HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 06-66
RESOLUTION NO. 06-66
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
TUSTIN, CALIFORNIA OPPOSING STATE ASSEMBLY
EFFORTS TO PROHIBIT CONSTRUCTION OF A TOLL
ROAD THROUGH THE SAN ONOFRE STATE BEACH
PARK
WHEREAS, the Foothill Transportation Corridor, or State Route 241, was placed
on the County of Orange's Master Plan of Arterial Highways in 1981 to handle projected
increased in population, housing, and jobs and is a key component of the Southern
California Regional Transportation Plans adopted by the Southern California
Association of Governments and the San Diego Association of Governments;
WHEREAS, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA), a
joint-powers government agency made up of the County of Orange and 12 cities, was
created in 1986 to plan, finance, build and operate State Routes 241, 261, and 133,
also known as the Foothill and Eastern Toll Roads in eastern and southern Orange
County. These roads, initially planned as state-funded highways, were financed by toll-
revenue bonds by the F/ETCA because state funds were not available to build them as
traditional highways;
WHEREAS, the Foothill and Eastern Toll Roads currently carry nearly 300,000
trips per weekday. The final 16-mile segment of the foothill Toll Road, a project known
as Foothill-South, would extend the 241 south to the 1-5 Freeway and is the last piece
of Orange County's planned 65-mile toll road system;
WHEREAS, since the mid-1990's the F/ETCA has worked in an unprecedented
collaborative effort with the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Caltrans, and U.S. Marine Corps Camp Pendleton. These agencies have
worked to identify and analyze various project alternatives to address the increasing
traffic congestion and the facility of goods movement in South Orange County while
minimizing the environmental impacts;
WHEREAS, this collaborative effort by the F/ETCA, state, and federal agencies
included the development of a $17-million Environmental Impact Report/Subsequent
Environmental Impact Statement ('EIR/SEIR) over the past six years that exhaustively
analyzed the potential impacts of numerous toll road and non-toll road project
alternatives, including the widening of the 1-5 Freeway.
WHEREAS, the conclusion of this collaborative effort resulted in the F/ETCA
Board of Directors, on February 23, 2006, certifying the Final EIR and selecting a
preferred toll-road alternative;
Resolution No. 06-66
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WHEREAS, the federal environmental agencies have determined that the
alternative approved by the F/ETCA provides the greatest amount of traffic relief to 1-5
and is the Least Environmentally Damaging, Practicable Alternative;
WHEREAS, studies show that other alternatives, such as widening the 1-5
Freeway, have severe negative impacts to local communities. Widening the 1-5 through
south Orange County to handle the projected increase in traffic on 1-5 would require the
removal of more than 800 homes, nearly 400 businesses, resulting in the elimination of
5,000 jobs at cost to state taxpayers of $2 billion;
WHEREAS, there is no identified funding to adequately widen 1-5 to meet future
traffic demand, nor is funding included in the State's infrastructure bond measure
recently passed by the Legislature;
WHEREAS, construction of Foothill-South requires no state tax dollars. As with
the TCA's existing toll roads, construction of these publicly owned highways is funded
primarily through toll-revenue bonds, serving as a model of how public-private
partnerships can successfully meet major infrastructure needs;
WHEREAS, a portion of the toll road crosses through Camp Pendleton inland of
the 1-5 Freeway, not on the beach. The portion that crosses through Camp Pendleton
is leased to the State for operation of San Onofre State Park. No inland or coastal
campsites will be removed;
WHEREAS, the United States Marine Corps has determined that the alignment
adopted by the F/ETCA is the only alternative on Camp Pendleton that is consistent
with the mission and operation of the U.S. Marine Corps Base - Camp Pendleton;
WHEREAS, polls consistently show that a majority of Orange County residents
support the completion of the 241 Toll Road;
WHEREAS, in association with construction of the existing 51-mile toll road
system, the Transportation Corridor Agencies have preserved or restored nearly 2,000
acres of sensitive native habitat and have successfully implemented numerous
mitigation measures that have protected wildlife species, proving that projects can built
and balanced with environmental protection;
WHEREAS, the recommendations by Assembly Budget Subcommittee #5 to
prohibit a "private" toll road through San Onofre State Beach inaccurately characterizes
the project in fact, the Foothill Toll Road will be a public facility operated by a public
agency that is governed by elected officials, just as the existing 51-mile toll-road system
is protected today;
WHEREAS, the recommendation by Assembly Budget Subcommittee #5 to
increase Caltrans' budget by $450,000 to fund a study of transportation alternatives is a
waste of scarce transportation funds and would constitute a misuse of taxpayers
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dollars. Numerous possible toll road and non-toll road alternatives, and the potential
impacts of those alternatives have been thoroughly analyzed by local, state and federal
agencies, as documented in the Final EIR document certified by the F/ETCA Board on
February 23, 2006;
NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved, that the City of Tustin City Council opposes
the actions of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #5 and urges all elected state
representatives in their efforts to protect local control and Orange County's ability to
build transportation improvements that enhance mobility, improve quality of life, and
create jobs with the least impact to the environment and local communities.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Tustin City Council on the
5th day of June 2006.
ATTEST:
PA ELA STOKER
City Clerk
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) SS
CITY OF TUSTIN )
I, Pamela Stoker, City Clerk and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Tustin,
California, do hereby certify that the whole number of the members of the City Council of
the City of Tustin is five; that the above and foregoing Resolution No. 06-66 was duly
passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Tustin City Council, held on the 5th day of
June, 2006 by the following vote:
COUNCILMEMBERAYES: DAVERT. HAGEN. AMANTE. BONE. KAWASHIMA (5)
COUNCILMEMBER NOES: NONE (0)
COUNCILMEMBER ABSTAINED: NONE (0)
COUNCILMEMBER ABSENT: NONE (0)
~d2e~
PAMEL STOKER,
City Clerk
Resolution No. 06-66
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