Administrative
Report
N.5., File # 23-5551 Meeting Date: 3/21/2023
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: TED SEMAAN, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE STATUS OF THE CIVIC CENTER WATERWISE TURF REPLACEMENT PROJECT AND THE CITY’S POLICIES FOR INSTALLATION OF
ARTIFICIAL TURF IN PARKWAYS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the Strategic Plan the City Council requested a report on the possibility of replacing turf (natural grass) with water-wise landscaping in target locations and City policies for limiting use of artificial turf in parkway areas. Staff has been working with West Basin Municipal Water District on a turf replacement grant project at the Civic Center and is preparing a draft Policy on Parkway Landscaping that addresses the use of artificial turf in City parkways. A presentation on both of these items will be provided at the City Council meeting.
BACKGROUND
As part of the FY 2022-23 operating budget, Council provided $120,000 to fund turf replacement projects and directed staff to explore grant opportunities with West Basin Municipal Water District.
In addition, the Strategic Plan includes converting turf to water-wise landscaping in target locations and the exploration of a policy update regarding limiting artificial turf.
West Basin’s Public Agency Grass Replacement Rebate Program provides funding and design assistance for agencies to remove turf in public spaces and replace it with drought-tolerant plant materials. Grants provide rebates of $4 for each square foot of turf replaced, up to 200,000 square feet. Staff has been working with West Basin to develop a project for the Civic Center exterior grounds, which contain roughly 43,000 square feet of grass, most of which is located along the four perimeter frontages - Diamond Street, Broadway Avenue, Carnelian Street and Pacific Coast Highway. These areas are attractive but require a substantial amount of water to remain healthy.
Staff walked the site with West Basin representatives in January to discuss a turf replacement project for the Civic Center. West Basin’s design consultant, Swayzer Landscapes, is in the process of preparing a plan for the City. The first section of a draft plan, which covers the northeast area of the property (Carnelian and Pacific Coast Highway), is attached. Once removed, the existing turf will be replaced with a variety of drought tolerant plants and shrubs, including Kangaroo Paws, New Zealand Flax and Desert Rose Paddles. The design also includes several rain gardens to temporarily retain water during heavy rains and prevent significant runoff. Swayzer Landscapes is also working on the design for the other areas of the property. Once the initial design is completed, staff will return to Council for design approval and award of a contract to
N.5., File # 23-5551 Meeting Date: 3/21/2023
design is completed, staff will return to Council for design approval and award of a contract to implement the project.
Other potential sites for grant projects include the exteriors of the Fire Stations and the medians along Catalina Avenue. Staff intends to submit applications for these projects once the design for the Civic Center has been completed.
Artificial Turf
State Government Code (§53087.7) prohibits the City from enacting or enforcing any ordinance that prohibits the installation of artificial turf on “residential property.” Staff’s interpretation of the code assumes residential properties do not include parkway areas adjacent to residences. For this discussion, parkways are defined as the strip of land in the public right of way, between the private property line and the curb, excluding any sidewalk. Presently, City policy does not prohibit the use of artificial turf in parkways.
The State Highway Code and the Redondo Beach Municipal Code require property owners to maintain the parkway adjacent to their property and encourage property owners to install and maintain attractive, safe and environmentally responsible landscaping that they are motivated to maintain. The City’s parkway landscaping practice takes into consideration pedestrian safety, vehicular safety and resource conservation as well as supporting residents’ interests in parkway landscaping installations that will be regularly maintained.
The Public Works Department has developed a draft Policy on Parkway Landscaping in order to document landscaping standards and an approval process for parkway landscaping adjacent to residential properties. The additional intent of this policy is to protect the City’s liability exposure, provide consistent oversight to parkway landscaping and to provide clear public outreach on process and limitations. Staff has taken this policy to the Public Works and Sustainability Commission in the past and received input that shaped the current draft policy. Staff intends to continue its dialogue with the Public Works and Sustainability Commission for the eventual adoption of a formal Department Parkway Landscaping Policy.
The current version of the draft policy from October 2021 (attached) recommends, but does not restrict, that at least 50% of parkway landscaping is planted groundcover. This effectively limits new installation of artificial turf to no more than 50% of the parkway area as long as the Department is consulted, as they should be for new installations that require landscaping plan approval by the City’s Urban Forestry Manager. The policy also identifies a tree protection zone, meant to protect street trees from construction activity at the adjacent property, but does not specifically prohibit artificial turf in the drip zone, and included in the City’s recently enacted Tree Protection Ordinance. State code does allow a city to impose reasonable restrictions in the installation of artificial turf within the drip line of a tree protected by local ordinance (Government Code language is attached).
The draft policy is used at the Department level and has evolved with experience and changing conditions. The current version of the policy is now under revision as a result of the recently passed Tree Protection Ordinance, including the specific limitations of artificial turf within the drip line of street trees. The potential for more restrictive language regarding artificial turf in the draft policy will also be reviewed against limitations in the Government Code Section 53087.7. When these limitations are better understood, staff plans to present a revision to the draft policy to the Public Works and Sustainability Commission, including more restrictive language for artificial turf, for further
N.5., File # 23-5551 Meeting Date: 3/21/2023
Works and Sustainability Commission, including more restrictive language for artificial turf, for further comment and eventual approval by the Commission and City Council.
COORDINATION
This item was coordinated by the Public Works Department.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this report. If the City decides to implement a turf replacement project, the cost would be determined through a competitive bidding process. Staff has applied for a turf replacement grant from West Basin Municipal Water District and the Council appropriated $120,000 in project funding in the FY 2022-23 operating budget.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· West Basin Grant Program Info
· Civic Center Planting Plan
· Civic Center Rain Garden Plan
· Draft Parkway Landscaping Policy
· Draft Parkway Landscaping Handout
· California Government Code Section 53087.7