The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About17 - General Plan Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) Bi-Monthly Update to the City CouncilQ �EwPpRT CITY OF s NEWPORT BEACH `q44:09 City Council Staff Report June 11, 2024 Agenda Item No. 17 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Seimone Jurjis, Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director - 949-644-3232, sjurjis@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Benjamin M. Zdeba, AICP, Principal Planner - 949-644-3253, bzdeba@newportbeachca.gov TITLE: General Plan Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) Bi-Monthly Update to the City Council /_1 16"t I:7_T91 5 Since the previous update to the City Council in April 2024, the General Plan Update Steering Committee and the General Plan Advisory Committee have each held one public meeting, and various subcommittees have held four public meetings. This report provides an update to the City Council on the discussions and actions taken. RECOMMENDATIONS: a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Receive and file the report. DISCUSSION: The General Plan Update Steering Committee (Steering Committee) is chaired by Nancy Gardner with Phillip Brown and Kimberly Carter as members. The primary purpose of the Steering Committee is to guide the 30-member General Plan Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) and to report to the City Council. The City's dedicated website for the General Plan Update is found at www.newportbeachca.gov/gpupdate and provides information on the progress and upcoming events, as well as opportunities for community input and engagement. Attachment A to this report was prepared by Steering Committee Chair Gardner and summarizes some of the notable recent progress made by the Steering Committee and Advisory Committee. Below is a list and recap of each Steering Committee and Advisory Committee meeting held since the previous, April 9, 2024, update to the City Council. Recap of the April 30, 2024, Advisory Committee Meeting • Between this meeting and the prior meeting in March, the Recreation/Natural Resources Subcommittee, the Arts and Cultural/Historical Resources Subcommittee, and the Noise Subcommittee all convened. 17-1 General Plan Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) Bi-Monthly Update to the City Council June 11, 2024 Page 2 o The Recreation/Natural Resources Subcommittee, led by Advisory Committee Member and Subcommittee Chair Charles Klobe, reviewed the Existing Conditions and Background Analysis Reports for both Recreation and Natural Resources prepared by Dudek. The subcommittee provided feedback and generally supported the reports to help inform the outreach and engagement efforts. o The Arts & Cultural/Historical Resources Subcommittee, led by Advisory Committee Co -Chair and Subcommittee Chair Arlene Greer, reviewed the Arts and Cultural Existing Conditions and Background Analysis Report prepared by Dudek and provided feedback while generally supporting the report to help inform the outreach and engagement efforts. o As it was the first meeting of the Noise Subcommittee, members identified Advisory Committee Member Jim Mosher as the chair. The subcommittee discussed the existing General Plan Noise Element and identified a process identified in a guide published by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research as a potential way to go about ensuring the Noise Element is properly updated. The subcommittee requested information on how the existing goals and policies are being implemented, as well as data on noise complaints from the various responsible City of Newport Beach departments. • All subcommittee chairs reported out to the full Advisory Committee at the April 30 meeting and received support for their respective efforts. • As part of the agenda item for matters to be considered on a future agenda, Advisory Committee Member Klobe and Steering Committee Chair Gardner raised a potential concern related to density bonus units and how they are being accounted for in the proposed Housing Element Implementation Program Amendments. Recap of the May 15, 2024, Steering Committee Meeting • The Steering Committee briefly reviewed the actions of the Advisory Committee and expressed support for the efforts and continued confidence in the revamped workflow. • As raised in the April 30 Advisory Committee meeting, the Steering Committee discussed the concern related to density bonus units and how they are currently being accounted for in the draft language for the Housing Element Implementation Program Amendments. City staff provided an update on the current schedule and the inability to make changes to the language without compromising that schedule. It was determined that the Advisory Committee's Land Use Subcommittee should discuss the matter and report back to the full Advisory Committee with a recommendation on whether to raise the concern to the City Council. 17-2 General Plan Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) Bi-Monthly Update to the City Council June 11, 2024 Page 3 Recap of the May 23, 2024, Land Use Subcommittee Meeting • The Land Use Subcommittee convened on May 23, 2024, and identified Advisory Committee Member Susan DeSantis as the chairperson. Attachment A includes a brief recap of the subcommittee's meeting. The subcommittee's discussion and any actions will be reviewed by the full Advisory Committee at the next regular meeting on June 19, 2024. Outreach Updates and Upcoming Meetings • The outreach and engagement effort launched in early March 2024, with the first pop-up event at the annual Mayor's Egg Race, and it has been growing since. The following list details all six pop-up events and their reach: o March 23, 2024, Mayor's Egg Race — 140 individuals; o March 31, 2024, Newport Beach Farmer's Market — 50 individuals; o April 13, 2024, Environmental Nature Center's Native Plant Sale — 55 individuals; o April 20, 2024, Corona del Mar Farmer's Market — 70 individuals; o April 22, 2024, Central Library Booth — 35 individuals; and o May 22, 2024, Battle in the Bay — 110 individuals. • Since April 22, 2024, the Newport, Together website has seen an increase of 1,256 unique visitors for a total of 5,115 unique visitors. The General Plan Update effort continues to be advertised on the City's website and social media, as well as in Stu News, the Daily Pilot, and the City Manager's The Week In Review. • The Advisory Committee's Safety Subcommittee and Harbor and Bay Subcommittee will both convene in early June, with the full Advisory Committee and the Steering Committee meeting again on June 19, 2024. The General Plan Update remains on track to conclude in the summer of 2025. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact related to this item. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. 17-3 General Plan Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) Bi-Monthly Update to the City Council June 11, 2024 Page 4 NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). ATTACHMENT: Attachment A — Steering Committee Chair Gardner's Memo to the City Council 17-4 Attachment A Steering Committee Chair Gardner's Memo to the City Council 17-5 Mayor and Council Members: The subcommittees are hard at work. As a reminder, the subcommittees, working with the consultant, generate suggested policies and ideas which are then forwarded to GPAC as a whole. The output of the subcommittees is also providing guidance to the outreach effort. Following is a brief summary of four subcommittee meetings. LAND USE ELEMENT SUBCOMMITTEE A lot of discussion focused on the airport, particularly the desire for a specific plan. The general feeling was that the language about creating an area with various amenities is weak and without a specific plan there will be few if any public areas and support services. There was clarification on the part of the element that states that density bonus units are not counted toward the overall number but are in addition to. It was explained that this is not a choice but a state requirement. There were a number of questions about Greenlight and the need for a vote. Of concern was that there doesn't seem to be a plan for what to do if the ballot measure fails. RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES The subcommittee heralded the work the City has done on water quality and underlined the importance of continuing to pursue both physical and "political" methods of dealing with runoff from outside areas that affects the bay and ocean. Interest was expressed in sand loss and the need to protect our beaches. A suggestion was made to explore ways for the City to acquire sand trapped upriver that can no longer make its way to the shore naturally. There was interest by some members in finding out how the community feels about protecting private views. When it comes to the protection of visual resources, there needs to be stronger language. Additional public views were suggested to add to the existing list. As far as recreation, although the City does well in the amount of park space certain areas have less accessibility, and this should be a consideration moving forward. A master plan for parks would be beneficial. Connectivity can be improved. In focus areas like the airport and Newport Center, are public parks being considered and/or required? NOISE SUBCOMMITTEE While airport noise is always a major concern, the subcommittee felt it is important not to overlook the noise from various roadways. It would be helpful to know what the community feels about sound walls. The definition of ambient noise is rather vague and can make enforcement difficult, and staff will provide more information. ARTS AND CULTURAL/HISTORICAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE Members felt that it would be very helpful to have a staff member to seek grants and coordinate events. Council policies regarding the acceptance and maintenance of art need to be revisited, and the Arts Master Plan should be regularly updated. As for cultural/historical resources, there should be a master plan developed similar to the Arts Master Plan. The City should welcome public/private partnerships for greater support. Nancy Gardner, Chair, GPUSC 17-6