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North Gate
RanchoMurieta.com file photo

Before committing to a plan to change the North Gate traffic arrangement, the Community Services District wants to hear from residents.

What are your thoughts on North Gate relocation? CSD wants to know

Your neighbors' opinions on this topic in Community Views

Published Sunday, September 15, 2002

It’s up to residents to comment on four options for relocating the North Gate before any decision will be made, the Community Services District board says.

“The people who live here are entitled to speak their opinion. … Give them the opportunity to discuss it,” said President Jim Lensch at Wednesday's CSD board meeting.

The CSD made no recommendations about the four options for the gate locations that were presented at the board meeting by architect Chris Davis of R & D Design Solutions. The firm was hired by the CSD to design the new gate, which the CSD will fund.

Lensch described the options as “talking points” for the community. “This is a layout of traffic flows,” he explained.

The options are based on traffic studies, including one for which the CSD and the Rancho Murieta Association shared the cost.

The options address traffic issues at the gate. All four include an additional lane for traffic. None of them keeps the entrance to Lago Drive behind the main gate. The guard station in all the designs is relocated farther up the Parkway to accommodate vehicle stacking and to prevent traffic from blocking the Highway 16 intersection.

When the community is built out, traffic at the North Gate is expected to be about four times what it is now, Davis said.

All the options use right of way that is available now.

Previous design ideas that incorporated property behind the RMA Building were scrapped, since it’s not certain when, if ever, that land will belong to the RMA. A proposed land swap is part of the development agreement being negotiated among the RMA, developer Murieta Holdings and the Pension Trust Fund of the Operating Engineers. ”We can’t depend on that,” said Lensch.

Three of the four options place the guard station in the middle of the Parkway. One places it off to the right. “It’s a visual thing,” said the architect, as he recommended the center position. “I’m afraid, if you put it off to the side, you’re going to be disappointed.”

A look at gate options

The main features of the four options are as follows:

Option 1 -- See map

  • Guard station located off to the right and up the Parkway, immediately north of Lago Drive
  • New left turn lane to Lago Drive for residents only. Gate arm and intercom located on the Parkway
  • Three lanes to the new guard station
  • A dedicated visitors lane located to the right of the guard station
  • Two resident lanes are located to the left of the guard station
  • Parking provided for guards, people stopping at the guard station

Option 2 -- See map

  • The guard station is centered on the Parkway and located immediately north of Lago Drive
  • Eliminates the left turn from the Parkway onto Lago Drive
  • The gate operation is similar to the present location -- visitor lane on the left, resident lane on the left, plus an additional resident lane

Option 3 -- See map

  • The guard station is centered on the Parkway and located immediately north of Lago Drive
  • There is a dedicated left turn lane onto Lago Drive for residents only. A gate arm and intercom are located in the lane on the Parkway
  • The gate operation is similar to the present arrangement, with the addition of a second resident lane on the right. The visitor lane is on the left

Option 4 -- See map

  • This is similar in set-up to Option 3, except that it moves the guard station farther up the Parkway and into the curve. It accommodates the largest queue of vehicles -- 60. The other options accommodate 40.

Share your opinion in Community Views

The center position makes more of a statement and creates a sense of arrival, he explained.

One option closes Lago Drive to left-hand turns. The other three options have a dedicated turn lane for residents to use to make the left onto Lago. The passive gate for the turn is located in the Parkway lane, not on Lago. All options appear to eliminate the left hand turn from Lago Drive onto the Parkway. There are no gates on Lago.

The board decided to accept the options and forego making any recommendations because “That would send a message to the community that it’s a done deal,” said Crouse.

CSD staff “will work with the RMA and the community to develop a consensus on which way to go, then get that back to (the architect),” Crouse said. The RMA and CSD boards would approve the final plan “after the community gives us their input,” he said.

“The next step is to have a town hall meeting dialogue,” said Lensch.

It was suggested that the RMA’s annual membership meeting in November could be the forum for community response.

Do you have comments about this topic or story? Share them at RanchoMurieta.com's Community Views page.