be reconstructed to accommodate the raised profile effectively Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 2 extending the project’s construction limits to Highway 111 south of the project and to a vacant lot north of the project (Figure 2). The vacant lot is owned by the City and may be used for storage and construction staging. As a part of the bridge construction, concrete slope protection would be installed along the north side of the channel. Likewise, minor removal and replacement of slope protection would be required on the south side of the channel, west of the proposed bridge, and extension of slope protection approximately 300-feet downstream of the proposed bridge. Based on current design, scour protection within the channel bottom is not anticipated. Additionally, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments and the communities within the Coachella Valley are working together on the implementation of a regional Bike/Pedestrian/NEV corridor along Whitewater River / CVSWC. In accordance with this plan, the project would be designed to allow for the integration of a trail under-crossing within the southern slope protection. The project would also include a trail connector to the pedestrian and bike facilities along Dune Palms Road. Dune Palms is identified for Class III Bicycle Paths (shared facilities) in the City’s General Plan. The CVSWC shows a multi-use path and Dune Palms is also part of the Class II and III Golf Cart/NEV Paths system. The project would require right-of-way acquisition on the northeast and southeast corners of the proposed bridge. The northeast corner is developed with one single-family home and a mobile-home park all within the same parcel (Photo 7); the property at the southeast corner is vacant (Photo 8). The project is being designed to avoid full acquisition and relocation of the affected residences pending approval by the property owners of a partial property acquisition and access modification. Existing Setting: Dune Palms Road is oriented in a north-south direction and consists of one northbound and two southbound through lanes at the crossing and southern approach. The northern roadway approach consists of one through lane in each direction. The transition from one to two lanes in the southbound direction occurs at the midpoint of the channel crossing. The roadway consists of two-lanes in each direction between Fred Waring Drive and Westward Ho Drive (north of the proposed project), and between Highway 111 and Avenue 48 (south of the proposed project). According to the City 2035 General Plan Circulation Element, current traffic volumes range from 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles per day along this section of Dune Palms Road. Intersections with Dune Palms are operating at level of service C and roadway segments operated at level of service A, and bicycles are accommodated via a Class III Bicycle Path. The Dune Palms Mobile Estates neighborhood includes 103 mobile homes with an on-site swimming pool amenity, and one traditional single-story single-family home at the southwest corner of the site facing Dune Palms Road, abutting the north side of the CVSWC. The approximate density of the Dune Palms Mobile Estates neighborhood is 9.2 dwelling units per acre based on a total of 104 dwelling units located on the 11.29-acre parcel. According to information obtained on Zillow.com (December 23, 2014), the 103 mobile homes typically range in age from the mid- 1960’s to the mid-1990’s, the majority of the homes range in size from approximately 600 square feet to 1,200 square feet in area. Two of the individual mobile homes along the Dune Palms Road frontage are approximately 20-feet from the edge of pavement and currently encroach into existing right-of-way. They each have a six-foot wood fence which is located approximately 10-feet from the edge of pavement which provides the only buffer from traffic along Dune Palms Road. The entrance/exit points to the Dune Palms Mobile Home Estates are via narrow driveways with limited visibility, especially when approaching the entrance rising out of the at-grade crossing of the wash. Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 3 The 11.29-acre parcel has a City of La Quinta General Plan land use designation of Medium/High Density Residential. A summary of the General Plan Land Use Designation and Physical Land Use on the surrounding parcels is noted in Table 1: TABLE 1 Land Uses of the Surrounding Area General Plan Designation Physical Land Use North Medium/High Density Residential Bermuda Dunes Desert View Kingdom Hall church; and vacant land South Open Space- Natural Coachella Valley Storm Water Channel/Whitewater River East Low Density Residential Single-family residential neighborhood West Major Community Facility La Quinta High School The single-family residential neighborhood located immediately to the east of Dune Palms Mobile Estates was built in 1989/90 based on data available on Zillow.com (December 23, 2014). Lot sizes within this neighborhood range from 9,500 to over 10,000 square feet; and home sizes range from approximately 1,400 to over 2,500 square feet in area. The Bermuda Dunes Desert View Kingdom Hall church is located immediately north of the Dune Palms Mobile Estates. The church site includes two separate structures separated by a common parking lot. North of the church are nine separate parcels, eight of which are vacant, and one single-family residence (built in 1986) which faces Westward Ho Drive. On the west side of Dune Palms Road is the La Quinta High School. The Dune Palms Road frontage includes views of sports fields and portable classrooms, with access to a parking lot. The main access to the high school is from Westward Ho Drive. Regulatory Setting: The Medium/High Density Residential Land Use designation allows up to 16 dwelling units per acre and is designed to accommodate a broad range of residential land uses, including small-lot subdivisions, duplex, condominiums and apartment projects. Under the current General Plan and Zoning Ordinance mobile home parks are allowed with the approval of a Conditional Use Permit. According to the City Zoning Ordinance (Table 9-2 Residential Development Standards) the standard front yard setback in the Medium/High residential district is 20-feet. In addition, development standards for new Mobile Home Parks in Section 9.50.010 require a landscaped buffer of 20-feet minimum around the perimeter of the entire project. Project Consequences: The right-of-way needs for the proposed roadway improvement and bridge construction project will result in the acquisition of one single-family residence and two mobile homes, all of which are located within the Dune Palms Mobile Estates neighborhood along the east side of Dune Palms Road. The impacted residences are located on a single 11.29-acre parcel under the ownership of Chin Family Survivors Trust per Quitclaim deed dated 11/23/2005. Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 4 It is unknown at this time to what extent the residents of the three affected homes have property rights via leases or similar documents affecting the property. It is assumed that the three affected residences will require compensation for loss of the homes and any rights they may have in the land area, as well as relocation assistance. The project’s proposed right-of-way requires only partial use of the parcel upon which the residence and mobile homes are located. Pending approval by the property owners of partial property acquisition and access modification, the project will be designed to avoid impacts by relocating the mobile homes within the same area of the park if possible. Other options include relocation within other vacant lots in the same park or nearby parks. The project will comply with the requirements of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act. The City would also be required to pay fair market value for any property which is acquired in order to complete the public improvements. Construction Impacts During construction, the existing roadway would be modified as a temporary bypass to allow for staged construction of the bridge, and to maintain vehicle and pedestrian access at all times. Temporary and short term access impacts may occur and would require coordination with property owners, the public, and other stakeholders to avoid and minimize such impacts. The Dune Palms Road improvements will result in temporary vibration and elevated noise levels associated with heavy equipment which will be used to grade and pave the roadway. Construction noise is regulated by the City Municipal Code to occur during daytime hours only which service to minimize potential impacts. The construction activities may also be subject to soil erosion due to the effects of wind and water. The City and the contractor will implement Management Plans for the control of erosion in accordance with City and State regulations. The Management Plans will identify Best Management Practices (BMPs) that must be implemented in order to control storm water run-off during construction activities. The project will result in air emissions associated with grading and related construction activities. Implementation of South Coast Air Quality Management District rules to regulate emissions and fugitive dust will effectively minimize impacts to the local residents during this period. Cumulative Impacts In addition to the Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project, the City of La Quinta previously approved a separate Dune Palms Road Widening Project (Project Number 2009-04). That project included Environmental Assessment 2010-609 which was acted on by City Council on April 20, 2010. The purpose of the Dune Palms Road Widening Project is to widen the east side of the road, a distance of approximately 1,200-feet, to the ultimate General Plan width as a Secondary Arterial roadway. The project limits are between Westward Ho Drive and the CVSWC and consists of a 12-foot travel lane, curb, gutter, and 6-foot sidewalk – the width of the improvements totaling approximately 20-feet. This project is currently at 90% design. Since the CEQA analysis for the Dune Palms Road Widening Project was prepared prior to the initiation of the Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project, it only addresses impacts of the Road Widening Project. The CEQA Checklist identified “Less than Significant” impacts related to the potential displacement of people and/or housing units as noted: The widening of Dune Palms Road may require the removal or relocation of four mobile homes, and recreational facilities in the mobile home park common area, which appear to be encroaching into the City’s right of way. The engineering for the project will verify whether the structures are encroaching into the right of way, and if so, whether they will need to be removed. In addition, the Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 5 widening of the roadway may result in the need for the City to purchase the single-family home at the southern end of the project. Assuming that they do need to be removed, the four mobile home units and one single family home do not represent a substantial number of units, and the removal of those units would not necessitate the construction of replacement housing elsewhere, particularly since housing is available throughout the community, either in traditional construction, or in other mobile home parks in the general vicinity. Two of the four mobile homes and the single family home within the Dune Palms Mobile Estates which are noted in the Dune Palms Road Widening project CEQA document, are the same as those related to the Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project. The combined relocation impact of the two projects is not substantial and will be avoided and minimized. Therefore the project is not considered to have cumulative impacts. Conclusion The project will have minimal individual and cumulative community impacts. The project’s right-of-way requirements will affect two mobile homes and one single family residence. However, avoidance and minimization of effects will be accomplished by 1) relocation of the existing mobile homes on-site or off- site to mobile home parks within the general project’s vicinity; and/or 2) relocation of the resident to other housing accommodations either on-site or off-site. The overall impacts to the residents of the Dune Palms Mobile Estates would largely be temporary and short term related to construction activities. Construction impacts will be avoided and minimized by implementing applicable measures required by ordinance, rules, and regulations. In addition, measures will coordinated with the local community, utility companies, and any other affected parties. The project will be beneficial to local community and residents of the mobile park as a result of enhancing safety conditions and providing all-weather crossing. In addition, the removal of the mobile homes on the north and south side of the entry/exit driveways may provide an opportunity to widen both the entry and exit driveways, enhancing safety and improving access to the neighborhood. Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 6 Figure 1: Vicinity Map Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 7 Figure 2: Site Map Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 8 Figure 3: Photo Location Map Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 9 Photo 1: Vacant land southeast of Dune Palms Road Photo 2: Commercial buildings southwest of Dune Palms Road Photo 3: La Quinta High School northwest of Dune Palms Road Photo 4: Single-family home and mobile-home park northeast of Dune Palms Road Scenic Resource Evaluation and Visual Impact Assessment Dune Palms Road Low-Water Crossing Replacement Project 10 Photo 5: Dune Palms Road looking west along the channel Photo 6: Dune Palms Road looking south Photo 7: Single-family residence and mobile-home park northeast of Dune Palms Road and the channel Photo 8: Vacant lot southeast of Dune Palms Road and the channel