WHAT HAPPENED: The City Council accepted...

WHAT HAPPENED:

The City Council accepted a $379,000 grant from the State of

California, Department of Parks and Recreation, which will be used

for the construction of cultural facilities at the Community/Senior

Center.

WHAT IT MEANS:

It will help funding efforts because most of the money will be

shared with Laguna Beach seniors, according to the city’s agreement

with them, City Manager Ken Frank said. The city has already

allocated its share of the money in the budget, but the seniors are

still raising their share of the money.

Mayor Wayne Baglin and Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman recused

themselves from the vote.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council approved the zoning ordinance on direct access

regulations.

WHAT IT MEANS:

At its last meeting on Oct. 15, the council voted to decide the

issue so that city staff could respond to questions provided by

resident Bill McGehee. The ordinance will allow access driveways and

stipulates that any new road that creates a building site, including

dead-end roads, must provide direct access.

WHAT HAPPENED:

After receiving an update on sidewalk improvement projects for

South Coast Highway, the council directed staff to proceed with

vegetation abatement along the inland side of South Coast Highway

between Moss Street and Cardinal Place, using funds from the South

Coast Highway Sidewalk Construction Project

WHAT IT MEANS:

Director of City Public Works Steve May gave an update on the

citywide sidewalk improvement projects. The Park Avenue project,

which proposes to build a sidewalk on the uphill side from St. Anne’s

Drive to Wendt Terrace, received a Safe Routes to School Grant from

Caltrans. The grant will cover 50% of the project cost. City staff is

reviewing the design to make sure that it conforms with the grant’s

criteria. The project is budgeted at $120,000.

The North Coast Highway project between Viejo and Ledriot streets

has been approved by the Design Review Board and is expected to go

out to bid after Caltrans completes its review. The project is

budgeted at $100,000.

The South Coast Highway project, budgeted at $100,000, has five

major issues that has inflated its cost to about $1.3 million.

Caltrans requires a minimum 5-foot width on sidewalks, which would

require large retaining walls and the relocation of some utilities.

Councilman Paul Freeman was absent from the remainder of the

meeting.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council heard a status report on fire-damaged lots that do not

have an application for rebuilding and it approved a mandatory

cleanup of 25 lots that have remained inactive.

WHAT IT MEANS:

These 25 lots are earmarked because they present a blight to their

neighborhoods, Director of Community Development Kyle Butterwick said

during his presentation. The council’s motion will establish a

mandatory cleanup or abatement period for the removal of all

fire-damaged construction remnants by May 31, 2005. Property owners

have until May 31, 2004, to request a public hearing to retain

fire-damaged improvements. City staff will also be empowered to

initiate nuisance abatement procedures against fire-damaged

properties that have not complied with the abatement program before

June 1, 2005.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council voted not to move forward with a Request for Proposal

for the preparation of a Downtown Specific Plan Area Traffic and

Parking Management Master Plan.

WHAT IT MEANS:

After reviewing the draft of the Request for Proposals, the

council found that the request needed more refining before it was

willing to invest $117,140 in the project. The council directed staff

to return a revised draft before the end of the current budgeting

cycle.

Councilwoman Toni Iseman dissented.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council accepted an existing city policy on the community

development administrative approval process.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The policy requires a noticed public hearing for all design

modifications to a project previously approved by the Design Review

Board. The Planning Commission will review the effectiveness of this

policy in one year.