Paso Robles planning commission backs Niblick Road multimodal safety project, urges council review of traffic and maintenance

The El Paso de Robles City Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend that the City Council approve the Niblick Road complete and sustainable pedestrian and bicycle improvements project and its Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND).

The commission’s recommendation, moved by Commissioner Kogler and seconded by Commissioner Neal, asks the council and staff to consider additional work on corridor traffic capacity, the design character of several proposed features and a preliminary plan for long-term maintenance and associated costs.

The project would construct a 10-foot-wide raised multi‑use path on the north side of Niblick Road from Creston Road to Spring Street (about 1.5 miles), add Class 2 bike lanes where feasible on the south side, upgrade ADA curb ramps and intersections, add signage, lighting and street trees, and include stormwater improvements. City staff said the project is largely funded by an Active Transportation Program grant awarded in 2022 for almost $14 million and includes a city match (staff cited an approximate $3.4 million local contribution in commission discussion).

“Kicking off this phase is intended to create a safer corridor for bikes and pedestrians,” Eric Snelling, a Stantec consultant working on the project, told the commission. He said the project’s environmental review identified impacts on air quality, biological and cultural resources, hydrology and construction noise that can be reduced to less‑than‑significant levels through standard mitigation measures; staff recommended adoption of a mitigated negative declaration.

Staff and the consultant said the corridor carries high traffic volumes — roughly 30,000 vehicles daily on the Niblick bridge and about 20,000 at the River Road intersection — and has had four bicycle–vehicle collisions in the last four years. The adopted 2020 preferred alternative already calls for the 10‑foot path on the north side and eastbound Class 2 bike lanes on the south side; the plans before the commission reflect refined, conceptual designs derived from that direction.

Commissioners and members of the public raised several recurring concerns during the public hearing: whether the project’s scope (defined by the active-transportation grant) should have addressed vehicle circulation and capacity; how private block walls abutting the corridor would be treated; what the proposed decorative wall panels and entry monuments would look like; and who will pay for long‑term upkeep if new landscaping, lighting and furnishings are installed.

“Katie Bannister, Associate Planner, emphasized the distinction between CEQA review and design decisions: ‘The environmental document only considers the environmental impacts of the project, and so it does not consider the merits of the project,’” the commission record shows. Commissioners asked staff to forward the commission’s design and maintenance questions to the council and the project consultants for further refinement during final design.

Staff noted other, separate efforts that address circulation: the Olsen/South Chandler and Beachwood specific plans contain intersection improvements funded or required as mitigation for those developments, and the city is initiating a traffic signal master plan that will include Niblick Road.

Public commenters who live or work on or near Niblick Road urged caution. Lee Freebuch, a Niblick Road resident, said school‑period queuing already blocks neighborhood driveways and that the corridor’s existing conditions make daily pedestrian use limited. Representatives of Almanacers Charter Academy said school drop‑off and pick‑up queuing creates a localized safety concern that should be addressed in coordination with the school.

The Planning Commission’s motion (approved 6-0 with Commissioner Marlow absent) recommended that City Council approve the project and MND (SCH 2024120426) but also requested council consideration of additional corridor traffic and capacity analysis, reconsideration of some design elements, and development of a preliminary maintenance plan and budgetary estimate before final design and construction.

Next steps: the planning commission will forward its recommendation and the record to the City Council for consideration. If the council approves the MND and planning approvals, the city will proceed to final design and contract procurement in accordance with grant timelines.

Votes at a glance: The commission recommended approval of the project and the mitigated negative declaration; motion moved by Commissioner Kogler, seconded by Commissioner Neal, passed 6–0 (Commissioners Kogler, Neal, Kovarubias, Davis, Connolly and Chairperson Christensen voted yes; Commissioner Marlow absent).