Loomis Planning Commission approves widening Sierra College Boulevard

The Loomis Planning Commission approved steps Tuesday to widen Sierra College Boulevard for the Costco development at Brace Road. As part of the Costco development, Costco will widen Sierra College Boulevard along the frontage for a bike lane and third northbound travel lane between Granite Drive and Brace Road. A new stop light signal intersection with dedicated turn lanes will also be built, serving as an entrance to Costco from Sierra College Boulevard, staff said. "We're getting really close to awarding the bid for the Sierra College widening project," Town Engineer Merrill Buck said during the regular Loomis Planning Commission monthly meeting Tuesday. The six-lane Sierra College Boulevard widening is the town of Loomis' responsibility and has been on the books as a town-funded capital improvement project since 2019. Most of the document work approved Tuesday was completed by 2020 but tabled due to the pandemic. "Why are we here two-and-one-half years later? This was on the Planning Commission agenda in March of 2020," said consultant Aimee Dour-Smith of Area West Environmental Inc. "What happened in March of 2020? The COVID pandemic and Covid response really took over what was happening here in the town." The Loomis Planning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend approval by the Loomis Town Council, with newly-appointed commissioner John C. Bailey Jr. absent. Meanwhile, Planning Commissioner Ryan DeMartini, appointed by Councilmember Jenny Knisley, was sworn into office at the meeting's beginning. The Planning Commission also voted to have Commissioner Mike Hogan serve as interim chairman to replace retired chairman Greg Obranovich through March. Bonnie London was also elected to continue as vice-chair until the March meeting.