8E
Date: June 17, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
John La Rock, Community Services Director
By: Danny E. Santana, Assistant City Manager | [email protected] John La Rock, Community Services Director | [email protected] Subject: City Manager and Community Services – Approve Funding Agreement by and between the Torrance Unified School District and the City of Torrance, Appropriate $10.63 Million Towards the El Nido Park Renovation Capital Improvement Project, and Authorize the City Manager to Initiate Community Engagement. Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager and Community Services Director that City Council:
1. Approve funding agreement by and between the Torrance Unified School District and the City of Torrance; and
2. Appropriate up to a $10.63 million Torrance Unified School District contribution toward a new El Nido Park Renovation Capital Improvement Project, subject to the prescribed terms; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to initiate community engagement with El Nido Tract residents and North Torrance Little League on the final design of park and public improvement elements.
FUNDING
Source Amount
Torrance Unified School District $ 10,630,000.00
Hamilton Developer Parks/Open Space Advance $ 1,000,000.00 FY2025-26 El Nido Park CIP Funds $ 400,000.00
City General Fund/Other Non-General Fund Sources $ 7,610,000.00 El Nido Park Projected Renovation Cost, 10% Project Contingency & CEQA Review $ 19,640,000.00
The City will develop a new Capital Improvement Project to receive contributions from Torrance Unified School District (District), secured Grants and Legislative appropriations to reduce the monetary obligations for both agencies on an equal (50/50) shared methodology. 1 City Council
June 17, 2025
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2 DISCUSSION
Following the El Nido Annexation of 1956, El Nido Park was acquired by the City of Torrance from Los Angeles County in 1958. The City has maintained the property since. Today El Nido Park amenities include a basketball court, lighted softball playfield, playground, community meeting room with kitchen and a license agreement with a radio-controlled car track group that runs through November 14, 2027.
In 2024, the Torrance Unified School District approached the City regarding the possibility of relocating North Torrance Little League to a City Park facility. City Staff explored multiple locations and determined El Nido Park would be the best candidate if the park was re-master planned in order to best accommodate little league programming while avoiding impacts to the adjacent neighborhood and provide improved amenities for all park users. Following a fact-finding meeting with the North Torrance Little League board in Fall of 2024, staff explored ways in which park access could be relocated away from the residential street of Kingsdale and substantially expanded available parking, how to both accommodate two little league fields without creating a concentration of sound and light and to leverage this opportunity to advance a complete renovation of existing onsite park amenities of recreation room, restrooms and congregation spaces and the possibility of adding recent interests for pickleball, tennis and cricket play.
In order to advance District and City discussions, staff retained the services of design professionals to estimate projected construction costs that totaled $17.4 million. The District and City engaged in multiple discussions to arrive at a collaborative approach where the District commits a park renovation financial contribution to meet the projected $10.63 million for a City led El Nido Park project to properly absorb Little League play. Should the District advance a redevelopment of Hamilton Adult School site, the City anticipates negotiating a development Agreement with the District selected developer to advance $1 million toward the park renovation to fulfill Parks and Open Space Development Impact Fees and Building Permit fees that would be required of a Developer following approval of land use entitlements at the time of Building Permit issuance. As a part of the Funding Agreement, the District and City would also agree to a joint advocacy to reduce the General Fund burdens on each respective agency and motivated by a 50/50 split of secured legislative appropriations and grants secured.
Should City Council approve the proposed Funding Agreement, Staff will proceed with community engagement of the El Nido Tract residents in the immediate area and NTLL to introduce the concept, request input on the design and park amenities and advance a final design before the Torrance Parks and Recreation Commission. Following, the City would advance necessary environmental review requirements and finalized construction documents. Staff does note that NTLL would also be required to enter into a land lease agreement similar to the other four Little Leagues that operate at other City locations. Staff also notes that the District has committed to continuing to provide NTLL with little league fields access at either the existing Hamilton site or other comparable locations until such time that the El Nido fields, related little league infrastructure, relocated access and expanded parking lots are completed. 2 City Council
June 17, 2025
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2 ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
The subject funding agreement is not a “project” as that term is defined by CEQA, because it does not commit the City to any one course of action, and would not result in a direct physical change, or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. (See, Pub. Res. Code § 21065.) Even if the agreement was considered a project, it would be nonetheless statutorily exempt from environmental review pursuant to section 15262 of the CEQA Guidelines because it consists of feasibility or planning studies for possible future actions which the City of Torrance has not yet approved, adopted, or accepted funding. Once finalized, the City will require formal CEQA review prior to approving any development project, which may include the preparation of a negative declaration or Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
ATTACHMENT
1.District-City El Nido Park Capital Improvement Project Funding Agreement (Material Available)
3 ATTACHMENT 1
MATERIAL AVAILABLE
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