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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/25/2008 - Study SessionCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH City Council Minutes City Council Study Session March 25, 2008 — 3:30 p.m. I. ROLL CALL Present: Council Member Henn, Council Member Rosansky, Mayor Pro Tem Daigle, Mayor Selich, Council Member Webb, Council Member Curry, Council Member Gardner II. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. CLARIFICATION OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR. In response to Council Member Henn's question regarding Item 9 (Marina Park), Public Works Director Badum stated that Marina Park is in the schematic design phase then will move into the design development phase and production of construction bid documents. Mayor Selich clarified that the footprint and square footages of the buildings will not change, only the height. City Attorney Clauson asked that Item 3 (Kennels in West Santa Ana Heights) be continued to April 22 to allow for changes in the type of facility that will be operated. 2. PRESENTATION OF SUNSET RIDGE PARK CONCEPT PLAN. [731100 -2008] Recreation and Senior Services Director Morgan reported that the General Plan called for Sunset Ridge Park to be an active park that contained an athletic field, restroom, parking lot, walkways, and vistas. He stated that he understands the residents concerns and that the preparation of the concept plan has been an open process. Rick Vanderwood, EPT Design, utilized a PowerPoint presentation to display the existing conditions, site constraints, proposed site plan, a sectioned key map, and the overall plan. In response to Council's questions, Recreation and Senior Services Director Morgan indicated that staffs position was to honor the General Plan and seek Council's direction. He stated that the standard size of a backstop is 30 feet, 13 - 14 year old children will play at the field, there will be no lights, and the parking lot will be locked at dusk. In response to Mayor Pro Tem Daigle's question, Mr. Vanderwood stated that the outfield fence will be four feet to contain balls and homeplate is about 500 feet from Pacific Coast Highway. Council Member Rosansky stated that he understands the concerns of the residents; however,. the General Plan called for the site to be an active park, and the City bought the property and legislature was passed with the understanding that the park would be active. He encouraged Council to visit the area and added that the field may need to be repositioned to another corner and only used for soccer, the 30 foot backdrop may need to be eliminated, or the City may need to do away with the 13 -14 year old age Volume 58 — Page 426 City of Newport Beach Study Session March 25, 2008 group playing at the park. Recreation and Senior Services Director Morgan stated that there is a need for recreation fields for all age groups, but the 13 -14 year old age group can be accommodated elsewhere. Lantz Bell, Newport Harbor Baseball Association Vice President, stated that the association's biggest need right now is for the 13 -14 year old division since there are 17 teams_ In response to Council's questions, Mr. Bell stated that the equipment at Ensign is inadequate, the outfield is awkward, and the field should be used only for practices. He indicated that Bob Henry Park is currently being used for 10 year olds. He suggested changing the backstop on the concept plan by running a net along home plate for safety. Tom Greeley expressed support for the project. He suggested that Council ensure a safe crossing at Pacific Coast Highway and Superior Avenue. Dr. Jay Westphal indicated that he is impressed with how Council and the community are working together. He questioned the maintenance of the trees and expressed his concern for pedestrian traffic and safety, and privacy for the residents of Newport Crest. Ginny Lombardi extended an invitation to Council to visit her home. She expressed concern that there is no buffer zone, road, distance, or soundwall between the park and residents. She noted that the General Plan can be amended and the decisions were made prior to community outreach. Kristi Flusfleg expressed concern about the obstruction of views, the tot lot, noise, and park hours. She urged Council to conduct an accident analysis on Pacific Coast Highway and questioned the parking demands and how it is monitored. She asked Council to conduct a proper analysis of other fields in the City that could be used for sports. Jeff Braun, Commissioner of AYSO Region 97, stated that there are 1,000 children in the Newport Beach region who participate in soccer, but there are only two soccer fields in the City. He noted that soccer games are usually scheduled Monday through' Friday from 4:00 p.m. to dusk, and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Freid Ganem expressed concern about park access, parking, safety, and hours of operation. Robert Orbe commended the design but questioned why the existing parking lot is not used in the concept plan. He suggested that the field be moved closer to Pacific Coast Highway. Steve Porter expressed his concern about parking, safety, traffic, and the removal of the soundwall. In response to Mayor Selich's question, Public Works Director Badum stated that the traffic signals at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Superior are currently controlled by Caltrans. Fred Cornwell, President of the Newport Harbor Baseball Association, stated that they have a need for an active field and agreed adjustments can be made to the backstop, since the netting to the backdrop can be adjusted according to conditions. He also Volume 58 - Page 427 City of Newport Beach Study Session March 25, 2008 stated that parking is not an issue because each game consists of 24 children, which allows for plenty of parking for parents and spectators. Jane Drew expressed concern about noise and safety. She stated that she knows that there is a need for active parks, but believed that Sunset Ridge Park should be a passive park. Gloria Quirk expressed concern about the proximity of the park to Pacific Coast Highway and Superior Avenue. Byron Dearicle, Soccer Families 4 Newport Fields, expressed support for the concept plan and believed that Council should respect that the area is dedicated as an active park. He stated that the demand for youth soccer is growing in the City. Tom Anderson, Newport-Mesa Soccer Club, gave statistics on soccer and stated that he is an advocate of active parks because there is a need for fields for the adolescents in the City. Brian Huld expressed concern about noise and dust. He suggested that the City purchase some of the land in the Banning Ranch area. Elizabeth Farisfurd thanked Council and the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission for acquiring Sunset Ridge Park. She encouraged Council to dedicate a memorial at the park to Louise Greeley. Jim Caras urged Council to consider another location for the field due to safety and legal liability to the City and stated that there is too much need in such a small space. Kristine Adams expressed concern about the obstruction of views, noise, size of the land, parking issues, and the closeness of the fields to existing homes. She believed that most residents did not get a full understanding of what an active park entails. Dr. Jan Vandersloot requested that there be native landscaping on the bluffs and slopes, and asked Council to consider utilizing Banning Ranch for sports fields instead. Waldemar Moosman expressed concern about the parking and removal of existing plants and flowers. He believed that Sunset Ridge was previously planned to be a passive park and claimed that residents had no communication with Council Member Rosansky. Mike Lombardi expressed his concern about the noise impact and the proximity of the fields to the buildings. He also suggested that there be a buffer zone and that the parking area be moved. Matt Irwin asked Council to visit the area before making a decision because the park will take away the views of the Bay. Council Member Rosansky stated that Council will be sensitive about the height of the trees and stated that research was done to ensure that there is enough parking. He indicated that, if the final decision is made to have a field, staff will portion out the field between soccer and baseball and figure out which one will be better for the area. He informed the residents that the land in the parking area near the entrance is owned by Banning Ranch who will not sell or give the area away. He assured residents that staff will work with Caltrans to make the intersection as safe as possible and trails have been created for people to access the park. He indicated that they will look at using artificial turf for dust and maintenance reasons. He emphasized that he has had Volume 58 -Page 428 City of Newport Beach Study Session March 25, 2008 a significant amount of contact with residents and has visited homes in the area In response to Council Member Gardner's question, Recreation and Senior Services Director Morgan stated that the draft concept suggested removing the soundwall and replacing it with mounding and berms, which is more effective than a soundwall. Council Member Henn stated that he relied on staff and experts to make estimates regarding parking and encouraged the concept planners to discourage access to Newport Crest. He suggested that the Parks and Recreation Department do a strategic review of the active parks used for baseball, to determine how their use could be rebalanced to accomodate 13 -14 year old baseball, and what enhancements would be recommended to allow for that. He suggested that staff explore enhancing pedestrian safety at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Superior, look into retractable backstops, and work to reduce noise. Council Member Curry believed that the park is an excellent idea and supported the suggestions relative to tree heights. He stated that he wants to ensure that parking issues are not created and suggested that staff look at technological options for the field. Council Member Webb pointed out the wall between Newport Crest and the park is consistent and tall enough to discourage people from hopping over and that the park is set up to only have one game at a time to allow for parking. He noted that Banning Ranch is not a guarantee and that this project cannot be delayed. Mayor Pro Tem Daigle stated that Council can accommodate some changes and asked that staff continue with public outreach. She noted that there are new wall treatments and additional methods to explore. Mayor Selich stated that Sunset Ridge Park is needed and most concerns can be worked out by redesigning the park. He expressed concern about losing the baseball field and urged staff to change the backstop to minimize the view impact. Recreation and Senior Services Director Morgan stated that the concept plan will be reviewed by the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Committee and come back during a Study Session. He assured Council that they will take the issues that were brought forward into consideration. 3. TRAFFIC SIGNAL MODERNIZATION MASTER PLAN - PEER REVIEW BY JOE FAUST. (100 -2008] Joe Faust reported that the new traffic modernization system is . justified and needed. He assured Council that the Econolite system is reliable and reported that the manufacturer of the equipment is local. To further improve traffic, he suggested that the City use surveillance or a closed circuit television system to improve delays and performance. He also suggested that the City use a fiber optic system, conduct before and after evaluations of the traffic, and scale the project to less phases. In response to Council's questions, Mr. Faust stated that the traffic signal modernization performance testing should produce a 3% to 5% overall improvement. He discussed the importance of the timing pattern and how surveillance will provide a big picture to help simulate traffic flows. He suggested that the City go from Ti to T3 wires or a fiber optic system and explained the difference Volume 58 - Page 429 City of Newport Beach Study Session March 25, 2008 between a traffic responsive system and an adaptive system. He believed that, in terms of traffic, the adaptive system is more effective but requires a lot of maintenance, staff time, and funding. In response to City Manager Bludau's question, Public Works Director Badum stated that staff looked at the corridors and tried to phase the intersections accordingly. He noted that Pacific Coast Highway is a missing section because it is owned by Caltrans, but he is currently working with them in order to control the signals. Council Member Rosansky emphasized that traffic is one of the main concerns in the City and agreed with Mr. Faust that there needs to be less phases. In response to Council's questions, Public Works Director Badum stated that adding more surveillance cameras in Phases Two and Three can be accomplished. Council Member Henn emphasized the need for the surveillance cameras and indicated that there needs to be a full understanding of the system in the early phases to be able to learn and modify during later phases. He requested that the prioritization of all phases after Phase III be reviewed and approved by Council, and that the criteria for later phases include measures of congestion, safety and emergency access, in addition to traffic volume. Mayor Selich reminded Council that, as part of the General Plan, intersection improvements and traffic synchronization might help the critical intersections. III. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None IV. ADJOURNMENT - 6:15 p.m. The agenda for the Study Session was posted on March 19, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located. outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. Recording Secretary ' Mayor f MR24AUXAM Volume 58 - Page 430