TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Erick Lee, Public Works Director
Ryan Heise, Acting Community Development Director
Katherine Doherty, City Engineer
Erik Zandvliet, City Traffic Engineer
Jeff Fijalka, Principal Civil Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Lot 3 Parking Structure Local Emergency Update (Public Works Director Lee).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
A) DETERMINE THAT THERE IS A NEED TO CONTINUE THE EMERGENCY ACTION
B) DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
A. Determine, by four-fifths vote, that there is a need to continue the emergency action; and
B. Discuss and provide direction on parking issues related to the emergency and the potential temporary relocation of the Farmers Market.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The estimated cost for the demolition and replacement of the Lot 3 Parking Structure (Lot 3) with an at-grade parking lot is projected to be approximately $3,000,000. Pursuant to Manhattan Beach Municipal Section 3.08.060.A.6.c, the emergency demolition and replacement phase will be carried out through an emergency contract, which may be partially funded using funds available in the Parking Fund. The emergency contract, associated costs, and any necessary budget appropriations will be presented to City Council for ratification at a future date. In addition to the appropriation from the Parking Fund, it is anticipated that an alternative funding source will need to be identified for the demolition and replacement work.
The costs associated with the additional street parking alternatives are yet to be determined. While it is anticipated that these costs can be funded within the current operating budget, an additional appropriation may be required (depending on the magnitude of these costs). Conversely, the City could consider deferring certain ongoing, non-emergency sign and striping maintenance to a future fiscal year to remain within budget. Any additional funding requirements or deferments will be presented to the City Council at the October 15, 2024, regular City Council meeting.
BACKGROUND:
Lot 3 is a City-owned facility at the southwest corner of Morningside Drive and 12th Street in Downtown Manhattan Beach. The 3-story structure was constructed in 1971 and contains 146 parking spaces critical to visitors and businesses in the Downtown area. In June 2024, City staff elected to close the structure indefinitely, following a series of onsite inspections and structural assessments indicating that advanced deterioration had significantly compromised the integrity of the structure. At the September 3, 2024, regular City Council meeting, City Council adopted Resolution No. 24-0105 declaring a local emergency at the Lot 3 Parking Structure and authorizing the City Manager to secure, demolish, and replace the structure.
In addition to adopting Resolution No. 24-0105, City Council directed staff to explore means to expedite the work, which may include, but is not limited to, extending construction work hours. Furthermore, City Council directed staff to discontinue temporary shuttle services and to identify and/or create additional parking spaces within walking distance of the Downtown area. City Council also directed staff to suspend parking restrictions in the Downtown Resident Permit Parking Area (Map Attached). Additional discussions included considering alternate locations for the Farmers Market, providing a shuttle service for special events, and evaluating the potential for valet parking.
Per Resolution No. 12-6422, which was adopted by City Council on December 4, 2012, in the event of an emergency, the City Manager is authorized to take action during an emergency pursuant to California Public Contract Code Section 22050. Section 22050 provides that the City Manager may order the repair of public facilities without advertising for bids when the repair is in the public interest and necessitates the immediate expenditure of public money to safeguard life, health, or property.
California Public Contract Code Section 22050 requires that if the City Manager orders an emergency action, the governing body shall initially review the emergency action at its next regularly scheduled meeting and at least at every regularly scheduled meeting thereafter until the action is terminated, to determine, by a four-fifths vote, that there is a need to continue the action. This staff report serves as the update required by Section 22050.
DISCUSSION:
Emergency Demolition and Replacement
Over the past several weeks, Public Works has solicited bids from eight construction contractors for the demolition of Lot 3. An expedited bid package was prepared and distributed to the contractors on Monday, September 9, 2024. On September 18, 2024, Public Works received six proposals by the bid date. The bids ranged from a low bid of $190,000 to a high bid of $1,850,000 as follows:
Contractor Total Bid Amount
American Wrecking $ 190,000.00
Force Demolition $ 341,820.00
ARI $ 418,000.00
AMPCO $ 457,250.00
IDR $ 605,000.00
Lekey Land Clearing/Murakami $1,850,000.00
Staff is evaluating the proposals for completeness and to confirm that past work performed by each contractor is comparable to the project scope of work. Upon completion of this review, staff will expedite the execution of a contract with the selected contractor. Note that the scope of work for this construction agreement is for demolition only. Construction of an interim at-grade parking facility will be procured at a later time.
Also on September 18, 2024, samples were collected from Lot 3 to investigate the presence of lead and asbestos within the facility. The results of the tests are anticipated to be received after the publishing of this report and could be discussed during the October 1, 2024, City Council meeting. Additionally, Southern California Edison has disconnected power to the facility. City crews are currently removing salvageable items, such as parking meters, EV chargers, signage, and lighting that may be used at other City locations.
Staff is currently working to mobilize a land surveyor to establish property corner elevations for planning the future redevelopment project and to collect topographical information to support the design of an interim at-grade parking facility that will be designed in-house in order to expedite temporary replacement of a portion of the parking spaces.
Lastly, staff solicited proposals for the services of a Resident Engineer from a list of on-call project management consulting firms. The Resident Engineer will serve as an on-site representative for the City throughout the demolition process and during construction of the at-grade interim parking lot. It is anticipated that demolition activities will begin in early October.
Downtown Parking Modifications
The City Traffic Engineer has analyzed the Downtown area to identify opportunities to add additional street parking. Up to 90 potential additional spaces have been identified at 15 locations along Valley Drive, 15th Street, Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Morningside Drive, Bayview Drive, and Manhattan Avenue (Attached). Based on direction from City Council on September 3, 2024, to quickly generate additional parking spaces within walking distance of the Downtown area where feasible, staff is proceeding with implementation of the majority of these modifications unless otherwise directed by City Council.
However, staff specifically requests confirmation by the City Council of the following proposed modifications that may impact traffic circulation at the following locations before proceeding:
1. Add nine spaces on 15th Street, between Highland Avenue and Valley Drive. This modification requires removal of existing bike lanes.
2. Add three spaces on Morningside Drive, between 12th Street and 13th Street. This modification requires removal of a loading zone.
3. Add three spaces on Morningside Drive, between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and 12th Street. This modification requires removal of a bike lane.
4. Add three spaces on Manhattan Beach Boulevard, between The Strand and Ocean Drive. This modification replaces parallel parking with diagonal parking.
5. Add 14 spaces on Valley Drive between Manhattan Beach Boulevard and 13th Street. This modification requires removal of a travel lane.
An analysis was also conducted for potential valet operations in the City’s public parking lots. Preliminary factors in the analysis included the ability of structures to accommodate the weight of additional cars, the capacity of fire suppression systems for enclosed spaces, impacts to agreements with outside agencies, and cost estimates for valet operators. All public lots would require around-the-clock attendants, or closure at night, to prevent vehicles from occupying valet spaces without keys or claim tags. An attachment to this report tabulates the public valet analysis at Parking Lots 1, 2, 6, 8, the Upper Pier Parking Lot, and 13th Street between Morningside Drive and Valley Drive. The attachment also includes anticipated valet operating costs for each location. The lower level of the Metlox Parking Structure (Lot M) was eliminated as an option for valet due to the design capacity of the fire suppression system. Staff recommends that City Council provide direction on whether to pursue a valet parking program at any public parking lots.
Downtown Residential Permit Parking Area
Two alternative parking restrictions can be implemented in the Downtown Residential Permit Parking area, as identified in the attached map. First, the previously in place “2-HOUR PARKING 7AM-6PM - PERMIT HOLDERS EXCEPTED” restrictions could be restored, with an allowance for Lot M permittees to park their vehicles on posted streets similar to resident permits. Second, the prior permit parking restrictions could be restored, and modified to “3-HOUR PARKING 7AM-6PM - RESIDENT PERMITS EXEMPTED,” which would increase the previously posted time limit by one hour to allow for more public and employee parking flexibility.
Staff is continuing to research the feasibility for property owners/managers to operate a private valet or attendant parking operation on private parking lots after normal business hours.
Project Impacts to Farmers Market
At the September 3rd City Council meeting, City Council directed staff to consider temporarily relocating the Farmers Market for the duration of the demolition activities to reduce disruption to the market vendors and attendees and to avoid conflicts with the demolition debris haul route. City staff met with representatives from the Downtown Business and Professional Association (DBPA) on September 10th and 23rd to discuss potential alternate locations for the Farmers Market.
Multiple potential locations were identified and discussed, including Polliwog Park, Valley Drive/Veteran’s Parkway, Live Oak Park, the base of the Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Avenue, and the Civic Center Parking Lot/Civic Center Plaza. After review and discussions, the two most viable locations appear to be the segment of Manhattan Avenue between 9th Street and Manhattan Beach Boulevard and the upper Civic Center Parking Lot, with a portion of the booths set up within the Civic Center Plaza. Exhibits showing a potential configuration at each of these locations are provided as attachments.
The DBPA prefers the Civic Center location due to the proximity to the permanent market site as well as the limited impact to business-adjacent parking spaces. Additionally, the Manhattan Avenue option is a challenge for the DBPA due to California Health and Safety Code regulations that require restroom facilities to be located within 200 feet of the Farmers Market. Staff specifically requests direction from the City Council regarding the relocation of the Farmers Market.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Formal public notice is not required for this item; however, the item was included in the agenda for this meeting, which was posted in accordance with the law. Additionally, staff has conducted significant outreach by speaking with businesses about parking impacts and coordinating communication and outreach with the Downtown Business and Professionals Association.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has previously reviewed the proposed project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the demolition of Lot 3 falls under the statutory exemption for Emergency Projects (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15269) because the demolition is necessary to address a clear and imminent danger and requires immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services. Because the existing structure overhangs the public right of way on three sides, collapse poses a threat to life, health, property and essential public services.
Additionally, the City has determined that the interim surface parking aspect of the project qualifies for the following categorical exemptions:
- Class 1 categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of the State CEQA Guidelines because the project would modify the ground floor of an existing parking facility to provide fewer parking spaces than the existing facility, thus resulting in no expansion of the existing use.
- Class 2 categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction) of the State CEQA Guidelines because the existing parking structure would be replaced with a flat parking lot with substantially the same purpose as the existing structure and substantially the same capacity as the ground floor of the existing structure.
- Class 4 categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land) of the State CEQA Guidelines because grading necessary to accommodate a surface parking lot would occur at a lot that has less than 10 percent slope, is not in a waterway, wetland, or scenic area, and is not in officially mapped areas of geological hazard.
No further environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 24-0105
2. Additional Street Parking Opportunities
3. Possible Public Valet Parking Locations
4. Downtown Resident Permit Parking Location Map
5. Farmers Market Conceptual Layouts
6. Lot 3 Location Map
7. PowerPoint Presentation