HomeMy WebLinkAboutSS2 - Airport Area Planning OptionsPORT
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
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COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC
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DEVELOPMENT
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PLANNING DEPARTMENT
3300 NEWPORT BOULEVARD
NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92658
(714) 644 -3200; FAX (714) 644 -3250
Hearing Date:
Agenda Item
No.:
Staff Person:
REPORT TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: Airport Area Planning Options
ACTION: Provide direction to staff
Background
June 13, 2000
SS2
Sharon Z. Wood
(949) 644 -3222
The Economic Development Committee (EDC) has worked on planning for the Airport Area for
the last several years, with the goal of facilitating future land development that is more
productive for both the City and the property owners. EDC members themselves completed one
study outlining the opportunities and constraints of the area, and the City Council followed the
• Committee's recommendation to have a development feasibility study done. EDC's conclusion
after these studies was that the General Plan for the area needs to be amended and a specific plan
should be prepared to position the area for the appropriate type of development in the future.
The Committee also recommended that this area be one of the City's economic development
priorities. Last year, the City Council approved $250,000 in the Capital Improvements Program
($100,000 in 1999 -2000 and $150,000 in 2000 -01) for this planning work, with the
understanding that property owners would contribute an equal amount to the effort. Although
EDC has approached some property owners to contribute to the planning effort, there has been
hesitation due to the uncertainty about future development possibilities should the Protection
from Traffic and Density Initiative pass. EDC recently recommended that the City Council
include the full amount of the planning study in the CIP.
Discussion
Planning tools alone will not be sufficient to help the Airport Area realize its potential.
Additional development in the area will require significant transportation improvements,
especially if impacts from future development on residential neighborhoods are to be avoided.
These improvements will increase the costs of an Airport Area plan.
State Planning and Zoning Law provides that cities may establish a fee so that property owners
who take advantage of the entitlement provided by a specific plan in the future pay their fair
share of the planning costs. This can be done whether the City or other private properties
• provide the initial funding, through reimbursement agreements with property owners. Likewise,
transportation improvement planning and implementation can be funded through advances by
property owners who wish to develop sooner, fees paid by future developers, and reimbursement
agreements.
The City Council will be considering two major development proposals in the Airport Area soon:
Conexant and Koll Center Newport. Both projects are projected to have significant traffic •
impacts, and both will use capacity in the transportation system that will no longer be available
for future redevelopment in the area. However, these projects could also represent an
opportunity for the City to begin a long -range planning and transportation improvement program
for the area. Development agreements could be used if the applicants agree to provide the City
with special benefits that would outweigh their projects' impacts, such as contributions to such a
program.
Staff is seeking input from the City Council on how to proceed with long -range planning for the
Airport Area, and what role current developers should have in that planning.
SHARON Z. WOOD
Assistant City Manager
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