SeaPort Developers Say Traffic Can Be Mitigated

Dec 10, 2008 (Grunion Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- LEN | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- A study by a top traffic engineering firm says that the increased traffic from the Second+PCH development can be almost completely mitigated with work on seven different intersections.

This is the second attempt to redevelop the SeaPort Marina Hotel at the corner of Second Street and the Pacific Coast Highway. The first, by Lennar Corp., had made it through the Planning Commission before the Environmental Impact Report was stalled at the City Council level. Lennar eventually dropped out of the project, leaving it to property owners Ray and Amy Lin, doing business as Taki-Sun, Inc., to develop the property themselves.

The Lins partnered with David Malmuth and Cliff Ratkovich, Development Services Group, to come up with a plan for the corner. That team has been working on the project for the last nine months, and had more than 70 meetings, contacting more than 700 people, as part of its community outreach, Ratkovich said. They also have hired the top architect firm and the best consultants available, including the Fehr and Peers firm to conduct a traffic study, according to Carl Kemp, a DSG spokesman.

"We were not obligated to do this study," Kemp said. "But we wanted to have a thorough and transparent discussion with the community, as we had promised the City Council we were going to do, and this is part of it."

Like Lennar's failed plan, DSG and Taki-Sun are seeking a mixed-use development including residential and retail space. But the new plan cuts the number of residential units to 325, adds a boutique hotel and partners with California State University, Long Beach, to create a coastal learning center and a 99-seat theater to be a new home for the Cal Rep theater company.

Ratkovich said that the two major concerns voiced by the community are traffic impacts and the height of the "signature" building planned as a 100-room boutique hotel (12 stories). The traffic issues center around the intersection of Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway, already believed to be the most heavily impacted intersection in the city.

"We were pleasantly surprised by the traffic study's conclusions," Ratkovich said. "It turns out we can mitigate the impacts significantly -- to the point where we actually improve the traffic flow with the exception of two time periods -- the p.m. peak period during the week and the Saturday peak period."

The traffic report covers proposed improvements at seven intersections. In addition to Second and PCH, the project would impact PCH and Seventh Street, Studebaker Road and the SR 22 westbound offramp, PCH and Loynes Drive, Marina Drive and Second Street, Studebaker Road and Second Street and PCH and Studebaker Road. Work ranging from restriping to create more lanes (including potential purchase of land for rights of way), dedicating turn lanes and synchronizing traffic signals are among potential mitigation measures.

"We're asking the traffic consultant to quantify the work in terms of cost now," Ratkovich said. " The biggest unknown is the purchase of rights of way -- whether it can be done and how much it would cost. You can't tell that until you negotiate.

"The rest of it will be relatively, with emphasis on relatively, cheap. There's striping and signal synchronization.... We don't have a cap now on what would be considered financially feasible mitigation."

Highlights of the proposed mitigation plan include a third southbound lane on PCH from Second to the bridge leading to Seal Beach, restriping Second Street eastbound before PCH to create three through lanes and creating a dedicated right turn lane from Studebaker to Second Street.

DSG is meeting with community groups now with its final plan -- a meeting with the Belmont Shore Residents Association is set for tonight, Thursday. Then a formal application will be submitted to the city for preliminary review, with an Environmental Impact Report to follow. For more information, go to the Web site at www.secondandpch.com

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