REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Eric G. Parra, Interim City Manager
VIA: Chau Vu, Director of Public Works
PREPARED BY: Steve Bogart, Senior Civil Engineer
Subject:
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Approve and authorize the execution and recordation of a Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange for the Good Shepherd Cemetery Located at 8301 Talbert Avenue
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Statement of Issue:
A Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement, between the City and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange (Attachment 1), is presented for City Council approval and execution for the Good Shepherd Cemetery Expansion Project at 8301 Talbert Avenue. As part of the proposed expansion project taking place at the Cemetery site, an agreement is needed to ensure ongoing operation and maintenance of the storm drain system.
Financial Impact:
Pursuant to the Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange is responsible for construction of the On-Site Detention and Drainage System and for maintenance of the system until project completion and formal acceptance in writing by the City Engineer. Upon acceptance, the City shall assume maintenance of the On-Site Detention and Drainage System. The costs for maintenance can be covered within the City’s adopted operating budget, and no additional funding is required.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
A) Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the “Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement, between the City of Huntington Beach and Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange;” and,
B) Instruct the City Clerk to record said Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement (and attachments) with the Orange County Clerk Recorder.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve, and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
On December 7, 2004, the Planning Commission approved Mitigated Negative Declaration No. 03-08 and Conditional Use Permit No. 00-63 for the proposed Good Shepherd Cemetery Expansion project (located at 8301 Talbert Avenue) permitting a three-phase expansion of the existing 23-acre cemetery (see Attachment 2 for Location Map). The phased improvements include the construction of an approximately 85,000 square foot, three-story mausoleum, an approximately 10,000 square foot maintenance facility, and above-ground garden crypts totaling approximately 100,000 square feet on 12.5 undeveloped acres adjacent to the existing cemetery (see Attachment 3 for the 2005 approved project phasing plan). Since approval of the entitlements in 2004, a new maintenance building, new lawn crypts, portions of a new onsite loop road, and drainage improvements have been completed (see Attachment 4 2021 Master Plan).
The cemetery site has historically included two drainage courses that accept storm water from adjacent public areas. Through gathering of historic records and an extensive hydrologic analysis, it was determined that significant ponding occurred within two naturally depressed areas onsite during high rain events. These areas served as natural detentions to slow storm water as it passes through the site, before exiting towards Newman Avenue. As part of the proposed expansion project, the site was conditioned to keep the historic drainage patterns and to also make space for additional drainage created from the proposed onsite development, which hardens the perviousness of the existing surfaces and creates more storm water runoff.
In conformance with the project’s Conditions of Approval, the project owner has submitted plans to improve the historic drainage courses, has constructed new portions of the City master planned storm drain infrastructure onsite, and is improving the detention areas to create engineered basins for the possible detention of a 100-year storm to mitigate the downstream effects on the adjacent residential neighborhood and public storm drain system.
The project’s Conditions of Approval also require the cemetery owner to enter into a Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement for the on-site detention and storm drain system which is designed per city and county standards. The current agreement addresses maintenance responsibilities, ongoing operation and liability associated with the proposed on-site detention and storm drain system. Lastly, the agreement outlines the necessary access easements dedicated to the City to allow crews to maintain the on-site drainage systems that convey public storm water through the cemetery site.
Public Works Commission Action:
Not required.
Environmental Status:
The agreement is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, pursuant to City Council Resolution No. 4501.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Non Applicable - Administrative Item
Attachment(s):
1. Storm Water Detention and Landscape Maintenance Agreement
2. Location Map
3. Overall Project Phasing Plan from 2005
4. 2021 Master Plan of the Good Shepherd Cemetery Expansion Project
5. PowerPoint Presentation