City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the City
Manager to submit a grant application for streetscape and bicycle and pedestrian
improvements onJefferson Boulevard(near Hetzler Road) through the Baldwin
Hills Conservancy’s (BHC) Proposition 84 Grant Program.
BACKGROUND:
California voters passed Proposition 84 on November 7, 2006. Proposition 84
allocated $10 million to the BHC for the protection of the Ballona Creek
Watershed and the Baldwin Hills Parklands. Of this amount, $2 million have been
made available in 2011 for a grant program. The purpose of this grant program is
to provide funds for planning and capital improvement projects that benefit the
Ballona Creek Watershed and Baldwin Hills Conservancy territory by:
1) Protecting or preventing contamination and degradation of coastal waters
and watersheds
2) Protecting and restoring the natural habitat values of coastal waters and
lands
3) Promoting access to and enjoyment of the coastal resources of the state
Staff is proposing to submit a grant application that will meet the above grant
purpose by creating environmentally-sustainable improvements that promote
access to and enjoyment of the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook (Overlook) and
Meeting Date: 06/13/2011 Item Number: C-9
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the City
Manager to Submit a Grant Application through the Baldwin Hills
Conservancy’s Proposition 84 Grant Program for Jefferson Boulevard
Streetscape and Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Improvements.
Contact Person/Dept.:
Helen Kerstein/PW
Phone Number:
(310) 253-5618
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: ________________
Public Notification: (E-mail) Agenda and Meetings – City Council (06/08/11); (E-mail)
Baldwin Hills Conservancy (06/08/11); (E-Mail) CaliforniaState Parks (06/08/11)
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson(06/06/11)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (06/08/11)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by K. Marsden) (06/08/11)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (06/08/11) City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Ballona Creek including: median islands, sidewalks, bike lanes,signage, a
parking lot near the entrance to the Overlook, curb extensions, and a pedestrian
activated signal.
DISCUSSION:
Since the opening of the Overlook in 2009, it has become a popular destination
for visitors from around the region. Currently, many visitors to the Overlook
choose to park near the entrance on Jefferson Boulevard in order to access the
climbing stairs, which have become a key attraction. There is limited parking on
the south (Overlook) side of Jefferson Boulevard, so some visitors choose to
park on the north (Creek) side of the road and negotiate the four-lane major
arterial, which currently lacks a raised median or nearby marked or signalized
crossing. There is no sidewalk on either side of the stretch of Jefferson
Boulevard near the Overlook, and the shoulder was not designed for the current
level of pedestrian traffic, so visitors sometimes elect to walk in the roadway
adjacent to the travel lanes to access the Overlook.
Recognizing the need to improve access to the region’s recreational resources
and strong support from the community for doing so, the City of Culver City has
been working closely with CaliforniaState Parks, the City of Los Angeles, and
other groups to develop collaborative solutions. The proposed project includes
several improvements to create a more comfortable, pedestrian friendly way for
visitors to access the Overlook, while simultaneously promoting environmental-
sustainability by constructing the elements mentioned earlier.
Some of these improvements were proposed in a recent Metro Call grant
application, but the BHC grant is seen as an opportunity to achieve them within a
shorter time frame. Furthermore, these improvements could serve as the
foundation for additional longer-term improvements to the area, such as
improvements to the proposed parking lot and the addition of a full traffic signal
including a pedestrian signal at the Overlook entrance at Jefferson Boulevard
and Hetzler Road.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is a 25 percent matching requirement for this grant. The project costs are
anticipated to be roughly $755,000. If the grant is approved by the BHC and
accepted by the City, roughly $188,000 in matching funds are anticipated to be
required. Staff anticipates that these matching funds will come from P-933
(Pedestrian and Bicycling Enhancement Program) as well as some in-kind staff City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
time.P-933 currently has a budget of $175,000, so if the City’s grant application is
approved, additional funding may need to be appropriated.
In addition to the matching funds required for the project’s capital costs, the
project will create new on-going maintenance requirements that will need to be
covered by the General Fund. Staff will attempt to minimize these costs by
proposing drought-tolerant, low maintenance plantings and by requesting funds
for plant establishment in the grant application. However, there will undoubtedly
be some incremental costs associated with maintenance.
ATTTACHMENT:
1. Proposed Resolution
MOTIONS:
That the City Council
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to submit a grant
application through the Baldwin Hills Conservancy’s Proposition 84 Grant
Program for streetscape and bicycle and pedestrian improvements on
Jefferson Boulevard.
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Pages
1-2 Resolution
MEETING DATE: 06/13/2011
AGENDA ITEM: Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to
Submit a Grant Application through the Baldwin Hills
Conservancy's Proposition 84 Grant Program for Jefferson
Boulevard Streetscape and Bicycle and Pedestrian Access
Improvements.
ATTACHMENTS 1
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RESOLUTION NO. 2011-R
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING AN
APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS FROM THE BALD1NIN
HILLS CONSERVANCY FOR PROPOSITION 84 FUNDING
FOR JEFFERSON BOULEVARD STREETSCAPE AND
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS.
WHEREAS, the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood
Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 84), was adopted
by California voters in the general election on November 7, 2006, which among other
uses, provides funds to public agencies and nonprofit organizations in the State for the
purpose of preventing contamination and degradation of coastal waters and
watersheds, protecting and restoring the natural habitat values of coastal waters and
lands, promoting access to and enjoyment of the coastal resources of the state; and
WHEREAS, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy ("BHC") has set forth the
necessary procedures governing application for grant funds under Proposition 84; and
WHEREAS, the BHC's procedures require the City of Culver City to
certify, by resolution, the approval of the application before submission of the
application(s) to the BHC; and
WHEREAS, the application contains assurances with which the City of
Culver City must comply; and
WHEREAS, if the application is approved by the BHC, the City of Culver
City will enter into an Agreement with the BHC to provide funds for the Jefferson
Boulevard streetscape and bicycle and pedestrian access improvements (the "Project").
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Culver City DOES
HEREBY RESOLVE:
1. The filing of an application with the Baldwin Hills Conservancy for
-1- MICHEAL O'LEARY, Mayor
City of Culver City, California
1 Proposition 84 Funds for the Project is hereby approved; and
2 2. The City of Culver City hereby certifies that it understands the
3 assurances and certification in the application form; and
4 3. The City of Culver City hereby certifies that it has, or will have,
5 sufficient funds to operate and maintain the Project for twenty (20) years, or has
6 the right to assign maintenance to another agency; and
7 4. The City Council hereby appoints the City Manager, or his
8 designee, to conduct all negotiations, and to execute and submit all documents
9 including, but not limited to, applications, agreements, amendments, payment
10 requests and so forth, which may be necessary for the completion of the
11 aforementioned project.
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13 APPROVED and ADOPTED this day of 2011.
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ATTEST:
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21 MARTIN R. COLE, City Clerk
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A11-00276
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