Councilwoman Price Schedules Oct. 25 Community Meeting To "Update" Ocean Blvd. (Belmont Shore Area) Lane-Erasing "Road Diet"/ Diagonal Parking As It "Moves Foward"

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(UPDATE Oct. 19, 2016) -- Councilwoman Price indicates the location for this meeting has been CHANGED from her district office and WILL NOW BE HELD at nearby Fire Station 14 (5200 Elliot Ave., adjacent to Colorado Lagoon.)

(Oct. 18, 2016) -- 3rd dist. Councilwoman Suzie Price has announced an Oct. 25 community meeting [Oct. 19 UPDATE: location changed to Fire Station 14, 5200 Elliot Ave.] to "update" a "road diet" along a Belmont Shore portion of Ocean Blvd. that will erase a traffic lane, slow traffic and create diagonal parking, as the project "moves forward." LBREPORT.com provides below the full text of Councilwoman Price's Oct. 17 mass emailing below.

Councilwoman Price's announcement comes roughly six weeks after she received City Council approval to allocate her Council district discretionary funds for the project.

City staff produced graphics, previously obtained from city staff by Belmont Shore resident Susan Miller

[Scroll down for further.]

On August 15, LBREPORT.com used state freedom of information law (CA Public Records Act) to seek access to Council office communications and other City documents related to the Ocean Blvd. "road diet"/diagonal parking. The statutory due date for a response was Sept. 8.

City responses to records requests are handled by a city staffer (not by Councilwoman Price's office); the city staffer previously handling records requests retired in early September; after we contacted the City Attorney's office about the delay, the City's new records coordinator contacted us phone last week, apologized and indicated a response is forthcoming; as of dawn today (Oct. 18), we have no documents in hand.

[Councilwoman Price Oct. 17 mass emailing text]
Update: Community Meeting
Ocean Blvd. Road Diet Project
October 25th 6:30 PM
~~at Council Field Office (340 Nieto Ave)~~
Dear Neighbor,
We will be holding a community meeting to talk about the Ocean Boulevard Road Diet plan. This project includes a removal of one eastbound land on Ocean Boulevard between 39th Place and 54th Place. This project came as a direct result of frequent concerns of speeding along this corridor and is intended to increase safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians by reducing speeds.
Additionally, based on community input on this project there will be over 150 parking spaces added to this section of eastbound Ocean Boulevard to help ease the parking impacts felt by Belmont Shore residents.
In order to provide an update as this project moves forward and address any concerns or misinformation, we are holding this meeting that will include a presentation from the Traffic Engineer on the project, representatives from the Police Department and Fire Department to respond to any concerns around traffic enforcement and emergency vehicle response, as well as a representative from the Special Events Department to answer questions on beach usage and access.
We hope everyone who is interested in this plan is able to attend and get some more information on this project prior to implementation.
Please feel free to contact my office any time with any questions you may have at (562) 570-6300.
Sincerely,
Suzie Price
Councilwoman, Third District

Councilwoman Price held at least one community meeting on the issue over the summer at which we're told public reaction was split. We believe the item was heard by the Belmont Shore Residents Association, which took no position on the proposal.

In general, supporters of the concept say it would make Ocean Blvd. safer to cross for pedestrians and the new diagonal parking spaces (Price newsletter text indicates along south side of Ocean Blvd.) would benefit residents and nearby businesses in the parking-starved area.

Opponents say the "road diet" would slow access for ambulances, police and fire units, including beach responses, and would invite collisions when diagonally parked vehicles back-up into an adjacent bicycle lane. Opponents also say diagonal parking was tried and removed several years ago along part of Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls. The Sept. 20 agenda item included funding to continue a "road diet" implemented along Broadway between Temple and Cherry Aves.

On Sept. 20, the City Council took up a "consent calendar" item (no public discussion expected unless sought by the public or a Councilmember) to approve allocating Council district "discretionary" funds (citywide taxpayer dollars) on a number of projects citywide...among which was the Ocean Blvd. "road diet." On Sept. 19, LBREPORT.com reported the "road diet" consent calendar item, and on Sept. 20, four residents (three from the Belmont Shore area: Belmont Heights, the Shore and the Peninsula) waited nearly three hours to testify in opposition to the road diet/diagonal parking items.

No public speakers spoke in support. Councilwoman Price cited reasons in support of the road diet, indicated that a community meeting would be scheduled to explain the concept to Peninsula residents, and the Council approve the items as agendized (8-0, Mungo absent.)

LBREPORT.com has published a Feb. 2016 City Hall produced traffic study for Ocean Blvd. from 37th Pl-54th Pl. and a June 2016 Power Point presentation which were visible on Councilwoman Price's website (under the "City Services" tab) as of Sept. 26.