09-11-2012 CC RPT 17 - Laserfiche WebLink

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P12-0066•Page 2 BACKGROUND: This proposal is a request to summarily vacate an approximately 11-foot wide by 822-foot long segment of excess public right-of-way on the westerly side of Golden Avenue and an approximately 12-foot wide by 766-foot long segment of excess public right-of-way on the northerly side of Pierce Street, as shown on Attachment 3. The areas proposed to be vacated are improved with landscaping and portions of parking spaces serving the La Sierra Academy. This vacation would allow the subject areas to be formally maintained by the La Sierra Academy. The La Sierra Academy, including the subject landscaped setbacks and parking area, was established at this location in 1964, prior to Pierce Street and Golden Avenue being dedicated to their current widths. The Master Plan of Roadways (Figure CCM-4) of the Circulation and Community Mobility Element of the General Plan 2025 designates Golden Avenue and Pierce Street as 66-foot wide collector streets. Golden Avenue and Pierce Street are both fully improved with paving, curb, gutter, and sidewalk along both sides. Currently, Golden Avenue has a total right-of-way width of 77 feet, creating an excess of right-of-way of 11 feet. Pierce Street has a total right-of- way width of 110 feet, with 45 feet of right of way on the northerly side adjacent to the La Sierra Academy. For Pierce Street only 33-feet is required on both sides, creating excess right of way width of 12 feet on the northerly side of Pierce Street, adjacent to the La Sierra Academy. Accordingly, the La Sierra Academy is requesting to summarily vacate 11 feet of excess right of way along its Golden Avenue frontage and 12 feet of excess right of way along its Pierce Street frontage. In addition to the proposed vacation, tree wells and end row planters are proposed to adequately screen the existing surface parking lot along the most westerly edge of the Pierce Street frontage. Further staff is recommending that landscaping be augmented along the Golden Avenue frontage to soften the appearance of an existing low wall, which was built to screen the surface parking area. In conjunction with this request, staff is requesting that the City Council authorize the preparation of a Certificate of Compliance to adjust the affected property lines to reflect the proposed summary vacation. The following is a discussion of the findings required for approval of a summary vacation, and the relevant facts of this case as they pertain to the findings: The property is excess right-of-way and is not required for street purposes. The subject areas, described above, are considered excess right-of-way, as adequate right-of-way currently exists to accommodate the full development of both Golden Avenue and Pierce Street. As noted above, Golden Avenue and Pierce Street include excess right-of-way beyond their 66-foot wide collector street designation on the Master Plan of Roadways of the General Plan 2025. Further, the subject area to be vacated is not needed for local pedestrian circulation, as adequate pedestrian access will continue to be provided by sidewalks within the surrounding public right-of-way system, including along both Golden Avenue and Pierce Street (see Attachment 3). Consequently, the area to be summarily vacated is not required for street purposes. 17-2