TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Nhung Madrid, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Downtown Specific Plan Project Update (Community Development Director McIntosh).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
a) Discuss the Coastal Commission’s staff suggested modifications; and
b) Provide staff direction on next steps for the Downtown Specific Plan project, Local Coastal Program update request, and reconciliation of land use designations and map inconsistencies in the Downtown area.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undertaking these suggested modifications to the Downtown Specific Plan and the update to the City’s Local Coastal Program would require a significant commitment of staff time (Community Development: Administration, Planning, Transportation Engineering, and Parks & Recreation: Graphic Designer). Staff taking the lead on this project, with no assistance, will preclude staff work on other long range planning projects that may arise later in the year and will delay current projects.
BACKGROUND:
In March 2017, the Downtown Specific Plan and Local Coastal Program (LCP) Amendment was formally submitted to the California Coastal Commission for review and certification. Coastal Commission staff performed an initial review, requested and received additional documents from the City, and deemed the submittal complete in June 2017.
Subsequently, Coastal Commission staff recommended that the Coastal Commission extend the Plan’s review and certification deadline, not to exceed one year, for Commission action on the Downtown Specific Plan and LCP Amendment request. This action was approved at the Coastal Commission’s meeting on August 11, 2017.
Since late 2017, staff has been proactively contacting the Coastal Commission for status updates on the Downtown Specific Plan certification. On July 12, 2018, City staff met with Coastal Commission staff to informally review and discuss the Downtown Specific Plan’s certification status. Commission staff presented City staff with numerous suggested modifications to the Downtown Specific Plan as well as updates to the City’s Local Coastal Program document. At that meeting, City staff provided preliminary feedback to inform their analysis of the Downtown Specific Plan and LCP. Coastal Commission staff also confirmed that the Downtown Specific Plan report is scheduled for the August 8-10 hearings in Redondo Beach.
DISCUSSION:
At the July 17th meeting, City Council was informed about staff’s meeting with the Coastal Commission, the status of the project and the upcoming Coastal Commission hearing. City Council directed staff to return tonight for further direction on next steps. The California Coastal Commission’s August agenda and staff report for the Downtown Specific Plan project has been attached for tonight’s discussion (Attachment). Staff is requesting that the City Council receive the Coastal Commission’s report and provide staff direction on next steps.
In addition to the Downtown Specific Plan, the Coastal Commission submittal included the reconciliation of land use designations and map inconsistencies, as directed by the Coastal Commission, which will need to be addressed regardless of the Plan’s certification.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
A tremendous amount of public outreach and engagement occurred throughout the Downtown Specific Plan’s three year project timeline. For tonight’s meeting, staff provided a courtesy email notice to various interested parties that participated in outreach activities related to the project. Staff will evaluate and determine future outreach and community engagement based on the City Council’s direction on next steps for the project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In accordance with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as part of the Downtown Specific Plan Project and LCP Amendments, the City prepared an Initial Study, Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) to ensure compliance with the requisite mitigation measures. No additional analysis is required at this time.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachment:
1. California Coastal Commission Agenda and Staff Report (August 8 -10, 2018)