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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSS2 - Park Development OpportunitiesFebruary 10, 2004 Study Session Agenda Item #SS City of Newport Beach _. Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX 3. JOINT MEETING WITH PARKS, BEACHES & RECREATION Park Development COMMISSION TO REVIEW PARK DEVELOPMENT Opportunities OPPORTUNITIES, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL (62) SCHEDULES. City Manager Bludau utilized a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the site descriptions, planning status, Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission (PB &R) recommendations, budget status, and issues/concerns for the Newport Village, Sunset Ridge (CalTrans West), and Upper Bayview Landing sites as outlined in the staff report. He stated that they are seeking direction on the scope of the development and the priorities for development on the sites. Mr. Bludau stated that PB &R would like to survey potential users to the 12- acre Newport Village site. He highlighted the park site development recommendations listed in the staff report and reported that $35,000 has been designated for the conceptual plan. He pointed out that the steep grade along Avocado Avenue makes walking access difficult and would necessitate extensive grading for vehicle access and parking. Additionally, preservation of wetlands needs to take place. He added that the Board of Library Trustees would like 100 parking spaces for library parking. Mr. Bludau indicated that designating this site as permanent open space was discussed but has never been done. Mayor Pro Tern Bromberg added that placing a deed restriction on the property was also discussed but never implemented. Mayor Ridgeway noted that PB &R suggests protecting views, but stated that the City has a policy that only protects public views, not private views. Assistant City Manager Wood indicated that the protection of public versus private views is something that the City pays close attention to when reviewing development projects on private property. However, in this case, this is a City project and, if Council chooses to be concerned about this during the planning of the park, it is within their prerogative. Council Member Glover believed that, when the City is developing a park, there should be a certain amount of respect given to the neighbors. She noted that the City has tried not to plant trees in Castaways Park where it would change residents' views and believed that this does not break the policy. Mayor Pro Tern Bromberg noted that two of the three parks are in his district and stated that he is also concerned about this. He agreed that the City should not protect views, but believed that, as a City, it should not take views away. In response to Mayor Pro Tern Bromberg's question, Mr. Bludau indicated that the Public Works Department oversees park development. Regarding the 15 -acre Sunset Ridge site, Mr. Bludau discussed the site location and planning status, and reported that $700,000 has been budgeted this year for the lease and $600,000 in the next fiscal year. He added that there is no budget for planning and construction. Mr. Bludau stated that the site is difficult to access; the project needs to be coordinated with the Banning Ranch development for access and parking; Newport Crest has view concerns; there is methane gas underneath the site; the site has at least one abandoned oil well; and there are earthquake faults underneath it. Volume 54 - Page 667 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX Regarding the 12 -acre Upper Bayview Landing site, Mr. Bludau stated that it is located at Coast Highway and Jamboree Boulevard; is highly disturbed; has coastal bluffs; and has a coastal grade on the slope. He indicated that it also has to be determined if the site is a gnat- catcher habitat. He reviewed the planning status in the staff report and indicated that a passive park would be permitted. He stated that PB &R is proposing to make the park a view park with a view of the Upper Newport Bay from Coast Highway; have pedestrian and bicycle access only, have a trail from Coast Highway/ Jamboree to the Dunes; and have formal landscaping with native grasses and plants. He reported that $33,390 is in the current budget for the conceptual design; $340,000 for planning and construction (grading costs); and $25,000 is encumbered for the environmental review. Mr. Bludau reported that there is concern about having no safe access for cars; remediation is needed from the County Health Department for clearance due to the former gas station that was located on the site; there is drainage and erosion under the coastal bluff; and there is a need to grade the coastal bluff to obtain the desired use. He confirmed that CIOSA funds are available. Jim Engelkee, EPT Landscape Architects, stated that they were hired by The Irvine Company (TIC) to generate concept plans for the Upper Bayview Landing and Newport Village parcels. Utilizing the conceptual drawings, he stated that it is being proposed that the Newport Village site have 88 parking spaces and be developed with through- access from Avocado Avenue. He indicated that the site will transition from an urban environment to an open space /play area with native vegetation. He reported that the keys to the site are its parking and its dual use, and its link between the park and the library. He agreed that this would not be a destination point, but people at the library may want to use it as a place to read or have lunch. Mr. Engelkee reported that the design will mimic an architectural element found along the front of the library, called pergola, which is a facade that is an extension of the wall that is set away from the face of the walls. He indicated that this element will be brought across the parking lot and lead into the amphitheater. He stated that the facade would also turn at the amphitheater and provide a background for the stage. He reported that the amphitheater could have bench grading or graded turf. Further, trees will be utilized that are contrasting to the parking lot trees to tie into the view accessed from inside the library. He highlighted the circulation walk, seawall, parking lot access, open space, and picnic tables as viewed on the conceptual plans. In response to Council questions, Mr. Engelkee believed that TIC maintains architectural control over the project. He stated that the park is being designed to be appealing to people who like both the natural and built environments. He noted that, because of the play area, some of the trees will not rise higher than the library. He indicated that the parking lot can be expanded to 100 spaces but this would push into the grading. He reported that they are proposing to conduct additional grading to soften some of the slopes and tuck in the amphitheater. He believed that there would be export material but clarified that their scope did not include cut and field analysis. Regarding the Upper Bayview Landing conceptual plan, Mr. Engelkee stated that Section A is the view corridor from Coast Highway /Jamboree to the Eastbluff area, Section B is midway through the park, and Section C is from Volume 54 - Page 668 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX Coast Highway to Newport Dunes. He indicated that the park will be a passive park with open play; the vegetation will be visually low so that sight lines are maintained; the flow will be circular; and there will be five access points. He stated that, in order to enter the bike trail, access would have to occur offsite which would take the cooperation from the future senior housing facility at the Lower Bayview Landing site. He confirmed that no picnic benches or vehicle access is proposed on the site. He stated that a grading goal was not set and added that he cannot provide a cut/fill or cost analysis at this time. Mayor Ridgeway noted that there is one vehicular viewscape at the major intersection. Council Member Proctor reported that he owns property that overlooks the Sunset Ridge site and asked when it would be appropriate to recuse himself. City Attorney Burnham stated that, if he owns property within 500 feet of the exterior boundary and was going to provide direction to staff on the priorities relative to the scope of development or timing, it would be good to recuse himself at this time. However, he indicated that he can be seated with Council and participate in discussions about the other two sites. The City Council joined the PB &R Commission at the conference table. In attendance from the PB&R Commission were Chairman Skoro and Commissioners Allen, Beek, Franklin, Tobin, and Englebrecht. Chairman Skoro stated that he was first aware of the conceptual plans late Friday night and contacted TIC on Monday, but it was too late to set up a PB &R meeting. He indicated that he saw the plans and felt it was worthwhile to have them presented to Council. He stated that he was impressed by them, especially since most of the items were included in the Newport Village plan that were mentioned in the many meetings. He expressed the opinion that the Newport Village site is close to having a concept. Mayor Pro Tern Bromberg stated that he is looking at Newport Village as a primary park site since it is centralized, will bring in a lot of people from Newport Center during the lunch hour, and bring in people from Harbor View and the library. He indicated that this is the first time the City has had any type of concept for this park other than rough drawings. He believed that the most significant issue now is to set up a schedule to look at a concept, agree on it, review the cost, and decide whether to do the project. Chairman Skoro stated that the amount of library parking was the item of contention when the Newport Village site was discussed. He indicated that they tried to solve the issue by letting the economics resolve it. He stated that some concepts were developed and that Council will decide on the right approach. Commissioner Franklin agreed that the library should be used to its fullest, but suggested that the reasons for the parking shortage be researched since the facility is fairly new. He expressed concern about using public parkland to create extra parking. Commissioner Allen reported that she chaired the park development subcommittee and stated that the site belongs to the City, noting that TIC does not have a budget or a plan to do the development for the City. She indicated that she was hoping Council would tell them which parks to develop, in what order to develop them, and what type of budget they may have. She reported that Newport Village now Volume 54 - Page 669 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX has two concept plans that are very similar. She stated that library parking was a matter of money and noted that the Mr. Engelkee's conceptual plan has space for about 69 cars and pushes the wall as far north as it can go without extensive grading into the hill. Commissioner Beek noted that the list of items that PB &R would like to see on the site were suggestions from the community meetings. She stated that some of the comments were from people concerned about the views from their homes across the street, not from the Commission. She emphasized that the conceptual plan is not a product of PB &R and that tonight is the first time she has seen it. She believed that the purpose of today's study session is to find out which parks to focus on and how the parks should be used. She stated that this will give them better direction before any money is spent on conceptual drawings. She indicated that they are not struggling with how to plan the park, but with what PB &R and Council sees as its amenities, plus tying that in with what the community expects the City to put into it. In response to Mayor Ridgeway's questions, Commissioner Beek reported that they had three or four meetings to discuss this issue specifically, and other meetings where the public spoke on it. She believed that the same group of people generally testify at the meetings, but once the City publicizes what it intends to place on the sites, it will receive more public reaction. Commissioner Allen disagreed that the same group of people speak on this site, believing that 30 to 40 people have spoken. She added that the issue of the view will probably need to be discussed at some point; however, it does not have to come up with regard to this park since the views that will be protected are public views from MacArthur Boulevard. Jim Warren, 1201 Surfline Way, stated that he has looked at the drawings that Stop Polluting Our Newport (SPON) presented, attended some of the PB &R meetings, and saw the drawings tonight. He indicated that the drawings do look very similar and that the residents would be more than satisfied with them. He encouraged Council to move forward since the project has been around for many years and, once Council changes, the project is started over again. He believed that the $35,000 being allocated for this is not enough and hoped that Council will budget more money. Patrick Bartolic, Chair of the Board of Library Trustees, stated that the Board supports providing parking for the library. He reported that the facility, as a combined facility with the museum, was going to have about 720 parking spaces, but ended up with 210 spaces. He stated that the Friends Meeting Room can legally hold 264 people and seats about 200 people, but its use is restricted to 100 people when the library is open. He believed that the City has a facility that is heavily underutilized because of the parking problem. He stated that he likes the plans that are being presented today by TIC, but expressed concern that the additional 80+ parking spaces, when added to the library's current spaces, would still leave the library short. He suggested expanding the parking at the base or adding a small parking lot at the top of the park. Council Member Glover stated that she would like to see a traffic study done for the library because the parking problem may only be occurring during special events. She noted that there is a tremendous cost involved with providing more than the 80 parking spaces and believed that the library will never be happy with the parking situation. Mayor Ridgeway suggested that the Board of Library Volume 54 - Page 670 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX Trustees make a request for a parking study, including historical background as to why it only has 210 parking spaces. He stated that they should do this as soon as possible because the City will be moving forward on the park developments. Commissioner Beek suggested that the study also include whether every means has been exhausted to increase the existing parking lot. She added that parking can possibly occur along Avocado Avenue or suggested reconfiguring the current lot. Jan Vandersloot complimented TIC for coming up with the scenario, believing that it is close to what SPON was recommending. He stated that they will be looking at the cost and believed that the City will find that preserving more native plants on the property will make the project cheaper. He indicated that he is not sure if the park needs as much turf grass or parking, noting that Castaways and Upper Newport Bay Parks probably only have 30 parking spaces. He believed that there needs to be more creative parking solutions, like using the TIC parking lot across Avocado Avenue. He emphasized that the library is not short of parking spaces, just the Friends Meeting Room. Dr. Vandersloot believed that people could even be shuttled back and forth from another parking lot during special events. He agreed that this is a priority and added that the first thing that should be done is to initiate the General Plan Amendment to convert the zoning to open space. Mayor Ridgeway noted that Dr. Vandersloot suggested at a previous hearing that parking can be considered for the library; however, tonight he is suggesting not to allow library parking. Dr. Vandersloot clarified that the park itself only needs 30 spaces. Further, when SPON offered its plan, it recognized that library parking would be accommodated. Harry Hamilton, Board of Library Trustee, asked the purpose of the amphitheater. Mayor Ridgeway stated that there are numerous concepts for the amphitheater, but believed that this needs to be addressed. Dennis Baker expressed his support of the idea to connect the park to the library. He indicated that he supports the SPON plan, but stated that it did not focus on this connection. Mr. Bartolic stated that his office is directly across the street from the library and reported that the parking lots are full from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mayor Ridgeway reported that the Sunset Ridge site is difficult because of access and, without the Banning Ranch project moving forward, it makes it more problematic. Commissioner Skoro reported that, not knowing what will happen with Banning Ranch, PB&R has not had any meetings on this issue. He added that the homeowners association in West Newport indicated that they are receptive to meeting with them. Commissioner Franklin stated that he was the chair of the subcommittee on skate parks two years ago and believed that this location would be a good place for a skate park since it would be a newly developed park where you can get the buy -in from the people in the area and is isolated from homes. Philip Bettencourt, 110 Newport Center Drive, stated that he is the planning consultant for Banning Ranch and Taylor Woodrow Homes. He believed that staff has all the technical data available relative to the proposed access to the property. He stated that there has been a working assumption from Volume 54 . Page 671 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX the beginning that lateral access to the property would be the most appropriate plan. He stated that any other access point is not likely, especially if it is CalTrans' right -of -way, and would require Coastal Commission approval under any circumstance. He indicated that he is not sure if the property owner would consider constructing a leg of the access. He added that it has been their assumption that PB &R and staff would be looking for a more comprehensive planning solution to the property since there are bluff setback, habitat, and mitigation issues. Al Silcock, West Newport Beach Association, stated that he sent a letter to Chairman Skoro on behalf of the Association which indicated that they feel it is important that the park be developed with the interest of the community in mind. He stated that their role is to help PB &R gain community access. Jay Westphal stated that he and his wife live in Newport Crest which is immediately adjacent to the Sunset Ridge property. He requested that Council consider keeping the site as natural as possible because it is a beautiful oasis of natural environment. He added that, by keeping it a passive park, costs will be minimal. Louise Greeley stated that she lives in Newport Crest and is on the steering committee of the Orange Coast River Park. She recommended that, with the uncertainty about the Banning Ranch development, it would be appropriate to put this at the bottom of the priority list. She encouraged Council to move forward with the other two sites. Tom Hyans, President of the Central Newport Beach Community Association, stated that they supported the acquisition of the property and agreed with Ms. Greeley's suggestion to defer the development. Jan Debay stated that she worked on the acquisition of the site for eight years and emphasized that the City needs an active park, without lights, on this side of the bay. She indicated that she spent so much time on this because it would be a wonderful place for the children and families that live in the area. She stated that Newport Crest has enjoyed their views over the flat area, but believed that this site should not be set aside as nothing but open space. She asked at what point the residents take priority. Mayor Ridgeway stated that he has seen plans for an active park on this site with no lights and agreed that an active park is desperately needed on this side of the bay. He stated that this has been the plan for some time. Regarding the Upper Bayview Landing site, Mayor Pro Tern Bromberg reiterated Mr. Engelkee's statement that it is just going to be something that is pretty. He noted that there will be no vehicle access to the site and believed that since this is probably one of the most highly exposed vehicle traffic areas in the City, the City probably should do something with it. In response to Mayor Ridgeway's question, Former Public Works Director Webb indicated that the intersection has 100,000 average daily trips. Chairman Skoro stated that the biggest cost driver at this site is how much dirt to remove, but noted that Big Canyon can utilize about 20,000 cubic yards of the dirt. He indicated that, if some type of ground cover is used Volume 54 - Page 672 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX rather than turf, the City does not have to use the sprinkler system that was estimated to cost $500,000. Council Member Glover believed that less is more and stated that she would like to only see grass on the site. Council Member Heffernan agreed that the City should not do anything to the site and should not spend money to make it look better for passing motorists. Council Member Proctor noted that he has to recuse himself since he has property overlooking Sunset Ridge, but encouraged PB &R to consider what they will be doing and scope it out. He also encouraged Council to give direction in that regard in order to play out conceptual ideas. Commissioner Beek stated that PB &R was approached two years ago by Evelyn Hart and Jean Watt with a study they were conducting for a connecting trail that would tie in with Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach. She stated that they discussed connecting some type of trail so people coming from Lower Bayview Landing can follow along Coast Highway and the other bike trails. She noted that there are a lot of bicyclists on the weekends and that Upper Bayview Landing could be used as a resting place. She stated that her direction was not to make it an elaborate show stop and to avoid using it as a motorist vista. Mayor Ridgeway reported that the site has contaminated dirt and that it would have to be verified as clean before Big Canyon will take it. Additionally, the City has looked at taking some of the dirt, even if it is contaminated, to the Newport Ridge area since it will be used in a dump site parking lot. Regarding irrigation, the City has shown itself to be environmentally sensitive and would be willing to pay more for low -flow sprinklers. He also emphasized that there be no over wash. He stated that PB &R needs to take this direction tonight. City Manager Bludau stated that one of the key issues for the Upper Bayview Landing and Newport Village sites is how much of a natural state the City wants versus having grass. He added that having grass means using sprinklers and adding in the cost for maintenance. Mayor Ridgeway stated that drought resistant grass can be installed. He noted that, if he built a house with a plot in the front, he would plant on it to accentuate the property. He stated that he drives by the site all the time, it is at the center of town, and he does not see leaving it in its current state. He indicated that it needs some type of design. Dr. Vandersloot stated that TIC can provide about $10 million for this site for habitat restoration and trails. He added that there is also funding for the Newport Village site. He recommended that the City consider the site in relation to the ecosystem for the entire Upper Newport Bay. He stated that the City should make the site more ecologically - friendly and recreate habitat values which cost very little to maintain. During grading, he recommended that the City stockpile the top soil because it is better for regrowing any kind of vegetation. He agreed that this site should be lower on the priority list than the Newport Village site. Dennis Baker stated that this site is the terminus of a very long bicycle trip that comes down the Santa Ana River. He indicated that hundreds of bikers come down Backbay Drive and out near the Dunes. He agreed that this site Volume 54 - Page 673 City of Newport Beach Study Session Minutes January 22, 2002 INDEX would be an excellent place to tie in a bike trail and that it would be used quite frequently for both pedestrian and bicycle access. Commissioner Skoro reported that the Upper Bayview Landing site has $340,000 allocated from CIOSA funds, and that the funds may be restricted to this site. Commissioner Allen believed the priorities should be Newport Village, Upper Bayview Landing, and then Sunset Ridge along with the Banning Ranch property. Council Member ONeil agreed with Commissioner Allen's priorities. Commissioner Englebrecht believed that the Newport Village and Upper Bayview Landing sites should be done at the same time. Council Member Heffernan encouraged the creation of some type of bike, passive use. He also believed that the Newport Village site should be done first and that parking is a priority. He stated that people are not using the library, noting that his children do not use it because there are no parking spaces. Further, shuttling people will not happen. He encouraged the City to use the CIOSA funds if they are available for the Upper Bayview Landing site. - None. ADJOURNMENT - 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the Study Session was posted on January 16, 2002, at 3:15 p.m. on the City Hall Bulletin Board located outside of the City of Newport Beach Administration Building. Recording Secretary Mayor � w Volume 54 - Page 674