Specific plan reopened

******FOR THE RECORD: In the Nov. 19 article “Specific plan reopened,” the changes to the annual parking pass were incorrectly stated. The city’s annual pass will remain a single pass, but the fee will be increased to $150.*******

The Huntington Beach City Council has voted to reopen the public hearing of the Downtown Specific Plan after a request by Mayor Pro Tem Cathy Green.

The motion passed, 4 to 3, at Monday’s meeting, with Mayor Keith Bohr and Councilmen Devin Dwyer and Don Hansen voting against it.

The Downtown Specific Plan is a long-range planning document that dictates building and parking specifications and design guidelines. The plan will increase development over the next 20 years.

“I would to like to reconsider my vote on the Downtown Specific Plan,” Green said.

Green said she wants to lower the density allowances the council approved at its Nov. 2 meeting.

The council overruled the Planning Commission’s recommendation to increase density in larger lots. Developers with three or more lots can put as many as 50 dwelling units per acre, up from the 35 units per acre the commission approved.

Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Assn. spokesman Kim Kramer said he supports Green’s desire to lower the density allowance.

“The [association] is very much in favor of anything that anyone can do to diminish the growth downtown,” Kramer said.

City Atty. Jennifer McGrath said the decision to reopen the hearing will reopen the entire plan. The public can speak about any issue of the plan, and the council can change any of its previous decisions.

Kramer said his group isn’t concerned the council members will change their votes on the Main Street Library or Triangle Park, but will keep an eye on it.

The council is expected to reopen the plan Jan. 19.

Parking fees and annual pass rates will increase in Surf City parking structures and lots starting Dec. 1.

The council adopted a resolution to change the parking fees to encourage patrons to park in the appropriate location for what they are doing. Green and Councilman Joe Carchio voted against it.

City staff recommended eliminating the validation system for customers and employees, increasing employee monthly parking rates and increasing the rates for daily, holiday and special events parking based on a parking study by consultant Kimley-Horn Associates Inc.

The council voted to keep the city’s customer and employee validation system, despite staff’s recommendation to eliminate it. The council is changing the employee system to raise the day pass rate from 50 cents to $2.

Employee monthly parking pass rates were also increased from $15 to $20.

Annual parking passes are going to increase, but the council eliminated the staff suggestion to increase the rate by $10 each year for five years. The pass was split into three passes: Beach, Main Promenade Parking Structure and Combination Pass.

The beach pass will allow users to park on city beach lots and in metered spots on Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard for $125. The promenade pass is for that structure only and is $150. The combination pass allows users to park in both areas for $200.

The Main Promenade Parking Structure will also start offering a flat rate of $5 for customers after 9 p.m. Its daily rate was increased to a dollar for the first two hours and a dollar for every 20 minutes after that, with the first 30 minutes free.

Residents and business owners spoke against the rate increases and elimination of validation.

“No one seems to know we are in the middle of a recession,” resident and business owner Steve Daniel said. “And here we are talking about raising rates and changing things around.”

The council approved a pre-zoning requirement for the annexation of an unincorporated island on the Bolsa Chica Mesa.

The island is under the city’s sphere of influence and is 6.2 acres near Bolsa Chica Street, just south of Los Patos Avenue, referred to as the Goodell property.

The city approved a zoning change to make about half the property low-density residential and split the other half between open space and coastal conservation land. The county has the land zoned similar to low-density residential.

The pre-zoning is an annexation requirement of the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, said city Associate Planner Jennifer Villasenor.