ITEM 9-B
COUNCIL MEETING: November 22, 1994 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Approve a Resolution Adopting a
Statement of Overriding Considerations and Approving
Transportation Control Measures for Sunset Park; Adopt
a Resolution Adopting the Mitigation Monitoring
Program; and Appropriate Funds for the Temporary
Installation of the Transportation Control Measures.
INTRODUCTION
With this report, staff is recommending the Council take the
following actions with respect to the Sunset Park Traffic Plan:
1) approve a resolution adopting a Statement of Overriding
Considerations and approving transportation control measures for
Sunset Park; 2) adopt a resolution adopting the mitigation
monitoring program; and 3) appropriate funds for the temporary
installation of traffic control measures on a six-month trial
period.
BACKGROUND
For several years, City staff has been working with groups of
neighbors in Sunset Park to develop and implement a neighborhood
traffic plan within the area bounded by Pico Boulevard on the
north, the south city limit, Lincoln Boulevard on the west and
Centinela Avenue on the east. A neighborhood traffic plan is the
comprehensive and coordinated implementation of traffic control
measures to address neighborhood traffic concerns.
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared to evaluate the
impacts from three different neighborhood traffic plans. The
three plans consisted of two proposed by the neighborhood, the
Enclave and Parallel Plans, and one proposed by staff, the Staff
Plan.
The Council reviewed the Plans presented to them, and on October
5, 1994 approved a compromise plan for implementation on a six
month trial period (see Attachment A for a copy of the Plan).
The primary objective of the traffic control plan is to mitigate
the volume of "through" traffic which is travelling or "cutting"
through residential areas. The goal of moving "through" traffic
out of residential areas is being addressed by installing traffic
control measures on the residential streets to discourage or
divert traffic out of the neighborhoods and improving the
adjacent arterial highway system to facilitate traffic flow
thereby reducing the need to divert through a residential area.
Traffic control measures included in the council approved plan
include the use of stop signs, signal improvements, signal
timing, peak hour and 24 hour turn restrictions, and traffic
circles. The Council also directed staff to establish a speed
hump program for residential streets to request speed humps,
similar to the preferential parking program, remove the truck
route designation on 28th Street, and replace the stop signs on
Airport Avenue with signals.
In order for the Council to implement the approved plan for a
six-month trial period, the Council must adopt a Statement of
Overriding Considerations, a mitigation monitoring program, and
appropriate funds for the six month trial implementation.
STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS
At the October 5, 1994 City Council meeting, the Council
certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which
analyzed various alternative traffic control plans, including the
Enclave, Parallel and Staff Plans.
The implementation of the transportation control measures
approved by Council may result in significant environmental
impacts based upon the analysis in the EIR on the three plans.
Therefore, it is necessary for the Council to adopt a Statement
of Overriding Considerations.
Even assuming a worst case scenario, the impacts from the traffic
control measures approved by the City Council will be less than
the impacts from the Enclave Plan since the measures approved by
Council use turn restrictions on some movements as opposed to
full barriers in the Enclave Plan. However, in order to account
for any potential impact from the Council approved traffic
control measures, the Statement of Overriding Considerations
identifies the following potential significant impacts after
mitigation:
o Traffic and Circulation on Residential Streets, alleys
and at signalized intersections
o Air Quality impacts at two intersections
The attached resolution adopts the Statement of Overriding
Considerations, discusses the benefits and impacts of the Sunset
Park Traffic Plan, how the benefits outweigh those impacts, and
formally adopts the measures approved by Council by resolution
(see Attachment A).
MITIGATION MONITORING PROGRAM
The Final EIR identified numerous mitigation measures for
traffic, air quality, public services, and police impacts. CEQA
requires that a mitigation monitoring program be established to
ensure the implementation of these mitigation measures. The
mitigation measures for the Airport Avenue improvements were
adopted as part of the Project by the Council, and are therefore
not identified in the mitigation monitoring program. The
monitoring program includes air quality construction-related
mitigations and mitigations associated with the use of barriers
or diverters to ensure emergency vehicle access. See Attachment
C for the mitigation monitoring program.
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
After adoption of the Statement of Overriding Considerations,
staff can begin trial implementation of the traffic control
measures. Before implementation, every resident and business
owner in Sunset Park will be mailed a copy of the approved
measures. Also, traffic counts will be conducted on every
residential street before implementation begins.
Due to the size of the project area, implementation of the
measures approved by the Council would be phased in over a two
month period. Stop signs and some peak hour turn restrictions
would be included in the first phase, while the turn restriction
on Ocean Park, Pico, and Lincoln Boulevards would be included in
the second phase. The third phase will include the turn
restrictions on Pearl at Centinela and 20th Street. The six
month trial period would begin after all the measures were
implemented.
A few measures would not be included in the six month trial
period. These include the dual left turn lanes on Ocean Park
Boulevard at Centinela, the left turn lane into Clover Park from
Ocean Park Boulevard, the Lincoln/Ashland mitigations, and the
signals on Airport Avenue. The Lincoln/Ashland mitigation
measures have been shown on the approved traffic plan, but are
actually conditions of the Lincoln/Ashland project. They will be
implemented when the project is completed. The remaining
measures are significant construction projects that will be
implemented in a timely manner, but separate from the phased
implementation plan.
After all the measures have been implemented for approximately
two to three months, traffic counts will be conducted to assess
the change in the volume of traffic. Criteria will be
established for monitoring any potential shift in traffic which
will be presented to the Council in an information item.
During implementation, Staff will respond to any immediate
problems by making minor adjustments to the Plan before returning
to the City Council. This will prevent unacceptable impacts to
residential streets from lasting for the entire six month trial
period.
After approximately four months, staff will meet with
neighborhood representatives to determine if there is consensus
on a final plan. If there is no consensus, staff will return to
the Council with a recommendation on a final Plan.
FINE TUNING PROCESS
After Council action on October 5, 1994, City staff met with
numerous groups to discuss issues that may have been
inadvertently missed during the Council hearing. City staff,
along with representatives of the two neighborhood organizations,
met with representatives of 16th Street, 28th Street, Pearl
Street, and the eastern part of the neighborhood (east of 28th
Street). Discussions were also held with business owners on Pico
Boulevard, and the President of the Grant School PTA.
Based upon issues raised during these discussions, staff has made
minor modifications which are detailed in Attachment C. These
changes are reflected in the map provided with this staff report.
Although there appeared to be consensus between the two Sunset
Park neighborhood organizations on October 5, 1994, Sunset Park
Associated Neighbors (SPAN) Board of Directors voted unanimously
on November 14, 1994 to not support the plan as approved by the
Council. (See Attachment D). The SPAN Board recommends
proceeding with stop signs and some peak hour turn restrictions
for a six month trial period, and then analyzing whether any
additional measures are necessary after public input is conducted
and consensus achieved.
Since there is no longer consensus among the two neighborhood
groups for the measures approved by the Council on October 5,
1994, the Council may consider the following options:
1) Continue with the implementation of the measures
approved by Council on October 5, 1994 on a six month
trial period, with the minor modifications proposed by
staff.
2) Implement the Council approved plan in phases. After
each phase staff would evaluate the effectiveness of
the measures and at the end of full implementation,
staff would return to the Council with a recommendation
on which measures should remain on a permanent basis.
3) Direct staff to prepare a less restrictive plan from
that approved on October 5, 1994 and return to the City
Council with budget authorization, an implementation
schedule, and a statement of overriding considerations.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost for implementing the measures approved by Council on a
trial basis is $95,000. As mentioned earlier, this does not
include large capital projects, like the traffic signals on
Airport Avenue. Those projects will be pursued separately from
the six month trial period.
Staff has analyzed existing funding opportunities for the
implementation of the Plan and has not identified any existing
sources. Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council
appropriate funds in the following manner:
o Appropriate $95,000 in general fund dollars to be
repaid with eventual Playa Vista mitigation funds. The
Playa Vista Phase I development agreement between the
City and Maguire Thomas Partners provides for
$1,500,000 to mitigate potential traffic impacts on
Santa Monica generated by the first phase of the
development. One-half of that sum will be paid to the
City at the time of recordation of a construction loan
for any second subphase of the First Phase development.
The balance will be paid to the City at the recordation
of a construction loan for any fifth subphase of the
First Phase development. Representatives with Maguire
Thomas Partners state that recordation of a
construction loan for a second subphase will not occur
until early 1997 at best.
Funds should be appropriated to account # 01-770-415-20095-8900-
99720.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council: 1) approve a resolution
adopting a Statement of Overriding Considerations and approving
transportation control measures for Sunset Park; 2) approve a
resolution adopting the mitigation monitoring program; and 3)
appropriate funds in the amount of $95,000 for the temporary
installation of transportation control measures on a six-month
trial period to account # 01-770-415-20095-8900-99720.
Prepared By: Suzanne Frick, Director
Ron Fuchiwaki, Parking and Traffic Engineer
Paul Casey, Acting Senior Planner
Planning and Community Development Department
Policy and Planning Analysis Division
Attachments: A) Resolution adopting a statement of
overriding considerations and approving
transportation control measures for
Sunset Park (including Map of measures
approved by Council on October 5, 1994)
B) Minor Modifications to the Sunset Park
Traffic Plan
C) Resolution Adopting Mitigation
Monitoring Program
D) Sunset Park Associated Neighbors Letter
Dated November 15, 1994