Commission backs Las Casitas speed cushions; asks staff to re-run vote on Roche Avenue plan

The Salinas Traffic and Transportation Commission on Wednesday recommended that the City Council approve a neighborhood traffic‑calming plan for Las Casitas Drive and directed staff to repeat the plan‑support vote for Roche Avenue after the Roche petition failed to meet the city’s ballot return threshold.

Las Casitas Drive

City staff told the commission the Las Casitas Drive plan calls for three speed cushions spaced between Ranchero and Ryder Avenue and was developed with resident input. "The recommended motion is a motion recommending the city council approve Las Casitas Drive neighborhood traffic calming plan supported by residents for implementation," the staff presenter said.

The city reported Las Casitas Drive has a 25 mph posted speed limit and recorded an 85th‑percentile speed near the school of about 40 mph. Staff said the street had five reported collisions in a three‑year period, two of which involved pedestrians or bicyclists, and that vertical and horizontal curvature contributed to the street’s prioritization. The neighborhood has 48 households; 25 ballots were returned (52 percent), and all returned ballots were in favor. Staff estimated the work would cost about $32,300 and said funds are available in the traffic calming CIP (listed as CIP 9,163).

Commissioner Sonio moved to approve the Las Casitas recommendation; the motion passed on roll call with unanimous recorded votes in favor (Commissioners Howell, Sonio, Hammer, Peterson and Hernandez recorded yes votes).

Roche Avenue

Staff recommended closing the Roche Avenue petition because the neighborhood did not meet the program’s required ballot return rate, though most ballots returned were in favor of the plan. Staff said Roche Avenue had been ranked fourth on the city’s prioritization list for the applicable fiscal year after scoring on volume, speed, land use, roadway geometry and collision history. The staff report said Roche recorded six collisions in a three‑year period, and the proposed plan had included two speed cushions plus striping changes in front of the school to shorten pedestrian crossing distances.

The Roche neighborhood comprises 81 households; 35 ballots were returned (43 percent), below the program’s 50 percent minimum return requirement. Of the 35 ballots received, 33 were in favor, one was incomplete and one opposed — a favorable percentage among returned ballots but insufficient because the return threshold was not met. Under the program policy, staff said, failure to meet the return threshold is grounds to close the petition; if the return threshold is met but the in‑favor percentage (67 percent required) is not, staff may work with the neighborhood to revise the plan and hold a second vote.

Commission discussion focused on safety near the school and the petition’s high prioritization. Commissioner Hammer moved that the commission recommend the City Council ask the city manager to direct staff to conduct another plan‑support vote for Roche Avenue; the motion was seconded and passed on roll call (yes votes recorded by Commissioners Howell, Sonio, Peterson and Hernandez).

What happens next

The Las Casitas recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval and, if approved, the city intends to implement the three speed cushions using funds in the traffic calming CIP. For Roche, the commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council and the city manager; if the council directs the manager to proceed, staff said it would restart the plan‑support phase, re‑contact the lead petitioners and reissue the ballot package to residents for another voting period.