|
|
City
Council Report |
City Council Meeting: September 27, 2011
Agenda Item: 4-A
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Gigi
Decavalles-Hughes, Acting Finance Director
Edward King, Director of Transit Services
David Martin, Director of Planning and Community Development
Subject: Coordinated
Planning and Implementation of Circulation Improvements
in
the Downtown and Light Rail Station Areas.
Recommended
Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1.
Review
and comment on the planning and implementation of circulation improvements in
the Downtown area; and
2.
Provide
direction on additional efforts to coordinate Downtown circulation and enhance
transit connections to Expo stations.
Executive
Summary
An integrated circulation system is critical to the continued success of the Downtown. The LUCE implements the community’s vision recognizing the importance of sustainable transportation for a successful future. LUCE policies link land use and circulation for a no net new trip community, optimizing functionality by balancing vehicle, pedestrian, cyclists and transit riders. The Light Rail will bring many additional pedestrians to the City, and particularly the Downtown, who will work, ride, shop and enjoy themselves. City staff is already preparing for ways to accommodate these additional pedestrians, while providing for more effective cycling opportunities and continuing to support the best possible vehicle and transit function. Considering the integrated circulation vision with each transportation and development decision, now and in the future, will allow for the continued success of the Downtown.
Downtown
Santa Monica is the location of multiple immediate, ongoing and longer term
transportation initiatives. This report inventories the integrated transportation
improvements anticipated both before service begins and once service begins on Expo
Light Rail service, and discusses comprehensive strategies to be explored as
part of the Downtown Specific Plan.
Background
This study session will focus on
transportation both before and after the opening of Expo Light Rail service,
anticipated in 2015. The Council has indicated the following circulation priorities
in their decisions to date:
·
Pedestrian
orientation and comfort
·
Complete
streets
·
Improved
parking accessibility
·
Completing
a full bicycle network
·
Supporting
multi modal choices for travel
·
No
net new trips in the PM peak hour
·
Connections
to the Civic Center
·
Supporting
the sustainability, economic and environmental for the Downtown into the future
·
Balancing
modes of transport to maintain sustainability
This report is a continuation of discussions
regarding Downtown including the review of an integrated framework to
coordinate the planning, urban design and circulation improvements for the
Downtown Expo Light Rail Station and Civic Center CIP projects that was provided
to City Council on March 24, 2009. This preceded the July 6, 2010 adoption of the General Plan Land Use and
Circulation Element which solidified the policy of linking and integrating land
use and transportation decisions in order to achieve congestion management,
sustainable transportation and substantially increase pedestrian, bicycle and
transit usage. Staff returned to the Council on February 1, 2011 to present the coordinated planning, management,
construction phasing and communications for approved and proposed projects in
both the Civic Center and the Downtown Area. That session affirmed the City’s
approach to continually communicate the most current information to the public
and coordinate the phasing plans for construction with continuous refinement as
project schedules become final.
Significant progress has been underway to
integrate multiple city decisions into a cohesive vision for transportation in
Downtown. Those efforts include:
· Interim parking plan
implementation
· Civic Center/Downtown
shared use parking study
· Draft Bike Action
Plan
· Expo Station Linkages
and Betterments
· Colorado
Esplanade
· Integration of
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) with
development projects
· Initiating specific
and area planning surrounding Expo stations
· Zoning Ordinance and
Interim Zoning updates
Council held a study session addressing
circulation connections between Downtown and the Civic Center on April 12, 2011. That session identified the importance of
the Colorado Esplanade to create a strong gateway knitting together the
Downtown, Pier and Civic Center, with pedestrian and bicycle connections to
Expo Light Rail while supporting critical vehicle access. The Council also
discussed longer term priorities, including realigning the 4th
Street off-ramp for improved vehicle movements, and widening the 4th
Street bridge sidewalk to provide better pedestrian and bike connections across
the freeway.
It is helpful to analyze Downtown as the center of a network that connects
Santa Monica and surrounding communities to the Expo Terminal station on 4th
Street. The Big Blue Bus presented its line-by-line analysis to the City
Council on May 10, 2011, which included Preliminary Alternatives
Analysis for High Capacity, Short Distance Transit Connections featuring
options for new feeder transit service to all three of the Santa Monica Expo
stations. This approach will ensure that service to the light rail stations
will be addressed through a network approach rather than focusing on each
station individually.
This report describes the significant
progress on implementing Council’s direction by outlining how City staff is
coordinating immediate, ongoing and longer-term Downtown transportation
initiatives.
Discussion
Downtown
Santa Monica, bordered by Ocean Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, Lincoln Boulevard
and the Santa Monica Freeway, has long been a major destination for Santa
Monica residents, visitors and employees. Past plans yielded lasting changes in
the landscape such as the creation of the Third Street Promenade, the
construction of the Downtown parking structure system, the creation of the Downtown
transit mall and the recent reconfiguration of Santa Monica Place. Other
features were implemented, but were revised based on updated planning, including
the 1979 redesign of Broadway and 5th Street as one-way streets, and
their restoration as two-way streets in 1998. Downtown continues to be the
daily destination for the employees who work there, a weekly destination for 80%
of City residents, a draw for regional visitors, and a top choice for
international travellers, as well as home for over 4500 Downtown residents. The
2010 Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) envisions
Downtown as a:
“…thriving,
mixed-use environment for people to live, work, be entertained and be
culturally enriched. The area has the greatest concentration of activity in the
City, anchored by the core commercial district, including the Third Street
Promenade and a revitalized Santa Monica Place open-air mall. Downtown
continues to expand as a residential area, with a diversity of residential types,
forms and sizes…”
The LUCE
specifies the following goals related to transportation and the long term
well-being of Downtown:
· Maintain
Downtown’s competitive advantage as a premier local and regional shopping,
dining and entertainment destination, and support its evolution in order to
respond to changing market conditions
· Maximize
place-making opportunities associated with the Expo Light Rail station to create
a vibrant Downtown gateway
· Ensure
high-quality implementation of transit-oriented development adjacent to the
station
· Prioritize
transit connections to the Expo Light Rail station
· Create
convenient pedestrian linkages to the Expo Light Rail station
· Create
convenient and comfortable bicycle linkages to the Expo Light Rail station
· Enhance
the quality and character of the streetscape and urban pattern in the Downtown
· Integrate
and interconnect the Downtown, the Civic Center, and the Oceanfront with open
space linkages and opportunities for shared parking and circulation
improvements
· Address
parking needs comprehensively, identifying shared parking opportunities
· Ensure
circulation for the Downtown, Civic Center and Beach and Oceanfront Districts
is interconnected
· Provide
flexible and functional event strategies to capitalize on related pedestrian
shopping and dining opportunities as well as maximizing shared parking
· Prepare
a Downtown Specific Plan that replaces the existing Bayside District Specific
Plan and incorporates the relevant goals and policies of the LUCE,
addresses ongoing issues in the Downtown and encompasses the expanded
boundaries of the Downtown.
A
fundamental construct of the LUCE was to integrate the land use and circulation
decisions made on specific private property entitlements, city investments and
specific policies to achieve no net new trips. This is a coordinated citywide
effort to reduce existing automobile trips and minimize new automobile trips by
increasing the amount of trips made by walking, cycling and transit.
Achieving
Goals and Coordinating Investments
The City of Santa Monica, other public agencies and private
property owners are currently developing a broad variety of investments in and
around the Downtown. Some of these
projects are currently underway, while others are still in the planning
stages. This staff report summarizes the
circulation initiatives to accommodate all of these projects, while achieving
the goals of the LUCE and Downtown stakeholders.
Although the circulation projects described in the next
section are organized by transportation mode, each of them works together in
order to achieve an integrated system.
They are being coordinated with the following principles:
Focus on the Customer
All of the investments discussed below are being designed
with the customer in mind, whether that customer is a Downtown shopper,
visitor, resident, or employee. Access
to and around the Downtown by all modes of transportation should be convenient,
easy and fun. For example, the City is
currently investing in better way-finding for the Downtown parking structures,
providing motorists with real-time information about parking availability not
only at the garages themselves, but also at all the main arrival points Downtown,
so that if one parking facility is full, the motorist will know where to find the
nearest available parking. Similarly,
bikeway investments and bicycle programs will also focus on the quality of user
experiences, creating a more comfortable, delightful experience for
cyclists.
Make Efficient Use of
Existing Resources
Over the past decades, the City has invested heavily in Downtown
parking, roadway, sidewalk, transit, and bikeway investments. Strategic use and maintenance of resources maximizes
the efficiency of these resources. The parking way-finding program is intended
not only to make it easier for customers to find parking but also to take
better advantage of underutilized parking supply, such as the spaces at the
Library garage. Speed, reliability and
quality improvements for Big Blue Bus will make the City’s major investment in
transit more productive.
Capitalize on Others’
Investments
Expo Light Rail will provide new regional access to Santa
Monica’s Downtown, delivering hundreds of passengers to the corner of 4th
Street and Colorado Avenue with the arrival of each train. Possibilities abound
as to how Santa Monica can best capture the value of Metro’s investment in
Expo. Parking on private property is not being used to its full capacity and
with a coordinated effort can meet needs of other properties in the area. Parking
resources on the beach and the rebuilding of the Pier bridge
can be evaluated in coordination with the goal to create a bike connection
between Downtown and the Beach Bike Path.
The City is currently looking at a broad array of opportunities to shape
others’ investments for the good of all citizens, as well as leverage small
amounts of public funds to achieve outside funding for a larger benefit that
would not be possible were the City acting alone.
Make it More Uniquely
Santa Monica
Most Santa Monicans visit Downtown
at least once a week, making it a frequent destination for useful goods and
services for all residents in addition to regional shopping and tourist
destination. The Downtown’s unique
character that capitalizes on its ocean-side location of extraordinary natural
beauty contributes to its retail success in the competitive marketplace. The
City’s investments seek to build upon Downtown’s unique character.
Recognize Limits
The overall street grid in the Downtown is highly adaptable
and efficient, yet the network as a whole has a fixed bandwidth, which
regulates vehicle capacity. While there
are some opportunities to expand vehicle capacity, some of these measures –
like on-street parking removal –require finding a balance with other important
goals such as pedestrian comfort or customer convenience. Accommodating future
planned development in the Downtown without an increase in vehicle trips
requires a fairly small shift in modes – about 10%. Since the majority of trips to the Downtown
are short – less than two miles – it is reasonable that some of these trips
could be accommodated with the walking, bicycling and Big Blue Bus improvements
being planned, as well as from the two other Expo Rail line stations in Santa
Monica. More of the longer trips may be
accommodated through Big Blue Bus, Expo Light Rail and by carpools, vanpools and
express bus service. Some drivers may
adapt their travel behavior to take advantage of the substantial improvements
made to alternative modes and resulting ease of use, freeing up roadway and
parking capacity for new visitors. The large majority of people currently
driving to Downtown will continue to be accommodated even as the Downtown grows
and adapts to change.
Anticipate the Future
To continue to build upon its success, the Downtown must continually
adapt to changing demographics, retail demands, economic trends, and other
forces outside its control. Through the
Downtown Specific Plan process, these current trends will be investigated, and
the planned circulation investments will be designed for resiliency and adaptability. The following section discusses Downtown
circulation initiatives that are:
1.
Underway and planned to be
implemented before operation of Expo Light Rail in 2015
2.
Planned to be implemented once
Light Rail operations begin
3.
Anticipated for future
phasing in response to future conditions.
Projects Underway: 2011-2015
Achieving
the access and circulation to support the future vision for vitality, economic
health and mixed uses in the Downtown involves a series of projects and
initiatives to serve the motorist, cyclist, pedestrian and transit rider. The
initial period will focus on construction of the Expo Light Rail starting in Fall 2011. Some additional construction during this period
will also include the development of Palisades Garden Walk, Parking Structure 6,
Colorado Esplanade and private property development. Wherever possible, these
projects will be phased and organized so that impacts to traffic are minimized;
however, the Light Rail construction will be the dominant activity affecting
transportation in Downtown and beyond.
Parking
Interim Parking Plan:
Parking Structure 6 Construction
In keeping
with the Downtown parking plan recommendations, Parking Structure 6, on Second
Street between Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard, will be rebuilt, with demolition
anticipated in February or March of 2012 and completion by the end of 2013. During
this time, replacement parking for automobiles will be accommodated with
implementation of the Interim Parking Plan.
The Interim Parking plan, presented to Council on March
8, 2011, focuses on relocating long-term monthly
parkers to the Civic Center, reducing the number of day-time reserved spaces in
Parking Structures 2 and 4, technology improvements, and the use of a temporary
130 space lot at a parcel on the corner of Arizona Avenue and Fifth Street.
Updates to the plan were highlighted in an Information Item on August
24, 2011; 100 monthly permit holders have been
relocated to the Civic Structure to date. The
Downtown Ride has been in service since August 29, 2011 and provides transit
service to those who park their vehicles in the Civic Center and are destined
for Downtown, with built-in incentives for holders of monthly parking passes. Long
term parking needs are discussed below in New
Parking Resources.
Parking Pricing
Staff’s
focus is on managing the City’s parking resources as a complete system, using
pricing and other incentives to encourage use of underutilized perimeter parking
facilities in the Civic Center and South Beach locations. Parking pricing will
need to be evaluated on a frequent basis, calibrating demand and supply for
this resource and adjusting prices accordingly. Following a request for proposals
process, staff is in the process of selecting a consultant to complete a
citywide parking rate analysis building on the previous efforts that were
focused on the Downtown. Staff is also working towards amending Municipal Code
sections related to parking. These two strategies will result in the ability to
better manage the City’s parking resources.
In-Lieu Fee Parking Program
City staff
is initiating the review of the Downtown’s parking in-lieu fee program. Its long-time
formula of $1.50 per square foot per year (initiated in 1986) is below the cost
of providing structured parking. New recommendations for establishing an
in-lieu fee structure and assessment formula for new development in relation to
the LUCE-established boundaries are expected in early 2012. The goal is to provide
a parking fund which is commensurate with the current cost of constructing new shared
parking to serve the area; funding for other transportation services, such as
transportation demand management services, pedestrian improvements, bicycling
encouragement and transit, is being explored as part of this effort as well.
Finding Parking
Dynamic way-finding
and updated parking availability signage in the Downtown will also be
implemented during this time period. Signage displaying the number of available
parking spaces and directions to the next available facility, when full, is
anticipated to be relocated from the sidewalks to signs similar to those
located on Parking Structures 7 and 8 in FY 2011-12. Dynamic message signs,
located at freeway exits to direct vehicles to available beach and Downtown
parking, therefore maximizing the existing automobile infrastructure, anticipated
to be installed in summer 2012.
The City
has encouraged private parking lots to be open to the public at market rates
during evenings and weekends. Thus far,
seven Downtown garages participate by displaying City-issued signs when they
offer public parking. The City is
exploring how to address concerns about sharing parking, maintenance, liability
and staffing the parking facilities to improve this opportunity. The Downtown
Specific Plan will evaluate options such as universal valet parking, recently implemented
in West Hollywood, to address opportunities to better utilize private parking.
Curb Space
There are
many multiple and competing demands for curb space in Downtown.
· Bus
Stops and Layover Zones: There is a need to designate curbside space for Big
Blue Bus and Metro stops, and in certain locations, for bus layover zones; if
transit services increase in downtown more space for these needs may be
required. Conceivably, space on streets
not used by transit may also be affected.
· Taxis:
Ongoing challenges include the appropriate locations for taxis to queue for
passengers. Taxi loading zones are
currently distributed throughout Downtown on Arizona Avenue, Wilshire
Boulevard, and Ocean Avenue. Staff is
evaluating the need for more taxi zones throughout Downtown, and is balancing
the needs for designated taxi loading zones with the need for public on-street
parking.
· Tour
buses: Tour buses currently load and unload passengers at locations generally
surrounding the Third Street Promenade, on Ocean Avenue, Broadway, and Wilshire
Boulevard; this important activity will continue to be needed in the Downtown
as valuable curb space is allocated.
· Passenger
Loading: Staff has also observed that passenger loading occurs with individual
automobiles blocking traffic or stopping at red curbs to drop off or pick up
passengers; locations are being contemplated to provide designated locations
for these activities at key locations with high demands for passenger loading.
· Valet
Parking: Many Downtown businesses also offer curbside valet parking to their customers
which need to be balanced with other needs for curb space.
The
greatest challenge is balancing the desires of individual businesses and the
needs of the greater Downtown community, particularly in the use of highly
sought-after on-street curbside space.
New Parking Resources
The City
continues to implement the Downtown Parking Program, adopted in 2006, which
identified a long term approach to building City parking in response to
anticipated demand. The program called for a series of upgrades and replacement
of existing structures. The program also calls for an ongoing monitoring
program, so demand can be evaluated and construction of new parking is matched
to additional demand. The replacement of Parking Structure 6 with approximately
350 additional parking spaces is scheduled to be completed in 2013, and the
visioning process for the 4th/5th and Arizona site calls for a
minimum of 339 additional public spaces at this site as a community benefit to
be included in the new development. Staff
is engaged in the process of evaluating the appropriate number of potential
additional public spaces for the 4th/5th and Arizona site
based on economic feasibility, other desired community benefits, current and
future demand assumptions, constructability and
circulation analysis. The Downtown Specific Plan will identify other
opportunity sites for additional shared parking should demand increase.
Perimeter Parking: The Civic Center, Pier and Beach Parking
Since 2010, the
City has been managing the available parking in downtown, the Civic
Center, Pier and beach facilities as one resource. On March
8, 2011, the Council discussed a Civic Center/Downtown Parking Assessment
to determine the priority of building additional parking at the Civic Center.
The discussion included the important role that the Civic Center parking structure
serves as an interim resource for Downtown while Parking Structure 6 is under
construction, and that current Civic Center demand can be met with the existing
supply until demand increases due to future build-out of Civic Center uses that
would replace the existing Civic Center surface parking lot. The
study recommended:
· Decisions
about future parking in the Civic Center area be evaluated as a comprehensive
shared parking supply with coordinated event planning,
· Additional
demand studies be conducted once the light rail and
the re-purposed Civic Auditorium are operational.
In response to requests from the Pier tenants and Pier Restoration
Corporation, the Civic Center/Downtown Parking Assessment is currently being
expanded to include a specific analysis of current Pier parking demand. Nelson/Nygaard, working with the Pier community, is conducting an additional
research effort to evaluate demand for parking at the Pier and recommend near
term shared parking improvements that can address needs in advance of the Pier master
planning process. Decisions arising from that research will continue to inform
potential improvements to Pier and beach parking.
Pedestrian Improvements
The City is
currently conducting a study of pedestrian issues throughout Downtown. The goal of this study will be to evaluate
the effectiveness of existing pedestrian elements (e.g., crosswalk treatments,
sidewalk widths), identify potential issues affecting pedestrian mobility, and
provide recommendations for improving pedestrian mobility throughout the study
area. The study will provide a range of
potential recommendations with a variety of costs to address the identified
concerns. Recommendations will also focus on non-capital solutions and the
development of a “toolkit” of solutions that could be implemented. This
“toolkit” will be reviewed with stakeholders prior to identifying final
recommendations.
Pedestrian improvements are an immediate
priority. A number of initiatives are being pursued simultaneously, including
wider sidewalks in new developments, requiring pedestrian oriented design at
the ground floor and investigating connection improvements across the freeway
and intersections with the greatest pedestrian volumes. The decision to invest
in the Colorado Esplanade is a powerful statement of the important role
pedestrians have in the area. Pedestrian circulation will be a key component of
the Downtown Specific Plan.
As such, staff has gathered quantitative
data about pedestrian patterns in the Downtown. A pedestrian-only traffic
signal phasing, also known as a ‘ped scramble’,
allowing time at a signalized intersections where pedestrians only can cross
the street in any direction, was tested in November and December 2010. The test
was inconclusive as to the benefit of an all-way pedestrian phase. Some pedestrians made use of the diagonal
crossing component, and the test appeared beneficial to pedestrians in terms of
providing more crossing opportunities. A
review of intersection operations indicates that the all-way pedestrian phase
degraded peak hour operations for vehicles.
Furthermore, an analysis of the total throughput of vehicles and
pedestrians indicates the all-way pedestrian phase resulted in slightly less
throughput than normal intersection operations.
For future consideration, the performance of all-way pedestrian phase
intersections may be enhanced through the following measures:
·
Increased signage
·
Conversion of more intersections to all-way pedestrian phase
intersections (to increase awareness for Downtown pedestrians)
·
Implementation of permanent pedestrian phases on all Downtown
traffic signals (to remove pedestrian push buttons and educate pedestrians to
observe “Walk” and “Don’t Walk” indications)
·
Increased markings on-street to indicate modifications to the
intersection.
Bicycles
Bicycle use
continues to grow in popularity for people traveling within and to Santa
Monica. Immediate changes to the bicycling landscape include the opening this Fall
of the Downtown Bike Center in Parking Structures 7 and 8. The Bike Center will
provide 260 secure bike parking spaces, bike repair facilities, showers,
lockers, and bike rentals. It will also
offer programs including bike share for local employees, bicycle education,
maintenance workshops, and supporting retail. New directional signage
approaching the Center and some restriping of the intersections of Broadway/2nd
Street will be installed to accommodate bicyclists arriving at these corners.
The draft Bicycle
Action Plan, released on August 5, also calls for better accommodations for
bicycles in the Downtown. Major Downtown recommendations include:
· Redesigning
2nd Street in the next five years to create green buffered bike
lanes resulting in a configuration similar to Main Street
· Adding
bike facilities to the Colorado Esplanade
· Enhancing Broadway with
green lanes and buffer zones to provide space between cyclists and parked cars,
from 6th Street eastwards on this primary east-west street
· Improving the
existing Arizona Avenue and Broadway bike lanes with buffered bike lanes
· Improving the
existing Ocean Avenue and Main Street bike lanes with buffered bike lanes
· Improving and
extending the existing 6th and 7th Street bike lanes, and
· Creating
a high quality bikeway in the 17th Street corridor, allowing for a
better bike connection to Sunset Park, and improving the bicycle connection
between Ocean Avenue and the regional bike path.
Transit
Most of the
Big Blue Bus lines originate in or pass through Downtown and connect this core
destination with virtually every part of Santa Monica as well as with
surrounding communities that are the source of many of the most frequent
visitors and commuters to Downtown. While the routes using the transit mall
benefit from bus only lanes, buses travelling north-south struggle with slow
travel speeds and the need to bring riders as close to their destinations as
possible. Challenges include the need for layover zones for bus service that
ends and starts in Downtown Santa Monica and the multiple demands for space
adjacent to Downtown’s curbs.
New bus stop
amenities will be installed at Downtown bus stop locations, as part of the upgrade
of 360 citywide bus stops, providing both shade units and seating for bus
riders and increased visibility for bus service in general. Ninety-six of the
stops with the highest boarding volumes will feature real time signage. The
stops on Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard that are within the Transit Mall
and feature the long shelters and arbors will remain unchanged.
During the
reconstruction of Parking Structure 6, anticipated through fall 2013, the
temporary Downtown Ride will connect people parking in the Civic Center with Downtown
destinations. The Downtown Ride supplements existing Big Blue Bus and Metro bus
service during this time period. Connecting the concentration of employees on
Wilshire Boulevard through shuttle service would also reinforce the concept of
having people already in Downtown stay in Downtown for activities, such as
lunch or shopping. A permanent future Tide Ride/hotel transit replacement is
being considered, and could take the form of a Downtown circulator. Although the Tide Ride is no
longer in operation, outreach has been conducted with the funding hotels, Downtown
business interests, and other stakeholders on possible replacement
services. Planning efforts for a replacement service will continue
as Downtown circulation alternatives are developed in more detail.
Coordination and Cooperation
Construction Coordination
Circulation for all modes
of travel will be carefully considered during the phasing and traffic control
of pending construction projects on privately owned property as well as city
projects. Staff from all City departments is closely coordinating to anticipate
potential construction impacts and make adjustments to schedules, mitigation
requirements and traffic routing as necessary. In addition, a coordinated team is involved in
the Be Excited, Be Prepared public
information campaign to ensure that the community has the most up to date information
at all times.
Construction of the Expo rail line will require detours for pedestrians,
bicycles, buses, general traffic and deliveries that will have to be
periodically modified as work proceeds along the right-of way through various
stages during the multi-year construction phase. During construction it is anticipated that
transit services will be detoured for varying lengths of time and appropriate
outreach and notification procedures will be followed to keep customers and the
community at large informed. Line 5 which operates on Colorado Avenue will be
the most susceptible to frequent or extended detours and, if necessary, the
service can be re-routed using Broadway. A permanent solution for Metro Rapid
buses that currently travel on Colorado between 4th and Streets to
reach their layover location on 5th Street between Olympic and
Colorado will have to be found early in the construction process.
Communication
Careful management and coordination with
area partners and employers is of the utmost importance. Downtown Santa Monica
Inc. continues to hold monthly Access/Parking/Circulation subcommittee meetings
attended by staff. Working closely with the Chamber of Commerce and Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Santa Monica College, area hospitals and the Santa Monica
Malibu Unified School District will ensure the greatest possible success.
Transportation
Management Associations
Trip reduction tools outlined in the
LUCE included the formation of Transportation Management Associations (TMA). The Planning and Community Development Department,
along with stakeholders in the Downtown are currently exploring the formation
of a TMA in the Downtown. TMAs
are organizations that include local employers, public sector representatives,
transportation providers, and others to employ Transportation Demand Management
(TDM) strategies to mitigate congestion through the
provision of services such as:
·
Marketing the area’s mobility options to businesses and
visitors to spur economic development
·
Promoting strategies to reduce auto use by employees,
residents and visitors
·
Generating new resources for transportation in the area and
leveraging City and Metro resources
·
Coordinating TDM activities such as
rideshare incentive and matching programs, vanpooling, bikesharing,
and shuttle programs
·
Organizing and participating in events to promote use of
alternative modes
·
Responding to residential and business concerns regarding
transportation and parking issues
·
Providing assistance to businesses and developers in
complying with City trip reduction regulations
·
Implementing special projects to address traffic and parking
concerns, such as for special events.
TMAs aggregate these services creating efficiencies and economies
of scale while also allowing smaller employers to provide commute trip-
reduction services comparable with those offered by larger companies. The
City has begun working with a consultant, Advisory Group, Downtown Santa Monica
Inc. and stakeholders to determine the level feasibility of forming a TMA. The process will continue into the fall and if deemed
feasible the city will work to support the formation of an Association per the
recommendations of the Advisory Group.
Future Projects: Expo Light Rail in Service
The
initiation of service on the Expo Light Rail, anticipated in 2015, will begin a
new era of transportation in Santa Monica and will mark a new way of travelling
to Downtown Santa Monica. New travel patterns will appear– some that are anticipated,
and others that will emerge – as people choose how to access the stations.
Planning for the people who will be driving, walking, bicycling and taking
transit to Downtown Santa Monica in this new era has begun and will be
integrated into the greater Downtown vision in the anticipated Downtown
Specific Plan.
Pedestrian
traffic will be dramatically different with Expo Light Rail service. A great
concentration of pedestrians will originate from the station as each train
arrives while a more continuous flow will head to the station to depart.
Colorado Esplanade
The
Colorado Esplanade process is underway with project completion scheduled to precede
the opening of the Downtown Station. This streetscape improvement will create a
clear pedestrian and bicycle experience from the station to the Pier along
Colorado Avenue. The pedestrian connections will include improved pedestrian
access to Palisades Garden Walk Park at Ocean Avenue and Main Street. In
addition to the pedestrian amenities of wider sidewalks, landscaping, and
street trees, the Esplanade will provide a bicycle facility leading to both the
Pier and the new Bike Center in Parking Structure 7. The internationally renowned landscape firm,
Peter Walker Partners (PWP) has been engaged to
design the Esplanade, with the direction to create an exemplary and beautiful
place that balances all modes of travel and links the Downtown and Civic Center
with both vital infrastructure and a memorable arrival point. The PWP contract also includes concept and schematic design for
the station plaza so that the arrival and dispersal of pedestrians throughout the
Downtown can be seamlessly orchestrated to prevent conflicts with transit and vehicles.
Outreach and initial design is underway. The Planning Commission received a
report on the progress and stakeholder outreach at its September 14th
meeting.
Crossing the Freeway
The April
12, 2011 Council meeting included a discussion
about the Phase One Connections and Linkages Study of freeway capping findings
to better connect the civic center and Downtown. One of the recommendations
from the report is to widen the sidewalks on the 4th Street bridge to allow for some permanent amenities that would
improve this critical pedestrian connection between the Civic Center uses and
the Expo Light Rail Downtown terminus. Because this walk is not currently appealing
it contributes to the perception that the Civic Center is a longer walk from
the Station Terminus and Downtown than it really is. The Freeway Capping Feasibility Study may
identify additional projects that would increase connectivity and could be
accomplished with public-private partnerships and or/or significant funding
from outside sources. As identified on April 12th, funding the design and
construction of this connection will need to be a future priority.
Other
improvements including previously mentioned projects and initiatives, such as
the Downtown pedestrian study and tests of new traffic signal timing approaches
regarding pedestrian mobility, will need to be considered in all future
planning.
Bicycling
Bicycling
will continue to be a growing component of accessing Downtown and the Expo
Light Rail station. Many station riders are anticipated to access the station
by bicycle. Pending final track alignment, access to the immediate station area
will be encouraged via improved facilities on both 5th Street and 4th
Court. Additional facilities suggested in the 20 year outlook of the draft Bike
Action Plan that will aid in better access to Downtown include:
· Creating a new bike
path alongside Olympic Drive, and a neighborhood greenway along Michigan
Avenue, allowing for better bike connections between the Pico Neighborhood and
Downtown
· Creating a
neighborhood greenway along 6th Street, allowing for a better bike
connection to the Ocean Park Neighborhood
· A high quality
bikeway in the 17th Street corridor, along for a better bike
connection to Sunset Park.
Parking
Many of the
previously discussed measures, such as parking pricing, will need to be
revisited strategically to reflect changes in the Downtown and best serve the
objectives of the City. Similarly, as businesses change, change will occur
adjacent to the curbs in front of them, with valet, tour buses and taxi zones
being reviewed and monitored over time. Centralized valet parking, either
seasonally or year-round may also be appropriate to evaluate.
The amount
of parking available at different times and for different users will be
monitored and policy may change over time to reflect Downtown’s needs.
Decisions regarding the retrofit of existing and construction of new parking
structures will continue to be a priority. Other opportunities may present themselves,
such as joint partnerships with private development. While the interim zoning
ordinance creates a process for properties to share parking in the Downtown,
the Downtown Specific Plan will analyze different shared parking requirements
for this area, compared to other areas in the City, both in terms of amount of
parking and access to parking.
The ongoing
goal is to provide just the right amount of parking at just the right time. Providing too much parking can have as much of
a negative impact as having too little, as construction of spaces that are
under-utilized diverts financial and physical resources without achieving the
required revenue to balance the outlay, thus delaying or preventing other important community benefit investments
in the area.
Transit Connections to Downtown Expo Light Rail Station
The
greatest systemic change to existing transportation will likely occur with the
provision of enhanced transit connections to Santa Monica’s Light Rail
stations. While seven Big Blue Bus lines already serve the future terminal
location on 4th Street, the routing of other existing services such
as Line 1 will need to be reconsidered to ensure that all communities in the
catchment area of the station have a direct transit connection. Work is
underway to not only connect the bus service to the Light Rail in a convenient
and efficient manner but to also provide a gracious experience for bus
passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists at the station.
Bus service
to the Bergamot and 17th Street stations continues to be pursued
with the Preliminary Alternatives Analysis. Reconfiguring of the existing
Crosstown Ride is being contemplated to serve 17th Street and a
detailed analysis is underway as to how best connect riders to the Bergamot
station. For some residents, the Expo station at Bundy Drive just beyond the
Santa Monica City limits will be the most convenient station and Big Blue Bus
improvements are being planned in that area as well. Bus interface at each of
the Expo stations is being carefully considered and pursued by the City with
the Exposition Light Rail Construction Authority and Metro.
The Big
Blue Bus has undertaken a Preliminary Alternatives Analysis, evaluating higher
capacity transit access to Santa Monica’s three planned Expo Light Rail stations.
A new service to the Downtown station is envisioned with:
· Simple,
easy to understand alignment: serves a variety of different needs of residents,
employees and visitors,
· Higher
capacity than a standard Big Blue Bus
· High
frequency: scheduled to meet each train arrival and departure
· Seamless
fare structure or media to facilitate transfers to/from Big Blue Bus or Metro
services
· Serve
Downtown parking: facilitating ‘park once’ strategy, and
· Cost-effective
service: any new service must support the financial sustainability of the Big
Blue Bus network.
Options
include extensions of the alignment for a Downtown and Civic Center circulator
currently under study. This new service could operate with existing lines on a
new north-south “Quality Bus Corridor” similar to the Transit Mall.
A transit
service differentiated from standard bus service, such as a streetcar, could
serve as a Downtown circulator, potentially knitting together Downtown, and perimeter
parking resources, the Main Street and Montana Avenue commercial areas, hotels
and the Pier. The service would provide predictability on a simple axis routing
to visitors and infrequent transit riders, clearly indicating where stops can
be found. Many communities use circulators as a tool to engage visitors who
enjoy the activity of taking a ride once arriving at a destination. The experience
of other cities indicates that implementing a permanent circulator route can
also be a viable economic development tool for many of the same reasons;
development investors have more certainty when they are planning in conjunction
with a permanent transit route.
Next Steps in Downtown Circulation Coming to Council
The City
Council will receive regular updates on transportation projects that will
impact the Downtown. Individual projects
will come before the Council, including information regarding the development
of the Downtown Specific Plan.
Downtown Specific Plan
Preparation
of the Downtown Specific Plan is underway. Approval of a contract for a
consultant team is on the September 27, 2011 Council Agenda. Initial outreach
with stakeholders and community meetings is scheduled for the fall, with the
intent that alternatives for discussion will be prepared in 2012. A critical component will be a circulation
plan for the Downtown that presents phased options to anticipate change over
time. The first phase of recommended circulation changes will be timed to anticipate
the opening of the Expo Line, and expected development projects.
The
transportation philosophy of the Specific Plan is anticipated to mirror the
transportation concerns of Downtown, namely:
· Focusing
on the customer: approaching the needs of all who travel in Downtown and that
they have a choice about whether they choose to travel to Downtown Santa Monica
or not, this will include a focus on creating a streetscape that encourages
walking and bicycling and ensuring that development proposals include bike and
pedestrian amenities and a smooth transit interface
· Making
the most efficient use of existing resources: inventorying and utilizing the
rich investments that have already been made in Downtown
· Capitalizing
on others’ investments: incorporating decisions and interests of others to
ensure more than coordination but mutual success
· Making
it more uniquely Santa Monica: consciously pursuing ideas that reinforce the
character of Santa Monica
· Recognizing
limits: limits exist both physically and fiscally, reserving existing physical capacity
for growth, and fiscal capacity by pursuing grant funding of public improvements
and private funding opportunities
· Anticipating
the future: adapting to future change while recognizing the past decisions of
Downtown Santa Monica.
The project
will include multiple efforts to plan for future transportation in Downtown
Santa Monica, both critical small efforts and possible major investments and
decisions. Efforts will be focused on creating additional vehicle gateways to
the district to disperse traffic during peak hours. Critical to this effort
will be an improvement to the functioning of the Lincoln Boulevard off ramp and
major intersections north of the freeway. The circulation component of the Downtown
Specific Plan will identify appropriate options and phasing. The Downtown
Specific Plan is an opportunity to unify all of these components for the
entirety of Downtown.
Future anticipated discussion items for the Council include:
· Endorsement
of initial design concepts of the Colorado Esplanade,
· Adoption
of the Bike Action Plan, including changes to Downtown streets,
· Creation
of north-south transit priority measures to support existing and novel transit
services to the Expo Light Rail station,
· Supporting
the creation of a Pier Bicycle Ramp, including direction on including a bicycle
ramp connection from the Pier to Beach Bike Path as part of the Pier Bridge
replacement,
· Widening
the 4th Street Bridge by developing a concept and initiating a
process to comply with Caltrans requirements,
· Forming
a Transportation Management Association
Downtown, and
· Continued
implementation of the parking plan, with discussions on
§
Parking Pricing
§
Parking In Lieu fees
§
Parking assessments
As Downtown Santa Monica evolves, so will its transportation
needs. Strategies will need to be
adaptable to changing conditions, with a framework that can be proactive and
nimble integrating the myriad of solutions necessary to achieve a vibrant Downtown
that is both sustainable and economically healthy.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no
immediate budget/financial impact to the recommendation presented in this
report. Funding for the proposed improvements to the Downtown transportation
system will come from a variety of sources, including Redevelopment Agency
funds.
Prepared by: Beth Rolandson, AICP,
Principal Transportation Planner
Sarah Lejeune,
Principal Planner
Sam Morrissey, PE, Principal Transportation Engineer
Paul Casey, Senior Transit Programs Analyst
Don
Patterson, Assistant Director of Finance
|
Approved: |
|
Forwarded to Council: |
|
|
|
|
|
Gigi Decavalles-Hughes Acting
Director, Finance |
|
Rod Gould City Manager |
|
Approved: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Edward King, Director,
Big Blue Bus |
|
|
|
Approved: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Martin, Director,
Planning and Community Development |
|
|