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TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS Trails Status Report Conestoga Drive Connector Trail The equestrian community has requested the City Council to review the possibility of constructing a trail between Conestoga Drive and the first hairpin bend on Palos Verdes Drive East. There is a wide right of way, which can accommodate a narrow trail away from the traffic on PVDE and away from the adjacent homeowners. The current CTP classification of the trail as “easy” requires a trail with a 6’ tread width to be constructed, with a clearance width of 10’, which creates construction difficulties, as there is a steep cross fall in places. However, the equestrian community would prefer to have a “challenging” classification, which provides a narrower trail with a minimum tread width of 2’ and a minimum horizontal clearance of just 4’. On July 11, staff conducted a well-attended community outreach meeting to present the concept and hear the support of the community and objections and concerns of the residents. The main concerns expressed by the property owners living next to the proposed trail are: There are 10 Rolling Hills Estates property owners that border on the PVDE right-of-way, who will be affected by the proposed trail route. Although half of these have expressed reservations, none expressed opposition to the construction of a trail. Mitigation PVIC/Ocean Front Estates Trail Connector This will be in line with the City’s Trails Network Plan and Conceptual Trails Plan and greatly enhance the experience of using the Point Vicente Interpretive Center. ANALYSIS Conestoga Drive Connector Trail 1. Construct a 6’ wide tread (“easy” classification): Although this complies with existing classification it requires a retaining system with considerable cost and clearing. Budget amount of $55,000 Annual maintenance costs for the “challenging” classification are estimated to be $1500.00 to $2000.00. The maintenance work will be accomplished through the City’s Roadside Maintenance and Parks Landscape Maintenance contracts. PVIC/Ocean Front Estates Trail Connector Informal bids were received from 4 contractors. Montecito Landscape Construction submitted the lowest responsible bid of $19,000. References were contacted and reported satisfactory or above performance on similar projects. The low bidder is satisfied with his bid and is ready to go to work. Although the bid prices varied greatly, the bid is within 6% of the Engineer’s Estimate. Annual maintenance costs for this segment of trail are estimated to be minimal. However, staff recommends budgeting $500. For the two segments staff recommends budgeting a total of $2000 for annual maintenance. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS Conestoga Drive Connector Trail PVIC/Ocean Front Estates Trail Connector FISCAL IMPACT Conestoga Drive Connector Trail PVIC/Ocean Front Estates Trail Connector Submitted by, Ray Holland Reviewed, Les Evans Attachments City of Rancho Palos Verdes TRAILS STATUS REPORT AUGUST 15, 2006 EXISTING TRAILS PLANS The City has two adopted plans that govern the development of public trails: the Trails Network Plan and the Conceptual Trails Plan. Each of these two documents is described in greater detail in the section below. Trails Network Plan The City’s Trails Network Plan (TNP) was adopted by the City Council on November 27, 1984. Building on the trail related goals and policies established in the City’s General Plan (adopted June 1975) and the Coastal Specific Plan (adopted December 1978), the purpose of the TNP was to provide a specific trail network plan for pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian users. The TNP was intended to serve as an advisory tool for City decision-makers and as a guide for implementing and funding city and regional trails. The document addresses issues such as trail standards, funding resources, signage, implementation procedures and trail maintenance. The TNP has not been amended or updated since 1984. Conceptual Trails Plan On January 22, 1990, the City Council approved the Conceptual Trails Plan (CTP) and the Conceptual Bikeways Plan (CBP). Both documents were approved in an effort to implement the City’s TNP. It was envisioned that the information contained in the CTP and CBP would be used in conjunction to implement a comprehensive trails network plan for the City. Both plans state that the City reserves the right to modify, realign or eliminate any trail identified in either plan (including existing bikeways) and may add previously unidentified trails, as circumstances warrant in the future. Working in conjunction with the City’s Traffic Committee, the 1990 CBP was revised by the Planning Staff in 1996. The revised plan was approved by the City Council on October 15, 1996. After the 1996 revision, it was envisioned that the CBP would be updated in 2000 and every four years thereafter. The CBP has not been amended or updated since 1996. The purpose of the CTP was to identify the trail opportunities within the community so that the acquisition and development of new public trails could take place as private development proposals and public works projects were constructed or as other opportunities presented themselves. The CTP specifically stated that the inclusion of a trail or trail segment in the plan did not legally authorize the use of these trails by the public or in any way guarantee their eventual implementation. The CTP describes six categories of trails. - Category I. Existing dedicated trails that meet the Conceptual Trails Plan trail standards. In 1990 there were 20 trails in this category. - Category II. Proposed trails and trail segments that cross undeveloped privately owned land that is zoned as being developable. These trails and trail segments should be implemented when the respective parcels of land are developed. In 1990 there were 51 trails in this category. - Category III. Proposed trails and trail segments that require implementation of improvements and are located on existing trail easements, City property, or street right-of-ways. In 1990 there were 42 trails in this category. Of the 42 trails there were 23 that were in street right-of-ways where the Public Works Department had the lead in developing the trails. Eleven trails were in City parkland and the Recreation and Parks Department was assigned the lead for implementation. Eight trails were identified as difficult situations requiring designation as special projects possibly with grant funds. - Category IV. Proposed trails and trail segments that cross privately owned land designated as Open Space of Open Space Hazard, or on land owned by a public utility or public agency. In 1990 there were 21 trails in this category. These trails and trail segments require the acquisition of easements and implementation or improvements, and were placed into three sub-categories. One subcategory includes three trails that are on the Narbonne right-of-way. Three trails are on property owned by other public agencies. 15 trails cross privately owned land designated as Restricted Use or Open Space Hazard. - Category V. Proposed trails that would primarily benefit neighborhood residents, and that cross privately owned land. Efforts to implement these trails should be initiated by affected property owners or community groups and not by City staff. In 1990 there were 22 trails in this category. - Category VI. Important trails and trail segments that have special circumstances, considerations, or constraints. In 1990 there were six trails in this category. The Conceptual Trails Plan (CTP) was intended to be the first phase in a process to revise the City’s Trails Network Plan. Working in conjunction with Recreation and Parks staff, with overview provided by the Recreation and Parks Committee (since disbanded), the Conceptual Trails Plan (CTP) was revised by the City Council on December 6, 1991 and September 7, 1993. After the 1993 revision, it was envisioned that the CTP would be reviewed again in 1996 and every four years thereafter to coincide with the periodic review of the CBP. The CTP has not been amended or updated since 1993. It is not clear why the CTP was not updated in 1996 or thereafter. The most likely explanation is that the Recreation and Parks Committee, which oversaw the development of the CTP and subsequent revisions, was disbanded after 1993 and staff cutbacks in the Recreation and Parks Department left no Staff dedicated to trail planning. However, there are other issues such as: 1. The Administrative Procedures for Trails Implementation that was adopted at the same time as the Conceptual Trails Plan did not assign responsibility for completing the trail system to any single City Department. Although the City has done a good job applying the CTP to major new development proposals, such as Ocean Trails, Seabreeze and Ocean Front Estates, the trails of the CTP were often not implemented for small infill developments since supreme court land use decisions in the 1990’s limited the City’s ability to require trail easements from property owners as conditions of project approval. In addition, street projects were designed that should have included trail segments. As has been suggested before the plan is very difficult to read and understand and is familiar to only a few City staff members. In 2001, realizing that a review and update was overdue, the City Council approved funding of $25,000 in the FY 01-02 budget to update the CTP. However, in approving the subsequent FY 02-03 budget, the City Council approved funding of an additional $200,000 to complete a comprehensive update of the General Plan, Coastal Specific Plan and Trails Network Plan. In approving such funding, the Council agreed with Staff’s recommendation that the update of the Coastal Specific Plan and Trails Network Plan be pursued after the General Plan has been updated. Since the update of the City’s General Plan has not been completed, an update of the Trails Network Plan has not been commenced. Notwithstanding the lack of a formal comprehensive update to the TNP, some work has been done of late to update the CTP. Specifically, the Assistant City Manager has worked with PVNet to transfer all of the conceptual trails shown on the difficult to read non-digitized CTP maps and display them on the City’s digitized orthographic map to create one city-wide conceptual trails map (see attached). The draft citywide map distinguishes between “existing” trails (Category I) and “proposed” trails (Categories II through VI). Several trails identified as “existing” on the citywide map were identified as “proposed” in the last update to the CTP in 1993. These include the trails that have been constructed in conjunction with the new developments at Seaview on Crest Road, Ocean Front Estates and Trump National Golf Course, as well as through Council’s approval of the Forrestal Management Plan in July 2005. The citywide map is color-coded by trail type (multipurpose, off-road bicycle, pedestrian and pedestrian/equestrian) that clearly identifies the various trails and trail segments and color-codes them by category. Recommendations: 1. Following completion of the PUMP and Annenberg Visioning Grant described below, update the Conceptual Trails Plan, including the status of the 162 trails identified in the 1990 Conceptual Trails Plan. CURRENT MASTER PLANNING THAT WILL IMPACT EXISTING TRAILS PLANS The City has recently embarked on two master planning efforts that will have an impact on the City’s existing trails plans: the Public Use Master Plan (PUMP) and the Annenberg Visioning Grant. These two efforts are described in greater detail in the section below. Public Use Master Plan (PUMP) The City has recently commenced preparation of the Public Use Master Plan (PUMP) for the Portuguese Bend Nature Preserve. As part of this effort, a Preserve Trail Plan will be created for the Preserve. Creation of said trail plan will involve an assessment of the conceptual trails identified in the CTP and the actual trails that exist on the Preserve properties as to whether they should be kept, closed or re-routed. The PUMP Committee’s recommendations on the Preserve Trail Plan will eventually be forwarded to the City Council for approval as part of the overall PUMP. In the end, the approved Preserve Trails Plan will function as an update to portions of 3 of the 5 sections of the CTP (the CTP divides the entire City into 5 sections and the Preserve occupies most of sections 1, 3 and 4). It is envisioned that after the PUMP is approved by the City Council, Staff will embark on updating the remaining sections of the CTP (the portions outside of the Preserve). That effort will be coordinated with an update of the CBP so that both plans can be updated together as a new TNP. It is anticipated that the PUMP Committee will complete its work on the PUMP sometime in the summer of 2007. An update of the remaining CTP and CBP would be initiated sometime thereafter and would likely take one year to complete. Annenberg Visioning Grant The Vision Plan Project Area The Vision Plan will encompass the following key open space areas: The entire Portuguese Bend Nature Preserve ( NCCP Preserve) These properties were selected because they serve as key open space parcels and/or because they provide ideal public use opportunities. Although several of the identified properties have had some planning and community input on their uses, there has never been a public process to consider all of the properties together. The Vision Plan Goal The goal of the Vision Plan will be to create a coordinated master plan for these areas, with public access, interpretive materials, recreational amenities, and other facilities to improve the experience of the coast and open space for residents of and visitors to the Peninsula. The Plan will identify program, design and linkage concepts for the entire area. In addition, the process will consider the possibility of locating an animal care and rescue center on one of the properties, a project of interest to the Annenberg Foundation. The PUMP Component of the Vision Plan A component of the Vision Plan will be the creation of a Public Use Master Plan (PUMP) for the following properties that make up the Portuguese Bend Nature Preserve: Shoreline Park In accordance with the City’s NCCP, the PUMP must be prepared and submitted to the resource agencies within 2 years of the NCCP Implementing Agreement being signed by all parties. Preparation of the PUMP will be a major undertaking and the financial assistance provided by the Annenberg grant will be invaluable for completing the PUMP within the required time line. To assist with development of the PUMP, a PUMP steering committee was appointed by the City Council. The PUMP Committee consists of 16 community members who bring various points of view to the committee. CURRENT TRAIL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS There are two specific trail improvement projects that are being presented to City Council on August 15, 2006 for approval and funding allocations: the RHE Trail Connection at Conestoga Drive and the PVIC/Ocean Front Estates Trail Connection. Please refer to the Public Works Department’s August 15, 2006 staff report for a complete description of these two proposed projects. “HOT TOPIC” TRAIL ISSUES In the last year or two, issues have surfaced regarding three trail segments that are identified as “proposed” in the Conceptual Trails Plan. The background and current status of these trails is described in the section below. Equestrian Trails along PVDE (Sunnyside Ridge Road to Bronco Drive) Public Works Staff has worked over the past year with interested residents to improve equestrian access and safety on Palos Verdes Drive East in the north portion of the City. Various actions have been taken, including vegetation trimming and installation of raised pavement markers. In order to develop a more comprehensive solution, Staff met with members of the equestrian community to identify their needs and goals, as well as discuss potential engineering limitations. The northern section of roadway along Palos Verdes Drive East is included as a Conceptual Trail designated as the “Upper Palos Verdes Drive East Segment” in the City’s Conceptual Trails Plan (Section 5, Trail C18). The status of this conceptual equestrian pathway is a Category III trail. The Status of all conceptual trails is included in the Conceptual Trails Plan to indicate what would be involved in the implementation of a particular trail. Each conceptual trail has been placed into one of six categories. Category III trails are proposed trails and trail segments which are located on existing trail easements, City property, or street right-of-ways and which require implementation or improvements. Input from the equestrian community revealed that improvements are desired along Palos Verdes Drive East (PVDE) between Sunnyside Ridge Road and Bronco Drive. This section of the Upper Palos Verdes Drive East Segment conceptual trail is the route most equestrians use to access trails within the City of Rolling Hills. Although riders take various routes to reach Bronco Drive, It was determined that the most desirable route is for riders to travel on the east side of PVDE from Sunnyside Ridge Road to the north intersection of Headland Drive. From that point, they could cross PVDE and travel on Headland Drive, emerging back onto PVDE at the south intersection of Headland Drive. From there, they would travel on the west side of PVDE to Bronco Drive at which point they would travel west on Bronco Drive to the riding trails. This was determined to be the most appropriate route since it provides a crossing with the greatest visibility of traffic allows riders to avoid a portion of PVDE and uses existing facilities. Some riders travel entirely on the east side of PVDE and cross at Bronco Drive. However this is not a desirable crossing location due to the horizontal curve and resulting limited visibility of traffic. During the April 29, 2006 budget workshop, staff presented a comprehensive plan consisting of four (4) alternatives to the City Council. The plan was developed to improve the northern section of the trail along Palos Verdes Drive East. The project area is designated as a category III Conceptual Trail, known as the “Upper Palos Verdes Drive East Segment” in the City’s Conceptual Trails Plan. Category III trails are defined as proposed trails and trail segments which are located on existing trail easements, City property, or street right-of-ways and which require implementation or improvements. Limits to the proposed improvements start at Bronco Drive and proceeded northerly to Sunnyside Ridge (a location map is attached). Included in the proposed improvements was: a traffic control device located at Palos Verdes Drive East and Headland Drive to facilitate equine crossings of Palos Verdes Drive East, modifying curbs along the trail to separate the trail from the roadway, improving trail areas to provide a continuous raised trail and the itemized list of improvements below. The cost estimates for the comprehensive improvement alternatives ranged from $143,000 to $222,000. The City Council received the report, heard testimony from speakers associated with the equestrian community and provided policy direction to staff that included authorizing $13,700 to be included in the FY 06/07 budget for improvements to the Equestrian Trail along the northern end of Palos Verdes Drive East. The authorized trail improvements included actions 1 through 5, action 8 and action 9 (maps are attached and work items summarized below): - Modifying guard rail ends to increase access width of the trail, Status: Sol Vista (Sunnyside Ridge) Trail According to the Planning Department, there was a complete analysis of the trail issue before an application for the new home on the vacant lot (the former Narbonne ROW) was submitted. The house on the other side (downside) of the easement was built before the City incorporated. According to the project file, the lot where the new home was built was formally the old Narbonne ROW parcel. In 1996, the owner of the underlying fee requested that the ROW be vacated. However, because the Conceptual Trails Plan identified an equestrian/pedestrian link over the ROW parcel, which would provide a trail link for the Peninsula Loop Trail, Public Works was requiring the dedication of a trail easement to preserve the trail link. The width and location of the trail easement was reviewed and discussed by the Recreation & Parks Committee and ultimately approved by the City Council on August 6, 1996 when they approved the vacation request. According to Dean Allison’s August 6, 1996 CC Staff Report, the Recreation & Parks Committee recommended that the vacation applicant dedicate a 15-foot wide easement along the easterly side of the property (where the easement is now) and deposit money to construct the trail. However, at the applicant's request, Mr. Allison recommended a 10-foot wide easement, which is what the CC approved. Furthermore, Mr. Allison estimated that it would cost $2,000 to provide the trail. After the vacation was approved by the CC in August 1996, a Certificate of Compliance was approved by Planning in December 1996 making the former ROW parcel a legal lot that could be developed with a residence. The recorded certificate of compliance included the dedicated trail easement as approved by the CC. In June 2000, Staff home approved a new on the lot with a condition that no grading occurs in the 10-foot wide trail easement. During construction of the house, when a construction fence was placed along the actual surveyed trail easement line, is when Sunshine and others raised the issue about the lack of a proper trail easement. This is when Mr. Allison stepped in to try to find a solution. It would be possible to construct the section of "conceptual" trail in the easement, but it will require some type of retaining wall. At the City Manager’s request, a local contractor (pro bono) prepared an informal design solution (in September 2004) and estimated a cost of $8,200 to place the retaining wall. Mr. Allison was going to consult our geologist and engineers to see if the solution was practical, however it is unknown if he ever did. Further, it is Staff’s understanding that the section of trail that lies between the homes does not access an existing trail for which the City has an easement to provide a complete connection between Sunnyside Ridge and PVDE. Rather it accesses a trail on private property. Status: Miraleste Library Trail RESOLUTION NO. 2006- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS WHEREAS, Section 3.32 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code provides that all expenditures in excess of budgeted allocations must be by supplemental appropriation of the City Council; and WHEREAS, on June 6, 2006, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes adopted Resolution 2006-41, approving a spending plan and authorizing a budget appropriation for the 2006-07 fiscal year; and WHEREAS, it is necessary for the City to allocate additional funds to construct a trail between Conestoga Drive and the hairpin bend on Palos Verdes Drive East 900 feet from the City’s northern city boundary; and WHEREAS, a budget increase in the Street Improvement Program is necessary to authorize the expenditure of additional funds for the construction of a trail within the Palos Verdes Drive East street right-of-way; BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES: The following adjustments be made to the following funds: General Fund Capital Improvement Projects Fund – Street Improvements PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 15th DAY OF August, 2006. ___________________________ ATTEST: State of California ) I, CAROLYNN PETRU, City Clerk of The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the above Resolution No. 2006- was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on August 15, 2006. RESOLUTION NO. 2006- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS WHEREAS, Section 3.32 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code provides that all expenditures in excess of budgeted allocations must be by supplemental appropriation of the City Council; and WHEREAS, on June 6, 2006, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes adopted Resolution 2006-41, approving a spending plan and authorizing a budget appropriation for the 2006-07 fiscal year; and WHEREAS, it is necessary for the City to allocate additional funds to construct a trail connection from the Point Vicente Lighthouse property to the eastern extreme of Ocean Front Estates; and WHEREAS, a budget increase in the Parks, Trails and Open Space Improvement Program is necessary to authorize the expenditure of additional funds for the construction of a trail connecting PVIC and Ocean Front Estates; BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES: The following adjustments be made to the following funds: General Fund Capital Improvement Projects Fund – Parks, Trails & Open Space Improvements PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 15th DAY OF August, 2006. ___________________________ ATTEST: State of California ) I, CAROLYNN PETRU, City Clerk of The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the above Resolution No. 2006- was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on August 15, 2006. RESOLUTION NO. 2006- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS WHEREAS, Section 3.32 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code provides that all expenditures in excess of budgeted allocations must be by supplemental appropriation of the City Council; and WHEREAS, on June 6, 2006, the City Council of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes adopted Resolution 2006-41, approving a spending plan and authorizing a budget appropriation for the 2006-07 fiscal year; and WHEREAS, it is necessary for the City to allocate additional funds for maintenance of the Conestoga Drive Trail and PVIC/Ocean Front Estates Trail; and WHEREAS, a budget increase in the Parks, Trails and Open Space Maintenance Program is necessary to authorize the expenditure of additional funds for the maintenance of the Conestoga Drive and PVIC/Ocean Front Estates trails; BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES: The following adjustments be made to the following fund: General Fund - Parks, Trails & Open Space Maintenance Program Maintenance 101-3009-431-43-00 $2,000 PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 15th DAY OF August, 2006. ___________________________ ATTEST: State of California ) I, CAROLYNN PETRU, City Clerk of The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the above Resolution No. 2006- was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on August 15, 2006. |
