Sacramento County Is Busy Providing Services, Improvements and Other Investments Into The Arden Arcade Community
We continue to be baffled by cityhood backers about their negativity in attempting to sway voters into believing we need another layer of costly government because the County is not delivering services to our area. Well, as we see it, there have been huge investments into the Arden Arcade community by the county and to prove it, here is a list of just some of the major projects they have and are delivering to improve the quality of our neighborhoods and region.
In these economic times, we are grateful to the County and their hard working staff for their positive efforts and can do attitude for all that they do. And like in so many cities and counties in California and the Country, these employees are doing it with less in their paycheck.
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In 2006 made schools more accessible and safer for children by constructing perimeter sidewalks at Dyer-Kelly Elementary School (Edison Avenue and Bell Street) and Greer Elementary School (Bell and Hurley Way) as well as for Arden Middle and Arcade Middle Schools both on busy Watt Avenue
In 2006 Improved flood protection for the residents in the Woodside Condominiums by elevating a concrete embankment along the south bank of Strong Ranch Slough off Northrop Avenue without impacting water surface elevations in the slough.
Since 2006 County has on-going project with California Highway Patrol combing education and enforcement applied to targeted streets on a rotating basis throughout Arden Arcade including El Camino Avenue, Fair Oaks Boulevard, Arden Way, Fulton Avenue, Howe Avenue, Marconi Avenue, American River Dr, Watt Ave.
2010 County installed phase 1 of the Fair Oaks Blvd guardrails project to enhance safety on the center median between Watt Avenue and extending eventually all the way to Eastern Avenue. The first phase is between Watt Avenue and San Ramon Way/Wilhaggin Drive and cost $489,980. Phase 2 is between San Ramon Way/Wilhaggin Drive and Eastern Avenue and SACDOT is actively seeking Federal stimulus grant funding for this stretch.
Since 2007 the County’s Neighborhood Traffic Management Program has installed traffic calming devices at the request of residents on the following Arden Arcade streets: Boyd Drive, Greenwood Avenue, Las Cruces Way, Robertson Avenue, Whitney Avenue, Wyda Way, Pope Avenue, Edison Avenue, American River Drive, and Wright Street.
Since 2006 Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SACDOT) has carried out “Pothole Sweeps Week” which is a twice a year intensified effort to identify and repair potholes beyond responding to routine reports.
Starting in 2007 new digital red light photo enforcement cameras have been installed at the following Arden Arcade intersections: El Camino Avenue and Eastern Avenue; Arden Way and Watt Avenue; Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt; Fair Oaks and Howe Avenue; and Howe and Hurley.
During 2009-2010 over $2.6 million has been allocated to pave the following street stretches: Eastern Avenue from Arden Way to Fair Oaks Blvd, Edison from Howe to Watt, and Fulton from Arden to Munroe.
In 2004 SACDOT installed community identity signs for Arden Arcade and in 2009 neighborhood decals were added as part of a special project funded by the Sacramento Association of Realtors for neighborhoods of Sierra Oaks Vista, Arden Oaks, Wilhaggin, Mission Oaks North and Arden Park.
A Special Planning Area was designated for Auburn Boulevard between Howe and Watt Avenue that provides flexibility for property owners to improve their real estate holdings and add a better landscaped presence on boulevard. Among the businesses taking advantage of this land use mechanism are Miata Subaru and Miata Toyota.
In 2006 design development standards were put into place that are applicable to all new commercial buildings in the unincorporated area to ensure visually pleasing architectural style along with pedestrian orientation.
$5.1 million was spent undergrounding utilities along a portion of Fulton Avenue in cooperation with the Fulton Avenue Association, SMUD, AT&T, property owners to remove visual blight of utility poles, wires and associated hardware that once made Fulton Avenue one of the ugliest streets in Sacramento County.
Created separate Community Planning Council for Arden Arcade (currently suspended due to lack of construction/land use activity) that allows local area residents to function as a planning commission regarding land use decisions that used to be made downtown.
In 2006 Sacramento County created a residential parking permit program that can be implemented in neighborhoods impacted by outside vehicles parking on neighborhood streets. Recently the neighborhood of Larkspur Lane west of Fulton Avenue was approved for this program.
County enacted customer-focused Sign Posting Ordinance that notifies the residents about development projects as early as possible by requiring signs similar in appearance to real estate signs to be posted on properties where applications have been submitted for entitlements or variances (e.g., zoning changes, lot splits, deviations from setback requirements) once the environmental documents are released. This complements the listing of basic application information about projects on the web including site address or location, parcel number, property owner, applicant and project description.
Sacramento County worked with the Mission Oaks Recreation and Park District to build community center at Swanston Park.
Sacramento County coordinated the successful beautification of Watt Avenue that added decorative public art and sculpture between Country Club Plaza and Centre as well new medians with landscaping and irrigation, and sidewalks between Whitney Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard.
Adopted regulations issued by the Solid Waste Authority barring commercial garbage pick-up before 6 am in specific locations adjacent to residential neighborhoods.
Sacramento County assisted in funding the relocation of the “service box” at Del Paso Elementary School thereby allowing SMUD to remove the unsightly wooden poles and wires from in front of the school.
Repaved Fair Oaks Boulevard from Arden Way to Munroe Avenue that averages approximately 38,000 vehicle trips daily.
Repaved Eastern Avenue from Arden Way to Fair Oaks Boulevard that averages approximately 16,000 vehicle trips daily.
Resurfaced American River Drive from Watt Avenue to Kingsford Drive that averages approximately 16,000 vehicle trips daily.
In 2006 SACDOT activated a live camera that helps motorists plan their trips by letting them view via live public internet access how traffic is flowing at six major intersections in Sacramento County including Watt Avenue at Fair Oaks Boulevard, Auburn Boulevard at Watt, and Madison Avenue at Auburn.
To improve sidewalk continuity along major streets, improvements were made for the following Arden Arcade streets: Annadale Lane (various locations between Auburn Boulevard to Edison Avenue ); Edison Avenue (Bell Street to Fulton Avenue on the south side as well as on the east of Watt Avenue on the south side along Arcade Middle School baseball field); El Camino Avenue (former Loretto High School to Burgundy Way); Fulton Avenue (at Carson Way); Northrop Avenue (Bell Avenue to Howe Avenue); and Watt Avenue (from William Way to Sierra View as well as at Kentfield to Chenu Way).
partial list
