Tustin Planning Commission finds FY2026–27 capital improvement program consistent with general plan

The Tustin Planning Commission on June 2 voted 3–0, with two members absent, to adopt a resolution finding the fiscal year 2026–27 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) consistent with the city’s general plan, after a presentation by City Engineer Kenny Wynne.

Wynne told the commission the department would carry over roughly $41 million from ongoing projects and requested an additional $26.5 million—largely from grant sources—bringing the proposed CIP to about $68 million to fund 39 projects, including 10 new initiatives. “We also secured over $23,000,000 in grant funding for several different CIP projects,” Wynne said.

The presentation recapped recent accomplishments in the current fiscal year, including paving more than 5 miles of streets, replacing over 1,000 linear feet of aging water mains, preparing the neighborhood D‑cell phase 2 grading for a pedestrian bridge and Tustin Legacy Park Phase 3, renovating Sparks Park ball fields and improving Centennial Park landscaping and walkways. Wynne noted that the city’s PFAS water treatment project received recognition from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Among the projects highlighted for FY2026–27 were Irvine Boulevard traffic‑signal upgrades (software and hardware replacement across the city limits), a Vision Zero traffic master plan focused on reducing serious‑injury collisions, a First Street multimodal project extending bike lanes in coordination with neighboring jurisdictions and OCTA, Red Hill Avenue improvements adding bike lanes and repaving between Bryant Avenue and Sycamore, and Jamboree Road repaving and ADA access improvements from I‑5 to Portola.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about timing, grant awards, and design details. Chair Pro Tem Kozak asked specifically about signal synchronization under the I‑5 underpass on Red Hill; Wynne said staff continues to monitor and coordinate with Caltrans and OCTA, and that optimization and fine‑tuning typically require at least 12 months and can take up to two years. Wynne confirmed the Red Hill Avenue project is designed to add bike lanes on both sides of the street and said staff is pursuing a state grant to fund a citywide bike master plan; Wynne said a grant announcement was expected around September.

Commissioners pressed staff to provide future metrics—such as total miles of bicycle facilities added—and for robust public outreach. Wynne said the department will host public outreach events as part of the Vision Zero and bike‑planning efforts, and that some projects are being advanced specifically because they are pedestrian‑heavy corridors (for example, Old Town/Main Street will add bike lanes along Main Street while El Camino Real will emphasize pedestrian improvements where corridors are tighter).

The staff recommendation to adopt a resolution finding the CIP consistent with the general plan and to forward that determination to the City Council for final adoption before the July 1 start of the fiscal year passed by voice vote (3 yes, 0 no, 2 absent). Wynne told the commission the recommendation followed the statutorily prescribed process under California Government Code Section 65401.

Votes at a glance: • Consent calendar (meeting minutes): approved by voice vote, 3 yes, 0 no, 2 absent. • Continuation request — Code Amendment 2026‑001: motion to continue approved by voice vote, 3 yes, 0 no, 2 absent. • CIP consistency finding (resolution to forward to City Council): approved by voice vote, 3 yes, 0 no, 2 absent.

Next steps: The commission’s consistency determination will be forwarded to the Tustin City Council for final action on the CIP prior to the July 1 fiscal‑year start. Staff will return with additional design details, outreach plans and grant updates as projects progress.