Proposal to amend American Canyon's 2040 General Plan for improved traffic circulation.

Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition
Notice is hereby given by the person whose name appears hereon of her intention to circulate the petition within the City of American Canyon for the purpose of amending the City of American Canyon’s 2040 General Plan Policy Document, adopted by the City Council on November 18, 2025. A statement of the reasons of the proposed action as contemplated in the petition is as follows:Residents of American Canyon experience traffic congestion and limited circulation options, particularly due to constrained access to State Route 29 on the east side of the City. These conditions impede mobility and delay emergency response times.When adopting the 2040 General Plan, the City did not adequately address a northern access connection to SR29 in a timely manner. The General Plan also failed to fully reflect certain roadways and circulation improvements that have already been constructed, resulting in a planning framework that does not accurately capture existing infrastructure or prioritize near-term solutions.This initiative addresses those deficiencies by requiring the City to recognize and plan for a northern access connection linking Watson Lane and Marcus Road, thereby creating an additional connection to State Route 29. This Watson Lane/Marcus Road configuration will provide a viable access to the Watson Ranch Specific Plan. The measure will improve traffic flow, enhance emergency access and evacuation readiness, and better align the General Plan with existing conditions and infrastructure needs.This measure updates the General Plan to include the northern access connection to SR 29 as a planned route, and make other modifications to the 2040 General Plan to properly reflect the roadway and circulation improvements already constructed. It does not approve, fund, or authorize construction of the roadway, which would remain subject to future approvals and applicable law.Beth Marcus/s/ Beth Marcus
The city attorney has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:Title:Initiative Measure to Amend American Canyon 2040 General Plan Mobility Element to Add Watson Lane/Marcus Road Circulation Connection Between State Route 29 and Newell DriveSummary:If approved by a majority of American Canyon voters, this initiative would make several amendments to the American Canyon 2040 General Plan’s Mobility Element. The current Mobility Element plans for Newell Drive to connect to State Route 29 at Green Island Road in the north and via Donaldson Way in the south.The initiative would amend the Mobility Element’s SR 29 Corridor Planning to add a “Watson Lane/Marcus Road Connector” as an additional east-west and northern circulation connection to State Route 29. Watson Lane would be planned as a 2-lane east-west minor collector street connecting Newell Drive to State Route 29 via Paoli Loop Road. The initiative also proposes to connect Watson Lane to Rio Del Mar by a planned northern extension of Marcus Road. The Mobility Element would also plan for an improved at-grade public railroad crossing at Watson Lane.The initiative would also amend the Mobility Element’s Street Classifications section to add a new type of collector street, a “Minor Collector Street (Modified),” to the City’s standard roadway cross sections. The initiative would reclassify previously planned roadway segments of Newell Drive from Donaldson Way to Rio Del Mar, and from Rio Del Mar to State Route 29 at Green Island Road, and on Mallen Way, from arterial or standard collector street classifications to a minor collector street (modified) classification, with a sidewalk on the west side.The initiative would add a policy to the Mobility Element addressing improvements to Watson Lane and Marcus Road, including planning for the at-grade railroad crossing.The initiative does not fund or authorize construction of any road. Any future construction requires additional approvals by the City Council.If this initiative is approved, the City’s General Plan Mobility Element would be amended to add the new east-west connection between Newell Drive and State Route 29 at Watson Lane and the new connection between Rio Del Mar and Watson Lane by extending Marcus Road.If this initiative is not approved, the City’s General Plan Mobility Element would remain the same as it reads now, with Newell Drive planned to connect to State Route 29 at Green Island Road in the north and via Donaldson Way in the south.The initiative prohibits the City Council from changing any of its provisions. Only the City’s voters could amend the initiative’s provisions.If you want a copy of the Initiative, or any documents related to the Initiative, you may obtain a copy at no cost to you by making a request to the City Clerk by phone at: (707) 647-4369 or email at: cityclerk@americancanyon.gov._______________________________ ________________________________Teresa L. Highsmith Dated: _______________City Attorney, City of American Canyon4/23 COL-CA-102206