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Home My WebLink AboutCommunications - Study Session Item No 1 - 4-21-14 Communications ® Study Session Item No. 1 Estanislau, Robin From: Surf City Pipeline[noreply@user.govoutreach.com] -Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 1:16 PM To: CITY COUNCIL; Agenda Alerts Subject: Surf City Pipeline: Comment on an Agenda Item (notification) Request# 17947 from the Government Outreach System has been assigned to Agenda Alerts. Request type: Comment Request area: City Council -Agenda& Public Hearing Comments Citizen name: Richardson Gray Description: Dear Council Members, I am writing you on behalf of HB Neighbors, the Downtown residents group. Our Executive Committee has unanimously approved this email. Please accept our great thanks to Council Members Boardman, Carchio, and Katapodis for all of the long hours you devoted to the hard work of the Downtown Task Force (DTF). You did a good job with these important meetings. Based on the DTF's recommendations, we urge the Council to approve at least three key items: 1. Amend the Downtown Specific Plan(DTSP) to allow late night(for example, 11:00 PM to 5:00 AM)residential parking permit districts in the Coastal Zone of the DTSP area. These districts are permitted for the rest of the City under Chapter 10.42 of the Municipal Code. 2. Extend the required payment period, to 2:00 AM, for public parking meters on residential streets in the DTSP area, other than on Main Street. 3. Continue the DTF in some form, either in a format similar to the one recommended by the DTF, or by changing the composition of the Downtown Economic Development Committee to include permanent Downtown resident representatives. As one other recommendation from our group, that was not made by the DTF, we suggest that the Council pass a Zoning Text Amendment, to amend the DTSP, so that no new alcohol CUPs for restaurants and bars ("on sale" or "on site") will be permitted in the Downtown Core, the DTSP's District 1. In the last year, the Council enacted a similar amendment prohibiting new alcohol CUPs for retail stores ("off sale" or "off site") in District 1. The Police Department's annual summaries of the last three years, all of which are attached, for the two major reporting districts (451 and 461) in District 1, show that these districts' combined crime rate was over eight times the Citywide average for 2013, and over ten times this average for both 2012 and 2011. These two districts had the highest crime rates in the City for all three years, and many of the crimes were alcohol and drug related. 1 As well,per our group's attached 2011 survey of Downtown restaurants and bars, District l's census tract had 39 alcohol CUPS for these types of establishments in 2011, a number that since has grown to 42 such alcohol CUPS. By contrast, per ABCs guidelines, our census tract should have only five alcohol-serving restaurants and bars, before reaching a level of undue concentration. In a comparable way, these 39 bars and restaurants in 2011 had a total capacity of over 6,000 customers in our census tract, which has a total population of less than 4,000 residents. By stopping the growth of alcohol-serving restaurants and bars in District 1, our Police Department then will be able to focus more on better managing our existing huge crowds of bar patrons. In our group's view, 42 alcohol-serving bars and restaurants in this small geographic area are already far too many. Thank you for your consideration of our views and, we hope, support for our recommendations and those of the DTF. Richardson Gray Member FIB Neighbors Expected Close Date: April 16, 2014 Click here to access the request Note: This message is for notification purposes only. Please do not reply to this email. Email replies are not monitored and will be ignored. z 4/21/2014 � �uuR��h � ^R�,�L'�a „ yB nl Va �-w6Rl adBw iudotlni,Rflhf IIIVRi I ��w — v�.;`�,1R�RIl�ff 1fJIR �I"I u�l�l €mi �9�R�dR NvV9VRliu °� -RRIIII6R °I�9VR €R�RI -. w III pl Il�llglll 91 �IIIII �IIIII'�- v 1111VI1i 19111i11 r li ''� •A � �� ' III li�l�� >f VII�lih 1RRIII��€aa i!'IJ,I fall MAW-- a Iu = General Overview ► Downtown Task Force created by the City Council in July 2013 ► The purpose of the Task Force was to make recommendations to the City Council on how to create a sustainable and vibrant downtown economy while maintaining a safe and high quality of life for the Downtown's residential neighborhoods. tlllIIIIIP�� q!il!IlNlillll�llllli IJIIII111iliVR�!��Ilr ,,.,mr� 'F� �.I �mdRl �. fRIIG4 uRpu II SUPPLEMENTAL - - COMMUNICATION Meeting Date: 1 Agenda Item No...,. 4/21/2014 'fi IuPllll Illlu Illl�� MembersI3 Councilmember Connie Boardman (Chair); Council Member joe Carchio; Council Member .Jim Katapodis (Vice-Chair); Brett Barnes, Meg Bernardo, Domenic lorfino, Ron Newman, Ralph Palomares, Cesar Pena, Dave Shenkman, Susie Smith, Michael Wentworth, Cathy Werblin, Stephanie Wilson i Recm Paint inside of the Main-Promenade Parking Structure Options include: bright white so as to provide increased security and 1) Strategically painting areas-$100K. visibility,deter crime,and potentially make patrons feel 2) Like for like upgrade-$350K. safer. 3) A comprehensive lighting system-$700K. Reduce size and scope of US Open of Surfing to eliminate Completed—Specific Events meeting in April. concerts,expo and non-competition related items Consider providing additional security in public parking Police Department will be working with the lots within District 1. BID and business owners in an effort to identify funding for additional use of private security � I�3 , r Yg�rp r 2 4/21/2014 E li Recommendation Staff Comments) ; That a mechanism be developed to increase the use Current fee for monthly employee parking of the public parking structure for employees that is$20.00. Staff can research options,such work late night shifts in the downtown. as reviewing work hour patterns and reducing monthly parking fees for the late night employees. That City Council Resolution 2013-24,establishing Currently,only the Council has the conditions of approval for eating and drinking discretion to modify the conditions. If the establishments with alcoholic beverage sales and conditions are integrated into the DTSP,a live entertainment in District 1 become a zoning text LCPA would be required to be approved by amendment with the exception of those items the Coastal Commission to modify the already contained within the Huntington Beach conditions. Depending on how the Municipal Code. Coastal Commission categorizes the LCPA, this process could take 6-24 months. a -,W 1 it a �rtE ,f 7 ryfia r � Recommendation , _ �, ! ' V�� F � +�I-StafF Corriments + HBDRA will attempt to acquire the required There are 3 processes: support of those within the proposed new parking 1. Outside coastal zone—requires the permit district(s)by following the procedures process through Public Works Dept. identified by the Public Works Department. After 2. Within coastal zone/outside DTSP- costs are established,late-night businesses within requires CDP District 1 will be asked to discuss the possibility of 3. Within coastal zone/within DTSP- participating financially in the cost of establishing requires LCPA approval first then CDP the district. Note:any CDP approved within appealable area would likely be appealed by Coastal Commission Consider increasing the number of cameras in the The Police Department is currently downtown,pursuant to input by the Police Chief. working with IS on adding some new cameras and will be bringing a comprehensive plan to Council in May to significantly enhance the system. r ,� tu�l�ilex mod. �aappl i w vl� 3 4/21/2014 ..� S tio mmend Recoan tafF,Commentsf_=n �P r, Consider increasing the number of trash As part of the Special Events process, receptacles during special events,including lining additional trash receptacles will part of local streets around Main Street with temporary the conditions. containers. Review formatting of existing signage in the City staff will work with the Visit downtown to increase visibility,more organized Huntington Beach and the Downtown and consolidated and updated where possible. BID to explore options. Hold a City Council study session to explore and Staff can provide examples of similar discuss regulation(limitation)of various business regulations adopted in other cities— types in the downtown. specifically,Laguna Beach and Pasadena. Consider designating the top level of the Main Businesses could provide a staff list and Promenade Parking Garage for employee parking schedule to confirm who should be after 3:00 or 4:00 PM on Friday and Saturday. parking in reserved area;may require a staff person to monitor. Recommendation. Staff_Comments That a Zoning Text Amendment and Local Coastal The process would require Council and Coastal Program Amendment be processed to amend the Commission approval. In 2011,the Coastal Downtown Specific Plan so that residential permit Commission adopted an update to the DTSP parking can be allowed. that included language to prohibit preferential parking districts. Recent discussions with Coastal Commission staff have indicated that staff would not support such a request. That meters be enforced until 2:00 AM in residential Different times at different meters will cause neighborhoods in the downtown and add signage to public confusion and adding additional hours existing meters to promote flat-rate Fri/Sat night parking of parking meter enforcement would not be in the Main Promenade Parking Garage. cost effective for possible promotion of garage parking. Establish a permanent Downtown committee that meets on a quarterly basis,consisting of three(3)City Council members,three(3)downtown resident representatives, one representative from the Downtown Business Improvement District,and one representative of a Downtown restaurant that holds a valid liquor license. e. s 4 4/21/2014 Current Efforts in Downtown ► City Council Approved Resolution 201 3-04 - Establishing Conditions of Approval for eating and drinking establishments and Conditions of Approval for Entertainment Permits for businesses located in District 1 ► City Council Approved Zoning Text Amendment to prohibit the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption for any use in District 1 (Downtown Core) of the Downtown Specific Plan (DTSP) 7r Current Efforts in Downtown Police Department Efforts: ► Added bike patrols to downtown area ► Started the process to acquire two horses for mounted patrols during peak times and events ► Had first community meeting to engage residents on public safety issues, more will follow ► Hosted training for 180 ABC licensed establishment owners, managers, and employees ► Increased uniformed and undercover operations inside alcohol establishments 5 4/21/2014 Current Efforts in Downtown ► Initiated conversations with businesses about future partnerships to increase security in public areas downtown ► Issued several Entertainment Permit violations ► Implementation of new Entertainment Permit Requirements nearly complete ► Implemented temporary changes to late night staffing by adding dedicated proactive resources for bar crowd . Results in last three weekends have been 30 arrests, 12 DUI's, and 191 citations Current Efforts in Downtown ► Installed additional brighter LED street lights ► Worked with the post office to energize the street light in the pocket park behind the post office. ► New LED lamps were installed on Pier Plaza around the Great Lawn. ► Started selling Employee Monthly Pass at the parking structure (more convenient and accessible for employees). Increased number of purchases by 100% ► City partnered with Downtown BID to provide 2 hr free parking incentive during Holiday season and Valentine's Day for customers 6