Rancho Palos Verdes City Council
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NOVEMBER 3, 2004 BORDER ISSUES STATUS REPORT NOVEMBER 3, 2004 BORDER ISSUES STATUS REPORT

TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS

FROM: DIRECTOR OF PLANNING, BUILDING & CODE ENFORCEMENT

DATE: NOVEMBER 3, 2004

SUBJECT: BORDER ISSUES STATUS REPORT

Staff Coordinator: Kit Fox, AICP, Senior Planner

RECOMMENDATION

Review the current status of border issues and provide direction to Staff, as appropriate.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This month’s report includes:

  • A final report on the completion of the County Housing Authority’s Harbor Hills community center in Lomita;

  • A report on a recent fluid spill at the former Palos Verdes Landfill site;

  • An update on the auction of the former Navy housing site (Ponte Vista) on Western Avenue in San Pedro;

  • A status report on the Harbor-South Bay Water Recycling project, as proposed by the West Basin Municipal Water District and the Army Corps of Engineers;

  • A report on a joint City Council/Planning Commission workshop in Rolling Hills Estates regarding the Downtown Master Plan and pending mixed-use projects;

  • An update on the proposed condominium project at the site of the former fitness center at 28000 Western Avenue in San Pedro;

  • A status report on a proposed 5,760-square-foot commercial building at the northeast corner of Crest Road and Highridge Road in Rolling Hills Estates; and,

  • The CPUC’s response to Staff’s comments on the Mitigated Negative Declaration for a possible future fiber optic cable installation project by Yipes Enterprise Services.

BACKGROUND

The following is the regular monthly report to the City Council on various "border issues" potentially affecting the residents of Rancho Palos Verdes. The complete text of the current status report is available for review on the City’s website at:

http://www.palosverdes.com/rpv/planning/content/20041103_BorderIssues_StatusRpt.cfm

DISCUSSION

Current Border Issues

Harbor Hills Community Center, Los Angeles County Housing Authority/Lomita

As reported in the Daily Breeze on October 21, 2004 (see attachments), the 12,650-square-foot recreational facility for the County Housing Authority’s Harbor Hills community in Lomita has been completed. Staff is unaware of any complaints from Rancho Palos Verdes residents during its construction, but we will continue to monitor the site for resident complaints regarding its operation. Staff intends to remove this item from future Border Issues reports, unless otherwise directed by the City Council.

South Coast County Golf Course, County of Los Angeles/Rolling Hills Estates

On the morning of October 6, 2004, an "unauthorized non-storm water discharge consisting of landfill gas condensate" occurred at the former landfill site (see attached letter from the Sanitation Districts to the Regional Water Quality Control Board). Due to simultaneous failures of two components of a gas well, approximately one hundred twenty (120) gallons of fluid were released into a storm drain at the northerly boundary of the site. These fluids were recovered within the storm drain channel approximately three (3) miles downstream from the landfill. Samples of the fluid were tested, but the results of this testing were not yet available as of the date of the Sanitation Districts’ letter (October 14, 2004).

Ponte Vista Project at Former Navy Housing Site, Los Angeles (San Pedro)

As of late-October 2004, the Navy had not yet issued the Invitation for Bids (IFB) to begin the on-line auction of the Ponte Vista property. However, the auction website has been updated to include additional, detailed information about the portions of the property to be conveyed to Volunteers of America (VOA) and the Kenny Nickelson Memorial Foundation (KNMF) for homeless housing and related services (see attachments).

At the end of the auction and prior to close of escrow, the winning bidder will have the opportunity to negotiate an alternative agreement with VOA and/or KNMF to "buy out" their interests, which total approximately twenty (20) acres of the 62-acre site and include seventy-six (76) existing residences and two (2) non-residential buildings. The Navy shall have final authority to approve any alternative agreement reached by winning bidder and the homeless services providers. In the event that an alternative agreement is not approved and/or executed, the Navy shall quitclaim the designated portions of the site to VOA and/or KNMF.

Harbor-South Bay Water Recycling Project, Army Corps of Engineers/WBMWD

Staff recently followed up on the status of this project with the West Basin Municipal Water District (WBMWD). The Army Corps of Engineers plans to award a design contract for the Palos Verdes portion of the project in November 2004. Project design would take about six to eight months, during which time WBMWD plans to meet with Peninsula cities regarding construction impacts and traffic control. Within Rancho Palos Verdes, the line would be mostly in Hawthorne Boulevard (from the northerly City limit to about Los Verdes Drive), with a short leg in Highridge Road (from Hawthorne Boulevard to about Crestridge Road). Construction of the Palos Verdes portion of the project is expected to begin in Fall 2005 or Winter 2006.

Downtown Master Plan, Rolling Hills Estates

On October 25, 2004, the City Council and Planning Commission of Rolling Hills Estates held a joint meeting for a presentation of proposed master plan development standards and three (3) proposed mixed-use projects in the Peninsula Center area. The project sites include the existing car wash at 627 Deep Valley Drive, the former ARCO station at 828 Silver Spur Road, and the existing medical office building at 827 Deep Valley Drive. Of particular concern to Rancho Palos Verdes residents is the former ARCO station site, which is located directly below residences on Golden Arrow Drive and Beechgate Drive. The meeting was well attended by residents, business owners, developers, real estate professionals and other stakeholders in the Peninsula Center area.

With respect to the proposed development standards for the Downtown Master Plan, the Peninsula Center area is proposed to be divided into four (4) districts with differing development standards based upon the orientation of the parcels in each district to the existing major roadways (i.e., Silver Spur Road and Deep Valley Drive). The properties along "Little" Silver Spur Road are proposed to be designated as District 1 (see attached development standards and diagram). As currently proposed, the District 1 standards would allow residential densities of up to forty (40) units per acre and structures up to sixty-five feet (65’) or five (5) stories in height. This would be the tallest and most dense development permitted within the downtown area. It should be noted that Rancho Palos Verdes residents live immediately north of District 1 in the Peninsula Rim community.

With respect to the development of the former ARCO site at 828 Silver Spur Road, the owner proposes a 37,000-square-foot building encompassing twenty (20) condominium units and four thousand square feet (4,000 SF) of retail space fronting on Silver Spur Road. As currently envisioned, the structure would be approximately fifty-six feet (56’) tall and would employ a very contemporary style of architecture. The project received a very mixed reception from the City Council and Planning Commission, who expressed concerns about the project’s bulk, mass, height, architectural style and off-street parking facilities. These concerns were also shared by Rancho Palos Verdes resident who attended the workshop.

Condominiums at 28000 South Western Avenue, Los Angeles (San Pedro)

The applications for the proposed condominium project are currently being reviewed for completeness by the City of Los Angeles. Once the applications are deemed complete, the environmental analysis of the project will begin. Based upon a conversation with the developer’s representative, Staff anticipates that an Initial Study for the project may be available for review by early 2005.

Office/Retail Building at 5883 Crest Road, Rolling Hills Estates

On September 28, 2004, the Rolling Hills Estates City Council called up the Planning Commission’s approval of the project for a public hearing on October 26, 2004. As of the date this report was completed, the City Council had not yet considered this matter. Staff intends to follow the progress of this application and report back to the City Council in the December 7, 2004 Border Issues report.

Yipes Fiber Optic Cable Installation Project, California Public Utilities Commission

On October 18, 2004, Staff received the attached response to our comments on the Yipes fiber optic cable installation project from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC Staff intends to remove this item from future Border Issues reports until more specific cable routing project are identified, unless otherwise directed by the City Council.

New Border Issues

There are no new Border Issues on which to report at this time.

Respectfully submitted:

Joel Rojas, AICP, Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement

Reviewed by:

Les Evans, City Manager

Attachments:

Daily Breeze article regarding Harbor Hills Community Center (10/21/04)

Letter from County Sanitation Districts regarding unauthorized discharge (10/14/04)

Information from the Ponte Vista website regarding the upcoming on-line auction

Agenda for joint RHE City Council/Planning Commission meeting on mixed-use projects

Proposed RHE mixed-use development standards and diagram of District 1

CPUC response to City comments on the Yipes fiber optic cable project (10/18/04)