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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-10-26 Balboa Village CAP Approved MinutesCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Citizen Advisory Panel Meeting Balboa Village MINUTES Newport Harbor Nautical Museum 600 East Bay Avenue Wednesday, October 26, 2011 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mayor Michael Henn, Council Member Liaison Kimberly Brandt, Community Development Director APPROVED Committee Members: Terri Pasquale Brenda Wisneski, Deputy Community Development Director Mark Hoover Steve Badum, Public Works Director Ralph Rodheim Jim Campbell, Principal Planner Craig Smith Fern Nueno, Assistant Planner Jim Stratton Cindy Nelson, Project Consultant The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. All Committee Members were present 1. Welcome and Introductions — Cindy Nelson 2. Approval of September 22, 2011, minutes (Attachment 1) The meeting minutes from the September 22, 2011, meeting were approved by a 5 yes to 0 no vote, with one change to the spelling of Mark Hoover's name. 3. Review of Project Milestones and Schedule (Attachment 2) Committee Member Rodheim stated that he does not want the committee to end up with just another document at the end of this process. He emphasized the need to focus on visioning, parking, architecture, and code enforcement. Cindy Nelson discussed the end goal of creating an implementation plan. She also mentioned the upcoming meeting with staff and the commercial property owners within Balboa Village. After expressed interest by some of the people present, it was decided to make the property owner meeting an additional CAP meeting for Balboa Village. All committee members and public are welcome to attend. Ms. Nelson confirmed that there will be a meeting in December (previously considered going "dark ") and that the committee should be caught up on the schedule by then. The economic consultant will have information for the CAP at upcoming meetings. 4. Final Vision Statement —Cindy Nelson Balboa Village — "A unique destination between the bay and the sea where history meets the excitement of the future." Committee Member Rodheim read an email that he received with a suggestion for a vision statement. The committee briefly discussed it and decided to use the previously agreed upon vision statement. K 5. Review of Project 2000 Recommendations a. Overview— Cindy Nelson Cindy Nelson summarized the Project 2000 recommendations and introduced the topic of what has been accomplished since the vision was done. b. Planning Recommendations —Jim Campbell Jim Campbell summarized the recommendations and some of the improvements including the street improvements, lighting, sign design guidelines, design guidelines for redevelopment and new construction, entry monument sign, parking, and zoning and land use changes. Members of the public expressed concern over some of the land use changes and also suggested undergrounding utilities and allowing for more mixed use development. c. Public Works /Infrastructure Recommendations —Steve Badum Steve Badum summarized some of the public improvements that were accomplished from the Project 2000 recommendations, including street and sidewalk improvements. He discussed the three phases of the project, the pedestrian oriented design, and Washington Street restrooms. He also mentioned why some of the recommendations were not carried out, such as traffic and parking concerns and conflicting interests with widening sidewalks versus keeping street parking spaces. Committee Member Rodheim stated that he thinks the City has done its share and now property owners need to do their part. Mayor Henn mentioned a previous group effort done with private donations to fund additional trees on the peninsula. 6. Priority Goals /Objectives of CAP a. Appearance i. Public areas ii. Private building maintenance b. Parking i. Long term (beach) vs. short term ii. Enforcement iii. Resident permits iv. Revenues back to BV c. Economics I. Retail demand analysis d. Societal i. Differing views on future — consensus unlikely e. Public /Private Stimulus I. Balboa Theater ii. ExplorOcean iii. Commitment to arts /education f. Natural Hazards I. Raising sea walls to protect peninsula ii. Some areas have flooded during high tide, including Cypress Street and Island Avenue. Steve Badum will look into this. g. Other Thoughts I. Additional public improvements ii. Streetscape design "theme" iii. Building design /signage design "theme" iv. Code enforcement policy /code changes h. Discussion In regards to design guidelines, Cindy Nelson discussed a streetscape design theme and a building design theme. Mayor Henn compared this to Lido Village design guidelines, which are more comprehensive and regulatory. He further mentioned the active redevelopment in the Lido area. Committee Member Rodheim stated that the major tenants in Balboa Village all have different design themes and posed if it was even worth the discussion with such differing architectural styles (Balboa Inn, Balboa Theater, Pavilion, and ExplorOcean). Jim Campbell said that the Balboa Theater was approved consistent with the existing design guidelines, but ExplorOceah has not yet been reviewed by staff. Members of the public commented that property owners will not redevelop unless mandated or provided a financial incentive and that guidelines need to be implemented for large projects. Committee Member Rodheim suggested having different design options for new projects. Committee Member Hoover continued that a project should fit into one of the approved options and not be on the edge of the guidelines. Committee Member Pasquale discussed general guidelines versus a theme. A member of the public noted that painted signs are not allowed yet the city is not able to regulate painting the exterior of buildings. Committee Members Pasquale and Smith will meet to go over guidelines with Dennis Borowsky (resident). A member of the public suggested regulated design in other ways, such as landscaping and paint color with palette options. Committee Member Stratton said we need to incentivize people to do improvements. City website — http:// www .newportbeachca.goy /index.aspx ?page =1959 8. Public Comment & Roundtable Discussion Ms. Nelson mentioned the Westways AAA magazine that highlighted the Balboa Peninsula. The discussion topics included parking and transportation management and traffic circulation during busy summer weekends and other heavily impacted times. Tony Brine, City Traffic Engineer, stated that the City has synchronized the traffic signals and there has been a significant improvement on the peninsula. There is a signal that the City is working with Caltrans on to synchronize as well. Members of the public commented that the two hour time limit for parking does not resolve the resident parking issues. Residents, fishermen, whale watchers, boat owners, caregivers /service workers, and beach goers are all groups who come to the area and need to park. The idea of incentives and loans to property owners was also discussed. 9. Next Meeting — Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm 10. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.