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Home My WebLink About0107.095r " " • .. -.. , , .--: -f.~ ,.... ,. _-" :~'" @ 8 City of Palo Alto City Manager's Repor~ TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM: CITY M&"<AGER DEPARTMENT: Publk Works AGENDA DATE: JanlW)' 1" 19'JS CMR:l07:9S SlillJECT: Palo Alto Harbor Point: Request for Council Direction on &ope of Capital Improvement Pcoje<:t REQUEST TIlls is • request for Council to pray;&, direction on pursuing oce of two alternate capital improvement projects for H""bor Point in the Baylacds. 'f'!is request is presented now in <><dec to be .bk to meet the permit deadliru> imposed by the Sw Francisco Bay Consenacion and Development Commission {BCDq for on<O of the allemate proje=. REmMMENDAUON It is re<:ommeoded that Council take one of the following actions: 1_ Reaffirm its past policy direction of restoring Harbor Point to marsh at • cost of $Z5O,OOO.0< 2. Direct staff to pursue alternate public access impro,-ements at a cost of $250,000. POlleY IMPJJq.UQNS Appr<ml for proceeding with marsh restoration at Harbor Point will reaf&m past Council policy direction. fXFClnIVESl~UdARY In 1981, the BCDC issued the City • permit to perform a final marina .hedging in the Palo Aho Harbor. The permit required the City to develoj> four acres of marsh and seven acres of public access improvements to mitigate the &edging. Following closure of the marina in 1986, Council approved a technic.i study and EIA for harbor improvemellts, including four acres of m:mh restoration on Harbor Point and construction of • sailing stacion. These improvements were con>.pleted in n.c.,mber 199J as part of the Harbor Impco\-ements, CIP 189U. The study :.!so included cre>ting an ~n.t seven acres of =sh 00. Harbor Poin, in lieu ~ seven acres of public access improvements which bad been pcevious!y identified in the CMIl:I07:9S Par:~ 1 of J >;---:;: " . , . ,."j: ...... ' . -: .,' -, '" ",---, o Barl.ods Masur Pbn foe <his location (see attachment). The City's revised plans and technkal report "ere enthusi2stXal!y supported by BCOC. A.. result, 1M B.=d amended the City', penhlt conditions in 1992, to provid< the City vith the option 01 developing the remaining se-...", acres of Harbor Point as marsh rather than pubOC access impcovements, and exreOOed the imrL-mentatioo deadline to 1997_ Bucd on Council approval of the technkal study and adoptioo of. Park Improvement Ordinance incorporating these improvements, desigo of the additiorull seven ocr .. of marsh r..,=tioo was undertaken as pan of CIP 18918_ The design is nearly complete and ill neces=y agency permits have been obtained foe the wori<. In order :0 complete the project by the permit de.dline. funding wiI:1 need to be budgeted in the 1995-96 and 19%-97 CIP budgets. Based on the nearly completed desigo plans, stili has deve!cped .. cost estimate of $750,000 foe the work. The marsh r:stocati-:>n can be accommodlted in the CIP budget. However, since this is • significant expenditure. staff is asking Council to review its p .... policy decision to pur>ue the pcoject. & an alternative. Council cO'.lld puts".Je developi.ng Harboc Point as public access at an estimated cost of $2'>'>,000, thereby making funds .n>1able foe ",.her CIP pcojecu. The project would consist of pathways. elev3ted .... alk"'''Y' and a demO!l<tntion salt marsh garden ..-ithin tbe seven acre Ihrl>oc Point area. 8e<:a,,-~ wock has not been performed on the public access option to date, staff estimates it will take at least two years to secure the required agency permits and complete cOllStlUCtion. A. a result, it will not be possible to meet the BCDC 1997 deadline unless funds are budgeted foe the desigo this fiscal. year. r-o&wi.ng is the projected timetable foc the ""bli<: access project. March 1m April-July 1m August-November 1995 December 1995.May 1996 Junc-Augustl996 September 19%-February 1997 Budget Amendment/agreement foe consultant services Preli'llinary design Site and desigo revie .... Other goVe.mmeDta! agency f"e"-lie"W'S and pennit issuaoces Final design/bidding Coostructioo If Council reaffirms the marsh restoration pcoject, staff vili continue to pursue options which could defray Ol" reduce the p<oject coa to the City. One possibility involves using the site as ~ mitigation measure foe another private development pcoject. Staff is looking into potential funding from a development project in F~ Palo Alto, which is ("'{".nred to ,dtigate the loss of wetlands, as well as a separate project .ponsoced by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority_ Although it is possible that one of rnese developments could /in"""" • signi6cant portion of the. harbor marsh restoration, more Jiscussions and further plan development needs to occur on these pcojeru before a firm decision can be CMIU07o'J5 -.. ' -'," ',,:'- I t , mode. In addition, otaff viii be b,king into the av<ihl>ility of possibl. crant funding from other ageacies such as the Environmenul Protectio1l Acenq, Department of Fish ,ad Gam.., State Regional Water Qu<Wty Control Board, CAL TRANS and th, Coastal Conservancy. Staff is also exploring waY' to redu"" the project cost. The most significant rost of creating a m=h is the hauling and di5posal of e%C2Vated material. U oder current landfill standards, there .,.., tow disposal sites which .,.., suitable foe receiving the txcoV">ted material due to i".s metal c""tent. However, staff rocently anended • workshop held by BCDC and other permitting agencies on possible relaxation of bndfiIl cover requiremenu. Al-.hough the City 1andfiIi has sufficient stockpiled cover material, thl5 change could result in ~ of the m=h excavation materUI at <><her nearby &1 Area landfill sites, thereby reducing the cost of handling and disposal. Staff viii morutor the progr ... of !his issue and continue to research other possible disposal sites. FISCAl IMPACT Funding of $750,000 split equ.Jly itt 199>% and 1996-97 is required for constrUcting the _ marsh restoration option. Alternatively, funding-of $255,000 would be required foe the pubIk access impro'!e=<S p<oiect, including. $75,000 ~ Amendment Ordinance itt 199+95 f<>rdesign, and $90,000 in bot}, 199>% and 1996-97 foe-OOClStrUCtion. ENVIRONMTh'TAL ASSFSSMFNT A mitigated negative dedar.tion has bem approved foe-the marsh reS!ontioo p<oject rtIElAI) •• I,n ElA would need to be approved as part of the site and desi"" process lor the public acces improvements project. AUACHMEWS Plan of Harbor-Point PREPARED BY: Geocge Bagdon, Assistant Director of Public W <'l"ks DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW: -:f?IL~~,I.:;-..;.,1iZ~k~",-... ~. __ _ GLENN S. ROBERTS Director of Public Wocks CffY MANAGER APPROVAL: ---'~hMl~1 '~!S+!~IIN.¥.j·~IlI _______ _ FilMING( . Manager cc: Ms. Emily Reezef 00l:101:9S p,"", J of J - <'" , . }. -, _"7"1'-_ .- LOCATION MAP <: CI Z < ~ ~ -~ v g :r PALO AlTO IMPROVEMENTS AT HARBOR POINl