REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Eric G. Parra, Interim City Manager
VIA: Ashley Wysocki, Director of Community & Library Services
PREPARED BY: Ashley Wysocki, Director of Community & Library Services
Subject:
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Approve the Carr Park reconfiguration conceptual plan as recommended by the Community & Library Services Commission
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Statement of Issue:
Staff has worked with David Volz Design Landscape Architects, Inc. (DVD) to conduct a public input process and to develop a conceptual master plan to make needed improvements at Carr Park. The Community & Library Services Commission (Commission) met on June 12, 2024, and approved the conceptual master plan. There is a need for the City Council to review and approve the conceptual plan.
Financial Impact:
Initial funding in the amount of $100,000 in FY 2021/22 and $355,000 in FY 2022/23 totaling $455,000 has been included in the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Carr Park conceptual design services, including the preparation of plans and specifications. To date, there is a remaining balance of $336,113 to continue into the next phase of design.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Approve the conceptual plan for Carr Park reconfiguration and authorize staff to move forward with initiating the development of the design and bid package for construction of the updated facility.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve the recommended action and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
Carr Park, located at 16532 Springdale Street, was constructed and opened to the public in 1972. Since that time, the 11.2-acre park has functioned as one of the City’s largest passive neighborhood parks.
Development Background
Today, existing amenities at Carr Park include a playground structure, meandering sidewalks, picnic tables, and a 1.02-acre, approximately 8’ deep man-made lake with an island. Carr Park hosts the annual Huntington Beach Police Department’s “Fish with the Force” event and previously hosted the Community Services “Ol’ Fishin’ Hole Derby” for children with developmental disabilities. The Department of Fish and Wildlife funds the stocking of fish for these events.
To assess the current biological environment at Carr Park, the project team has consulted with MNS Engineers to complete a biological resources assessment (Attachment 1). The results of the biological study can be found beginning on page 12. In general, Carr Park contains no sensitive communities, no native natural communities, and is predominately maintained as well-manicured parkland for recreational uses. The report explains no special status plants are known to occur or expect to occur at Carr Park due to the lack of natural habitats and surrounding development. The report further explains that the proposed project will not have significant direct, indirect, or cumulative effects on candidate, sensitive or special status species or on riparian habitat or other sensitive natural communities.
Carr Park currently has 70 trees. The removal of the island and expansion of the lake will result in the loss of approximately 10 trees, however, 125 new trees will be planted, resulting in 185 total trees at Carr Park. Depending on tree health, trees proposed for removal may be transplanted to other areas of the park.
There is currently an imbalance of wildlife and passive recreational use at the park. The island does not have a pedestrian path which provides a protected habitat for waterfowl, safe from predators, such as coyotes, who can only reach them by swimming across the lake. The increase in protected waterfowl contributes to a degradation of the lake water quality due to an increase in droppings that settle in the bottom of the lake. The lake cannot assimilate the volume of nutrients, which creates an abundance of algae. The lack of vegetation rooted into the soil of the lake plays a large part in the poor water quality.
Many visiting the park bring food to feed the waterfowl. While this is a behavior that is ingrained in our society, feeding the waterfowl a non-native diet, often full of carbohydrates, begins to change the waterfowl’s natural behaviors of migration and hunting for food. As a result, the waterfowl have found a permanent home at Carr Park, leaving behind a high volume of droppings across the park’s greenspace, often leaving visitors with an unpleasant experience.
Public Outreach
Through its contract with DVD, staff has conducted an extensive community outreach program and met with critical stakeholder groups to establish a partnership with the community in the development of the conceptual master plan. To generate awareness of the project, 2,500 informational postcards were mailed to surrounding neighborhoods (Attachment 2) and large posters were displayed at the park. A project website (tinyurl.com/carr-park) was developed, which includes all of the project information, community meeting and virtual survey results, as well as the proposed conceptual designs. An email distribution list of 165 individuals has also been used to remind residents of upcoming community meetings, virtual surveys, and updates on the project.
Two in-person design charrettes were conducted with community members, which were each followed with a widely distributed virtual survey soliciting feedback on the concepts discussed during the in-person meetings. The first in-person meeting, held on May 17, 2023, involved approximately 50 community members and was hosted at Carr Park. Attendees were taken on a tour of the park and then divided into smaller teams to discuss current conditions and desired improvements. Following the break-out sessions, groups presented their ideas to their peer community members, and DVD noted the proposed concepts.
Virtual survey 1, which remained open from May 18 - June 1, 2023, was distributed to collect feedback from residents that were unable to attend the in-person community meeting. A total of 218 residents responded to the survey and listed tree preservation, maintain no restrooms at the site, provide educational signage on feeding wildlife, preserve the open grass areas, enlarge the lake, add walkways, and move the playground away from the lake, as priority items.
Using both the in-person meeting and virtual survey results, two concept plans were developed and presented at a second in-person community meeting on July 20, 2023. About 50 community members attended this meeting, which consisted of a review of the input received at the first community meeting and virtual survey, followed by a presentation of two concept plans (Attachment 3). Feedback on the plans was noted, and a second virtual survey was sent out to allow comments from those unable to attend the meeting. This second survey was more open ended, allowing residents to indicate their preference on the concept plans and leave general comments. A total of 52 virtual surveys were collected from July 21 - August 4, 2023. While there was some concern expressed about the increased size of the lake, in-person participants were reminded that increasing the size was important for the health and quality of the lake. Participants expressed concern about the proximity of the playground to the lake and preferred the island in the lake be removed.
In addition to community input, staff and DVD also consulted with a series of stakeholders, including the Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Huntington Beach Fishing Club, Ryan Winkleman, an E-Bird Administrator, and the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD). Each stakeholder has reviewed the proposed conceptual plan and appreciates the balance the plan will bring between wildlife and humans at the park, and the natural filtration enhancements to improve the lake’s water quality. To preserve the balance of wildlife and human use, the Department of Fish & Wildlife recommends that the City provide extensive education on the impact of feeding wildlife and to provide enforcement, when necessary, to deter this behavior. HBPD applied Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principals during their review of the plan, and do not see any design elements that would trigger further review.
Proposed Improvements
Based on the community input received and professional analysis, DVD has prepared a conceptual master plan (Attachment 4) that includes:
• Removal of the island
• Increasing the size and depth of the lake to match the natural flood patterns at the park during heavy storms (Attachment 5)
• Replacement of the lake filtration system to a biological treatment system, which will naturally improve water quality and remove the need for chemicals
• Piers for fishing
• A connected approximate 1/2-mile walking path surrounding the perimeter of the park
• Installation of fitness equipment
• A concrete walking path around the perimeter of the lake to increase accessibility
• A new playground relocated away from the lake edge, which will include a short perimeter fence, further enhancing safety for children in the park
Most notable will be the improved water quality of the lake, which will be achieved through a holistic approach to water quality management in the design of the lake ecosystem and lake amenities that would result in a lake than can be managed without the use of chemicals such as algaecides/herbicides, insecticides, and artificial water colorants (Attachment 6). The proposed updates to the lake were designed by civil engineering firm J. Smith & T. Muli, Inc. These updates include upgraded aeration, a bio filter to control excess nutrients in the water and limit algae growth, skimmers, and the addition of specific species of aquatic plants to further remove excess nutrients.
Water would be pumped, filtered, and returned into the lake through small, decorative streams and water elements that naturally follow the park’s topography. Along the perimeter of the lake, it is recommended to create aesthetic aquatic vegetation planters. Aquatic plants help remove nutrients from the water column through root uptake and the plant’s flowers attract dragonflies which eat mosquito larvae and help to suppress mosquitoes/vectors.
To minimize the effects of solar warming, it is recommended the lake have a depth of up to 15’. At this depth, the lake will not have extreme temperature changes and will minimize wide fluctuations in dissolved oxygen due to solar warming, which is another natural way to promote a healthy lake environment.
The lake will also be designed to have a 4:1 (H:V) bottom slope ratio for increasing the depth, meaning every four feet horizontally from the lake’s edge the depth will increase by one foot. This bottom slope ratio is considered to be a safe slope for anyone who may inadvertently enter the lake to safely exit.
To promote the establishment of fish and build a healthy fishery in the lake, it is proposed to create a fish habitat in the lake which includes artificial reefs. The artificial reefs can be made from upcycled materials from the demolition of the park, including crushed concrete or rubble. Spawning habitats could also be created, allowing for targeted species of fish to thrive at the lake to support the intended fishery and game fish. The proposed improvements will reestablish a balance between wildlife and passive recreational park usage.
Project Development Process/Timeline
Pending approval by City Council, the next step in the process would be the development of detailed engineering plans and specifications, including preparation of a preliminary construction estimate. A remaining balance of $336,113 in Capital Improvement funds are available to continue into this next phase. Any unused funding will be carried over into future fiscal years. Additional funds will need to be identified and budgeted as the project proceeds into the construction phase. Given the lake’s water supply is provided through storm water, this expands the opportunity for staff to seek grant opportunities to offset future construction funding needs.
Environmental Status:
The appropriate environmental process will be followed, as directed by the Planning Division of the Community Development Department once a conceptual plan is approved.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Non Applicable - Administrative Item
Attachment(s):
1. Biological Survey
2. Informational Postcard
3. Proposed Concept Plans Based Off Community Input Meeting # 1
4. Proposed Concept Plan for Approval
5. Proposed Lake Redesign Overlay on Existing
6. Proposed Lake Filtration System Memo
7. PowerPoint Presentation