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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Res 2514 1976-01-12 I I I . , ~ RESOLUTION NO. ~~~ A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH ADOPTING A SPECIFIC PLAN FOR MAIN STREET. WHEREAS, in October, 1973, the City Council adopted a Land Use Element to the General Plan; and WHEREAS, the Land Use Element to the General Plan recommended that a Specific Plan for Main Street be prepared as an implementing measure to the General Plan; and WHEREAS, during many workshop sessions with interested residents various alternatives were explored for the improvement of Main Street; and WHEREAS, a Specific Plan for Main Street has been prepared which calls for improvements to the public right-of-way and voluntary upgrading of private property; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission and City Council have considered the Specific Plan during public hearings. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Seal Beach does hereby adopt the Specific Plan for Main Street, attached hereto and made a part hereof. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the City Counc~i Beach at a meeting held on the J~~ day ofl by the following vote: ~ AYES: Councilmembers ) NOES: councilmember~de-" J ABSENT: Council members xt~.-/ f the City of Seal _~ ,1976, / M~ - ~c~~~ ATTEST.: ) f' . :-.: :-- .:.. -.~ ....." . ~",. ,. .... ~ ,,~. ..~.. __:. ....... ,..."...."'\ I . ._-.... ,.."\ .... .~ .,' i " - Resolution NUmP~r . , ". SPECIFIC PLAN FOR MAIN;;;STREET I PREPARED BY: . - " CITY OF SEAL BEACH !\ANN I I'li DEPARrMENT I AooPTED JANUARY, 1976 . I I --- . , ResolutiQn Nu~er " .. . . . .. MAIN STREET SPECIFIC i:1.Ar:l. INTRODUCTION In 1973 the City adopted a revised General Plan to assist in guiding the future development of Seal Beach. As a part of this plan it was recommended that a specific plan for Main Street be prepared and implemented. The purpose of the specific plan was to further enhance the economic viability and appearance of Main Street. In late May the Planning Department began organizing efforts to prepare the plan. First, a questionnaire was delivered to most of the merchants along Main Street in order to assess what they perceived as problems and possible changes for the Main Street area. Next, a similar questionnaire was prepared and used to guide interviews with a sample of Main Street customers. Soon after the questi~ires were delivered to merchants and while customer interviews were being undertaken, a series of meetings were scheduled with those businessmen who were interested in helping prepare the specific plan. Weekly meetings in June, July and August provided a forum for both planning staff and merchants to analyze and discuss survey results, problems, solutions, alternative concepts, costs and funding methods for improving the Main Street commercial area. Three alternatives were . , prepared in detail and presented to a general meeting of property owners and businessmen. Components of different alternatives were selected which met with the approval of the assembled group and have been incorporated ,into this plan. G0ALS The following goals were prep~red to reflect the interests of the merchants and the city residents. . I I Resolution Number ~ . . 1. Enhance and beautify the Main Street Commercial Area in order to provide a more attractive shopping area. 2. Improve the economic environment for all business along Main Street. 3. Create an atmosphere which provides a focus and opportunity for social activities compatible with the commercial activities along Main Street and the recreational activities in the Electric Avenue Park. (For example: art shows, senior citizen events. etc.) IDENTIFYING THE PROBlEMS Seal Beach is a unique coastal community with a small town atmosphere. The Main Street Commercial Area reflects this atmosphere with its small shops and businesses. However, there are some problems on Main Street. For example, research by the planning staff identified several indicators of the economic situation on Main Street. A comparison of sales tax revenues for Main Street businesses between 1971-1973 revealed that there was only a 1% growth in gross sales with the majority of businesses actually experiencing a decline in sales. In fact, the proportion of total sales concentrated in the top nine businesses increased from 57% to 62%. An initial comparison of property values between 1971-1974 indicated relatively little growth in value for commercial property, and although samples from the newly released 1975 assessments indicate an increase in commercial property values, such increases are well below those of surrounding residential properties for the four-year period. 2 . 1 I Resolution Number . . '. In addition, two large shopping centers are scheduled for construction at Westminster Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach: Marina Pacifica and Market Place. Together both centers will cover 44 acres and provide 400,000 square feet of commercial space. This includes a Buffums' Department Store, over 8 restaurants, a 20,000 sq. ft. Boy's Market and a wide variety of apparel and specialty shops. The Market Place center is scheduled for completion in the summer of 1976,; the Marina Pacific center in the fall of 1976. The economic impact of these centers on Main Street business is obvious. When asked whether certain features of Main Street were a problem or not, the survey responses of businessmen were generally split with storefront appearance, landscaping and summer auto traffic indicated as problems by a slight majority, while a large majority found no problem with the appearance of parked cars or potential traffic hazards. Discussion in weekly meetings with businessmen uncovered additional problem areas as well: discolored, dirty and cracked sidewalks, unattractive light standards, signs, benches, and trash receptacles as well as insufficient customer parking. These probl.ems were 1 isted and corresponding solutions were proposed and incorporated in three alternative plan concepts. SPECIFIC PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS These conceptual alternatives were developed and reviewed with interested businessmen and property owners. Various features from the alternatives have been combined into a single plan. The followi'ng is a description of the improvements being proposed under the plan: 3 . Resolution N~er ,~ " . . 1. That landscaped extensions be added to corners and crosswalks along Main Street. They would be built using textured sidewalk material and in most cases include provision for the planting of a mature tree as well as other plants. 2. That the present sidewalks be improved utilizing textured sidewalk material in some pattern or design representing no more than 50% of the sidewalk surface. 3. That textured crosswalks and intersections be constructed at Main 1 Street and Central Avenue and at Main Street and Ocean Avenue in a manner consistent with the improvements at the intersection of Main Street and Electric Avenue. 4. That designed benches and trash receptacles be provided. 5. That the under-utilized light fixture poles and wiring be removed and that existing light standards be replaced with ornamental lighting. 6. That a sign ordinance be adopted to control the size and location of signs. 7. That worn, aged or drab storefronts be repaired and painted by their owners. 8. That parking areas behind the businesses be cleaned, repaired and striped in a manner that will better utilize the available parking space. III 9. That existing parking lots be landscaped in a manner which screens the appearance of parked cars. 10. That additional parking be acqu;-red and improved either on a lot on Main Street or a lot directly behind businesses bordering Main Street if there is still sufficient demand after the implementation of other parking improvements. 4 . 1 I . , 4 Resolution N~mbe~ ~. ~ ~ . - . . IMPLEMENTATION Improvements to the Public Right-of-Way A number of funding sources have been evaluated for the proposed improvements to the Main Street right-of-way. These funding sources include an assessment district, the city's Capital Improvement Program, Housing and Community Development Act funds and the Redevelopment Agency. The Seal Beach Redevelopment Agency should repay the City $60,000 of the debt which it owes the city for construction of Marina Park and Community Center. This money will then be placed in the city's Capital Improvement Program to finance some of the public improvements proposed in the public right-of-way. Since $60,000 will not cover the total cost of the proposed improvements, the project will be continued as other funds become available. The Capital Improvement Program, Housing and Community Development Funds and an assessment district should continue to be considered as possible funding sources. Additional funding sources may also be considered. Storefronts and Signs Some stores on Main Street are in need of paint and minor repairs. One of the objectives of the plan is to encourage businessmen and property owners to upgrade and improve thei'r buildings. Simply by painting older buildings their appearance can be improved and their architectural characteristics can be enhanced. In addition, some remodeling and new construction will occur over time. Those individuals contemplating storefront remodeling are urged to undertake these projects in the near future. Not only will this benefit the individual businesses, and Main Street in general, but will also provide a model for others to follow. 5 .. I I Resolution Number ~. . - . . A sign ordinance will be adopted in the near future. Over a period of time nonconforming signs will be eliminated. Parking Parking improvements will be considered in two phases. In the first phase a portion of the municipal parking lot in the 100 block of Main Street may be made available to businessmen to lease parking spaces for themselves and their employees. The lease parking for oil company employees has been transferred to the beach parking lots. In addition, a parking study will be undertaken to determine the amount of available parking behind the stores and how this parking can be more effectively utilized. A parking design layout may be striped behind several stores in order to evaluate this concept. If successful, this concept could be expanded to available parking spaces behind all Main Street businesses. An evaluation will be made after the completion of the first phase. If parking is still perceived to be a problem, then a second phase s~udy would be undertaken to determine where additional parking might be acquired in the general Main Street area. It is perceived that if additional parking were to be acquired, it should be financed through a parking assessment district, or some other financial method other than the city's general fund. 6