TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Stephanie Katsouleas, Director of Public Works
Prem Kumar, City Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Consider Resolution to Approve the Mitigated Negative Declaration, Which Includes the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, for the Aviation Boulevard at Artesia Boulevard Southbound to Westbound Right Turn Improvement Project (Public Works Director Katsouleas).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 19-0088
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council adopt a resolution approving the Mitigated Negative Declaration, which includes the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, for the Aviation Boulevard at Artesia Boulevard Southbound to Westbound Right Turn Improvement Project (Project).
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Funding for the Project was approved in the City’s Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The City received a $1,500,000 grant from the Measure R South Bay Highway Program, which has been budgeted in the CIP to cover the costs for Project design, environmental approval, right-of-way acquisition, construction, and all other components necessary for implementation of the project.
BACKGROUND:
The proposed Project, which is subject to substantial noise and traffic, calls for widening the southbound lane on the west side of Aviation Boulevard, just north of Artesia Boulevard, to provide a dedicated southbound to westbound 12.5-foot wide right-turn lane. The Project will also shift the existing pedestrian walkway to the west (see site map attached), which will permanently reduce the planter bed along Aviation Boulevard. The property owner was required to reserve and dedicate this planter strip width for street widening purposes when the land entitlement to construct the Chase Bank facility was obtained.
Due to the absence of a dedicated right turn lane, southbound Aviation Boulevard traffic is often congested by vehicles waiting to turn right onto Artesia Boulevard. This improvement will address queuing deficiencies, improve roadway operations, and implement improvements consistent with the Manhattan Beach General Plan Transportation Element.
On January 3, 2017, City Council awarded a professional services agreement to Michael Baker International for Engineering Design Services. The consultant assisted with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental clearance process leading to this finding of a Mitigated Negative Declaration, has completed the plans and specs at the 90% level, and is currently completing the right-of-way engineering phase of the project.
DISCUSSION:
Under CEQA requirements, the City is required to undertake the preparation of an Initial Study to determine if the proposed project would have a significant environmental impact. For the evaluation of potential impacts, the questions in the Initial Study checklist are answered according to the analysis undertaken as part of the Initial Study. The analysis prepared, which considered the long-term, direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the development, determined that a Mitigated Negative Declaration is appropriate given the site conditions and impacts of the improvement. The Initial Study’s draft findings were presented for public review and comment for 30 days between May 2 and May 31, 2019.
Over 400 project notification letters were sent out to all property owners and residents within a 500-foot radius of the project site in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach. Notifications were also sent to the three California Native American tribes of interest in the area and 15 agencies and organizations of interest. Lastly, public notices indicating the availability and intent to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration were posted at City Hall, the Library, Joslyn Community Center, Manhattan Heights, the City Website and in the Beach Reporter on May 2, 2019.
Staff received positive comments regarding the proposed project enhancements from agencies and interested organizations, which are documented in the Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared in July 2019. Any potential significant effects on air quality, cultural resources, hazardous materials, noise, transportation and traffic, and tribal cultural resources have been clearly outlined to be mitigated to less than significant effect with the mitigation measures identified in the attached Final Mitigated Negative Declaration document.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The public outreach completed to date, which was summarized above, included notifying area property owners and relevant agencies and Tribes, and postings in public places and publications. Staff will distribute construction notices to area residents and maintained regular communication with Chase Bank property owner to keep them abreast of the project schedule and impacts during construction of the proposed improvements.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
City Council is being asked to adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration, which includes the Mitigation Monitoring Reporting Program, for the Aviation Boulevard at Artesia Boulevard Southbound to Westbound Right Turn Improvement Project. A Notice of Determination to that effect will then be filed with the County Clerk and with the Office of Planning and Research by the City Engineer.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 19-0088
2. Site Map
3. Notice of Determination
4. Mitigated Negative Declaration Report