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County grapples with traffic study and internal connectivity for two large subdivisions
Summary
Engineering firms presented traffic‑study recommendations for Barber Point and Nehemiah’s Court; commissioners pressed developers on access points, internal connectivity across an electric easement and whether required turn lanes, signals and sidewalks should be constructed up front before certificates of occupancy are issued.
Engineers for two proposed subdivisions presented a traffic study and a package of recommended roadway improvements to the Baker County Commission and to city representatives. The study recommended northbound left‑turn lanes at key subdivision entrances, pedestrian connections to primary entrances and, at full build‑out, a traffic signal at Louder Street and North Boulevard/Miltondale. For one proposed site the study recommended a right‑in/right‑out configuration at a particular driveway, and for the larger site it identified multiple access points that were later reduced in the conceptual plan.
Commissioners focused on how the conceptual design distributes traffic onto county roads (Louder Street, Ray Phillips Road and Charlie Road). Several commissioners said the plan — as presented in the conceptual bubble map — creates three largely disconnected subareas that would force internal trips to leave the subdivision and use county roads, increasing maintenance burdens and local traffic impacts. Commissioners pressed the developer to demonstrate internal connectivity across a transmission‑line easement and to either (a) show engineered plans that provide internal connections or (b) accept conditions requiring on‑site connectivity and required off‑site improvements to be completed before the first certificate of occupancy for each phase.
Developers said they had reduced the number of Ray Phillips access points from six to three at the city’s request, and that an emergency easement and a potential permanent connection exist where internal connectivity could be provided subject to power‑line owner approval. Staff recommended that final site plans and a county traffic‑engineer review be completed before county roadway conditions are finalized. Several commissioners said they would not support approval until the developer returns with a finalized layout that demonstrates internal circulation and a clear plan for the off‑site turn‑lane and signal improvements the traffic study identifies.
