FAIR OAKS BOULEVARD Marconi Avenue to Engle Road MEETING SUMMARY 7:00 PM, Carmichael Park Clubhouse, 5750 Grant Avenue Meeting Room No. 1 October 30, 2003 PREPARED BY: Stephen V. White, Associate Civil Engineer November 4, 2003 MEETING PURPOSE: The purpose of this meeting was to provide adjacent business owners/tenants with an explanation of the process the Real Estate Division typically follows for a project of this nature. The meeting also provided an opportunity for business owners/tenants to ask questions regarding the County’s acquisition process. WELCOME/INTRODUCTIONS: Steve White opened the meeting by welcoming the attendees and introducing the following individuals: * Stephen White – SacDOT, Associate Civil Engineer * Craig Thurston – Sacramento County Real Estate Division, Chief * Matt Satow – SacDOT, Senior Civil Engineer PROJECT UPDATE: Steve White updated the group on the status of the project. * This project is a continuation of the improvement project north of Engle Road that was completed a few years ago. * The environmental process for this project was initiated in late April 2003. * Seven (7) alternatives are being evaluated in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). * These alternatives were developed based on input from public meetings held in December 2002 and April 2003 as well as from coordination with the Carmichael Community Action Plan Update Committee (CCAP) and the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce. * The draft EIR should be released for public comment in Fall 2004. * Following a public comment period, responses will be made to all comments received on the Draft EIR. These comments will be incorporated into the Final EIR, which is expected to go before the Board of Supervisors in the spring of 2005. * If at the spring 2005 hearing, the Board of Supervisors decides to move forward with one of the widening alternatives, utility relocation and right of way acquisition would begin in the summer of 2005 and roadway construction would begin in the summer of 2006. PRESENTATION OF REAL ESTATE DIVISION’S ACQUISITION PROCESS: Craig Thurston made a brief presentation covering the Real Estate Division’s right of way acquisition process. Craig’s presentation touched on the following issues: * After the Board approves the project, SacDOT will identify the required right of way and request that the Real Estate Division move forward with acquisition. * An appraisal of the property will be made before negotiations begin. The property owner will be given an opportunity to accompany the appraiser during the inspection * Most appraisals are done by outside firms but the County does have qualified staff and does do some appraisals in-house. * After the completed appraisal is reviewed, the agency will establish the amount it believes to be the just compensation to be offered for the property. * If the property owner is not satisfied with the offer, he/she will be given an opportunity to present any evidence concerning the value that warrants a change of the just compensation. * If an agreement cannot be reached, the agency can acquire the required right of way by exercising the power of eminent domain. If this situation arises, the agency must institute formal condemnation proceedings. * Copies of the County of Sacramento Information Guide For Property Owners were distributed to the attendees. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS: Craig then opened the floor to questions and comments. A number of questions were raised, which are summarized below. * If the existing building footprint is within the proposed right of way acquisition, will the County offer to buy the entire parcel? This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If there is minimal impact to the building and it can be reconfigured with little difficulty, the County would offer to purchase only the required right of way and work with the owner to modify the building and other site improvements to accommodate the roadway project. If the acquisition has a major impact on the existing building, the County may offer to purchase the entire property. * Will there be any compensation for business lost during construction? There is no compensation for business lost during construction. However, the County will do everything possible to minimize the disruption to businesses during construction. Access to businesses will be maintained during business hours and any driveway reconstruction will be staged so that it is completed with minimum inconvenience to businesses. * Will u-turns be permitted at all of the signalized intersections after the project is complete? Under all of the widening alternatives (alternatives 3-7) u-turns will be permitted at all signalized intersections. * Is it possible to include additional u-turn pockets in between intersections? This is still possible and will be investigated further as we move through the EIR process. * How do you define “good will”? During the appraisal stage, a value will be determined for a property/business. The appraisal typically accounts for the value of the property and any physical improvements (buildings, equipment, fixtures, parking lot, landscaping etc.). Sometimes a property/business has a dollar value that is actually higher than the sum of the value of the property and the physical improvements. This difference is defined as good will. In other words, good will is an intangible, salable asset that is typically derived from the reputation of a business. * This project will have large acquisition costs and will have a negative impact on many properties and businesses. Where are the benefits? There will certainly be some short term negative impacts during construction and the project could potentially have major right of way impacts on a number of properties. However, if the Board of Supervisors moves forward with the project, there will be many benefits. Among the benefits are congestion relief and increased safety. The project will also provide increased mobility for bicyclists and the disabled community with the construction of bike lanes and sidewalk and ramp upgrades for ADA compliance. The landscape improvements will beautify this portion of Fair Oaks Boulevard and provide a better commercial environment. * How will owners be compensated for lost parking spaces? In some cases, lost parking can be viewed as damage to the property. For instance, a property with 10 parking spaces that is only required by ordinance to have 6 spaces, could lose up to 4 spaces without any damage. On the other hand a parcel with 10 spaces that is required by ordinance to have 10 spaces, would be damaged if it lost even one space. Lost parking will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in the appraisal and compensated accordingly. * Has the County recently re-timed the signals on Fair Oaks? The traffic seems to be worse over the past few weeks. We are not aware of any “tinkering” with the signal timing on Fair Oaks Boulevard but we will check with the signal operation crews to see if anything has been changed. * How are damages to tenant improvements handled? The County is required to pay for property as if it were in a single ownership, and the contributory value of the tenant’s improvements will be paid to the tenant. However, no payment can be made to the tenant unless the owner of the land involved disclaims all interest in such improvements. Also, in consideration for payment, a tenant must assign and release to the County all right, title and interest in these improvements. * Has a project ever been cancelled due to excessive right of way costs? If money is not available, the County will not move forward with right of way acquisition. We are unaware of any project where the County started to acquire the required right of way and stopped because we ran out of money. The County only moves forward with acquisition if adequate funding is available. * How does cost factor into the evaluation of the various alternatives? Cost is not considered in the EIR analysis for determining the environmentally superior alternative. However, SacDOT will be preparing cost estimates for the various alternatives as we move through the environmental process. Cost will certainly be a factor when the Board of Supervisors considers the Final EIR. * What are the pros and cons of frontage roads? The alternatives that include frontage roads were originally suggested during our community meetings in December 2002 and April 2003. The main benefit of the frontage road concept is that traffic adjacent to business will be moving slower than under the more traditional widening alternatives. This makes for a more pedestrian friendly environment. Landscaped medians separate the through traffic from the slower moving local traffic and pedestrians. The major drawbacks are increased right of way impacts and the potential for less efficient traffic flow. The EIR will evaluate the traffic impacts of all of the alternatives including the frontage road options. * What controls does the County have to prevent contractors from storing their equipment on private property? The County’s Standard Construction Specifications stipulate that Contractor’s can only use private property for staging/equipment storage/parking etc. if they enter into an agreement with the property owner. During construction there will be a County inspector on site. He should be notified of any problems with the contractor. The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:00PM. ATTACHMENTS: The following materials are attached to these meeting notes: 1. Meeting Agenda 2. County of Sacramento Information Guide for Property Owners