TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
George Gabriel, Assistant to the City Manager
Patricia Matson, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of Introducing and Conducting the First Reading of an Ordinance Requiring a Parking Permit for Oversized Vehicles (City Manager Moe).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
INTRODUCE ORDINANCE NO. 24-0006
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 24-0006 amending and restating Manhattan Beach Municipal Code Chapter 14.46 regulating and requiring a parking permit for the parking of oversized vehicles and trailers.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
If City Council chooses to introduce and subsequently adopt the Ordinance, there will be costs associated with the implementation of the proposed permitting program that is detailed within the draft ordinance.
Signage will need to be placed at the 35 locations around the perimeter of the City prohibiting the parking of oversized vehicles or trailers without a permit. An additional 35 signs are currently in place around the perimeter of the City regarding the prohibition of detached trailers. Staff may have to replace this signage to ensure conformance with the Ordinance being considered by the City Council. The estimated cost to produce 70 signs is $2,100, at approximately $30 per sign.
An additional fiscal consideration is the cost to manufacture the resident permits themselves, which is estimated at $5.00 per permit. Staff time dedicated to the review of applications and issuance of permits has been incorporated into the proposed cost of the permit and is incorporated into the attachment associated with Resolution No. 24-0035.
BACKGROUND:
At the October 3, 2023 meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Franklin and Mayor Montgomery requested to discuss updating the City’s Municipal Code regarding the overnight parking of oversized vehicles. At the October 17, 2023 meeting, City Council directed staff to provide a comprehensive report with options as to whether to update the City’s Municipal Code regarding overnight parking of oversized vehicles.
At the January 16, 2024 meeting, City Council received a report regarding the City’s current regulations, suggested parameters for a potential permit program in Manhattan Beach, and a reference guide comparing the oversized vehicle parking programs of our neighboring cities. City Council directed staff to return with a draft ordinance for review, which would require a parking permit for oversized vehicles.
At the April 2, 2024 meeting, City Council considered a draft ordinance which would require a parking permit for oversized vehicles and two resolutions regarding the fees and fines associated with the potential permit program. The City Council introduced the draft ordinance as amended and directed staff to accomplish the following:
• Specify in the ordinance that a household be limited to one oversized vehicle parking permit for resident-owned vehicles;
• Consult with the Coastal Commission staff regarding the feasibility of increasing access to the beach by issuing day passes to visitors; and
• Reach out to the Manhattan Beach Unified School District (MBUSD) regarding the overnight parking of vehicles in school parking lots.
The City Council did not suggest any changes or amendments to draft Resolution No. 24-0035 establishing fees and draft Resolution No. 24-0036 establishing fines. It should be noted that the two draft resolutions were included for informational purposes on April 2, 2024, and June 18, 2024. If Council introduces the ordinance and subsequently conducts a second reading at a future meeting, the proposed fees and fines resolutions will return for adoption at that meeting.
DISCUSSION:
Staff is returning to City Council with an updated ordinance, now re-numbered Ordinance No. 24-0006 (see full text of attached ordinance for complete regulations). All of the proposed Code amendments that were presented on April 2, 2024 remain the same with two notable revisions: (1) The Ordinance specifies that a household is limited to one Oversized Vehicle Parking Permit from October 1 - September 30 in any year; (2) No permit would be required in the Coastal Zone.
As requested by City Council, staff updated the ordinance to specify that a household is limited to one Oversized Vehicle Parking Permit from October 1-September 30 in any year. A residence may only have one Oversized Vehicle registered to their home. The Guest Oversized Vehicle Parking Permit remains limited to four permits per household in any 12-month period.
In response to the City Council’s direction, staff reached out to California Coastal Commission staff. Coastal staff informed City staff that the Coastal Commission has allowed oversized vehicle restrictions only where cities have sufficient space or designated areas to provide “safe harbors” for oversized vehicles to park near the beach, including overnight. As the Council is well aware, the City has a dearth of available parking, especially in the Coastal Zone. Therefore, at this time, staff is recommending that no permit would be required in the Coastal Zone.
Staff also met with MBUSD and discussed the overnight parking of vehicles in school parking lots. MBUSD did not have any issues to report at this time but is open to working with the City should issues arise.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 24-0006 amending and restating Manhattan Beach Municipal Code Chapter 14.46 regulating and requiring a parking permit for the parking of oversized vehicles and trailers.
If Ordinance No. 24-0006 is introduced, the ordinance would become effective 31 days after adoption, however, the permit program would not begin until October 1, 2024. This will allow staff ample time to internally create and test the permit program, order and install signage, order the necessary permits, and conduct public outreach to notify the community of the change to the City’s Municipal Code. The prescribed permit program regulations would not be fully enforced for an additional 90 to 180 days after the start date of the permit program to allow the Police Department time to provide additional warnings and education to the public while out in the field.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
If Ordinance No. 24-0006 is adopted, staff will conduct significant outreach to notify the community regarding the new regulations and process for obtaining permits.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City Council’s adoption of a permitting program for oversized vehicles and trailers has been determined to be exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), the common sense exemption (formerly the “general rule”) that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question can have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA, as is the case with the adoption of this permitting program.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Ordinance No. 24-0006
2. Resolution No. 24-0035 - Permit Fees (For review)
3. Resolution No. 24-0036 - Fines (For review)
4. April 2, 2024 - Staff Report and Associated Attachments