Highway 49 Streetscape Master Plan Meeting Feb 4

The Placer County Redevelopment Agency will hold a second public meeting on the Highway 49 Beautification and Streetscape Master Plan. The meeting will be on Wed., Feb. 4, 2009, in the Community Resources Development Agency’s building, 3901 County Center Drive, in Auburn. The meeting will be in the Cypress Room from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

An initial public meeting in October evaluated the highway corridor and was used to produce a plan for overall aesthetics; landscaping; and pedestrian, public transit and bicycle circulation. Issues most often mentioned by the public at the meeting were landscaping, sidewalks, pedestrian safety, and development of the Highway 49 area. Input from the previous meeting and the public comment period that followed were incorporated by Redevelopment into the draft Master Plan, which addresses both public and county concerns.

At the February meeting, the Draft Master Plan, which encompasses the 3.5-mile section of State Highway 49 from Nevada Street to Joeger Road, and the Phase 1 Specific Plan, which addresses New Airport Road to Education Street, will be available for public review and comment.

‘It is nice to see the master and specific plans take shape after a lengthy community process,’ said Jack Remington, Highway 49 Business Association member. ‘I am anxious to see the first phase completed and the improvement to the area.’

The Placer County Highway 49 Beautification and Streetscape Master Plan is one part of a continuing effort to improve the aesthetics, functionality, traffic flow and economic health of the highway. The first phase is one of several that are to be implemented in the coming years. Other current and future projects and programs in which the Redevelopment Agency and other Placer County agencies have been involved include:

• The new Auburn Plaza Shopping Center at Luther Road;
  
• North Auburn Sewer Siphon Improvement Project;
  
• The Façade and Commercial Loan Improvement Programs, which provide Redevelopment Agency funds for windows, siding, signage and landscaping for buildings along the highway. Businesses recently utilizing this program, include the Animal Medical Clinic, Oak Fire Grill and a Dutch Brothers drive-through coffee outlet at Dry Creek Road and 4150 Grass Valley Hwy.;
  
• The Walgreens Pharmacy under construction at New Airport Road;
  
• Landscaping for a county-built roundabout associated with a Home Depot store being constructed near Highway 49;
  
• Expansion of the Les Schwab Tire Center;
  
• Upgrades and improvements to Rock Creek Plaza Shopping Center, including new Best Buy and BevMo stores;
  
• Expansion of the existing Target store at Bell Road; and
  
• Auburn Creekside retail/office complex, north of Bell Road.

The Placer County Redevelopment Agency currently has budgeted approximately $900,000 to design and install the Phase 1 improvements after the Master Plan is completed. For additional information, contact Candace Rousselet at the Redevelopment Agency, (530) 745-3150.

*Placer County