TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, 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).
A) DETERMINE THAT THERE IS A NEED TO CONTINUE THE EMERGENCY ACTION
B) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 24-0130
C) APPROPRIATE FUNDS
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.
B. Adopt Resolution No. 24-0130 authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to the General Services Agreement with Charter Up to provide a shuttle service for the Holiday Fireworks Festival.
C. Appropriate an amount not to exceed $25,000 from the unreserved Proposition A Fund balance for the shuttle service.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The original cost estimate for the demolition and replacement of the Lot 3 Parking Structure (Lot 3) with an at-grade parking lot was on the order of $3,000,000. Pursuant to Manhattan Beach Municipal Code Section 3.08.060.A.6.c, the emergency demolition and replacement phase will be carried out through multiple emergency contracts.
The costs associated with the proposed holiday event shuttle services for the Holiday Fireworks Festival are estimated not to exceed a total of $25,000. Staff has been in contact with Metro regarding the use of Proposition A Local Return funds to offset the cost of shuttle services. Thus, an appropriation in an amount not to exceed $25,000 is needed from the unreserved Proposition A Fund balance to fully fund the shuttle service programming for this event. If Metro ultimately determines that this is not a proper use of Proposition A Funds, the City will need to find an alternative funding source.
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. 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 (California PCC) 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 PCC 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. Previous updates were provided at the September 17, 2024, October 1, 2024, October 15, 2024, and November 6, 2024 regular City Council meetings.
DISCUSSION:
Emergency Demolition and Replacement
The agreement between the City and American Wrecking authorizes forty working days for the parking structure demolition. Work began on October 31, 2024, and the majority of the structure was demolished within the first eight working days. Hauling of demolition debris began on November 8, 2024. The contractor is scheduled to begin removal of the floor slab and column footings and remove the pedestrian protection canopy along Center Place during the week of November 18, 2024. The contractual end date for the demolition work is December 30, 2024, however, progress thus far suggests that the work will likely be complete well in advance of this date.
As of November 13, 2024, staff has not received any complaints from the public relating to the work performed by American Wrecking.
Parking Alternatives
At the October 1, 2024 City Council meeting, City Council directed staff to move forward with installation of approximately 90 proposed new parking spaces within the Downtown area. All of the new parking spaces were installed and available for use as of November 7, 2024.
Project Impacts to Farmers Market
Per City Council direction, the Farmer’s Market that is held every Tuesday by the Downtown Business and Professional Association (DBPA) has been temporarily relocated from its typical location near 13th Street and Morningside Drive to the Civic Center Plaza and Civic Center Parking Lot. Staff secured an amendment to the City’s agreement with the DBPA to address this change. The Farmer’s Market has been operating at the new location since October 29, 2024 and has received positive feedback from both vendors and attendees. Parking concerns raised by the Older Adults Program attendees have been addressed by the creation of 35 new parking spaces along Valley Drive across from the Joslyn Center.
Shuttle Service for Special Events
At the November 6, 2024 regular City Council meeting, staff presented City Council with shuttle service options for the Pier Lighting and Holiday Open House event, and the Holiday Fireworks Festival. The proposals included shuttle services from Downtown Manhattan Beach to both Grand View Elementary and Manhattan Beach Middle School. After discussion, City Council elected to forgo a shuttle service for the Pier Lighting and Holiday Open House and requested that staff investigate the feasibility of a shuttle service from the Northrup Grumman parking lot to serve attendees of the Holiday Fireworks Festival. City Council indicated a desire to accommodate several hundred vehicles at the pick-up location and requested that the cost of services not exceed $50,000.
Staff is in the process of executing the agreement with Northrop Grumman for the use of a 504-space parking lot at no charge for the Fireworks Festival. Staff is also coordinating shuttle services with Charter Up, which provided shuttle services between Downtown and Pacific Elementary School after Lot 3 closed last summer. Approximately 5-6 buses will operate between Downtown and the Northrop Grumman lot with arrivals every 10 minutes or less between 2pm and 10pm. The cost for this service is not expected to exceed $25,000.
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 DBPA.
An onsite meeting to discuss the demolition process with interested members of the public prior to the start of demolition activities was held on October 16, 2024. Meeting notices were mailed to residents and businesses within 150 feet of the site. DBPA members were also invited to attend. An additional notice was mailed to all residents and business within a 500-foot radius of the site prior to the start of demolition activities.
Additionally, a mailer was sent to all Metlox Parking Lot and Downtown Residential permit holders in to inform them of the modifications to these parking programs.
The shuttle service for the Holiday Fireworks Event will be promoted through the City’s website and social media channels, the organizer’s website, and distributed through the DBPA and Chamber of Commerce social media platforms. In addition, directional signs and shuttle stop signs will be deployed on the shuttle route.
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. Resolution No. 24-0130
3. Agreement with Charter Up
4. Location Map