HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/27/1997 - Regular Meeting0 CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
City Council Minutes
Regular Meeting
May 27, 1997 - 7:00 p.m.
INDEX
CLOSED SESSION REPORT PRESENTED - None
RECESSED AND RECONVENED AT 7:00 P.M. FOR REGULAR. MEETING
ROLL CALL
Present: O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Hedges (arrived at 8:10 p.m.), Glover,
Noyes, Mayor Debay
Absent: None
Pledge of Allegiance - Council Member Glover.
Invocation by Chaplain Lloyd Sellers, Hoag Memorial Hospital
Presbyterian.
• Waived reading of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 12, 1997,
approved as written and ordered filed; and waived reading of the
ordinances and resolutions under consideration and directed the City
Clerk to read by titles only. The motion carried by the following roll call
vote:
Ayes:
O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Hedges, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes:
None
Absent:
Hedges
Abstain:
None
MATTERS WHICH COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD I= PLACED ON A
FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION. ACTION OR REPORT (NON-
Council Member Thomson requested that the Harbors, Beaches and Parks
Committee be directed to study the issue of crowd management, traffic and
litter; to refer their findings to the Public Safety Committee for further
review and recommendations to the City Council.
• Council Member Glover directed staff to bring the voice mail policy to
Council for review.
• Council Member Noyes commended the staff, as well as the students from
• Newport Harbor High School and Corona del Mar High School, for their
participation in Youth Government Day.
Mayor Debay also commended Council Member Noyes, Civil Service
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City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
Commissioner Steve Bromberg and former Council Member Jean Watt for
their participation as well.
Council Member Noyes requested that staff return with a report analyzing
the situation with the public restrooms (cost and frequency of cleaning).
Council Member Noyes announced that the Balboa Island Pride Parade will
be held on June 8, 1997 at 11:00 a.m.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. INTRODUCE ORDINANCE NO. 97-20 AMENDING TITLE 20 OF THE
NBMC PROHIBITING CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT AND
CONDOMINIUM CONVERSIONS IN THE 114.5 DISTRICT ( BALBOA
ISLAND AND LITTLE BALBOA ISLAND) (PLANNING COMMISSION
AMENDMENT NO. 853). Introduce ordinance, pass to second reading and
set for public hearing on June 9, 1997.
ORDINANCES FOR ADOPTION
2. ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 97 -18 AMENDING CHAPTER 5.50,
SECTIONS 5.50.025 B.6 AND 5.50.050 B.16 OF THE NBMC
RELATING TO MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS.
3. ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 97 -19 AMENDING SECTIONS 7.04.100,
7.08.010, 7.08.040, 7.12.010, 7.15.010, AND 716.050 OF TITLE 7 OF
THE NBMC PERTAINING TO ANIMAL REPORTS AND PERMITS
(DANGEROUS AND VICIOUS DOG REGULATIONS, WILD ANIMAL
PERMIT PROCESS).
RESOLUTIONS FOR ADOPTION
4. Removed from Consent Calendar by Louise Fundenberg, citizen.
5. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 97 -40 REQUESTING THE CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM EXTEND THE
FUNDING PERIOD FOR THE MISCELLANEOUS PLAN FOR
CURRENT SERVICE ACTUARIAL LIABILITIES.
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 97 -41 REQUESTING THE CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM EXTEND THE
FUNDING PERIOD FOR THE SAFETY PLAN FOR CURRENT
SERVICE ACTUARIAL LIABILITIES.
6. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 97 -42 AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 94-
95 ESTABLISHING FEES FOR RENEWAL OF RESIDENTIAL
• ALARM PERMITS ($30.00 TRIENNIALLY) AND PENALTIES FOR
FALSE ALARMS (TIME PERIOD USED FOR CALCULATING
PENALTIES FOR EXCESSIVE POLICE AND FIRE FALSE ALARMS
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10 1
Ord 97 -20
Zoning
PCA 853
(94)
Ord 97 -18
Business License/
Massage (27)
Ord 97 -19
Animal Control
(70)
PERS
C -563
(38)
Res 97 -40 & 97 -41
Alarm Fees
Res 97 -42
(40)
•
•
•
City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
WILL BE DETERMINED IF THE QUALIFYING ALARM
ACTIVATION OCCURS WITHIN ANY CONSECUTIVE (12) MONTH
PERIOD) PURSUANT TO SECTION 5.49 OF THE NEWPORT BEACH
MUNICIPAL CODE.
7. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 97 -43 DECLARING THE CITY'S
INTENTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 374 -97 -2 OF THE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS
(SCAG) TO SUPPORT LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES AND OTHER
POLICIES PERTAINING TO WASTE DIVERSION, SOURCE
REDUCTION, AND RECYCLING.
S. ADOPT RESOLUTION OF INTENTION NO. 97- SCHEDULING A
PUBLIC HEARING FOR JUNE 9, 1997 TO CONSIDER THE
GRANTING OF NON - EXCLUSIVE SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
FRANCHISES TO TWO PRIVATE SOLID WASTE HAULERS - COAST
WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC., AND EAGLE SERVICES.
INTRODUCE ORDINANCE NO. 97- GRANTING NON-
EXCLUSIVE SOLID WASTE FRANCHISES TO COAST WASTE
MANAGEMENT, INC., AND EAGLE SERVICES. Continued to June 9,
1997.
CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS
9. HOAG LINEAR PARK (CONTRACT NO. 3095). Approve the plans and
specifications; award Contract No. 3095 to Green Giant Landscape, Inc. of
LaHabra for the total bid price of $50,000.05, and authorize the Mayor and
the City Clerk to execute the contract; and establish an amount of $5,000 for
testing and unforeseen conditions.
10. ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION AND
MAINTENANCE OF PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE
AGATE AVENUE PUBLIC RIGHT -OF -WAY ADJACENT TO 233
AGATE AVENUE, BALBOA ISLAND (EP -97 -103). Approve the
execution of an Encroachment Agreement for non- standard improvements,
subject to an Encroachment Permit being issued by the Public Works
Department; authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the agreement;
and authorize and direct the City Clerk to have the agreement recorded with
the Orange County Recorder.
11. ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT FOR CONSTRUCTION AND
MAINTENANCE OF PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN ALLEY
NO. 300 -M, ALLEY NO. 300 -N (21ST PLACE), McFADDEN PLACE,
AND OCEAN FRONT PUBLIC RIGHT -OF -WAY ADJACENT TO 21
OCEAN FRONT PUBLIC RIGHTS -OF -WAY ADJACENT TO 21
OCEAN FRONT. Approve the execution of an Encroachment Agreement
for non - standard improvements, subject to conditions outlined in the staff
report; authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the agreement; and
authorize and direct the City Clerk to have the agreement recorded with the
Orange County Recorder.
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INDEX
Waste/Recycling
Res 97 -43
(44)
Solid Waste/
Franchises
Coast Waste Mgmt/
Eagle
(42)
Hoag Linear Park
C -3095
(38)
233 Agate Ave/
Encroachment
Agreement
(65)
21st PI/McFadden
Pl/21 Ocean Front
Encroachment
Agreement
(65)
City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
•
12. Removed from Consent Calendar by Council Member Glover.
13. Removed from Consent Calendar by City Manager Murphy.
MISCELLANEOUS ACTIONS
14. Removed from Consent Calendar by Council Member Thomson.
15. APPROVE BUDGET AMENDMENT (BA -048) TO APPROPRIATE
$6,000 FROM TENNIS RESERVES TO RESURFACE THE CITY
TENNIS COURTS AT SAN JOAQUIN HILLS PARK.
16. STATUS REPORT ON THE ENHANCED PARAMEDIC AND
EMERGENCY AMBULANCE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. Receive
and file.
17. NAMING OF HOAG LINEAR PARK SITE. Approve recommendation of
Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission to formally approve the name of
Sunset View Park for the site currently referred to as Hoag Linear Park.
MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM EDWARDS TO APPROVE THE CONSENT
CALENDAR, EXCEPT FOR THOSE ITEMS REMOVED (4, 12, 13 and 14)
AND THE CONTINUANCE OF ITEM 8 TO JUNE 9, 1997. The motion
•
carried by the following roll call vote:
Ayes: O Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes: None
Absent: Hedges
Abstain: None
ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
4. ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 97-39 AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
NO. 95 -1 ( CIOSA) SPECIAL TAX BONDS, SERIES B IN THE
AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $10 MILLION, APPROVE THE
EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF A FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL
FISCAL AGENT AGREEMENT, A PURCHASE CONTRACT, A
CONTINUING DISCLOSURE CERTIFICATE; AND THE
PREPARATION OF AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT AND OTHER
MATTERS RELATED THERETO.
City Manager Murphy explained that this is an action item which asks that
the Council adopt a resolution authorizing a second issuance of special
improvement district tax bonds in order to facilitate the construction of
public infrastructures, specifically roadway projects within the City. The
first issue on this in 1995 was in follow -up to the formation of the CIOSA
• Improvement District which applied only to the properties owned by The
Irvine Company at that time. This is the second issue and it would facilitate
the funds for the Phase II of the MacArthur Boulevard improvements,
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hll
BA -048
(40)
Enhanced Paramedic/
Emergency Ambulance
(41)
Sunset View Park
C -3095
(38)
CIOSA Special
Improvement
District #95 -1
Res 97 -39
(40)
City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
• portions of the Arches interchange improvements and portions of the
Newport Boulevard widening project.
Louise Fundenberg, 808 West Balboa Blvd., voiced concerns about the City
getting into indebtedness for projects that she understood there would be
public input on. She noted that part of the funding will be used for the
widening of Newport Blvd. which she thought was part of BPPAC.
City Manager Murphy explained that when the City negotiated the
Circulation Improvement and Open Space Agreement (CIOSA) with The
Irvine Company in the early 1990's and ultimately approved an agreement
on June 30, 1993, there was an agreement between the City and The Irvine
Company that they would advance dollars for circulation improvements.
Subsequent to that adoption The Irvine Company indicated a willingness
basically for the City to bond and to receive those dollars with a repayment
due from the eleven properties that were included within the circulation
agreement. The obligation to repay the bonds is only on those properties and
is not an obligation of the City of Newport Beach.
Mr. Murphy further explained that the widening of Newport Boulevard is
part of a seven -year improvement program that was adopted and has been
updated regularly. This is the section of Newport Boulevard between 30th
and 32nd Street and is across the street from Carl's Jr. and it would
• facilitate the exiting off of the Peninsula during peak hours. He said there
will be a need to take some frontage from three properties. He explained
that the City will do an appraisal, will look at the impact to the individual
businesses and will have to compensate them for the impact. He said the
goal is to do the widening and keep the businesses operating.
Motion by Council Member O Neil to adopt Resolution No. 97 -39 authorizing
the issuance of City of Newport Beach Special Improvement District No. 95 -1
(CIOSA) Special Tax Bonds.
In response to questions raised by Council Member Glover, Mr. Murphy
replied that the City will compensate the owners whose property will be
taken. He explained that after the appraisal is done if the City is unable to
negotiate for the acquisition of the right -of -way necessary to do the project,
then staff would come back to Council to request authority to take steps to
acquire the property through the eminent domain process. The Council
would have to adopt a resolution of necessity in order to initiate eminent
domain.
The motion carried by the following roll call vote:
Ayes: O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes: None
Absent: Hedges
Abstain: None
12. BONITA CREEK TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - LICENSE
AGREEMENT WITH L.A. CELLULAR.
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11,11 91,
L.A. Cellular
& Bonita Creek
City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
• City Manager Murphy reported that this item is a request from L.A. Cellular
that they be allowed to place a communications facility on a light tower at
Bonita Creek Park in order to facilitate their communication equipment
primarily along the transportation corridor and the toll road. This matter
has been reviewed by both the Public Works Committee and the Finance
Committee. In response to concerns raised by the Finance Committee the
two homeowner associations nearby were noticed and an offer made to make
a presentation to them. Neither association requested a presentation,
however they were notified of this action being on the Council's agenda
tonight. He said that in essence this is a finance deal wherein LA. Cellular
is proposing to pay the City $30,000 in $2,500 monthly increments to place
an antenna on the light standard. The contract has been reviewed by the
City Attorney's office and approved as to form and has been recommended by
both Council committees.
Council Member Glover stated that she will not be voting to approve this
agreement since she voted against it at the Finance Committee meeting.
She said she believes these sort of things need to be placed on private
facilities rather than public facilities because in the future the City will have
liability from them.
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Edwards to approve the License Agreement with
L.A. Cellular and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement. He
• said he believes the concerns raised by Council Member Glover were
addressed in a report and the community associations were contacted. The
motion carried by the following roll call voter:
Ayes:
O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes:
Glover
Absent:
Hedges
Abstain:
None
13. AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH AND
SAILING FASCINATIONS REGARDING BERTHING AT BALBOA
YACHT BASIN.
City Manager Murphy reported that this item is an agreement between the
City and Sailing Fascinations regarding the use of a slip at the Balboa Yacht
Basin by this organization. This item was before the Council previously and
there was an appeal for the waiver of paying the slip fees by this
organization. The request was not directly acted upon, however there was
general direction by the City Council to find a way for the City and Sailing
Fascinations to resolve the issue in such a way that it would be satisfactory
to both parties. He distributed a revised agreement showing the changes
that were made after discussions with Sailing Fascinations. He said that
staff is recommending approval of this agreement which essentially provides
for Sailing Fascinations to provide classes and services in exchange for the
provision of a slip at no cost for a limited term. It provides for oversight and
• review by the City on a periodic basis to make sure they comply with the
terms of the agreement.
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INDEX
Fac
C -3145
(38)
Sailing Fascinations/
Balboa Yacht Basin
C -3146
(38)
is
•
•
City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
City Attorney Burnham explained that Item 2 on Exhibit "A" (pg. 11) should
be amended to read, "Provide sailing instruction generally in accordance
with the schedule attached as Exhibit B provided there is a demand for that
instruction." This would obligate Sailing Fascinations to generally comply
with and provide the level of instruction that is indicated on Exhibit B.
Motion by Mayor Pro Tern Edwards to approve the agreement as amended.
The motion carried by the following roll call! vote:
Ayes:
O Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes:
None
Absent:
Hedges
Abstain:
None
14. PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA FOR MAY 22, 1997.
Motion by Council Member Thomson to call up Modification 4555, 2003
Yacht Resolute, and refer it to the Planning Commission for review of the
design and impact on the neighborhood. The motion carried by the
following roll call vote:
Ayes:
O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes:
None
Absent:
Hedges
Abstain:
None
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Frances Bury, 106 Via Undine, said she has been reading the Specific Plan
for District No. 6, Cannery Village and McFadden Square, and noted that
under No. 7 it says that the project involves the restriping of Newport
Boulevard outbound to provide three travel lanes, one of which would be a
combination parking/bike lane between 26th and 30th. She questioned
whether this would take away the metered street parking in front of the
businesses.
City Manager Murphy explained that this is part of a Specific Plan, however
there is no project in the budget or funds allocated. to the project.
Mayor Debay requested that Mrs. Bury make an appointment with Assistant
City Manager Wood to discuss this issue.
18. STATUS REPORT REGARDING TRAFFIC ISSUES ON
SANTIAGO 122ND STREET AND EAST COSTA MESA TRAFFIC
STUDY PROPOSALS (Requested by Mayor Pro Tem Edwards).
Public Works Director Webb reported that staff tried to summarize in the
staff report a number of issues related to Santiago Drive and the speeds that
were measured most recently. Council requested that staff report back on
Volume 51 - Page 258
INDEX
Planning (68)
Traffic/Santiago/
22nd St & East
Costa Mesa
Study (85)
City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
1 1
•
speed studies that were done at the conclusion of or after a number of
improvements to Santiago Drive were completed. The improvements that
were put in place were the stenciling of 25 mph speed limit signs on the
roadway, painting of edge stripes along the parking lanes, putting in a
yellow stripe down the center with pavement markers, and installation of
residential neighborhood signs. When the speed studies were completed on
the street it was found that the 85% percentile speed was essentially the
same as it was before the various different measures were implemented.
While staff had hoped to get a slight reduction in speed, the speeds held
pretty much the same as in the past. The traffic counts were reviewed with
counts dating back into the 1980's. It was found that there is virtually the
same volume of traffic since 1985, which is around 4000 cars per day. In
1989 it increased to about 5000 cars per day and now it is down to an
average of 4500 cars per day, which is not considered to be an unreasonable
number of trips per day. A 1974 speed study showed a critical speed of 36
mph and it has gone up to where it is now between 39 and 40 mph
depending on which study you look at. One of the items that was previously
discussed was whether or not the speed limit on this street should be
increased. He reported that an erroneous newspaper article was published
on Monday that indicated that staff is recommending increases in speeds on
this street and on a number of other streets in the City. He reiterated that
staff is not recommending increasing the speed limits. He explained that the
memo states that because the speed limit is set at 25 mph and not at a speed
based on the critical speed, it is not possible to use radar as an enforcement
mechanism on the street. The memo also points out that a traffic pacing
method of enforcing speeds is also not viable in a quarter mile long street.
One of the items which is discussed in the staff report is an East Costa Mesa
traffic ad -hoc committee. For several months this committee has been
meeting with two City of Costa Mesa council members, a consultant and
staff from ,Costa Mesa to look at traffic circulation in the area generally
bounded by 17th Street, Irvine Avenue, Old Newport Boulevard, and Del
Mar Street (Santiago falls in this area). They have most recently made some
recommendations and will be discussing those recommendations in a public
forum at the City of Costa Mesa Council Chambers on June 4, 1997 at 6:30
p.m. The recommendations that they have are mainly centered in the area
between 17th Street and 19th Street and are dedicated towards reducing
what they call "pass- through" traffic going from Newport Boulevard to Irvine
or the reverse. 19th Street is not being restricted from the standpoint of
barriers or turn restrictions that would be placed on that street, however
they are using what they call "chokers," pavement markers and raised
pavement markers to funnel the traffic from one side of the street to the
other and in general reduce lane widths. He said staff anticipates that with
that type of control some of the motorists who normally use 19th Street may
be discouraged and go down Irvine Avenue and possibly use Santiago. There
are a number of Costa Mesa's recommendations which will impact traffic
along Irvine Avenue. The City of Costa Mesa is proposing some morning
peak hour turn restrictions and those should probably have approval from
Newport before they are implemented. Staffs recommendation is that an
ad -hoc committee be established that would follow the recommendations of
•
the Costa Mesa study group because after it is goes to this public hearing it
will go to one more committee meeting and then be referred to their
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City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
• Planning Commission for hearings and ultimately to their City Council in
August or September. He said he feels it would be prudent for the City to
make official recommendations on what it considers to be the impacts on the
City.
In response to Mayor Debay, Mr. Webb stated that if the City can establish
that there is an impact on the streets in Newport Beach we can ask that
those impacts be addressed and. that Costa Mesa not implement any
programs that would further impact our streets.
Mr. Webb reported that 22nd/Santiago is a secondary arterial both on the
Circulation and Transportation Element as well as the County's Master Plan
of Arterial Highways, therefore the City is somewhat limited in what can be
done in the way of closing down lanes or using traffic diverters. Any
measure that would be taken would have to still allow traffic to utilize the
street. In Costa Mesa 19th Street was downgraded from a secondary
arterial, which is a four -lane roadway on the Master Plan, to an arterial
collector, which is a two -lane roadway, therefore Costa Mesa is within its
Tights to restrict flows on 19th Street through the use of islands, diverters
and stop signs. He said that staff has found that 22nd Street appears to be a
very wide and broad street because there is very little parking on the street
on a regular basis. He said it was staff s hope that the parking lane striping
would help to confine it. At intersections or mid -block the City could use a
• painted or raised pavement marker median area to further narrow the
through lanes. Currently the lane configuration would be a 9 -foot parking
lane and 11 -foot through lanes. He said he believes a 3 -foot median could be
striped in without creating a turning problem. He said one of the reasons he
is concerned about suggesting any other kind of median is that a number of
the residents are going to want to make left -hand turns into and out of their
driveways. It has been suggested by the residents that they would like to
see speed bumps or humps on the street. The Public Works staff doesn't feel
they are appropriate from a traffic service standpoint to be installed in an
arterial, however it is possible if that is Council's wish. He said there is one
cul -de -sac that serves 7 -8 houses and that is the only street intersection in
the one - quarter mile long block. If a stop sign were to be installed there it
would not meet the warrants for a stop sign, however it is a possibility.
In response to Mayor Pro Tern Edwards, Mr. Webb explained that in order to
downgrade the street from a secondary arterial it would require a request to
be filed with OCTA. A joint study would have to be done and the City would
have to justify that the classification being requested is warranted by the
traffic projections. Costa Mesa downgraded the street from a secondary to a
collector as part of the SARX study, which indicated that the traffic volumes
on 19th Street at ultimate build -out would not support the secondary
arterial concept (8000 -9000 range per day). He said that the traffic
projections support a lower designation for 22nd Street and the City would
have more flexibility in dealing with the flow of the traffic. He said that if
the street is downgraded it should still remain on the arterial system as a
• collector. Between Newport Boulevard and Irvine Avenue there is a three -
mile area between 17th and Del Mar and there needs to be cross circulation
between the two streets and there can't be a barrier a mile wide without
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City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
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some access through there. The cross through locations shown on the
circulation element map are at 17th Street, 19th Street, 22nd Street and Del
Mar, which are appropriate locations. Mr. Webb said that an option, if
approved by the residents, would be to get rid of the parking and make a
larger median in the middle, thus narrowing the road in order to reduce the
speed.
Council Member Glover asked what would need to be done in order to make
Santiago /22nd Street a local street. She referenced the 55 freeway and 19th
Street dumping into Newport Beach and stated that the City needs to take
the leadership in what needs to be done on the City's streets. She said the
City should emphasize that 17th Street is the street that should be used as a
cross street.
Motion by Council Member Glover to direct staff to start the process to
redesignate Santiago as a local street and that a committee be established
that will sunset in 30 days consisting of someone from Francisco, Windward,
Holiday and Santiago, to look at the impacts on those streets and report back
to Council with their findings.
George Rombach, 2009 Centella Place, said he generally concurs that the
traffic flow has not increased that drastically pertaining to the number of
cars. However, since the widening of Victoria by Costa Mesa to a more
• substantial artery and the higher speed limits it provides and the opening of
the 55 Freeway extension there has been a significant change in the nature
of the traffic flow especially eastbound. He said there are two factors: 1) the
cutting off of those streets that have higher speed limits and people are not
conscious that they're going as fast as they're going; and 2) the downhill
grade. He said he thinks the problem on Santiago is fairly directional -
eastbound and part of the factor is the downhill nature of the westerly half of
Santiago combined with the fact that people have been driving at higher
speeds and are not conscious of the speed reduction compounded by the
tendency of accelerating down the hill. He said he doesn't believe the Public
Works study correctly measured the problem. The monitors were half way
up the hill before vehicles reached their maximum speed, and they hit the
maximum speed at about 15 to 20 feet west of Centella. On the average
most people "roll- through" the stop sign at 15 -20 mph and speed up from
there. He said his issue is addressing the eastbound traffic. He said he
would like to see some cooperation with the residents in terms of where to
place the monitor for the study. He said that critical speed, which is a
measure for enforcement, doesn't mean the speed is safe. He said he
wouldn't be opposed to upgrading the speed limit to 30 mph if it were
combined with a serious monitoring and enforcement program. He
explained that the boundary line between Costa Mesa and Newport Beach
goes down the middle of Tustin, therefore the City could not put speed
bumps at the stop sign on the Costa Mesa side. If it would not impact the
rights under OCTA by putting the speed bump at the Tustin curb line on the
other side of the intersection, it would be an impact and a deterrent to traffic
• flow. The other logical place for the speed bump would be two - thirds of the
way down the hill before the traffic gets to maximmm speed. He said that it
is his understanding that this could impact the highway funding with OCTA
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City of Newport Beach
City Council Minutes
May 27, 1997
II0 9
by impacting the flow of the secondary arterial.
In response to Mayor Pro Tem. Edwards, City Manager Murphy explained
that there are dollars in the budget to upgrade the trailers, but not go to a
photo radar standard. He said the City has the equipment that shows the
speed limit as you drive by. The next technology up is a photo radar
technology which a number of cities have used which actually has fixed
equipment that would monitor the speed and as they pass take a photograph
of the face of the driver and the license plate. Other cities have used this
technology either by purchasing the equipment or entering into an
agreement with a company to lease the equipment or have them operate the
equipment. He said if Council is interested in using photo radar staff would
need to come back with information on cost, etc.
NOTE: Council Member Hedges arrived at 8:10 p.m.
Bryan Bond, 2431 Santiago Drive, distributed a colored map of the area to
show where Santiago Drive sits in relation to the City of Costa Mesa and
Newport Beach. He said they have a unique street in that they have an
elevation drop from the top of Santiago to the stop light at Irvine Blvd. He
said the stop light at Irvine Blvd. is the key and any motorist coming down
the street must stop at the stop light. He said their effort is to contain the
motorist at the 25 mph speed limit. If the motorist did not want to come
• down Santiago Drive his options would be to take a right turn on Tustin and
go down Windward or Francisco. He said he is an advocate for speed
mounds since he has children and there is a tremendous number of
pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. in the area. He said the residents have looked at
various ways of containing the speed of the traffic, not necessarily the
volume. He said he thinks the measures that have already been
implemented have helped a little bit and made people more aware of what is
going on in the street, however the problem still persists.
David Gelbaum, concurred. with Mr. Rombach about
the eastbound traffic being the problem. He pointed out that there are no
sidewalks on the street so it is very dangerous. He spoke in support of speed
bumps or methods to slow down the traffic.
In response to Mayor Pro Tern Edwards' question about the justification for a
stop sign at Centella, Mr. Webb explained that usually a stop sign that is
placed in a location where it is not properly wan-anted is not recognized as
being there for a reason and motorists tend to "roll- through" it.
City Attorney Burnham said that there is an argument that a traffic
engineer would be able to use to establish what they need to prove liability,
which is a dangerous condition on City property. He said in his opinion the
City probably could design the stop sign and warn drivers sufficiently to
avoid a finding by a jury that the stop sign constituted a dangerous
condition. He said he doesn't know if the City would be entitled to design
• immunity, which is something the City uses to get out of cases because of the
absence of the warrants. Without knowing more about the intersection, how
the stop sign would be placed and what kind of warning markers would
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accompany the stop sign, he doesn't see it as being a dangerous condition.
He said if there were an accident there the lack of warrants would be a
factor that an attorney would consider in deciding whether to file a lawsuit.
Jane Farwell, 2426 Santiago Drive, said she will support anything that will
slow the traffic down in order to protect her neighborhood and surrounding
neighborhoods. She spoke in support of the use of speed bumps.
Harvey Wallevand, 1224 Highland Drive, read the second paragraph of the
staff report under conclusions and recommendations related to the various
techniques used to slow down the traffic, their effectiveness and the
appropriateness of other methods to calm the traffic. He questioned the
effectiveness of the use of speed bumps. He said a number of physical things
have been tried to slow down the traffic and suggested using a process to
educate drivers.
Council Member Hedges reported that he was in north Seattle last week and
noted that at every block at every intersection they have installed a
landscaped type traffic circle which requires that, you slow down in order to
get around it. He questioned whether something like this would work in lieu
of speed bumps which has had varied success in actually slowing traffic.
Mr. Webb explained that a raised circular island with patterned concrete
• paving was placed at the intersection of Cliff Drive and Irvine Avenue. He
said it was there a day before the City had thousands of phone calls
complaining about it and it was removed at the direction of the City Council
within about a 12 -24 hour period. The islands as described by Council
Member Hedges would be similar in nature to what Costa Mesa is using in
the way of the raised pavement markers to channelize or try to reduce lane
widths without having a raised impediment in the middle of the street.
Steve Berger, 2001 Centella Place, said he represents 28 of the 29 residents
on Santiago, Centella and what they call Little Irvine. He addressed the
issues of condemnation of property values, competency and accountability of
people in the department, wrongful death, and. attractive nuisance. He
voiced the needs for some controls on Santiago so it isn't an attractive
nuisance. He said he believes the report of 40 mph is erroneous based on the
location of the speed counters. He pointed out that the staff report indicates
that what Costa Mesa plans on doing will actually slow traffic down on
Santiago because the volume will be increased. He said he doesn't think this
is a resolution to the problem. He stated that a "No Truck" sign was placed
on the street, however there has been no enforcement of it. He said that
condemnation is an act when the property rights are not protected and any
realtor will report that a fast street brings property values down. He said
the actual speed limit is over 45% higher than the posted speed limit, thus
the City is condemning $30 million worth of property values. He submitted
a list of questions and a chart showing safe stopping speeds.
• Council Member Glover reiterated her motion and clarified that the
appropriate staff members and Mayor Pro Tem Edwards and herself will be
part of the committee.
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Mayor Pro Tern Edwards said he would like the committee to consider a stop
sign at Centella, the photo monitoring /photo radar enforcement mechanism,
how the City will interface with Costa Mesa, and the concept of some kind of
a median to narrow the traffic lanes on Santiago/22nd Streets.
Mr. Murphy said that staff would presume with the formation of this
committee that one or both of the Council Members or staff on the committee
would attend the meeting on June 4th with direction from the subcommittee
of the Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Edwards requested that Mr. Berger's list of questions, the
petition submitted by residents of Santiago and Centella Place dated May
27, 1997 and the comments submitted by Bryan and Stacie Bond dated May
26, 1997, be made part of the record.
The motion carried by the following roll call vote:
Ayes: O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Hedges, Glover, Noyes, Mayor
Debay
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
19. ORAL REPORT CONCERNING THE APPEARANCE AND
•
REGULATION OF THE EXTERIOR ON BLTII,DINGS (Requested by
Council Member Glover).
Assistant City Manager Wood reported that this item was requested by
Council Member Glover. She said she believes Council Member Glover's
concern is that with the construction of new multi - family residential
development the materials used in that construction do not always conform
with the quality of materials or the appearance of them in surrounding
areas. She said that there are provisions in the zoning code for site plan
review, however at the present time it does not apply to multi - family
residential construction and it is limited to certain areas in the City. If it is
Council's desire, the code can be amended to have those provisions apply to
multi - family residential construction and also include additional findings as
to conformity of the materials with what is in surrounding areas. This would
also require that the developer submit more information with regard to
architectural details and perhaps colors and material boards and there
would be more for the Planning Commission to review. Landscaping could
also be included if that is also a concern.
Council Member Glover said she believes the key word is "commensurate
materials," not design review. She said she is talking about materials that
are not of the quality that has been seen recently in Newport. She gave
examples of the different levels or grades of windows and stated that when a
• lower grade window is installed it cheapens the neighborhood. She said she
has concern that some of the multi - family units that have been developed
have not added to the neighborhood and have actually taken away from the
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neighborhood. She spoke in support of trying to retain property values in
the City.
Council Member Hedges stated that there is a provision in the zoning code
(Section 20.60.060(C)) which establishes an architectural committee and
could address the very thing Council Member Glover is concerned with and
all the Council needs to do is staff the committee. He said Council may need
to adopt a policy to implement the provisions of the code.
Assistant City Manager Wood indicated that this particular code section
currently applies only to commercial and industrial districts, however with
Council direction staff can bring back a code amendment so the provisions
apply to residential districts, or the site plan review provisions can be
expanded.
City Manager Murphy noted that a neighboring city has given design and
architectural review a terrible name, however in most other cities in
southern California design review occurs without the draconian effects
experienced by this neighboring city. He said that right now the City has a
lot of design, parking, and landscaping standards, however the code can be
amended to require the review of the quality of the materials without being
so draconian.
• Motion by Council Member Glover to request that staff look into amending
the provisions of Section 20.60.060 so that they apply to multi - family
dwellings.
Council Member Thomson spoke against the motion and said he believes in
the free market economy and having good taste as an individual decision.
He said he doesn't think the City should get anywhere close to a design
review situation. He said the only design review we need we have in the
marketplace. If a developer builds a product that is substandard, it won't
sell and they won't do it again. He said he doesn't want the government to
be involved in all of these things.
In response to Mayor Pro Tem Edwards, Council Member Glover said that
this would apply to multi - family original or built from scratch dwellings.
Substitute motion by Council Member Hedges to direct staff to bring back
ways to implement Section 20.60.060 as it pertains to residential structures,
as well as how an architectural committee would look, how it should be
staffed and a survey of other cities on how they implement architectural
review and how their codes look.
Council Member Glover said she is opposed to architectural design review
for individual single - family homes, however is very concerned with multi-
family and how it has evolved most recently. She said she doesn't like to
have the government get involved, however the people that have money
• invested in this community have rights, and the Council needs to help retain
property values.
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Council Member O'Neil said he would not support the motion and noted that
he is not in favor of design review for the same reasons stated by Council
Member Thomson.
The substitute motion failed by the following roll call vote:
Ayes:
Hedges, Glover, Mayor Debay
Noes:
O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Noyes
Absent:
None
Abstain:
None
Pursuant to Mayor Debay's direction it was determined that no further
action was necessary.
20. ORAL REPORT CONCERNING TREES REPLACING PARKING
SPACES (Requested by Council Member Glover).
Assistant City Manager Wood reported that Council Member Glover
requested this item in order to see if there is a way to increase the amount of
landscaping in the parking areas by essentially working out a trade for
parking space for the landscaping with property owners. At the present time
the code does not have standards for the landscaping of parking areas other
than in a couple of the specific plan districts. The code provides that the
Planning Commission can waive some of the parking requirements for
commercial development if certain findings are met, and which requires a
use permit. If the Council wants to pursue this, staff can prepare an
amendment to the code to add another circumstance where parking can be
waived in exchange for landscaping. She said Council may want to limit it to
a certain number of spaces or a certain percent of the required spaces and
perhaps have some review to determine the parking impact in the area. She
said that could be done either at the Planning Commission or Planning
Director's level.
In response to Mayor Pro Tem. Edwards, Council Member Glover said that in
the older sections there are vast spaces of asphalt and she would like to see
some trees planted in some of the parking lots, however there is no incentive
for an owner to do that and in fact because of the parking requirements
there are disincentives.
Motion by Council Member Glover to direct staff to return to Council with
incentives for the older sections of town, or newer if appropriate, that some
trees be placed in the parking space and that those not be counted against
the parking requirement.
Following discussion about the concept, Council Member Hedges moved to
amend the main motion to include architectural review as part of the staffs
consideration.
The amendment to the motion failed by the following roll call vote:
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• Ayes: Hedges
Noes: O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Absent: None
Abstain: None
The main motion carried by the following roll call vote:
Ayes: Thomson, Edwards, Hedges, Glover, Noyes, Mayor Debay
Noes: O'Neil
Absent: None
Abstain: None
21. ORAL REPORT CONCERNING BACK BAY DREDGING (Requested
by Mayor Pro Tem Edwards).
Assistant to the City Manager Ducey distributed a written report received
today from Ken Emanuels, the City's legislative advocate. Last week after
three months of hard work and intense lobbying in Sacramento both the
Senate and the Assembly Budget Subcommittees included a line item
specifically to fund the Upper Newport Bay Sedimentation Control project.
The Assembly approved $2 million from the Harbors and Watercraft
Revolving Fund. The Senate approved $2.9 million from the Tidelands Oil
Revenue account. These actions are for differerent funding amounts and
• funding sources and those differences will ultimately be worked out in the
legislature's budget conference committee that will start its hearings next
week. It is unlikely that the Conference Committee will approve both
sources of funding and probably what will happen is they will reconcile the
two funding amounts and the City will get somewhere between $2 million
and $2.9 million in terms of a specific line item for the Upper Newport Bay.
Once the legislature approves the final version, then the Governor has line
item veto authority over any of the Conference Committee line items that
they adopt. She said staff is in the process of working with the
administration to make sure that they can support one or both of those
funding sources to insure that once this gets to Conference Committee, the
City will get something when the legislature comes out with the budget. The
legislature's action will probably only get the City about halfway to the point
of what is needed of the total $5 million for the dredging project. The most
likely source of funds for the remainder of the project is Assembly Bill 241 by
Assemblyman Lempert. This is the $6.3 million that the Governor originally
proposed for the Wetlands Restoration Clearinghouse, which the Senate
actually pulled out of the budget and put into this budget trailer bill. The
Coastal Conservancy is working closely with Assemblyman Lampert at this
time to craft a bill that is going to be able to be supported both by
Republicans and Democrats. The City's legislative advocate, Ken Emanuels,
is also working with Assemblyman Lempert's staff to see if a line item can be
added specifically for the Upper Newport Bay for the remainder of the funds
that are needed to dredge the bay. The feedback from Lempert's staff is that
an add -on like this is not out of the question, so staff will continue to work it
• from that direction as well. If the bill passes the City would not have to wait
until January of 1.998 to receive the funding since this is a budget trailer bill.
She acknowledged the work of the local legislators, Assemblywoman Brewer
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and Senator Ross Johnson, and noted that without their commitment and
hard work on this project the City would not be where it is today. She said
the City has broad base support from statewide environmental groups that
really got started in terms of their support from some of the local
environmental groups. She said there have been people working hard at the
local level and the County of Orange has also been working with their
lobbyist and contacts in Sacramento. She said the efforts of this broad based
team that is working on this almost daily is being coordinated through Ken
Emanuels. As of now it looks like the City is in a very strong position. As a
backup to the State funding the City, through Congressman Cox, has
submitted a request for $5 million in federal fiords to fund the dredging.
That is continuing to move through the federal process as well.
Mayor Pro Tem Edwards acknowledged Mrs. Ducey and City Attorney
Burnham, in addition to Senator Johnson and Assemblywoman Brewer. He
asked what Congressman Cox has done for the City.
Mrs. Ducey reported that Congressman Cox submitted a letter requesting
the $5 million. The legislative advocate in Washington is working with his
staff, however it has not come up for hearing yet.
Council Member Glover reported that conversations were held with
Congressman Cox and his aide last week and they feel very confident that
• the City will receive those funds. Discussions were also held about a back -up
plan if the funds didn't come through.
In response to Council Member Noyes, City Manager Murphy suggested that
anyone interested in assisting with the state lobbying efforts at this time
should direct their efforts towards writing to the Governor.
22. UNSCHEDULED VACANCY ON THE CITY AE1TS COMMISSION.
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Edwards to accept the resignation of Michael
Coon effective 5/13/97; waive noticing and appointment requirements
pertaining to unscheduled vacancies as outlined in City Council Policy A -2;
and direct the City Clerk to incorporate the appointment for this vacancy
with the appointments to fill the scheduled vacancies.
The motion carried by the following roll call vote:
Ayes: O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Hedges, Glover, Noyes, Mayor
Debay
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION - None
• ADJOURNMENT
The Council discussed the budget study session scheduled for June 2, 1997 and
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Council Member Hedges voiced concern because two members of the Council will not
be in attendance.
Motion by Council Member Hedges to adjourn to Monday, June 9, 1997 at 3:00 p.m.
for an Adjourned Regular Meeting (Budget Study Session) followed by the Regular
Meeting at 7:00 p.m. The motion carried by the following roll call vote:
Ayes:
O'Neil, Thomson, Edwards, Hedges, Glover, Noyes
Noes:
Mayor Debay
Absent:
None
Abstain:
None
Mayor Debay adjourned the meeting at 9:10 p.m. in memory of Donnie Bridgman in
recognition of his life, his achievements, his friendships, and his classmates. She
expressed the Council's concern and prayers for all the students that were involved
in the accident, especially for Amanda Arthur, Dan Townsend, William Watson and
Jason Rausch. She said the Council's prayers go out to them, their families and
their classmates. She also adjourned the meeting in memory of Gary Lovell, one of
the founding members of AWG and SPON, who was called by everyone who knew
him "a real gentleman."
se * *xxxx *a *• *a *•ar *xxx
• The agenda for the Regular meeting was posted on May 21, 1997 at 2:15
p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport
Beach Administration Building.
�1� 2.
Recording Secretary
C
May r
City Clerk
•
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