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Pace 1 of 2 Maria Hoey Subject: FW Support Home Depot From: Robert Russma Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 2:48 PM To: Mary Lu Campbell Subject: Home Depot I reviewed the Planning Staff s last report regarding the ]Iome Depot project on Bernal and Stanley and have some questions about the data in the report. "l~he major issue, as it was with the new Water Parl:, is baffle in the area of Valley and Santa Rita and Valley / Bernal and Stanley, ['ve fe~llowed with interest the views of the Valley Avenue group that is opposed to the project They do not seem opposed to this project per se. They would just like to see an East-West traffic solution (perhaps Stoueridgc to Fl Charro) before there is any new development in town. My issues with the Staff Report involve the traffic study that shows a 3 per cent increase iu traffic across Valley. 1 asked Staff about the number of U~ips across Valley that was subtracted out of their figures, given that there would now be services on the Fast side of town. East Side residents who formerly traveled to FIome Depot on Johnson Drive will no longer have to make that t•ip. I(ow many trips per <:lay and per week is that? (f\dditionally, given that there will be a new Loaves in Dublin on the other side of 580 just off of Tassahara, how many trips will not be made by residents of Stoneridge, Las Pusitas and Pimlico all of whom will be closer to I,owes)? Fast Side Residents who get their daily coffee at Starbucks next to Safeway on Santa Rita will no longer have to drive across town. [-low many daily trips should be subtracted tirom the totals? Many of those on the Fast Side who purchase O~fC drugs, prescriptions, birthday cards, shampoo, vitamins, etc. at Walgreens will probably switch to Long's iu the F-Iome Depot center. If there~s an ice cream store, a restaw-ant or other shops that compete with the stores across Valley, the number of trips that will not be taken. continues to multiply. One way to estimate the approximate number of trips saved is to ask Staff manbers to spend a few hours at the McDonalds /Subway /new Gas Station complex at [3ernal and Stanley. They could ask customers where they used to get their fast food, gas, sandwiches, and tacos. One would guess that gas customers use to travel to Stanley and First, or Co the Chevron on Valley and Santa Rita for gas. If 100 customers are interviewed and just five say they reayeled across Valley, that's a 5 % reduction in traffic for that one item. This is anecdotal research. and I acknowledge that statistically accurate research ~~°ould take time and incur significant cost. I do believe, however, especially given the current and Future cost of gasoline, that t-affic patterns will change signilicailtly fnr East Side residents who formerly drove around town for goods and supplies, and I would not be surprised to see the total number of trips across Valley decrease. I was opposed to the new Water Park, and in fact sat in a number of neighborhood meetings with Matt and Jennifer on that subject. That project had a completely different set of t~affic patterns associated with it. If (remember correctly. 10% of the visitors would come from the Fast through Livermore. Chat meant that 90% of all visitors, Pleasanton residents and non-residents, would have to travel through Pleasanton, most likely either across First to Stanley. or down Santa Rita to Valley to Stanlcv. to reach the Water Park. This was all incremental traffic. ;i ] Oi?007