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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCeremonial Naming of Streets Policy Public Works Agency www.santa-ana.org/pw Item # 34 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report July 19, 2022 TOPIC: Ceremonial Naming of Streets Policy AGENDA TITLE Ordinance Amending Chapter 33 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code Related to the Ceremonial Naming of Streets RECOMMENDED ACTION Approve first reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 33 of the Municipal Code by adding Article XI relating to the ceremonial naming of streets. DISCUSSION On January 18, 2022, the City Council expressed an interest in recognizing outstanding individuals who have made a significant impact on their community through the commemorative or honorary naming of streets. To allow for the recognition of individuals and philanthropic organizations that are of particular importance to the City of Santa Ana or have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life in the city, the proposed ordinance (Exhibit 1) amends Section 33 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code by adding Article XI to create regulations allowing the ceremonial naming of streets. In conjunction with the municipal code amendment, a ceremonial street naming application (Exhibit 2) has been developed, which will be submitted to the Public Works Agency by the applicant, along with the corresponding processing, fabrication, and installation fees. The ordinance allows for certain requirements, such as submittal of an application, notice of application, and program fees to be waived by majority vote of the City Council when the request is initiated by a current councilmember. The proposed Santa Ana Municipal Code amendments were developed by an Ad Hoc Committee of the Environmental Transportation Advisory Commission (ETAC) composed of ETAC Chair Brain Germain and Commissioners Nathanial Greensides and Dorian Romero. On March 8, 2022, ETAC voted to approve the proposed amendments and to present them to the City Council for consideration. Ceremonial Naming of Streets Policy July 19, 2022 Page 2 2 8 5 0 On April 28, 2022, the City Council requested updates to the proposed ordinance regarding program fees and the amount of time sign toppers can be in place. The Council also requested information on other municipalities’ ceremonial street naming processes. Below is a comparison of different municipalities and the method by which the ceremonial naming of streets is approved. City Application Fee Sign Fabrication and Installation Fee Submitted By Approved By Dallas Applicant*Applicant City Council or residents City Council Baltimore None Applicant Residents, with letters of support from ward Council member and Nbhd Assoc. City Dept. of Trans., ROW Special Events Section, Mayor’s Office of Nbhds, PD and FD. Boston None Applicant Residents, with letter of support from ward Council member City Council Houston None None Residents Planning and Dev. Director, City Council Milwaukee Applicant Applicant Residents Citizen advisory committee, City Council New York None Applicant - only for replicas Residents Community Board and City Council, Mayor may veto New Orleans None Applicant Residents City Council Phoenix None Applicant Residents Ward Council member, City Council San Diego Applicant **Applicant**City Council or residents City Council * Application fee is waived if the applicant is a government agency **Fees can be waived by City Council Some cities, such as Palm Desert and Palm Springs, have legally, not ceremonially, named some of their streets in honor of influential founding residents or celebrities with ties to the cities. Therefore, their processes are different than the process for the aforementioned cities. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT There is no environmental impact is associated with the action. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. Ceremonial Naming of Streets Policy July 19, 2022 Page 3 2 8 5 0 EXHIBIT(S) 1. Ordinance 2. Ceremonial Street Naming Permit Application Submitted By: Nabil Saba, P.E., Executive Director – Public Works Agency Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 1 of 7 ORDINANCE NO. NS-XXX AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA AMENDING CHAPTER 33 OF THE SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL CODE (STREETS, SIDEWALKS AND PUBLIC WORKS) BY ADDING ARTICLE XI RELATING TO CEREMONIAL STREET NAMING WHEREAS, the Santa Ana City Council desires to recognize individuals and philanthropic organizations that are of particular importance to the City of Santa Ana or have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life in the City by ceremonially naming sections of public streets in their honor; and WHEREAS, currently, there is no formal policy addressing guidelines for the content or placement of ceremonial street signs; and WHEREAS, a policy is needed to ensure consistency, proper neighborhood outreach, traffic safety, and appropriate sign content; and WHEREAS, this ordinance will amend the Santa Ana Municipal Code to authorize the City Council to confer ceremonial names on public streets and allow for the installation of appropriate signage, which shall be distinct from, and not change or replace, existing legal street names and signs, and recognized neighborhood association neighborhood street designations; and WHEREAS, for ease of administration, these regulations will comprise new Article XI of Chapter 33 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (Streets, Sidewalks and Public Works); and WHEREAS, this ordinance is not intended to apply to the method by which the recognized neighborhood associations of the City currently place their neighborhood street designations. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA, DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The recitals above are each incorporated by reference and adopted as findings by the City Council. Section 2. Article XI (Ceremonial Street Naming) is hereby added to Chapter 33 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (Streets, Sidewalks and Public Works) to read in its entirety as follows. EXHIBIT 1 brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 2 of 7 ARTICLE XI. - CEREMONIAL STREET NAMING Sec. 33-259. - Purpose. The purpose of this article is to commemorate the service, lives, and achievements of individuals, philanthropic groups of individuals, or a landmark event, affiliated with the City of Santa Ana where the individual(s) or event has had significant and clearly defined cultural, humanitarian or historic impact on the City by recognizing them with a ceremonial street name that does not cause any disruption of the existing legal street names and abutting uses. Nothing in this article shall pertain to the method by which recognized neighborhood associations place their neighborhood street designations. Sec. 33-260. - General provisions. (a) Only entire blocks of public streets or intersections may be granted ceremonial street names. (b) A ceremonial street naming application may only be initiated by: (1) A resident or owner of a property abutting the street; or (2) Neighborhood or community groups; or (3) A current City Councilmember. (c) Candidates for ceremonial street names shall be limited to the name of an individual, philanthropic organization, significant event or landmark. (d) Ceremonial street names shall be in the form of a “Sign Topper,” which is a sheet metal sign that is placed on top of the standard City street sign identification and shall adhere to the following specifications: (1) Ceremonial street naming cannot contain a product name or be used for a commercial purpose. (2) Ceremonial street naming must be a name of an individual, philanthropic organization, landmarks or an event. (3) A ceremonial street Sign Topper must include the word “Honorary.” (4) No more than one ceremonial Sign Topper per street block. (5) Only one Sign Topper may be placed on any pole. (6) Sign Toppers shall not be attached to traffic signal mast arms. brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 3 of 7 (7) Ceremonial names shall not duplicate any currently existing official street names. (8) Up to five (5) Sign Toppers may be located at any one intersection, coincident with existing street name signs. (9) Sign Toppers may not be attached to traffic signal poles. (10) No one candidate may receive City Council approval for a Sign Topper recognition on more than one street or intersection. Sec. 33-261. - Criteria for Ceremonial Street Naming. (a) Candidates for ceremonial street names must exhibit a minimum of 10 years of community involvement or demonstrated an extraordinary, consistent and voluntary commitment to the community, or have had contributed significantly to the City of Santa Ana. Significant historic events or City of Santa Ana landmarks may also be considered if supported by significant and clearly defined cultural, humanitarian, or historical impact to the City. (b) An Individual to be honored must have been dead for at least two years prior to the date of application. (c) Candidates, who have already been honored on one street, whether ceremonial or official, may not be honored on another street. (d) Ceremonial street names cannot be an ideology or a commercial interest. Sec. 33-262. - Application Process. (a) Application. An application for a ceremonial street naming must be filed with the Public Works Agency on an application form furnished by the Agency. The application must include all of the following: (1) A statement addressing the criteria for ceremonial street naming set forth in this article. (2) A map showing the proposed location of the entire street block(s) receiving the ceremonial street name. No fractions of a street block may receive the ceremonial street name. (3) If a ceremonial name is proposed for an intersection, a map showing the proposed intersection. No more than five (5) locations at an intersection may receive the ceremonial name. brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 4 of 7 (4) Documentation indicating that two-thirds of the residents or owners of the lots abutting the street or intersection are in support of the ceremonial street name. A. For the purposes of this section, only one (1) adult signature per address, either owner or renter, will be counted. B. Documentation shall be within 60 days from the date of the application. C. Documentation shall be submitted on a form provided by the Director of Public Works. (b) Notice of Application. Within ten (10) calendar days of acceptance by the City of the ceremonial street application, the applicant must provide written notice to the legal owners of the property abutting the proposed ceremonial street or intersection by depositing the notice, properly addressed and postage paid in the United States mail to such owners. (1) The written notice shall include the following: A. The proposed name of the street or intersection; and B. The location of the proposed street or intersection. (2) The City shall provide the addresses of the owners of record of the properties abutting the proposed ceremonial street block(s) or intersection. (3) Applicant will be responsible for paying postage and mailing such notices using the United States mail system. (c) Fees. The following fees are required for a ceremonial street naming. (1) An application fee, as established by resolution of the City Council, must be paid at the time the application is submitted. (2) If approved by the City Council, fees for sign production, hardware costs and installation fees, as established by resolution of the City Council, must be paid prior to sign installation. (d) Public Hearing. The City Council shall consider the application based on the testimony presented at a public hearing and a determination that the application meets the ceremonial street naming criteria standards. (1) If a written protest against the ceremonial street naming has been signed by the residents or owners of twenty percent (20%) of all lots abutting the brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 5 of 7 street, then a favorable vote of three-fourths of all City Councilmembers is required. (2) Otherwise, a ceremonial street application may be approved by a majority vote of City Councilmembers. (e) Waiver. If application is initiated by a current City Councilmember, the requirements of subsections (a) through (c) may be waived by a majority vote of the City Council. (f) Resolution. Approval of the ceremonial street naming shall be made by City Council resolution. Sec. 33-263. - Effective date of ceremonial street name and end date. (a) The ceremonial street name shall end ten (10) years after the date of the resolution approving the ceremonial street name, provided that the City Council at its sole discretion may select a longer or indefinite period . (b) An applicant may re-apply for the ceremonial street name by the same process detailed in this article. Sec. 33-264. - Installation and replacement. (a) Installation. The Director of the Public Works Agency, or his or her designee, is responsible for the fabrication and installation of the ceremonial Sign Toppers. (b) Replacement and Removal. Any ceremonial Sign Topper that has become torn, damaged, defaced, or destroyed shall be repaired, replaced, or removed by the City at the sole cost of applicant following written notice to applicant. Sec. 33-265. - Authority of the Director. The Director of Public Works is authorized to establish rules and procedures and to produce signs, forms and other materials necessary or appropriate to implement the provisions of this article. Section 4. The City Council finds and determines that this ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines because it will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, as there is no possibility it will have a significant effect on the environment and it is not a "project", as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines. Section 5. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 6 of 7 court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby declares that it would have adopted this ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions be declared invalid or unconstitutional. Section 6. This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after its adoption. Section 7. The Clerk of the Council shall certify the adoption of this ordinance and shall cause the same to be published as required by law. ADOPTED this _______ day of ___________, 2022. _________________________ Vicente Sarmiento Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney By:_________________________ Brandon Salvatierra Deputy City Attorney AYES: Councilmembers ______________________________________ NOES: Councilmembers _______________________________________ ABSTAIN: Councilmembers _______________________________________ NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers _______________________________________ brs 4/25/22 Ordinance No. NS-XXX Page 7 of 7 CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY I, Daisy Gomez, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the attached Ordinance No. NS-____________ to be the original ordinance adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana on _______________, and that sai d ordinance was published in accordance with the Charter of the City of Santa Ana. Date: ________________ ____________________________________ Clerk of the Council City of Santa Ana PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY For more information please contact Azadeh Azad at (714) 647-5667 or email aazad@santa-ana.org. CEREMONIAL STREET SIGN TOPPER Application Applicant’s Name: _______________________________________________________________ Applicant Contact Person: _______________________________________________________________ Applicant Street Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ Office Phone:________________________________Mobile Phone:____________________________ Contact Email Address:_____________________________________________________________________________ Full Name of Honoree: _____________________________________________________________________________ (as it would appear on street sign) Full Name of Street: _____________________________________________________________________________ (to be designated) Full name of each intersecting street within the boundary where the designation begins and ends: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EXHIBIT 2 APPLICATION FOR CEREMONIAL STREET SIGN TOPPERS CEREMONIAL STREET SIGN TOPPER Application Please check all below. Include a brief explanation of each applicable criteria (if you require more space, please provide information as an attachment): o Cultural Impact on the City: ________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Historical Impact on the City: ______________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Humanitarian Impact on the City:_________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Connection to/Association with the City: __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY For more information please contact Azadeh Azad at (714) 647-5667 or email aazad@santa-ana.org. CEREMONIAL STREET SIGN TOPPER Application o Connection to Geographical Area of Designated Street: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ o Additional Supporting Documents & Attachments Application Check List Complete the application, together with the required items indicated below: o Completed Application o Application Fee o Design of Sign Topper per City standards o Petition and supporting documents o Map showing boundary & portion of street proposed for ceremonial street naming You will be contacted by phone or email when application has been forwarded to and assigned to a Public Works Agency staff member. ____________________________ Date: __________________________________________________________________ Signature of Applicant: RECEIVED BY: ___________________________________________________ DATE: _____________________ ---IMPORTANT--- INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND WILL BE RETURNED TO THE APPLICANT. Work may begin only AFTER the City has issued the Permit and appropriate fees are paid. PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY For more information please contact Azadeh Azad at (714) 647-5667 or email aazad@santa-ana.org.