Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of May 12, 2020
Title
REVIEW OF CITY’S STRAND AND PARKING ASSET
CLOSURES IN LIGHT OF RECENT CHANGES TO THE
LOS ANGELES COUNTY HEALTH ORDER
(City Manager Suja Lowenthal)
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council consider and discuss the current closures of the City’s Strand and downtown parking lots, and provide direction on future operations.*
*The need for Council action on this matter came to the attention of the City subsequent to the 5/12/2020 agenda being posted. Because this item is not currently on the agenda and requires immediate action, Staff requests that it be added as Municipal Matter item 6(c) pursuant to Government Code section 54954.2(b)(2) upon a determination by a two-thirds vote of the City Council.
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Executive Summary:
Staff anticipates that beginning on Wednesday, May 13, Hermosa’s beach and all beaches operated by Los Angeles County, including those in neighboring Manhattan and Redondo Beach, will be reopened with restrictions for limited active uses with physical distancing as a requirement. As part of this phased approach, piers, boardwalks, and County beach parking lots will remain closed at this time. In consideration of these evolving guidelines, the City must consider how to responsibly and efficiently allow public access to the beach and downtown parking assets while adhering to County Health guidelines.
Background:
Per recent conversations with County officials regarding upcoming changes to the Public Health Order, as of Wednesday May 13, staff anticipates beaches will re-open for limited active recreation uses from dawn to dusk. During this first phase of re-opening, individual permitted activities may include active uses such as swimming, surfing, paddle-boarding, walking and running, however, prohibitions remain on other common beach uses such as organized recreational programming and sports of any kind, holding gatherings of any size, sunbathing, picnicking, the use of shade structures, and/or any other activities that would place the participant on the sand for an extended period of time. At this time, until further details of the updated Order are released, it is unknown whether additional restrictions will impact the days and hours of beach access.
Hermosa Beach’s Strand and Pier remain closed during this first phase per the County’s Order, and because the volumes of activity along these City assets make physical distancing and enforcement challenging to maintain. Additionally, the City’s downtown parking structure remains closed, with limited time restrictions enforced throughout the City’s downtown parking lots to discourage all-day beach activity. In consideration of the County’s amended restrictions, the City must consider how to begin allowing public access to the beach and downtown parking assets in a manner that is responsible, efficient and clear to the public.
Beach and Strand
On March 28, 2020, the City of Hermosa Beach enacted the closure of the Beach and Strand to comply with County restrictions and ensure that proper social distancing could be maintained to protect public health.
To implement the beach and Strand closure, the City worked with a contract traffic management company to place barricades and signs at all entrances to the Beach and Strand. To support enforcement operations and mitigate people from walking around barricades, the Police Department utilized their contract security company to place Security Guards at various designated locations along the Strand. The use of the barricades and security personnel was critical in helping keep people off the beach and Strand. In addition to signage, barricades and security guards, the Police Department assigned Police Officers and Community Services Officers for ongoing monitoring and enforcement of these closures.
Downtown Parking Structure and Lots
While beach parking lots county-wide are proposed to be closed during the first phase of the beach re-opening, due to their shared utilization with downtown residents, businesses and patrons, the City’s parking lot restrictions have been adjusted on a case-by-case basis. The parking structure (Lot C) was closed on March 28th and remains closed. Parking lots A and B have remained open for daily paid parking and for use by those with permits. Community Services Officers continue to monitor lots A and B and write citations as violations are found.
Throughout the past several days, a variety of traffic control measures have been implemented in an effort to direct vehicles away from the downtown area and reduce the number of individuals in the area generally. At the same time, City staff has attempted to support downtown businesses transition to take-out formats by realigning the closing of lot A so that the majority of their employees are able to access parking within peak hours, and by creating new 15-minute pick-up zones for patrons.
The current operational plan for lot A includes:
• Closing the entrance at 7 p.m. while allowing vehicles to exit. Parking permits for the lot are honored and vehicles with expired payment receipts are cited.
• Maintenance of multiple temporary 15 minute parking stalls on the south side of lot A (accessible from 11th Street) so that restaurant customers can purchase food.
• Community Services Officers monitor the temporary 15 minutes parking stalls in lot A, and the spaces on Hermosa Avenue near Pier Plaza.
• Closing 11th Street as the watch commander finds necessary.
An operational plan for lot B is more difficult to implement due to its use as an alleyway that serves businesses and several residential units, while also having no clear entrance and exit. Community Services Officers have found that some nights the lot has been filled almost exclusively by vehicles with permits. At this time, lot B is closed as necessary to reduce crowds and is enforced by Community Services Officers. No specific date has been determined for lot A, lot B and the parking structure to return to operations consistent with past practice.
Discussion:
The efforts to address activities on the City’s beach and in the downtown area that do not comply with the County’s Order and are generally disruptive to residents have been the primary driver in limiting access to these local public assets.
With the anticipated changes to the County’s restrictions on beach access, this agenda item is an opportunity for members of the City Council to discuss broadly the City’s approach in implementing modifications to enforcement and operations of City assets. This first phase of relaxed restrictions of beach use and facilities will also certainly result in various questions from the public on appropriate activities; therefore, consideration must also be given to the City’s strategy for communicating these changes to the public.
Beach Access via the Strand
Facilitating access to the beach will likely require opening up portions of the Hermosa Beach Strand as beach access points. Under this scenario, the Strand would remain closed as a north-south thoroughfare to pedestrian and bike travel per the County Order. Providing such access points would require the addition and repositioning of multiple barricades, and may likely require additional personnel and private security support for management and enforcement. Alternatively, Council may determine to establish fewer access points or maintain current Strand restrictions in place.
Areas for consideration during Council’s discussion may include, but are not limited to:
• General approach to facilitating beach access via the Strand (feedback on number and location of access points, barricade positioning, preventing Strand use, etc.).
• Impacts to downtown, beach and Strand sweeping, trash collection and cleaning schedules with modified access to City assets.
• City and contracted resources for enforcement and maintenance.
• Further clarification on allowable and restricted beach activities.
• Downtown parking lot restrictions and enforcement strategy.
• Traffic circulation and potential overflow into residential areas.
• Public Communication Strategy for informing the public of changing restrictions.
As the City continues to adjust the operations of public assets in line with evolving County restrictions, staff will continue to evaluate the needs of residents, visitors, and businesses in the downtown area. Public health restrictions remain in place and include physical distancing, washing hands, staying home when ill, wearing cloth face coverings in public spaces where physical distancing is not possible and staying home as much as possible. The County’s current plan calls for expanding activities in phases, with each phase lasting about six weeks. But the timing of each phase is expected to be based on how the public manages the current restrictions and the public health indicators including number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
General Plan Consistency:
This report and associated recommendations have been evaluated for their consistency with the City’s General Plan. Relevant Policies are listed below:
Governance
1.6 Long-term considerations. Prioritize decisions that provide long-term community benefit and discourage decisions that provide short-term community benefit but reduce long-term opportunities.
2.6 Responsive to community needs. Continue to be responsive to community inquiries, providing public information and recording feedback from community interactions.
4.3 Collaboration with adjacent jurisdictions. Maintain strong collaborative relationships with adjacent jurisdictions and work together on projects of mutual interest and concern.
Land Use
1.5 Balance resident and visitor needs. Ensure land uses and businesses provide for the needs of residents as well as visitors.
Mobility
2.2 Encourage traffic calming. Encourage traffic calming policies and techniques to improve the safety and efficient movement of people and vehicles along residential areas and highly trafficked corridors.
3.9 Access for emergency vehicles. Ensure that emergency vehicles have secure and convenient access to the city’s street network.
7.1 Safe public right-of-ways. Encourage that all public right-of-ways are safe for all users at all times of day where users of all ages and ability feel comfortable participating in both motorized and non-motorized travel.
Parks and Open Space
4.2 Enhanced access points. Increase and enhance access to parks and open space, particularly across major thoroughfares, as well as access points that promote physical activity such as pedestrian- and bike-oriented access points.
6.5 Wayfinding and coastal access. Maximize all forms of access and safety getting to and around the Coastal Zone through infrastructure and wayfinding improvements.
7.1 Beach maintenance. Maintain the beach and ocean as natural recreational resources, not only for the city but also for the Southern California region.
Public Safety
4.7 Communicate risks. Regularly evaluate, identify, and communicate new hazard risks and incorporate into planning and programs.
6.2 Coastal incidents. Collaborate and maintain communication between the City, LA County Lifeguards, and the United States Coast Guard concerning incidents on or near the coast.
Fiscal Impact:
Financial impacts will vary depending on Council direction, and therefore there is no fiscal impact to report at this time. Staff is currently working to establish cost estimates for signage, additional barricades and changes to security and enforcement operations.
Attachments:
1. Hermosa Beach Press Release - Beach Reopening
2. Map of Hermosa Beach Strand
3. Map of Downtown City Parking Lots
Respectfully Submitted by: Assistant to the City Manager, Nico De Anda-Scaia
Concur: Michael Edwards, Interim Emergency Management Coordinator
Concur: Paul LeBaron, Police Chief
Concur: Marnell Gibson, Public Works Director
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager