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this was so. Mr. Tassano added that the one which has been in the traffic plan for the last ten years and in the General Plan for the last 12 years is the triple southbound left turn. He noted that the City moved forward with that project, had the design level complete, and is currently working on the funding portion. He added that the City did not have sufficient funds at that time and held off on it for awhile, adjusted some of the design elements, and returned to the Council a couple of years ago. He noted that the Council was not comfortable with a triple southbound left turn, as were the residents in the area, due to concerns over pedestrian safety and the width of the crossing. He continued that he was then asked to look at other potential solutions and to determine if extending Stoneridge Drive would be a possible mitigation to this LOS. He stated that what was determined was that right now, Stoneridge Drive extension would mostly add some cross-town traffic to get back on the freeway at EI Charro Road. He added that in the future, at build-out, there would be a higher need in the Hacienda Business Park area, and extending Stoneridge Drive would have more benefits as it will alleviate more traffic seen at Santa Rita Road and Valley Avenue. He stated that the Council is now faced with a dilemma of not favoring the triple southbound left turn as a near-term mitigation, with the knowledge that alonger-term mitigation in the future would be the Stoneridge Drive extension. He noted that the question to be answered after the General Plan is completed is the timeline on when the cross-town traffic would diminish to a point where there would be a greater benefit of the local need to reduce the southbound left-turn volume. In response to Commissioner Narum's inquiry regarding when this might occur, Mr. Tassano replied that he would be able to analyze this in greater detail after the completion of the General Plan. Commissioner Narum noted that it would be years away if and when the Stoneridge Drive extension occurs and inquired if there were other solutions that could alleviate this intersection besides the triple southbound left turn. Mr. Tassano replied that he did not know if and when Stoneridge Drive would be extended and that nothing else is planned at the present time. She inquired if there is money available if the triple southbound left turn were to be constructed at this time. Mr. Tassano replied that money would be available but that other pipeline projects would need to be shifted around. Commissioner O'Connor voiced concern that while there is money in the bank and the City is waiting to collect more, the costs are rising, and the City is then always behind the 8-ball. Mr. Tassano agreed. In response to the East Side Specific Plan question, Mr. Tassano stated that with the General Plan, there is a combination of residential, retail, and office for the East Side Specific Plan. He added that upon completion of the General Plan, the East Side Specific Plan would give a more specific identification of what that land use is going to be. Commissioner Fox noted that after the Home Depot project was denied, the Council wanted to hold off on development on the East Side until the East Side Specific Plan EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, July 9, 2008 Page 15 of 20