HomeMy WebLinkAbout23 - Direction to Staff on Corona del Mar Traffic By-Pass Evaluation EffortCITY OF
NEWPORT BEACH
City Council Staff Report
January 27, 2015
Agenda Item No. 23
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: David A. Webb, Public Works Director- (949) 644 -3330,
dawebb@newportbeachca.gov
PREPARED BY: David Webb, Public Works Director
PHONE: (949) 644 -3330
TITLE: Direction to Staff on Corona del Mar Traffic By -Pass Evaluation Effort
ABSTRACT:
Per Council Policy A -6, any Council member may ask the City Council at a public meeting to return to the
Council with specific direction as to whether staff should spend time and resources researching or
developing specific policy issues. This helps ensure that resources are not wasted on an item that City
Council may not ultimately adopt.
RECOMMENDATION:
Offer specific direction regarding:
Should City staff undertake the effort to research, develop and evaluate possible ways to provide for,
and/or encourage vehicle traffic to by -pass or otherwise avoid using Pacific Coast Highway through
Corona del Mar to travel to Irvine, the Airport Area or the greater Orange County areas and beyond from
the Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach area or other points south; and visa - versa.
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
There will be some level of fiscal impact related to this specific effort, including items such as hiring
consultant support services, traffic modeling cost, concept development and evaluations etc. These costs
have not been determined at this time. However, should City Council direct that they wish to proceed with
this item, cost for the effort will be estimated and the project will be packaged and funding proposed within
the upcoming 2015 -16 Capital Improvement Program Budget.
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DISCUSSION:
Section C3 of Council Policy A -6 reads as follows:
Items may be placed on a City Council agenda in the following manner
A. A Council Member may ask during the Council meeting that a matter be brought to the City Council at
a future meeting. The matter will be brought back at the next Council meeting (if possible). At that Council
meeting, if a majority of the City Council wishes to examine the issue, staff will prepare an appropriate
report and return the item to the City Council with greater detail for discussion and /or action.
On Tuesday, January 13th, 2015, Mayor Selich asked that the items mentioned in the recommendation
section be brought back for formal discussion and direction.
The request centers around the fact that a large amount of traffic travels through Corona del Mar on
Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), coming from the south and making its way through to MacArthur Boulevard
and Jamboree Road, then continuing north to the 73 freeway, Airport area and other points north; and
visa -versa from North to South. This results in considerable amounts of on -going congestion and delay on
PCH through Corona del Mar due to fact that the speed and capacity on this segment of arterial highway is
much lower than segments on either side leading to and from Corona del Mar. General thoughts are that
there may be ways to inform or encourage drivers to use alternative routes that will result in both shorter
overall travel times and reduced congestion through Corona del Mar.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ( "CEQA ") pursuant to Sections 15060
(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the
environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA
Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in
physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at
which the City Council considers the item).
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