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MTP - ACTION ITEM: (1) Discussion of Options to Pave Unpaved Alleyways Citywide; and (2) Direction to Staff.
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Meeting Date: October 26, 2023
Contact Person: Mate Gaspar, Engineering Services Manager, Public Works
Phone: (310) 253-5602
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: E-Mail via GovDelivery (10/19/23): Meetings and Agendas - Mobility, Traffic & Parking Subcommittee; Notify Me - Construction, Street Maintenance and Closures; Stay Informed - Bicycle & Pedestrian / Culver CityBus / Construction, Street Maintenance and Closures
Department Approval: Yanni Demitri, Director of Public Works/City Engineer (10/19/2023)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Mobility, Parking & Traffic Subcommittee discuss various options regarding paving the City’s unpaved alleyways and provide direction to staff.
BACKGROUND
At the City Council meeting on 02/13/23, the City Council directed staff to place an item on the agenda to discuss the status, ongoing maintenance, and possible options for paving unpaved alleyways throughout the City. At the 06/12/23 City Council meeting, staff provided a brief background of this long-standing issue and proposed three options for paying for such improvements. The City Council discussed the topic and referred the discussion to the Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee. At the August 24, 2023 Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee meeting, Subcommittee members discussed paving options, funding options including cost-sharing, and requested that staff return with a prioritized list.
Culver City has approximately 2.4 miles of unpaved alleys. Unpaved alleys are alleyways that use compacted gravel and/or dirt as a driving surface.
Adjacent residents are regularly impacted by blowing dust and the uneven driving/biking surfaces of these unpaved alleyways. The winter storms in 2022/2023 drew attention to this issue, as the unpaved alleys can flood during heavy rains and become inaccessible to vehicles or pedestrians. The Public Works Department Maintenance Operations Division regrades the unpaved alleys once annually to allow for positive drainage and pumps stormwater from these unpaved alleyways as needed when resources are available.
The City has prioritized spending City general and gas tax funds for arterial and residential street paving projects. As a result, unpaved alleyways have not been funded for new asphalt construction through the annual capital improvement program. Although, a few alleyways have been paved as part of adjacent projects.
When property owners or residents adjacent to unpaved alleys have requested the City pave the dirt alleys, the Public Works Department’s practice has been to instruct the property owners to form an assessment district to fund the cost of the design and construction of a new asphalt alleyway. A majority of the adjacent property owners have to agree to the assessment levy at a City Council public hearing in order to form a district. Once approved and formed, the property owners reimburse the City for the cost to pave the alleyway over 10 years at a fixed market interest rate through their property tax bill. To date, no property owners adjacent to unpaved alleyways have proceeded to form such assessment districts.
Unpaved alleys are common across the United States. Agencies have struggled to find ways to fund the paving of dirt alleys. The highest priority for agencies is to use paving funds to repave arterial and residential streets. There are no County, State, or Federal grants or Highway earmarks to pave alleyways.
DISCUSSION
For discussion, staff requests the Mobility, Traffic, and Parking Subcommittee consider the following options and considerations regarding unpaved alleyways in the City.
• Should City continue the practice of requiring property owners to form an assessment district to fund the entire cost of alleyway paving.
• Should City instead offer a cost share option in which the adjacent property owners would pay a percentage of the alleyway paving cost, and the City would pay the remaining cost, predicated on the condition that the property owners form an assessment district to pay back their portion of the cost.
• Discuss other funding options
• Determine if unpaved alleys should be prioritized for new paving and which alleys should be prioritized.
Staff recommends that unpaved alleys be prioritized for paving based on:
• Volume of complaints/requests from the adjacent residents (over many years), and
• Public Works Engineering and Maintenance Operations staff’s knowledge of alley dust levels due to drought conditions and the frequent flooding due to storms.
Based on these two criteria, staff recommends the following unpaved alleys be prioritized for paving:
• Alleys between Sawtelle Blvd and Globe Ave (estimated cost: $1,000,000);
• Alley between Glencoe Ave and Walgrove Ave (estimated cost: $450,000); and
• Alley between Sepulveda Blvd and Bentley Ave (estimated cost: $1,350,000).
Subcommittee may consider other priorities and prioritize other alleyways.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The Engineers’ estimate to design and pave the three alleys listed above is $2.8 million.
The Engineers’ estimate to design and pave all 2.4 miles of unpaved alleys in the City is approximately $11.5 million.
No funds were included in the Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 for this purpose.
ATTACHMENTS
• 2023-10-26-ATT MTP-Mtg-List_of_Unpaved Alleys.pdf
• 2023-10-26-ATT-MTP-Mtg-Cost_Estimate_to_Pave_Unpaved_Alleyways.pdf