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Piedmont residents urge tighter safety, evacuation and traffic analysis for Moraga Canyon
Summary
At the planning commission public forum, neighbors raised repeated concerns that concentrating up to 200 units in Moraga Canyon with limited access could create evacuation bottlenecks and urged the commission to prioritize the Coaches Field site where access can be more readily managed.
Residents filled public comment on the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan study session, pressing safety and access concerns and urging the commission to address them before moving to hearings. Multiple speakers said a concentration of about 197–200 units with only one primary roadway access (Option B) posed unacceptable evacuation risk in wildfire or other emergencies.
"Putting 200 units in a concentration with only 1 road on plan b seems foolhardy from a nonexpert, extremely dangerous," one resident said during the public forum, urging further study of emergency egress. Another longtime neighborhood speaker urged the commission to prefer the Coaches Field option because it keeps children and residents from having to cross Moraga Avenue at or near Red Rock.
Speakers additionally criticized aspects of the traffic analysis and asked staff to re‑check Caltrans stopping‑ and corner‑sight calculations; a public commenter said he had spoken to Caltrans and was told the handbook still applies. Several commenters asked the city to involve adjacent Oakland neighborhoods in planning, consider alternate sites with better transit access, and study construction‑period traffic management plans.
Commissioners and consultants acknowledged the concerns and directed staff and the consultant team to ensure the EIR addendum addresses peak‑hour effects, stopping‑site‑distance details and emergency‑access options. No formal action was taken; the matter will return for further hearings in September.
