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Home My WebLink About00 - Insiders GuideReceived After Agenda Printed Insider's Guide Brown, Leilani June 24. 2014 From: Kiff, Dave Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2014 5:33 PM Subject: Insider's Guide - NEI City Council Meeting of June 24, 2014 A good Thursday evening to you. This version of the Insider's Guide has information about the upcoming Council meeting set for Tuesday, June 20, 2014 as well as some community items of interest. The City Council meeting is held on the 2nd and 4`" Tuesdays of most months, with study session starting at 4:00 and the regular session at its usual 7:00 p.m. spot. The Council meets at 100 Civic Center Drive, but you can also watch on TV (Channels 3/31) or on your computer. WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA? Items that affect us all citywide: • Parking and Vehicle Lifts. The Planning Commission recently heard more about proposals in other communities to allow vertically- stacked parking using vehicle lifts. They look like what's in the photo below. This would be a new concept for our community, especially if the lift spaces counted as required parking spaces. Anyway, this issue comes to the City Council for more direction — if the Council wants to take an action on it, it would only be to start a more detailed public hearing process about the lifts. I certainly would drive into a bottom one with my bike on the top of my car. O A discussion over whether to place a temporary moratorium on new "marine activity permits" for businesses engaged in water - propelled recreational activities in Newport Harbor. More pictures are necessary for this one, too. The agenda item would ask the City Council to direct staff to NOT issue any new permits for businesses that use the Harbor for jet -pack thingies (that's the technical term). It's not that this kind of recreation isn't just fine, it's just that staff would like to see if our current and relatively unfettered policies for this use might need some tweaking. After all, one, two, or maybe three of these operations in the harbor might be OK, but how many is too many? And is it safe for other harbor users who might find themselves on the low side of a trainee way up in the air, especially as the devices change to wakeboards and, um, shoes. Your opinions are always welcome —I know that the Council would appreciate hearing what you think about these operations. Anyway, the action on this agenda would allow the City up to a year to review the issue (probably with the Harbor Commission) and get back to the Council with some ideas going forward. The current operation out in the Harbor is grandfathered in to its year -to -year permit. • The annual appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees. We are always very thankful for the hard work of our volunteers who serve on boards, commissions, and committees. Serving can be a huge time commitment, but it makes for a better Newport Beach. Thank you, all. Agenda items that might affect your neck o' the woods: • On the Water- Newport Harbor. We'll hear a report from Harbor Commissioner Doug West and our Harbor Resources staff on the concept of a water taxi service in Newport Harbor. The Harbor Commission has had a subcommittee working on the issue for a few months now, and they'll report back to the City Council and public at this meeting. • West Newport Beach. We'll talk more specifically about plans for July 4th, specifically in West Newport Beach. Though we don't want to shortchange the Mariner's Parade or the American Legion's boat parade. So those are out there, too. West Newport Beach is in its 4th or 5th year of a "Family Friendly Fourth" that has become a lot of fun since it started. The residents of West Newport who help pull this together should be commended for all the work they put into it. My only role is being a dunk -ee again. Come by and dunk me — I (probably) will not hold it against you. O • Bayside Drive, Santa Ana Heights. Some big projects are now complete, so we'll close them out at this meeting — the Bayside Drive pavement rehabilitation and the Santa Ana Heights undergrounding and multi -use trail, Biking on Bayside now actually allows you to keep most of yourteeth, which is a good thing. • Balboa Pier, Newport Pier. Every couple of years we spend about $500,000 to replace battered pilings below the two ocean piers. That work will be going on soon (not during summer, though) if this contract is let. The piers' pilings are replaced one -by -one, over time, and most folks never see the changes unless you're a barnacle. • Newport Heights. Two local residents have appealed the Planning Commission's approval of the remodeling and expansion of Nesai Restaurant just at the bottom of the hill off of Riverside Drive not too far from the post office. The Commission's approval allows an outdoor dining patio, later hours of operation (to 11:00 p.m.) and parking changes. This will be a public hearing where the Council acts "de novo" (the Council can consider any and all facts and take any action —as if it is a new hearing). To see these items and the rest of the City Council's agenda, click here: http: / /newpo rtbeachca.aov/ modules /ShowDocument.aspx ?documentid =4414 UPCOMING HAPPENINGS • The first of the 2014 Summer Concerts on the Green is this Sunday, June 22nd from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It's the Hutchins Consort, which has eight "scaled violins' (which would assume were basses and cellos, but they don't seem to call them that...) Bring a picnic dinner, a blanket, and chairs (or tailgate in the parking structure — that's the cool trend) here at the Civic Center. • July 4 may come and go before I write again. Have a safe one. We spent a little more on the Newport Dunes' fireworks show this year, so it should be an extra good one starting at 9:00 p.m. • Watch out carefully for our 1,000+ Jr. Guards on bikes who will make the trek from home to the Jr. Lifeguards trailer near the Balboa Pier (and back). There is a morning and afternoon shift, Monday through Thursday and a few Fridays. You will see their hats and backpacks and red shorts on bikes all across town starting this Monday, June 23`d. Common bike routes are Bayside, Balboa Island to and from the BI Ferry, and Dover Drive. An extra dose of caution is always warranted as the summer begins. This is the JGs' 30th year! As always, thanks for reading the Insider's Guide. Please pass it along to others in the neighborhood, especially if you represent a homeowners' or community association. Feel free to share your thoughts about this with me, or to ask me any question about city operations. Thanks again, Dave Kiff City Manager 949- 644 -3001