Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSS3 - Park Development Opportunities• STUDY SESSION AGENDA ITEM SS3 TO: Mayor and City Council Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission FROM: Homer Bludau, City Manager SUBJECT: Park Development Opportunities Introduction The City has three new park sites available, Newport Village, Sunset Ridge and Upper • Bayview Landing. The Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission and staff have begun some park development planning on Newport Village and Bayview Landing. The purpose of this study session is for the City Council and the Commission to discuss all three sites, to understand their potential, constraints, costs and funding status, and to provide direction on the scope of development for the sites and their relative priority. Newport Village Site Description This site is located between Avocado Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, north of the Central Library and south of San Miguel Drive. It is approximately 12 acres of land that has not been developed previously, although the lower portion has been graded and would be considered highly disturbed. The site contains seasonal wetlands and a mesa with views of Newport Harbor, Catalina Island and the Pacific Ocean. There is currently non - native, native and some coastal sage vegetation on the site. Planning Status tatus The General Plan designates this site as Administrative Professional and Financial Commercial (APF), and it is zoned Planned Community. Open space, including a park, is a permitted use. The site is not in the Coastal Zone. L� Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission Recommendations • Discussions so far have been to develop a passive view park on this site. After several public forums, the Commission approved, on November 6, 2001, the following list of components to be included in the design of the passive view park. • No concrete or asphalt paths; use decomposed granite or a natural looking material • This park will not be a destination park (i.e., a park where groups meet for all day events such as picnics, reunions, etc.) • Natural look, but user friendly • Protect views of surrounding neighborhoods including only essential use of night lighting • Security Lighting – only what is required for safety • Develop parking options • 25 spaces, 50 spaces and 100 spaces • consider improvements to existing onsite library parking provide cost estimates for grading/parking options • provide alternative off -site parking solutions • Develop two concepts — • with more turf • with less turf • • Consideration for the environmentally sensitive areas • Benches, no picnic tables • List /survey potential users • Parking analysis of library • Small amphitheater / outdoor reading area for 30 -50 people • Landscaping should consider flowers /trees, location and size, for view protection • Drinking fountains • Garden like area Budget Status This fiscal year's budget includes $35,000 for a conceptual plan. Only staff time has been used so far, and the entire budgeted amount remains available. Issues and Concerns Access from Avocado Avenue and along the southerly boundary adjacent to the library is difficult due to the steep grade. Vehicular access to a proposed parking lot on the park site would require extensive grading at these locations. Access from MacArthur Boulevard would require less grading but would be limited to right turn in/out, and access to the library would be difficult. 0 4 • Preservation of existing seasonal wetlands, arroyo areas and native vegetation are an important consideration for this park. As well, views from the park site itself and from adjacent residential areas need to be considered in the placement of park furniture, safety /security lighting, parking, and pathways. L 1 This site provides an opportunity not only for a new park, but also for additional library parking. Joint parking facilities could be considered on the southern portion of the site adjacent to the library. The Central Library is 54,000 sq. ft. The Friends Meeting Room is 1,800 sq. ft and seats 200 persons. Current parking is 210 spaces. Library parking standards vary from place to place. In comparison to some other standards, our Central Library does not have sufficient parking. The standard used in some southern California cities would require 225 to 280 spaces for our library, the North Carolina standard would require 340 spaces, and the California standard for schools would require 380 spaces. The Board of Library Trustees has limited the non -City and/or non - library use of the Friends Room to groups of 100, to preclude overcrowding of the library parking lot. While this limitation was in effect, the library conducted a parking survey in September 2000. The average occupancy of the parking lot was 50% in the morning, 70% in the afternoon and 55% in the evening. By the traffic engineering rule of thumb that 90% occupancy is full, the library parking lot has some more capacity only when use of the Friends Meeting Room is limited. Even with this limitation, there were times in the afternoon and evening when fewer than 10 spaces were available. The Board of Library Trustees has determined that there is a need for an additional 100 parking spaces. A copy of the correspondence to the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission is attached as Exhibit 1. Sunset Ridge Site Description This site, also known as "Caltrans West," is located at Coast Highway and Superior Avenue, adjacent to the Newport Crest town homes and the Banning Ranch. The property is 15 acres. It has been graded, the vegetation is non - native, and the site would be considered highly disturbed. The site offers views of the West Newport coast, Catalina Island and the Pacific Ocean. Planning Status The General Plan designation for this site is single family attached (SFA), with open space as an alternate. Zoning is multi - family, not to exceed 15 units per acre, 30% of which must be affordable. A view park is also a permitted use. This site is in the Coastal Zone, and its development will require Coastal Commission approval. 9 The West Newport community has advocated development of this site as an active sports . park without lights for a long time. Recently, there also has been some interest in a passive park. Budget Status Funds for site acquisition have been budgeted in this fiscal year ($700,000) and more is planned for next year ($1,000,000). There is not yet a budget for planning and development. Issues and Concerns The steep grade and curved alignment of Superior Avenue, along with an adjacent steep slope on the park site, prevent safe vehicular access from Superior Avenue. The adjacent steep slope and the lane drop transition on Coast Highway also prevent safe vehicular access from this frontage. These constraints indicate that access to the park site should be via the future Bluff Road alignment or via an easement through the Banning Ranch property. Interim access could be achieved by utilizing the existing parking at the northeasterly corer of Superior Avenue. Existing crosswalks through the Coast Highway intersection could be used for pedestrian access or a pedestrian bridge could be considered. Due to access issues, the appropriate time to develop this park may be in coordination with the development of the Banning Ranch. In all likelihood, the future development of Banning Ranch would be required to include construction of Bluff Road and its intersection with Coast Highway. This property is divided by Superior Avenue, with 13 acres on the east side and 2 acres on the west side of the street. There may be a need for pedestrian and bicycle connections. Preservation of public views from the park site will need to be considered in park planning. Development of the park, especially any sports facilities, also could impact views from the Newport Crest townhomes. This site is close to or within an area that historically has had gas seepage at the surface from underground petroleum deposits. There also is at least one abandoned oil well on the property, and perhaps others on site or nearby. Finally, there are trace earthquake faults on the site. All of these issues will need to be addressed in planning for public use of this park site. • • Upper Bayview Landing Site Description This is a 12 -acre site located at the comer of Coast Highway and Jamboree Road, above the Newport Dunes. It is adjacent to a coastal bluff, with views of the Upper Newport Bay and the bluffs across the Bay. The site formerly was developed with a service station, and is highly disturbed. Nonetheless, there is coastal sage scrub on the slopes, and there is the possibility of gnatcatcher occupancy. Planning Status This site is designated for Recreational and Environmental Open Space in the General Plan. It is zoned Planned Community, and a passive park with low intensity of use is permitted. The site is within the Coastal Zone, and approval by the Coastal Commission is required before development. Features of the park that have been discussed to date are the following. • View of Upper Newport Bay from Coast Highway (Requires grading) • Pedestrian and bicycle access, with no dedicated public parking • Trail from Coast Highway and Jamboree Road to Newport Dunes • Informal landscape with native grasses and plants Budget Status The City encumbered $33,390 for design last fiscal year, half of which has been used for conceptual planning. This year, $340,000 from the General Fund is budgeted for planning and construction. A contract for environmental review has encumbered $24,900 of this amount. An additional $340,000 in CIOSA funds are available but not yet budgeted. Issues and Concerns There are no safe access points for motor vehicles, and the nearest public parking would be on Back Bay Drive. The only direct access would be for pedestrians and bicycles. Achieving the desired views of Upper Newport Bay from Coast Highway will require some grading of the coastal bluff. This is likely to be an issue for the Coastal Commission, especially with the presence of coastal sage scrub vegetation and the possibility of gnatcatchers. The City will need to demonstrate that the improved public view of a coastal resource outweighs the impacts of the grading. The former service station site has not been "closed" by the Orange County Health Care Agency. Current levels of contamination have been identified, but the County has not approved a remediation strategy. Strategies could range from monitoring to active • removal of the contaminants. Costs Exhibit 2 shows the City's historical park construction costs. The average cost over the past five years has been $212,000 per acre. For passive parks like Castaways and Arroyo, costs ranged from $63,000 to $394,000 per acre. Arroyo Park was exceptionally expensive due to the inclusion of a storm drain, walkways to the nearby residential area, and a lighted sports field. For more active parks like Bob Henry and Bonita Canyon, the range was $162,000 to $229,000. Maintenance costs are higher for active parks than for passive ones. The City's experience is that active parks cost $4,500 per acre per year, and passive ones cost $1,500 per acre per year. Potential Funding Sources Proposition 40, the Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks and Coastal Protection Bond Act, which would provide $2.6 billion in funding statewide for Parks, Water, and Conservation, will be on the state ballot on March 5, 2002. If approved by the voters, funding availability for Newport Beach would be $365,000, in Per Capita Funds and $220,120 in Roberti Z'berg Harris Urbanized Allocations. If the bond is approved by voters, funds would also be available to state agencies for the following specific purposes: • $300,000,000 to Wildlife Conservation Board, for habitat restoration, etc. • $200,000,000 to State Coastal Conservancy, for projects relating to the conservancy's goals. Some funding for Upper Bayview Landing and Caltrans West may be available through the EPA for restoration of "brown fields" or contaminated sites. 0 2 NEWPORT BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92660 September 28, 2001 Val Skoro, Chair Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission City of Newport Beach 3300 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach, CA 92662 Re: Newport Village Site Dear Val, EXHIBIT #1 FAX 949.640 -5681 PHONE 949. 717 -3enn www.newportbeachlibrary.org The Board of Library Trustees is pleased to have the opportunity to provide input into the development of the Newport Village site, adjacent to and north of the Central Library. In the development of the site, the primary concern of the Board of Library Trustees is providing adequate parking for library services to provide maximum use of the Central Library facility. We will be supportive of a beautiful, compatible and accessible park which reciprocally complements the City's Central Library. Parking is a critical need for public libraries. Thus, significant parking standards have been established. Four spaces per 1000 square feet of the facility is a common standard. The Newport Beach Central Library also requires parking for the 200 seat meeting room, used independently from the library, at a standard of one space for every 28 square feet of a public meeting room. These standards would require a minimum of 280 parking spaces for the Central Library. The State of California requirement for schools of 7 spaces per 1000 square feet of building is also applicable. If applied to the Newport Beach Public Library, the requirement would be 380 public parking spaces. - The current lack of available parking at the Central Library presents a problem for all library customers and for residents wishing to attend events in the Friends Meeting Room. The parking requirements were carefully analyzed during the design process of the Central Library in 1990/91. It was done as part of the anticipated cultural center for the City, shared with the former Newport Harbor Art Museum. The library and the museum shared a common entrance and planned shared parking. The City's limited 4 -acre site was maximized to yield 220 parking spaces; the museum's 12 -acre parcel provided 500 spaces, a total of 720 spaces for the joint cultural center. A copy of the original joint plan is. attached. However, the cultural center did not materialize. Parking at the Central Library has been reduced to 210 spaces, partly as a result of the Corona del Mar Plaza construction. The limited library • spaces are often used by shoppers at the Plaza. Newport Village Site Page 2 _ As a result, the library today has at a minimum a deficit of 100 parking spaces. See attached pictures. In response to repeated customer complaints, and to accommodate access for residents, the Board of Library Trustees drastically curtailed the use of the 200 seat Friends Meeting Room, an extremely popular community meeting site. The library will only schedule in the Friends Meeting Room, groups not exceeding 100 persons in attendance. Non- library use of the room is not permitted on Sundays as well as other periods of time during the week. To fully utilize all of the Central Library building for providing library service to the City and for maximum use of the public meeting room, the Board of Library Trustees highly recommends to the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission and to the City Council, that the development of this site as a passive view park incorporate as a minimum, an additional 100 public parking spaces for library use. The parking for the library should be immediately adjacent to the north side of the Central Library. Additional parking for the 12 -acre passive view park would be required as you deem necessary. Sincerely, Patrick Bartolic, Chair Board of Library Trustees Attachments Cc: Mayor and Members of City Council Homer Bludau, City Manager • � 1 U 0 7 0 9 0 LIBRARY 0 Pli i • 0 LO N Ef3` 1 X LLI H j. ) [ LO M A. p� V 1 L � N � C3 °; R H 0 LO � r 0 �` L cu ` cu Ag /9• f' ^ O � cu O (LL T CD U a cu o °� = 0 = - ca a Q . O (n .n ca m O m