Arroyo Grande council reviews 30% design for Halcyon Complete Streets, staff seeks direction on overlay, parking and trees

City Engineer Shannon Sweeney presented the 30% design for the Halcyon Complete Streets project to the Arroyo Grande City Council on Feb. 25, explaining why costs now exceed the estimate used to secure a state active transportation grant.

Sweeney said the project “was originally conceived back in 02/2015, but in 2022 we received a sizable state active transportation grant,” and walked the council through design and funding details. The 30% design carries an estimated construction cost of about $9.7 million; the grant and other identified local sources total about $8.42 million, leaving a $1.3 million shortfall in the current estimate.

The largest single cost driver, Sweeney told the council, is pavement treatment: “It was determined that an overlay is needed. And that is $3,670,000. That is our biggest discrepancy.” The grant application had assumed a lower-cost slurry seal (about $1.43 million). Sweeney said staff recommends an overlay to avoid redoing new striping and bicycle lane paint on pavement that would fail soon after construction.

Why it matters: the proposal would reconfigure vehicle lanes to create buffered Class II bicycle lanes in much of the corridor, add pedestrian safety improvements near the school, and alter parking and intersection controls to reduce vehicle speeds and conflict points. Council members and public commenters framed the project primarily as a neighborhood safety and school-route issue: the corridor serves Harlow and Lucia Mar Unified School District students and nearby residences.

Key design choices and council concerns

- Lane widths and a “road diet.” Sweeney said state law requires a 10-foot minimum vehicle lane and recommended 11-foot lanes for truck routes to fit bicycle buffers. For a segment with existing two lanes each way, staff proposed converting to one lane each way plus a two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL). Council member Guthrie said the lane reduction will help slow traffic: “The intention ... was always to slow down the traffic.”

- Parking. The conceptual plan counted 161 existing on-street spaces and proposed eliminating 122. Sweeney recommended removing parking in constrained North Halcyon segments, saying off‑street parking exists for many properties there; she noted the conceptual plan had considered Class 3 (sharrow) bike facilities for that segment but staff favors Class 2 lanes.

- Intersection control. Staff examined a traffic signal vs. a roundabout at Halcyon and Fair Oaks. Sweeney reported a roundabout estimate of about $1.47 million vs. roughly $881,000 for a signal and recommended pursuing the roundabout; she said needed right-of-way would likely come from the hospital and the school, both described as supportive.

- Bicycle facilities and paint. Sweeney said she did not recommend a bicycle box at intersections for this corridor and expressed concern about Class IV separated bikeways for cost and maintenance reasons. She said green intersection paint is visually effective but costly (the 30% estimate includes roughly $161,000 for green paint) and noted the grant did not separately allocate money explicitly labeled for green paint.

- Trees and sidewalks. Staff documented 28 sidewalk irregularity locations tied to street trees and proposed case-by-case decisions to remove and replace trees or modify sidewalk alignments. Sweeney said some trees are on private property and would require homeowner coordination.

Public and council input

School and active-transportation advocates urged stronger bicycle infrastructure than sharrows. Jim DeChaco, Safe Routes coordinator for Lucia Mar Unified School District and chair of the County Bicycle Advisory Committee, told the council: “Sharrows are not bike infrastructure,” and asked the city to favor buffered lanes. A member of the public asked whether single-lane sections would back traffic up; City Manager Matt Downing and staff said the conceptual-design phase included modeling and that roundabouts were intended to keep traffic moving rather than grid it.

Council members expressed broad support for staff recommendations with two consistent priorities: safety for school-route pedestrians and cyclists, and preserving or increasing street trees where feasible. Mayor Pro Tem Seacrest directed staff to “go ahead and move forward with staff’s recommendations. However, price out and seek out ways in which to incorporate more trees into this project.” Several council members urged targeted outreach to businesses and property owners affected by parking removal.

Decisions and next steps

Council provided direction rather than a formal vote. Staff said next steps would include right-of-way acquisition by August 2025, a request to the California Transportation Commission for fund allocation in October and preparation to advertise construction in late 2025 with construction beginning in 2026 if funding is secured. Staff recommended that the council approve the 30% design direction and asked the council to confirm whether to proceed with the overlay, pursue the roundabout at Fair Oaks, adopt minimum 11-foot lanes, remove specific parking where necessary, and continue tree-by-tree evaluation.

Ending

Councilors asked staff to return with final cost‑refinements in the capital-improvement program process, more detailed outreach plans for affected parking areas, and pricing that shows tradeoffs such as reducing painted green intersections in favor of additional trees. No formal action was taken on the design at the Feb. 25 meeting; council direction will shape staff recommendations in the next budget and right-of-way steps.