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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/24/2013 - Study SessionCity Council Minutes Study Session September 24, 2013 — 3:30 p.m. I. ROLeL CALL - 3:30 p.m. Present: Council Member Gardner, Council Member Petros, Mayor Pro Tem Hill, Mayor Curry, Council Member Selich, Council Member Henn Excused: Council Member Daigle II. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR. Regarding Item 6 (Approval of Maintenance Agreement for Alley Sweeping Services), Council Member Petros indicated that he was impressed that the contract calls out that the level of maintenance will be at the highest industry standard and it leaves the performance level to the City's judgment. He commended staff for negotiating the terms at extremely competitive rates and wondered if the same terms are applicable to the roadway street sweeping contract. Deputy General Services Director Pisani confirmed that the terms are the same, reported receiving an occasional complaint, and added that sweeping companies install GPS tracking systems in its vehicles. Council Member Petros hoped that the same level of attention is given to the refuse collection contract if it is going to be outsourced. 2. OCTA PRESENTATION ON MEASURE M2 PROGRAM. 1100 -20231 Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Director of Plans and Programs Kia Mortazavi reported that the OCTA is currently evaluating its long -range planning plan with the completion of the 2014 update. He noted increased expectations with respect to dealing with green house gases, tighter constraints and limited space, as well as rules and regulations. He announced a workshop in the City of Tustin on September 25, 2013 . with elected officials, stakeholders and students. Regarding Measure M2, he addressed the basis for their revenue forecast and noted that, by bringing in outside funding and resources, they will be able to deliver the entire program. He reported that they are in the final stages of the environmental document related to the 405 Freeway and that the plan is to begin construction by 2015 with completion in 2019. Mr. Mortazavi addressed other projects related to Measure M, including approval of funds for water - quality cleanup in Newport Beach. He reported on their efforts to improve services and indicated that they are working on regional bikeway planning in some of the emerging corridors, including Pacific Coast Highway. He added that OCTA currently has a call for bike projects along streets and applications are due on September 30, 2013, Mayor Pro Tern Hill expressed appreciation on behalf of the City and the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA). Council Member Petros reported that he chairs the City's Bicycle Master Plan Oversight Committee, which is in the process of developing a Bicycle Master Plan, and noted that the Committee has participated in the Supervisorial Districts I and 2 Bicycle Collaborative. He Volume 61- Page 289 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session September 24, 2013 stated that he is encouraged since the PCH Corridor has risen in its level of priority and the OCTA is engaged in doing a PCH corridor -wide study. Public Works Director Webb noted that OCTA provided a brochure to the City that lists the projects and funding, as well as the freeway projects. He indicated that the brochure is available to the public. Mayor Curry expressed appreciation for the work of the OCTA and its partnership with the City. S. MARINERS MILE - PCH STREET CAPACITY DISCUSSION. 1100 -20131 Mayor Pro Tem. Bill recused himself from this item since he lives within 500 feet of the subject area. Public Works Director Webb provided background about West Coast Highway and Mariners Mile, its service as a major utility corridor, and the high level of bicycle traffic. He addressed parking, designation by the State, and the City's role in planning and maintaining the area. He presented details of the Orange County Master Plan of Arterial Highways, including the plan over the years and levels of service. Council Member Petros commented on the need to correlate the Circulation Element with the Land Use Element, and added that in order for the General Plan to be deemed acceptable, correlation must be shown. Public Works Director Webb agreed that, when considering land use, the traffic -use circulation must also be considered. He further addressed current and future traffic volumes through Mariners Mile, current City -wide traffic volumes, facility levels of service, the 2006 General Plan vision statement, key circulation policies and goals, compared Mariners Mile and Corona del Mar recommendations, and typical arterial and Mariner's Mile cross sections. He addressed street parking, funding of the improvements, and recommendations. In response to Council Member Gardner's questions, Public Works Director Webb discussed the width of Pacific Coast Highway at MacArthur Boulevard. He noted that arterial designations can be changed, but doing so necessitates conducting a traffic study which usually involves mitigation. He reported that Coast Highway has always been four lanes on the Master .Plan. Regarding six -lane arterials, he explained that the six -lane area of Mariners Mile has a mix of uses and is unique. He presented other examples of six -lane arterials through commercial districts, including Main Street in the City of Huntington Beach, Council Member Petros discussed standards versus current widths of lanes and medians, and asked about the possibility of changing the standards. Public Works Director Webb reported that, typically, the State's and City's standard is 12 -feet where applicable. He commented on the process of changing the standard if the City owned it. Additionally, he commented on access management and noted the desire to combine driveways where possible. He indicated that he did not foresee a change in access unless opportunities are present, Council Member Selich reported on the length of time the issue has been under consideration and wondered about innovative measures to manage traffic through the area as opposed to widening the road since problems normally occur during peak traffic hours. Traffic Engineer Brine reported that one of the ideas discussed was the possibility of combining the operation of traffic signals at Riverside Avenue and Tustin Avenue, Public Works Director Webb also discussed the possibility of conducting isolated improvements, such as spot widening and working with OCTA for developing solutions. He reported that there is a high need for bicycle lanes through the corridor, as well as the need to address parking. Council Member Petros stressed the need to be creative and providing certainty relative to the Volume 61- Page 290 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session September 24, 2013 right -of -way. In response to Council Member Petros' questions, OCTA Director of Plans and Programs Kia Mortazavi discussed the, cooperative process if the City were to act to reduce the number of lanes and emphasized that Caltrans would have to be involved. Public Works Director Webb added that other affected agencies would also have to support the matter since there is record that other municipalities are concerned regarding traffic shifting to their cities. There would need to be agency concurrence before approaching the OCTA and the board to have facilities downgraded Jim Mosher commented on the current traffic volumes and questioned the fluctuations in traffic and the levels of service depending on the time of year. Ned McCune, Chairman of the Mariners Mile Business Owners Association, believed that Pacific Coast Highway is rarely congested and traffic usually flows well. Tod Ridgeway expressed his support of the process and agreed with the need to create balance in the area. He encouraged maintaining a dialogue, spoke against lowering the service levels, and believed that there are other solutions instead of designating the area as a six -lane arterial highway. Council Member Petros commented on unknowns surrounding the issue, suggested appropriating necessary funds during the next budget cycle to restart the Mariners Mile Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP) process and seek opportunities to review other land use issues to resolve and address access, lot size, and the economic vitality along Mariners Mile. Council Member Selich agreed with Council Member Petros and noted the need to do more study of the area. 4. LAND USE ELEMENT AMENDMENT - SUGGESTED LAND USE CHANGES. [100- 20131 Deputy Community Development Director Wisneski provided a brief background and discussed the consideration and review by the Land Use Element Amendment Advisory Committee. Woodie Teacher, The Planning Group, utilized a PowerPoint presentation to address the Committee meetings, Land Use Element Amendment objectives, foundation for the amendments, study areas, reduced capacity, no capacity changes, land use changes, modified capacity, and issues yet to be resolved. Additionally, he presented next steps, including the overall schedule. Council Member Selich reiterated that one of the major unresolved 'issues is the airport area, including increasing housing without generating trips. He referenced the Lyon Homes property, noting that they are requesting replacement units. He commented on policy revisions and the intent to incorporate appropriate policies from the Lido Marina Village Concept Plan into the General Plan. Council Member Gardner stated that she feels confident that the Committee can review the information, analyze traffic impacts, and return to Council with a recommendation for what should go on the November 2014 ballot. However, she indicated that she is less confident regarding the Committee being able to complete, all the necessary reviews for the airport area because of the many changes that have occurred there. She requested direction on whether the Committee should segment out the airport area or move the issue forward. Mayor Pro Tem Hill stated that he would like to see the airport area move forward at this time. He discussed the underutilization of the area and the significant opportunities that exist there. Volume 61 - Page 291 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session September 24, 2013 He added that he would like to move forward on a trip - neutral basis. Council Member Gardner believed that allowing more time to review the airport area may produce a more coherent view of the matter. Mayor Pro Tom Hill believed that it can be worked through and noted the need to work with the Orange County Regional Airport Authority. He added that some of the requests are logical and some are not. Mayor Pro Tern Hill referenced the northwest corner of the City where there is currently a substandard apartment complex and requested status of the project. Deputy Community Development Director Wisneski reported significant challenges with the property and limitations on the amount of residential density that can be placed there. She indicated that staff provided information to the property owners but has not heard from them. Mayor Pro Tern Hill encouraged staff to work with them since that location is an entrance to the City. Additionally, he expressed surprise that the Monrovia property is being thought of as a public facility. Deputy Community Development Director Wisneski reported that the property is currently designated as office use, but is located in a residential zone, and is subject to abatement. She indicated that designating it as a public facility removes the abatement issue and, if it will not be used as a public facility, it can be re- designated in the future through a General Plan amendment. City Manager Kiff stated that it can be re- designated through Council action. Council Member Petros commented on the Harbor Day School site, noting that they are under a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) where they cannot allow enrollment to be over 408 students so that the increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR) does not go hand -in -hand with an increase in enrollment and would be trip - neutral. He stated that, if they were to request an increase in FAR, it would need to be under a separate CUP. Additionally, he agreed with Mayor Pro Tom Hill regarding the Monrovia site and suggested handling it as an overlay. He indicated that he does not agree with designating it as a public facility at this time due to the Banning Ranch project as to what may or may not happen there. He suggested leaving it as is with the supposition that it could become a public facility. Council Member Petros reported that there are density bonus provisions in the airport area and believed that there should be a traffic threshold that acknowledges the density bonus and allows capacity for the 2,200 units. Regarding policy revisions, he indicated that the City has been a leader in the County in its efforts to comport with the sustainable community strategies and SB 35 provisions. He expressed interest in seeing the traffic effects of the proposals For the airport area. Council Member Gardner expressed concerns with the possibility of not being able to meet the required deadline for an election. Jim Mosher commented on provisions of the 2006 General Plan relative to the goal of reducing traffic. He believed that the project requests are inconsistent with the idea of voting individually on major developments and with the vision of reducing traffic and limiting the potential for commercial office and industrial spaces. He asked why staff is spending tax dollars looking for growth opportunities. Carol McDermott, representing several property owners in the airport area, reported that they have taken the objective of achieving traffic neutrality seriously and understands the process. She listed the projects that are traffic neutral and noted that the Hangars project has a very small trip increase. She asked that Council direct staff to maintain the proposals in the plan. In response to Council Member Henn's question, Ms. McDermott explained that the Lyon project asked for 700 additional replacement units. Deputy Community Development Director Wisneski explained that the request is to increase the replacement units by 700 units which would replace residential units in place of commercial development. Volume 61 - Page 292 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session September 24, 2013 Patrick Strader, Star Trip Ventures, representing Mr. Saunders, explained his client's intent to look holistically at the area and add some residential. He noted that the original application was filed with large zoning goals. Mayor Curry believed that four of the airport proposals can be easily accommodated and are workable, but the Saunders project needs to quickly assess aspirations and return with a more realistic project. He noted that time is of the essence and encouraged moving forward accordingly. 5. VISIT NEWPORT BEACH - ANNUAL PRESENTATION. [100 -20131 Gary Sherwin, President of Newport Beach and Company, introduced Debbie Snavely, Chairperson of the Board of Newport Beach and Company and General Manager of Marriott Hotel and Spa. Ms. Snavely thanked Council for its support of the hospitality industry and introduced members of the Executive Committee. She noted that the work of Visit Newport Beach (VNB) is critical to the hospitality industry and that the community is well- served by the organization. She asked that the City extend their Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) contract to coincide with the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID). Mr. Sherwin provided a PowerPoint presentation addressing fiscal year hotel performance, the August 2013 hotel performance, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) being hosted in the City in January, 2414, and economic and media impacts. He discussed prior year sales comparisons, TBID Return on Investments, the brand promise, the 201.312414 anticipated budget, key organizational priorities, marketing publications, maps and calendars, mobile bookings, the website, mobile apps, social media, public relations, and international marketing efforts. He presented details of the organization's Police Hospitality Training, noting that the entire Newport Beach Police Department has been trained. Additionally, he addressed Newport Beach TV, relationships with the Balboa Village Merchants Association and the Corona del Mar BID, and reported that the organization was named by the Orange County Business Journal as one of the best places to work in 2013. Executive Committee Member Dennis O'Neil reported attending Board meetings on a quarterly basis, as well as Executive Committee meetings, and commented positively on the professionalism of Newport Beach and Company. He stated that the organization is in full compliance with all of the rules and regulations that govern non - profit corporations and expressed his appreciation to Council for his appointment as Council's representative on the organization. Mayor Curry thanked Board Members for their work and efforts, and commented positively on the success of the organization. Council Member Gardner commented on the benefits of having these types of regular reports so the public is aware of their efforts. Mayor Pro Tern Hill expressed his appreciation to the organization in facilitating the revenue for the City and the community. Jim Mosher commented positively on VNB staff and on the announcement of a TBID meeting on the City's website. However, he expressed concern that the Board meetings and business conducted are never publicly noticed and expressed opposition to the City having any financial involvement with the organization, as well as the concept of branding the City. Additionally, he expressed concerns with the newly formed Newport Beach and Company and the promotion of tourism into City, as well as the lack of the organization's transparency. Volume 61 - Page 293 City of Newport Beach City Council Study Session September 24, 2013 Robert Hawkins believed, that the City should not pay anyone to market John Wayne Airport (JWA) even after the settlement agreement is finalized. Danielle Distill commented positively on the efforts of Newport Beach and Company and on the need to make the City aesthetically pleasing. However, she believed that some areas of the City, like the Newport Pier, are not as nice. She added that she opposes implementing six lanes through Mariners Mile. III. PUBLIC COMMENTS, INCLUDING PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT ITEMS ON THE CLOSED SESSION AGENDA Jim Mosher believed that the agenda should be more forthcoming regarding the issues needing to be resolved. He commented on labor negotiations and a previous approval of a labor contract with refuse workers prior to consideration of whether to outsouree the service. Additionally, he commented on a Closed Session item regarding Friday's Court of Appeals decision regarding the City's Group Homes Ordinance and believed that the matter deserves an open and candid public discussion. Robert Hawkins thanked Council for adjourning tonight's meeting in memory of his friend, Ron Hendrickson. IV. ADJOURNMENT - 5:58 p.m. The agenda for the Study Session was posted on September 19, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. on the City's website; on September 19, 2013, at 4:00 p.m, on the City Hall Electronic Bulletin Board located in the entrance of the City Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive; and on September 19, 2013, at 4:05 p.m. in the Meeting Agenda Binder located in the entrance of the City Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive. Recording Secretary Mayor NE City Clerk QRhtA Volume 61 - Page 294