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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01302024_Action Minutes_Vision Statement SubcomitteeAction Minutes: GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee Meeting Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. Location: Spyglass Meeting Room at City Hall and Teams GPAC and GPUSC Members in Attendance: Curtis Black, Debbie Stevens, Jeremy Evans, Jim Mosher, Nancy Gardner, Nancy Scarbrough, Scott Laidlaw City Staff in Attendance: Ben Zdeba, Elizabeth Dickson (Consultant) Brief Discussion Recap and Action Minutes City staff initiated the meeting and provided the following basic objectives for the meeting: 1) to determine the Chairperson of the GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee; 2) to identify the currently adopted Vision Statement for 2025 from the 2006 General Plan; 3) to provide feedback on what should be considered and explored through the outreach as it relates to the Vision Statement; and 4) to move the Vision Existing Conditions and Background Report forward for GPAC consideration. Identifying the GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee Chairperson After some discussion, GPAC Member Jim Mosher nominated GPAC Member Debbie Stevens. She accepted the nomination. ✓ Action: GPAC Member Stevens will serve as the Chair of the GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee. Discussing the Current Vision Statement and Emerging Trends Elizabeth Dickson (Consultant) of Dudek provided a PowerPoint presentation. She framed the Vision Statement as the “north star” to guide the process and noted it is written in the present tense with an intent to be the “end-state” for how Newport Beach should look 20 to 25 years out. She shared an overview of the visioning analysis as it relates to the intention of the report prepared, identifled the currently adopted Vision Statement for 2025 from the 2006 General Plan, outlined the process for developing the updated Vision Statement as part of the General Plan Update, and presented next steps for the Subcommittee’s consideration. Discussion ensued about the timing of preparing the flnal Vision Statement and it was noted that nothing with the General Plan is flnal until it is adopted. Elizabeth Dickson addressed the sequencing for drafting the Vision Statement and clarifled that Dudek’s report is intended to provide some framework to begin thinking about how the Vision Statement should be updated. Once input is received from the Subcommittee, the GPAC, the GPUSC, and the community through the outreach and engagement effort, a draft Vision Statement could be created. It is important to ask thoughtful questions regarding progress made in achieving the 2025 Vision Statement, as well as which new and emerging trends are important for the community. The Subcommittee noted the importance of having a Vision Statement or components of the Vision Statement for the community to react to and provide input. Once Elizabeth Dickson concluded her presentation, the Subcommittee discussed the following highlights: GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee Action Minutes for January 30, 2024 General Input • There are three important prongs that make up the Newport Beach community: residents, businesses, and visitors. It will be important to consider all prongs to strike an appropriate balance. In that same respect, remember that Newport Beach is a home, a livelihood, and a destination. • The adopted 2010 General Plan had a strong emphasis on Newport Beach as a resident-flrst community, this was due in part to businesses seeming to encroach on residents’ way of life at the time. There may be new sentiment in this regard. The outreach and engagement efforts should include residents and businesses. • Commercial areas are very walkable and are well-served by residents, but may need improvements to make the areas more attractive. The residents are important for supporting local businesses, especially during the off season. • Outreach should solicit input on the sentiment toward tourism. Is there a desire to increase or decrease the amount of tourists in the area? If there is an infiux in tourism, this could infiuence plans for new hotel opportunities as well as new trolleys to balance varying needs. • Newport Beach is full of divergent perspectives and in turn has divergent areas that should be considered. Some people appreciate the casual beachgoing areas of the City while others appreciate the more upscale areas. • There is opportunity to have a better vision for certain areas of the City to become more walkable with vibrant pedestrian areas that are served by businesses and services. It is important to recognize that some requirements like parking can impact the viability of these areas. • There is also an opportunity to encourage adaptive reuse of buildings rather than complete teardowns and rebuilds. This could help preserve the City’s cultural roots through maintaining character and charm. • Newport Beach has a reputation for independence in dealing with regional and state bodies. It is important to both be a regional leader with thought leadership, but also to maintain deep partnerships at the regional and state levels. • There should also be a renewed and continued emphasis on community services and partnerships to get more boots on the ground to address issues like homelessness. New and Emerging Trends • It was noted that Dudek’s report incorporated some of the new and emerging trends from the 2023 Planning Trends Report published by the American Planning Association. The Subcommittee did not identify any one of these trends as being necessarily inapplicable to Newport Beach’s context. • Although not directly shared by the Subcommittee, there seemed to be an emphasis on multi- faceted “resiliency.” This includes considerations like creating and planning for resilient infrastructure or creating and planning for a resilient economy through enhancing business areas and villages while improving the City’s built infrastructure. • As an example, there is a heightened need for local agencies to consider near-term and long-term infrastructure improvements, such as the City’s forethought in raising the Balboa Island seawall, an extensive project effort. • Technology is always evolving. There should be a consideration for the City to be innovative but in a calculated way. This includes the possibility of staying on top of improving technology through rollout of efforts like Citywide wireless internet (Wi-Fi) or improved cellular coverage, as well as GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee Action Minutes for January 30, 2024 traffic management capabilities like automatic notiflcation to visitors when the beach is overcrowded and there is limited to no parking available. • There is also a movement to consider towards microtransit and alternative modes of transportation, such as the City’s Balboa Peninsula Trolley. It was also noted that in the future, there will be air taxis and a broader use of drones for deliveries. ✓ Action: GPAC Vision Statement Subcommittee members supported moving forward to share the matrix of the previous input provided, the Dudek report, and these action minutes for the larger GPAC to consider moving forward at the February 7, 2024 meeting.