Special Notice / Hearing: 18-day Notice provided to Property Owners
Vote Required: 4/5ths for Resolution of Necessity per Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 1245.240; Majority for certifying Negative Declaration
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Tory A. Newman, Director of Public Works
Subject: Entrada Way Slip-Out Repair Project in the La Honda area - Certification of the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and Adoption of a Resolution of Necessity
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Recommendation to:
A) Adopt a resolution certifying and adopting the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration, dated December 2025, together with the Responses to Comments, and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) as the Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and MMRP for the Entrada Way Slip-Out Repair Project; and
B) Conduct a public hearing on a Resolution of Necessity to acquire easements by eminent domain for the Entrada Way Slip-Out Repair Project in the La Honda area:
1. Open public hearing
2. Close public hearing
3. Adopt a Resolution of Necessity declaring that the acquisition of three (3) permanent easements, three (3) 10-year temporary monitoring easements, and six (6) temporary construction easements burdening a portion of the properties located at 8800 La Honda Road and other lands adjacent to the La Honda Creek with no street addresses, in unincorporated La Honda, California, Assessor Parcel Numbers 083-012-060, 083-051-060, 083-051-110, 083-051-120, 083-051-140, and 083-093-130 by eminent domain, is necessary to construct the Entrada Way Slip-Out Repair Project.
body
BACKGROUND:
On June 13, 2023, this Board adopted Resolution No. 079733, which approved the development of projects resulting from 2022-2023 winter storm damage. The Entrada Slip-Out Repair Project (Project) was initiated pursuant to that resolution.
Entrada Way is a County maintained roadway in the unincorporated La Honda area and crosses La Honda Creek (Creek). Entrada Way is essentially the primary access route for approximately 300 properties within the La Honda community. While there is one other means of ingress and egress, to the La Honda community, Entrada Way is the main roadway corridor for residents, emergency response, access and evacuation. Entrada Way also supports critical utility infrastructure, including electrical service, telecommunications, and water services, all of which cross the Creek at the existing culvert.
The Project will address ongoing erosion and roadway instability at this location. Proposed improvements include installation of a crib wall along the left (east) bank of the Creek and a concrete retaining wall along the roadway prism to protect the existing culvert and reduce the risk of roadway failure. In addition, the Creek channel will be regraded to restore the thalweg (the deepest, fastest-flowing part of a Creek channel) to its prior alignment, as continued migration of the Creek poses a substantial risk to Entrada Way and threatens the primary access for the La Honda community.
Implementation of the Project requires obtaining permanent, temporary construction, and 10-year easements for access, construction, and future monitoring. The permanent easements are required for construction, access, and long term maintenance of the proposed retaining structures, including the retaining wall and crib wall, and storm drain infrastructure, affecting the following three (3) Assessor’s Parcel Numbers (APNs) 083-051-110, 083-051-120, and 083-093-130. Three (3) 10-year monitoring easements are required to satisfy the regulatory permit conditions, affecting APNs 083-012-060, 083-051-060, and 083-051-110. Temporary construction easements are required on the six (6) APNs mentioned above to provide the contractor with access to the Project area for the proposed duration of up to nine (9) months during the construction window. Construction of this Project is planned for the 2026 construction season.
All feasible alternatives were evaluated through the environmental review process. The proposed Project represents the most effective and practicable solution to address the identified hazards while preserving roadway function and ensuring continued access for the La Honda community.
DISCUSSION:
Resolution certifying Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND)
The Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the Project has been completed and identified potential adverse effects during construction. Those effects will be reduced to less than significant levels through the implementation of specific mitigation measures as identified in the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), pursuant to Section 21081.6 of the California Public Resources Code. A 30-day public review period was completed in compliance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), comments were received from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Transportation, one (1) private property owner, and responses to all comments received have been prepared.
Certification of the IS/MND together with the “Responses to Comments Mitigated Negative Declaration” as the Final IS/MND and adopting the MMRP as conditions of Project approval will ensure compliance with all CEQA requirements. The IS/MND is available for review at:
<https://www.smcgov.org/publicworks/entrada-way-slip-out-project>
A hard copy of the IS/MND is available for review in the Department of Public Works. The responses to the comments received on the IS/MND are attached as Exhibit “A-1” to the Resolution and the MMRP is attached as Exhibit “B-1” to the Resolution.
Resolution of Necessity
The Director of Public Works and County Attorney recommend adoption of a Resolution of Necessity that authorizes and directs the Office of the County Attorney to file and, if possible, resolve an action in eminent domain to permit this important public project to proceed in a timely fashion. This resolution must be approved by the Board in order for the County to proceed with eminent domain if a voluntary transaction for acquisition of needed property rights cannot be finalized in time for the Project to proceed.
The owners of the properties have been notified of the County’s intention to bring this Resolution of Necessity for the Board action, and the parties have been in ongoing discussions regarding an amicable and voluntary transaction to acquire the easement interests. Those discussions will continue. However, adoption of the Resolution of Necessity is appropriate to establish the scope of the County’s intended property acquisition and to provide an appropriate vehicle for the resolution of any unresolved disputes as to the appropriate value to be paid to the owner for the easement rights.
The locations of the easements to be acquired are attached as Exhibit “A-2” to the Resolution.
The County Attorney has reviewed and approved the resolutions as to form.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The Department, through this recommended action, reaffirms its commitment to complete improvements that serve our communities and ensures that critical design and construction activities can be accomplished. The Department is committed to fostering access to reliable infrastructure for all residents and visitors. This Project reduces potential and ongoing creekbank erosion through nature-based protections, provides for increased roadway protection and integrity, improves fish habitat, protects crucial utilities, and helps ensure uninterrupted access for the community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with certifying the IS/MND.
The acquisition of the easements is projected to cost $95,950.
The Project will be initially financed by Non-Departmental Services (General Fund), as FEMA funds are received on a reimbursable basis. The County will seek reimbursement for 75% of the costs from FEMA and 18.75% from Cal OES, with the remaining 6.25% to be covered by the County.