TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Stephanie Katsouleas, Public Works Director
Kendra Davis, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Approval of City Support of Safe Streets Academy Application (Community Development Director McIntosh and Public Works Director Katsouleas).
APPROVE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the letter of support and the City’s participation in the Safe Streets Academy, should the application be selected.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) has partnered with Manhattan Beach for years to improve community well-being in the region. Through initiatives like the Blue Zones Project, BCHD has proven its ability to bring together communities around the common goal of wellness. They have partnered with the City to create long-range plans, regional mobility goals and other innovative livability projects. Many of these have involved a wide range of stakeholder groups and numerous policy changes.
BCHD reached out to Manhattan Beach, as well as neighboring cities Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, regarding participation in the Safe Streets Academy. This new, year-long program was developed by the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America. It provides an opportunity to bring together engineers, planners and other professionals from the chosen applicant communities and equip them with additional tools and resources to address traffic safety concerns in their communities.
The Academy will focus on these topic areas:
• Engineering countermeasures to reduce speed and improve safety
• Integrating land use and transportation
• Community engagement strategies
• Planning and designing for active transportation and transit
• Creative placemaking and prototyping to reduce speed
• Performance measurement
• Freight logistics
• Traffic operations overview
• Designing and operating for Vision Zero
DISCUSSION:
As the author of the application, BCHD will be responsible for many of the details of participation, including hosting a workshop for the other participants and raising any required funds. Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo Beach will commit staff members to participate in a Beach Cities Academy Cohort for one year, during which time they will attend three in-person workshops and six distance learning sessions. The group will design and implement a Beach Cities demonstration project based on the needs of the community. A case study will be created based on the project, and any recommendations or findings will be presented to the three City Councils and their communities.
This is the first Safe Streets Academy to be offered, and only three applicants will be chosen. The Academy will run from August 2017 through June 2018. Because this is a new program, there are no other jurisdictions to provide reference. However, the organization, Smart Growth America, has a history of engaging communities in the process of urban planning and involving all stakeholders in the conversation.
Participation in this new academy will require staff time, commitment to support a demonstration project to be determined by the participants, and a willingness to discover new regional safety solutions. It will not require additional City funds or significant resources. Directors of both Community Development and Public Works have indicated that this commitment could be accommodated by the current staff workload given the value it will provide. The skills learned through this academy will expand the ability of the City to address traffic safety concerns by providing them with the technical knowledge required to construct solutions specific to Manhattan Beach and this region. Lastly, with this increased training, our staff will be able to create a safer, more functional City for our residents to enjoy.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Public outreach has not been conducted because the BCHD application has not been selected for the Safe Streets Academy. If the application is chosen, public outreach will occur to inform the public of the demonstration project. This outreach will follow the City’s normal channels (website, social media, etc) and be supplemented by outreach from BCHD, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the 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. Safe Streets Academy Info Sheet
2. Manhattan Beach Letter of Support