City of Arroyo Grande Press Release

Arroyo Grande Mayor Tony Ferrara’s Statement:

Opinion on Measure “J”

In August 2006, I attended a “fact-finding” session facilitated by Supervisor Jerry Lenthall. SLO Council of Governments (SLOCOG), Cal Trans, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the City of SLO gave presentations.

Without exception, they observed serious flaws in Measure J. Here are just a few:

• Half of the developer’s financial contribution to the Prado Road Overpass is “soft money.” In other words, it’s “land for a right-of-way,” that they are contributing. The land contribution is inflated ($4 Million?) beyond its assessed value, and is a small fraction of the total estimated cost of the overpass. And there is no escalation clause to cover the increase in future construction costs and costs of materiel. The overpass is now estimated to cost nearly 40 Million, and those costs will increase dramatically before construction starts.
• Other developer contributions to surface street improvements on LOVR and Madonna Road are “time-conditioned.” Projects must be planned, approved, permitted and underway within one year, or the money reverts back to the developer.
• The vast majority of the cost of building the overpass will be borne by the taxpayers. In the event of a Mello Roos District, some of the costs will be borne by the businesses and residents (if any) that occupy the MRD. THE DEVELOPER PAYS NONE OF THESE COSTS.
• BUT MOST IMPORTANT is the potential for the redirection of major project funding away from Cities that are already in the process of planning transportation infrastructure improvements and have projects waiting for State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funding. For those of us in South County, that means Brisco / Halcyon, a project we have been waiting for, for 8 years. IT WILL BE PUT ON HOLD! For those in North County, that means Hwy 41 / 101 and Hwy 46 / 101.

I am not easily alarmed these days, but in this case, I am very concerned with the potential impact that MEASURE “J” will have on Arroyo Grande.

As the current president of the SLOCOG Board, I wholeheartedly agree and support the Staff analysis on traffic. LOVR and Madonna Road WILL FAIL. How do I know? Because they are FAILING NOW. During peak periods both the N/B and S/B off-ramps at LOVR are queuing back to the Hwy 101 main line. This is happening today, and without the full build-out of Froom Ranch.

The very first time a vehicle queues into the #2 lane on 101 and there is an accident, Cal Trans will request emergency funding. They are statutorily responsible for ensuring the safety of the State Highway System. SLOCOG believes, and so do I, that this request will trigger the redirection and reprioritizing of STIP funding from existing projects along the 101 Corridor. Again, for Arroyo Grande, that is Brisco / Halcyon.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that the City Council of the City of Arroyo Grande, at it’s September 26, 2006 Council Meeting, unanimously voted to OPPOSE MEASURE “J” ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT. To summarize:

1. Cal Trans analysis does not support this project.
2. SLOCOG analysis does not support this project.
3. RWQCB does not favor the Sewer and Sanitation plan proposed by this project.
4. The City of SLO does not support the project.
5. The Developer stated, “He doesn’t know where the money will come from” for traffic mitigation.
6. The Developer HAS NOT sufficiently addressed the FLOOD ZONE issue.
7. The Developer HAS NOT sufficiently addressed the SEWER and SANITATION issues.
8. The Developer pays a small fraction of the costs for the PRADO ROAD OVERPASS. YOU (ALL OF US) PAY THE REST!
9. Traffic impacts from MEASURE J will TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM LOCAL COUNTY-WIDE PROJECTS ALONG THE HWY 101 CORRIDOR.

I URGE YOU TO VOTE “NO” ON MEASURE J.

Tony Ferrara
Mayor
City of Arroyo Grande