Huntington Beach council to talk about summertime transit
The Huntington Beach City Council on Monday is expected to consider whether to move forward with plans to develop an extra summertime transit system in areas of the city popular with tourists and how to proceed with widening a portion of Edinger Avenue to improve traffic flow.
The council will also discuss appointing three council members to the advisory board of the Downtown Business Improvement District to ensure that the group is operating in the best interests of all downtown businesses. Last year, the council appointed three of its members to act as liaisons to the DBID, but this move would ensure voting rights.
The free busing system would follow a 15.4-mile route that includes the Bella Terra shopping center, the Oak View neighborhood, Central Park, the Pacific City development and coastal parts of the downtown area. The grant from the Orange County Transporation Authority was approved last year.
The system would supplement existing OCTA services during the summer, a peak activity season for the city, according to a report submitted to the council by City Manager Fred Wilson.
The council still needs to enter into a formal agreement with the OCTA that sets terms and conditions of the funding.
The city has estimated the project could cost as much as $1 million, the report says.
The OCTA would provide $917,770 for the project. The rest of the costs would be funded by the city and a $12,000 donation from Visit HB, a tourist information center.
Meanwhile, the council is also expected to discuss using a 168-square-foot parcel of land at 7900 Edinger Ave., currently a sidewalk and landscaped area, to aid in widening Edinger Avenue. The agreement would cost $15,200 and an additional $2,500 in escrow fees, a report by Wilson says.
The project, approved in 2015, calls for widening the southbound side of the street, between Parkside Lane and Beach Boulevard, and lengthening the right-turn lane on Beach to Parkside.
According to the report, the project will ease longstanding traffic problems on the typically busy street.
It is expected to cost about $600,000 and take about six months to complete, city spokeswoman Julie Toledo said.
The city will open bidding for the project next week and a contractor will be chosen in March, Toledo said.
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