A major public meeting to discuss a thorough review and redesign of traffic flows within the community of Rossmoor has been rescheduled for January, the district’s General Director announced at the Community Services District’s December meeting.
The District is currently engaged with Orange County Public Works Traffic Engineer Wei Zhu, T.E., MASCE, and her staff to review potential design changes along the Montecito corridor, General Manager Joe Mendoza told the board.
“Wei Zhu is assisting us in putting together a survey and other options for our traffic issues along Montecito corridor, Bradbury and a little further in,” he told the directors.
The Rossmoor Board of Directors, including an ad hoc committee of President Tony Demarco and Director Nathan Searles have held several meetings with the OC Public Works team.
“Our initial plan was to do a town hall in December but the plans got waylaid with people on vacations and then we got busy with the winter festival and just a lot of other things that came up,” he told the board.
Accordingly, after speaking with Wei Zhu, Mendoza said the district has planned a special town hall meeting from 5 – 7 p.m. on Jan. 9, before the district’s regularly scheduled board meeting.
“We are going to do a town hall meeting and an educational session before our next board meeting next month. It’ll be from five to seven and then it’ll run into our board meeting Wei Zhu will be here. So, she’ll be able to explain things if people want to drop in,” said Mendoza.
Thus far, the plan has considered several alternative proposals, including new “round-a-bouts” to move traffic near schools, which has prompted several questions from authorities and school officials.
In addition, there have been discussions about changes in the parking lanes and other factors that are a hindrance to traffic flows through the community of about 11,000 residents.
Officials from the Los Alamitos Unified School District are monitoring the proposed changes since four of the district’s five elementary schools are located within the special community services district.
In addition, Mendoza said he hopes the district can also begin to take informal surveys from residents to determine where things are at the moment. “This is not the final survey to determine what we’re going to do,” he emphasized, but he noted the district would like to get an idea of what residents are thinking.
Mendoza said the RCSD Board’s regular meeting would begin at 7 p.m. after the town hall. He said postcards would also be sent to all Rossmoor residents to remind them of key dates and other ways to participate.
“We’ll make sure our community is aware,” he said. “We want to have their input.”
