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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-01-12 Approved MinutesAPPROVED Action Meeting Minutes NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE Location: Council Chambers Thursday, January 12, 2012 - 4:00 p.m. 1. Call Meeting to Order Council Member Henn convened the meeting at 4:05 p.m. The following persons were in attendance: Committee Members • Council Member Michael Henn (Chair) • Council Member Ed Selich • Council Member Rush Hill was absent City Staff • Kimberly Brandt, Community Development Director • Brenda Wisneski, Deputy Community Development Director • Jim Campbell, Principal Planner • Dave Webb, Deputy Public Works Director • Ben Zdeba, Planning Technician • Leonie Mulvihill, Assistant City Attorney • Monika Goodwin, Administrative Assistant • Dennis Stone, Project Consultant • Todd Larner, Project Consultant • Mike Sinacori, Assistant City Engineer 2. Approval of Minutes for December 15, 2011 An amendment to the minutes of December 15, 2011 was noted and Council Member Henn moved to approve the amended minutes of December 15, 2011, with the exception of agenda item E regarding the Lido Village /City Hall, and Council Member Selich seconded; and the minutes were approved unanimously. Mr. Mosher stated that page four of the minutes notes incorrectly that Duda Company will pay $60,000 toward the Lido Village project, and he stated that all but $60,000 was supposed to be paid by stakeholders. Director Brandt indicated that the minutes will be corrected appropriately. Mr. Hawkins objected to amending the minutes since he believed that Council Members Hill and Henn did not specifically state the details mentioned in the proposed amendment. Council Member Henn stated that he said exactly what was contained in the amendment to the minutes. Ms. Mulvihill said there was no reason not to approve the amended minutes. 3. Status of CAPS A. Balboa Village Council Member Henn stated that during the Balboa Village CAP meeting of November 15th, the economic development and parking consultants' presentation were viewed and the CAP members deliberated regarding a future vision for Balboa Village's revitalization. He noted that a joint meeting of the NRC and Balboa Village CAP took place on December 20`" at the Newport Beach Nautical Museum. The following meeting on January 17 will focus on a presentation by Code Enforcement staff. The February meeting will include two presentations regarding economic development and parking in the area of the CAP's purview. He noted that two of the CAP members have formed a working group to work with 'Visit Newport Beach' to further explore the idea of a brand promise for Balboa Village, such as art, marketing, etc. Council Member Selich asked what the final product was for Balboa Village, and Council Member Henn said it was a new vision brand promise, including economic development recommendations and general recommendations regarding parking, parking rates, management of the rates and parking revenues to Neighborhood Revitalization Committee 2 Action Meeting Minutes of January 12, 2012 benefit the area. Council Member Selich understood the results to be a policy document, not guidelines; and Council Member Henn agreed. Mr. Hawkins asked about the parking recommendations and Ms. Brandt said it was discussed as a concept only. Mr. Hawkins expressed concern over the elimination of minimum parking requirements for non- residential uses and imposition of infrastructure improvements, and asked for clarification. Council Member Henn said the discussion of conceptual alternatives will be further explored. Ms. Brandt stated that the parking consultant will finalize the recommendations to bring before NRC, and then to the City Council. She noted the information is available on the Balboa Village revitalization website. She commented that there will be a combination of parking solutions appropriate for specific areas in Balboa Village. Answering questions from the audience, Ms Brandt opined these parking recommendations may be applied to other areas on the peninsula with area specific changes, but were not recommended specifically for Corona del Mar. Dan Purcell was concerned about the impact of these improvements on the residents and about spill over parking. Council Member Henn noted his awareness of concerns from residents living west of Balboa Village regarding spillover parking and their needs for resident parking permits. He noted the importance of residents' participation and mentioned the active involvement of the Central Newport Beach Community Association with CAP member Mr. Stratton also being a member of that organization, who completed a substantive parking study ahead of the consultant study. CAP member Mr. Pasquale is president of the Balboa Peninsula Organization that is also very involved. No further public comments were provided. B. Corona del Mar Entry It was noted that Council Member Hill was unable to attend the NRC meeting due to previous obligations. Ms. Brandt introduced consultant Dennis Stone for the presentation. Mr. Stone acknowledged the hard work of the CAP members and involved City staff. He noted that the engineering consultant David Bacon of Walden & Associates and landscape architect Harry Kobzeff of TCLA, Inc. were present at the meeting and available to answer questions. He presented the conceptual landscape plan that the CAP recommended after five meetings and defined the purpose of the CAP as developing a conceptual landscape plan as basis for further planning to become a capital improvement project. The CAP members worked with the Corona del Mar Business Improvement District's (BID) 2004 Vision Plan; and noted the BID has already invested in many improvements throughout the area. It was further stated that the items depicted in the plan are only building blocks, not specific design elements. During the process of developing the conceptual plan, many items are identified that need to be addressed as the plan goes through the public process, such as tree spacing, bike rack spacing, modification to site lines, cross walk spaces, etc., that are not items of this conceptual plan. He noted that the removal of nine parking spaces is an issue to be resolved later by experts, not by the CAP or this committee. Moving the drop lane from Acacia to Dahlia will be reviewed by the Orange County Transportation Authority. He continued with the presentation by showing a rendering of before and after photos and pointed to the improved sidewalk area to be enhanced with plantings, low walls, date palms, public art, etc. He noted the preliminary cost estimate of $100,000 for design consulting, $1.2 million for construction, and $43,000 for annual maintenance. Council Members Selich and Henn expressed support for the plan. Public Comment A comment was made about the existing limited parking for residents and business patrons and the impact of this plan as parking availability is more important than beautification. Mr. Stone reiterated that this is only a conceptual plan and no change has been decided yet. These issues will be addressed, but it is not the role of the CAP. Council Member Henn asked if CAP discussions had included any mitigation for parking and Mr. Stone said the CAP members expected the experts to resolve this issue. Neighborhood Revitalization Committee 3 Action Meeting Minutes of January 12, 2012 CAP Member Bernie Svalstad said he has been dealing with this parking matter for a long time. Mr. Webb indicated that a comprehensive parking review will be conducted before any changes are implemented. A Dahlia homeowner mentioned she had heard about a planned two -level parking structure. She noted parking was a big problem and worried about it worsening with more people drawn to this area. Two audience members asked when this plan will be addressed. Council Member Henn stated that the next step for this plan is a review by City Council with another opportunity for the public to speak up about parking. At that time staff will thoroughly evaluate a plan prior to any approvals. California Coastal Commission approval is required. He noted this is an evolving process that will return to Council for consideration. If this plan is forwarded to the Council's February meeting, Mr. Campbell explained the item will be public noticed to the three -block surrounding area. He also stated that a two -story parking structure was not being contemplated for that area. In response to a comment about the area getting denser and the wish not to become a West Hollywood type density, Council Member Henn said the concerns regarding parking and noticing were duly noted. Mr. Hawkins asked procedural questions and opined the CAP concluded their meetings without many residents' knowledge of its conclusion and there was no notice of this anywhere. He expressed his concerns regarding the required approvals and the project's inconsistency with the City's Master Plan of Streets and Highways. He believed that an amendment will be necessary for the Circulation Element of the General Plan. He asked when draft environmental studies will be completed for this project. Plans to eliminate nine public parking spaces are very specific and therefore there is a need to know when these analyses will be done. Ms. Mulvihill said this committee is an advisory committee to have discussions about conceptual plans to be brought before the Council who will make the ultimately decision after receiving all required reports, including environmental reviews. At that time, the City's master plan will be taken into account if necessary. Council Member Henn reiterated that after Council's review and if so decided, this conceptual plan becomes a project and any required additional analyses and CEQA approval will be completed at that time. An audience member mentioned he had attended several CAP meetings and that there was no indication of concluding their efforts on the last meeting agenda. In his opinion the CAP's work is incomplete with many open questions remaining. The graphic presentation was only shown during the last meeting without any discussion regarding potential users of these enlarged sidewalks; also no input from the restaurant owners and no economic input was included. Mr. Stone said the majority of the CAP members voted to forward the documentation to the NRC for review as a completed conceptual plan. Now it is the NRC's decision to either move the conceptual plan forward to the City Council or return it to the CAP. A concern was voiced about the impact of the lane drop of MacArthur Boulevard going south to Coast Highway. Council Member Henn stated this would be taken into account. Mr. Mosher questioned the agenda as not meeting the standards of the Brown Act. He noted the same problem with the CAP's meeting agenda that did not include specifics. He believed the CAP moved forward by concern of missing being included in the capital projects budget; and he believed the parking issues need to be addressed. In answer to Council Member Henn's question whether this agenda and the previous CAP agendas were properly structured and noticed, Ms. Mulvihill stated that today's agenda was properly stated and legal to forward to Council, and noted that she did not attend the CAP meetings. She added that the Brown Act contradicts Mr. Mosher's statement regarding agenda requirements. An agenda requires a description of actions to be considered and that this NRC was not formed as a Brown Act body, but it provides notice and an agenda for public information; the CAP meetings are following Brown Act requirements. She noted that Neighborhood Revitalization Committee 4 Action Meeting Minutes of January 12, 2012 today's agenda could have been more specific in content and explanation, but she confirmed its compliance. Mr. Hawkins noted that Mr. Mosher had pointed out that the agenda at the bottom stated that the meeting was covered by the Brown Act. Mr. Mosher asked about clarifications regarding bike routes and if restaurants will be getting free outdoor table space. Council Member Henn replied that riding bikes on walkways was illegal and the restaurant question was not part of the CAP's purview. Mr. Hawkins said this NRC agenda indicated that it is covered by the Brown Act and asked for clarification. He stated that neither Mr. Stone nor any graphics or discussions mentioned the potential removal of nine parking spaces. He hoped that the fact of this project losing nine parking spaces will at least be mentioned at the Council meeting. Mr. Allen communicated his significant experience with the Coastal Commission and believed they will probably not approve removing nine parking spaces; however, he noted that they may take into consideration the fact that it is a visitor - serving improvement. Debbie Allen expressed her support of the plan and noted its similarity to the 2004 Vision Plan. She added that the parking issue needs to be resolved. She expressed her concern with the height of the date palms that will impact the views in Harbor View Hills. The residents prefer a shorter tree or palm, not taller than 32 feet. She produced a memorandum from the former City Manager Homer Bludau promising palms no higher than 32 feet to be planted in that area and handed the memorandum to Jim Campbell. Council Member Henn promised to include the condition as the project moved forward. Novelle Hendrickson complained that no prints of today's rendering were available at the last CAP meeting and that residents were unaware of the CAP's conclusion. She is concerned about incorrect hearing documents and missing notices on the website for the public, especially in regards to the reduction of one traffic lane and removal of nine parking spaces. She highlighted the need for residents to receive more information and notice prior to the meetings. George Schroeder was concerned about the large sidewalk expansion for restaurants to receive free table spaces and the removal of nine parking spaces. Nonetheless, he stated his great support of the City's revitalization efforts. Mr. Svalstad announced that he will present the concept plan to all attending Corona del Mar residents at the upcoming Corona del Mar Residents Association meeting. Following questions about timelines, Mr. Campbell explained that the environmental review and other required reports will be started after Council authorizes the conceptual project to move forward at a publicly noticed meeting. He indicated that the review would take several months. He asked to forward any written input on this matter to his attention. Council Member Selich believed that additional questions have surfaced regarding the parking and lane transition and he requested that the existing traffic study and additional studies for solutions regarding the parking loss issue be forwarded in conjunction with the concept plan to Council. He also expressed the need to identify clearly presented solutions for the intersection issue. Council Member Henn suggested scheduling another NRC meeting in approximately two weeks to arrive at a more detailed concept plan with an outline of the process to present to Council and to provide public noticing of this meeting. He expected the agenda to state clearly that this project is being considered to go before Council. Council Member Selich agreed. Public Comment Neighborhood Revitalization Committee 5 Action Meeting Minutes of January 12, 2012 Dan Purcell discussed a Harbor Commission item regarding an illegally berthed boat that has been docked at the Newport Harbor for some time. He asked how this violation can be stopped. Council Member Henn said the comment is noted. The meeting was adjourned at 5:50 p.m.