Downtown planning continues

The Huntington Beach Planning Commission discussed eliminating parking on Main Street and closing it off to cars at different parts of the year as part of the proposed update to the city’s Downtown Specific Plan on Tuesday.

The Downtown Specific Plan is a long-range planning document that dictates building specifications and is being updated to increase development over the next 20 years. The plans encompass the area south of Goldenwest Street and north of Beach Boulevard along the beach and from the pier to Palm Avenue, with Sixth and Lake streets as the boundary lines.

The Planning Commission voted to add two additional sessions in August and September to go into further detail about the modifications.

“We’re missing some major changes in the plan,” Commissioner Tom Livengood said. “We really need to get down in the depths of this?.?.?.?so we can clearly understand what is proposed.”

In the meeting, Erik Justesen of RRM Design, the planning firm hired by the city, went over some of the proposed changes to the design guidelines in the Downtown Specific Plan and possible streetscape improvements.

One of the changes would make some smaller projects exempt from the review of the Design Review Board and allow the Zoning Commission — not just the Planning Commission — to give out conditional use permits.

Part of the plan is to make downtown more accessible and pedestrian-oriented by possibly adding a trolley route, increasing bicycle parking, realigning Walnut Avenue with Pacific View Avenue and adding pedestrian phase signals — which give people more time to cross the street diagonally — at First and Sixth streets on Pacific Coast Highway.

Part of making the area more pedestrian-friendly is closing the street during parts of the year. The plan also proposes eliminating 55 parking spots on Main Street between Orange Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. The area would be enhanced to create a plaza-like street with additional trees, wider sidewalks and outdoor dining.

“I like the idea of no parking on Main Street, but I question the impact on retail establishments,” Livengood said.

To deal with the loss of parking spaces, Justesen discussed a valet parking program, tiered beach parking, commercial parking and the implementation of a residential permit system.

More than 50 residents came to the study session to hear more details, and 12 spoke during public comment against the plan.

The residents didn’t have an issue with the plan as a whole, just with the part that would turn their neighborhood by Main and Sixth streets into a “mini-destination” by building a performing arts theater, art center and underground parking structure. The purpose of the development is to create a cultural arts district to anchor the north end of Main Street. The residents are also concerned over the possibility of losing Triangle Park and the Main Street Library.

Planning Commission Vice Chairman Blair Farley also expressed concerns over the cultural arts overlay and asked what the benefits of it would be to the city.

Triangle Park neighbors have banded together to create the Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Assn., which currently has 400 members and is circulating a petition to save the park and library that has 3,500 signatures, association member Richardson Gray said.

“Every day that goes by, more and more people join the effort to stop the destruction of our library and park,” fellow member John Acampora said in the meeting.

An Environmental Impact Report on the proposed downtown changes is expected to be released Monday and will be available for a 45-day public comment period before a meeting Aug. 13.

The Planning Commission’s third study session, centered around parking issues, will take place July 28.