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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAttachment 3 - GPAC Noise Subcommittee MemoCommunity Development Department CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, California 92660 949 644-3200 newportbeachca.gov/communitydevelopment Memorandum To: Co-Chairs Evans and Greer, and GPAC Members From: Benjamin M. Zdeba, AICP, Principal Planner Date: April 25, 2024 Re: GPAC Noise Subcommittee Efforts ________________________________________________________________ The GPAC Noise Subcommittee met for the very first time on Tuesday, April 23, to identify a chairperson and to begin the conversation surrounding noise and what it means for the Newport Beach community. GPAC Member Jim Mosher was identified as the Chair of this Subcommittee and will provide an overview of the Subcommittee’s discussion and any actions at your upcoming meeting on April 30, 2024. Enclosed for your reference are the following materials: 1. Action Minutes from the Subcommittee Meeting April 30, 2024; and 2. The current General Plan Noise Element, last updated November 2023. The GPAC Noise Subcommittee will be reviewing existing City noise complaint data and current General Plan Noise Element Goals and Policies at its next meeting anticipated in late May or early June. However, the information contained in the enclosed action minutes can be used as a tool to seek community input through the outreach and engagement efforts. Action Minutes: GPAC Noise Subcommittee Meeting Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 3 p.m. Location: Newport Beach Meeting Room at City Hall and Teams GPAC and GPUSC Members in Attendance: Amber Snider, Anthony Maniscalchi (Remote), Charles Klobe, David Guder (Remote), Jim Mosher, Susan DeSantis (Remote), Thomas Meng, Nancy Gardner City Staff in Attendance: Ben Zdeba Brief Discussion Recap and Action Minutes Principal Planner Zdeba initiated the meeting and provided the following basic objectives: 1) to determine the Chairperson of the GPAC Noise Subcommittee; 2) to provide a quick overview of what changes were made to the Noise Element in November 2023; and 3) to provide initial input and guidance on which topics and policy areas should be considered and explored through the outreach as it relates to noise. Identifying the GPAC Noise Subcommittee Chairperson After some discussion, GPAC Members Charles Klobe, Thomas Meng, Anthony Maniscalchi, and Amber Snider nominated GPAC Member Jim Mosher. He accepted the nomination. ✓ Action: GPAC Member Mosher will serve as the Chair of the GPAC Noise Subcommittee. Discussing the Current Vision Statement and Emerging Trends Principal Planner Zdeba provided a brief background on the City Council’s adopted changes to the Noise Element from November 2023. He noted that the policy changes were targeted and focused on the Airport Area. He emphasized the intention of that update was to implement the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element allowing residential development projects on the sites identified within the Housing Opportunity Sites Inventory. A discussion guided by Subcommittee Chair Mosher ensued. The Subcommittee discussed the following highlights: • One of the most prevalent noise sources is John Wayne Airport (JWA). The Subcommittee generally acknowledged having little to no control over the operations at JWA. Some of the Subcommittee expressed the opinion that JWA is “self-policing” in that it monitors noise production from its aircraft operators at various locations Citywide. Subcommittee members also noted the improved technology of aircraft but expressed a desire to curtail noncommercial aircraft (i.e., small and private planes) as much as possible. • It was noted that it is important for City staff to use existing resources to identify the most common complaints from residents. This can include polling City staff members, such as the Harbormaster related to harbor noise, the City Traffic Engineer related to roadway noise, Police (including Animal Control) and Code Enforcement related to other noise sources (e.g., businesses, parties, short-term lodging, leaf blowers, special events and more). Understanding what residents are currently concerned about regarding noise would provide a good baseline to start reviewing potential policy changes. GPAC Noise Subcommittee Action Minutes for April 23, 2024 • The subcommittee also needs to review if, in relaxing noise standards in the Airport Area related to the Housing Element implementation, the Council may have inadvertently relaxed the policy standards applicable to other areas, where no change was intended. • Several roadways were brought up as prime examples of generating a significant amount of roadway noise, including Irvine Avenue, Coast Highway, MacArthur Boulevard, Bonita Canyon Drive, and Newport Coast Drive. The Subcommittee discussed the potential to encourage ways to offset this noise, such as soundwalls or treated road material (i.e., rubberized asphalt). • Noise is different in various areas of Newport Beach, and each area has a different sensitivity to noise. For example, aircraft noise is not as much of an issue in Newport Coast; however, roadway noise from Newport Coast Drive may be. • It was noted that enforcement related to noise complaints is critical. • It was noted that the current General Plan Implementation Program does not have adequate teeth when it comes to enacting the Noise Element Policies. • There should be an educational effort to raise awareness that noise is something the City’s Municipal Code regulates. Some residents may not know that they can file complaints about it. The following items were takeaways from the meeting, which City staff will work to address prior to scheduling a subsequent meeting of the GPAC Noise Subcommittee: • There is a need to better define terms like “ambient noise.” • It is important to explore alternative ways to measure noise and impactful noise. • The Noise Element is a mandatory General Plan Element. Are there any requirements with which the City does not currently comply? Is there a need to update the current noise analysis and future forecasting? • The outreach efforts should consider asking the community what concerns them about noise in Newport Beach – and consider including an exclusion on John Wayne Airport to get a better understanding for other areas of concern. Questions could include: o What concerns you about noise in Newport Beach, besides airplanes? o Things like roadway noise can be offset by soundwalls or other similar structures; however, they can be obtrusive. What is the preference between aesthetics and noise? o At the same time, it is important for the outreach to establish the ares in which residents are impacted by aircraft noise. • The outreach efforts could also consider a Social Pinpoint map on Newport, Together that focuses on noise. ✓ Action: While no action was taken by the Subcommittee, Principal Planner Zdeba committed to collecting information on noise complaints received by the various City departments and to prepare a matrix of current Noise Element policies for review by the Subcommittee. The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:55 p.m. The next meeting, to review the staff-prepared materials, is expected in late May or early June.