Measure I – The City Council shows it True Colors

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Basically, the Council used City resources (taxpayers’ money) to devise an intentionally deceitful Initiative in an effort to sow unfounded confusion and fear. Look at what they’re saying “if you pass H, you’ll have empty lots. Not one development will be built.” And worse “Our initiative includes ‘Public Parking improvements.'” This is clear nonsense, as is Keyser Marston’s economic study assumption that unless Council can grant variances to developers we’ll have absolutely NO development in Town Center. This is fear-mongering and deceit and it shows that they love developers and have complete disregard for citizens.

VOTE NO! THE COUNCIL’S DECEPTIVE MEASURE:

  • DOES NOT IMPROVE PUBLIC PARKING
  • DOES NOT SUPPORT THE 2008 TOWN CENTER PLAN
  • CANCELS THE CITIZENS’ 2015 TOWN CENTER INITIATIVE IF IT WINS

THE COUNCIL’S PARKING PLAN:

  • REDUCES all parking requirements even though a lot of development is underway with the higher requirements
  • REDUCES restaurant parking from 10 to 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet, not even enough for employees
  • REDUCES other commercial parking by 50%
  • REDUCES parking for high density residential units
  • PRODUCES TRAFFIC CONGESTION and PARKING NIGHTMARES
  • DISCOURAGES new BUSINESSES in Town Center and existing businesses will suffer
  • LEAVES TAXPAYERS on the hook to provide future parking

City government has already spent over $20,000,000 of taxpayers’ money on Town Center for the BUSINESS DISTRICT desired by residents, with new shops and restaurants that also produce sales tax revenue and jobs. Now the City is catering to developers and special interests, turning Town Center into a high density RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT.

Dana Point is a gem on the Pacific coast of Orange county. We have beautiful beaches, views of the ocean, a spectacular harbor, world-class resorts. parks and wonderful neighborhoods for families. We do not have the problems or other cities — congestion in Laguna, airport noise in Newport, gross overbuilding in Huntington Beach. Our city can thrive and attract top drawer businesses to our new primary business district in town center. We need City government to follow the carefully prepared Town Center Plan rules and provide the successful small town village atmosphere residents want.

THE CITIZENS’ 2015 TOWN CENTER INITIATIVE SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT BUT MAKES DEVELOPERS FOLLOW THE RULES. It prevents 3 councilmembers from changing the Town Center Plan anytime and without voter approval. Developers and special interests fear passage of the Citizen’s Initiative and support the Council’s measure to increase their profits at taxpayers’ expense.

VOTE NO TO OPPOSE THESE PARKING REDUCTIONS

VOTE NO TO SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL TOWN CENTER PLAN

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Highlights from the City’s Rewrite of the Original Town Center Plan
Adopted 9-15-2015 by the City Council

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The City Council approved a radical rewrite of the 2008 Town Center Plan with the vote of four Councilmen (Olvera, Tomlinson, Viczorek, and Muller). This rewrite shows the desperation to support the developer and landowner interests to over build Town Center with apartment and condo units while requiring minimum amounts of parking. This action will forever compromise the chance to build a successful business district. It will clog traffic and burden adjacent neighborhoods with massive parking spillover. It will directly burden taxpayers to pay for eventual parking solutions.

Highlights of Changes:

  1. Parking Zoning Reductions Will Overburden Public Parking
    1. Restaurants per 100 square feet – 2 spaces vs 10 in current code
    2. Retail – 2 vs 4
    3. One bedroom units 1 vs 1.7
    4. Three bedroom units 2 vs 2.7
    5. All Categories – Tandem, Stacked, & Valet spaces are all authorized
    6. Reduces developer funding for public parking structures
    7. Leasing private spaces to add public parking
      1. Existing businesses will not participate other than short term
      2. Spaces disappear as development occurs
      3. Under provided residential needs will swamp public parking and neighborhoods
      4. Will burden taxpayers with costs not new developments
      5. Has not succeeded so far
    8. Monitoring and then reacting will not work
      1. Averages across Town Center do not reflect problems
      2. Waiting until problems develop makes solution costly and slow to implement
      3. Developments that cause problems cannot be held responsible
  2. Not solving identified problems will magnify future problems
    1. See Original Page 23 revisions:
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      A 1/4 mile radius, a distance which is considered to be an acceptable walking distance to access a parking facility, is used to identify the portion of the Town Center which could utilize the In-Lieu Parking Program. The proposed parking facility(ies) would be located in this area.
    2. Page 37 revisions drastically cut parking required
      Parking Requirements
      In order to strengthen the concentration and continuity of retail within the Town Center, a number of modifications to the existing parking requirements are included. The minimum number of parking stalls by use, as detailed in the Dana Point Zoning Code, applies within the Town Center. However, within the proposed parking district, which extends from Blue Lantern to Golden Lantern within the Town Center (as shown on the Parking Strategy diagram on page 17), the developer may pay a fee for off-site public parking in lieu of providing on-site parking for retail and restaurant uses. Several diagrams of pedestrian-oriented parking solutions follow on the next page.
      Residential and Live/work units

      • One parking space per 2000 square feet of gross square footage is required with a minimum of one parking space per unit.
      • Required parking spaces may be provided by tandem, stacked or valet parking if approved by Community Development Director.

http://savedanapoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Dana-Point-Town-Center-Plan-Amended-2015-09-bluelined.pdf