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Home My WebLink AboutPA2019-181_20210203_City Reponse to CCC Incomplete LtrCommunity Development Department CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, California 92660 949 644-3200 newportbeachca.gov/communitydevelopment February 3, 2021 Amrita Spencer Coastal Program Analyst 301 E. Ocean Blvd., Suite 300 Long Beach, CA 90802 Re: Local Coastal Program Amendment No. LC2019-004 Regarding Cottage Preservation (LCPA-5-NPB-20-0025-1-Part A) Dear Ms. Spencer: The City of Newport Beach (City) hereby submits the following information in response to your October 30, 2020, incomplete letter related to the City’s submittal of an amendment to both the Coastal Land Use Plan (Policy 2.9.3-8) and the Implementation Plan (Section 21.38.060 – Nonconforming Parking) of the City’s Local Coastal Program to provide a voluntary option for homeowners seeking to remodel, but preserve traditional beach cottages. For context, please refer to the attached case study for typical cottage characteristics provided as Attachment A. 1) Analyze potential loss of current public parking spaces that would result from amendment. The impacts to the current on-street supply of parking is anticipated to be negligible for the following reasons: • Not all cottages are nonconforming due to number of spaces provided. Many cottages are nonconforming due to size of parking spaces, not number of spaces. In fact, most single-unit dwelling cottages provide two parking spaces, but due to changes over time in Zoning Code requirements, do not comply with minimum interior clear garage dimensions. For lots wider than 40 feet, the old standard was a 2-car garage measuring 17’6” wide x 19’ deep, whereas the current requirement is a 20’ wide x 20’ deep 2-car garage. As such, many traditional cottages are now considered nonconforming due to parking and are limited to a 10 percent addition limitation. Allowing for increased expansions should not have an impact on the availability of on-street parking spaces in these cases. • Expansions don’t always equate to increased parking demand. Traditional beach cottages in the City were constructed for vacation purposes, which is reflected in the small living spaces and bedrooms. Requests to expand cottages are rarely for the purpose to add more bedrooms, but rather to expand the size of existing rooms, such as kitchens, living rooms, and other common areas. The typical intention is to modernize and enhance the cottage’s livability, not intensify its use. Expansions of existing rooms are not expected to lead to increased parking demand and is capped by the Amendment not to exceed 750 square feet. Redevelopment standards also require the structure to not exceed a maximum of one-story up to a height of 16 feet in the front half of the lot and the rear half is limited to two stories up to 24 feet. Third floor area and decks are not allowed, further limiting possibility of use intensification. It is noteworthy that a majority of the traditional cottages are located within Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, and the Balboa Peninsula, which are very pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, and are within a half-mile walking distance of public transit lines. • Bedroom to parking ratio doesn’t always improve with redevelopment. Another factor to consider is that many new developments that maximize the building envelope are likely to have similar or less parking for bedrooms than what an expanded cottage would provide. In the below example, redevelopment of a cottage would maintain a higher parking per bedroom ratio than a new single-family development with maximized floor area. Development Parking Bedrooms Ratio Existing SFR Cottage 2 2 1 parking space per bedroom Redevelopment of SFR Cottage (one added bedroom) 2 3 .66 parking spaces per bedroom New SFR 2 5 .40 parking spaces per bedroom • Short term lodging would be prohibited for properties redeveloping under the Amendment. This restriction will help eliminate the possibility of expanding cottages under this program for the purpose of increasing occupancy for short-term lodging, mitigating the possibility of increased on-street parking demands associated with such uses. It could additionally incentivize property owners to keep the structure in the housing stock as a rental unit. The short-term lodging prohibition would be included in the required deed restriction and any existing short-term lodging permit would be revoked. 2) Clarify number of beach cottages that would be affected by this amendment. Staff conducted a visual analysis on GIS to survey structures eligible for cottage preservation in the coastal zone. Large-scale identification of cottages is time- consuming and challenging because of the specific building envelope requirement of the Amendment. For these reasons, the analysis focuses on several prominent areas in the coastal zone, inclusive of Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, and the Balboa Peninsula. Existing residences in the coastal zone vary dramatically in respect to architectural style and year of construction, making it difficult to discern compliance with the cottage criteria simply from a visual observation. In such unclear cases, the analysis counts the structure as a cottage. Using highly conservative estimates, Staff identified approximately 1,000 cottages within the study areas that may be able to redevelop under the Amendment. Importantly, the actual number of feasible sites that could pursue the redevelopment benefits is expected to be significantly fewer. Many cottages are over five-decades old, with a considerable amount dating back to the original subdivisions. Redevelopment allowances under the Amendment require a strict building form to ensure a cottage character and limits the structure’s size, height, and location. In contrast, property owners desire to maximize building envelopes to recoup their investment, especially considering the subject areas' high land cost. While most property owners will opt for new development, the Amendment offers a meaningful and voluntary solution for those seeking to make select improvements to their traditional beach cottage. 3) Describe how far the affected cottages are from beach. Within the coastal zone, cottages are more prevalent in the Corona del Mar, Balboa Island, West Newport, and Balboa Peninsula areas of the City. Within each area, cottages vary in distance from the beach. Please refer to the graphic depiction of walking distances provided as Attachment B. • Corona del Mar- 710 Avocado Avenue appears to be the furthest eligible cottage within the coastal zone area measuring a walking distance of approximately 0.9 miles from the China Cove beach, the nearest beach, and 1 mile to Corona del Mar State Beach. • Balboa Island- 223 Apolena Avenue appears to be the furthest eligible cottage, measuring a walking distance of approximately 0.2 miles from the bay. • West Newport- 488 Prospect Avenue appears to be furthest eligible cottage, measuring a walking distance of approximately 0.4 miles from the beach. • Balboa Peninsula - 518 Short Street appears to be the furthest eligible cottage, measuring a walking distance of approximately 0.4 miles from the beach. • Peninsula Point (Balboa Peninsula) - 2037 East Balboa Boulevard appears to be the furthest eligible cottage, measuring a walking distance of approximately 0.2 miles from the beach. 4) Verify whether the subject area is used for beach access. All of the areas noted above are used for beach access to different degrees depending on time of year. With the exception of the furthest property in Corona del Mar, it can be expected that members of the public would park in these areas during peak summer months. During non-peak periods, the further the distance from the beach, the higher availability of public parking. Explained in detail above, negative impacts to coastal public parking is not anticipated with approval of the Amendment. I believe the information provided in this letter provides the information needed to complete the LCP Amendment request. If you need any additional information, please contact me at (949) 644-3209 or by e-mail at jmurillo@newportbeachca.gov. The City of Newport Beach looks forward to working with you and your staff to review this amendment request. Sincerely, Attachments: A- Case Study Exhibit B- Walking Distance Exhibit ATTACHMENT A CASE STUDY 306 Alvarado Place (yr. 1912) •Single-Family •Home-1033 SF (3 bedroom 2 bath) •Nonconforming parking: 2 required/0 provided •1033 sf x 50% = 516.5 sf Balboa Peninsula 410 Belvue Lane (yr. 1951) •Single-Family (1430 sf total) •Home-990 SF (2 bedroom 1 bath) •Garage-400 SF (2-car) •Nonconforming parking: size of spaces •1430 sf x 50% = 715 sf Balboa Peninsula 606 Marguerite Ave (yr. unknown) •Duplex (2018 sf total) •Unit 1-(2 bedroom 1 bath) 874 sf •Unit 2-(1 bedroom 1 bath) 608 sf •Garage-536 sf (2-car) •Nonconforming parking: 4 required/2 provided •2018 sf x 50% = 1009 sf •750 sf limit = 37% addition Corona del Mar 425 Orchid Ave (yr. 1948) •Duplex (2165 sf total) •Unit 1-1125sf (2 bedroom 1 bath) •Unit 2-627 sf (1 bedroom 1 bath) •Garage-413 sf (2-car) •Nonconforming parking: 4 required/2 provided •2165 sf x 50% = 1082.5 sf •750 sf limit = 35% addition Corona del Mar 600 Balboa Ave (yr. 1939) •Duplex (1756 sf total) •Unit 1-934sf (2 bedroom 1 bath) •Unit 2-411 sf (1 bedroom 1 bath) •Garage-411 sf (2-car) •Nonconforming parking: 4 required/2 provided •1756 sf x 50% = 878 sf •750 sf limit = 43% addition 2nd unit above Balboa Island 314 Sapphire Ave (yr. 1941) •Duplex (2325 sf total) •Unit 1-1163sf (2 bedroom 2 bath) •Unit 2-676 sf (2 bedroom 1 bath) •Garage-486 sf (2-car) •Nonconforming parking: 4 required/2 provided •2325 sf x 50% = 1162.5 sf •750 sf limit = 32% addition Balboa Island ATTACHMENT B WALKING DISTANCE EXHIBIT Corona del Mar –710 Avocado Avenue Walking Distance to Beach 0.9 miles Walking Distance to Beach 1 mile Balboa Island-223 Apolena Avenue Walking Distance to Beach 0.2 miles Newport Shores (West Newport)–488 Prospect Avenue Walking Distance to Beach 0.4 miles Primary Beach Destination Balboa Peninsula–518 Short Street Walking Distance to Beach 0.4 miles Primary Beach Destination Peninsula Point (Balboa Peninsula)–2037 E Balboa Blvd. Walking Distance to Beach 0.2 miles Primary Beach Destination