REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 6, 2024
FROM
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works - Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Terminate Road Maintenance of Rose Avenue, Birch Street, and Stallion Lane in the Bloomington Area
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Conduct a public hearing on the proposed termination of road maintenance on the following roads:
a. Rose Avenue east of Locust Avenue for 0.12 miles
b. Birch Street north of Rose Avenue for 0.06 miles
c. Stallion Lane west of Linden Avenue for 0.19 miles
2. Find that the proposed termination of road maintenance on Rose Avenue, Birch Street, and Stallion Lane within the terminated limits over the portion of Walnut Street immediately between Otilla Street and Slover Avenue are exempt actions under Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15305 of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.
3. Adopt Resolution terminating the road maintenance of Rose Avenue, Birch Street, and Stallion Lane within the terminated limits declaring that:
a. They are unnecessary for the public convenience because these roads will no longer provide access to the occupied properties based upon the development of the Bloomington Business Park Specific Plan, an industrial business park, approximately 213 acres, in the community of Bloomington.
b. These roads shall no longer be maintained by the County.
c. These roads shall be removed from the County Maintained Road System.
4. Direct the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to forward a copy of the Resolution to the Department of Public Works to be recorded in the official records in the Office of the County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk.
5. Direct the Department of Public Works to file the Notice of Exemption in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
(Presenter: Noel Castillo, Director, 387-7906)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The estimated cost of $1,000 to install the appropriate signs, as well as minor administrative costs to update the Department of Public Works (Department) records, will be financed by Gas Tax revenue. Sufficient appropriation and revenue are included in the Department’s 2024-25 Road Operations budget (6650002000).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Adoption of this Resolution will remove Rose Avenue east of Locust Avenue for 0.12 miles, Birch Street north of Rose Avenue for 0.06 miles, and Stallion Lane west of Linden Avenue for 0.19 miles, in the Bloomington area, from the County Maintained Road System (CMRS), subsequent to the development project identified in the Bloomington Business Park Community Agreement No. 22-1084 between San Bernardino County and Howard Industrial Partners, LLC (Contract), approved by the Board of Supervisors (Board) on November 15, 2022 (Item No. 111), to establish an industrial business park, approximately 213 acres, in the community of Bloomington (Project). These roads are unnecessary for the public convenience because they will no longer provide access to the occupied properties due to the Project and now meet the criteria listed in the Board approved Policy No. 12-32 of the Policy Manual.
Pursuant to Section 954.5(b) of the Streets and Highways Code, a public hearing must be convened in order for the Board to consider the evidence submitted at the hearing and to make the above-described finding. Further, this section of the Streets and Highways Code requires that a notice of the hearing be mailed to the owner of any property served by the County highway subject to the termination of maintenance. Finally, Streets and Highways Code section 8323 requires the posting of at least three notices of the public hearing at least two weeks before the hearing.
Notice of this public hearing was mailed by the Department to adjacent property owners. Also, at least two weeks before this hearing, the Department posted, on the subject portions of Rose Avenue, Birch Street and Stallion Lane, three notices of the public hearing in compliance with Sections 954.5(b) and 8323 of the Streets and Highways Code.
If a determination is made that maintenance is no longer necessary, the Department will post signs that are clearly visible from the traveled highway for a period of one year that indicates the highway is no longer maintained by the County.
By removing roads from the CMRS that are not necessary for public convenience, the Department is able to focus resources on roads that are necessary for public convenience and thus operate in a fiscally responsible and business-like manner.
Environmental Department staff have reviewed this Project and have determined that a categorical exemption in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 15305 is appropriate. This exemption allows for minor alterations in land use limitations, which do not result in any changes in land use or density. In addition, the Project is exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines section 15060(c)(2) as the termination of road maintenance will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Aaron Gest, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 27, 2024; Finance (Jessica Trillo, Administrative Analyst, 387-4222) on July 18, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Paloma Hernandez-Barker, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on July 22, 2024.