Dear Supervisor Colbert,

As Fairfax and West Marin residents, we urge you to commission a robust, scenario-based evacuation and traffic capacity study for Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and its feeder routes to West Marin. This is urgent given the School Street Plaza proposal at 95 Broadway and the growing wildfire risks facing our communities.

Why this matters:

• School Street Plaza scale: The Town has received a preliminary application describing 202 market-rate units and 41 affordable units, approximately 5,750 sq ft of commercial, two parking levels, and four stories of residential at 95 Broadway (School Street). This represents a significant increase in corridor load. (Town of Fairfax)
• Existing congestion: Historic analyses already show intense volumes and delays on Sir Francis Drake. For example, a Ross Valley study cited ~2,600 vehicles/hour at the Red Hill area during the AM peak; coordination studies and “The Hub” documentation call out severe recurring congestion. (BoardDocs)
• Wildfire era planning: Route-level, time-phased evacuation modeling (with contingencies for closures, contra-flow operations, and emergency ingress) is not publicly available for this corridor. Meanwhile, the County is actively rehabilitating parts of Sir Francis Drake, underscoring the corridor’s importance but not substituting for evacuation capacity testing. (Marin County Public Works)

Supervisor Colbert’s public commitments

We appreciate your repeated emphasis on wildfire readiness and emergency infrastructure. For example:

• “Disaster preparedness, particularly wildfire readiness, remains a top priority for me … We must ensure that residents are educated, communities are prepared and infrastructure is equipped to handle emergencies.” (Marin Magazine)
• “Ensuring our infrastructure supports emergency evacuation routes is essential to protecting residents during wildfires and other disasters.” (Marin Magazine)
• As highlighted in local media, you’ve described work as honorary chair of Fire Safe Marin to fund and promote adaptive emergency preparedness that reaches residents (including increasing AlertMarin sign-ups). (PageSuite)
• Fire Safe Marin itself has showcased outreach teaming up with Supervisor Colbert to spread wildfire-preparedness messaging at community events. (Facebook)

These are strong commitments. We’re asking you to make them tangible for the Sir Francis Drake/West Marin corridor with a comprehensive evacuation study.

What we’re asking you to do

1. Direct County staff (OES, Fire, DPW, Planning) to scope and commission a corridor-specific evacuation & capacity study covering:
   1. Peak-load traffic simulation under fire/weather stress; emergency ingress; contra-flow and reversible lanes; choke-point analysis
   2. Alternate/secondary routes and single-point-of-failure contingencies
   3. Staging zones, phased evacuation timing, dynamic signage, and communications
   4. Equity provisions for residents with mobility limits or without private vehicles
2. Hold public workshops for Fairfax, Ross Valley, and West Marin communities.
3. Publish a draft for public review before final adoption and update it on a defined cadence. 

With major development proposals advancing and wildfire seasons intensifying, we need route-level evacuation planning that matches the scale of the risk.

Please champion and calendar this study now.

Thank you.