Willits Community Design
Location: Mendocino County, CA
Client: City of Willits, CalTrans
The purpose of the Baechtel Road/Railroad Avenue Corridor Community Design Study was to prepare a conceptual community design for the construction of a road which would connect Baechtel Road and Railroad Avenue on the east side of the City of Willits. The function of this road would be to improve the distribution of local traffic within the eastern half of the City and to help relieve the existing congestion on Main Street, especially at the junction of Highways 101 and 20.
The Baechtel Road/Railroad Avenue Corridor Community Design Study also served as a feasibility study that would help facilitate the infill development of a large area of unimproved land, development of a parkway that would connect Baechtel Road and Railroad Avenue, a creekside trail with pedestrian and bicycle traffic that would be integrated into a Citywide network, and provide a link connecting the housing, employment and recreational facilities on the east side of the City. The study included conceptual road designs consistent with current principles of traffic calming and livable communities. The design incorporated information that was generated through technical studies (land-use, traffic, soil, geologic, wetland, floodplain and riparian assessments) conducted independently as the initial phase of the process. The technical document also discussed existing roadway conditions and identified a number of areas which might require further investigation.
The City chose a public design charrette process as the means to develop the Community Design Plan with direct involvement of community stakeholders. Mogavero Notestine Associates, Walkable Communities, Inc., Alternate Street Design, and Peter Hasselman in association with the City of Willits and One Town One Vision, conducted a charrette in Willits that allowed all interested parties to work together to create a vision for the Baechtel Road / Railroad Avenue Corridor and related areas. This resulted in a report that summarized the process that was followed and the concepts that were developed during the design charrette.
The document contains an overview of public involvement activities and concepts for the Community Design Plan which addressed the concerns and suggestions offered by citizens and staff. The plan addressed the corridor, its relationship to other streets and the role of land development patterns. The report concluded with the suggested implementation strategies.