City Council Meeting: February 27, 2007

Agenda Item: 8-D  

To:                   Mayor and City Council 

From:              Gordon R. Anderson, Assistant City Manager

Subject:          Extension of Motor Vehicle Egress and Pedestrian License Agreement Continuing Access to Airport Property from Santa Monica College Bundy Campus

 

Recommended Action

Staff recommends that Council authorize extension of the Motor Vehicle Egress and Pedestrian License Agreement with Santa Monica College to July 31, 2007.

 

Executive Summary

On July 12, 2006, staff recommended that Council authorize a modification of the Motor Vehicle Egress License Agreement with Santa Monica College to allow Pedestrian access under the same terms as the then existing License Agreement; and extend the License Agreement to February 28, 2007 with the option for an additional extension to July 31, 2007 if staff determines that sufficient progress has been made on the installation of a signal at the Bundy Drive entrance to the college campus. Based on concerns expressed by residents and the Airport Commission, Council modified the recommendation directing staff to report to the Airport Commission prior to the February extension and return to Council for approval prior to an extension to July 2007.

 

On January 22, 2007 Staff updated the Airport Commission on the status of vehicle access to/from the Bundy Campus. The Commission was concerned about the timing of the half signal installation and its location. The Commission unanimously recommended that the City extend the access agreement to June 30th with further extensions predicated on SMC’s satisfactory response to the City’s comments on the Bundy Campus Master Plan EIR  and the enforcement of no left turns from the campus onto Bundy.

 

The operation of the egress and pedestrian uses from staff’s perspective has been successful.

 

L.A. Council member Bill Rosendahl’s staff has submitted a project timeline indicating that the technical traffic analysis has been completed and design plans for the proposed traffic control on Bundy Avenue at the entrance to the Bundy Campus have been submitted. The project timeline also indicates construction bidding and award in Spring 2007 with construction beginning in Summer 2007. City staff is also aware that there remain resident concerns in Mar Vista concerning the proposed traffic control.

 

Discussion

In May of 2001, SMC purchased the 10.4 acre BAE (British Aerospace Corporation, a defense contractor) facility located at 3171 South Bundy Drive in Los Angeles and immediately to the south and adjacent to the Santa Monica Airport with the intention of converting the site into a satellite campus.

 

The site contained two buildings having primary vehicle access off Bundy Drive to the east and Stewart Street to the west. There were also two auxiliary entrances on the north side of the facility from Airport Avenue across Airport parking lots to the BAE on-site parking lots. These auxiliary entrances provided inter-connecting access between the main BAE Facility and its 3400 Airport Avenue facility which BAE leased from the City prior to the sale of the property to the College.

 

SMC retrofitted the larger of the two buildings (66,000 square foot multistory building located near the center of the campus site) for classrooms, faculty offices, labs, library, multipurpose room, cafeteria and student services space. SMC plans to replace the smaller 30,000 square foot two-story building fronting Bundy Avenue at a future date. SMC created a new driveway and access way off Bundy along the south side of the campus site connecting the “upper” campus at Bundy with the “lower” campus. SMC has maintained the Stewart Street entrance as an emergency-only access point as part of the tri-party approach.

 

On June 14, 2005 a temporary pedestrian-only access agreement was authorized by Council which was extended on July 26, 2005 to include the fall term. On November 8, 2005, Council discussed a tri-party effort between Santa Monica College and the Cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles and to address the issues associated with SMC Bundy Campus and access. As part of the tri-party approach, L.A. Council member Rosendahl committed to seek approval of a half signal at Bundy Avenue entrance to the campus, the City of Santa Monica would provide egress from the SMC Bundy Campus to airport property in the manner discussed above, and SMC would maintain closure of the Stewart Street entrance to the campus site and fund all agreed upon improvements to be done by Santa Monica and Los Angeles. An extension of the pedestrian access was modified to add vehicle egress only from the campus along with an agreement from SMC not to pursue certain litigation against the City of Santa Monica.

 

City and SMC staff worked together to implement the vehicular egress. It was recognized early on that pedestrian access was needed for students to go back and forth between the Bundy Campus and classes in the SMC facility at the western end of Airport Avenue. Barricades were added adjacent to the vehicular route to safely separate the two.

 

November 8, 2005 Council authorized the provision of egress from the Santa Monica College Bundy Campus (SMC Bundy Campus) onto airport property via Donald Douglas Loop South to Airport Avenue. Vehicular turning onto Airport Avenue is restricted by means that only allow vehicles to continue east on Airport Avenue to Bundy Avenue. This action was adopted in the context of a tri-party approach (Santa Monica College, City of Los Angeles, and City of Santa Monica) to providing vehicular ingress and egress to the SMC Bundy Campus minimizing impacts to residential neighbors of Santa Monica and Los Angeles. In support of the action, L.A. Council member Rosendahl committed to move forward with the analysis, design and installation of a traffic signal on Bundy Avenue at the entrance to the SMC Bundy Campus. Council later extended the license agreement along with allowing pedestrian access.

 

 

Staff proposed the initial extension terms to February 28, 2007. Staff continues to monitor the progress of the signal and there is sufficient progress to extend the term of the License Agreement to July 31, 2007. A tri-party agreement is also underdevelopment. Staff will provide Council updates on the progress of the work.

 

 

Budget/Financial Impact

There is no fiscal impact to the City associated with this item. All improvement costs associated with providing the vehicular egress to airport property and pedestrian access to and from airport property are borne by SMC.

 

 

Prepared by:          

Kathryn Vernez, Assistant to City Manager

 

Approved:

 

Forwarded to Council:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gordon R. Anderson

Assistant City Manager

 

P. Lamont Ewell

City Manager

 

 

 

 

ATTACHMENT A.

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Bill Rosendahl [mailto:bill.rosendahl@lacity.org]

Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 3:44 PM

To: robert.holbrook@smgov.net

Cc: TSANG_CHUI

Subject: Update on SMC Bundy campus half signal

Importance: High

 

** High Priority **

 

Dear Mayor Holbrook & City Manager Ewell:

 

As SMC's spring quarter winds down, I wanted to give you and your colleagues an update regarding the planned half signal on Bundy/Centinela.

 

First, I want to welcome Lamont to our community.  We share a magnificent locale.  I look forward to working with you for the mutual benefit of all our constituents.

 

Second, I want to thank SMC's new President Chui Tsang for his leadership.  After several months of delay, President Tsang hit the ground running, immediately consulted with me and my staff, and acted decisively.

 

Accordingly, since March 2006(when President Tsang took office) we've made significant progress towards the half signal.  With SMC executives & consultant Kaku receiving clear marching orders, LADOT & my office was able to agree upon a clean action plan with specific timelines.

 

Kaku's signal warrant analysis data was thereafter promptly provided to LADOT.  Preliminary indications are that the data will  support warrants for a half signal.  A new location has been identified for a reconfigured driveway controlled by the half signal area.  SMC has hired a firm to design/build the driveway & half signal.  The signal design is expected to be completed this summer.  Once the design has been submitted, LADOT will expedite the B-permit process to authorize the build phase.  Completion of the road improvements & half signal is projected for completion by Jan/Feb. 2007.  We will continue to work proactively with all parties to expedite the enhanced public safety and traffic flow resulting from this project.  Thank you for your continued accommodation and understanding throughout this process.

 

Regards,

 

 

BILL ROSENDAHL

Councilman, 11 District