The chair of the Amenity Authority Committee is standing firm in her opposition to an additional lane of traffic at the Del Mar Gate.
AAC Chair Ann Forrester has been in steady contact with residents who live near the problematic gate near Spanish Springs Town Square. Those aren’t the only people she’s heard from on this topic.
“I got so many emails on this,” Forrester said.
But Forrester was the lone opponent at Wednesday’s AAC meeting standing in opposition to spending $15,000 for a design contract with Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc. The firm is being asked to design an additional in-bound lane at the gate.
Forrester said she has talked to residents of the Hacienda and Chula Vista Villas, which are located right behind the gate. The traffic is a problem for them, making it difficult for them to exit their villa communities and safely navigate onto the roadway.
“I did promise those people I would speak for them. And I will continue to speak for them,” Forrester said.
Several sight-challenged residents spoke out on the Del Mar Gate at an AAC workshop last month.
Residents find the gate confusing, thus the Del Mar Gates suffer more gate strikes and receive more complaints.
“The biggest complaint we get is, ‘I don’t understand why this gate is different,’” said District Manager Richard Baier.
The recommended addition of the lane will make it more consistent with other gates in The Villages, Baier said.
The total estimated cost of the Del Mar Gate project is $71,920.
