City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department East Sonoran Parkway Alignment (ESPA) Committee Committee Recommendation April 2006

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1 SONORAN PARKWAY BACKGROUND City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department Important east-west alignment for congested northeast Phoenix Alignment on Street Classification map since 1987 Originally shown as two parallel arterial alignments, reduced to one in 2002 to reduce impact on Sonoran Preserve Design Concept Report completed 2004, designed as scenic corridor similar to Galvin Parkway CITIZEN COMMITTEE BACKGROUND Recognition that the east end of the Sonoran Parkway serves populated areas (Tatum Ranch, Dove Valley, Desert Ridge, Tatum Highlands, etc.) Community requested further input and more detailed study relative to the eastern connection of the corridor 12 citizens appointed by Phoenix City Councilwoman Peggy Neely, with City staff and consultants providing assistance and resources for the study Represent neighborhoods in study area Street Transportation Department staff and consultants provided information and resources to enable the members to draw their own alternatives on blank maps. A total of 18 alternatives, originally drawn by each individual Committee member (some drew more than one), were collaboratively narrowed through a systematic process to 3 for community consideration in March The members of the Committee are as follows: Representative Clancy Jayne, Chairman Steve Bowser, Tatum Highlands Laura Sobrino, Tatum Highlands Weston Brown, Tatum Ranch Virgel Cain, Tatum Ranch Beverly Montgomery, Tatum Ranch Jim Davis, Desert Ridge Bob Newman, Desert Ridge Lou Lagrave, Dove Valley Bernard Pleskoff, Dove Valley Phil Richards, Parks Board Jim Kunkel, Northeast Phoenix STUDY GOALS The Citizen Committee conducted an exercise during its second meeting (February 2005) to brainstorm Study Goals, which would later be translated into measurable criteria and used by the Committee to select the best alternative for the entire community. Improve Traffic Flow the solution should improve general traffic flow in the study area and alleviate nearcapacity traffic conditions on existing streets. Distribute Traffic Equitably The solution should equitably disperse Sonoran Parkway traffic at its eastern end so as not to disproportionately dump traffic near any one neighborhood. Achieve Consensus the Project Team and community should ensure the finality of this study process with proper community input and feedback and should consider connection roads outside the Sonoran Preserve. Minimize Social and Environmental Impact the solution should be cost-efficient, environmentally/ecologically friendly (air quality, noise, etc.), and mindful of potential property value impacts. The solution should make use of existing/planned high-traffic corridors, and avoid creation of new high-traffic corridors within the study area. To ensure that community values are incorporated into the solution 1

2 The Citizen Committee for the East Sonoran Parkway Alignment Study, after 18 months of careful review and deliberation, recommends that the City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department recommend to City Council adoption of the connections depicted below for the east end of the future Sonoran Parkway: The Committee further recommends that the City consider the following: 1. Coordinate with State Land to encourage phasing of development so that the Sonoran Parkway and Black Mountain Parkway connect to one another first, followed by simultaneous connections to Lone Mountain Road and Tatum Boulevard. 2. Consider scenic designation for the Sonoran Parkway, consistent with the 2004 Sonoran Parkway Design Concept Report. 3. Post the Sonoran Parkway for a 45 mph speed limit. 4. Build four lanes immediately when constructing the Sonoran Parkway, as opposed to an interim two-lane configuration. 5. Maintain the four-lane configuration of Tatum Boulevard through Tatum Ranch as shown on the map. 6. Use rubberized asphalt for noise protection. 7. Move forward with land acquisition to protect the Sonoran Preserve. 8. Consider community involvement in developing the alignment of the Black Mountain Parkway south of Jomax Road. 9. Consider connectivity (especially to the north) and community involvement to design the street network as new development occurs to the west of the ESPA study area. 10. Downgrade the street classification of the segment of Black Mountain Parkway between 40th Street and Carefree Highway from arterial to collector status and rename the segment. To ensure that community values are incorporated into the solution 2

3 STUDY CRITERIA In April 2005, the Committee conducted an exercise to assign a weight of importance to each of the Study Goals listed on page 1. The Committee s recommendation was based on detailed technical analysis, community input, and the study goals and criteria, especially most heavily weighted Study Goal: Distribute Traffic Equitably. CRITERION WEIGHT OF IMPORTANCE The Committee ranked the eight criteria from 1 to 8 in order of importance (8 being most important and 1 being least important) Study Goal: Improve Traffic Flow Access delay from selected side streets, measured by computerized traffic model in seconds for left turning movements Cycle failures at key intersections; measured as number of cycles through which a vehicle must wait 5.96 Level of Service on urban streets, measured in average vehicular speed 6.29 Study Goal: Distribute Traffic Equitably Percent increase of through traffic on urban streets (computerized traffic model separates local traffic from through traffic by assigning through traffic to bypass conditions 6.96 Study Goal: Minimize Social and Environmental Impact Minimize number of drainage crossings/wildlife corridors by roadway. Minimize the number of grade-separated structures Minimize disturbance to Sonoran Preserve (native vegetation and wildlife habitat areas), measured in acres or linear feet Number of front-facing residential properties on urban streets considered for connection To ensure that community values are incorporated into the solution 3

4 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department The 12-member Citizen Committee met 12 times from January 2005 through. Meetings were open to public observation, and on the average, 15 observers attended each meeting. In March 2005, the Committee toured the project area with City staff and consultants for an on-site review of conditions. Also in March 0f 2005, the team and committee hosted a community open house, which is described below. The community provided valuable input, also described below, which helped the Committee members begin, in May 2005, to draw their own alternative scenarios for the eastern connections of the future Sonoran Parkway. From July 2005 through February of 2006, the team and committee worked together to evaluate the various alternatives and narrow the range to three for presentation to the community in March The March 2006 community meetings are described below. INPUT MATRIX At the first Committee meeting in January 2005, Committee members worked with the facilitator to determine ground rules that would govern Committee meetings. One rule established was that observers would be welcome at Committee meetings, and that any questions or comments from those observers would be accepted in writing and responded to openly. To that end, the project team maintained an Input Status Matrix which included all comments received from Observers at Committee meetings and also comments/questioned posed via the project website (see below) with responses from the project team. PROJECT WEBSITE Information throughout the process has been available at The site includes all Committee meeting notes and other pertinent information, as well as a vehicle for providing comments, asking questions, or requesting addition to the project contact database. UPDATES Notice of all Committee and community meetings was provided to an list that currently contains more than 800 names. MARCH 2005 COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE Publicity A project newsletter was inserted in local newspapers and ed by Citizen Committee members to local neighborhood groups. The newsletter described the study and invited participants to an open house to provide early input into the study. Coverage: Desert Advocate and Northeast Phoenix Independent. Format The 75 attendees were invited to review and comment on displays around the room that depicted existing conditions in the study area with respect to the To ensure that community values are incorporated into the solution 4

5 roadway network, utilities, land use, drainage, and the environment. Participants filled out comment forms which were synthesized by the project team for Committee review. The comments helped the Committee and team develop a more full understanding of the community and their concerns related to the project. MARCH 2006 COMMUNITY MEETINGS The photo at top right shows the March 30, 2006 community meeting at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School. The photo below shows the March 29, 2006 meeting at Pinnacle High School. Publicity A meeting notice was mailed to more than 7,800 addresses within the study area, and the Desert Advocate and Northeast Phoenix Independent newspapers covered the events. Format The 211 participants spent a few minutes browsing exhibits showing the three alternatives and a bestguess timeframe for how and when the roadway network may be developed, based on development patterns. City staff then presented information about the project and the alternatives, after which the community was invited to comment, both orally and in writing. To ensure that community values are incorporated into the solution 5