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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 2005-026 - Dana Drive Median -.. . e RESOLUTION NO. 2005-26 e A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDDING APPROVING THE USE OF TAX INCREMENT FUNDS TO CONSTRUCT THE DANA DRIVE MEDIAN PROJECT WITIDN THE CANBY-HILL TOP- CYPRESS PROJECT. WHEREAS, the Redding Redevelopment Agency desires to contribute tax increment funds from the Canby-Hilltop-Cypress Redevelopment Project for the construction of center medians along Dana Drive between Chum Creek Road and Friendly Road; and WHEREAS, Section 33445 of the Health and Safety Code states that before the Agency can pay all or part of the costs of any public improvement, the legislative body must first determine that the improvement will benefit the Project from which the funds are derived, that there are no other reasonable means of financing the improvement, and that the project will assist in the elimination of blight; WHEREAS, Section 33678 ofthe Health and Safety Code states that use of tax increment funds for public improvements must primarily benefit the project area; WHEREAS, the City Council is the legislative body for the City of Redding; NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council FINDS, RESOLVES, and ORDERS as follows: 1. The Analysis of Findings, attached and incorporated herein, are hereby adopted in satisfaction ofthe requirements set forth in Health and Safety Code Sections 33445 and 33678. 2. The public improvement is of primary benefit to the Canby-Hilltop-Cypress Redevelopment Project Area. 3. to the community. There are no other reasonable means offinancing the public improvement available 4. The payment of funds for the public improvement will assist in the elimination of one or more blighting conditions in the Project Area and is consistent with the adopted implementation plan. I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was introduced and read at a regular meeting of the Redding City Council on the 1 st day of March 2005, and was duly adopted at said meeting by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBER: COUNCIL MEl\ffiER: COUNCIL MEMBER: COUNCIL MEMBER: Dickerson, Murray, Stegall, and Mathena None Kight None / '." ~ ~ b ,,".- .. , , , '\ .;,. \.. ,- . ,.- .- e e ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS DANA DRIVE MEDIAN PROJECT The Redding Redevelopment Agency (Agency) desires to utilize tax increment funds to construct medians along Dana Drive between Churn Creek Road and Friendly Road. The purpose of the medians is to control left-turn movements, thereby reducing vehicle accidents along this portion of the Dana Drive traffic corridor, which lies within the Canby-Hilltop-Cypress (CHC) Redevelopment Project Area. The proposal is to reduce Dana Drive from a six-lane to five-lane arterial with three eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes. Six-foot-wide landscaped medians would be constructed down the center of Dana Drive between Churn Creek Road and Friendly Road with two left-turn pockets allowing access into driveways, but prohibiting left-turn exits from all driveways. V-turns would be allowed at Friendly Drive and by Jack-in-the-Box.' Health and Safety Code Section 33445 stipulates that before the Agency can pay all or part of the costs of any public improvement, the City Council must determine that the improvement is of benefit to the project area from which the funds are derived or to the immediate neighborhood in which the project is located, that no other reasonable means of financing the improvement is available to the community, and that the payment of funds for the improvements will assist in elimination of one or more blighting conditions in the project area, and is consistent with an adopted implementation plan. Health and Safety Code Section 33678 adds to the above that if tax increment money is used, the improvement must be of primary benefit to the project area. Is the proposed improvement of primary benefit to the Project Area? Collisions along Dana Drive between Churn Creek Road and Friendly Road have progressively increased over the past several years, resulting in a request by the Police Chief for an action plan to address this area, which has the largest concentration of collisions in the City of Redding. The collision rates along this stretch of Dana Drive within a three-year period were three times the Statewide average for similar roads. The two largest collision types are outbound left turns from businesses and inbound left turns into businesses. Dana Drive serves the City's main retail region. The City's Traffic Engineer, having conducted an extensive analysis of both current and future traffic conditions, has concluded that center medians limiting most left-turn movements will bring the collision levels to "at" or "below" the Statewide average. Construction of the medians is of primary benefit to the Project Area. It will result in safer traffic flows in and out of the retail establishments and lessen the negative impact accidents can have on businesses, such as occurred when a recent traffic accident caused a power outage along the entire corridor, resulting in unsafe driving conditions with no operational signals, and the inability for businesses to service their customers. Are any other reasonable means offinancing available to the community to fund the improvements? The City's Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal year 2003/04 through 2008/09 does not identify the project nor any source offunds that could be used to fund the improvements within the next five years. The City's General Fund does not contain funds for the project, nor has the project been included in any ..,-'..' .. e e Dana Drive Median Project Page 2 of the departmental budgets where funds are already limited. There are no funds available for the project at this time from Traffic Impact Fees or from the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Furthermore, STIP does not recognize the median improvements as an eligible project; and with the State's budget crisis, other approved projects are not receiving funding. The City has no other sources of funds available for the project. The medians will not be constructed at this time without the use of Redevelopment funds. Will the proposed project assist in the elimination of one or more blighting conditions within the CHC Project Area? Is the proposed project consistent with the Implementation Plan adopted for the Project Area? Both the original CHC Redevelopment Plan adopted in 1981 and the amended Plan adopted in 1990 identified the need for street improvements within the Project Area. The CHC Five-Year Implementation Plan adopted by the Agency on November 15, 2004, specifically identifies the Dana Drive corridor between Chum Creek Road and Friendly Road as a potential project because of its unsafe conditions caused by an increasingly high .number of vehicle accidents. Thus, the Project is consistent with the Implementation Plan. Additionally, construction of the medians with landscape improvements will help remove contributors to blight by enhancing the area, addressing a safety issue, and helping encourage reinvestment of private funds into businesses along the corridor.