TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with the City Attorney to prepare and present to the City Council an Ordinance amending Section 10.30.080 of the Long Beach Municipal Code to permit the closing of the Boathouse Lane parking lot from one hour after sunset until 8:00 A.M. daily, instead of the current hours of closing from 10:00 P.M. to 8:00 A.M. daily.
DISCUSSION
Boathouse Lane operates as an access road to the Long Beach Rowing Center parking lot and leads to a dead end. This small roadway runs parallel to the Spinnaker Bay residential neighborhood and is a growing source of public safety concern for the City and nearby residents. These concerns are due to the operational hours currently allowing vehicular access until 10:00 P.M. nightly, far beyond what is consistent with other coastal areas in the City, including Marine Stadium, which are posted as closing “one hour after dusk”. The current 10:00 P.M. closure was adopted by the City Council in 1994, despite a Coastal Commission agreement allowing for the closure of Boathouse Lane to be consistent with Marine Stadium, which is located immediately across the water. It is unknown why this roadway was treated differently at that time, but the situation needs to be remedied to reflect consistency in light of the current usage of the area.
Specifically, due to the late-night vehicular access there are frequent issues of nuisance and illicit activities, as well as reckless driving and exhibitions of speed. The use of this access point to congregate in the Long Beach Rowing Center’s parking lot after hours, and engage in underage drinking, drug use, racing, reckless driving, and other nuisance and dangerous activities is a significant resident frustration leading to increased calls for service to the Long Beach Police Department with reports of corroborated public safety concerns. Most recently, several incidents of felony conduct were reported in the area and subsequent investigations of the incidents have supported the public safety concerns that have been reported.
Boathouse Lane is an isolated area making police response and enforcement difficult. It includes minimal public lighting, and has no beach access. The closure of vehicular access, consistent with access hours for other nearby coastal access parking lots, would address these ongoing community impacts while not impacting public access to the area and the nearby Dunster Ecological Reserve (a passive space with no vehicular access) because of an existing pedestrian walkway and bike lane, and the limited evening hours of operation for the Rowing Center.
In response to documented and continued calls for service to our Police Department to address nuisance and dangerous activities occurring on Boathouse Lane as a consequence of these inconsistent hours of operation, bringing this location into alignment with other similar parking lots should be implemented.
This matter was reviewed by Budget Manager Grace H. Yoon on November 6, 2020.
FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation requests the City Manager to work with the City Attorney to prepare and present to City Council an Ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code to permit the closing of the Boathouse Lane parking lot from one hour after sunset until 8:00 A.M daily. Implementing this recommendation is anticipated to result in a minimal impact to staff hours beyond normal budgeted scope of duties and a minimal impact on existing City Council priorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
SUZIE PRICE
COUNCILWOMAN, THIRD DISTRICT
MARY ZENDEJAS
COUNCILWOMAN, FIRST DISTRICT
JEANNINE PEARCE
COUNCILMEMBER, SECOND DISTRICT
DEE ANDREWS
VICE MAYOR, SIXTH DISTRICT