The Fountain Valley City Council is looking at removing a stretch of on-street parking on the east perimeter of Mile Square Regional Park to create another lane for traffic on Euclid Street.
The southbound strip of Euclid, between Edinger Avenue and Warner Avenue, is prone to rush hour traffic, raising concerns of collisions, councilmembers said, especially as drivers often abruptly stop in the midst of traffic to parallel park.
Federal standards give the current road a suboptimal level of service rating of “D.”
“It’s not great, but it is an acceptable level,” Public Works Director Scott Smith said during the recent meeting when councilmembers considered the third lane option. “So it comes down to whether we anticipate needing it sooner or later.”
The city is planning for increased traffic, spurred by the recent approval of the Euclid + Heil Project that is anticipated for completion by 2028 or 2029. The project, an 18.09-acre residential development, will create 626 housing units just steps away from Mile Square Park.
Changing from street parking to an additional lane for traffic could help alleviate street congestion for residents heading home, combat prohibited overnight RV parking and “will definitely serve the community in terms of traffic flow,” Mayor Ted Bui said.
The other side of that coin, however, is that Mile Square Park visitors would be losing a section of premier free parking.
The next closest parking option for park visitors on that side, excluding the paid parking within the park itself, is the on-street parking in the residential areas on the east side of Euclid. And that’s another concern raised by councilmembers: To find alternative parking spaces, park-goers might take their vehicles into adjacent residential areas.
The 607-acre Mile Square Park is one of Fountain Valley’s most popular amenities, with visitors coming from neighboring cities where residents have limited access to green space.
Trading parking options for an additional lane might make the trek to Mile Square Park more difficult, stunting accessibility to its golf courses, baseball fields and many public facilities, officials said. The county-controlled regional park charges $3 weekdays and $5 weekends for parking.
The Fountain Valley council’s next step is to weigh options, including hiring a traffic consultant to complete a traffic study — an undertaking that would take nine to 12 months and about $100,000 out of the city’s general fund. Construction of a traffic lane is anticipated to cost $50,000.
Some councilmembers raised concerns about the study cost. But otherwise, the dais sounded decided.
“It sounds like we are going to do it,” Councilmember Glenn Grandis said.