TITLE
Recommendation to increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $216,000, offset by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation (Metro) grant funds for the Beach Streets Downtown event; and
Increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department by $216,000, offset by transfer of Metro grant funds from the Capital Grant Fund. (Districts 1,2,3)
DISCUSSION
City Council approval is being requested to increase appropriations in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department for the Beach Streets Downtown event.
On October 11, 2016, the City Council adopted Resolution RES-16-0099 authorizing the City Manager to execute all Funding Agreements with Metro.
In 2017, the City of Long Beach (City) updated its Bicycle Master Plan to include a vision for Long Beach in which 30 percent of trips are taken by bicycle, with the support of “bikeways designed to provide safety and comfort for people of all ages and abilities.” Beach Streets, the City’s signature Open Streets event, allows residents to experience that vision, celebrating sustainable and active transportation, local businesses, and communities in a comfortable, family-oriented environment. Additionally, Beach Streets events help promote a culture of traffic safety by bringing together different roadway users, in accordance with the keystone actions set forth in the City’s 2020 Safe Streets Long Beach Vision Zero Action Plan. Beach Streets events also encourage zero-emission transportation options, in support of the City’s climate goals, by providing a comfortable and protected environment for community members that may not otherwise consider walking, bicycling, or skating on the City’s roadway network.
In September 2021, City staff pursued funding through the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Cycle Four Open Streets Grant Program, which provides Metro Proposition C (25 percent) funds for such events. In December 2021, Metro awarded the City $216,000 for the City’s second Beach Streets Downtown event, which will reprise the successful route from 2016. The event will take place on Saturday May 20, 2023, along four miles of roadway that will include Pine Avenue between First and Sixth Streets; Broadway between Pine and Euclid Avenues; Cherry Avenue between Broadway and Fourth Street; and Fourth Street between Cherry and Junipero Avenues. The event will be programmed with live music, family-oriented entertainment, and local food vendors. The route will also showcase the historic architecture, small businesses, and countless other points of interest within the Downtown, East Village, Alamitos Beach, Retro Row, and Bluff Park neighborhoods. Since 2015, the City has hosted Beach Streets events throughout Long Beach with previous events taking place in Uptown and Bixby Knolls, Cambodia Town and Zaferia, Willmore and Wrigley, and in East Long Beach near California State University Long Beach.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Vanessa S. Ibarra on March 29, 2023, and by Budget Management Officer Nader Kaamoush on March 30, 2023.
SUSTAINABILITY
Beach Streets events include a focus on sustainability and active transportation, which are intended to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, in accordance with Metro’s mobility goals for the Open Streets Program.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on April 18, 2023, to execute the Metro grant agreement in advance of the event date and receive reimbursement within the 60-day deadline.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City will receive an amount not to exceed $216,000 from Metro’s Open Streets Cycle Four grant to support the Beach Streets Downtown event. The grant agreement requires a local match of $54,000, that can be met with cash or in-kind contributions including staff time. The grant match is budgeted in the General Fund Group in the City Manager Department.
An appropriation increase in the amount of $432,000 is requested in the Capital Projects Fund Group in the Public Works Department. Of this amount, $216,000 will be offset by grant revenue received from Metro.
The remaining $216,000 is a technical appropriation to allow for the transfer of Metro grant funds from the Capital Grant Fund, a fund within the Capital Projects Fund Group.
This request is anticipated to have a minimal impact on staff hours beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and minimal impact on existing City Council priorities. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
ERIC LOPEZ
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER