Sewage Fee Increase, Better Business with Beach Lighting on Wednesday Council Agenda

Council will receive an update from Pacifica Companies on the construction of the hotel to replace the Seacoast Inn. This is agenda item 6.1. Originally scheduled to open in August, Project Manager Sergio Sandoval the hotel may not open until November.

This is agenda item 6.1. 

Hitzke Development is asking for more money for a project to build a new American Legion Hall and 30 low income housing units for seniors and veterans. According to the city, last month Hitzke made three requests in order to close escrow:

- change the name of the entity to The Post Housing L.P.

- the city pay for the acquisition of a parcel of land for $346,500

- increase the Housing Authority's contribution $251,000 from $3.85 million to $4.1 million

In total, new money requested would raise the price of the project from $7.8 million to $8.5 million

Hitzke cites increased construction costs as the reason for the rise in money requested. In reviewing similar projects in San Diego County, Keyser Marston Associates, a consulting firm working for the city, according to the city they found "construction costs increases are consistent with a region-wide increase in the cost of materials."

This is agenda item 6.2.

Council will be asked to approve a meeting to take place next month where the city will hold its annual review of payments made by newly established developments in IB.

The following month, a new ordinance would be discussed during a regular council meeting about a possible six percent increase in sewage fees charged to all customers in IB. This is agenda item 2.5.

An ordinance passed in 2005 established a 5.5 percent annual increase through 2010. Last year based on the U.S. Department of Bureau and Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

Due to mistakes made by city staff, .

In order to new rates to take effect by July, all customers are to be sent a letter to give notice of the May 2 meeting 45 days in advance. This is agenda item 2.6.

Council will also vote whether or not to approve repaving some city streets which include

 - 9th Street from State Route 75 to Donax Avenue

- Donax Avenue from 2nd to 3rd streets

- Louden Lane from Imperial Beach Boulevard to Grove Avenue

The repaving would be carried out by Southland Paving and cost $415,000. 

In accordance to new rules passed by council in January, in order for a Councilmember to place an item on the agenda at a later meeting, it must first be approved by majority vote. In agenda item 6.4 Wednesday, Councilman Ed Spriggs will propose council discuss pedestrian friendly lighting be installed on Seacoast Drive to encourage more commerce on the beach at night.

Spriggs gave a power point presentation on the subject last fall which pointed to the fact that other busy commercial corridors in San Diego like the Gaslamp District have lighting of a certain height. Spriggs proposes the same be done in IB in order to enhance the experience of hotel guests and make people feel safe enough to frequent beach businesses at night.

As part of an Oversight Board to oversee the successor to the Imperial Beach Redevelopment Agency, the mayor will appoint two members of the seven member board.

Other stakeholders in the redevelopment agency to appoint members to the board include the San Diego County Water Authority, Southwestern College, the County Board of Supervisors and South Bay Union School District.

The frequency of meetings or when they will begin has not yet been determined but the mayor's appointees are expected to keep their position until 2016. The successor agency is the Imperial Beach Housing Authority.

This is agenda item 6.5.