Galt council approves Fairway Oaks final map after adding Cornell Road sidewalk to developer agreement

At its Aug. 19 meeting, the Galt City Council approved the final map and subdivision improvement agreement for the Fairway Oaks subdivision, adding explicit language requiring the developer to construct the off-site sidewalk on Cornell Road. Vice Mayor Sandhu presided over the item after Mayor Farmer recused himself because his residence is near the project site.

Assistant City Manager Amy Mendez told the council staff and the developer agreed to amend the subdivision improvement agreement (SIA) to make the sidewalk requirement clear. "For clarity and the avoidance of doubt, the required improvements include, among other things, the off-site sidewalk improvements on Cornell Road depicted on TM‑5 of the tentative subdivision map," Mendez said, reading the sentence staff recommended adding to the agreement.

The council’s action followed extensive public comment. Thirteen residents spoke during the hearing, most urging the council to keep Cornell Road open and to require construction of sidewalks and other safety measures. Tom Haglund, whose family has participated in the project’s review, said the SIA amendment means "the planned sidewalk [will be] constructed on Cornell Road, consistent with how it appears on sheet TM‑5 of the vesting tentative subdivision map." Several Creekside and Cornell Road residents warned that closing Cornell Road or failing to complete the sidewalk would push traffic onto Ranch Road and other neighborhood streets, creating safety and emergency-access concerns.

Other speakers pressed for clarity about whether approval of the final map tonight also meant Cornell Road would remain open. Amy Mendez told the meeting that the agenda item covered only the final map and the SIA amendment; any decision to close or otherwise change Cornell Road would be a separate action that must return to the planning commission and the council with notice to affected property owners.

Council members discussed the limits of the sidewalk improvement. Council member Rodriguez cautioned that the north-side sidewalk now clarified in the SIA is not a fully lit, curb-and-gutter sidewalk that would resolve all pedestrian-safety concerns on Cornell Road; she urged residents to temper expectations about the scope of the improvement. Several speakers, including Nu Vang and Jeff Hood, asked the council to postpone final map approval until a pending traffic study on Cornell Road and related access questions was finished and released; the council did not delay the vote.

The council adopted a motion to approve the final map and to authorize execution and recordation of the SIA with the clarifying amendment identified above. Mayor Farmer was absent from the chamber for this item and recused; the vote recorded four ayes (Council Member Pratten, Council Member Reid, Council Member Rodriguez and Vice Mayor Sandhu) and no nay votes. The motion carried and the SIA amendment will require the developer to include the off-site Cornell Road sidewalk as depicted on the vesting tentative map (TM‑5).

What the council approved tonight requires the developer to construct the sidewalk shown on TM‑5 as an off‑site improvement under the SIA. Any future proposal to close or otherwise alter Cornell Road would have to follow the city’s public hearing and notice processes and come back to the planning commission and city council for separate action.

The council’s approval moves the Fairway Oaks subdivision forward while leaving open later, separate proceedings if the city or affected property owners pursue changes to Cornell Road’s status or configuration.