City of Laguna Hills
City Council
Special Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - 5:00 PM
City Council Chamber
24035 El Toro Road
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Dave Wheeler
Mayor
Joshua Sweeney
Mayor Pro Tempore
Don Caskey
Council Member
Janine Heft
Council Member
Erica Pezold
Council Member
In Person Public Comments: Any person wishing to address the City Council only on items listed on this Agenda, is asked to complete a pink “Request to Speak” form available on the table at the back of the Chamber and submit the form to the City Clerk. The Request to Speak form assists the Mayor in ensuring that all persons wishing to address the City Council are recognized and ensures accurate identification of meeting participants in the City Council/Planning Agency Minutes.
Completion of the form is voluntary. It is City policy to limit public testimony to up to three minutes per person, an overall time limit of twelve minutes for any one subject, and a total time limit of thirty minutes for Public Comments.
Submission of Electronic Public Comments: Those wishing to make electronic public comments may submit their comments by email to the City Clerk by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. In the subject line of the email, please state your name and the item number you are commenting on. Any public comment received that does not specify a particular agenda item number will be announced during the general public comment portion of the agenda. All comments received by 2:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting will be provided to the City Council and will be provided for public inspection at the meeting. During the applicable agenda item, the City Clerk will announce the name of the sender and subject matter of all electronic comments received by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Email comments will NOT be read by the City Clerk during the meeting. Electronic public comments may only be submitted via email and comments via text and social media (Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), etc.) will not be accepted.
For questions or assistance, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (949) 707-2635 or via email.
Call to Order
Resolution No. 96-04-09-1 established rules of decorum for public meetings held by the City of Laguna Hills. Resolution No. 96-04-09-1 is available on the table at the back of the City Council Chamber.
Roll Call of City Council Members
Public Comments
Members of the public may address the City Council only on items listed on the Special Meeting Agenda. Public comments are limited to three minutes per person, an overall time limit of twelve minutes for any one subject, and a total time limit of thirty minutes.
City Council Workshop Items
1 Proposed Reader Board at the Corner of Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia
Recommendation: That the City Council:
1) Approve the conceptual design of the proposed reader board at the corner of Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia,
2) Establish CIP No. 318 for the proposed project,
3) Authorize the Finance Director to amend the budget by allocating $525,000 from the General Fund Reserves into CIP No. 318; and
4) Authorize City staff to develop construction plans and documents. 2 Exploring the use of City-owned property at the Former Globe parcel (APN: 616-022-04) as a possible location for a Digital Freeway Billboard Recommendation: That the City Council receive the presentation regarding digital freeway billboards and provide direction to staff.
Adjournment
The next Regular Meeting of the City Council/Planning Agency will be September 24, 2024, at 7:00p.m., in the City Council Chamber, located at 24035 El Toro Road, Laguna Hills, California.
CERTIFICATION
I, JENNIFER LEE, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Hills, do hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing Agenda was posted at Laguna Hills City Hall, Laguna Hills Community Center, and the Courtyard at La Paz Center by September 23, 2024, at 5:00p.m.
It is the intention of the City of Laguna Hills to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act in all respects. If as an attendee or a participant at this meeting you will need special assistance beyond what is normally provided, the City of Laguna Hills will attempt to accommodate you in every reasonable manner. Please contact the office of the City Clerk at (949) 707-2635. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to this meeting.
Materials related to an item on this Agenda submitted to the City Council after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection in the City Clerk’s Office at 24035 El Toro Road, Laguna Hills, California, during normal business hours. In addition, such writings or documents will be made available for public review on the City’s website at: https://www.lagunahillsca.gov/supplementalagenda and at the respective public meeting.
Item No. 1
City of Laguna Hills
City Council / Planning Agency
Staff Report
Date: September 24, 2024
To: Mayor and Council Members
From: Joe Ames, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Issue: Proposed Reader Board at the Corner of Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia
Recommendation: That the City Council:
1) Approve the conceptual design of the proposed reader board at the corner of Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia;
2) Establish CIP No. 318 for the proposed project;
3) Authorize the Finance Director to amend the budget by allocating $525,000 from the General Fund Reserves into CIP No. 318; and
4) Authorize City staff to develop construction plans and documents.
Background:
This item was continued from the September 10, 2024, City Council meeting.
At the June 25, 2024, City Council meeting, City staff presented a conceptual design for the construction of a reader board at the southwest corner La Paz Road and Paseo de Valencia. After discussion, a motion to: 1) approve the conceptual design for the reader board at the corner La Paz Road and Paseo de Valencia; and 2) to contact the property owner of the Ralph’s shopping center at the southeast corner of Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia to potentially allow for the replacement of the existing Ralph’s monument sign with the City’s proposed reader board was passed.
Item No. 1
City staff contacted the Ralph’s shopping center property owner, and the property owner indicated that due to existing lease agreements, addressing this issue with Ralph's will be quite time-consuming and may not ultimately materialize.
Given City Council’s implied preference for the monument sign to be placed at Alicia Parkway and Paseo de Valencia during the June 25th City Council meeting, City staff met with RJM Design Group, Inc., and created a new alternative that involves reducing the number of traffic lanes on Paseo de Valencia at Alicia Parkway to create space within the existing right-of-way to place the proposed reader board at the northeast corner of intersection.
A rendering of the alternative is attached to this agenda report, as well as the proposed plan view layout at the intersection.
In March 2024, City staff informed City Council of the award of $4,998,000 from the Orange County Complete Streets Program for the Paseo de Valencia and Cabot Road Active Transportation Enhancements Project. This project includes removal of one vehicular travel lane in each direction on Paseo de Valencia between Alicia Parkway and Cabot Road to construct a Class IV two-way bikeway along the roadway. This month, Orange County Transportation Authority is scheduled to approve an amendment to the Master Plan of Arterial Highways, allowing for the reclassification of this roadway from an arterial highway to a collector street. This step clears an important regulatory hurdle in the project. Construction of this larger project is scheduled to occur in FY2026/2027.
Therefore, because this segment of Paseo de Valencia is already scheduled to be placed on a “road diet,” newly created, unpaved right-of-way will be available for the placement of the proposed reader board.
City staff is now proposing to advance the construction of a portion of the overall Paseo de Valencia and Cabot Road Active Transportation Enhancements Project to remove the existing right-turn lane on northbound Paseo de Valencia at Alicia Parkway to construct a new street corner to make space for the proposed reader board. This work will also involve the relocation of two traffic signal poles at the northeast corner to align with the beginning and the end of the curb returns for the new street corner.
Consequently, City staff recommends that City Council approve this new conceptual design at the northeast corner of Paseo de Valencia and Alicia Parkway and allocate funding for design and construction. If the conceptual design is approved and funding is allocated, City staff will engage with one or more of the on-call civil engineering and/or landscape architecture firms to complete construction plans and documents. City staff
Item No. 1
plans to return to City Council in March 2025 for authority to advertise the project for construction bidding.
CEQA Findings:
Environmental review is not required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, Section 15301 as a Class 1 Categorical Exemption – “Existing Facilities.” Fiscal Impact:
The estimated cost for preparing the construction plans and documents for bidding is $80,000. The estimated construction cost of the conceptual design, including street improvements, is approximately $775,000.
The $4,998,000 grant from the Orange County Complete Streets Program for the Paseo de Valencia and Cabot Road Active Transportation Enhancements Project can pay for 88% of the "road diet" street improvements, but not any of the reader board work.
Based upon the proposed project's design and construction costs, below are the proposed project expenses and funding sources:
Projected Expenses:
Design: $80,000
Reader Board Construction: $400,000
Street Improvements Construction: $375,000
Total Project Cost: $855,000
Proposed Funding Sources:
Orange County Complete Streets Program: $330,000 (88% of Street Improvements Construction)
General Fund: $525,000
Total Proposed Funding: $855,000
Consequently, City staff is recommending that City Council authorize the Finance Director to amend the budget by allocating $525,000 from the General Fund reserves into CIP No. 318.
Item No. 1
Attachments:
1. OCCSP Award Letter
2. Proposed Reader Board Concept Drawing
3. Proposed Reader Board Location - Plan View
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF RJM DESIGN GROUP, INC., AND NO PART THEREOF SHALL BE USED, REUSED, OR MODIFIED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF RJM DESIGN GROUP, INC. © 2024 RJM Design Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
LAGUNA HILLS READER BOARDS
CITY OF LAGUNA HILLS, CALIFORNIA
7/17/2024 CONCEPT A - PASEO DE VALENCIA X ALICIA
ELEVATION VIEW A
SCALE: NTS
LEGEND
NOTES
1. Peaked precast cap
2. City signage
3. Stone Veneer
4. Smooth plaster finish with reveal
5. Precast square concrete cap
6. 4’ x 12’ LED Readerboard screen
7. Precast rectilinear wall cap
8. 24” box evergreen hedge
9. City seals
10.Widened sidwalk
11. Adjusted turn lane
12.Existing asphalt to remain
A. Reader board and wall size: 8’ x 36’-6”
B. Design assumes acceptance of the
Paseo de Valencia road diet project
6 8
3 9
5 2
7 4
10 11
12
New Sidewalk LocaƟon
New Parkway and Landscaping
New Curb and GuƩer LocaƟon
New Reader Board LocaƟon
Community Center
Ralph’s