HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-12-17; City Council; Resolution 2019-270RESOLUTION NO. 2019-270
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA,
DETERMINING DEFICIENCIES OF FOUR STREET FACILITIES ACCORDING TO THE
GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ADOPTION OF MEASURES TO ADDRESS
DEFICIENCIES.
WHEREAS, on July 1, 1986 the City Council passed and adopted Ordinance No. 9808 amending Title
21 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code (CMC) by the addition of Chapter 21.90 establishing a Growth
Management Plan {GMP) for the city; and
WHEREAS, on Nov. 4, 1986, Carlsbad voters passed Proposition E, initiative Ordinance No. 9824,
establishing residential dwelling unit limits in the city's four quadrants and requiring that public facilities be
made available concurrent with need in accordance with the city's growth management program; and
WHEREAS, the GMP makes the approval of new development contingent upon adequacy of public
facilities, based on performance standards for eleven identified public facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Citywide Facilities and Improvements Plan {CFIP) includes the circulation
performance standard that requires facilities to maintain Level of Service (LOS) D or better, excluding LOS
exempt intersections and streets approved by the City Council; and
WHEREAS, the GMP requires annual monitoring to measure adequate performance of various
public facilities, including circulation; and
WHEREAS, the General Plan Mobility Element, adopted in September 2015, requires that the city's
LOS analyses for growth management purposes use Highway Capacity Manual {HCM) methodology; and
WHEREAS, staff employed HCM methodology for its LOS analyses in the fiscal year (FY) 2017-2018
annual monitoring report, in lieu of the city's prior use of the Intersection Capacity Utilization-Carlsbad {ICU-
C) methodology; and
WHEREAS, CMC Section 21.90.080 states, "If at any time after the preparation of a local facilities
management plan the performance standards established by a plan are not met then no development
permits or building permits shall be issued within the local zone until the performance standard is met or
arrangements satisfactory to the City Council guaranteeing the facilities and improvements have been
made."; and
WHEREAS, the General Plan Mobility Element, Policy 3-P.9, allows City Council to exempt the vehicle
mode of travel from the LOS D standard for a street intersection or facility that has been identified as built-
out because one or more enumerated criteria has been met; and
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WHEREAS, General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.11 requires new development that adds vehicle
traffic to street facilities that are exempt from the vehicle LOS D standard to implement Transportation
Demand Management (TDM) and Transportation System Management (TSM) strategies to improve the
efficiency of the existing transportation system, reduce reliance on single-occupant automobiles and
provide attractive alternatives to driving an automobile according to the city's livable streets vision; and
WHEREAS, the FY 2017-2018 annual monitoring report identified the following four street facilities
not meeting the LOS D performance standard, and that roadway improvement projects and/or exemptions
from the performance standard can fully address these deficiencies: El Camino Real southbound from
Oceanside city limits to Marron Road; El Camino Real northbound from Marron Road to Oceanside city
limits; College Boulevard southbound from Aston Avenue to Palomar Airport Road; and Melrose Drive
southbound from Vista city limits to Palomar Airport Road; and
WHEREAS, on July 16, 2019, city staff presented recommended actions to City Council to address
the LOS D performance standard deficiencies identified in the FY 2017-2018 annual monitoring report for
the four above-described street facilities, and City Council returned the item with direction for staff to
formulate alternate solutions; and
WHEREAS, city staff continue to recommend addressing the LOS deficiencies at El Camino Real
southbound from Oceanside city limits to Marron Road and El Camino Real northbound from Marron Road
to Oceanside city limits through an exemption to the LOS D standard pursuant to Mobility Element Policy
3-P.9, because roadway improvements would require more than three through lanes in each direction of
travel, which is inconsistent with the General Plan Mobility Element; and
WHEREAS, city staff now recommend modified actions to address the deficiencies at College
Boulevard southbound from Aston Road to Palomar Airport Road and at Melrose Drive southbound from
Vista city limits to Palomar Airport Road; and
WHEREAS, the July 16, 2019 staff report recommended an exemption from the LOS D standard,
pursuant to Mobility Element Policy 3-P.9, for the deficiencies at College Boulevard southbound from Aston
Road to Palomar Airport Road, due to staff's prior determination that the addition of a second southbound
through lane on College Boulevard would remove the existing bike lane and that the road widening could
impact existing hardline Habitat Management Plan (HMP) preserve area, impact sensitive upland and/or
riparian habitat in the Coastal Zone, and be constrained by an existing SDG&E powerline easement and
tower support. Upon further examination by staff, the addition of a second southbound through lane
would not require removal of the existing bike lane and, furthermore, the necessary widening would not
impact existing hardline HMP preserve area; and
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WHEREAS, city staff have determined after further study the LOS deficiency at College Boulevard
southbound from Aston Road to Palomar Airport Road can be fully addressed by constructing the existing
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Project No. 6028 to add a second southbound through lane on College
Boulevard with a waiver of the adjacent right-of-way from open space boundary adjustment requirements
under General Plan Open Space Element Policy 4-P.6, and would not impact the ability of Local Facility
Management Zone (LFMZ) 5 to meet the GMP open space standard; and
WHEREAS, the July 16, 2019 staff report stated that CIP Project No. 6034 would fully address the
deficiency at Melrose Drive southbound from Vista city limits to Palomar Airport Road; and
WHEREAS, city staff have determined after further study that the LOS D deficiency at Melrose Drive
southbound from Vista city limits to Palomar Airport Road cannot be fully addressed by constructing the
existing CIP Project No. 6034, and staff now recommends an exemption from the LOS D standard, pursuant
to Mobility Element Policy 3-P.9, for this street facility; and
WHEREAS, although it will not fully address the LOS D deficiency at Melrose Drive southbound from
Vista city limits to Palomar Airport Road, city staff recommend implementing CIP No. 6034 to widen Melrose
Drive to add a third southbound through lane on Melrose Drive with a waiver of the adjacent right-of-way
from open space boundary adjustment requirements under General Plan Open Space Element Policy 4-P.6.
CIP No. 6_034 will improve traffic congestion at this location and the resulting decrease in an existing parklet
of ornamental landscaping will not impact the ability of LFMZ 18 to meet the GMP open space standard;
and
WHEREAS, for the street facilities of El Camino Real southbound from Oceanside city limits to
Marron Road, El Camino Real northbound from Marron Road to Oceanside city limits, College Boulevard
southbound from Aston Avenue to Palomar Airport Road, and Melrose Drive southbound from Vista city
limits to Palomar Airport Road, staff recommends that the City Council adopt measures, as described in the
associated Staff Report, that either construct improvements to restore a deficiency to an acceptable level
of service, or determine the deficient street facility to be built-out and exempt from the LOS D standard
and apply TOM and TSM strategies to new development that adds vehicle traffic to the exempt street
facilities; and
WHEREAS, the City Planner has determined that: 1) exempting street facilities and intersections
from the GMP circulation LOS D vehicle performance standard is a subsequent activity of the General Plan
Mobility Element for which Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) 13-02 was prepared; 2) a
notice for the activity has been given, which includes statements that this activity is within the scope of the
program approved earlier, and that program EIR 13-02 adequately describes the activity for the purposes
Dec. 17, 2019 Item #22 Page 12 of 28
of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Section 15168{c)(2) and (e); 3) that the proposal to exempt
certain sections of El Camino Real and College Boulevard has no new significant environmental effect that
was not analyzed as significant in program EIR 13-02; and 4) none of the circumstances requiring a
subsequent or a supplemental EIR under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 or 15163 exist.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as follows:
1. That the above recitations are true and correct.
2. That the City Council determines a deficiency of the LOS D performance standard exists for the
following street facilities based on the results of the FY 2017-2018 growth management annual
monitoring report:
a. El Camino Real southbound from Oceanside city limits to Marron Road
b. El Camino Real northbound from Marron Road to Oceanside city limits
c. College Boulevard southbound from Aston Avenue to Palomar Airport Road
d. Melrose Drive southbound from Vista city limits to Palomar Airport Road
3. That the City Council determines El Camino Real southbound from Oceanside city limits to
Marron Road, and El Camino Real northbound from Marron Road to Oceanside city limits, are
built-out and exempt from the LOS performance standard for the vehicle mode of travel under
General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.9 (d), as roadway improvements to address the
deficiencies would require more than three through travel lanes in each direction, such that
future development which adds vehicle traffic to these exempt street facilities shall implement
TDM and TSM strategies in accordance with General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.11.
4. In relation to the street section of Melrose Drive southbound from Vista city limits to Palomar
Airport Road, City Council directs staff to expedite the roadway improvements under existing
CIP Project No. 6034 to partially address the identified LOS performance standard deficiency
and, under General Plan Open Space Element Policy 4-P .6, City Council waives any right-of-way
open space boundary adjustment requirements applicable to CIP Project No. 6034.
5. That the City Council determines Melrose Drive southbound from Vista city limits to Palomar
Airport Road to be built-out and exempt from the LOS performance standard for the vehicle
mode of travel under General Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.9 (d), as the construction of
existing CIP Project No. 6034 will only partially address the LOS deficiency and additional
roadway improvements to fully address the deficiency would require more than three through
travel lanes in each direction, such that future development which adds vehicle traffic to these
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exempt street facilities shall implement TDM and TSM strategies in accordance with General
Plan Mobility Element Policy 3-P.11.
6. In relation to the street section of College Boulevard southbound from Aston Avenue to
Palomar Airport Road, City Council directs staff to expedite the roadway improvements under
existing CIP Project No. 6028 to address the identified LOS performance standard deficiency,
and, under General Plan Open Space Element Policy 4-P.6, City Council waives any right-of-way
open space boundary adjustment requirements applicable to CIP Project No. 6028.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Carlsbad
on the 17th day of December 2019, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Hall, Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Schumacher.
NAYS: None.
ABSENT: None.
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