TITLE
Recommendation to receive supporting documentation, including resident ballot summary, into the record, conclude the public hearing, and request City Attorney to prepare an amendment to the Long Beach Municipal Code, to establish Preferential Parking District “AD” as recommended by the City Traffic Engineer.
(District 5)
DISCUSSION
Residents on the east side of Clark Avenue and adjacent streets, south of Heartwell Park, contacted the City in 2014, expressing concerns about the negative parking situation in their neighborhood, caused by construction projects occurring at the Long Beach City College (LBCC) campus, on the west side of Clark Avenue. Construction workers, as well as college students, were parking in the neighborhood, severely impacting the residents’ parking. In order to address these parking impacts, the City implemented a temporary construction preferential parking district on June 1, 2014. Parking restriction signs were posted along the streets closest to the LBCC campus.
The temporary construction parking district (district), as defined in the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC), section 10.33.030, specifies the maximum duration for the district as eighteen (18) months, or when the construction that is causing the parking problem ends. For this neighborhood, the City Traffic Engineer determined that the district would be terminated at the end of 2015. However, residents have expressed concern regarding the growing number of students parking in their neighborhood caused by the LBCC college expansion. Residents fear that parking impacts will return if parking restriction signs are removed. They have requested to proceed with the process to implement a permanent preferential parking district, authorized by the LBMC section 10.32.010, and conform to the requirements stated therein.
Before the implementation of the temporary parking district, the traffic engineering staff conducted parking surveys, demonstrating that the parking requirements were satisfied for the district establishment. In addition, resident support surveys were conducted, as well as community meetings held. Based on the survey results, a bounded area of 68 homes was determined, with 94 percent support, establishing the district that included streets closer to the college campus, and shown in Exhibit A.
In order to determine support for the establishment of a permanent preferential parking district, the block captain conducted a neighborhood ballot survey of the streets included in the temporary district. The survey ballots, which were submitted to the City Traffic Engineer, indicated a 68 percent support to formally request the establishment of a permanent preferential parking district. This included support for including the entire block of Hanbury Street, between Greenbrier Avenue and Charlemagne Avenue, where only half of the block was part of the temporary district. A summary of the resident survey report is attached as Exhibit B.
The City Traffic Engineer has reviewed the results of the previous parking study, the recent resident ballot survey, and has determined that the area qualifies for establishment of a preferential parking district. The City Traffic Engineer recommends that the City Council consider designating all of the streets previously designated as a temporary preferential parking district, including the entire block of Hanbury Street, as Preferential Parking District “AD,” as outlined in Exhibit A, to prevent the migration of the parking problems to adjacent streets.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy R. Webber on November 5, 2015, and by Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on November 9, 2015.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action on this matter is requested on December 1, 2015 in order to proceed with this project.
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated cost for the implementation of the preferential parking district is $5,400, including the cost of signage and application fee, which will be borne by LBCC. City Council has previously established a $115 fee, per sign, to recover such implementation costs. Upon approval by the LBCC Board of Trustees, payment of the $5,400 fee will be deposited to the General Fund (GF) in the Public Works Department (PW) to offset costs to the City. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
ARA MALOYAN, PE
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER