Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/22/2000 - Study SessionCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH City Council Minutes Study Session August 22, 2000 - 5:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Thomson, Glover, Adams, Debay, Ridgeway, O'Neil (arrived at 5:40 p.m.), Mayor Noyes Absent: None CURRENT BUSINESS 1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR - None. 2. AIRPORT AREA PLANNING STUDY; STUDY AND FUNDING OPTIONS. City Attorney Burnham stated that the staff report discusses the type of vehicle Council may use to evaluate potential land use and infrastructure changes in the airport area. He indicated that the Planning Director, Assistant City Manager, and he recommends that Council first conduct a • planning study to evaluate various scenarios and alternatives relative to land use and circulation. Following this, Council will be in a position of developing a preferred project and alternatives to prepare a specific plan or planned community development plan, and the required environmental documentation. He reported that a preferred project and alternative will also come out of public participation that will take place with the Planning Commission and the Environmental Qualities Affairs Committee. In response to Mayor Pro Tern Adams' question, Mr. Burnham reported that any changes to the airport area development entitlement or airport circulation system would require an amendment to the Land Use and Circulation Elements. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated that the General Plan Update Committee already exists and is charged with addressing the need for a comprehensive General Plan Update or updates to portions of the General Plan. Further, this Committee will also develop a work program for the entire City like the one suggested for the airport area. He asked if the airport area program can be done as part of the Committee's effort rather than doing this separate. Mr. Burnham indicated that Council would also need to consider the impacts of any additional development in the airport area on the entire City. Assistant City Manager Wood added that the choice of whether Council wants to consider the airport area as part of the overall General Plan Update or as a standalone project is a timing issue and depends on how important it is to look at the entire City as a whole. Council Member Ridgeway stated that there is more of an urgency since there are a number of projects that are moving forward and since the City is • renegotiating the airport agreement. He indicated that, if the City does a specific area plan or planned community development, the City can institutionalize the 8.4 MAP. He believed that the City has more reason to Volume 53 - Page 553 INDEX Airport Area Planning Study (54) City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes August 22, 2000 • try to move forward on at least the airport area and allow the remainder of the City to follow. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated that the airport area land use and circulation planning effort can possibly be handled by a subcommittee as long as they keep the General Plan Update Committee apprised of what they are doing. Mayor Noyes indicated that this issue was brought forward because it seems as though there is a lot of development in the airport area and that there is an inequity in fees between the City and Irvine that needs to be resolved. He stated that he would also like to understand the relationship the City has at the John Wayne Airport (JWA). Council Member Debay believed that, as part of the negotiation with Conexant, the City wanted to use the Traffic Phasing Ordinance (TPO) for traffic improvements. She indicated that Conexant was willing to pay their fair share but wanted to make sure that other developments carried part of that fair share. She noted that the City does not have a specific policy as to who would pay for what or how shares are charged. Mr. Burnham stated that in the airport area, just like any part of the City, the fair share ordinance which requires a per trip fee on new development and the TPO which applies to development projects would apply. Ms. Wood confirmed for Council Member Debay that a comprehensive General Plan update would take about two years. • City Manager Bludau stated that Council may want to consider beginning the General Plan Update process and making the airport area the first component. He noted that there would be a great demand on staff if both the airport area specific plan and the General Plan process are undertaken at the same time. Mayor Pro Tem Adams wanted to make sure that no one looses sight of the Citywide effort in order to address this one area. He stated that accommodating the need to address this specific area on a fast track may be one thing the Committee needs to work out. Council Member Debay asked if existing staff can handle the airport area if the City contracts out for the General Plan Update. Ms. Wood stated that the Planning Department budgeted for a Senior Planner in this year's budget to work on the airport area, but noted that it would not just be the Senior Planner who would be the everyday project manager. She indicated that she and the Planning Director also get involved in projects of this magnitude. Ms. Wood confirmed for Council Member Glover that the City allocated money to generate an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a certain portion of the airport area with matching funds from businesses. Ms. Wood also reported that the plan included conducting a specific plan. She stated that the airport area boundaries have not been identified, but indicated that the campus strip and the Newport Place area have been studied. Mayor Pro Tem Adams added that the annexed area may also be worthy of inclusion. • Council Member Glover stated that, when she thinks of the airport area, she thinks about how policies and land use decisions will affect the future of the City's intent with JWA. In response to Council Member Glover's question, Volume 53 - Page 554 INDEX • City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes August 22, 2000 uli3a7 Mr. Burnham believed that there are no other areas in the different fees except at Conexant. Council Member Ridgeway explained that the City is looking at the long term traffic impact since the area is a regional draw. He reported that there is virtually no population in the evening, but in the daytime, there is almost over 100,000 people in that area. Council Member Glover stated that the City looked at the area several years ago and did make decisions regarding EIRs. She emphasized that the City needs to decide the boundaries of the airport area first. Regarding the Preliminary Work Program (Exhibit B), Ms. Wood stated that this is a basic planning process which ended up looking very much like the work program for the Newport Center Comprehensive Plan. She reported that they would look at existing documents [i.e. City documents, special land use restrictions (SLUR) that The Irvine Company placed on many of the properties, and the Airport Land Use Plan] to find out the development limitations; estimate the development potential that is allowed in other highly developed areas of the City; conduct traffic projections from the potential development; look at potential mitigations that would be necessary to handle traffic; conduct feasibility /acceptability studies; prepare the EIR; generate fiscal and economic impact studies; and draft the General Plan Amendment and the Specific Plan. She estimated that this work would take 4 to 6 months. • Council Member Ridgeway stated that the City may be doing this because there has been quite a bit of new development in the area; however, unless there is some overriding consideration and/or development agreement, he is unsure if the City should be proceeding since the road system needs to be improved. He indicated that Irvine has a $10 per foot fee in that area in which $5 goes toward traffic and $5 goes to other projects. He stated that the City only focused on traffic and so he is unsure what the fee will be since the City has to prepare a Circulation Element for that area and figure out the capital cost. He expressed the opinion that Irvine probably uses the other $5 for traffic also but believed that the City Manager and Administrative Services Director could find that out. He emphasized that, even though there is that fee, the area still has a system that is under capacity both in Irvine and Newport Beach. Council Member Ridgeway added that there are substantial projects that are moving forward at Campus /Jamboree and MacArthur /Jamboree, and noted that there is also talk about building a major shopping center in Irvine at the freeway and Jamboree. Council Member Glover believed that the City has tried to be fair and equitable to businesses and has applied the TPO to all new developments. She explained that Irvine is overdeveloped because they lost some pages out of a book and ultimately continued to develop. She indicated that it is important that Council look at this area in context with Newport Beach and what the City wants. She added that each district has its traffic problems, • noting that hers abuts Pacific Coast Highway and is next door to Downtown Costa Mesa. She stated that Mayor Pro Tem Adams may be right in wanting to look at the City as a whole, including the airport area. Council Member Volume 53 - Page 555 J City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes August 22, 2000 INDEX ttidgeway pointed out that the TFO and Pair Share Fees only analyze City's traffic and not regional traffic. Public Works Director Webb reported for Council Member Debay that the connection between the 73 and 55 south freeways is estimated to carry 1,100 to 1,200 passengers at peak time. Mayor Pro Tern Adams noted that the connection will not solve anything until the confluence of the 405 freeway is fixed. Council Member Thomson asked if the City would be in better shape if it approached the Irvine and Costa Mesa planners to combine forces and work on this area together. Ms. Wood reported that the City Managers, Planning staff, and Public Works staff from the three cities tried to work together on traffic issues about 15 years ago but quit for lack of progress. Council Member Debay stated that she has been trying to make a point relative to the Greenlight and Traffic Phasing Initiatives that there is no way to control traffic through the City by only changing rules in Newport Beach. Timothy Strader stated that he moved to the City in 1970 and has been involved in planning and development since. He added that he is also a partner in Kell Center Newport #A which is a General Plan Amendment pending before Council for a 250,000 square foot office building in the airport area and is also involved with an office project in Irvine. He stated that he is informed about the airport area and what the various entities require. He • distributed an aerial photo and pointed out that the easterly boundary of the City is the area which is surrounded by Campus Drive, Kell Center Newport, and Newport Place; Irvine is to the south; Tustin is to the east; and Costa Mesa and the County are north of the City. He indicated that the 4,000 acre Irvine Business Complex was designated in 1989 and reported that they conducted a study at that time which initiated the $10 per foot fee. Mr. Strader pointed out that Irvine has vacant land that requires facilities to be built; however, the City's airport area is fully developed and indicated that the Conexant project and the project they are proposing are infill projects. He emphasized that the airport area is a regional area and traffic will be generated regardless of what happens in the City. He added that Irvine permits a Level of Service (LOS) E in the Irvine Business Complex, rather than the City's LOS -D. The difference generates about a 10% increase in traffic flow. He suggested that the City consider having a different LOS. Mr. Strader indicated that the market place also affects the planning of the City. He noted that he looked at a 30,000 square foot office building in the airport area and realized that it would cost $4.8 million to purchase the building. If the City decided to double the FAR to 1:1, a 60,000 square foot building could be built on that same one acre property, which equates to $80 per buildable foot. He reported that the present market for the land is about $30 to $35 per buildable foot. He believed that there may be other areas that are more important in the City than to have the City conduct an individual study and allocate $500,000 when it may already be doing a General Plan • Update. Volume 53 - Page 556 • City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes August 22, 2000 INDEX Richard Bluth, Conexant Director of Facilities, 4311 Jamboree Road, stated that they have taken the position to support a study in all the discussions they have had regarding their proposed expansion project; however, they are concerned with fairness in development of that area. He indicated that Conexant would support a fee if it made sense and also applied to everyone who would be developing, redeveloping, or infilling. He encouraged the City to either decide to get to this point or focus elsewhere. He stated that they currently feel stalled in the process and in understanding where the City wants to take the airport area. He indicated that their business will continue to grow and requested clarity on this issue, otherwise, it may drive them outside the City. Barry Eaton, 727 Bellis, stated that he sees the airport area as an opportunity for the City to provide for economic opportunity, job opportunity, and fiscal enhancements without directly affecting its existing residential area, but noted that it is in the center of an urban complex with regional traffic. He expressed the opinion that the area should have an LOS -E like Irvine. He added that, since the area could be considered for special economic intensification, it should also pay its share of the resulting traffic. He expressed the opinion that an equal fee should be applied to all intensification development in that area. Mr. Burnham confirmed for Council Member Debay that facilities that store more equipment and are not being used by people are taken into account is when a traffic sharing fee is charged per square foot. He added that the type of land use and the traffic generating characteristics of that use do have a bearing on the fee charged to the development and that the fee has to be in proportion to the trips generated. Mayor Pro Tern Adams believed that the most appropriate thing for Council to do is to convene the General Plan Update Committee as soon as possible to first come up with a plan to address the airport area. Council Member Ridgeway asked if Council wants to look at intensification without a return. Mayor Pro Tern Adams indicated that the City needs to determine the long term vision for the airport area and what needs to be done to get there. He pointed out that the Committee is currently not charged with the General Plan update task, but charged with mapping out how to proceed through that process. He indicated that the Committee may need to generate a special process for the airport area which brings the big decisions to a public forum and to Council. Following that, they will then work out what is needed, what type of infrastructure is needed, and how it will be funded. Regarding the Conexant and Koll projects, Council Member Debay noted that those projects would be voted up or down based on their starting criteria. Mayor Pro Tem Adams stated that those projects would be an intensification of two focused areas and asked about the rest of the airport area. Council Member Ridgeway noted that these two projects have jumped through hoops but are getting there differently, adding that the projects are an intensification but only one of the projects is offering the City substantial • benefits and a development agreement. He believed that this may be a policy question. Mayor Pro Tern Adams stated that he is not sure if it is inappropriate that those decisions be made independent of the big picture for Volume 53 - Page 557 • City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes August 22, 2000 the airport area due to timing. Ms. Wood reported for Mayor Noyes that she is only aware of the Conexant and Kell projects in the airport area at this time. Council Member Ridgeway stated that he was approached by two different developers who indicated that they will be bringing projects to the City soon. Mayor Pro Tem Adams noted that the two projects are the projects that have already gone through environmental documentation, etc. and gives decision makers the ability to determine their impacts. Mayor Noyes stated that the General Plan Update Committee seems to be in a more appropriate position to deal with this issue and come back to Council with how to proceed. Council Member Ridgeway assured that the City is looking at fairness and equity; however, the City needs to develop a program, generate the necessary documentation, and move forward. Regarding Mr. Eaton's comments, he indicated that they would probably look at lowering the LOS in the airport area, but this needs to be worked at through the long range planning the City is trying to start. Mayor Pro Tem Adams indicated that the Aviation Committee and the Economic Development Committee still needs to appoint someone to the General Plan Update Committee. He stated that their first charge will • probably involve how to deal with the processing of the Conexant and Koll project applications. Mr. Bludau suggested that, when the Committee makes a recommendation to Council, they also bring back the alternatives they reviewed. Mayor Noyes stated that, if a recommendation is not reached, the Committee can come back with a progress report no later than the September 26 Council meeting. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None. ADJOURNMENT - 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the Study Session was posted on August 16, 2000, at 4:10 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. City Clerk 3 m Recordi g Secretary Volume 53 - Page 558 INDEX