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HomeMy WebLinkAbout16 - Covid-19 Update - CorrespondenceReceived After Agenda Printed January 12, 2021 Item No. 16 4 RECOVER NEWPORT On The Road to Recovery June 25, 2020 Mayor O'Neill and City Council: Recover Newport is a group of former Mayors and City Council members who are invested in safely restoring the economic and community health of the City of Newport Beach which has been damaged as a result of the novel COVID-19 pandemic. This group has been observing public health and policy related responses at the State and County level, focusing on the actions that would directly affect community sustainability and resilience in Newport Beach. As a result of our efforts, we would offer the following observations. We acknowledge and appreciate the efforts taken to date by the City Council, including adopting a budget reflective of our community vision, even in times of budgetary constraints. We appreciate the leadership shown through all the Stage 1 and Stage 2 compliance measures. We are encouraged by the open communication and fact -based messaging from the Mayor and other Councilmembers. And there is more to achieve before Newport Beach fully recovers. 2. To that end, Recover Newport suggests the City engage in a Department Head review of the Municipal Code to ease restrictions on definitions and regulations that may adversely affect residents and businesses as a result of the pandemic. These may include: A. Expedited review of all plans and permit applications for matters related to the pandemic regulations B. Fee waivers for all fees for matters related to the pandemic regulations C. Relaxation of use restrictions on public rights of way to encourage business activity for a time period related to restoration of pre -pandemic business activity levels, not COVID case levels D. Red curb parking rescission where safe (e.g., no sight distance or speed differential issues) to allow for greater use of drop off and pick up for businesses in Newport Beach E. Re-examine the finite number of special event permits and relaxation of public area use for private purposes to encourage restaurant and business resumption 3. Recover Newport recommends a review of the parking regulations within the Municipal Code and consideration of designating certain areas within the City as Activity Nodes. These Activity Nodes may include the Newport Pier area, Marine Avenue commercial area, Mariners Mile, and portions of Corona del Mar. Activity Nodes would not have parking requirements by land use type but would generate parking as a whole area. Total parking demand would be observed and documented and set at that maximum number of parking spaces given the current mix of uses. This type of parking consideration was used for the Balboa Village area. It could also be used in the Cannery Village area with the reuse and expansion of the public parking lot for patrons and visitors of the Peninsula. 4. Other parking recommendations include: A. Simplify the parking requirement for food service uses / restaurants. Many cities determine parking requirements for restaurants based upon gross floor area alone (typically in the 10/1,000 sf range) and allow for better up -front planning by developers. The current requirements are complicated and appear written exclusively from a tenant improvement perspective. Many of the items listed are impossible to know when a core & shell project is brought in for review prior to lease agreements. The result of this process is either a project under parked and limited on food service uses, or a project over parked with excess unused parking and construction resources wasted. B. Allow for a `middle -ground' between a large full-service restaurant and take-out service. Trends in modern food service establishments are moving to smaller footprints with faster turn -over rates, a fast -casual approach where a large percentage of orders are to go, even prior to Covid-19 protocols being implemented. Parking requirements for these uses are falling in the 5/1,000 range typically. C. Residential parking requirements are higher than similar coastal cities. Newport Beach has no provision for units with 1 -bedroom or less, requiring 2/unit regardless of size and may become a hardship to development. Long Beach for instance has a broader scale of residential parking requirements, with 1/unit for studios, 1.5/unit for 1 bedroom units, 2/2 bedroom + units with guest parking calculated at 0.25/unit. D. Allow for parking overlay districts in parking impacted zones (the peninsula) that provide a broader analysis of available public parking in determining parking requirements for new business. K E. Modernize the City's parking requirements by considering evolving/changing forms of transportation. This could include bicycle parking replacement (For example, the City of Los Angeles allows 1 space to be replaced by 4 bicycle parking stalls, a common mode of transport on the peninsula), Ride -sharing & Uber/Lyft hailing services (more and more common with a younger demographic in visiting food & drinking establishments). The City could establish a ride - hailing zones on specific streets or along corridors. If successful the change can result in increased foot traffic without having to place an automobile somewhere. F. Establish TOD (transportation -oriented district) zone overlays in partnership with OCTA bus/shuttle services. Businesses/developments within a defined radius of transit stops could benefit with reduced parking ratios / credits. G. In older areas of town, where on street parking is directly adjacent to commercial uses, give credit for those parking spaces in developing revised parking standards. H. Review general office and medical office parking requirements to reflect density of use changes required by the State. I. Consider revising the Municipal Code to allow valet parking drop off on public rights of way for individual business or joint business use. Finally, just as the City has extensive plans for emergency preparedness, we suggest that there be additional planning for post -emergency situations, having in place plans that address a variety of situations businesses may face which can be quickly augmented as needed. This could include having the CERT team provide guidance to local businesses for emergency/post-emergency response, financial response packages and others. The Recover Newport team appreciates the City Council's willingness to entertain our thoughts on matters to assist in the Recovery of Newport Beach and are available individually and collectively to answer any questions on the suggestions included herein. Respectfully, Edward Selich Steve Rosansky Keith Curry Mike Henn Don Webb Tony Petros Nancy Gardner Rush Hill 9