How will Sutter/PAMF's mega hospital affect traffic in San Carlos?

“By Sutter/PAMF's own admission the gridlock will be "Level of Service D or F." A gridlock that is “Level F” means that cars will sit in a stalled line of traffic and watch the traffic signal change from red to green several times before they can pass through an intersection.¹

Traffic gridlock would not only clog downtown, but also block access to Highway 101. For example, Holly Street is a major exit on Highway 101. If this exit is clogged, what companies or shoppers are going to want to do business in our town?

Can Sutter/PAMF reduce its impact on traffic?

Sutter/PAMF disclosed that even if they adopt measures that reduce traffic by 10%, gridlock will still exist at six intersections.² No matter what the hospital does, it is still going to make traffic on Highway 101 a nightmare.

Sutter/PAMF could comply with traffic reduction strategies developed in 2002 for the City by consultants Nygaard/Nelson. For example, on page 5-1 of Nygaard/Nelson's report³ the traffic experts state that properly located employee housing is an essential mitigation measure for traffic reduction and that employer-developed housing should be encouraged. Sutter/PAMF, however, makes no effort to site housing near its mega hospital. By their own admission, most of the 1500 hospital employees will not live in San Carlos. Instead, nearly 90% of the workers will live far away from the project and will have to drive to work on Highway 101- contributing to more traffic.⁴

How will Sutter/PAMF's hospital impact San Carlos's existing traffic reduction plans?

Sutter/PAMF's proposed hospital conflicts with San Carlos's pro-active plans for traffic reduction. For example, the Nygaard/Nelson traffic study suggested that Eastside neighborhoods should have improved access to the Caltrain station, decreasing their reliance on cars. Sutter/PAMF's hospital, however, would block East Side residents' access to the station.⁵

Sutter/PAMF also plans on widening Industrial Road and making it unfriendly to pedestrian and bike traffic.⁶

Will Sutter/PAMF repay the city for the impact it will have on traffic?

Despite all of the problems that Sutter/PAMF's mega hospital will create, it will give astoundingly little back to the City. Even though Sutter Health, the corporation that owns Sutter/PAMF, earned $1.3 billion in profit over the last three years, they are considered non-profit and don't pay property taxes.

To generate increased revenue, the Nelson/Nygaard traffic study also recommends that San Carlos assess a special Traffic Mitigation Fee on large developments. San Francisco charges $5 per square foot to contribute to the cost of additional transit service. By charging the same rate, San Carlos could raise $2.5 million from Sutter/PAMF and adequately fund transit development and traffic reduction. Unfortunately, Sutter/PAMF has refused to commit to paying such a fee. Instead, the City would have to foot the bill for Sutter/PAMF's traffic if the project is built.⁷

 

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¹ Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), pages 3.4-37
² DEIR, table 3.4-20
³"Traffic Impacts and Mitigation Strategies," August 2002, Draft Final Report for the City of San Carlos, Nelson/Nygaard.
⁴ Keyser Marston report, page 10, attached to the DEIR as Appendix E, states that 14.3% of the new employees would be expected to reside in San Carlos.
⁵ "Traffic Impacts and Mitigation Strategies," August 2002, Draft Final Report for the City of San Carlos, Nelson/Nygaard, page 5-1.
⁶ "Traffic Impacts and Mitigation Strategies," August 2002, Draft Final Report for the City of San Carlos, Nelson/Nygaard. Page 5-1 states that Industrial Road is supposed to be changed to a pedestrian friendly boulevard. If Sutter/Sutter/PAMF’s project goes forward, Industrial Road will be widened and traffic will increase sharply, according to the DEIR page 2-24.
⁷"Traffic Impacts and Mitigation Strategies," August 2002, Draft Final Report for the City of San Carlos, Nelson/Nygaard.