Politics & Government

Smoking in Public, Beach Bathrooms on Tuesday's Council Agenda

Public response to eight bike corrals on Orange Avenue and whether the pilot program should continue will be discussed.

At their first meeting in nearly a month, City Council has a full agenda Tuesday and will take up topics ranging from support of laws being considered in Sacramento to smoking in public to portable restrooms.

The public's response to eight bike corrals installed on Orange Avenue and whether the pilot program should continue will be discussed. The corrals were installed May 30. City staff recommends the corrals stay in place for the remainder of the six-month trial program.

Observation of bike corral usage in June found that throughout the city in the program's first month no more than three bikes on average were seen parked in corrals at various times of day on weekdays. A corral at the northwest corner of 10th Street saw the highest amount of use.

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More than 85 people responded to a bike corral survey.

In response to criticism that the survey did not allow for non-bike riders to voice their opinions, changes were made to the survey by city staff June 12.

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  • About 1 in 5 respondents said more corrals should be added
  • About 1 in 3 respondents said a bike corral or corrals should be removed. The northeast corner of 10th Street received the most votes for removal
  • Nearly 70 percent felt the corrals are close enough to their destination
  • Some 53 percent feel corrals are safe, 41 feel corrals are not safe and six percent responded that corrals are not safe for children

Hear more about the corrals on page 379 of the agenda packet.

Further restriction of smoking in public places will also be considered Tuesday. The city took up the topic following complaints in January by residents of second-hand smoke near restaurants in the 100 block of Orange Avenue. City staff will present the findings of analysis of laws in other cities and public opinions offered by residents and business owners.

If City Council wants to further prohibit smoking in public areas, staff has suggested City Council consider some areas including:

  • Sidewalks
  • Outdoor dining areas
  • Parks, beaches and all recreation areas, including the golf course
  • Construction sites

Surveys submitted by about 125 residents found near unanimous support to prohibit smoking in the above areas.

Under current city law, some businesses may apply for exemption to the law and continue to allow smoking on an outdoor patio or dining area.

"The city should not get into the business of making these decisions," said Michael O'Connor with Coronado Firehouse Bar & Grill. "Let the restaurants make their own policies. Ultimately the consumer will/should have the final say."

Read more about the possible changes to city ordinances related to smoking on page 379 of the agenda packet.

The city will consider whether city staff should seek written consent from 10 Coronado Shores home owners associations (HOA) for the installation of portable public restrooms near the beach at Coronado Shores on easements at either Avenida de las Arenas or Avenida del Sol street end. 

These are no porta potties. 

The portable restrooms may cost an estimated $50,000 and the entire project may cost from $400,000 to $600,000.

The restrooms would be trailer-mounted to be moved to various public events and paid for with money the city receives from Hotel del Coronado.

Legal counsel to one HOA told the city in his opinion portable restrooms can be installed at the end of Avenida del Sol without permission from HOAs because it is not considered a semi-permanent structure. 

Placement at Avenida de las Arenas would require letters of consent from HOAs, city staff said.

An Avenida del Sol location is not as centrally located for beachgoers but is more clearly in city control, city staff said.

A majority of Coronado Shores HOAs opposed a plan to install a permanent restroom for the beach last year. In response to news of a possible portable restroom, some HOAs sent letters to the city in recent weeks that argue that the easement is only allowed to exist as a place of public beach access, not as the site of a portable restroom.

Some individual residents sent letters in favor of a portable restroom trial period.

Go to page 421 of the agenda packet to see the city's summary of the proposed restrooms and letters from Coronado Shores residents and HOAs.

With item A of the public hearings portion of the agenda, City Council may decide to adopt an ordinance to change regular City Council meeting times from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Labor negotiations with city employees and performance evaluations of City Manager Blair King and City Attorney Johanna Canlas will take place in closed session.

With a single vote, City Council will move to approve 21 separate items on Tuesday's agenda including:

  • Sign a license agreement with the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association to install an electric car charging station near the association's offices. This is item Q and is on pg. 249
  • Notice of completion of the Coronado Club Room and Boathouse. The $3.4 million was funded by the Port of San Diego and the city's former redevelopment agency. See more details on pg. 103 of the agenda.
  • Grant city staff permission to advertise a project to bring countdown timers and audible pedestrian signals to Coronado. Find more information on item U on pg. 313.
  • Letters in support of an earthquake early warning system (SB 135), a bill to keep the state Department of Finance from modifying enforceable obligations of redevelopment agency successor agencies in the future or interfering in the sale or liquidation of property once the state grants finding of completion (AB 564), a bill that deals with zoning law and a law to extend the amount of time legal action can be taken against a decision by a legislative body so long as it is in support of affordable housing (AB 325). Current law requires legal challenge take place within 60 days. The proposed law would allow legal action within three years. Read the letters on page 109.
  • Approval of a 25-year easement for a 16-inch water pipe line that brings water to Naval Base Coronado and runs through the city. The most recent easement for the pipe was approved in 1956 and expired in 2006.
  • Change monthly slip fee rates. Following a survey of costs of slip fees in other parts of San Diego, fees will go up between about 25 and 65 cents a month to keep pace with average slip fees in other parts of the region. Item P is on page 237 of the agenda.
Visit coronado.ca.us to download the complete agenda.


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