After talking for decades about extending Solano Avenue south to First Street, the city will now decide if that plan should be scrapped in face of neighborhood opposition.

Residents between West F Street and Napa Creek turned out in force Tuesday to oppose a direct extension of Solano through their quiet neighborhood.

The city has no plans to build this north-south connection anytime soon, but the possibility has been hanging for years like the “sword of Damocles” over homeowners, Councilwoman Juliana Inman said.

The need to fix the route for this connector street arose when Rossi Development submitted tentative plans last year for a townhome project on First Street, sandwiched between First Baptist Church and the Church of Christ.

The city needs to know where a future connector will go before approving any development plan, city officials said.

The best route, according to staff, is a direct extension of Solano south of West F. Other options include extending Coffield Lane, which runs parallel to the freeway, over the creek.

After listening to a parade of residents south of West F denounce the connector as a neighborhood killer, the council said the city needed to decide the future of this street now.

The need for a connector was referred back to the city’s Traffic Advisory Committee for evaluation. If the Solano extension doesn’t make sense, the route should be removed from the city’s general plan, council members said.

In the meantime, Rossi can proceed with its development application. If the Rossi plan allows for the direct extension of Solano to First, it will be considered, City Manager Mike Parness said.

Rossi’s preliminary plan accommodates the future construction of a connector, which would meet First Street at the intersection with Freeway Drive, a company spokesman said. That intersection now allows cars to travel north of First only to the parking areas for the two churches.

The Traffic Advisory Committee won’t just look at whether Solano should be extended. It will evaluate the need for additional crossings elsewhere in west Napa.

Napa Creek is a major barrier to circulation in west Napa. The first crossing west of the freeway is more than a mile away at West Pueblo, allowing motorists to take Pinewood Drive to get to Browns Valley Road.

The general plan calls for crossings at both Solano Avenue and at Linda Vista Avenue, which would join Browns Valley Road at Robinson Lane, near Westwood Hills Park. “We need to make a connection somewhere,” Inman said.

Neighbors along West F said the freeway and California Boulevard, which is on the east side of the highway, are sufficient for their north-south travel needs.

A connector on the west side would reduce congestion on freeway crossings at Lincoln Avenue and First Street, officials said.

Caltrans and the city will someday want to expand the freeway overpass at First, which complicates any plan to run a connector south of Coffield Lane, said Farid Javandel, the city’s traffic engineer.

Javandel had given the council four route options for a connector south of West F. Councilman Mark van Gorder said he liked “Option Five” — the no connector option.