TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Stephanie Katsouleas, Public Works Director
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Anna Luke-Jones, Public Works Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of Downtown Maintenance Enhancements (Public Works Director Katsouleas and Community Development Director McIntosh).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council consider the following summary of potential Downtown Maintenance Enhancements and provide direction.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The fiscal implications are currently unknown and will depend on the services and/or supplies selected by City Council for implementation.
BACKGROUND:
On April 18, 2016, after receiving public comment at a City Council meeting regarding maintenance in the downtown area, City Council directed staff to return with a broader report and presentation addressing the maintenance challenges and potential beautification improvements that could be implemented in downtown Manhattan Beach. Shortly thereafter, staff reached out to and engaged with downtown stakeholders through multiple meetings in preparation for the follow-up presentation. After a series of stakeholder meetings were held, on August 2, 2016, staff presented to City Council all of the potential downtown maintenance enhancements that could be implemented to help improve the area and overall look (Attachment 1 - August 2nd staff report and summary of options). After receiving the report and council discussion, City Council requested that staff return with the maintenance options presented sorted into a “decision making model” framework. That model is included in this report as Attachment 2. Please note that the stakeholders who provided input included the Downtown Residents Group, the Downtown Business Association, the Manhattan Commercial Property Owners Association, Waste Management, Athens, and Cleanstreet.
As a point of reference, the general downtown streetscape boundaries include Valley Drive to the east, 15th Street to the north, the Strand to the west, 6th street to the South on Manhattan Ave, and 9th Street to the south on Highland Ave.
DISCUSSION:
The potential maintenance enhancements that were summarized in Attachment 1 were categorized into four decision making model categories, which are based on value and demand on resources/time. The four categories are as follows:
Quick Wins: Higher value; quickly accomplished
Big Hitters: High value; longer term and/or costly
Low Hanging Fruit: Lower value; quickly accomplished
Hurdles: Low value; very costly (in resources or money)
There are six enhancements which staff believes will make a strong impact toward addressing maintenance issues and the beautification of Downtown long-term. These recommended action items span the two “high value” categories, “Quick Wins” and “Big Hitters,” and include:
Quick Wins
1. Increase cleaning and temporary receptacle requirements for Downtown Events
2. Replace refuse containers at six (6) “hot spot” Downtown locations with Big Belly Solar compactors (trash & recycling)
3. Add refuse-related Best Management Practices (BMPs) to the Municipal Code (i.e.: break down cardboard boxes) so they may be more easily enforced and cited for non-compliance
Big Hitters
4. Expand porter and power washing (with run-off capture) services to entire Downtown & North Manhattan Business District (frequency to be determined)
5. Revise the Municipal Code, requiring refuse enclosure review for every permitted job
6. Proactively cite for Municipal Code violations; move away from “complaint-based” enforcement.
Details on each of these six recommended action items can be found in Attachment 3 of this report, which summarizes the issue, current practices, current related municipal code(s), opportunities, potential staff impacts, non-staff costs, and reasons for the recommendation. If directed by City Council, action items 1, 2 and 4 above could be incorporated into the upcoming requests for proposals (RFPs) that will be developed in 2017/18 for maintenance and trash services, or alternatively incorporated earlier through amendments to existing scopes of work for these services.
Please note that this report is focused on improving maintenance and beautification in Downtown Manhattan Beach. Therefore, the parking complaints and recommendations included in the original stakeholders comments are not included in the decision making model.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
Do not implement any of the six recommended action items listed in Attachment 3 of this report.
PROS:
The City will not expend additional funds for enhanced maintenance activities
CONS:
Downtown Manhattan Beach will continue to face challenges in maintenance and cleanliness.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Attachment 1 includes a list of all stakeholders who provided input for the August 2, 2016 summary and includes details regarding specific outreach meetings and correspondence. Staff also provided an update of this item to a Downtown Business Association meeting on July 14, 2016.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Not applicable.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachment/Attachments:
1. Staff Report 16-0267 (August 2, 2016 City Council Meeting)
2. Maintenance Opportunities Decision Making Model
3. Summary of the Six Staff Recommended Opportunities
4. PowerPoint Presentation