State law authorizes municipalities to require measures that mitigate air pollution, as a condition for approving new construction. Accordingly, the city mandated that K-Mart pay a fee of $36,000 for mitigation measures. Rather than use the $36,000 for a specific project which would result in a modest venture, city planning staff proposed spending half the sum to defray the costs of developing a bicycle and pedestrian master plan. The remainder would be allocated to costs associated with sering grants for projects envisioned in that masterplan.
A major element in advancing the project was the broad support generated in the community. The Ukiah Wheelers Bicycle Club's members ardently lobbied the City Council to adopt the master plan approach, and in December 1997 the Ukiah City Council voted unanimously to support it. The Ukiah Wheelers again played an indispensable role, now in forming an advisory committee of interested citizens and organizations.
Once implemented, the plan will help realize bike and pedestrian measures envisioned in Ukiah's General Plan and make a significant contribution to the city's beauty and the health of its citizens. As stated in the introduction to the draft, "The plan urges Ukiah to take measurable steps toward the goal of improving every Ukiah citizen's quality of life, creating a more sustainable environment, reducing traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, noise and energy consumption".
At a City Council meeting held on August 27, consultants responsible for preparing the masterplan presented their proposals for pub-lic comment. Major recommendations incorporated in the draft as a result of that meeting are as follows:
¥ A pedestrian/bike path along the Northwestern Pacific rail right-of-way from Ford Road to Norgard Lane.
¥ Creation of a pedestrian/bicycle corridor along Clay Street-Peach Street-Gibson Creek through the NWP station redevelopment site.
¥ Extension of bike lanes on Gobbi Street from Oak Manor Drive to Dora Street.
¥ Creation of a North-South signed bike route along the west side of Ukiah.
¥ Once Orchard Avenue is extended to Brush Street, completion of bike lanes on Orchard Avenue from Gobbi Street to Ukiah High School.
¥ Formalization and improvements to the downtown pedestrian district.
¥ Creation of a one-block, pedestrian-only street in the downtown area, which will also improve traffic flow at the intersection of State and Perkins streets.
¥ A city-wide program to provide "missing link" sidewalks.
¥ Pedestrian enhancements to streets on key corridors, to connect the most vital pedestrian activity areas.
Although the policy portion of the draft plan is complete and available for public review, funding and implementation strategies are not yet written. The consultants are in the process of completing these sections and they should be available soon.
Those wishing to review the draft plan may obtain loan copies from the Ukiah Planning Department, Mendocino County Library and the Mendocino College Library. Copies may also be purchased from City Planning for $10.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1998
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited