Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of September 8, 2020
Title
CONSIDERATION OF DRAFT CONCEPTS FOR TEMPORARY LANE CLOSURES ON PIER AVENUE TO FACILITATE FOOT TRAFFIC AND OUTDOOR DINING AND RETAIL OPTIONS WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
(Environmental Programs Manager Douglas Krauss and Environmental Analyst Leeanne Singleton)
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends that City Council:
1) Discuss and provide direction on which, if any, design concepts should be implemented on a temporary basis to facilitate foot traffic, bicycle travel, and outdoor dining options within the public right-of-way along Pier Avenue, between Hermosa Avenue and Valley Drive;
2) Authorize $39,000 to fund implementation of lane reconfiguration and associated work on Pier Avenue, between Hermosa Avenue and Valley Drive. Expenditures would be submitted to the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funding; and
3) Authorize the City Manager to issue an executive order directing the reconfiguration and including any CEQA analysis.
Body
Executive Summary:
The City of Hermosa Beach has considered a series of temporary outdoor and open space programs that would safely facilitate foot traffic along Hermosa Beach business corridors and provide space within the public right-of-way to provide outdoor dining and/or shopping space during the COVID-19 pandemic while physical-distancing and safety protocols are in place. At the July 14th meeting, City Council provided direction to staff to work with a consultant to develop concepts for possible lane closures on Hermosa Avenue and Pier Avenue to help achieve these goals. Staff has worked with a consultant traffic engineer to develop two design concepts for Pier Avenue, between Hermosa Avenue and Valley Drive and staff is seeking Council feedback on these concepts.
Background:
At the May 12, 2020 City Council meeting, City staff brought before the Council an item describing a proposed Summer Streets program. The program was drafted to explore opportunities to repurpose sections of public rights-of-way to improve multi-modal traffic safety and expand physical-distancing options for the public and businesses per Los Angeles County Health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program included expanding bike lanes, converting parking spaces to outdoor dining areas, traffic calming associated with enhancing multi-modal transportation, and a number of other potential measures. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in alignment with the State Health Order, closed all non-essential business sectors in March of 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19. As the rate of spread declined, various select business sectors were reopened to full operations including restaurants, bars, breweries, and other eating establishments. At the time of reopening, restaurants operated under the thought that the business sector would remain open. In July of 2020, the Governor, in response to rapidly-increasing case rates and hospitalizations, completely closed bars, breweries, and the indoor operations of restaurants. The closure of indoor operations of restaurants, with no anticipated reopening date specified, called on local jurisdictions and restaurants to consider expanding outdoor dining operations in a safe and effective manner.
The City Council, at its meeting on May 12, provided staff direction to work with the Economic Development Committee to explore aspects of the program that could directly benefit local businesses. At the following meeting, Council approved an urgency ordinance to implement a temporary permit program to provide outdoor dining/seating and outdoor retail options in the public right-of-way.
At the July 14th meeting, staff brought an item to Council seeking direction on potential closures of travel lanes on the downtown sections of Hermosa and Pier Avenues to encourage increased foot traffic and expand outdoor dining and retail opportunities in the public right-of-way. Council directed staff to secure the services of a traffic engineering consultant to develop plans for these potential lane closures. At the August 11th meeting, staff presented Council three lane configuration concepts for Hermosa Avenue. Council chose one of the concepts, directed staff to proceed with implementation, extended the southern extent of the work to 8th Street, and directed the reconfiguration to remain in place for a minimum of six months after implementation. Staff worked with the traffic engineering consultant to draft four concepts for Pier Avenue. After consulting with Economic Development Subcommittee and its Stakeholder Group, two of the four concepts (Concepts 2 and 3) were determined to be undesirable and infeasible as each proposed a total loss of parking on one side of the street. The two preferred concepts are provided in Attachment 1.
Discussion:
The two concepts attached address Pier Avenue, between Hermosa Avenue and Valley Drive. Each concept includes different approaches to parking configurations and bicycle travel. The table below summarizes features of each concept:
|
|
# of Parking Spaces (totals will vary with dining deck installations) |
Type of Parking |
Bike Travel |
Outdoor Dining/Retail Space (Distance from Curb) |
|
Existing |
109 + 6 motorcycle (67 on North, 42 on South) |
Mix of Parallel and Head-in diagonal |
Sharrow in #2 travel lane both directions |
7 feet in parallel spots. 14 feet in diagonal spots. |
|
Concept 1 |
107 + 6 motorcycle |
Reverse Angle Parking will replace all head-in diagonal parking. Parallel parking remains on South side |
Dedicated Class 2 (painted) bike lane in former #2 travel lane in both directions |
Approximately 14 feet on both sides |
|
Concept 4 |
115 + 6 motorcycle (67 on North, 48 on South) |
Reverse Angle parking on South side. Head in diagonal (no change) on north side. |
Sharrow in #1 lane on South side. Sharrow in #2 lane on North side. |
Approximately 14 feet on both sides. |
As a temporary project, both concepts rely primarily on restriping and the installation of signage. No significant installation of new structures nor construction or removal of infrastructure would be necessary to implement these concepts. Businesses would be responsible for building their own decks and installing necessary barriers. Businesses with existing on-street decks can expand to fit the new configuration with no additional City permit fees.
The two concepts were shared with the Economic Recovery and Resiliency Stakeholder Group at its August 19th meeting where preferences were expressed for Concepts 1 and 4. The concepts were also shared with the Economic Development Committee at its August 31st. Staff is conducting additional outreach on these concepts with Pier Avenue businesses. In response to the urgency of this project, staff is working to contact these businesses directly via email, phone, and site visits and their feedback will be provided as a supplemental prior to the September 8 Council meeting.
Staff is seeking Council selection and/or direction on these concepts so refinements can be made and final construction and traffic control plans developed. Additionally, staff would then be able to finalize an analysis under CEQA. Finalization of these plans would take approximately two weeks, at which time staff would begin to solicit bids from potential contractors. Final implementation for this section of Pier Avenue could be complete in mid-October. Staff recommends the lane reconfigurations remain in place six months from implementation, consistent with the Council’s authorization of similar reconfigurations on Hermosa Avenue. The consultant has provided a rough estimate of approximately $30,000 for the costs of implementation. The consultant’s fees for developing these concepts and the final plans are estimated to be approximately $9,000. The allocation of $8,000 for corresponding traffic counts pre and post reconfiguration was included in Council’s approval of the Hermosa Avenue lane reconfigurations on August 11th.
Past Council Actions
|
Meeting Date |
Description |
|
July 14, 2020 |
Directed to staff to proceed with development of lane closure plans |
|
August 11, 2020 |
Chose a lane configuration concept for Hermosa Avenue, extended it to 8th Street, and provided a six-month duration |
General Plan Consistency:
The proposed program options match the model of “living streets,” also known as “complete streets,” and a key guiding principle of the General Plan Vision is to foster a vibrant local economy. A living street combines safety and livability while supporting ground floor and outdoor economic activities. This centers on designing streets that can be safely shared by both vehicular and non-vehicular traffic. A living street should also contribute to an engaging public realm and a vibrant local economy.
Relevant Policies are listed below:
Governance
Goal 6. A broad-based and long-term economic development strategy for Hermosa Beach that supports existing businesses while attracting new business and tourism.
Policies:
• 6.4 Business support. Support the Chamber of Commerce, retailers, tourist service businesses, artists, and other agencies to develop an aggressive marketing strategy with implementation procedures.
• 6.6 Pop-up shops. Develop plans and programs for underutilized spaces, such
as vacant buildings, utility corridors, parkways, etc., for temporary retail,
restaurant, and community promoting uses.
Mobility
Goal 1. Complete Streets (Living Streets) that serve the diverse functions of mobility, commerce, recreation, and community engagement for all users whether they travel by walking, bicycling, transit, or driving.
Policies:
• 1.1 Consider all modes. Require the planning, design, and construction of all
new and existing transportation projects to consider the needs of all modes of
travel to create safe, livable and inviting environments for all users of the
system.
Mobility
Goal 7. A transportation system that results in zero transportation-related fatalities and which minimizes injuries.
Policies:
• 7.1 Safe public right-of-ways. Encourage that all public right-of-ways are safe
for all users at
• 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.
Fiscal Impact:
The total cost for developing the final plans, implementing the reconfigurations, and performing associated traffic counts-estimated to be approximately $39,000-would be submitted to Cal OES for FEMA reimbursement.
Attachments:
1. Pier Avenue Concepts
Respectfully Submitted by: Douglas Krauss, Environmental Program Manager and Leeanne Singleton, Environmental Analyst
Concur: Marnell Gibson, Public Works Director
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager