TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Erick Lee, Public Works Director
Sean Roberts, Field Operations Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Reinstallation of No Parking Signs on Rowell Avenue Between 19th Street and Marine Avenue (Public Works Director Lee).
(Estimated Time: 15 Mins.)
PROVIDE DIRECTION
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction on the reinstallation of “no parking” signs on Rowell Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no known fiscal implications associated with this item. If the City Council directs staff to re-implement parking restrictions related to street sweeping on this segment of Rowell Avenue, Public Works will purchase and install appropriate “no parking” signs. Sufficient funds are available in the Public Works Department’s budget for this purpose.
BACKGROUND:
Under the City’s current approach, Public Works will install or remove “no parking” signs related to street sweeping if 66% (two-thirds) of the property owners of a block sign a petition in favor of the City taking that specific action. For petitioning purposes, properties on both sides of a block between two consecutive intersections are the relevant parties in a petition process. Properties adjacent to more than one street (e.g., corner properties) may sign more than one petition.
For streets in Manhattan Beach that do not have “no parking” signs posted related to street sweeping, it is essential to note that street sweeping still occurs on these streets. The sweeper goes around any parked cars obstructing its route. Since there are no posted parking restrictions, citations are not issued to those vehicles. However, the curbs and roadway surfaces where cars are parked are not cleaned.
On August 2, 2022, the City Council directed staff to maintain the parking restrictions related to street sweeping on Rowell Avenue and Meadows Avenue according to the existing petition process. The City Council also directed staff to inspect the area and reinstall signs that may have been illegally removed within the last five years. Staff then inspected this area and found that no sites met this criteria for reinstallation.
On February 6, 2024, the City Council requested a report on missing “no parking” signs related to street sweeping, along Rowell Avenue between 19th Street and 23rd Street, where poles are currently in place but have no signage. The City Council also requested a discussion on the possibility of reinstalling missing “no parking” signs related to street sweeping if the signs had been improperly removed.
DISCUSSION:
There are three abandoned sign poles in the 2100/2200 block of Rowell Avenue, between 23rd Street and 21st Street. The residents of this block filed a petition to remove the “no parking” signs posted related to street sweeping. On April 19, 2001, following a successful petition process, the signs were removed from this block. At the time of removal, field crews were directed to remove the signs but leave the poles in the public right of way in case re-installation of the signs would be needed in the future.
Because the signs in question were removed as part of a valid petition process, the related poles could also have been removed at the same time, as they do not currently serve a purpose and could lead the public to believe that necessary signage has been improperly removed from the City’s infrastructure. If the City Council does not direct staff to reinstall the signage on these three poles, Public Works will remove them.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Residents at all properties along Rowell Avenue between 19th Street and Marine Avenue were notified about the City Council’s consideration of this item by mailers and door hangers. Additionally, general information on the City's street sweeping program can be found on the City’s website under Public Works, Field Operations Division, Street Sweeping.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the State of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT/ATTACHMENTS:
1. Petition Map of Rowell Avenue Between 19th Street and Marine Avenue
2. Photos of Poles on Rowell Avenue Between 19th Street and Marine Avenue
3. PowerPoint Presentation