Around 1994, a group of people got together and decided to change the look of Main Street Placerville. On January 10, 2006, the Placerville City Council adopted their plan as the “Main Street Streetscape Development.”
After working on the Main Street Matters paint project in 2013/2014, Matt Boyer started facilitating Streetscape “workshop meetings” on September 25, 2014.
Discussion at the workshops were held outside of formal City Council meetings. Funding decisions made at the City Council were made separately from the workshop discussion. Whether discussion from the workshops was included in the funding decision is unclear.
At the January 13, 2015 City Council, it was asked if any environmental documents had been filed on the project. As you can see in this videoclip, the response from Mr. Rivas was that the project was categorically exempt, despite the fact that the larger water lines are growth inducing, the bulb-outs are not existing facilities, and that the area is environmentally sensitive (one example is the potential loss of historical artifacts). A copy of the January, 29, 2015, Notice of Exemption is available here.
During the workshops the public and merchants had many concerns regarding the process, safety, and degradation of the historic streetscape of Main Street. Click here to view a map of the proposed Streetscape. This is especially important since Placerville was named No. 28 in the 50 Best Small Downtowns in America. Most of those concerns were disregarded and after numerous workshops the City of Placerville published a web survey to pick the final elements from their own predetermined choices.
When it was most apparent that the City was going to move forward with this plan, Sue Taylor submitted a formal letter to the Council for better mitigation.
At the May 12, 2015 meeting, the Council approved the Streetscape without finalizing the elements.
The project is coming before the Council on Tuesday, June 22, 2015, on the Consent Calendar for funding without final plans and without adequate funding. Click here for the staff report.
Timeline of Central Main Street Rehabilitation project (CIP #41412)
January 10, 2006 – Main Street Streetscape Design Development adopted
February 25, 2014* – Adopt Resolution Directing staff to begin
June 10, 2014* – Adopt Resolution Approving a Consulting Services Agreement with R.E.Y.
September 25, 2014 – Community Workshop #1
November 6, 2014 – Community Workshop #2
January 8, 2015 – Community Workshop #3
January 13, 2015* – Adopt Resolution Approving Amendment to Agreement with R.E.Y.
January 22, 2015 – Measure H Sales Tax Committee approves $400,000
January 27, 2015* – Adopt a Resolution Approving Marketing Efforts for project
January 29, 2015 – Notice of Exemption signed by Pierra Rivas
February 24, 2015* – Approving Construction Contract to Vinciguerra Construction
March 4, 2015 – Community Workshop #4
April 15, 2015 – Merchants Meeting
May 12, 2015* – Adopt Resolution Approving Phase 2 and Preferred Aesthetic Features
Meeting minutes
Staff Report
Comments submitted by Sue Taylor
June 6, 2015 – A search of the State Clearinghouse did not find a Notice of Exemption
* denotes a Placerville City Council Meeting
Staff reports are available here:
http://www.cityofplacerville.org/our_city/gov/meeting_staff_reports.asp
Meeting minutes are available here: http://www.cityofplacerville.org/depts/council/minutes.asp
Videos of meetings are archived here:
http://www.cityofplacerville.org/depts/council/meetings_on_video/view_live_and_archived_meetings.asp
Notes from Community Meetings #1-4 are available here:
http://www.cityofplacerville.org/depts/pw/main_street_re_paving_project.asp
Save Our County - Joint Coalition 