To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Jessica Lowe, Public Works Director
Prepared By: Guy Preston, Project Manager
TITLE:
Title
Five-Way Intersection Improvements Project (CEQA; Memorandum of Agreement; Amendments to Caltrans Cooperative Agreement)
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
1.Adopt a resolution: (1) certifying an environmental impact report, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), for the Five-Way Intersection Improvements Project (SCH #2024071257); (2) making certain findings concerning significant impacts, mitigation measures, and alternatives; (3) approving the “Proposed Project”; (4) adopting a Statement of Overriding Considerations; and (5) adopting the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
2.Adopt a resolution authorizing the Public Works Director pursuant to a certified Environmental Impact Report (SCH #2024071257), to execute on behalf of the City a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) regarding the Five-Way Intersection Improvements Project; and
3.Adopt a resolution approving and authorizing, pursuant to a certified Environmental Impact Report (SCH #2024071257), the Public Works Director to execute Amendment No. 1 to Caltrans Cooperative Agreement 04-2517 / City Agreement C2023-160 with the California Department of Transportation to complete environmental analysis and design documents for the Five-Way Intersection Improvement Project.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The purpose of the proposed project is to improve traffic operations, reduce congestion, provide continuous pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve accessibility, and improve safety for all roadway users.
BACKGROUND:
Silverado Trail is a State Highway (SR 121) through the City of Napa and has been identified as a crucial corridor - meaning it is designated as a primary route for traffic circulation, emergency access and evacuations. The intersection of State Route (SR) 121 (Silverado Trail), East Avenue, Third Street, and Coombsville Road is a key intersection in Napa due to its role in connecting neighborhoods, businesses, and regional travel routes, with tens of thousands of vehicle trips a day. The intersection’s unusual five-legged configuration creates numerous vehicle conflict points, and the lack of multi-modal infrastructure makes it difficult for all users to move safely and efficiently through the intersection. Over time, SR 121 has become highly susceptible to congestion caused by heavy commuter, recreation, and tourist traffic, in addition to heavy truck traffic. Traffic modeling indicates delays will continue to worsen as travel demand increases, which is expected as documented in the Napa-Solano Travel Demand Model.
The need for improvement extends beyond vehicle congestion. In 2014 the City began a comprehensive evaluation of potential solutions for the intersection, and collision data showed the intersection has a collision rate higher than the statewide average for similar facilities. SR 121 through this corridor is on the City’s High Injury Network, which was identified in the Local Roadway Safety Plan. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities are also lacking through the intersections. Sidewalks through the corridor are narrow and discontinuous; pedestrian crossings are long and skewed, increasing pedestrian exposure to vehicle conflicts throughout the intersection; existing bicycle facilities terminate before reaching the intersection; and portions of the intersection do not meet current accessibility standards.
The need to improve the intersection has been identified in the City’s General Plan since at least 1989 and has been carried forward in each successive General Plan. Following detailed analysis in 2014-2017, the 2040 General Plan specifically identified roundabouts as the long-term improvement.
In 2014, the City began public outreach to engage the community in discussions regarding intersection improvement options. Through this planning process, hundreds of community members participated in public meetings resulting in robust community input. Thirteen potential alternatives were identified during this process, and each alternative was evaluated using operational level of service, safety, engineering feasibility, and impact to the surrounding neighborhood.
Throughout the community engagement process, three concerns consistently emerged as issues viewed as unacceptable. These were: (1) changing access to East Avenue or Coombsville Road; (2) not providing safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and (3) failing to improve traffic flow by reducing delays. As a result, the thirteen alternatives were narrowed to three viable alternatives and a “no-build” alternative.
Two Roundabout Alternative (Third Street at North Roundabout): The Proposed Project would replace the existing intersection with two modern, single-lane roundabouts with curb, gutter, ramps, streetlights, and storm drain improvements. The northern roundabout has four legs and includes SR 121, Third Street, and East Avenue. The southern roundabout has three legs and includes SR 121 and Coombsville Road. A 10-foot wide shared-use path would be provided throughout the new roundabouts buffered by at least 2-feet of landscaping from the roadway. The shared-use path conveys both pedestrian and bicycle traffic through the intersection. Ramps would provide access to and from the shared-use path and high visibility crosswalks. This alternative is depicted as Option 5F in Attachment 4.
Five-Legged Roundabout Alternative (Single Roundabout): The Five-Legged Roundabout Alternative would replace the existing intersection with a single, five-legged roundabout. The single roundabout would be centered slightly east of the existing intersection and incorporate all the adjoining roadways. A 10-foot wide shared-use path would be provided throughout the new roundabout buffered by at least 2-feet of landscaping from the roadway. The shared-use path conveys both pedestrian and bicycle traffic through the intersection. Ramps would provide access to and from the shared-use path and high visibility cross walks. This alternative is depicted as Option 6 in Attachment 4.
Two Roundabout Alternative (Third Street at South Roundabout): The Two Roundabout Alternative would replace the existing intersection with two, single-lane roundabouts. Unlike the proposed project, this alternative would align Third Street to the southern roundabout along with Coombsville Road and SR 121. The northern roundabout would be a three-legged roundabout with SR 121 and East Avenue. A 10-foot wide shared-use path would be provided throughout the new roundabouts buffered by at least 2-feet of landscaping from the roadway. The shared-use path conveys both pedestrian and bicycle traffic through the intersection. Ramps would provide access to and from the shared-use path and high visibility cross walks. This alternative is depicted as Option 8 in Attachment 4.
No Build Alternative: The existing lane geometry and intersection controls would remain in place. The intersection of SR 121 / Third Street / Coombsville Road / East Avenue would remain signalized. Existing sidewalks and crosswalks would remain unchanged.
In February 2017, the alternatives were presented to Council, and Council selected Alternative 5F - the double roundabout configuration with Third Street connecting to the north roundabout - for further study. Caltrans subsequently approved the Project Initiation Document in 2019, allowing the project to advance into environmental review and preliminary design.
In June 2023, City Council authorized a cooperative agreement with Caltrans defining each agency’s responsibilities for review, design, and funding of the environmental and engineering design phases of the project. Because the project is located on State Route 121 and within the City limits, both agencies have regulatory responsibilities. The City serves as the lead agency under CEQA, while Caltrans serves as the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
On December 5, 2023, the City executed a contract with consultant, GHD Inc., to provide professional services necessary for environmental review. In June 2024, a public meeting was held at the Alta Heights Elementary School to discuss the alternatives being studied. The City formally initiated the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process by issuing a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR for a 30-day review period extending from July 29, 2024, to August 28, 2024.
EIR SCOPE AND CONTENT:
The scope and content of the EIR are guided by the requirements set forth in the CEQA guidelines and from input gathered from project partners and the public during the NOP and scoping process identified above. The EIR includes a full analysis of the Proposed Project and the No-Build Alternative and provides an analysis of alternatives considered and rejected. The EIR evaluates the project’s potential impacts on sixteen environmental areas including:
1) Aesthetics
2) Air Quality
3) Biological Resources
4) Cultural Resources
5) Geology and Soils
6) Greenhouse Gas Emissions
7) Hazards and Hazardous Materials
8) Hydrology and Water Quality
9) Land Use Planning
10) Noise
11) Population and Housing
12) Public Services
13) Transportation
14) Tribal Cultural Resources
15) Utilities and Service Systems
16) Wildfire
The EIR identified potentially significant environmental impacts in the studied areas of Cultural Resources and Noise. In addition, the EIR identified potentially feasible mitigation measures that would avoid, minimize, or reduce significant adverse environmental effects.
One impact, however, cannot be fully mitigated. Construction of the proposed project would require acquisition of the property at 801 Silverado Trail, a contributing resource within the East Napa Historic District. Although documentation, historical recording, interpretive signage, salvage of historic materials, and other mitigation measures would lessen the impact, demolition of the residence remains a significant and unavoidable impact under CEQA.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
CEQA requires the lead agency to evaluate reasonable alternatives that could meet the project’s objectives while reducing environmental impacts. The Final EIR considered four alternatives; two were selected for further environmental study, and two were rejected from further study. The two alternatives selected for further analysis included the Proposed Project, which is the two-roundabout alternative with Third Street at the north roundabout (depicted as Option 5F in Attachment 4), and the no-build alternative.
The two alternatives considered but rejected from further study included a single, five-legged roundabout (depicted as Option 6 in Attachment 4) and a double roundabout with Third Street connected to the southern roundabout (depicted as Option 8 in Attachment 4).
FINDINGS
The rationale for decision making is required to be disclosed through the adoption of both “CEQA Findings” that address the disposition of all significant environmental effects identified in the EIR and a Statement of Overriding Consideration for impacts that are considered significant and are not able to be mitigated below a level of significance. The City is also required to adopt a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program to ensure compliance with the adopted mitigation measures.
The objectives of the Project include the following:
• Improve intersection operations that will result in reduced driver delay and reduced congestion
• Improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities at the intersection
• Meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements
• Improve the safety and accessibility for all users of the intersection
The Proposed Project meets all the project objectives; however, it would result in a significant and unavoidable impact to the East Napa Historic District by demolishing the contributing residential property at 801 Silverado Trail, which is currently listed on the City’s Historic Resource Inventory as a contributor to the East Napa Historic District. While the residence is not individually eligible for the NRHP, the residence would be considered an historical resource pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5. According to CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5(b), a “project with an effect that may cause substantial adverse change in the significance of an historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on the environment”. The project would implement mitigation to lessen the impacts by requiring surveys and documentation, however, the demolition of the residence at 801 Silverado Trail would remain significant as an impact on the East Napa Historic District, which is an individual CEQA historic resource.
While there are two other potential build alternatives that would avoid a full acquisition of the property at 801 Silverado Trail and avoid demolition of the associated residence, those alternatives have potentially greater social and economic impacts to the local community and do not meet the project’s objectives to the same extent as the Proposed Project.
The Five-Legged Roundabout Alternative (single roundabout) would provide accessibility for all users and improve operations over existing conditions. However, the implementation of planned development in the area would result in operational deficiencies on Third Street. This would not meet the project objectives to improve intersection operations and reduce vehicle delay and congestion to the same extent as the Proposed Project.
The Five-Legged Roundabout Alternative would result in a full acquisition of a multi-family residential property with two residences and the full acquisition of three commercial properties. These are shown in Attachment 4 as “Alternative 6”. The City would need to fully acquire:
• Napa Marble & Granite Works (9 Coombsville Road)
• Posh Motors (800 Silverado Trail)
• Napa Tire & Wheels (713 Silverado Trail)
• 1010 East Avenue (multi-family residential)
Although the Five-Legged Roundabout Alternative would not require the acquisition of 801 Silverado Trail, it would potentially result in much greater social and economic impacts to the local community, and some operational deficiencies would remain. The greater overall impacts and operational deficiencies of this alternative provide justification for rejection.
The Two Roundabout Alternative (Third Street at south roundabout) would provide accessibility for all users and improve operations over existing conditions. However, the AM and PM peak hour queues for the southbound vehicles on SR 121 entering the southern roundabout would likely extend more than 150-feet, which is the available distance between the two roundabouts. This would result in the queue spilling back into the northern roundabout, creating significant delay. This would not meet the project objectives to improve intersection operations and reduce vehicle delay and congestion to the same extent as the Proposed Project.
This alternative would result in the full acquisition of three commercial properties. Additionally, Third Street would be realigned thorough the commercial center on the southeast corner of Third Street and Juarez Street (325, 333, 341, 343 Third Street), requiring the demolition of a portion of the existing building. Major acquisition of this commercial property would be anticipated, though full acquisition may be required depending on discussions with property owners. The residential property at 1010 East Avenue would require partial acquisition and may require driveway realignment. These acquisitions are shown in Attachment 4 as “Alternative 8”. The full acquisitions consist of the following:
• Napa Marble & Granite Works (9 Coombsville Road)
• Posh Motors (800 Silverado Trail)
• Napa Tire & Wheels (713 Silverado Trail)
• Pearson’s Appliance, All Star Plumbing, Eastside Studio, Rola (325, 333, 341, & 343 Third Street)
Although the Two Roundabout Alternative would not require the acquisition of 801 Silverado Trail, it would potentially result in much greater social and economic impacts to the local community, and some operational deficiencies would remain. Because this alternative would result in queuing and significant delays during the AM and PM peak hours, it would not meet the Project Objectives to the same extent as the Proposed Alternative and provides justification for rejection.
Attachment 4 shows the anticipated property acquisitions for each alternative, including the Proposed Project, which is shown in the attachment as “Alternative 5F”. The Proposed Project has undergone more detailed property review, so the attachment also reflects temporary construction easements anticipated at the individual property level. The other two alternatives would also require temporary construction easements; however, those potential acquisition needs have not been delineated at the individual property level at this phase of the project.
The Proposed Project would also result in potentially significant construction vibration impacts to several neighboring buildings, though impacts would be reduced to a less than significant level through incorporation of mitigation measures.
THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE AND THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.6(e)(2) states “if the environmentally superior alternative is the ‘no project’ alternative, the EIR shall also identify an environmentally superior alternative among the other alternatives.” In this case, the No Build Alternative is environmentally superior because it avoids all the identified impacts of the project. The No Build Alternative does not, however, meet the project objectives of improved level of service, safety, and accessibility.
In addition to the No Build Alternative, the Two Roundabout Alternative (Third Street at south roundabout) would avoid the significant cultural resource impact to the East Napa Historic District and avoid the full acquisition of the 801 Silverado Trail property to accommodate the Project. Based on the discussion above, the environmentally superior alternative would be the Two Roundabout Alternative (Third Street at south roundabout) as it would reduce the cultural resource impact of the project and avoid full property acquisition at 801 Silverado Trail. However, the two-roundabout alternative (Third Street at south roundabout) would result in significant delay and would not meet the Project objectives. The property acquisitions for this alternative are substantial and would potentially result in much greater social and economic impacts to the local community. These reasons provide justification for rejecting the Two Roundabout Alternative (Third Street at south roundabout) and selecting the Proposed Project as the Preferred Alternative.
PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD AND THE FINAL EIR
The Draft EIR was released for public review by filing a Notice of Completion (NOC) with the State Clearinghouse (SCH #2024071257) on September 2, 2025. The availability of the Draft EIR for review and comment was advertised and noticed through a range of outreach methods. The Notice of Availability draft EIR was filed with the Napa County Clerk-Recorder Office on August 28, 2025, for a 65-day review period, ending on November 1, 2025. This notice was distributed to local jurisdictions, tribal governments, state and federal agencies, resource agencies, water boards, transportation agencies, community groups and organizations, business organizations, chamber of commerce, school districts, interested parties, and members of the public. In addition, this notice was mailed to residences and businesses within a 500-foot radius of the Project through the U.S. Postal Service.
The notice was also published in The Napa Valley Register newspaper and posted on Caltrans’ website. A link to Caltrans’ website was provided on the City of Napa’s webpage for the Project. Each of the advertisements and notices provided information on how to obtain and review the Draft EIR, how to comment, the deadline for comments, how to participate in the public meeting, and who to contact for more information.
During the public review period, the City hosted a public meeting at Alta Heights Elementary School on September 17, 2025. City and Caltrans staff were available to present information on the project, answer questions, and receive public input and comments. Comments received throughout the public review period, including during the public meeting, varied with some commentors liking the project and its accommodations of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, while others questioned the need for the project and expressed concerns about construction impacts and roundabout operations. There were specific comments about the project’s impacts on adjacent properties, the natural environment, and utilities.
The Final EIR includes a list of agencies, organizations, and individuals that commented on the Draft EIR, including the actual comments themselves, as well as responses to the comments in accordance with CEQA Guidelines section 15088.
Following close of the public review period, the City of Napa prepared the Final EIR.
The Final EIR, Five-Way Intersection Improvements Project, was published on July 7, 2026, and commenting agencies, organizations, and individuals were notified as required by CEQA so that such agencies receive responses to their comments prior to the Council’s consideration of certification. While CEQA requires such notification at least 10 days prior to certification consideration, the City provided additional time, publishing the document 10 weeks prior to the public hearing to enable commentors and members of the public sufficient time to review the Final EIR.
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT
As lead agency for NEPA, Caltrans has consulted with the City of Napa Cultural Heritage Commission, Napa County Historical Society, Napa County Landmarks, Napa County Library’s Community Outreach Service, and the Napa County Genealogical Society, beginning in August 2021, regarding the project’s potential to affect historic properties. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’ Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Mishewal-Wappo Tribe of Alexander Valley, Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community, Guidiville Indian Rancheria, Pinoleville Pomo Nation, Cortina Rancheria Kletsel Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, and Grindstone Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki were also consulted regarding the project’s impacts.
To comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Caltrans consulted with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). SHPO has prepared a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and invited Caltrans and the City of Napa to be signatory to the agreement. The MOA includes avoidance and minimization conditions to lessen the project’s impacts to the East Napa Historic District. As project sponsor, the City would be responsible for funding and implementing the conditions, which include historical surveys, potential salvaging of historic components, wayfinder signage, recording an oral history of the East Napa Historic District, and installing interpretive signs and panels documenting the history of the East Napa Historic District. Except for Caltrans’ direct work, the cost to implement the mitigation would be the responsibility of the City as the project sponsor.
AMENDMENT TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AND FINAL DESIGN
In August 2024, the City entered into a cooperative agreement, City Agreement C2023-160, with Caltrans to define the roles, responsibilities, and funding for the development of the environmental document, known as the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) phase, and final engineering design, known as the Plans, Specifications and Estimates (PS&E) phase. The City is designated as the implementing agency for compliance with CEQA and for the preparation of Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&E), also known as final design. Caltrans provides oversight and is the implementing agency for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The original cooperative agreement detailed that each agency would fund its own work; Caltrans would utilize State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) funding for their work and the City would use locally identified funds for City work.
Through the initial phases of the project while alternatives were being developed, an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) was contemplated to be the appropriate environmental document under CEQA and a Categorical Exclusion under NEPA. Due to potential impacts to a structure listed on the City’s Historic Resources Inventory as a local resource with contributing status to a potential historic neighborhood district, the environmental document was elevated to an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in lieu of an IS/MND under CEQA and an Environmental Assessment (EA) in lieu of a categorical exclusion under NEPA. In both cases, the environmental document was elevated to a higher-level document, requiring additional study and review, which impacted the project schedule.
Due to the schedule impacts and Caltrans’ own internal processes and requirements related to funding timing, SHOPP funds allocated for Caltrans’ work during earlier phases of the project needed to be moved to a future phase of work. The reallocated funding will now be used for construction of the project. To document the change in funding, Caltrans requested an amendment to the cooperative agreement, and the proposed amendment documents the funding changes. Additionally, to move the project forward into construction, the City will provide $250,000 for Caltrans to prepare the project for advertisement of a construction contract. This funding allows Caltrans to complete the work necessary to meet State requirements for advertising and awarding a construction contract for a project on the State Highway System.
There is adequate funding in the project, already approved by Council, to fund City responsibilities for the environmental analysis and design work. The amended cooperative agreement does not approve or commit City funding for future project stages, including right-of-way acquisition and construction.
NEXT STEPS
Certifying the EIR and approving the preferred project are required steps to advance the project. Upon certification of the Final EIR, selection of a preferred alternative, approval of CEQA Findings, a Statement of Overriding Consideration, and adoption of a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, the City will file and post a Notice of Determination with the County Clerk and the State Clearinghouse. Then, the project will continue through several steps leading to construction.
The City has already contracted with Mark Thomas & Company, under an agreement approved by City Council on September 11, 2025, to prepare the final design documents and assist with right-of-way work. The City will hold additional public meetings to receive input on the design, and the design team will continue working with property owners who may be affected by the project to address concerns as the design is refined.
At the same time, the City will begin the process of acquiring the property needed to build the project. This includes determining the value of the property through appraisals, making offers to property owners, negotiating purchases, and providing relocation assistance.
The City and Caltrans will also need to negotiate and execute agreements that clearly establish each agency’s responsibilities for right-of-way work and construction. Assuming funding is secured, construction of the project could start in late 2029 and is expected to take 2 years to complete.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
There is no new financial impact related to certification of the FEIR or for the approval of the amendment to cooperative agreement for environmental analysis and final design. The City will have financial impacts associated with the mitigation proposed in the Memorandum of Agreement with the State Historic Preservation Officer. The cost of mitigation is included in the Five-Way Intersection Improvements (33ST14PW04) project budget, which is currently funded with a combination of City, State, and Federal funds. Staff is pursuing grant funding for construction, and additional City funds are anticipated to meet grant funding match requirements.
CEQA:
City staff recommends that the City Council determine and certify that the Final Environmental Impact Report “Five-Way Intersection Improvements Project” (SCH #2024071257), dated July 2026, has been completed in accordance with CEQA, certify the Final Environmental Impact Report adopt CEQA Findings, adopt a Statement Of Overriding Considerations, and adopt a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
EX A - Five-Way Intersection Project Final EIR
EX B - CEQA Findings including Statement of Overriding Considerations
EX C - Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
ATCH 2 - Resolution
EX A - Memorandum of Agreement
ATCH 3 - Resolution
EX A - Cooperative Agreement Amendment
ATCH 4 - Project Alternatives
ATCH 5 - Public Comments
ATCH 6 - Response to Public Comments Received
NOTIFICATION:
Legal Notice of public hearing was published in the Napa Valley Register on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Email notification was sent on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, to residents who commented on the projects, owners of potentially affected properties, and government officials.