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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-03-06; City Council; 3020; Request for decision on Tamarack Ave designRequest for decision on ultimate design of Tamarack Ave. City Engineerg@ YEA-- __ --- State,xent of the Matter This item is being presented for the Council's consideration in response to the request by the present owners of lots 7 and 8 in Block 5 of Palisades No. 2 on Tamarack Avenue. The owners of subject property are requesting a decision on the ultimate design of Tamarack Avenue in order that they may make plans for improvement of the property. The staff report contained in Exhibit "B" summarizes all the factors pertaining to the subject property and makes recommendations for Council's consideration. "A" Letter from S.L.&B. Service Corp. dated Jan. 11, 1974 "A-1" Letter from Vista Surgeons Medical Group dated Jan. 11, 1974 "B" Engineering Dept. Staff Report. AS No.3030 Date: March 6, 1974. City Manager Recommendation The two primary questions involved in this matter are the determination of the appropriate width of Tamarack and the ability of the City to provide design information so the applicant can construct the street improvements. The City should help the applicant in every way it can. Up to this time there has been an assumption that Tamarack would require a 104 foot right of way. If this were the case, an additional 42 feet would be required from this applicant. This is dispro- portionate to what the-majority of property owners must dedicate since the entire additional right of way comes from one side of the street. To resolve this problem previously, the City Council agreed with the property owners that if the right of way were dedicated, the City would pay for the improvements when the street went in. still seems like a fair solution. As part of the circulation element of the General Plan however, consideration is being given to reducing the width of the street so that the required dedication would be only 24 feet. Under those circumstances it would be reasonable for the developer to make both the dedication and install the improvements. Possibly a more critical problem for the developer is the fact that he wishes to install the improvements at this time. As the City Engineer has pointed out to you, the design cost for Tamarack is approximately $80,000.00. This money has not been budgeted and we are not in a position to indicate to the developer the location or elevation of his improvements. It is possible that a shorter segment of Tamarack could be designed for purposes of these improvements, but even this would require a substantial of money. The developer will have to understand that at this time, street improvements cannot be installed. This Council 'Action 3-6-74 A motion was made that the Council instruct the staff to prepare the necessary documents for the Offer of Dedication of 42' and an agreement that the City will be responsible for future street improvements. Re: 357 Tmxcrack Avc., Carlsbaci Gent lemn : VISTA SURGEONS XEDICAL GROUT, INC. P. D. Wilxn, N.D., F.A.C.S. W. C. Adams, hi.D., F.A.C.S. Dip!onites. Amrricm Doird GF Scigery 3231 WAUWG COU?.T, SUIn "D" OCEAXSIDE, CALIFO%VL\ 9?0>4 January 11,1974 Carlsbad City Ha.11 1200 Elm Avenue Carl s ba.d, California 9 2 0 0 8 Dear Sirs: We need to know the proposed width of Ta.marack Street in front of Lots 7 and 8, block S, Caxlsbad ma.p 1803, Hopefully-, we may initiate development of this property in 1974. Immediate cla rifica.tion of our status would be apprecia.ted. Respectfully, ADAMS WEISS CLOYD, LTD. 1902 Valley Road Oceanside, California. 92054 Wrn* C, Adams, M,D. 'HA. Jveiss, M. D. D.H, Cloyd, dt-D. 'f ME MORA NDUM February 28, 1974 TO: City Manager FROM: C i ty Eng i neer SUBJECT: Request for Decision on Ultimate Design of Tamarack Avenue (S.L. & B. Service Corporation letter dated January 11, 1974; Vista Medical Group letter dated January 11, 1974) The subject letters from the owners of lots 7 and 8 in Block S of Palisades No. 2 (300 block of Tamarack, south side, 500 feet east of Garfield) are requesting a decision on the ultimate design of Tamarack Avenue in order that they may make plans for improvement of the properties. GENERAL BACKGROUND Tamarack Avenue presently exists as a 2 lane roadway (with minimal public improvements) within a 60' wide public right of way. The horizontal a1 ignment of the roadway is predominantly "straightJf, with many existing structures located exttremely close to the existing right of way. Several residences are within 10' of the existing right of way. The vertical alignment is irregular with steep crests and sags which impair sight distance, and complicate the storm drainage flow. During the past several years, the neighborhoods surrounding Tamarack Avenue west of the freeway have steadily changed from low density single family residential to high density multiple residential. Tamarack Avenue is considered to be a major arterial collector severa 1 reasons : High density development (now and in the forseeable future) increases the vehicle trips per day per acre in the area. Tamarack Avenue is one of only six City streets that have direct access to Interstate 5. Tamarack Avenue is one of only six City streets which cross the Santa Fe Railroad. There is a neighborhood shopping center on Tamarack just east of Interstate 5. Carlsbad State Beach is a major tourist attraction and is located at the western terminus of Tamarack Avenue. Several years ago, in response to the development that was occurring in the vicinity of Tamarack, and for the above reasons, it was determined that Tamarack Avenue should be a 4-lane road, with median, left turn pockets at intersections, on street park- ing and pedestrian walkways. The standard right of way to accommodate these features is 102'. Since the existing right of way is 60', that meant that an additional 42' of right of way wou Id be requ i red. In late 1970, the engineering staff did a study to determine how best to plan for this additional widening. This study proposed a center1 ine a1 ignment that was offset from the existing center- line by as much as 21'. Primary considerations were the locations of the existing structures along Tamarack. In general, the study indicated that the most practical way to fit the 102' right of way in was to have the required 42' of additional right of way along the south side of Tamarack between Carlsbad Boulevard and the Santa Fe Railroad and transitioning to 34' of additional right of way on the north (and 8' on the south) between the Santa Fe Railroad and interstate 5. Attachment ''1'' is a graphical summary of the alignment study. In 1972, there was a proposal to develop portions of the subject property. As RDM property, there was a requirement that as a condition of development, the applicant was responsible for public street improvements. There were no provisions in the RDM ordin- ance requiring street dedication. Because the City was interested in acquiring the right of way, and after negotiations with the owners of subject property, the City Council, on the 5th of July, 1972, authorized the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the owners of the property. This agreement allowed for a waiver of the requirements for street improvements under the RDM ordinance in exchange for a dedication of 42' right of way to be used in the widening of Tamarack Avenue. This agreement was never executed by the owners, however. A similar question regarding right of way and street improvement requirements came up in September of 1973 concerning a tentative map- CT 72-38 (Sea View), a condominium project proposed for the south east corner of Tamarack Avenue and Carlsbad Boulevard. At that time, the Council instructed staff to determine the align- ment of Tamarack Avenue and return to the Council with recommenda- tions at the earliest possible date. A detailed study to precisely pinpoint the alignment and right of way requirements will cost in excess of $20,000. This would include preliminary field work, preliminary title reports on all parcels, real estate appraisals, precise planning, preliminary design, right of way engineering etc. While this was not possible due to budgetary and manpower limitations, we have spent in excess of 100 man hours investigating the alignment problem. Based on existing data (field notes, aerial photos, assessor's maps, etc.) our investigation confirmed the analysis made in 1970-71 that the most practical way to widen Tamarack is to acquire an additional 42' of right of way along the south side of Tamarack Avenue in the vicinity of the subject properties. RECENT H I STORY At the February 19, 1974, Council meeting, Mr. John McCoy, a principal of the S.L. I B. Service Corporation, made an oral and written request (see Attachment rr211) for clarification as to what is the ultimate width of Tamarack (street and right of way). Mr. McCoy also indicated that he was desirous of construct- ing street improvements in conjunction with an apartment project in the immediate future. He also objected to my request that he apply for a parcel map on the subject properties prior to the City precisely outlining the requirements of the parcel map recorda t i on. Based on the best information that we have to date, the ultimate right of way in front of the subject properties will be 102'. The additional 42' of required right of way is required from the subj ect property . Due to the complexity of the proposed widening of Tamarack Avenue, it is not possible to construct permanent street improvements until the project is designed. Estimated cost of engineering design is $70,000-$80,000. The applicant, however, could construct temporary improvements if he desires in conjunction with the proposed project. Permanent improvements would still be the responsibi 1 i ty of the property owner at such time as Tamarack would be fully widened. Based on the existing Municipal Code, a parcel map is required for lot line adjustments. The lot line between the subject parcels was recently adjusted some 40 feet and one parcel was sold to S.L. G B. Service Corporation without the recordation of a parcel map. Standard conditions on subdivision and parcel maps include among other things, the requirements for dedication of right of way and construction (or future agreement) of public street improvements. Requirements for a parcel map on the subject properties would include dedication of 42' of additional right of way and a future agreement for half street improvements along Tamarack. Based on the previous City Council action in July, 1972 the present City Council may wish to consider waiving the require- ment for permanent half street improvements, but require the dedication of the full 42' of right of way, It should be pointed out that due to the estimated costs of wide- ning of Tamarack Avenue ($1.3 million) it will probably be several years before widening will occur. Should the land use in the area change (the existing land use element is currently being revised) or parking requirements change, or bike lanes be incorp- orated etc., the final constructed width of Tamarack could vary from the current standard. It is recommended that the existing alignment study be used in determining right of way requirements or that sufficient funds be budgeted to provide for a detailed alignment study. TCF/mac * ... S. L & B SERVICE CORP. Builders G Developers 592 ELM AVE. P.O. BOX "B" CARLSBAD, CALIF. 92008 TELEPHONE (714) 729-9242 We purchased the property at 357 Tamarack h December, 1973, and rn unaware of the problems on Tamarack. Since our purchase, we have become aware of the proposed agrmmnt of the previous owner and the City, which called for the owner exchanging the right-of-way in lieu of installing street improvements. The City would not co&t when these improvenasnts would be installed due to lack of funds. However, recently we have found out that there are no grades established for Tamarackrs improvements and there is still &he question as to the ultimate width and right-of+ayx requirements for the north and south side of the street. Also, we have been infomred that we haV8 an illegal lot since a lot line has been changed, although we have 100 ft. of frontage and the previous owner has 100 Fb. of frontage with a common depth of 2'75 ft. 'lhc City Engineer has concluded that we must file a parcel map and pay the required fees before they *ill. discuss the right-of-way requiremnts, which wiU then be too late as one of the requirements of a parcel map would be to dedicate the 42 ft. improvements installed as there are no grades, unless we also agreed to take then out when the grades were established, or we could design the whole street. In addition, we could not have the The ultimate width of the street and the right-of-way require- menks are the two points to be resolved. start development of this property and will gbw file a parcel mp if we can get sorim definite answers to the above questions, We are extremely anxhua to