Mobility

College Heights is designed to be an oasis that is free from pollution and traffic noise. Homes will be arranged around courtyards and shared space where informal gatherings can be spontaneous, promoting a sense of community. Walking is encouraged by well lit paths throughout College Heights. The roads are constructed using a green paving system, grasscrete (pictured below), to maintain the aesthetic of the Village.

Indeed, College Heights takes “smart growth” to the highest level, incorporating compact development, mixed use, and expanded, alternative transit in a setting convenient for work, home and play.

College Heights makes alternatives to drive-alone car travel convenient and efficient. The project is by no means car-free, but travel modes shift away from cars. Travel times for all destinations, from getting to work, shopping, or a cup of coffee, would be comparable to, or better than, those of suburbia. The plan increases use of walkways to reach the units, with the longest walk from the Village Center to the furthest residential unit designed to take less than five minutes. HOA assets include the Village Bus, a Village Van, and an electrocart. The Village Bus, a small shuttle managed by the HOA, would be fast, frequent, and free. The electrocart is for resident’s use to move heavy and bulky items to and from their homes. College Heights will reduce auto dependency, but does not eliminate use of cars. The site would have available parking spaces leased at market rates. Taxi/Uber/Lyft will be easy, even when returning with packages. No household within the community should need a car routinely. Residents may find they do not need to own a car at all, or can reduce the number they own, and frequency with which they use them.

Other Mobility Features

Transportation Demand Management (TDM)

TDMs are policies that make sustainable modes faster than cars for many trips. They make it possible, even easy, to live without a car. For College Heights we propose the most effective TDM ever built in California, it includes many features.

The Village office will have information on transit routes and schedules, ride-share, car-pooling, car rental, and some local, affordable off-site parking. They can help coordinate the delivery of groceries, heavy &/or bulky items. Bike racks outside the Village office, at each residence and on the Village Bus encourage cycling as do the many walkways throughout College Heights. Many of the homes will feature indoor vestibule-type parking areas for bikes and e-bikes.

Transporting Things

Most of us use our cars for carrying stuff. College Heights has a variety of alternatives for things too heavy to carry.

Heavy bulky items. For moving in, furniture or appliances, the Village office will have an electric cart available. The cart uses a quiet, low-pollution electric motor, avoiding noisy polluting diesel trucks. Moving vans may come in by prearrangement. Delivery vehicles, i.e. USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc., park at the delivery curb next to the Village Center where there will be mailboxes for residents.

Groceries. For lighter day-to-day items, College Heights will have receptacles in the residences where, by arrangement with the HOA managers grocery deliveries can be arranged. No-step entries to residences, and vestibules within the units make wagons, two and three wheeled bikes with baskets and push/pullcarts practical for residents to use.

Visitors and Guests

Visitors coming to College Heights by car can avail themselves of limited parking at College Heights. They will be charged parking fees and there will be time limits with cars that exceed these limits being towed at owners expense. If resident’s need parking for guests, and there are spaces in the podium available, arrangements may be made, if possible, for short-term space rentals with the HOA.