Commission asks council to direct a second vote on Roche Avenue traffic-calming plan after low ballot return

The Traffic and Transportation Commission voted to recommend that the City Council direct the city manager to instruct staff to return the Roche Avenue neighborhood traffic-calming plan to the plan-support phase for a second community vote.

Staff had recommended closing the Roche Avenue petition because it did not meet the policy—s valid return-rate requirement. "The neighborhood did not meet the support criteria required by the policy," staff told the commission, citing a 43% ballot return (35 of 81 households) when policy requires a 50% valid return and a 67% in-favor rate. Of the 35 returned ballots, staff reported 33 were in favor, one was incomplete and one opposed.

Roche Avenue had ranked fourth under the city—s prioritization for fiscal year 2023—24; staff noted the street has a 25 mph limit, a school and a park nearby, horizontal curvature and a three-year collision history of six recorded crashes. The neighborhood-proposed plan included two speed cushions on the eastern segment and striping changes in front of the school intended to shorten pedestrian crossing distance and constrain travel lanes.

Several commissioners and members of the public said the location—s school and collision history merited another attempt to secure neighborhood support. One commissioner moved and a second followed to recommend that council direct the city manager to have staff conduct a second plan-support vote; the motion passed by roll call with the commissioners present voting yes.

Staff described the second-vote procedure: staff would contact the petition lead and send the same ballot package (letter, proposed plan, ballot and prepaid return envelope), conduct the plan-support phase again and provide weekly updates on returns. Commissioners discussed that past voting periods had coincided with holidays and that the standard voting window is four weeks (the holiday period had been six weeks for these items).

Public commenters at the meeting criticized ballot-driven approval as an inequitable process that can undercount support in communities where ballots are not returned. A different public speaker offered to assist neighbors door-to-door to raise the return rate.

Next steps: the commission—s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council; council action would determine whether staff conducts a second vote or whether the petition is closed per existing policy.